John Hervey passed away

[opethmike]

Per DAP's FB page, John Hervey passed away today.

[Cory W]

I just saw that as well.

I had heard that his site was "down for maintenance" due to a family issue. It was clearly a little bit more than that.

He was a member of our community, and a vendor that many of us had frequented over the years. May he rest in peace.

[WHO1DMC]

Only bought a couple things from him. My condolences to the family.

Dave B.

[JBaker4981]

Oh my, this is a shock to the community. Thoughts go out to his family... I always heard great things about John

[papanoel]

Sad and shocked to hear this. Saw him commenting recently on Facebook.

[gerald225]

Per DAP's FB page, John Hervey passed away today.

John was a good man and a great help to me many times over the past 20 years. I last talked with him within the past 2 weeks. He helped me with a clutch issue. Just last night I installed the clutch slave bleed extension I bought from him. RIP John

[Pizza Joe]

Very sad news to hear. He did help me in a pinch last year getting fuel lines shipped out extremely fast in time to get my car to radwood. R.I.P.

[burch]

So sad. I always got along very well with John, and enjoyed chatting with him whenever I had the opportunity. He helped so many of us in countless ways with these cars. Condolences to his family, and the whole DeLorean community.

[DMCVegas]

That's a bummer. I'm really sorry to hear that. John did a lot to help the DeLorean community. Most notably starting with his alternators (I still have a D150 that whistles) which helped us all a great deal. He was definitely a breath of fresh air because he appeared at the right time. People take for granted now the amount of vendors and choices we have. There was though a time starting 20 years ago when our supplies were then dwindling because their existence were unknown. This then became coupled with the fact that another well known vendor (who I am told has since long passed away) started banning people from purchasing parts simply because they dared to simply participate in online discussions. These were indeed dark times. Many owners and enthusiasts had anxiety about parts supplies.

When John arrived on the scene, he really became a great hope for us all that we had a new vendor. Not to mention that he also was willing to competitively price parts and helped reduce overall parts prices. Even if you've never purchased a single part from him, I promise that you've benefitted from his business due to the competition he created. True, his business did have some growing pains. I can't lie, he wasn't the worlds best book keeper, that's for sure. Then there was the confusion between "Special-T-Auto" and Darryl Tinnerstet's "Specialty Automotive" in Washington that added to much confusion for buyers, and consternation for Darryl (probably even a factor as to why he retired from the business). Plus his rapid expansion of parts had it's hiccups. From auto trans harnesses, to parts that weren't quite 100% compatible per se, his communication skills, and that previously mentioned book keeping.

But none the less, he did help test new designs and test new parts, and again, helped push the community and get cars onto the road. DMCH is certainly the hero of the marque, but John was also there as another character who helped lend a hand too with his website that even I window shopped and occasionally purchased from.

Rest well, John. You've earned it, and will be missed.

[Bitsyncmaster]

RIP John. My last order from him was a Stainless sleeved clutch slave which he replaced no questions asked when I found it leaked. My condolences to family and friends.

[NJP548]

This then became coupled with the fact that another well known vendor (who I am told has since long passed away) started banning people from purchasing parts simply because they dared to simply participate in online discussions.

The last I heard Ed Bernstein is still alive.

-Nick

[delorun45230]

Rest in peace John. You will be missed.

Back when I was helping Ken with the car shows, we would talk nearly every day. I'm sure he had a lot of customers to help but John never tried to rush me. He always gave it his best shot to help me find the solution to a problem.

He was also a pain in the ass when we were working on the Special-T-Auto ads for DCS Magazine and DeLorean World. He always insisted on trying to fit in just one more product. I tried to explain that the purpose of the ad was to drive traffic to the website and that he didn't need all of his products listed there. The images on the final approved versions were so small that it was hard to tell what was what. I think the text size for the captions was something like 3 point. I was sure that robbed him of potential customers over the age of about 35, and scared off those under 35 due to the impenetrable wall of data. John, however, found a way to make it work for him.

Later on, I asked him to let me help him create a more cohesive, easier to navigate website. I got the impression, after a few conversations, that he just needed it to be the maze of detailed information that it is, because that's how his mind worked and it made sense to him. Again...John made it work.

I called John frequently while working on the restoration of 5102 and he provided a lot of valuable information and parts. Bottom line, my car wouldn't be running today without his help.

John was a good guy and a great friend. I'm glad his suffering is over, but there is a big hole in his family, the DeLorean community and beyond today.

Goodbye John. Thank you for everything.

Sincerely,
Josh

VIN 5102
VIN 11289

[Timeless]

RIP sir...... :(

[Maritime-elf]

This makes me so sad. He sold me a torsion bar. Pretty much gave my wings back....I will miss him greatly

[Jack]

Last I talked to him was a few months back.
That makes two "one man" parts suppliers gone this year.

