New DeLorean panels

[Roman Legion]

I was recently reading an article about how LA Customs built a car from scratch out of Grand Theft Auto and to make the car in real life, they had to make custom panels. I got to thinking about why DMC doesn't just recover from the casts being destroyed in the 80's by making new ones so they can produce new panels. I think it's a great idea and might save a few cars from being parted out just because someone needs that new front panel on their beloved D.

You can read the article below.

http://www.rockstargames.com/newswir...ravado-ba.html

Maybe my idea is stupid, but I feel it's worth a shot posting here since those who can make this happen in one of the various DMC locations and other shop owners here could get more information from LA customs and it might benefit all DeLorean owners.

[Tillsy]

For sure it can be done, for more money than anyone would likely make back...

[Kenny_Z]

It's very possible to do but it's not cost effective. Plus, I think the Banshee panels are fiberglass hinted at by the phrase "hand laid".

[vwdmc16]

Right, that was one custom handmade car that was probably a dodge viper with new fiberglass panels, hard work but very cheap to do compared to getting steel stamping dies which can cost over a $100k to make just one die that can constantly make useable panels like a lff. Quite a huge investment for a very small market.

Now if i was a super millionaire i would go up to Detroit witcool million bucks, buy an old tool factory for $572 or what ever those old warehouses go for nowadays and hire a bunch of unemployed workers to build dies, then reproduce a bunch new panels that i would sell for $100.

Oh to dream...

[Kenny_Z]

You wouldn't even need to get a warehouse in Detroit. Places like the company my father works for can build dies and stamp parts. Their largest press is either 500 or 800 tons and they stamp stainless all the time. Needless to say the guys that work there find Red fascinating. Just pay for the die and have them stamp the parts but you'll never get the cost of the die alone out of the market for LFFs let alone the rest of the car.

While we're on the topic, say some millionaire wanted to do what VWDMC said above and repop panels. Would they have to get DMCH permission? There are both Ford Licensed and unlicensed parts for classic Mustangs. The licensed are stamped from the original Ford dies. The unlicensed are stamped from a modern die produced from measuring an original fender. As far as I know the patent is expired on those fenders so they don't need permission. Is it the same with the DMC-12?

[vwdmc16]

That's a good question.could dmch even object to the the repro of new panels. Perhaps if a feel was struck wthem they would support It.

[Delorean Industries]

Nobody owns the parts to the car. Anyone can make anything that they would like. Dmc uses the name and one of the stylized logo designs. I think everyone gives them a little too much credit. They do not own the physical styling of the car. Any of us can make body panels if we wanted. Just not practical at this time.

[Rob Greenhaw]

Could 3D printing used effectively in this regard? What about creating a mold to create a stamp from?

I've been curious about 3D printing in regards to making some of the old parts that are rare & out of stock.

[ccurzio]

Could 3D printing used effectively in this regard?

If you want a non-metal panel, sure.

[Kenny_Z]

I was curious so I did some digging. The law used to be that an aftermarket company could not reproduce crash parts for the first 14 years of a car model's life. The aftermarket industry wanted to change this to 2.5 years back in July of 2012. I'm not sure if it succeeded yet but doesn't really matter for this discussion.

I didn't know where the year cutoff was or even if the panel's patents went to DMCH. I just remembered that there were patents on crash parts because of working on my own cars, both modern and not.