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Thread: Need advice. I just inherited a 1981 Delorean with 1,248 miles. Been in dry storage

  1. #41
    EFI'd dn010's Avatar
    Join Date:  Jul 2011

    Location:  Florida: Pinellas County

    Posts:    2,110

    My VIN:    5003 Never placed Concourse

    Club(s):   (DCF)

    Who needs a manual when you have the forum!

    Check out the resource section and you will find a plethora of documentation.

    http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?28...Engine-Manuals

    Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk
    Last edited by dn010; 08-18-2016 at 06:32 PM. Reason: Fixed link
    -----Dan B.

  2. #42
    Senior Member
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    Quote Originally Posted by hillbillysims View Post
    Are there any books you can buy regarding rebuild/repair/maintenance of these cars?
    Don't forget about the Knowledgebase articles on the DMCH website. They cover most of the everyday topics we chat about on here.

    http://support.delorean.com/KB/browse.aspx


    Sept. 81, auto, black interior

  3. #43
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    Location:  Lansing, MI

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    My VIN:    04194: 5-Speed, Black Int, 79 Peugeot 604 Manifold, 05052: 5-Speed, Gray Int, 78 Peugeot 604 manifol

    While DMC only made one model, each restoration is different. When it comes to the cost of a restoration, the sky is the limit. For example, I brought 5052 back to life after 23 years of storage. My total cost to get the car running and drivable was around $2,000.00. This included a carb conversion, new clutch and brake masters, new caliper seals amd all new brake hoses. Ive done some upgrades to the exhaust amd front end since. In over 6,000 miles of driving, it has not stranded me once.

    Aside from the carb conversion, there was no special secret to 5052's budget restoration. I simply did the work myself and used the forums as a resource.

    Best of luck,

    Andrew
    4194
    5052

  4. #44
    Senior Member
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    Location:  Northern NJ

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    Quote Originally Posted by Andrew View Post
    While DMC only made one model, each restoration is different. When it comes to the cost of a restoration, the sky is the limit. For example, I brought 5052 back to life after 23 years of storage. My total cost to get the car running and drivable was around $2,000.00. This included a carb conversion, new clutch and brake masters, new caliper seals amd all new brake hoses. Ive done some upgrades to the exhaust amd front end since. In over 6,000 miles of driving, it has not stranded me once.

    Aside from the carb conversion, there was no special secret to 5052's budget restoration. I simply did the work myself and used the forums as a resource.

    Best of luck,

    Andrew
    4194
    5052
    I would say your case is kind of extreme. Even doing all of your own work, $2K is not usually enough to get all of the systems going. Tires alone can take up a big chunk of that and that's just one item. I wonder just how much you can really save converting to a carb as opposed to getting the K-Jet system going. In both cases you have to clean the fuel tank and replace all of the internals. Typically what is necessary to get the fuel system going is you replace all of the fuel tank internals, unstick the plunger in the distributor, clean or replace the fuel injectors, and maybe the Control Pressure Regulator.
    David Teitelbaum

  5. #45
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    I plan if possible to NOT convert anything on the engine from the OEM setup.. unless it is a well known failure point. I'd rather restore back factory original. Other than electrical upgrades which I mentioned earlier, I will definitely do those.

    I hadn't heard the term "K-Jet" but I'll read up on it now. I hate it is going to be 11-12 months til I get the car, I am eager to start working on it now

  6. #46
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    Quote Originally Posted by hillbillysims View Post
    I hadn't heard the term "K-Jet" but I'll read up on it now. I hate it is going to be 11-12 months til I get the car, I am eager to start working on it now
    Bosch K-Jetronic is the fuel injection system used on our cars. You may want to look at one of the Mercedes forums for troubleshooting since many 1980's Mercedes used the same system.
    Early 81 5spd conversion- DMCH Ground Effects, Double Din, Custom Instrument Cluster, QA1 Suspension, 3.0 PRV with MS3

  7. #47
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    My VIN:    10757 1st place Concourse 1998

    There are a lot of known failure points and there are upgrades/solutions for all of them. Before getting into all of them you need to get the car, go over in detail to see what you actually have and then decide what you want to do. I would try to get it to run first and foremost. All of the upgrades and improvements can be done later. Too bad you have to wait so long till you can get it. In the meantime make sure it is insured and safely stored. If possible remove the battery and wipe out the gas tank. Air up the tires and try to collect everything that goes with the car and put it all together in one spot. Cover it and make sure nothing can fall on the car. Don't spend a nickel on it till you have the Title in your name.
    David Teitelbaum

  8. #48
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    One thing I meant to mention earlier would be how valuable having the whole car assessment done at a DMC franchise. If I'm not mistaken, for $300-$400, they will go over your entire car and create you a report with all of the things that could stand to be addressed and the costs of doing so (parts and labour) beside it. Regardless of what or how you eventually restore the car, this could be the best money you spend right off the hop.


    Sept. 81, auto, black interior

  9. #49
    Junior Member
    Join Date:  Aug 2014

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    Quote Originally Posted by hillbillysims View Post
    the more I hear you guys talk.. the more confident I am getting thinking I can handle a lot of this (at least on getting it running).

    I'll get pics the next time I go to grandpa's and post them. The only pics I have right now show mostly the higher mileage car (35k).. the lower mileage car is hiding behind it
    Yes, you CAN do everything mentioned so far by yourself. I'm sure someone (or more) will also make themselves available to you once you get the car and start bringing it back to life. Just ask.

    When you see the car again, flip the passenger seat forward, and under the rear parcel shelf, lift up the corner of the carpeting. There is a removable wood panel there. Under that piece of wood is where the fuse box and the relays live. If not done so already, REMOVE THE FUSE BOX COVER from the fuse box. This will reduce the likelihood of heat buildup on the fuses and help prevent melting of the fuse box. This has been known to happen - let's just say more than once - with these cars. That fix is free. Just pop the cover off and put it next to fuse box. Check for anything obvious burned up while in there. You probably won't see anything alarming on a car with 1250 miles, but pop that cover off the fuses if it is still covering them.

    Eventually, you will be cleaning contacts on those fuses, and the relays that live nearby. Don't bother with that now, but do get that cover off to the side and off the fuses. Then, read up on what lives where and what it does, electrically. You will be visiting this area - a LOT! Cleaning, testing, measuring voltages, etc... A happy fuse box makes life a whole lot simpler.

  10. #50
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    Right from the factory the Delorean was a good running well designed car. If kept up to even minimal maintenance standards it will serve the owner well. The upgrades sponsored by the vendors can mostly improve on the car's reliability but really it is best to bring the car back to factory specs and then drive it and see what fails or doesn't work well. You can spend thousands on "improvements" only to find that the car was originally well designed. Just get it running and then drive the hell out of it and see what works and what doesn't.

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