New (Soon to be owner)

[Justin51982]

Hello all,

I've been lurking on these boards for a couple years and maybe have responded occasionally to a post here and there, but I thought I would go ahead and introduce myself.

My name is Justin, I live in San Antonio, TX and I have been a lover of DeLoreans for most of my life.

I am now at the point where I am about to pull the trigger on my first DeLorean. I have it narrowed down to 3 (maybe 4) and hope to make a decision on one before the end of the year.

Personally, I am looking at project cars, not like a $4-$6k project car, but more like $10-$12k. I am also very aware that going this route is usually the more expensive route. I am OK with this because there is something to be said about rebuilding one for yourself, from the ground up.

To me there is a difference in a car that you buy turnkey and a car that becomes a labor of love. I want the labor of love and I'm not all that concerned about the long term costs. For me, this isn't about the money, its about the process.

I and not a professional mechanic, but I've rebuilt and restored several (European) cars and when I get looks or compliments on my cars, I can take pride knowing what they are seeing is a result of my efforts.

Anyway with that said. Assuming we have a complete car. I know right off the bat, the brake system will need to be gone through and most of it rebuilt, I also know the fuel system will need a complete overhaul too, fuel tank out, lines replaced, etc.

I guess my other questions are, what are other typical challenges and areas that will need a good going through and is there a certain method or order in which to get the fuel system back up to par.

I am going to assume the necessary updates haven't been made also, so with that, what are the things a bone stock, all original D will need replaced pretty much right away?

I can't wait to be part of the DeLorean family! Thanks in advance for any help!

Justin

[AugustneverEnds]

Welcome on board Justin, happy to have you!

Seems like you have a good idea of what you are looking for. To add to what you mentioned I would advise you to get familiar with the cooling system which is rather expansive. Pumps are easy to change once you remove the intake manifold, rubber hoses should be changed with silicone when possible, original or old stock plastic tank radiators are best swapped for modern all metal units, same with the header tank.

On the same vein, make sure both cooling fans come on around 205F and switch off around 195F. Check the relay compartment and be sure the original blue fan fail module is NOT there, replaced with either a modern control unit, fuses jumpers or hard wired out totally. There is a circuit breaker for the fans that was originally 35amps and is better served with a 40amp breaker.

On the electrical side of things, count on replacing all of the changeover relays and fuses and breakers as a very prudent preventative measure. Keep your eyes open for wiring messes (usually done by previous owners for reasons known only to them) Fix any broken or poor fitting connections ASAP. Clean all of the main grounds on the car.

In the price range you are looking in be sure to thoroughly check the frame of the car as this can snowball quickly. Especially check near the brake master cylinder as brake fluid will eat through epoxy.

These are just a few things as others will chip in. I bought my car in 2012 for $13K and these were some of the immediate things that needed attention.

[Rich_NYS]

Welcome Justin..!

When I first got my car, I went on a search & destroy mission for rodent damage and along the way I found a few wiring messes like Nick mentioned. You won't need to remove the fuel tank, you can access & clean it from the luggage (trunk) compartment area. I took interior pics of mine when I first got it home.

Best of luck finding what you're looking for! :thumbup:

[David T]

At the price range you are in try to buy a "runner". At least you will know you have a fairly complete car and that the major systems are there and working to some extent. There is a world of difference between a runner and a non-runner. With a non-runner you don't know if the motor capable of working, the transmission, steering, etc.
Figure you will have to have it towed (your next major expense) to a place where you can work on it. For your initial order include all of the books, manuals, and bulletins.
Budget for tires, battery, struts, master cooling system kit, radiator, pulling the intake manifold, changing ALL of the fluids, rebuilding the brake and clutch system, door seals, headliner, doing the recalls, installing the updates, rebuilding the fuel system.
That's the big stuff. There is also the cosmetic stuff like dents and dings, regraining the S/S, cleaning the interior, replacing burnt out bulbs, fixing anything that doesn't work and replacing anything that is missing. There is what we know as the "Rule of 25". By the time you are done you will have spent $25,000. You can buy a nice one for $25K and it needs almost nothing or you can buy one for $10K and spend another $15K on it. Sounds like you won't need to buy a lot of tools and you have experience to know what to do with them. The biggest draw-back to your approach is creating a budget and having enough money and motivation to see your project through to the end. The more you spend initially (and the better the car you get) the sooner you can be driving it. I see that you want to go through the experience of working on the car yourself. That is commendable and I encourage it. Just go into it with your eyes wide open and understand it is a big, expensive project.
On the paperwork side don't do ANYTHING to the car until you have a clean Title in YOUR name so there is no question you are the legitimate owner. Don't buy the first one or the nearest one. If you have the time look for a while. Every car you see will teach you a little bit more.

