What have you done to your DeLorean today?

[Farrar]

You did all of that with the car on jack-stands? That gives me hope... Nicely done, Mark D!

[Mark D]

Yeah it was pretty much a frame-on restoration of the whole chassis. I didn't have the space to pull the body off otherwise that probably would have made things easier. I was able to leave all of the engine and fuel system connected though which made it a lot simpler when it came time to start the car again. My biggest fear was taking apart so much stuff that it would be more difficult to diagnose issues when I was all done. If you just take off a few parts it's easy to trace back problems. If you take apart the whole car there are a lot more variables to check. I pretty much left the engine alone since that was running without any issues.

The thing that took the most time was prepping and refinishing all the parts. I spent hours and hours with the sand blaster getting stuff read to be powder coated or plated. Once all the parts were done I built up as much as I could as sub assemblies before installing back on the car...lots of bushings and bearings to press in, building brake calipers and parking brakes, etc. Reassembly was pretty quick once I had all the parts done and sitting on the shelf.

After all of the work I've done the car finally feels like it's "mine" now... Ownership is much different after spending so many hours wrenching on it. I've learned all the inner workings of the car in the process and there is this new sense of appreciation for each piece of the puzzle that makes up the car. It's sort of like a relationship that builds over time.

[Kenny_Z]

Beautiful car, Mark. I know what you mean. A car doesn't feel like mine until I turn a wrench on it.

[bruscreen]

This week: Installed new brake master cylinder and new rear wheel bearings. Test drove at night in the rain with no windows. The new bearings sound a lot better than the old ones, and I think it's the first time the open windows ever kept me cool. Oh, and the brakes work. The loose screws all over my floorboard (from the window regulator project) can attest to that.

[Nicholas R]

Not today but last sunday I drove my car from Cincinnati, OH to its new home in Orlando, FL. Made the trip great. Now if the rain would ever stop I could actually drive it here. It's not an issue of it getting dirty or me not liking the car getting wet, its that these damn Florida rainstorms all but flood the road making it impossible for me to maintain traction. Hitting the gas is no fun if all you do is break the tires free. Dry road or nothing for me.

[DrJeff]

Hitting the gas is no fun if all you do is break the tires free. Dry road or nothing for me.

There you have it... so there is a downside to power. Still I want it

[Mark D]

Nick I'd say your problem is one I wouldn't mind having :-)

[DMC5180]

And the Front end will Hydroplane and pull easily in standing water.(Wheel ruts in worn asphalt). I drove home in rain from a DMCMW Open house a couple years ago and it was a white knuckle drive at night. Made even worse with oncoming headlights in your face at the same time.



Mark D,

How did you get the rear marker to light up like that? Is that a camera flash reflection?

[Tillsy]

How did you get the rear marker to light up like that? Is that a camera flash reflection?

Be camera flash as those two strips contain reflectors.

[pezzonovante88]

Installed a new DMCH shifter boot.