My New DeLorean Restoration Project - VIN 3676

[Dracula]

The rumors are true, I own another DeLorean and will be slowly restoring her.

Full details are available here:

http://www.dmctoday.com/showthread.php?824-The-Restoration-of-VIN-3676

Though, here are a few photos for the curious:

30037

30038

30039

30040

[NightFlyer]

Does it have a flux capacitor? :biggrin:

[louielouie2000]

Wow, who knew multiple folks painted their DeLoreans purple? Will you be returning it to stainless?

That's got to be one of the most rotten DeLorean undercarriages I've ever seen- I assume you're going to be tracking down a frame donor?

[Dracula]

Wow, who knew multiple folks painted their DeLoreans purple? Will you be returning it to stainless?

That's got to be one of the most rotten DeLorean undercarriages I've ever seen- I assume you're going to be tracking down a frame donor?

I haven't decided on the exterior, yet. I may have to strip it, as the paint did not hold up well during the trip back from New York.

I actually bought a spare frame for it before I had even seen the car. It's from an automatic, but adapting it to the 5-speed assembly is not impossible.

30041

[DavidProehl]

Congrats and welcome back to ownership! Glad the car ended up in someone's hands that will get it roadworthy again!

[Dracula]

Congrats and welcome back to ownership! Glad the car ended up in someone's hands that will get it roadworthy again!

Thank you. It's not going to be easy, that's for sure. I can honestly say that I've never seen a worse car. It is going to take a LONG time to fix it as almost everything is rusty and corroded.

I hope that this will, in part, dispel that myth that you can't get a cheap DeLorean. In the interest of cost, it will be carbed and an alternative to the stock climate control and headlight switch.

[Jimmyvonviggle]

Thank you. It's not going to be easy, that's for sure. I can honestly say that I've never seen a worse car. It is going to take a LONG time to fix it as almost everything is rusty and corroded.

I hope that this will, in part, dispel that myth that you can't get a cheap DeLorean. In the interest of cost, it will be carbed and an alternative to the stock climate control and headlight switch.


I think it will be far from cheap once you are done. Good luck with it.

[Mark D]

Congrats Chad! That looks like one hell of a project but it sounds like you're up for the challenge. It's incredible how much rust there is on the current frame...I think the frame crumple extension is more air than steel.

[NightFlyer]

I think it will be far from cheap once you are done. Good luck with it.

From what I understand, it is very complete - thus everything needed is there. Obviously, the body needs to be transferred onto the replacement frame, but other than that, it's simply a matter of how nice will Chad want everything to be when he's done and how much of his time is he willing to invest in the car.

Andrew L recently bought a parts car from Texas with a seized engine, and after about a month of religiously working on it every night, and about $1,000 in parts expenditures and specialized repairs, he's just about ready to start driving the car on the road - he even has the A/C fully operable.

It all depends on how much work/effort/time you're willing to commit to a project and how nice you want everything to be in the end. But it NEVER has to be expensive unless you choose to make it so by replacing parts that could have been rebuilt/refurbished with NOS parts, buying new or NOS parts instead of decent condition used parts, farming out the labor instead of doing the work yourself, insisting upon something instead of compromising to work within your stated budget, etc.

[DMCMW Dave]

...it's simply a matter....

Heh

[Dracula]

It's a 99% complete car. It was operational in 2004 and, aside from some parts destroyed by water, many parts are reusable.

I'm also not going for a Concourse car. I want a driver and not every part has to be correct. For example, I'll be using a carb, Fiero seats, and some alternative climate control unit.

[alexwolf1216]

Heh
+1

Underestimating is SO easy....when I bought my car, it was "about 4K will get it in great shape".

Yea, I am 11.5K in......

[Josh]

Heh

x2 lol.

Things add up quick. Also things you try and cheap out on now will catch up with you later.

Just my experience.

[Dracula]

This will be my 4th DeLorean and is, by no means, my first restoration project. So far, the only thing I know I can't do is cut and modify the frame to suit a 5-speed.