[Domi]

It's so sad to see such a news this morning.
John was always ready to help people on their car.
He will be missed.

RIP John.

[BLWNAWY]

Then there was the confusion between "Special-T-Auto" and Darryl Tinnerstet's "Specialty Automotive" in Washington that added to much confusion for buyers, and consternation for Darryl (probably even a factor as to why he retired from the business).

Not really. John and I only spoke once, about his choice of business name and the ensuing "confusion". We had different business practices and goals, and co-existed. The main factor in my decision to retire was DMCH who, after buying out KAPAC, refused to honor their policy of selling wholesale to other smaller vendors. I had a large inventory of my own, but not everything my customers would need. And you can't buy at retail and resell at retail. Upon purchasing my business Toby resolved that issue by becoming a branch of DMCH, something I was unable (due to location) and unwilling to do. That worked for a while, but as with many such unions a "dissolution" was inevitable.

RIP John.

Darryl T
Retired, restoring cars, building street rods
Still lurking here daily

[DMC-81]

RIP John. My condolences to his family.

[Riley88]

RIP John, Regardless of what anyone thought of his customer service at times. he was a human being, and hope his final days were spent with his family and from his website it may seem so. What a sad day for him, his family as well as the delorean community for losing one of our own.

[Ras12]

I purchased a few things from John ranging from brakes to fuel components and he was always quick to ship and answer questions. Rest in Peace.

[louielouie2000]

That's a bummer. I'm really sorry to hear that. John did a lot to help the DeLorean community. Most notably starting with his alternators (I still have a D150 that whistles) which helped us all a great deal. He was definitely a breath of fresh air because he appeared at the right time. People take for granted now the amount of vendors and choices we have. There was though a time starting 20 years ago when our supplies were then dwindling because their existence were unknown. This then became coupled with the fact that another well known vendor (who I am told has since long passed away) started banning people from purchasing parts simply because they dared to simply participate in online discussions. These were indeed dark times. Many owners and enthusiasts had anxiety about parts supplies.

When John arrived on the scene, he really became a great hope for us all that we had a new vendor. Not to mention that he also was willing to competitively price parts and helped reduce overall parts prices. Even if you've never purchased a single part from him, I promise that you've benefitted from his business due to the competition he created. True, his business did have some growing pains. I can't lie, he wasn't the worlds best book keeper, that's for sure. Then there was the confusion between "Special-T-Auto" and Darryl Tinnerstet's "Specialty Automotive" in Washington that added to much confusion for buyers, and consternation for Darryl (probably even a factor as to why he retired from the business). Plus his rapid expansion of parts had it's hiccups. From auto trans harnesses, to parts that weren't quite 100% compatible per se, his communication skills, and that previously mentioned book keeping.

But none the less, he did help test new designs and test new parts, and again, helped push the community and get cars onto the road. DMCH is certainly the hero of the marque, but John was also there as another character who helped lend a hand too with his website that even I window shopped and occasionally purchased from.

Rest well, John. You've earned it, and will be missed.

I remember the DeLorean community from the late 1990s quite differently. DMC Houston purchased the Kapac inventory in 1996 and began discovering the amount of remaining parts was far more extensive than anyone had supposed. When they unveiled their Stage Engines, new build cars, & new headquarters in 2001 it seemed like a new era of possibility. Let’s not forget in the late 90s there were very few NLA parts, too. You could buy new old stock binnacles, seats, Island Twin Turbo kits, etc. There were also quite a few parts/service providers that have also since disappeared such as DeLorean One, DeLorean Motor Center, DMC Joe, Specialty Automotive, Bauerle Automotive (or do they still work on DeLoreans?), Byrne Heninger, even the DeLorean Owners Association had a retail operation that sold cosmetic, gift, vintage, & apparel items. Yes, some of those businesses became the basis for DMC Texas franchises... but I’m not entirely sure that’s a good thing? When you join the mothership you have to assimilate & your specialization goes out the window.

I won’t deny that Hervey was initially a breath of fresh air with his affordable cross referenced & modified parts, though. And I definitely agree that John shifted the paradigm of how to approach repairing & upgrading DeLoreans. He threw out all of the old dogma that existed in the community (I can’t overstate how overpowering it was back then). Sometimes he proved his doubters wrong; sometimes he failed miserably. When John first hit the scene I bought several electric components from him... each failed within a year or so. But he always tried to make it right and was always quite friendly, helpful with technical assistance, & very quick with shipment. I hated hearing he lost those attributes later on.

