Location: Orlando, FL
Posts: 438
My VIN: 2109
Club(s): (DCF)
"What mods and upgrades have you done that you love and would recommend? "
Solid State RPM relay - a modern reliable replacement to this crucial part.
Horns - replaced with modern louder horns - safety reasons
Third brake light - safety reasons
Put a newer tire on spare wheel - just in case.
Aftermarket exhaust (I did only option at the time, Stage 1). Not cheap, but looks, and sounds better, with a blip of almost noticeable extra performance.
(nearly) 100% LED conversion - lower draw on battery, longer life on bulbs, good way to check/clean all sockets.
Dome light dimmer for LEDs.
Silverstar headlights - brighter
Cooling Fans - lighter and more reliable
R134 conversion - cheaper to maintain, cool enough for our small volume cabins
Adjustable alternator belt tensioner. for a much easier (when the day comes) belt replacement.
Shift link bushings. ..suppose this is more of PM than a mod or upgrade.
Battery disconnect wheel at battery - quick and easy disconnect when required.
"What have you done/tried and hated or felt was a waste of money?"
Gated shift plate - <meh> neither "hated" nor a "waste", but went back to stock after a few years.
Personal Blog: DeLorean Ownership & Upkeep (Yeah, it hasn't been updated in a while, but some good stuff there if you look.)
->Last posting:"Smooth shifting on a 30+ year old car."
->Most read posting:"Going 100% LEDs on your car is a good idea, and more feasible than ever."
Thank you for such kind words .
The SS grilles come from a gentleman named Bandit over at the DeLorean UK Eurotec Club forums. His thread is here:
http://www.deloreaneurotec.co.uk/for...&hilit=grilles
Cost converted with shipping if I recall correctly is about $185 total. The finished look, for me, justified the cost. It's one of those luxury upgrades, but it looks very sharp.
The footwell lighting is a homemade job. I purchased a pair of SMD LED strips off eBay like this (12 inches long with 18 LEDs):
http://www.ebay.com/itm/LED-light-st...item3cc992768d
I then wires it up like this:
FootwelLightsWired.jpg
As far as a list of mods, let me think things over today. I have done a decent number of things, but I need to sit and think about them all so I can a solid list for you. Ill try to get back this topic later tonight.
Sorry, I just remembered to address this. There's really two answers:
1. It's an aesthetics thing for the most part. An owner up here has a car with about 16k on his car - a stayed-in-the-family-since-1981 car. His stock T-shaped engine cover stay was flexing the lower engine cover intensely. You could tell it would start to crack the lower engine cover on the edge closest to the engine cover stay. That's when he purchased the center louvre brace, and his installation as well as others up in this area convinced me to make the purchase and installation.
Please keep in mind, his situation seemed to be an exception.
2. The same owner decided to install the SS grilles (after he had already installed the center brace). I saw the strain just the stock lower engine cover applied to the car; I can't begin to imagine what another 3-5 lbs would do. Basically, if you install the SS grilles, you have to install the center louvre brace, or find some other alternative to propping the lower engine cover up.
So, yeah, two answers - depending on which way you go.
Last edited by DeLorean03; 10-16-2013 at 03:27 PM.
DMCTalk.org Moderator
Actual snippet of a conversation from Sept 2013:
Me: Eddie, I can't wait to get the car back when you're done with it.
Eddie: Yeah, you'll be able to give the car gas, and it won't be - like - embarrassing....
Location: Birmingham al
Posts: 118
I will let this reply deal only with the interior
Open the door and the blue carpet will shock you
blue head liners
blue DMC on the floor mats
blue DMC on the seat head rests
blue LED lights in ac panel and dash
new blue LED clock
stainless steel shift knob
blue and back shift boot
new radio with cd and of course blue lights
new windows switches with blue arrows
new door sills with blue light up DMC
headlight saver switch from Toby
Wings a loft remote opening and alarm
every new solid state relay that David M has to offer
new steering wheel
and I am sure there are one or two i dont recall right now
You will notice every thing is blue, one day after a DCS I was tired of my car looking like everyone else. I love the color teal blue the Carolina Panthers foot ball team uses, sent off for the color code to make everything match (or get close). This in just the interior upgrades (or changes depending on what you think) Tomorrow I will send the exterior changes and than the running gear changes, yep there is going to be more than two dozen.
Andy B 03513
Ok, so I thought about the mods on my car.
My list is mods - not engine restoration or work done to the car. My list is mostly a plug and play or installation of a nearly stand alone product. This is not all-inclusive of what is on my car; these are the ones I feel stand out the most. In no particular order:
1. BitSyncMasters solid state RPM relay. Anything solid state always triumphs over analog. Less heat and more efficient.
Photo courtesy of Ozzie's blog:
RPMRelay.jpg
2. John Hervey's 2 gauge ground cable. What's not to like? These cables are very beefy, and many people have experienced and reported excellent charging and faster start-ups since installation.