I'm well aware that I will need about $5,000.00 worth of mechanical components. Couple that with the purchase price and the cost of a new frame and I'll still be in the car for a reasonable amount.

[Dangermouse]

kudos on taking it on, Chad.

[RoyHinkley]

AWESOME!

I hope you brought the finder some beer or soda or something.

:)

[Denverdelorean]

Crazy that mine is so close in vin (3519), was purple too, and is being restored.

[tom kish vin. 4357]

This will be my 4th DeLorean and is, by no means, my first restoration project. So far, the only thing I know I can't do is cut and modify the frame to suit a 5-speed.

I'm well aware that I will need about $5,000.00 worth of mechanical components. Couple that with the purchase price and the cost of a new frame and I'll still be in the car for a reasonable amount.

Damn Chad, when you prove you can redo a Delorean that cheap you will drive DMC, JOSH, and any other Delorean shop out of business and people will line up to have you redo cars all over!!!!

[Dracula]

Damn Chad, when you prove you can redo a Delorean that cheap you will drive DMC, JOSH, and any other Delorean shop out of business and people will line up to have you redo cars all over!!!!

I'm not arguing about the cost; I'm saying that, for about $5,000.00 in parts, you can make a DeLorean frame and underbody move under its own power.

Considering my transmission is good, I have an engine that can be rebuilt if necessary, a solid frame needing modification for the 5-speed linkage and parts swap.

I will need new steering components and many other things, but I have a solid base and most components that are DeLorean-specific are cosmetic.

[Lou and "Boo"]

Nobody HAS to break the bank on a Delorean. I bought Boo for $5000 and she's a complete car. Got her on the road relatively cheaply and some parts were even from Houston. Chad, you seen her, even drove her. She ain't so bad if I do say so myself.

But I have to say .... I got by with A LOT of help from my friends.

What happened to the paint on the ride back from Long Island?

[Nicholas R]

This will be my 4th DeLorean and is, by no means, my first restoration project. So far, the only thing I know I can't do is cut and modify the frame to suit a 5-speed.

I'm well aware that I will need about $5,000.00 worth of mechanical components. Couple that with the purchase price and the cost of a new frame and I'll still be in the car for a reasonable amount.


I'm not arguing about the cost; I'm saying that, for about $5,000.00 in parts, you can make a DeLorean frame and underbody move under its own power.

Considering my transmission is good, I have an engine that can be rebuilt if necessary, a solid frame needing modification for the 5-speed linkage and parts swap.

I will need new steering components and many other things, but I have a solid base and most components that are DeLorean-specific are cosmetic.

Converting the frame is surprisingly easy. I have no doubt that you have the ability to modify it over the course of an afternoon . There is a lot less to do than you think. The hardest part for an auto to manual conversion is getting all the parts, which isn't an issue for you.

I documented the process of converting my frame from an auto to a manual frame here: http://ls1delorean.blogspot.com/2012/03/two-weekends-of-madness.html

It ended up being a lot less work than I thought it was. To quote myself 2 years ago:
Since the frame was originally for an automatic car, the center had to modified to accommodate the manual shifter. To do this, I cut 2 pieces of 2x2x.25 angle iron to fit the area. The 2 pieces were measured and bolted in place such that they now sit at the height of the manual transmission shifter plate. A small section of the automatic shifter plate had to be removed so that the lower half of the shifter mechanism could reach down into the frame. In addition, a 9/16" hole had to be drilled for the mounting of the cross shift linkage cable.

Definitely within your capabilities.

Somewhere I have some more detailed measurements and photos about the height of the manual shifter and the location and size of the cross shift cable hole that you need to drill. If you're interested I can try to dig them out.

[Dracula]

Nobody HAS to break the bank on a Delorean. I bought Boo for $5000 and she's a complete car. Got her on the road relatively cheaply and some parts were even from Houston. Chad, you seen her, even drove her. She ain't so bad if I do say so myself.

But I have to say .... I got by with A LOT of help from my friends.

What happened to the paint on the ride back from Long Island?

Your car is very much a solid driver. It'll move up a few points when you get an interior, though.

Jokes aside, it was the fastest naturally-aspirated DeLorean I've ever driven. A wonderful experience.


Converting the frame is surprisingly easy. I have no doubt that you have the ability to modify it over the course of an afternoon . There is a lot less to do than you think. The hardest part for an auto to manual conversion is getting all the parts, which isn't an issue for you.

I documented the process of converting my frame from an auto to a manual frame here: http://ls1delorean.blogspot.com/2012/03/two-weekends-of-madness.html

It ended up being a lot less work than I thought it was. To quote myself 2 years ago:

Definitely within your capabilities.

Somewhere I have some more detailed measurements and photos about the height of the manual shifter and the location and size of the cross shift cable hole that you need to drill. If you're interested I can try to dig them out.

I'm hoping that I can cut the linkage assembly out of the current frame and swap it with the current one; assuming, that is, that it hasn't succumbed to rust.

If I need more information than I have from bookmarking your blog, I will let you know.

[David T]

I also "restored" an abandoned Delorean. I bought a lot of used parts and rebuilt many things. It still cost $$$ and it adds up quickly. I agree that it also depends on how nice you want it to turn out. Seats, headliner, door seals, binnacle, all the cosmetic parts can get expensive and if you patch them up it can look awful unless you are really good at it. The frame took a lot of labor to fix, the materiel is cheap. I cobbled together an Island Turbo kit and put it on it too. One of the few resto jobs I actually made a lot of money on. Mainly because it got it so cheap at a Sheriff's sale. It hadn't run in over 15 years and needed EVERYTHING. At least it was low mileage and the motor was basically in good shape mechanically. It did take a lot of time and you need a good place to work on it. I also have seen where a project gets started and stops because the costs and time were wildly underestimated. Life also interferes. People move, change jobs, have kids, get sick, etc. There was one project, Dave Staggard, he bought a Delorean in boxes! He wasn't even sure how it went back together or if he even had everything! Even the parts were taken apart, the alternator, starter, transmission, EVERYTHING!

[Dracula]

David,

This isn't an abandoned car. This one was under water during hurricane Sandy. I'm also not going to be restoring a frame. I bought a very nice frame and only need a little minor adapting.

I know I'll need parts like wheel bearings and brake components, but the body is sound; apart from the paint that flaked off on the trip home.

It was a running, driving car in 2004 and, barring needing a new engine, it's going to be a lot of swapping parts over and reconditioning them.

I have absolutely no rush to complete it and if it takes 5 years; so be it. For now, I can't even start on it until the heat of summer breaks.

[GS450-Junkie]

You certainly don't have to answer this if you don't want to, and I'm not trying to start anything by asking but I must since I and others are probably curious.... didn't you swear off DeLorean ownership because of the constant BTTF references? Or is this car kind of like a hobby/something to do in your spare time/fix up and sell kind of thing?

P>S> Did you ever finish your Blues-mobile?? If so, pictures please. :cheers::driving1:

[Dracula]

You certainly don't have to answer this if you don't want to, and I'm not trying to start anything by asking but I must since I and others are probably curious.... didn't you swear off DeLorean ownership because of the constant BTTF references? Or is this car kind of like a hobby/something to do in your spare time/fix up and sell kind of thing?

P>S> Did you ever finish your Blues-mobile?? If so, pictures please. :cheers::driving1:

I sold my previous car out of a combination of frustration with BTTF jokes and the disdain I had as a result of being scammed by DPI.

Though, after all of that, the DeLorean is still one of my dream cars and restoring it is a hobby and a passion. This one, I can work on whenever I want and build however I want because any sane person would have parted it out.

As for the Bluesmobile, I sold that off after I swapped in a performance-built 440 for two reasons:

1. I was moving to Texas and had to substantially downsize my car collection. ( I only have 3.5 cars now.)

2. I didn't want to finish the car due to anticipating jokes and knowing I'd have brought it upon myself.

[NightFlyer]

Does it have a Mr. Fusion?

[alexwolf1216]

I sold my previous car out of a combination of frustration with BTTF jokes and the disdain I had as a result of being scammed by DPI.

Though, after all of that, the DeLorean is still one of my dream cars and restoring it is a hobby and a passion. This one, I can work on whenever I want and build however I want because any sane person would have parted it out.

As for the Bluesmobile, I sold that off after I swapped in a performance-built 440 for two reasons:

1. I was moving to Texas and had to substantially downsize my car collection. ( I only have 3.5 cars now.)

2. I didn't want to finish the car due to anticipating jokes and knowing I'd have brought it upon myself.

Are you in Texas now? What part?

[Dracula]

Are you in Texas now? What part?

Just north of Houston.

[alexwolf1216]

Ah. I need some South Texas D owners......Want to have a tech day, even just drive someone elses car...

[Andrew]

Congrats on your purchase Chad! Will you be going with a mechanical fuel pump? Despite the fact that it bolts up and works great, I've been told that it can't be done.. :)

For the record, I had an extra used, but good DeLorean engine sitting in my garage, thus reducing my out of pocket expenses on the restoration of 5052.

Do you have an engine for 3676? If not, I can send you the contact info for the parts yard in Idaho where I purchased 5052's intake and carbs. They were very helpful. They even ran a compression test on the engine before the removed the intake.

The best advice I can give is, a project car is a marathon, not a race. Even if you do one small thing a day, you are moving in the right direction and it adds up quicker than you realize. Pace yourself, make 3 lists: 1: To do. 2: To buy. 3. Finished projects. All three lists serve a purpose. Make sure to write down the stuff you're able to fix for free, those are the most fun! Don't be afraid to try fixing broken parts. Within the past week alone I was able to reuse a $200 A/C compressor that I originally thought was core quality. I also cleaned up a blower motor that was rusted SOLID. With less than an hour of cleaning, some contact cleaner and grease it was as good as new. Will a blower motor break the bank...of course not. But spending money is cumulative and it adds up quickly. Case in point, I'm getting 38 degree vent temps out of a AC system (134a) that hasn't worked in over 20 years for less than $55 out of pocket.

Andrew
4194
5052

[pezzonovante88]

All the best in restoring the new D. Looks like you've got your going to have your hands full!

[Lou and "Boo"]

Even if you do one small thing a day, you are moving in the right direction and it adds up quicker than you realize.
Andrew
4194
5052

Yeah, unlike that Boo-Boo in Baldwin laying around with his jacked up, torn up, broken ankle in the air!
;)

[Dracula]

Congrats on your purchase Chad! Will you be going with a mechanical fuel pump? Despite the fact that it bolts up and works great, I've been told that it can't be done.. :)

For the record, I had an extra used, but good DeLorean engine sitting in my garage, thus reducing my out of pocket expenses on the restoration of 5052.

Do you have an engine for 3676? If not, I can send you the contact info for the parts yard in Idaho where I purchased 5052's intake and carbs. They were very helpful. They even ran a compression test on the engine before the removed the intake.

The best advice I can give is, a project car is a marathon, not a race. Even if you do one small thing a day, you are moving in the right direction and it adds up quicker than you realize. Pace yourself, make 3 lists: 1: To do. 2: To buy. 3. Finished projects. All three lists serve a purpose. Make sure to write down the stuff you're able to fix for free, those are the most fun! Don't be afraid to try fixing broken parts. Within the past week alone I was able to reuse a $200 A/C compressor that I originally thought was core quality. I also cleaned up a blower motor that was rusted SOLID. With less than an hour of cleaning, some contact cleaner and grease it was as good as new. Will a blower motor break the bank...of course not. But spending money is cumulative and it adds up quickly. Case in point, I'm getting 38 degree vent temps out of a AC system (134a) that hasn't worked in over 20 years for less than $55 out of pocket.

Andrew
4194
5052

Do you have a parts number for the mechanical fuel pump? I'd love to know more about this.

Otherwise, I appreciate the advice. I don't have a spare engine, but I'm not sure that I need one just yet. I'll know by fall.


Yeah, unlike that Boo-Boo in Baldwin laying around with his jacked up, torn up, broken ankle in the air!
;)

You wouldn't believe what I've heard about that guy...

[Nicholas R]

I'm hoping that I can cut the linkage assembly out of the current frame and swap it with the current one; assuming, that is, that it hasn't succumbed to rust.

If I need more information than I have from bookmarking your blog, I will let you know.

There shouldn't be any cutting needed. The bell crank for the shift linkages is in the same place on the automatic as it is on the manual. Only thing you'll need to do is unbolt the bell crank from your manual frame and replace the one on the auto frame with it. The automatic bell crank has a 1:1 ratio where the manual has a 2:1 ratio.

Edit: Ok you're right. There shouldn't be any cutting needed on a nice frame. Judging by the amount of rust seen in the photos so far... Youre right, you may have to cut the bell crank out of your current frame.

[Dracula]

There shouldn't be any cutting needed. The bell crank for the shift linkages is in the same place on the automatic as it is on the manual. Only thing you'll need to do is unbolt the bell crank from your manual frame and replace the one on the auto frame with it. The automatic bell crank has a 1:1 ratio where the manual has a 2:1 ratio.

Edit: Ok you're right. There shouldn't be any cutting needed on a nice frame. Judging by the amount of rust seen in the photos so far... Youre right, you may have to cut the bell crank out of your current frame.

My planning, budgeting, and thought process with this car has been: "Assume the worst and prepare for it. Anything contrary is a pleasant surprise."

[Andrew]

The fuel pump on 5052 is an Airtex 1436. I special ordered it at Autozone for $42. It's the stock pump for the 1978 Peugeot 604 with a carb. It bolts directly to the passenger side cylinder head of the DeLorean PRV. 5052's entire fuel system has 1 wire to a solenoid on the carbs..yes that's right, no fuse 7, no RPM relay. It starts and runs great :-)

Sent from my LGL55C using Tapatalk 2

[Lou and "Boo"]

The fuel pump on 5052 is an Airtex 1436. I special ordered it at Autozone for $42. It's the stock pump for the 1978 Peugeot 604 with a carb. It bolts directly to the passenger side cylinder head of the DeLorean PRV. 5052's entire fuel system has 1 wire to a solenoid on the carbs..yes that's right, no fuse 7, no RPM relay. It starts and runs great :-)

Sent from my LGL55C using Tapatalk 2

That is so intriguing to me. No worry about fuses for the fuel pump, ground issues that are so common, etc. no rpm relay needed. Just have to figure out how to seal the entrance to the fuel tank for the fuel line. If I ever have an issue (electric or worn out diaphragm in the pump) ill convert to the manual pump. Just like my 69 camaro had. Just like my 1977 Grand Prix with the Buick 455 big block had. Basically every carbed car I've ever had. Just like my boat has.

Just like a carb. So simple, so reliable.

[Dracula]

The fuel pump on 5052 is an Airtex 1436. I special ordered it at Autozone for $42. It's the stock pump for the 1978 Peugeot 604 with a carb. It bolts directly to the passenger side cylinder head of the DeLorean PRV. 5052's entire fuel system has 1 wire to a solenoid on the carbs..yes that's right, no fuse 7, no RPM relay. It starts and runs great :-)

Sent from my LGL55C using Tapatalk 2

That is exactly what I want. My goal is to remove as much unnecessary wiring from the car as possible. I will be going this route with 3676.


That is so intriguing to me. No worry about fuses for the fuel pump, ground issues that are so common, etc. no rpm relay needed. Just have to figure out how to seal the entrance to the fuel tank for the fuel line. If I ever have an issue (electric or worn out diaphragm in the pump) ill convert to the manual pump. Just like my 69 camaro had. Just like my 1977 Grand Prix with the Buick 455 big block had. Basically every carbed car I've ever had. Just like my boat has.

Just like a carb. So simple, so reliable.

So beautiful...

[opethmike]

I highly recommend installing the flux capacitor before you install the Mr. Fusion. Otherwise, you may create problems with the Johnson Rod.