One instance I’ll never forget was when John stopped and helped me when my DeLorean stranded me on the side of the road at DCS ‘04. He almost immediately figured out it was the RPM relay; and he fashioned a makeshift jumper to get the car moving. He didn’t even try to get me to buy one of his relays he had back at his booth at the show. The quality of his components pushed me away from John pretty quickly, but I too am glad he shook things up in the community. In his own way, I definitely think he fostered a lot of innovation and probably inspired some of the newer independent & forward thinking DeLorean vendors too.

[ssdelorean]

"Hervey! Hervey! Hervey!" - as heard announced at some earlier DCS's.

I was fortunate to purchase a water pump from him back when it had a "lifetime" warranty instead of just a couple years. He honored that warranty when it died.

Replacing my first radiator I called Grady to order one. Grady was out and told me to call Hervey since he stocks more of them and they are the same source. The next day I called Hervey to order a radiator. Hervey said to call Grady back to pay for it since I called Grady first and that he would just drop shlp it to me. Who does that kind of thing these days!? Very few.

Good guy. He will be missed in the community.



...There were also quite a few parts/service providers that have also since disappeared such as DeLorean One, DeLorean Motor Center, DMC Joe, Specialty Automotive, Bauerle Automotive (or do they still work on DeLoreans?), ...

Bauerle Automotive (http://ohiodeloreans.com/Bauerle-v4.htm) is still open and they still work on DeLoreans. Always 5 to 20 at his shop at any given time. He just does not maintain an active online presence.

[Andrew]

I ordered quite a few parts from John over the years. I'll always appreciate the inovation and selection of parts he offered. I just installed a set of door struts that I ordered from him a few weeks ago. If I ever had a question, he would spend time talking through the issue on the phone.

Rest in peace John.

Andrew
4194
5052

[john 05141]

I bought some things from John over the years. Always positive. I like his contribution to our cars.

RIP John.

[SS Spoiler]

Johns web site was interesting....

[eight8toy]

Johns web site was interesting....

Ya, I used his site often for his pictures of parts when working on my car. Good resource. He was pretty helpful with me when replacing my AC system, RIP Hervey.

[Tamir A.]

May he rest in peace. My thoughts are with his family.

[painterdave72]

John.. bought quite a few things from him over the years and he was always friendly and very helpful over the phone.. RIP...

[David T]

Although some had complaints about his "customer service", I found him to be very helpful and a VERY knowledgeable parts man. He was able to source a LOT of NEW stock and for many years, especially in the beginning, he was able to sell new stock while other vendors only had NOS (New Old Stock). Not only will he be missed by the Delorean community, he also sold and repaired fuel system parts for other makes that used the Bosch K-Jet. His presence also kept DMCH "honest" by being an alternate source of parts. We will see if DMCH takes advantage of that and prices on parts start moving upwards. RIP John H.

[JETS 81 DMC]

Here is a link to John's obituary. R.I.P.

https://www.newhopefh.com/obituaries/John-Hervey/#!/Obituary

There is no mention of a service.

[iflights]

Service 7/12 information is now available in the link as of this morning 7/11.

[Jack]

I know its last minute. But anyone want to get together and send an arrangement of flowers and card. From: DMCTALK
If this is already being done please share a link an I'd like to chip in a few dollars.

[Maritime-elf]

I know its last minute. But anyone want to get together and send an arrangement of flowers and card. From: DMCTALK
If this is already being done please share a link an I'd like to chip in a few dollars.

I would get in on that

[painterdave72]

Let me know if possible..

[SS Spoiler]

Great idea!...

[gerald225]

I certainly hopes DAP continues operation and someone as competent and helpful as John runs it.

I never had ANY problems with John over nearly 20 years of purchasing from him. He was a tremendous source of help, especially years ago when he would tell me to call him until 9 at night if I ran into problems during repairs.

[Jimmyvonviggle]

I am not sure the business will continue, as I received an email tonight saying my order I placed a month ago is cancelled.

[Gary 5314]

Only knew John the last 3 years. My DeLorean sat for 20+ years and he helped me get it back on the road. He was very helpful and informative. Read a few negative things about John, but was always positive with me. Rest in peace, John. You sure deserve it. You will be dearly missed.

[DMC5276]

I first talked with John over 10 years ago when I was getting my car back on the road after it sitting for many years. I appreciated that he was an alternative vendor and brought a different perspective to the community. He was driven to innovate new solutions. While he wasn't always successful in that mission, he tried earnestly. While by no means modern or elegant, his website was a useful resource, and I learned a great deal from his photos and advice. He knew his limitations as well. I recall once talking with him, and he mentioned needing an engineer to devise a solution to one of our car's know issues. I asked him if he had an apprentice - someone to whom he could pass on his knowledge. He said he did not. Too bad.

Eternal memory. Rest in peace John.

Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk