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Thread: How DeLoreans Were Originally Built, Stainless Panel Discussion

  1. #11
    Senior Member john 05141's Avatar
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    My VIN:    05141

    Here is a picture with the mold for the bonnet.

    John
    Attached Images

  2. #12
    Senior Member Kenny_Z's Avatar
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    Location:  Gulf Shores, Al

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    In the factory where my father works they do forming for aluminum and stainless sheets like that. Most of the forms are for lawn mowers but they've also built jet engine shipping containers and some other cool stuff. I keep telling him to let his company know they could make a fortune if they could recreate the left fenders.

    That reminds me, I need to ask him for some scrap stainless to tinker with.
    Red
    VIN 4534
    Born - October 1981
    Brought back to life - July 2011

  3. #13
    Banned
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    Quote Originally Posted by john 05141 View Post
    Here is a picture with the mold for the bonnet.
    For newbies' benefit: stainless panels were not made at the Dunmurry plant, but were stamped at a Laepple facility in Carlow Ireland. Stainless sheets were already grained when they went into the presses (one of the pilot cars has a panel accidentally oriented 90 degrees off in the press -- grain runs vertically):
    PilotVerticalGrain2.jpg PilotVerticalGrain1.jpg

    Regarding hoods in particular: there is a myth that gas flap hoods were eliminated due to stamping problems, but in actuality they were eliminated simply because Chuck Bennington didn't like them (Dick Brown may have told employees stateside that the idea to get rid of them was his).

    Bill Robertson
    #5939
    Last edited by content22207; 09-15-2011 at 10:52 AM.

  4. #14
    Senior Member
    Join Date:  May 2011

    Location:  Previously Ireland, now New Jersey

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    Hi Bill,

    On the dmctalk.com forum before the crash, we chatted about this before. Unfortunately it's all gone now.

    Anyway, not to get into a big debate on this, but the gas-flap cutout did cause issues for Lapple, and was most likely part of the decision (along with other factors, including possibly your point about Chuck Bennington) to get rid of it.

  5. #15
    Senior Member nick sutton's Avatar
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    The Gas flap was deleted by Chuck Bennington because the design was Mickey Mouse and looked feeble. It was not done for cost reduction or ease of stamping reasons.

    Nick Sutton

  6. #16
    Senior Member
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    Location:  Previously Ireland, now New Jersey

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    My VIN:    4 Seater DMC24

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    Ok Nick, fair enough!

  7. #17
    Banned
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    The quarter panels are much more complex stampings/cutouts than the hood.

    Bill Robertson
    #5939

  8. #18
    Custom DeLorean Builder Rich W's Avatar
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    My VIN:    A few, by name... DeLorean Monster Truck, DeLorean Roadster, DeLorean Hovercraft, DeLorean Limo

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    The QAC in Troy, MI...QAC Parts Notebook Digitized 30 years later

    QAC in Troy, MI...Parts Notebook Details...For Reference...

    A huge thanks to Chris Duvall (Parts POG) for allowing Tony Swann and myself
    (and a few other typing volunteers) to enter all of the Parts data from the QAC
    Notebook from the QAC in Troy, MI, into spreadsheet and database formats.

    There will be a future website that will have a search function to allow anyone
    to search the Parts Database, to see if their DeLorean was ever at the Troy QAC
    and had parts replaced, while Chris Duvall was in charge of the Parts Inventory.

    A few statistics (for now): Chris Duvall was over-seeing the QAC Parts Inventory
    in Troy, MI from 08/19/1981 through 03/01/1982, and during that time, nearly
    6,200 parts were used on the DeLoreans that passed through the Troy QAC.

    More details and statistics to follow.

    Thanks,
    Rich W.

  9. #19
    Senior Member
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    Location:  Northern NJ

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    My VIN:    10757 1st place Concourse 1998

    I was always under the impression there were only 2 QAC's. One in California and one in New Jersey. It is news to me about MI. Were there any others? It made sense about one on each coast since most of the cars came in to the US by ship.
    David Teitelbaum

  10. #20
    Banned
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    Didn't the POG's at DCS'10 say there were 5 QAC's altogether, but never more than 3 at any one time?

    Bill Robertson
    #5939

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