Photo courtesy of John Hervey:
Groundwire.jpg
3. LEDs throughout the entire car. Back in 2004, there was a lot of "owah owah - you're ricing up a DeLorean with fad lights" bull crap. Funny how we're still doing it nearly 10 years later. This is a massive help to the electrical system - specifically the headlight switch which controls 20 lights (5 dash, 4 sidemarker, 4 running, 4 A/C lamps [if you've done that mod], hazard lamps switch light, headlight switch light, 2 license plate lamps), the A/C faceplate keeping it from warping due to the incads, and the alternator charging more efficiently. It also just gives the car a modern look/feel. Ozzie has done an outstanding article showing the benefits of LEDs.
Blog post courtesy of Ozzie:
http://delorean2109.blogspot.com/201...good-idea.html
4. Pancake-style cooling fans. Without a doubt, this is THE way to help your cooling system and electrical system in one swoop. First, the stock fans are believed to demand as much as 22A of current. To put it bluntly, that is nuts. John Hervey and Toby Peterson's new fans not only draw way less power (11A or so), but they also provide more air flow with faster RPMs of the blades turning. There are a lot of band-aids to help the cooling system; this is a permanent solution.
Photos courtesy of John Hervey and Toby Peterson:
Johns_Cooling_Fans.jpg
Toby_Cooling_Fans.jpg
5. The auto-bleeder kits. Both made by John and Toby again. Basically, these are kits that you install on the waterpump thermostat housing nipple (and in Toby's case, to the radiator as well), and they auto-bleed your cooling system for you. No more need to do it - it does it for you. Some say this is a "band aid" that masks a real problem. My opinion: 10 years with 0 issues.
Toby's pictures are rather tiny, so I'll post a links for these items:
John's kit: http://specialtauto.com/delorean-par...ir-bleeder.jpg
Toby's kit: http://www.delorean-parts.com/Mercha...gory_Code=9475
6. Updated door actuators (replaces the 32 year old door locking solenoids). These are simply amazing. They weigh probably 1 lbs versus the stock 5 lbs door solenoids. The solenoids were prone to locking up, causing them to malfunction and fail, as well as locking you in the car (which is not a fun experience if you're new to owning one of these cars, and believe me, it will ALWAYS happen when you're showing the car off to people). When those solenoids malfunction - you aren't getting out of the car - you'll break the door handle first. The new ones are well worth their price of admission in terms of being lightweight, reliable, and a very simple installation - provided the rest of your door locking system is up to snuff. Toby's instructions are solid with great color photos and clear circuit schematics. Read them over a couple times before you start the install, and most all will go smoothly!
* - Note, if you ever do get locked in your car, you can always disconnect the door lock module and manually open your doors. Don't let anyone scare-tactic you into believing you "cannot get out" with old solenoids.
Link: Click here.
7. DMCH's newer (2006) Door Lock Module. A simple plug and play of a fully digital, solid-state door lock module. Comes with 5 LED lights that give off light patterns, indicating what the problem is if the door lock module "gets stuck" while attempting to lock or unlock the doors. Excellent design, not one issue with mine since 2006. Comes with wires ready for remote lock/unlock if desired down the road.
101421.jpg
8. Cooling Fan Override Switch. Some of us have installed an override switch - just in case the otterstat ever fails. That way if you're in stop and go traffic and you can't just simply pull over and cool off, your car is safe until you get home. Ask or PM me if you want details/pictures on how to do it.
9. WingsALoft remote door opening system. Definitely the "bling" factor here; I would call this a "luxury mod". It is a thorough installation - not for the faint of heart. It is doable - no BSEE required - just patience and an understanding of what you're doing. First benefit: the system comes with remote lock/unlock out of the gate - giving you a touch of the modern world. Then you get the show-stopper - the remote door launchers. People love seeing this in action - especially when they don't expect it. Worth its $200 price of admission - handsdown.
OOOOOOOOOOOO.....ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!
10. Remote trunk release system. Perfect complement to the door launchers. Basically exactly what it says: the kit remotely "pops" the trunk for you. It does not launch the trunk lid fully into the air; it simply unlatches the trunk. No more opening the door, reaching and pulling the handle or even worse - pulling the handle AND lifting the lid. Nope - those days are over. You must have a microcontroller to wire up to for this to work - the $40 kit does NOT come with it. If you have WAL door launchers, the microcontroller it comes with is perfect.
Click here.
11. Aftermarket console clock(s). For nearly 30 years, we have had no real solutions to a console clock. It was quite the unicorn for a while. Either you paid $200+ for one if it even appeared on eBay, or you found one from a stash. 1981 Lotus Esprits are known to have the same clock - once again - good luck. But lately we have had not one but two gentlemen step up and deliver a beautiful alternative(s).
11A. Maurice: Custom-designed a full scale reproduction of the clock electronics. Beautifully designed PCB board with many modern standards. Must have your clock housing for it as you are paying for just the "guts". Once installed, it looks 100% original. Link courtesy of Ozzie: Ozzie's writeup of Maurice's clock.
11B. Mark: Mark came up with a clock that has a new PCB board installed in a all-new acrylic casing that comes apart almost like Jenga blocks - very reminiscent of puzzle blocks. At first, he offered units that had massive digits (at least double the size of the originals), and now he's got it to where the digits are the same size as the stock clock. Link here on the forums: Mark's clock
And to be fair since Maurice's clock got some praise: Praise for Mark
12. We already covered the center louvre brace and SS grilles.
That is pretty much my list. Hope that helped. All of these (or one of the two options such as the cooling fans) are installed on my car and search their purpose very well.
There are all sorts of other mods for the interior (stereo/sound system, SS shifting knob, SS gated shifter, SS auto trans quadrant). Those to me are more subjective so I didn't touch on those. For inquiring minds, my sound system is beefed up with a 1200W Alpine amp and all aftermarket components (Blaupunkt speakers/ Pioneer head unit with Pandora streaming from iPod and bluetooth capabilities), cables, and wiring. I also have the SS auto quadrant.
Last edited by DeLorean03; 10-16-2013 at 10:35 PM. Reason: I hate typos.
DMCTalk.org Moderator
Actual snippet of a conversation from Sept 2013:
Me: Eddie, I can't wait to get the car back when you're done with it.
Eddie: Yeah, you'll be able to give the car gas, and it won't be - like - embarrassing....
Posts: 4,807
My VIN: 3937
Functionality and preventitve mods?
- Fuse and relay upgrade kit (including RPM relay)
- SS coolant bottle (aesthetic also)
- Wings-B-Cool autobleeder
- LEDs in door lights and HVAC panel (aesthetic and functional as it won't kill your battery when the doors are open at shows, and your HVAC panel won't get so hot)
- Horns (upgrade or just OEM, but ensure they are good and loud)
- Headlight switch (upgrade from original design which was prone to melting)
- Tail light board upgrade (either Radio Shack nuts and bolts fix or Grady boards)
- Muffler heatshield (upgrade in the sense that many cars that sat won't have one left)
- Back-up bonnet latch release cable
- Auto trans shift computer upgrade/rebuild (n/a if you have a manual trans)
- Fuel accumulator replacement (inevitable, do it when you dictate the schedule of it's demise, not the other way around)
- Oil pressure sender gauge replacement (new replacements are calibrated to not peg the needle and actually fluctuate with engine RPM)
- JoeCool or likewise fan sequencer
- Side marker light/turn signal wiring mod
- 3rd brake light install
Performance mods?
- Cold air intake duct (removes three way valve)
- Shock tower strut bar (front)
Exterior aesthetic mods?
- SS fuel tank closing plate (possibly by necessity rather than cosmetic)
- SS deice shield
- SS rear bumper letters
- SS negative door sill outline (interior/exterior)
- side stripes (wide or narrow, was dealer option)
- could probably mention luggage rack here although it isn't really aesthetic, maybe functional?
- replacing a crooked rear fascia support bracket and fasteners if your bumper symmetry is not straight along those 8 rectangular holes
- seat belt hole covers (on the sides, below the door). These same covers can be used on the top of the shock tower bolts, if you don't have a strut bar installed.
Interior mods?
- LED lit window switches
- up to date, DIN stereo, including iPod connector in glovebox
- speakers upgraded
- cupholders
- floor mats (were a dealer option)
Sept. 81, auto, black interior
Location: Atlanta OTP GA
Posts: 7,084
My VIN: 2743
Club(s): (SEDOC) (DCH) (DCUK) (DOC-UK)
Dermot
VIN 2743, B/A, Frame 2227, engine 2320
I don't always drive cars, but when I do, I prefer DeLoreans
http://www.will-to-live.org
No-one is to stone anyone, even, and I want to make this absolutely clear, even if they do say "carburetor"
LOL. You're too kind . There were others I missed after I typed that out. Figured: nah, let someone else hit them. Then there were ones I don't have on my car so I couldn't comment - like Toby's sway bar bushing kit or DMCEU LCA support brackets - ones I know I'm interested in, but with no experience I'd be blowing smoke and wind.
DMCTalk.org Moderator
Actual snippet of a conversation from Sept 2013:
Me: Eddie, I can't wait to get the car back when you're done with it.
Eddie: Yeah, you'll be able to give the car gas, and it won't be - like - embarrassing....
I have Toby's sway bar bushing kit and I also have the DMCEU LCA support brackets. It's hard to comment on each one individually since they both got installed on my car at the same time. I can say the combination of both results in a much improved feel in the suspension and steering response. The car feels much more controlled under hard braking as well.
I'd also have to say that the Eibach lowering springs and SPAX shocks are at the top of my list when it comes to mods. The stock ride height on the front of the car was one of my major gripes and now that it's lowered to a more reasonable position not only does the car drive much nicer it looks nicer too with the more agressive stance.