FRAMING JOHN DELOREAN - ON VOD www.framingjohndeloreanfilm.com
Page 4 of 6 FirstFirst ... 2 3 4 5 6 LastLast
Results 31 to 40 of 54

Thread: In Defense of VIN Counters

  1. #31
    Senior Member
    Join Date:  Sep 2011

    Location:  Middleburg Heights, OH

    Posts:    1,939

    Quote Originally Posted by SpudMurphy View Post
    Did somebody mention Saudi cars? Now that's an interesting story

    If you want to see some Dubai sand go here.

    http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?15...260#post226260
    Dude, really? We don't "plug" our own stuff here. I'm all for linking relevant information but that's about as giant of a stretch as you can get, don't do that.

  2. #32
    Motors about after dark Michael's Avatar
    Join Date:  May 2011

    Posts:    4,761

    My VIN:    Your VIN'S mom

    Quote Originally Posted by Shep View Post
    Dude, really? We don't "plug" our own stuff here. I'm all for linking relevant information but that's about as giant of a stretch as you can get, don't do that.
    Your authority to displine other's as to what they can or can not post is pretty much below zero. Don't be surprised at your "rules" being ignored.

  3. #33
    Senior Member
    Join Date:  Sep 2011

    Location:  Middleburg Heights, OH

    Posts:    1,939

    Quote Originally Posted by Michael View Post
    Your authority

  4. #34
    Sometimes Owner louielouie2000's Avatar
    Join Date:  May 2011

    Location:  Austin, TX

    Posts:    694

    My VIN:    1710

    Quote Originally Posted by Shep View Post
    501 is now 500, as the leading theory goes, which is up at Crawford Auto Museum. I have seen it and it's in dire shape, museum owners simply do not care anymore, honestly the car needs a megaton of work and they wouldn't let DPI Josh fix it on his own dime (he tried to offer pro bono fixes and parts, they refused to even acknowledge it).
    How is the car deteriorating? Also, if you have any pictures of the car, I'd love to see them. I've only ever really seen distance shots of this car- never anything up close or interior related.
    Last edited by louielouie2000; 10-12-2017 at 09:14 AM.
    Louie Golden

  5. #35
    Senior Member
    Join Date:  Sep 2011

    Location:  Middleburg Heights, OH

    Posts:    1,939

    Quote Originally Posted by louielouie2000 View Post
    How is the car deteriorating? Also, if you have any pictures of the car, I'd love to see them. I've only ever really seen distance shots of this car- never anything up close or interior related.
    I'll try to dig for pics if anyone still wants the autorama one I mentioned, I have a cloud for family pics and might be able to find it.

    "Deteriorating" -- I may another set of outdated info here, I looked around and found a guy who took pics this past December (2016), from the date it was 2016-12-28. One 360 shot and this nice rear 3/4 shot.

    Thank you Joe Sterne for the shots inside and the 360 also (note it's grouped with the other stainless cars as it usually is):


    [source]

    But there are some things they just don't have the capacity to fix without assistance. We wouldn't either until we knew what we're dealing with. Early VIN stuff like the blackout panel, honestly I'd question mark the binnacle and seats given I've caught wind of "first 50-100 cars had ____" and after years of hunting myself we just need a donor to make a replica first, there's no way to donate nor even obtain outright.

    Looks like they are getting assistance from someone. I for one am glad to be wrong, there was at least a two-year stretch where it just sat on the sidelines while nobody seemed to notice nor know where it was. Here we are and it's looking great


    One oddball I'm seeing, but I will ask vaguely to make sure I'm not seeing things. Does anyone notice anything "off" about the rear driver's side? Lighting maybe?

    EDIT:
    Zoomed in on the source, huh, I wasn't seeing things. Wonder if this was like that before or not:

    Attached Images
    Last edited by Shep; 10-12-2017 at 06:24 PM.

  6. #36
    Sometimes Owner louielouie2000's Avatar
    Join Date:  May 2011

    Location:  Austin, TX

    Posts:    694

    My VIN:    1710

    I saw this on Instagram last night... appears to be VIN 500 out in the sunlight!

    dmc.jpg

    I guess I'm one of those obsessive DeLorean history enthusiasts... I'd love to know the more complete story of this particular car. How the Crawford came about the car, how long they've owned it, etc.
    Last edited by louielouie2000; 10-13-2017 at 08:19 AM.
    Louie Golden

  7. #37
    Senior Member
    Join Date:  Sep 2011

    Location:  Middleburg Heights, OH

    Posts:    1,939

    Quote Originally Posted by louielouie2000 View Post
    I saw this on Instagram last night... appears to be VIN 500 out in the sunlight!

    dmc.jpg

    I guess I'm one of those obsessive DeLorean history enthusiasts... I'd love to know the more complete story of this particular car. How the Crawford came about the car, how long they've owned it, etc.
    Last night? Damn it was gloomy as hell outside, I'm kinda surprised they didn't put an awning over it at least. It was sprinkling in some parts too. Good lighting for pics though!

