Smooth and rough louvers?

[Redsquall]

Are some louvers originally made smooth and some rough? Whats the deal?

[Patrick C]

They all have a texture unless they've been sanded smooth for a repaint. The only real production change was the center rib was made wider after louvres started cracking on the early models.

[PJ Grady Inc.]

No such animal! The very early cars had a straight rib joining each louvre plane and were highly prone to cracking. The factory caught on to this so quickly that the vast majority were fitted with louvre's joined by T shaped ribs that are significanly stronger but still failure prone!!!!!

That's why most vender's including ourselves offer some form of fix for this. My design uses two thin stainless strips laser cut to form plates that are secured with 3M (there's a plug for you again Randal Brown) double faced tape which makes the whole sunshade much stronger without drilling any holes. We add a vinyl/metal edge support moulding to finish the edges and add more clamping force to the tape.

The ribs were the only modification as all sunshades left Belfast with the same matte black finish from first to last.

Rob


Are some louvers originally made smooth and some rough? Whats the deal?

[DMCMW Dave]

The OE Matte finish is very fragile and unforgiving of relentless scrubbing. If you have one that's still "rough" don't vigorously wash it if you want to preserve that finish.

[kajcienski]

The OE Matte finish is very fragile and unforgiving of relentless scrubbing. If you have one that's still "rough" don't vigorously wash it if you want to preserve that finish.

And that keen advice is why mine is still nice and "rough"! :) Although it has only been out of the NOS box a year... I just hit it with the hose and a light dry.

[Elvis]

We found an orignal box of the louvres, they came from Augsburg, Germany.

Today - Wolfgang has his shop there and he has a great guy who does the paint jobs for him.

He makes the louvres look rough and textured - it simply looks original and great.

I waited many years before I had mine painted because I saw so many shiny ones
that just looked wrong.


BTW - Wolfgang is the guy who wants to drive around the world with his Delorean:

http://www.deloreanworldtour.com/
(top right corner is the english button)

[krs09]

Hmmm. Mine is smooth as can be, I really thought that would be a stock finish anyway.. I did hear that there is a difference on the tops of the pontoons in the engine bay (early=rough, later=smooth). No?

[David T]

Hmmm. Mine is smooth as can be, I really thought that would be a stock finish anyway.. I did hear that there is a difference on the tops of the pontoons in the engine bay (early=rough, later=smooth). No?

Make sure the struts are still good. If you lower it and it twists too much it can crack. The other thing that can kill the louvre is if the car is towed backwards and the louvre is not covered or secured somehow. That little lock usually doesn't work on most cars and I wouldn't trust it for backwards towing anyway even if it works.

[DMCMW Dave]

Hmmm. Mine is smooth as can be, I really thought that would be a stock finish anyway.. I did hear that there is a difference on the tops of the pontoons in the engine bay (early=rough, later=smooth). No?

Very early pontoons have a "canvas" finish but that went away pretty early in production. Otherwise they are typically matte black but smooth.

[krs09]

Very early pontoons have a "canvas" finish but that went away pretty early in production. Otherwise they are typically matte black but smooth.

Oooo.. My buddy has a early vin and that rough finish looked "unfinished" but unique. Gotta be a pain in the ass to clean too I would imagine.

[krs09]

Make sure the struts are still good. If you lower it and it twists too much it can crack. The other thing that can kill the louvre is if the car is towed backwards and the louvre is not covered or secured somehow. That little lock usually doesn't work on most cars and I wouldn't trust it for backwards towing anyway even if it works.

Mine are in bad shape (cracks under the lovers and the latch and center on lower louvre is totally broken). The PO snapped the bolts in the one lower hinge and decided to drill one big hole in the center of hinge and put a wood screw through it (it bended and buckled when proped open). I installed new hinges (had to drill out the old bolts .. ugh) and WOW what a difference (duh).

[PJ Grady Inc.]

I flew to Germany to inspect a DMC inventory held by an older guy named Roman in 1987. He had an office in Munich and his parts inventory was in Augsburg along with a bunch of Fiat 128 Spiders. Would this be from that inventory? He was a difficult man to deal with and I basically went home empty handed but my girlfiend and I had many great adventures on that trip.

