engine cover broken near latch

[wfox2506]

I just discovered this breakage near the latch of my engine cover under the middle retainer. Has anyone seen breaks in this spot? What's the best way to fix/reinforce it and still be able to secure the grilles?

My engine cover stay support is also broken off, so I am lightly considering replacing the cover. Does anyone have a decent one for sale?

54239

[Shep]

Most of the vendors can repair that section for way, way cheaper than a new cover. I'd actually recommend keeping it and not replacing it. It's not an uncommon problem, but once fixed will definitely last you for a very long time. Buying a new one will only be a waiting game of how long until the replacement breaks. They're all aging fiberglass, so a repair resets the clock for decades.

Given its structural nature, it's best left to someone with experience in the area. If you are not near a vendor (which would be ideal as they can inspect and tell you if anywhere else is bad), I believe others have had success with boat shops given much of their work is on fiberglass vessels. Make sure to have whoever you take it to look at the entire engine cover and check for chips or cracks. Engine stay assembly you mentioned is bad, that's the first spot to go usually.

EDIT: actually there's a clip missing there too, I'll bet it broke off and took some fiberglass with it. The silver guys that hold on the retainer clips, you can see one directly to the right of the latch hook. Usually the broken fiberglass sections are from parts that didn't stay well.

[wfox2506]

I'm nowhere near vendors. I removed the bracket and clip as I was getting ready to replace the grilles. Looked like the clip is what started the damage and it spread from there.

[Shep]

Where are you located? Might be some DeLorean clubs near you that can refer you to local shops. Vendors specialize in DeLoreans, but there are other shops that work on them also.

[sdg3205]

Any good fiberglass shop can fix it.

[Shep]

Any good fiberglass shop can fix it.For my own reference, are these different than boat shops? That's where I was going with the "boat shops" thing as many work on fiberglass hulls.

[sdg3205]

For my own reference, are these different than boat shops? That's where I was going with the "boat shops" thing as many work on fiberglass hulls.

Good question. The place i had a louvre fixed once did boats, but not exclusively.

[David T]

Any good boat repair place or a shop that repairs Corvettes (they are fiberglass) can repair your engine cover. Easy repair and should not cost a lot. You might even consider trying to repair it yourself. You can buy a small fiberglass repair kit at most auto stores. It is a bit messy. Plenty of Youtube videos on fiberglass repair.

[wfox2506]

I think I tracked down a decent shop to do the repair.

Lastly, I need to replace 3 retainer strips when replace the grilles. The 3 retainer strips I need are going to run me $70+!!? Does anyone know of another option for retainers???

[Shep]

Was there a cross reference found on those? I can't imagine folded metal hasn't been found cheaper, someone's had to have sourced those by now.

[wfox2506]

No one has an alternative to the metal retainers? I'm about to blow half a paycheck on some replacements. =/

[dn010]

Where are you seeing these being sold @ $70 for three pieces? You can get the WHOLE KIT of these from DeLoreango @ $101. Why DMCH wants $340 for the same kit of some metal strips? - who knows...

You can also try to post a want ad in the parts section, maybe someone has a few pieces laying around that you'd need.