Meet my new DeLorean - 3455

[StainlessBullet]

Well guys consider me mentally unstable, this past Saturday I purchased my 3rd DeLorean. :lol:

It's Vin #3455 Aug. '81 build with a 5-speed manual, grooved hood with no gas flap, grey / blue interior and an Island Twin Turbo installed.

This one is in WAY better shape than my other two cars. That being said, it's not perfect either.

Known issues so far,

The car had a hot start issue. That was the first thing we fixed Sunday. Installed a new fuel accumulator and the issue went away.

Still left to fix,
1. Clutch slips above 3k RPM

2. Has a leaky exhaust manifold gasket on the passenger side of engine

3. The P.O. told me it can be hard to get into 2nd gear until the car gets warm, then it shifts fine. I haven't had any problems yet, but when I replace the clutch I'm going to go ahead and replace the 2nd gear roll-pin.

4. Doors have horrible alignment. The passenger door is the worse. You have to SLAM it to get it to shut and even then it doesn't appear to seal correctly. Question, am I at risk of warping/bending the doors by them being unaligned and having to slam them? I have never aligned a door and I've heard can be a horrible process.

5. One of the turbos is using a little oil. Nothing horrible, just a little puff of smoke when you let off the throttle.

6. Coolant overflow bottle cap isn't sealing and allowing coolant to splash out. It's the plastic bottle and I already have an aluminum one to replace it with.

7. The car has keyless entry with door poppers. The door popper can't pop the door (probably due to the crappy alignment of the doors). The lock/unlock feature is working on the passenger side but only working half the time on the drivers side.

8. 170mph speedo is not calibrated at all.

THE GOOD,

No dents. Engine runs great. Drives great. Interior is clean. One crack on the dash by the passenger side speaker, but nothing major at all. Has custom blue/grey seats, blue steering wheel and grey/blue door panels. I'll be honest the blue looks horrible in the pictures. I was not a fan at all until I spent two hours driving it home and then it started to grow on me. Has blue gauge cluster lights with 170mph speedo. Blue footwell lighting. Alpine HD radio with Amp for speakers, another amp for alpine type-e subwoofer in the cubbyhole. LED kit installed in the doors. Has relay / fuse update. Lowered suspension. Black side-stripe. Front strut support added. Etc., Etc., Etc.

Now for the pictures. These are pictures the P.O. took of the car. We've had some crappy weather since I brought the car home and haven't had a chance to take pictures of my own. Don't worry there coming though. :thumbup:

http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=32952&d=1423536103

http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=32937&d=1423536052

http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=32936&d=1423536049

http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=32938&d=1423536055

http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=32939&d=1423536058

http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=32948&d=1423536085

http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=32942&d=1423536067

http://dmctalk.org/album.php?albumid=288&attachmentid=32944

http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=32943&d=1423536070

http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=32945&d=1423536076

http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=32950&d=1423536091

http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=32949&d=1423536088

http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=32951&d=1423536094

[Ras12]

Congrats on your newest "child." Enjoy!

[StainlessBullet]

Congrats on your newest "child." Enjoy!

Thanks! I'm really liking this one!

[whocruiser]

Looks nice, not your "Plain Vanilla" car:-) Hope you have a lot of fun with it.

[Dangermouse]

Looks great. I have seen pictures of the car at past Sedoc events. Hopefully I'll see it in person one day.

[OverlandMan]

I like it. Nice find and congrats!

[David T]

I like it. Nice find and congrats!

If you have anywhere near 50K miles or you see oil on the output side of the turbos, get them both rebuilt. Check that the wiring is done right for the turbos, not all of them were. Check that the distributor was modified (the mechanical advance was limited and the timing was set back). Check that the wastegates move freely and boost is limited to 5#. Change the oil and filter and use synthetic oil. Do a compression test as a baseline and see how much pressure there is in the crankcase. If any of the hoses (on the air side) are old and leaky replace them. The Island Turbo kit is like a kick in the pants when it is going right!

[StainlessBullet]

Looks nice, not your "Plain Vanilla" car:-) Hope you have a lot of fun with it.


I like it. Nice find and congrats!

Thanks guys!


Looks great. I have seen pictures of the car at past Sedoc events. Hopefully I'll see it in person one day.

Thanks! I plan to eventually make it to an Sedoc event. During spring and summer I'm usually swamped at work, so maybe if there is an event towards late summer / early fall I'll be able to make it.


If you have anywhere near 50K miles or you see oil on the output side of the turbos, get them both rebuilt. Check that the wiring is done right for the turbos, not all of them were. Check that the distributor was modified (the mechanical advance was limited and the timing was set back). Check that the wastegates move freely and boost is limited to 5#. Change the oil and filter and use synthetic oil. Do a compression test as a baseline and see how much pressure there is in the crankcase. If any of the hoses (on the air side) are old and leaky replace them. The Island Turbo kit is like a kick in the pants when it is going right!

Thanks for the tips! I'm not sure what the boost is at the moment. It has a vacuum and boost gauge combined. When the needle on the gauge is negative it reads vacuum. When the needle goes positive it reads boost. I haven't seen the needle go positive yet. But I also have been very easy on the throttle to keep the clutch from slipping. Let me ask you this, should I be able to hear the turbos spooling from inside the car? I have an 02 Cummins diesel truck and the turbo on it is super loud. That was what I was expecting with this car and was kind of disappointed to hear nothing. Given one turbo on my truck is the size of both turbos on this car.

Also I want to give a shout out to Dave at DMCMW. He too has been a huge help to me lately. Before I purchased the car and I was looking it over, he talked me through a lot over the phone. I had an issue on the 150 mile drive home, he talked me through that. Keep in mind that this was on Saturday and I'm not even sure he normally works Saturdays. So if anyone at DMCMW is reading this, thanks! You guys are #1 in my opinion! If I was calling a vender for any other of my vehicles there is no way they would talk me through anything for free, especially on a Saturday.

[David T]

Thanks guys!



Thanks! I plan to eventually make it to an Sedoc event. During spring and summer I'm usually swamped at work, so maybe if there is an event towards late summer / early fall I'll be able to make it.



Thanks for the tips! I'm not sure what the boost is at the moment. It has a vacuum and boost gauge combined. When the needle on the gauge is negative it reads vacuum. When the needle goes positive it reads boost. I haven't seen the needle go positive yet. But I also have been very easy on the throttle to keep the clutch from slipping. Let me ask you this, should I be able to hear the turbos spooling from inside the car? I have an 02 Cummins diesel truck and the turbo on it is super loud. That was what I was expecting with this car and was kind of disappointed to hear nothing. Given one turbo on my truck is the size of both turbos on this car.

Also I want to give a shout out to Dave at DMCMW. He too has been a huge help to me lately. Before I purchased the car and I was looking it over, he talked me through a lot over the phone. I had an issue on the 150 mile drive home, he talked me through that. Keep in mind that this was on Saturday and I'm not even sure he normally works Saturdays. So if anyone at DMCMW is reading this, thanks! You guys are #1 in my opinion! If I was calling a vender for any other of my vehicles there is no way they would talk me through anything for free, especially on a Saturday.

The turbos won't make enough noise for you to hear. You should see boost when the turbos are working. You might want to test the gauge and make sure there are no leaks in the tubing.

[Domi]

Thanks for sharing the picture, looking really good.
Are those two more gauges under the steering wheels are for the turbo pressure or something else?
Blue interior look nice and the engine compartment is awesome with the twin turbo, I like it :thumbup2:

[David T]

Thanks for sharing the picture, looking really good.
Are those two more gauges under the steering wheels are for the turbo pressure or something else?
Blue interior look nice and the engine compartment is awesome with the twin turbo, I like it :thumbup2:

Looking carefully at the engine picture there should be a switch mounted on the intake manifold near the A/C compressor for the turbos. I don't see it but it could be mounted elsewhere. It is necessary for the O2 sensor.

[StainlessBullet]

Thanks for sharing the picture, looking really good.
Are those two more gauges under the steering wheels are for the turbo pressure or something else?
Blue interior look nice and the engine compartment is awesome with the twin turbo, I like it :thumbup2:

Thanks! I appreciate all the compliments. One gauge is for the boost/vacuum and the other is an air to fuel ratio.


Looking carefully at the engine picture there should be a switch mounted on the intake manifold near the A/C compressor for the turbos. I don't see it but it could be mounted elsewhere. It is necessary for the O2 sensor.

I'm not near the car at the moment, but I'll take a look when I can and get back to you.

[StainlessBullet]

Ok, these doors are starting to make me paranoid. I have never seen doors with such a horrible alignment. The passenger door is by far the worse. You really have to SLAM it to get it to shut and even then it doesn't appear to seal correctly. If I keep opening and shutting the doors am I at risk of warping/bending them permanently? It may just be my paranoia but I could almost swear the passenger door has gotten worse since I brought it home.

[David T]

Ok, these doors are starting to make me paranoid. I have never seen doors with such a horrible alignment. The passenger door is by far the worse. You really have to SLAM it to get it to shut and even then it doesn't appear to seal correctly. If I keep opening and shutting the doors am I at risk of warping/bending them permanently? It may just be my paranoia but I could almost swear the passenger door has gotten worse since I brought it home.

For the door there are a couple of things to check. First, does it appear the hinges were ever touched? Was the door ever adjusted or changed? Next, open the door and grab it by the corners at the bottom and wiggle it. Does it feel loose and floppy? Compare it to the driver's door. The spot welds and glue may have come apart. If the door passes these tests how does it align and fit to the fiberglass and the seals. Does it seal evenly all around? Could adjusting the hinges improve it? Touching the hinges and adjusting or shimming is a last resort unless it was already done (and done poorly). If the weatherstripping is worn or "dead" replace it and adjust the anchor pins. You may also have to remove, clean, and lubricate both front and rear latches in the door so they work smoothly. When the door closes does it hit the "head" of the anchor pin and move forward or back? You may have to add or remove shims so the anchor pin lines up and moves smoothly into the center of each latch. Do both latches click simultaneously and both get to second locking position? If not you need to adjust the anchor pins. Slamming the doors is bad because eventually the door will become jammed and won't open. You should be able to close the door with 2 fingers pushing on the rub strip in the middle of the outside of the door.

[DMC5180]

A door that shuts that poorly may be twisted or damaged. You might be able to improve it some. But don't expect a miracle.

[StainlessBullet]

For the door there are a couple of things to check. First, does it appear the hinges were ever touched? Was the door ever adjusted or changed?

I'm not a 100% sure, but I would say it most likely has. To me it looks like the front striker plate has been modified with a dremel tool.


Next, open the door and grab it by the corners at the bottom and wiggle it. Does it feel loose and floppy? Compare it to the driver's door. The spot welds and glue may have come apart.

The door doesn't feel loose or floppy.


If the door passes these tests how does it align and fit to the fiberglass and the seals. Does it seal evenly all around?

The door doesn't seal evenly. Towards the rear of the passenger door it's proud of the rear quarter when door is shut.


When the door closes does it hit the "head" of the anchor pin and move forward or back?

Yes, it does.

[StainlessBullet]

I took these pictures today to give you a better idea.

First look at the gap difference between the two doors. See how much farther the passenger door sits from the t-panel compared to the drivers door.
32961

Next here is the slight gap from the side.
32962

[DMCMW Dave]

If I keep opening and shutting the doors am I at risk of warping/bending them permanently? It may just be my paranoia but I could almost swear the passenger door has gotten worse since I brought it home.

Take a close look at the latches in the doors. You're probably beating the hell out of them and the plastic parts are broken. At some point you should replace them but not until you get the doors more aligned. It may be as simple as striker pin alignment or as complicated as aligning the door on the hinges.

Take a close look at the latches and compare with your other cars (one great advantage of owning More Than One)

[StainlessBullet]

Take a close look at the latches in the doors. You're probably beating the hell out of them and the plastic parts are broken. At some point you should replace them but not until you get the doors more aligned. It may be as simple as striker pin alignment or as complicated as aligning the door on the hinges.

Take a close look at the latches and compare with your other cars (one great advantage of owning More Than One)

I'm going to try to investigate the doors a little further Saturday. Cross your fingers I can get by with just a striker pin alignment.

You remember my hot start issue? It's back. I put a new accumulator in Sunday and the problem seemed to have went away. Today I started it 3 times hot without any issues, then on the 4th it wouldn't start. I jumped the cold start injector and it fired right up.

[David T]

I'm going to try to investigate the doors a little further Saturday. Cross your fingers I can get by with just a striker pin alignment.

You remember my hot start issue? It's back. I put a new accumulator in Sunday and the problem seemed to have went away. Today I started it 3 times hot without any issues, then on the 4th it wouldn't start. I jumped the cold start injector and it fired right up.

You do not fit the doors to the other panels, you align the doors to the fiberglass underbody. Once the doors are set you align the adjoining panels to the doors. If the hinges have been tampered with or the door has been removed you have a big job. If it is "just the anchor pins it is a relatively small job. If the heads of the pins have been ground that is no big deal.
For the hot start the general order is ;
1) bad accumulator
2) bad check valve by the fuel pump
3) leaky PPR (bad "O" rings)
4) fuel leak somewhere.

To check door alignment you use a strip of a stiff piece of thin cardboard like what is in a new shirt, close the door on it and see if it drags between the door and the seals all around the door. This test requires a good door seal. Take one anchor pin out and try adjusting just the other pin to get the door working. Once you have 1 pin good put the other back and adjust it. The door should NOT touch the head of the pin, only the sides of the shank as the latch locks onto the pin.

[Josh]

My doors have the same issue, The passenger side more so. I adjusted it so it closes nice, but at the expense of getting a proper seal much like yours. The gap is also very unsightly between the door and front fender. The issue with my car is a failing roof box and previously damaged A- Pillar. Im going to bet there is an issue with your roof box. Which sucks and this is an extreme case but it is a common issue to smaller extents.

[StainlessBullet]

Did a little work on the car this weekend.

We replaced the leaky exhaust manifold gasket this weekend. Dave recommended we heat the studs until they were red hot before even putting a wrench on them. That did trick. We didn't break one stud in the process.

Here's the complete manifold with the turbo and muffler still attached
http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=33027&d=1424050224

Inside view
http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=33028&d=1424050257

On another note, after driving my car yesterday I discovered the source of my hot start problem. I walked out to my car and it had a strong smell of gas, looked under the car and there was a leak coming from the accumulator area. We jacked the car up and realized what the problem was. When we installed the new accumulator we disconnected the hose from the hard line fitting going back to the tank and it was now leaking. We retightened the fitting the best we could, drove the car again and as soon as I shut the car off it started leaking fuel. I'm at a loss. I'm wondering if the fitting might have been damaged. I'm really surprised I didn't notice the leak earlier because immediately after installing the accumulator I looked for leaks and did not see any.

Still haven't looked into the doors yet.