I have many fond memories of Germany. What a thrill to drive the Autobahn in a brand new Audi Quatro at 235 kilometers an hour! A sidetrip to Salzburg was a very eventfull experience as we got locked out of a parking garage and had to take a taxi back to Bavaria at 3AM. Even with our passports the border gaurd treated us like KGB. I guess the early hour made them suspicious! Who knew parking garages closed at midnight in Austria?
Lesson learned....always carry your passport on your person when traveling abroad.
Rob



We found an orignal box of the louvres, they came from Augsburg, Germany.

Today - Wolfgang has his shop there and he has a great guy who does the paint jobs for him.

He makes the louvres look rough and textured - it simply looks original and great.

I waited many years before I had mine painted because I saw so many shiny ones
that just looked wrong.


BTW - Wolfgang is the guy who wants to drive around the world with his Delorean:

http://www.deloreanworldtour.com/
(top right corner is the english button)

[David T]

I flew to Germany to inspect a DMC inventory held by an older guy named Roman in 1987. He had an office in Munich and his parts inventory was in Augsburg along with a bunch of Fiat 128 Spiders. Would this be from that inventory? He was a difficult man to deal with and I basically went home empty handed but my girlfiend and I had many great adventures on that trip.

I have many fond memories of Germany. What a thrill to drive the Autobahn in a brand new Audi Quatro at 235 kilometers an hour! A sidetrip to Salzburg was a very eventfull experience as we got locked out of a parking garage and had to take a taxi back to Bavaria at 3AM. Even with our passports the border gaurd treated us like KGB. I guess the early hour made them suspicious! Who knew parking garages closed at midnight in Austria?
Lesson learned....always carry your passport on your person when traveling abroad.
Rob

It is not easy buying abroad. Between the currency exchange rate, duty, and shipping it may not make sense even if you could buy it cheap. Then you have to worry about if it gets lost or damaged. It can also take a long time getting held up in customs.

[PJ Grady Inc.]

I know David. I know!!!! I was willing to take the chance and while the trip was a bust business-wise I could right a novella about all the crazy things and great experiences I had. I have no regrets about that trip as the memories are priceless.


Rob
It is not easy buying abroad. Between the currency exchange rate, duty, and shipping it may not make sense even if you could buy it cheap. Then you have to worry about if it gets lost or damaged. It can also take a long time getting held up in customs.

[TTait]

So... Are there any good photos that show the proper textured finish? Is it similar to the texture on the mirrors and side vents? Can it be reproduced with SEM texture coat?

[Patrick C]

Is it similar to the texture on the mirrors and side vents? Can it be reproduced with SEM texture coat?

Yes and yes. It can be replicated with a "spray, stop, spray, stop" technique with SEM Trim Black.

[painterdave72]

Yes it can be replicated with sem texture coat.. i just redid mine and another forum members and they turned out great! Just used two light coats of the texture coating then trim black multiple coats over that,,if i have time this weekend i will upload a pic,,,

[David T]

Yes it can be replicated with sem texture coat.. i just redid mine and another forum members and they turned out great! Just used two light coats of the texture coating then trim black multiple coats over that,,if i have time this weekend i will upload a pic,,,


Another way to replicate texture is to hold the spray can over 12 inches away from the surface. The paint almost dries before it goes on making the surface rough. Takes some experimentation and is affected by the temperature and the humidity.

[skill]

I think this is an excellent topic. I myself struggled with this issue smooth or texture and I came down to the final reasoning and debating/ discussing this with my son. Pretty much it came down to this thought...

Matted all the way. Reason, matted mutes light or absorbs light thus giving the attention to of course the stainless steel as we know is in fact the attention to beauty and styling on our cars.

I've tried smooth (VIN# 712's Louvers) and overtime they take away from the attention of the SS. So, if in the past I have rooted for a smooth surface, I take it back. Go texture all the way because it makes the SS pop as it should.

The Texture vs. Smooth Louver Experiment:

Photo of Louver, Texture and Smooth louver. Texture is on the second step of the louver fenced by blue painter's tape. All else is smooth.

http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=33424&stc=1

Up close photo of a rough textured/ matted louver. SEM paint # 39143 used. Applied in a circular motion and finished around the edges about 4-5', louver surface to can.

http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=33425&stc=1

I wish I could be there to tech day and help you with this part. Any questions I can help you achieve this let me know.

I'm glad to be back, sorry I've been afk.

Happy Spring!

[Elvis]

This looks great, mine is almost identical.

Great job !