[Rich]

Nothing wrong with any of the posts so far.

We'll assume you have gotten your hands on a copy of James Espey's book on the topic of buying a used DMC-12.

LINK: http://deloreanguide.com/ (http://deloreanguide.com/)

The updated edition came out recently.

[Jonathan]

A couple extra thoughts for you Justin, in addition to what others have said.

A few of the things you said stand out to me as important. Wanting a project car, enjoying the process, not being terribly concerned with the long term costs (relative to buying one in better condition and it being less of a project that is), not being a professional mechanic (don't worry, very few of us are), what other things should you be on the lookout for, etc.

My personal experience, and one shared by some other guys I know, was one of getting to know this phrase "depending on rust" a little better than I would have liked.

The depending on rust thought is how you might assess how long or how much effort a particular job or upgrade on your car is going to take. If your car is rusty, it can exponentially add to the level of effort required and frustration experienced that comes with certain things you'll need to do on your car.

The best advice I can share, and it's something I've heard Dave Swingle say before, is find a car that was well stored. This doesn't mean it isn't a project, and could be non-running too, but find one that was stored in such a way that kept it out of the elements and gives you the best chance of having as few rusty fittings, fasteners and brackets as possible.

No one wants a Swiss Cheese frame of course, but while a frame overall can be fine, working on the car can get very difficult when many of the bolts holding things together are a rusty mess.

So, to recap: finding a car that was well stored versus wasn't is more important than finding a running car versus non-running. You follow?

You might also want to keep in mind as you look (in addition to the well stored overall condition part), whether the car is missing many parts. I say this as I've seen (or it appears this way) that some parts are getting harder to come by and the prices are reflecting that.

One thing you are already ahead of where I was seven years ago was joining this sort of forum BEFORE you buy your car. I joined the forum and started doing my learning AFTER buying my car and it is the single biggest thing that negatively affected my experience. You can still come out the other side in good shape even without heeding the advice you find here. But a lot of what others tell you can make the ride a lot more enjoyable. You can be assured of a good test of your patience, persistence and resilience if you decide to enter the world of DeLorean ownership.

May the Force be with you. :) lol

[alexwolf1216]

Justin,

I have mine in pieces. If you want to see hands on what fun they are, cmon over! We will be putting her back together Sunday the 14th starting in the morning. :mechbull:

[alexwolf1216]

Hello all,

I've been lurking on these boards for a couple years and maybe have responded occasionally to a post here and there, but I thought I would go ahead and introduce myself.

My name is Justin, I live in San Antonio, TX and I have been a lover of DeLoreans for most of my life.

I am now at the point where I am about to pull the trigger on my first DeLorean. I have it narrowed down to 3 (maybe 4) and hope to make a decision on one before the end of the year.

Personally, I am looking at project cars, not like a $4-$6k project car, but more like $10-$12k. I am also very aware that going this route is usually the more expensive route. I am OK with this because there is something to be said about rebuilding one for yourself, from the ground up.

To me there is a difference in a car that you buy turnkey and a car that becomes a labor of love. I want the labor of love and I'm not all that concerned about the long term costs. For me, this isn't about the money, its about the process.

I and not a professional mechanic, but I've rebuilt and restored several (European) cars and when I get looks or compliments on my cars, I can take pride knowing what they are seeing is a result of my efforts.

Anyway with that said. Assuming we have a complete car. I know right off the bat, the brake system will need to be gone through and most of it rebuilt, I also know the fuel system will need a complete overhaul too, fuel tank out, lines replaced, etc.

I guess my other questions are, what are other typical challenges and areas that will need a good going through and is there a certain method or order in which to get the fuel system back up to par.

I am going to assume the necessary updates haven't been made also, so with that, what are the things a bone stock, all original D will need replaced pretty much right away?

I can't wait to be part of the DeLorean family! Thanks in advance for any help!

Justin

http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?11032-My-VOD-Journey

[Justin51982]

Thank you everyone for all your help!!

I found my car yesterday, VIN 6068. I'll post it on another thread.

Thank you again!