Early wheels vs. later wheels

[Boxbot]

If it helps with the comparison, here is a picture of my car in low versus bright light:

Wow. Great looking car. I just got mine a month ago and my state DMV still hasn't issued a title, so I haven't had the opportunity to really see it in the sunlight. I think yours looks fantastic. Maybe I'll learn to love it after the fascias get painted.

What does something like getting the bumpers painted correctly set you back, by the way? Did you get the matte black portions painted too? They look pristine.

[DMC-81]

Wow. Great looking car. I just got mine a month ago and my state DMV still hasn't issued a title, so I haven't had the opportunity to really see it in the sunlight. I think yours looks fantastic. Maybe I'll learn to love it after the fascias get painted.

What does something like getting the bumpers painted correctly set you back, by the way? Did you get the matte black portions painted too? They look pristine.

Thanks very much.

Yes, besides the fascias, I had the the front lower air dam and louvers professionally painted in SEM Trim Black with a satin clearcoat. They turned out well. I think the bill was around $1,500 total.

The paint codes include formulas for oil and water based versions. James said that not all jurisdictions can still do oil (either from environmental reasons or experience as most paints are water based). Painting with oil was allowed around here and I found a well recommended shop that does it and high end work.

There are more pictures in the "Exterior Restoration" album on my profile that shows everything else I did to the car in that category if you are interested.

[Jonathan]

Double light for me, wheels and both fascias.

Mine is a black interior car with a grooved/no flap hood and fender antenna. The wheels were intended on being the lighter gray, however the fascias were repainted prior to me getting the car in 2007. There are a couple spots where the paint is cracking and you can see underneath the true, darker gray paint that was there. When I do get around to repainting the fascias, I intend on using the light gray like it already is. I realize it "should be" the darker gray, but I've come to like it like this, and hey, it's my car.

The light you see the car in plays a big role on how the paint looks, and matches with the stainless. Or doesn't match. Sometimes, in some light, it looks like it's the exact same colour as the stainless and other times, it looks much, much lighter. Sometimes much darker too. It's a tricky thing to try and match as I don't think it will look exactly right in all lighting conditions. That might be another reason they went with the darker fascia paint that they did.

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[Nicholas R]

Do what makes you happy. My car started with dark grey, I eventually powder coated them light grey, and then later swapped them for chrome. No regrets, and I couldn't care less what the car is "supposed" to have.

[Mike F]

Can't offer much perspective beyond what's already been said, but I'll throw my take on it into the mix. Plus, it's been way too long since I've posted on here! I'd personally lean toward keeping the "correct" wheels on it if it were my car. For me, the differences you find through the range of VINs on these cars is pretty interesting, and something that I've come to really appreciate over the years. I went through a similar dilemma with 2861 on the antenna. In all my years of dreaming about future DeLorean ownership, one thing I did NOT want was a fender-mounted antenna. Rear-mounted or windshield was fine, but not the fender. Just something about it I didn't like. Fast-forward to the day I found 2861 and what did she have...a fender-mounted antenna. Early on I had no qualms about ditching it. I placed a replacement fender on my list of things to buy at some point, and also got a quote from DMCH to weld up my original. At some point my mind just flipped. I started to see the antenna as sort of a "birthmark" of the car. Along with the other things that were incrementally changed over the run of production, it represents 2861's place in time of the short but storied saga of these cars being built. Now I wouldn't dream of welding up that hole or swapping that fender.

ALL that being said...at the end of the day it is your car and you should do whatever makes you happy with it! These cars are all about passion of ownership; whatever floats your boat should be all that matters.