[DMC5180]

Chad,

Congrats on getting back in the game.

DCUK Martin has an auto to manual shifter plate kit that looks pretty nice. Do search in the Custom/Mods forum. The thread is titled " Auto-to-manual shifter plate "

[ALEXAKOS]

Dono if it will cost more of less..., it's a hellluva journey from scrap to icon car and all the effort put in it is rewarding as hell!
Screw the numbers! I am loving my sore hands and aching back after the results every minute!
At the end I'll have a perfect Delo for 23k of which I know I have improved every single bolt!

Enjoy;)

[Andrew]

That is so intriguing to me. No worry about fuses for the fuel pump, ground issues that are so common, etc. no rpm relay needed. Just have to figure out how to seal the entrance to the fuel tank for the fuel line. If I ever have an issue (electric or worn out diaphragm in the pump) ill convert to the manual pump. Just like my 69 camaro had. Just like my 1977 Grand Prix with the Buick 455 big block had. Basically every carbed car I've ever had. Just like my boat has.

Just like a carb. So simple, so reliable.

By the way, I'm going to run a stock fuel pump boot with a filter in the place of the stock fuel pump. This is similar to the setup that Steve R is running with his external electric pump. Due to the fact that 5052's fuel tank stud was totally eaten away by the 20+ year old fuel, I'll be running a can baffle. (Which is similar to what I've been running on 4194 for well over 10 years without a single problem.)

By far the most difficult part of the mechanical fuel pump install was running the 2 steel lines (5/16 from the tank to the pump and 1/4 for the return.) Even that didn't take the entire night. I ran both lines on along the firewall, far from heat sources, and along the drivers side of the frame. I got two pieces of the longest line the parts store sold, 72 inches if my memory is correct, and used a union on each line along the frame rail close to the front trailing arm bolt.

The pump itself has three fittings, one 5/16 inlet from the tank, one 1/4 outlet to the tank and one 5/16 to the carb. I've been running the engine quite a bit for testing and tuning (plus Ive been testing the A/C) and I plan on doing extensive road testing with the mechanical pump within the next few weeks. I'll keep everyone posted regarding the results.

[DMCMW Dave]

By far the most difficult part of the mechanical fuel pump install was running the 2 steel lines (5/16 from the tank to the pump and 1/4 for the return.) Even that didn't take the entire night. I ran both lines on along the firewall, far from heat sources, and along the drivers side of the frame. I got two pieces of the longest line the parts store sold, 72 inches if my memory is correct, and used a union on each line along the frame rail close to the front trailing arm bolt.


Why wouldn't one use the original lines in this case? They are already there anyway.

[NightFlyer]

Why wouldn't one use the original lines in this case? They are already there anyway.

Good question....

[Dracula]

Why wouldn't one use the original lines in this case? They are already there anyway.

I was wondering the same thing. Incidentally, I don't intend to be able to re-use the original lines in my case.

[vtdmc]

Congrats Chad! Looking forward to seeing the progress as you bring this one back to life.




David,

This isn't an abandoned car. This one was under water during hurricane Sandy. I'm also not going to be restoring a frame. I bought a very nice frame and only need a little minor adapting.

I know I'll need parts like wheel bearings and brake components, but the body is sound; apart from the paint that flaked off on the trip home.

It was a running, driving car in 2004 and, barring needing a new engine, it's going to be a lot of swapping parts over and reconditioning them.

I have absolutely no rush to complete it and if it takes 5 years; so be it. For now, I can't even start on it until the heat of summer breaks.

[louielouie2000]

Ah. I need some South Texas D owners......Want to have a tech day, even just drive someone elses car...

I'm not sure if you are interested in widening your scope to Austin, but the Austin area owners keep in touch mostly via this yahoo group, or they did as of a couple of years ago:

https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/austindeloreanowners/info?referrer=DeLoreanTexas

I've seen more DeLoreans in the wild here in Austin than any other place I've been. Local owners definitely seem to get their cars out on the road often.

[alexwolf1216]

Awesome thanks!