    They've had 500 a loooooooong time, since I was still playing in ballpits. Over two decades easy -- I first saw it when I was probably five, they already had it years before that, I'm 27 now. I've grown up with it not too far away. I'm sure that played a role in my own ownership.

    As for "how", I'm 100% speculating here, this has no basis in anything beyond just how I imagine it playing out. But, my leading theory is that after having the other three stainless prototypes, I'm sure it was easy to convince a buyer to let them have it. Never having to worry about it being flipped, or being abused, hell they had three unique cars and it would be part of a collection, that's quite timeless in and of itself. And for the first DeLorean ever made, what better way to preserve it than to put it alongside other "first of its kind" vehicles?

    I will note real quick in the pic you posted that there is no DMC emblem on the grille, nor holes to mount it. Also note the smooth-looking side mirrors (which I swear to god I hate with a passion, those things are even worse than keeping a black car spotless, the textured ones are far better). The first 50-100 cars especially often had the "optional" stuff omitted to get them out the door, or had a few small-quantity runs of parts that didn't work out and were added because initial excitement was high and no one would care if their mirrors looked like hell after a couple days. I will refer also to my own door sill VIN plate as another example of "optional not-attached parts":

    Door_Sill_Vin_Plate_Location.jpg

    Or lack thereof. I've heard from a couple people that they added one at a later date, I haven't yet confirmed nor denied this, but what I can confirm is that if 500 has one, it is a reproduction. The windshield one is still there, but painted black.

    [REDACT]
    Also note the front fascia painted to match the stainless. Most owners just assume the wheels started dark and then matched stainless and that's it. In reality though, the fascias had the opposite treatment. It was easier to color match when it wasn't literally right next to the part you're trying to color match, so they made the fascias darker and the wheels lighter by simply swapping colors.
    [/REDACT]

    EDIT: I have the timeline backwards, they didn't just swap like I'm thinking, everything was dark, then they made the wheels light, then they liked that so they tried to match the fascias to be light too and the company went under. I think. I don't know my later cars well, my bad!!! Also need to refer to multiple pics before I get carried away, literally two posts up shows that's clearly not true

    (Pretty much all of this knowledge by the way was gathered from a few sources that are very familiar with the early cars, more so than I can ever hope to be. Tony Swann, Rich W, Nick Sutton, brainfarting on another guy, him too though, DMCSeller documents, etc.)
    Last edited by Shep; 10-13-2017 at 07:59 PM.

  8. #38
    Senior Member DMC-81's Avatar
    Join Date:  Apr 2014

    Location:  Florida

    Posts:    2,371

    My VIN:    <2000

    Club(s):   (DCF)

    Vin 500 front fascia color

    This discussion on VIN 500 is fascinating! Maybe it should be moved to its own thread?

    Quote Originally Posted by Shep View Post

    Also need to refer to multiple pics before I get carried away, literally two posts up shows that's clearly not true
    Shep, I also noticed the shade of the front fascia outside. I was wondering if the lighter shade was because of the bright sunlight. My early car's fascias were re-painted with the correct oil based paint code and sheen, and they seem to match the inside picture of rear fascia. To help with the comparison, here is a picture of mine outside on an overcast day:



    Do you have a picture of the front of the car inside the museum to compare it to? (Notwithstanding that different lighting conditions and fresh paint vs original will make them vary a bit.)
    Dana

    1981 DeLorean DMC-12 (5 Speed, Gas Flap, Black Interior, Windshield Antenna, Dark Gray)
    Restored as "mostly correct, but with flaws corrected". Pictures and comments of my restoration are in the albums section on my profile.
    1985 Chevrolet Corvette, Z51, 4+3 manual
    2006 Dodge Magnum R/T (D/D)
    2010 Camaro SS (Transformers Edition)

  9. #39
    Senior Member
    Join Date:  Sep 2011

    Location:  Middleburg Heights, OH

    Posts:    1,939

    I'm going to dig around, if I have any, they're at least 5 years old, but it it worth checking for my own sanity

  10. #40
    Senior Member
    Join Date:  Sep 2011

    Location:  Middleburg Heights, OH

    Posts:    1,939

    Wow, it was on display in December! Might even still be, not sure yet, check out these pics! Clearly it's in immaculate shape though, doors staying open on their own is a far cry from where I last saw it.

    https://plus.google.com/photos/photo...47067539211938
    https://plus.google.com/photos/photo...17792126298482
    https://plus.google.com/photos/photo...73442654261314
    https://plus.google.com/photos/photo...17791607708834
    https://plus.google.com/photos/photo...17790925551458
    https://plus.google.com/photos/photo...46393756538770

    First time I've ever seen cave paintings on the doors like that though! WR30_ (1? 7?) on the passenger door from the front, passenger is faded and not too well shown in the pics I found. Man I need to swing up there and start asking about it, I am floored at how "out there" VIN 500 is! Weather is blistering cold though, flu season too, just hoping all goes well and I'm able to make it while it's still on display (and hoping it still is for that matter!!!)

Page 4 of 6 FirstFirst ... 2 3 4 5 6 LastLast

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •