VIN 11596 Frame Swap - a rolling frame-off restoration

[82DMC12]

70375










I bought a new drop glass and new divider which was joined with urethane for me before shipment. There are two dimples in the glass which must be evenly spaced with the grooves in the carrier. The new glass was perfectly aligned. My old glass.... was not. Yet it still closed normally and worked well. This meant my glass guides mounted to the door were not lined up correctly for the new glass. Damn it! I spent about 45 minutes shifting stuff around and re-aligning things until I had it down and working as expected.









70376








New vapor barrier installed with butyl tape. A lot of clean up of the old adhesive was necessary first. Messy job! But, I'm weather-proof now. I also wrapped up and zip tied a lot of wires to keep them from rattling around inside the door.






70377





After installing the divider and outer wipe seal, I had to lay a bead of black silicone in this gap. It turned out OK if a little bit too glossy. I am going to wait and see if it really annoys me before I tear it out and try something else. I understand there is a roof flashing polyurethane that looks a bit better if you want to deal with a huge cartridge for just this.










70378





I used painter tape to triple check how much of the drop glass was going up into the divider so I knew it was getting inside evenly and completely. I had to bend the divider inward on the seal slightly to get it to push all the way in the forward section.

[82DMC12]

Today I started a new project - restoration of the underside of my hood! My main problem here is the ugly seal that was damaged months ago near the striker when my hood release cable came off the latch. So, I knew it wasn't watertight anymore and I was tired of seeing this yellow adhesive everywhere on my trunk lid. Apparently the seal had been loose in the past because someone, now at least 25 years ago, used epoxy to try to keep the seal stuck to the hood.

First I enlisted my wife to help remove the hood and flip it over onto two sawhorses covered in moving blankets. Now I had a comfortable place to work. I started by removing the old seal which came off fairly easily and only left remnants attached to the hood in a couple places. Then I used a heat gun on LOW for only a few seconds, about 6 inches of adhesive at a time, to heat the adhesive and aid scraping it off with a gasket scraper. If it weren't for the epoxy all over the passenger corner, it's possible I could have removed the old seal and gotten away without having to refinish the black part of the hood. Unfortunately, the epoxy was tough to remove and all I can do is sand it down with sandpaper which means the hood has to be refinished. Oh well. Not a huge deal.

I was able to remove the yellow adhesive with the scraper, heat, lacquer thinner on a rag, and some red scotch brite. I tried a couple of air tools but the plastic heads that won't damage fiberglass weren't much more effective than plain old elbow grease, especially after slightly heating the stuff up. In about 90 minutes I was mostly done with just some sanding left to do.

My plan is to sand the epoxy smooth, then rough up the rest of the black paint with a red scotchbrite, wipe down with isopropyl, then spray two coats of SEM Trim Black. Once that has dried for 24 hours I should be able to adhere my new hood gasket.


70379






Old gasket looked like this all the way around it.... just ugly.








70380






Current state of things.... mostly cleaned up, just needs touch up and final roughing and masking before painting , possibly by tomorrow.









70381






Epoxy has to be sanded down, no other way to remove it. Tiny bit of fiberglass damage in the corner too but it will be mostly covered up by the new gasket.

[82DMC12]

Yesterday I finished sanding down the stray epoxy and giving the hood a quick rough with 400 grit everywhere else. I was considering removing the carpet sections from the hood but it turns out the carpet is very old and thin and not able to take much tugging before it deforms. I tried to use a heat gun on low for just a bit to help release the carpet, which worked, but the carpet is extremely heat-sensitive and the pile got some heat damage in one spot so I am replacing that piece of carpet. I then opted to mask off the carpet with paper bags and tape.

As usual, I spent a very long time prepping and masking while the actual painting doesn't take much time at all.

We have a great auto paint supply store in Olathe who carries SEM products so I got a can of SEM Trim Black Satin. It was enough to give the hood two thin coats with a third coat in a couple areas that needed it.

The hood looks great, for the most part, however there are a couple orange-peel looking spots that I am told is caused by contamination under the new paint. Probably from back-to-black products that have soaked in over the years. I went back to the paint supply store and picked up another can of Trim Black as well as High Build Primer. My plan is to wet sand the the trouble areas, spray some primer, sand again with 400 grit, and then respray where needed.

Overall the hood is good for the first attempt but I know I can make it even better. Might get around to spraying the primer tonight. Stay tuned!

70389







Hood masked off and sanded, wiped down with lacquer thinner, and just about to spray the first coat.








70390







Found this little QA sticker under the lamp.








70391






Two coats finished and drying.









70392





A few areas turned out like this which is kind of ugly under harsh light. I think I can clean this up with sanding, primer, and another spray.

[82DMC12]

Here is what the hood looks like for the most part - very nice satin finish and close to OEM. It will really look great when I'm done messing around with it.




70393

[SupercoolBill]

Was this area originally painted at the factory?

Sent from my SM-F926U1 using Tapatalk

[82DMC12]

Yes - Everything that is gray/white in this picture is the underlaying fiberglass. If you sand the black down you'll see the substrate underneath. In my case there was epoxy all over in that corner and then I had to sand and use a wheel to remove other miscellaneous adhesives. The other sides of the hood where it's still black and looks good is what you HOPE you would find after removing the old gasket and adhesive. The old original adhesive comes off pretty decent with a heat gun and scraper. Too bad someone tried everything under the sun to keep my old gasket from coming off. It worked though, the gasket was not loose for 25 years.

70394

[82DMC12]

I decided I need a result that looks closer to PERFECT for my hood, and the mottled look in a couple spots was not going to it for me. Last night I wet sanded the flat surfaces with 175 grit and wiped down, then sanded dry with 400 grit. I was more aggressive where the mottled look areas were. I wiped it down really well and then let it sit all night before hitting it with two coats of SEM High Build Primer. I could tell pretty quickly that THIS is what I should have done in the beginning. The primer dried super flat and smooth and hid all of the mottling.

I did two primer coats with 10 minute flash between them, then waited 90 minutes to put the first coat of Trim Black on it. You only need to wait about 5 to 10 minutes for the second coat so I did that too. MUCH BETTER! I came out an hour later and I see no defects like I did before. I'm going to let this dry for at least 24 hours before removing the tape and paper and then reattach my missing piece of carpet. Then wait another day before I put the weatherstrip on.

70396









Here is the primer that I used this time










70397






2 coats of primer just a couple minutes after spraying








70398







Primer - very flat, even appearance.







70399







Just after spraying two coats of Trim Black








70400






Close up of the Trim Black a few minutes after spraying

[FLUX @88]

looks good Andy.. lots of work

[82DMC12]

looks good Andy.. lots of work

Thank you!!

[SupercoolBill]

The million dollar question....is that paint fuel resistant? Not for your use but incase I wanted to use it in my engine bay

Sent from my SM-F926U1 using Tapatalk

[82DMC12]

I completed the hood seal install this weekend and let me say it is a trial of patience and something that absolutely cannot be rushed. It actually took me about two full days to install the seal because you can only lay down about six inches at a time on the straight runs, and as little half an inch at a time while making corners - and there are eight corners with the fuel flap cut out!

I watched an excellent video by DMCH on their Knowledgebase page that showed how to lay down the seal and it especially stressed the importance of patience and allowing for adequate flash and set time before doing the next short section. The advice on doing the corners was really helpful and key to my own success with this. I'm glad I watched the video before starting.

Each section basically goes like this:

Since the hood was freshly painted, I simply cleaned both the hood application area and the underside of the seal with an alcohol wipe and let it dry before continuing. As I mentioned, don't try to do more than 6 inches at a time in the straight parts. I first laid the seal down and masked off the application area with blue painter tape, then set the seal aside and laid a second piece of tape about 3mm inward where the first one ended. This kept me from getting adhesive too close to the edge of the seal which would be unsightly. I then put a piece of tape down where I want the application to end (up to six inches down the hood). Then I laid the seal down again and wrapped another piece of tape on the seal in the same spot so that I knew where to stop applying adhesive.

I started on the passenger side halfway down the hood and laid a narrow bead of Permatex weatherstripping adhesive to both the hood and the seal, up to the tape stops, then used a flux brush (36 of them for $3 at Harbor Freight!) and spread the adhesive flat. I then waited five minutes (timer on my phone) before I peeled the masking tape off and then laid down the seal. I held it flat with my hands for a few seconds and then used a piece of very heavy cardboard (corner protection pieces from a heavy duty box) along with two ratcheting clamps to hold the seal in place. I then set another timer for 20 minutes. After that time the adhestive has set pretty well and I can repeat this doing another short section. I put some thick foam on my clamp jaws so they won't mar the top of the hood.

At the corners, you have to start to the turn the seal in small increments around the corner, no more than 1 inch of seal at a time, and every lay requires another set of tape, 5 minutes flash, and 20 minutes bond. It takes four to five incremental turns to round a corner, after which I laid a shop towel and then a brick on the seal to keep the corner flat for a couple more hours as I worked on the next straight section.

So, it just takes a lot of time, patience, and attention to detail but the seal can be installed this way with a nice permanent hold.

70410
Here you can see the 6-inch section taped off with a piece of tape showing me where to stop along with another matching piece of tape on the seal. That way I don't spread too much adhesive on one side or the other.



7041170412
70414




I used these flux brushes to spread the adhesive which worked really well. Just toss em as they get stiff. Next two pictures are of the clamps with foam on the underside holding down the stiff cardboard to help the seal stay in place while bonding.

I then used these bricks to hold the corner down for a couple hours while continuing along the hood.















70415

Voila! An example of a perfectly-formed corner, which, as I said, takes at least two hours to slowly form and bond.

[82DMC12]

70416









I replaced this section of carpet with an NOS piece from DMCH. Unfortunately I got a bit too close with the heat gun and the original piece of carpet didn't like that. So, the new piece of carpet came looking 100% mint and all I had to do was remove the old adhesive from the hood with acetone, mask it off so I don't get overspray, then spray both the hood and underside of the carpet with 3M 90 spray adhesive. Two coats per side, let flash for 2 minutes, then press together. Perfect!










70417

Here it is! It really turned out perfect! You can see the seam on the passenger side where the seal ends meet. I am going to get some Loctite leather and fabric clear glue which dries flexible to completely water-proof the trunk.


70418






While adjusting the hood alignment, I decided to tackle the hood height at the latch which has always stuck up just a bit too far. After lowering the hood stops and lowering the latch as far as it goes, it was clear the latch needs to go down further than adjustment allows. Very common issue, all you have to do is use a hand file and file down the mounting slots to get another 1/8" of drop for the black bracket that attaches to the body (which the gold latch itself is screws onto). Took a bit of trial and error but in the end it worked out great. I got the hood flush with the fenders and then turned the bump stops up a couple turns into the hood which will keep it from vibrating on the interstate. I will check the fitment for a few days before going back and RTV'ing the hood stops so that they are waterproof to the interior of the car.

[SupercoolBill]

What part number is this tool?







[emoji38] https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20240311/890f969f4e382a69ce842332ff9537a9.jpg

Sent from my SM-F926U1 using Tapatalk

[82DMC12]

LOL. It's called make use of what's just laying around!

[82DMC12]

Take Your DeLorean to Work Day! I couldn't resist taking a picture of the hood fully installed and in place.

70422

[Timeless]

I wouldn't be able to resist a photo either! Well done sir. :thumbup:

[82DMC12]

I wouldn't be able to resist a photo either! Well done sir. :thumbup:

Thank you!

Trying to figure out what my next project will be. I might fit the Euro distributor weights I bought earlier this year. I should also replace all the front fender top screws, they are in very shape. I'll replace the regular screws with stainless.

70423

[Bitsyncmaster]

Take Your DeLorean to Work Day! I couldn't resist taking a picture of the hood fully installed and in place.

70422

Photo reminds me that I recently fixed my hood light from falling out all the time. About 10 layers of masking tape on one end of clear lens and now it holds in very nicely. I think a lot of owner have found the lamp cutout was to large.

[82DMC12]

Photo reminds me that I recently fixed my hood light from falling out all the time. About 10 layers of masking tape on one end of clear lens and now it holds in very nicely. I think a lot of owner have found the lamp cutout was to large.

Yes the lamp fits inside surprisingly loose. Guess I've never had it fall out (yet).

[Timeless]

Yes the lamp fits inside surprisingly loose. Guess I've never had it fall out (yet).
Anyone try this: https://www.deloreango.com/us/courtesy-light-luggage-compartment-led.html

That or Amazon/eBay options - they may have a tighter fit.

[82DMC12]

Anyone try this: https://www.deloreango.com/us/courtesy-light-luggage-compartment-led.html

That or Amazon/eBay options - they may have a tighter fit.

Steve Bano reports that this light fits and is quite bright but very cold color -

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09124ZH1R?starsLeft=1&ref_=cm_sw_r_cso_cp_apin_dp_7X904BYZPWSAX9T8G8XB&fbclid=IwAR3xnnNjnRmWv2m9zVdcTyLSXUJn-CuYiLdhh6bmi4phpHS5AdW1kWKZ_uE

[82DMC12]

I've been planning a 4-day road trip in my DeLorean for next month so I've been focusing on making sure I'm ready and reliable for all situations on the road. One thing I've been thinking about doing for a while is getting tint installed on the windows. We all know the DeLorean can get pretty hot inside and the air conditioning, while adequate, isn't as efficient as a modern car. Anything you can do to help out the AC is a good idea. I met with a tint installer last month who runs a one-man-show business just a couple miles from my house. I got great vibes from him in person while going over the car and felt like he is a perfectionist just like I am. We agreed to install 50% strength ceramic tint on all the windows except the rear window. This is because when looking over your shoulder for a lane change, you would be looking through two tinted windows instead of just one. The ceramic tint blocks 99% of UV and over 85% of IR , both protecting the interior from sun damage and greatly reducing cabin temps.

Prior to the install appointment I removed the rear view mirror, the upper door panels, the toll booth windows (so it would be easier to get the film on perfectly), and the door headliners (so he wouldn't get soapy water on them). While he didn't ask me to do this, I did it to help ensure a quality install and he really appreciated the effort made when I dropped the car off.

Since getting the tint on, I have noticed massively reduced interior temperatures especially when the car is left outside in the parking lot at work, and the A/C is now usually only on fan speed 1 or 2 when it used to be on 3 or 4. The subtle darkening of the windows looks really nice but isn't so dark that it's hard to see through. In short, I have should have done this years ago!

The cost was $450 installed.

I have not yet installed the rear view mirror yet - I have a new adhesive pad for it but I haven't decided if i should adhere it to the tint, or if I should have him cut out a square for the pad. I am going to stop by on Friday and see what he thinks.

70495

Right after driving home from the tint shop. You can see the 50% tint is not that strong which is what I was going for. I was really only looking for UV and IR protection. I don't really like dark tint - my brother's car has dark tint all around and it's actually hard to see at night.



70496

The installer recommended parking the car outside under the sun while at work the next couple of days to help get the adhesive to cure and burn off the residual moisture from the soapy solution used to move the film into place. I also bought a Damp-Rid bucket at Lowes and left it on the passenger floor to help remove the humidity from the curing process.



70497

Good illustration of what 50% tint looks like on the glass. We tinted the windshield, doors, and rear quarter glass.

[Helirich]

I didn?t realize you could glue the mirror on tint. My tinder had to go around mine.

[82DMC12]

I didn?t realize you could glue the mirror on tint. My tinder had to go around mine.

Well that's what I'm saying. I am going to see what he thinks about it, he might decide to cut a square out of the film where the pad is so I can stick directly to the windshield again. I would prefer this so that I don't have issues damaging the film if I have to remove the rear view mirror for some reason later, but I don't want to be responsible for cutting the square out considering there's a lifetime warranty on the film.

[SupercoolBill]

Looks so awesome man!

Sent from my SM-F946U1 using Tapatalk

[Timeless]

All my cars have ceramic film and it truly is a blessing especially in S.FL. I am most likely going to add another layer to the rear glass as it's too light for night driving. Most cars headlights pour tons of annoying light into the mirror when they're driving behind me.

[82DMC12]

All my cars have ceramic film and it truly is a blessing especially in S.FL. I am most likely going to add another layer to the rear glass as it's too light for night driving. Most cars headlights pour tons of annoying light into the mirror when they're driving behind me.Yep that's a thing. Guess I don't drive at night much but when I do I dim the mirror and angle the side mirrors out!

Sent from my Pixel 6a using Tapatalk

[82DMC12]

Today I went back to the tint shop to talk to the owner and see what he thinks about the rear view mirror attachment. He immediately offered to cut a hole in the film for the mirror to attach to the embedded windshield pad. A few minutes later, some alcohol cleaner, and a new sticky tape, and I'm 100% back together again. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20240417/c4a3d71536aa6a8bfb31986bf0046f5b.jpg

Sent from my Pixel 6a using Tapatalk

[82DMC12]

This last weekend I took the car out for a spin after it sat for a week while I was on vacation. All seemed fine... until I pulled into my garage, got out, and found coolant dripping down the belt-side of the engine onto the floor! A quick investigation revealed a valley full of coolant and overflowing. I knew it must be either a hose behind the water pump or the water pump backplate. All of which I just R&R'd a few weeks ago.

That evening I had it all torn down and, with the intake manifold removed, I could see coolant dripping out of the pump back seal into the casting void. Damn! I pulled the pump off the car and set it in a vise and checked the five M7 allen screws that hold the pump back on. All were about 9 ft lb tight. On disassembly of the back it was easy to remove the back from the paper gasket which was still adhered to the pump itself with hylomar AF (I only put hylomar on one side). Since the pump itself was new, and the gasket was new, I couldn't believe coolant would leak through the hylomar so I assume it was leaking through the dry paper side. The gasket was still in good shape so I laid a thin bead of gray Right Stuff 90 minute gasket masker, set the back on again, and this time torqued to 11 ft lb. After a couple hours (which I spent the time cleaning up spilled coolant, etc.) I refit the pump and reinstalled the top end of the engine. Pressure tested overnight before refilling.

No more leaks! Very strange that I have put at least a couple hundred miles on the car since changing the water pump with no issue until suddenly it "let loose". I'm going to say the lesson learned is I should have put some sealant on both sides of the gasket and I think 9 ft lbs was a bit loose.

[82DMC12]

While I had the intake manifold off, I got into a side project that I've had simmering for a while. It's known that DMC obtained the PRV engine (B28F) from Renault. In order to meet USA emissions regulations, a number of changes were made including adding a catalytic converter, licensing the Lambda system from Volvo, and, at the last minute, swapping out the distributor for a more "eco-friendly" model.

On opening our DMC distributors, you'll find a mechanical weight set marked "623" which has two weights, one of which as a spring attached to it. This mechanical advance set doesn't provide any mechanical advance until 1500 RPM, no increase until 2500 RPM, and then a steady amount more up to 3500 RPM.

In Euro-spec B28's , a different distributor is used which has a different weight set inside, providing much more spark advance at a lower RPM (already 20 degrees of advance at 1500 RPM). The result, supposedly, would be a bit more power at lower RPM's at the expense of fuel mileage.

I was curious about what it would be like to "de-federalize" my car so I have already installed DPI Spec exhaust (with high flow cats), installed free flow air intake, and now converted my distributor to Euro specification.

The hardest part was finding a European distributor, which I was able to get through another DeLorean owner who already did the conversion. Once I had the weight set, the next challenge was dismantling my DMC distributor and swapping over the shaft with "229" weight set. This is done by removing the vacuum advance system from the distributor, tapping out a pin that holds the drive gear to the end of the shaft, and then tapping the shaft out of the housing. There are a number of metal washers and shims as well as two fiber or composite shims. The composite shims are NLA so if you need a new one, you'll need to buy a donor distributor to harvest parts from.

The shims are also rare but I was able get quite a few of them from a Bosch distributor repair shop in Arizona. There are four sizes of shims - about 0.09mm, 0.17mm, 0.30mm and 0.40mm. The shim(s) go between the drive gear and the first composite washer. The idea is you need to shim the drive shaft so that the shaft turns freely without drag or being too loose. I ended up mixing and matching a couple of shims in order to get a gap of .008". I put the vacuum advance back in and re-gapped the reluctor to factory spec.

Once reassembled I put the distributor back in and timed the engine to 10 deg BTDC which is what 1980-1982 European market B28's were timed to. DMC specifies 13 deg in the shop manual.

First thing I've noticed is the idle actually sounds smoother. There isn't as much gentle wobble in engine idle sound. There is still a bit of that characteristic unevenness but it sounds less noticeable. On the street, my "seat-o-pants-o-meter" does seem to feel a bit more pep in lower RPM's. So far I have found no downsides to the conversion so I think I'll run with it for a while and see if I still like it. I'll check my spark plugs after a few hundred miles and make sure I'm not sooting or anything else unexpected.

70500

DMC distributor with single spring and smaller weights

70501

European market mechanical advance with heavier weights and dual springs


70502

Both shafts with weights attached next to each other on the bench. Identical length and other characteristics.


70503

Shimmed and gap set to .008". I found I was not able to simply reuse the DMC shims, I had to obtain some thinner Bosch shims because the drive gear was a hair away from lining up with the pin hole. If I forced the pin inside, the shaft was too tight to turn freely. That would have destroyed the fiber washers in short order.

70504
Timing spec of 10 deg BTDC for european PRV's without USA emissions controls

70505

Very different advance curves! Euro distributor on top, DMC distributor below. As you can see the Euro will provide a lot more advance at a much lower RPM, steadily climbing until leveling off.

[SupercoolBill]

I went down this rabbit hole a bit when I was rebuilding my dizzy but I decided to keep it stock for now. That way I can have a good comparison (like you did) of stock vs. EU spec.

Sent from my SM-F946U1 using Tapatalk

[82DMC12]

Not a lot to report these days - it's been an interesting spring in Kansas City with a few fantastic days bookended by rain and storms. The weather has dashed some hopes of car shows on the weekends but there is a really good cars and coffee coming up tomorrow that I will definitely be going to!

What's new?

First of all, I can confirm that the efforts to switch to the Euro distributor are probably not worth the time and expense. There might be a slight advantage in power but it's not noticeable enough and I am still waffling back and forth between 87 and 91 octane trying to see if pinging is an issue with the increased advance. There is a noise I am trying to track down at full throttle that is only present while driving and in gear that sounds kind of like a bathtub drain. I hear this especially in 2nd gear and 3rd gear at around 2500 RPM and then giving full throttle. It could be something rattling inside the exhaust , but it also sort of sounds like pinging but I don't have enough experience to be sure. It does NOT make this noise when parked and transmission in neutral.

Second, I bought a small 3 oz grease gun and some Lucas Red 'N Tacky 3 oz cartridges so I could grease my upper and lower ball joints. I have Amsteer UK joints with zerks on them and I thought it would be good to see if I can get more grease in them. To my surprise, both were pretty low, especially the lower ball joints. They certainly have not been leaking, but they don't have much from the factory. I filled them up until a little leaked out and then wiped them off. Glad I got the gun, and glad I got more grease inside.

I'm also getting ready for a multi-day road trip in the DeLorean where I will be driving about 8 hours to Kentucky for a weekend with other owners. So, I gave the car a little safety inspection last weekend and found most of my fuel tank cover plate bolts were a little loose. I snugged them all up, and if I find they are loose again, I will probably just put star washers under them for the future.

I will bring some tools with me so I wanted to get a soft zippered tool bag. Harbor Freight had exactly the right thing - a 15 inch long bag with heavy zipper for only $6.99!

https://www.harborfreight.com/tool-storage-organization/tool-boxes-bags-belts/tool-bags/15-in-tool-bag-with-14-pockets-61469.html

I also pulled out my Colgan Custom bra which I have not taken out of the storage bag in at least a decade. I was glad to see there was no mildew on it. I've had it fit to the front of the car for the last week and I'm debating driving to KY with it on. It would certainly help keep the bug guts off the car!

Lastly, I modified a Land Rover steering wheel puller to work with the DeLorean steering wheel. I don't need to take the wheel off for any reason right now but I don't really like the air chisel process. I had to grind down the top left corner so it wouldn't hit the inside of the non-symmetrical DeLorean wheel. I tested it and it works great.

70586

70587

70588

[82DMC12]

Last week I embarked on the longest road trip I have taken with my DeLorean since at least 2006 (DCS Pheasant Run). I made a round trip of over 1,500 miles from Kansas City to Kentucky Bourbon Country for an owner event visiting the National Corvette Museum, Maker's Mark Distillery and others, Mammoth Cave National Park, and other local hot spots and restaurants. We had a great gang of about 12 cars plus some owners without their DeLoreans present.

My car performed beautifully, and comfortably, with only two issues popping up -



Wiper arm problem - I hit heavy rain in Missouri for a few minutes and as the rain tapered off my wipers started to chatter really badly on the windshield. In fact they chattered enough where they loosened the nut that holds the arm on for the driver side so the arm was loose on the motor stud. I solved this at a hardware store by replacing my relatively new Bosch beam wipers with basic Trico blades (don't think the beams put the right pressure on the window), adding Rain-X to the glass, and installing a new M8 nut with a star washer attached to it. That solved that, and I got to test it the next day in more driving rain.
Minor Air Conditioning problem - on an overcast day in rain (humid, so needed the AC on but low outside ambient temp) my A/C would gradually have less air volume for a given fan speed. I assumed I was experiencing evaporator frost-up. When I parked at the destination, sure enough my accumulator had frost on it. On the drive back home (9 hours) even though it was hot out I had to turn the mode switch to Vent for about 10 minutes every two hours to defrost the evaporator and get my air speed back up. High ambient temp on the way home did not allow the accumulator to frost but you could tell it was frosting inside the HVAC box.

When I got home I put gauges on it and found my charge and operating pressures to be correct but the low pressure switch wasn't cutting out until about 15 PSI. Of course that would cause the compressor to cycle less often, if at all, given certain ambient temps and steady engine speed.

I have it adjusted now to 20 PSI which, so far, is working great and still giving 38F vent temps. I would have to take a long road trip to really test it again though.


It was great to get so much drive time in a variety of challenging conditions and see that my car is up to the demands of a long trip. My engine temp held steady, only going up a needle width in stop and go interstate traffic in St. Louis under 90 degree sunlight. No rain intrusion into the car, and no issues with any other systems.

[82DMC12]

70605

70606

70607

70608

70609

70610

[82DMC12]

I've been traveling a lot lately for work so I haven't had much time to even drive the DeLorean, so I decided it was time to show the daily driver some love. I have a 2019 Q5 which just rolled over 60K miles. Up until now I've had the dealership do all the service and maintenance on it. I have always believed that while a car is under warranty, the dealer should be responsible for everything - this has played in my favor regarding out-of-warranty work and a better deal when trading in. Anyway, it was time for an oil change, air filter, cabin air filter, rear wiper, brake fluid flush, and brake pads all around.

Fortunately my Motive power bleeder works for both Audi and DeLorean using the same master cylinder adapter! Very cool! I changed the brake pads but not the discs because the big vented discs were still good and straight and the pads had not damaged the surface yet.

Then, I had also been tracking how my tires are wearing down early. At 30K I replaced the original tires with Continental Control Contact Sport SRS+ tires at Discount Tire. They were supposed to have a 50K tread warranty. By 60K, after only 30K of use and regular rotations, they were just about toast. I went in to Discount Tire to see how the warranty process works and what they can do to help me out. Based on time and mileage they gave me a $380 credit towards new tires. Nice! I ended up getting the Michelin CrossClimate2 tires instead which have a 60K warranty. 30 minutes later I was out the door with new tires installed.

After that, it was time for a detail. I gave it a good wash, clay bar treatment, and then strapped on my Griot's G9 random orbital with One Step Sealant followed by a good coating of Collinite 845 Insulator Wax. I park outside most of the time now (garage is full of DeLorean and kid's toys) so I take paint protection seriously. It's always a lot of work but damn it looks good for a few days!

70642

[82DMC12]

OK, back to DeLorean stuff.

This weekend I swapped out my side marker LED's for a different set from superbrightLED. The marker lights I had were OK but not too bright. The new ones came from the LED Compatibility List posted on the Tennessee DeLorean Club's website.

https://tn-dmc.com/downloads

I smeared the bulbs contact surfaces with dielectric grease before installation and sealed the bulb holder to the back of the lens using clear silicone. I had already replaced the sockets and wiring a couple years ago so they were in great, clean shape. I also went around all the other lights and gave them a dielectric grease treatment too.

The difference is clear:

70643

70644

[SupercoolBill]

I've been traveling a lot lately for work so I haven't had much time to even drive the DeLorean, so I decided it was time to show the daily driver some love. I have a 2019 Q5 which just rolled over 60K miles. Up until now I've had the dealership do all the service and maintenance on it. I have always believed that while a car is under warranty, the dealer should be responsible for everything - this has played in my favor regarding out-of-warranty work and a better deal when trading in. Anyway, it was time for an oil change, air filter, cabin air filter, rear wiper, brake fluid flush, and brake pads all around.

Fortunately my Motive power bleeder works for both Audi and DeLorean using the same master cylinder adapter! Very cool! I changed the brake pads but not the discs because the big vented discs were still good and straight and the pads had not damaged the surface yet.

Then, I had also been tracking how my tires are wearing down early. At 30K I replaced the original tires with Continental Control Contact Sport SRS+ tires at Discount Tire. They were supposed to have a 50K tread warranty. By 60K, after only 30K of use and regular rotations, they were just about toast. I went in to Discount Tire to see how the warranty process works and what they can do to help me out. Based on time and mileage they gave me a $380 credit towards new tires. Nice! I ended up getting the Michelin CrossClimate2 tires instead which have a 60K warranty. 30 minutes later I was out the door with new tires installed.

After that, it was time for a detail. I gave it a good wash, clay bar treatment, and then strapped on my Griot's G9 random orbital with One Step Sealant followed by a good coating of Collinite 845 Insulator Wax. I park outside most of the time now (garage is full of DeLorean and kid's toys) so I take paint protection seriously. It's always a lot of work but damn it looks good for a few days!

70642Nice.
The simarilties between us are funny. Our grocery getter is a 2018 VW Tiguan. Aka "I could quite afford an Audi." Lol. It's is the SEL model so that's something.
80k on it. Did pad and rotors last year. We just spent the weekend in Newport RI and that place is overrun with European suvs for some reason. As a joke I started saying "Tiguan" everytime I saw one. We never went more than 10 mins without seeing one.
I was going to post a picture of it but after scrolling through thousands of pictures I gave up.

Sent from my SM-F946U1 using Tapatalk

[SupercoolBill]

I've been traveling a lot lately for work so I haven't had much time to even drive the DeLorean, so I decided it was time to show the daily driver some love. I have a 2019 Q5 which just rolled over 60K miles. Up until now I've had the dealership do all the service and maintenance on it. I have always believed that while a car is under warranty, the dealer should be responsible for everything - this has played in my favor regarding out-of-warranty work and a better deal when trading in. Anyway, it was time for an oil change, air filter, cabin air filter, rear wiper, brake fluid flush, and brake pads all around.

Fortunately my Motive power bleeder works for both Audi and DeLorean using the same master cylinder adapter! Very cool! I changed the brake pads but not the discs because the big vented discs were still good and straight and the pads had not damaged the surface yet.

Then, I had also been tracking how my tires are wearing down early. At 30K I replaced the original tires with Continental Control Contact Sport SRS+ tires at Discount Tire. They were supposed to have a 50K tread warranty. By 60K, after only 30K of use and regular rotations, they were just about toast. I went in to Discount Tire to see how the warranty process works and what they can do to help me out. Based on time and mileage they gave me a $380 credit towards new tires. Nice! I ended up getting the Michelin CrossClimate2 tires instead which have a 60K warranty. 30 minutes later I was out the door with new tires installed.

After that, it was time for a detail. I gave it a good wash, clay bar treatment, and then strapped on my Griot's G9 random orbital with One Step Sealant followed by a good coating of Collinite 845 Insulator Wax. I park outside most of the time now (garage is full of DeLorean and kid's toys) so I take paint protection seriously. It's always a lot of work but damn it looks good for a few days!

70642Took a picture of the Guana. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20240604/3e073b584fb9a7100b32934cd10f15c9.jpg

Sent from my SM-F946U1 using Tapatalk

[82DMC12]

It's been a great summer with some awesome Cars and Coffee events in Bonner Springs KS and Overland Park KS. I drive the D a couple times a week, usually once a week to work and then to a C&C on the weekend. Everything has been great with one small exception.

I was at C&C two weeks ago and everything was business as usual until I tried to start the car to head home. The car had been sitting for about 2 hours in 70F outside temp. I turned the key and the starter just cranked and cranked with no fire. I stopped, then tried again, longer this time. No dice. Tach is jumping with the engine revs. I opened the engine cover to see if anything on the ignition resistor could be loose but aside from that, I had zero tools with me and I was not able to even remove the air cleaner cover to check the air plate for fuel resistance.

I went back to the steering column and cranked some more and after what felt like 10 seconds, finally it sputtered to life. Of course everyone is looking at me. I drove home, thinking about what it could be and decided it must be either classic hot start issue or RPM relay issue.

Once at the house I parked in the garage, turned off the car, and then restarted it. No issue. Now I let it cool down for a couple hours before putting a fuel pressure gauge on the car and finding that my rest pressure, immediately on shut down, drops to 1.5 bar and pretty quickly goes down to under 1 bar (less than 5 minutes). So, definitely a fuel return / hot start problem. To diagnose the source, first I checked the rear hose on the fuel accumulator for leakage while the fuel pump is running. I ran a hose from the accumulator nipple into a bucket and jumped the RPM relay. After an initial sputter, the hose remained dry. So, I knew it was not the accumulator.

I then removed the PPR from the fuel distributor and found the o-ring on the tip of the PPR was cracked. It was also a little loose on the tip, and the bigger o-ring on the nut side was also loose, as if they have swelled a bit. Both of these o-rings were green in color and I replaced them with parts from DeLoreanGo three or four years ago. Despite what the website says, I suspect they are not actually fuel-resistant , or at least don't work with ethanol, so I ordered proper viton o-rings from Grady instead. They worked fine for about three years until suddenly they did not.

Installed the new Grady o-rings this morning and re-tested fuel pressure. Now resting at 3 bar and after one hour only dropping to 2.5 bar. I believe my issue is resolved.

70787

PPR rest pressure o-ring is cracked, and it also has swollen and fits a little loose



70788

New o-rings installed this morning, brown is pretty reliably identified as Viton



70789

Rest pressure holding at a good place one hour later.

[82DMC12]

Thinking about my lack of tools at the show, I stopped by trusty Harbor Freight and bought $65 worth of basic hand tools to keep in a small tool bag in the trunk. I'll also throw in some copper washers, electrical connectors and wire, and belts so that I have enough to at least make a diagnosis on the side of the road. Fuses and spare relays are already in the glove box. Of course I also have a new spare tire and new modern scissor jack.

70792

[82DMC12]

It's been quite a year for my car and now it seems like winter has set in and I won't have many days to drive until spring. Thankfully in Kansas City we could have a nice day any week of the year, and when it snows, it doesn't stick very long.

I will be giving my chassis a good scrub before winter storage from now on. It just makes me feel good that it's clean as a whistle underneath and it makes working on the car so much more enjoyable when there isn't a layer of grime.

I went to my favorite local detail shop and picked up a medium-bristle brush and some orange degreaser, which I then diluted 50/50 in a spray bottle. I jacked up the car outside in the driveway and removed the wheels for a good scrub, and then sprayed the cleaner everywhere I could see it. This soaked in while I worked on the wheels. Then I hit everything I could reached with the brush followed by a rinse and wipe down with a microfiber. This took about 90 minutes and results were totally worth it. I didn't get the center of the frame but I can always wipe that down next time I'm underneath with a creeper.

71090

71091

71092

[82DMC12]

I turned attention to my lighting a couple weeks ago after having to drive home in the rain at night. I knew my Hella headlights housings needed to be cleaned out (some dust inside) but didn't get around to it until now. This was pretty simple, I removed the housings and bulbs, poured an ounce of rubbing alcohol inside, and swished it around a bit, then dumped it out and blew out with compressed air to get as much of the alcohol out as possible, then let it dry overnight before re-installing. It made a big difference in the appearance of the glass, no more cloudiness. However I haven't had a chance to drive at night with them since then. I think I may need to make some aiming adjustments too.

71093

[82DMC12]

I noticed I had a dead light bulb in the A/C panel so I ordered LED bulbs from SuperbrightLED, thinking I might as well switch them all out. I like how the panel turned out and everything is bright enough however the four bright "dots" in the panel from the LED's is annoying. I think I can fix this easily by cutting a circle of foil and using a drop of glue to fill the front of the fascia so the light reflects backwards and not through the foil. I will try this out this week and report back. I definitely like how much cooler the panel is with LED versus incandescent. Really anything you can do to reduce electrical load with these cars is a smart move.

I got the bulb list from the famous LED compatibility guide found here, written by Jesse Baker - https://tn-dmc.com/

71094 71095

[82DMC12]

My newest car update is not that exciting but once again is an electrical improvement.

My battery was run down to 8 volts after working on the lighting and the car sitting for a couple of weeks. I have a Viking trickle charger that works well if the battery drops to about 9V but below that it seems to give up and it reports back that the battery is defective or too low to charge. So, if that happens, I have a Die Hard 2A / 10A / 50A charger that usually does the trick but for some reason I was having hard time getting it to stay running because the clamps aren't that great on it and so much of the engine and frame is painted. I always use the +12V jump start post for the red clamp but the ground side was being problematic. I bought a couple of battery cable accessories at Autozone. One of the cables went from the ground point on the passenger side rear frame rail to the top rear fascia mount bolt. That helps make that bolt a solid ground for use with chargers or using my dwell meter to check CO. The other update I did is I added a quick connect for my trickle charger that connects to the jump start post and the same frame rail ground. Works perfectly! And no more clamps.

71096 71097

[82DMC12]

It was a nice Kansas City December day here so I drove the D to work. I had the heater on, which was different for me since I usually drive with Vent set to hot if I need heat. But for some reason I felt like running the heater. The cabin warmed up but it occurred to me that I didn't really feel much hot air down by my feet. When I got to the office parking lot I got out and found that I did have heat coming out of the heater vent but it was partly obstructed by the carpet corner and the main harness. But also I noticed a cool breeze blowing around in the area coming from behind the heater box.

I consulted with Rob Grady (PJ Grady, of course) and he said there is a panel of foam on the back of the HVAC box that goes around the heater core pipes that frequently lets loose from the plastic box. Sure enough, I got home and found the foam to be loose on the driver side and a major air leak coming out the back. I followed his advice and glued the foam back in place with Weldwood on a brush. I also relocated the main harness just enough to get out of the way, and glued the carpet back down with the same Weldwood. Totally fixed the air leak and improved my air flow.

Interestingly there were also three small holes drilled into the side of my HVAC box. Rob said they aren't supposed to be there, who knows where they came from. Air was leaking out of those holes too! I covered them with foil tape and now there aren't any leaks remaining. Nice little job of the day!

71109

Cell phone picture of the loose foam on the back of the HVAC box, between the box and the firewall. It's not easy to reach but I was able to dip the Weldwood brush and get it back there just neatly enough to whisk it all over, wait 10 minutes to flash, then pressed it all together again. Perfect.

71110


Picture of the heater vent no longer blocked by carpet and harness.

71111
The mystery holes drilled into the side of the HVAC box. I covered these with foil tape.

[82DMC12]

Here's a quick product review.

I bought the new reproduction escutcheons from DMCH. I needed these badly since my driver side was badly warped and would not snap down where the mirror switch is. In fact my escutcheons were replaced probably around 2003 with what I believe to be the first version of a reproduction part. They looked pretty good, with the right finish and color but they are pretty fragile. They eventually became the worst part of my interior, by far.

The new escutcheons come with a very nice, comprehensive installation guide and there is a DMCH Knowledge base article that goes into some trimming and modifications that might be necessary for early cars on the arm rest bracket. My car Jan 82 so no adjustments necessary so I can't comment on the additional parts included for those cars.

In my case, it was a simple installation following the guide that recommends the order in which you snap the part in, front , middle, and back. The part fits MUCH better than my old escutcheons did and is more durable plastic. My only complaint is the color and finish is more like the mirror switch and not so much like the A/C vent. The mirror switch is matte and has a bit of a texture to it, while the A/C vent is shiny black. It would be nicer if the escutcheon matched the A/C vent. But, I can't complain about the fit, support, and price. The color/texture difference is a subtle issue but I can live with it.

In short, if your current parts are crap, I would recommend these. Now if only we could get some good repro A/C vents that matched the escutcheon we would really be looking good!

71112

[SupercoolBill]

What do you mean by this?
"I had the heater on, which was different for me since I usually drive with Vent set to hot if I need heat."
I have never had my car on the road so I don't understand what you mean by this.
Are you saying you turned the blower on but usually have the blower off with the heat valve open?

Sent from my SM-S928U using Tapatalk

[Helirich]

Are you saying you turned the blower on but usually have the blower off with the heat valve open?


That?s what I figure. I do this a lot. (Not that cold here)

My escutcheon on the pax side keeps breaking. Not sure what is wrong. I still have the original on my side. I?m on the third one on the pax. So your saying the new ones are better somehow?

[Timeless]

My new DMCH escutcheons are arriving today. Can't wait!

[82DMC12]

What do you mean by this?
"I had the heater on, which was different for me since I usually drive with Vent set to hot if I need heat."
I have never had my car on the road so I don't understand what you mean by this.
Are you saying you turned the blower on but usually have the blower off with the heat valve open?

Sent from my SM-S928U using Tapatalk

Since the HVAC is all manual control, you make it do things it's not really meant to do, but if you like it, who's to say no?

The mode switch routes vacuum power to different doors in the HVAC box which activates different vent openings. It also has three electrical connectors to pass power along to the fan switch and A/C compressor. In HEAT mode, air is only supposed to come out of the floor vents (well, 95% of it but some does go to defrost vents). So, you get your feet warmed up pretty quickly but it won't defrost quickly. So if you want defrost you need it set to DEFROST which routes air to the windshield, door vents, but not much at all to the floor. If you don't care about your feet but want your face and hands warmed up, you can choose VENT. BI-LEVEL is kind of interesting, it gives you some warm air to the floor vents but cooler conditioned air from the main vents (A/C compressor will be on).

So, it helps to know which mode does what. It's in the glovebox owner's manual.

I was just saying that when I want warm air because it's cold out I usually just use VENT and adjust the temp to a warm setting and adjust as needed. I'm not usually trying to heat my feet up because it's not THAT cold here.

[82DMC12]

That?s what I figure. I do this a lot. (Not that cold here)

My escutcheon on the pax side keeps breaking. Not sure what is wrong. I still have the original on my side. I?m on the third one on the pax. So your saying the new ones are better somehow?

Not sure which version of escutcheon you have. As far as I know there are four kinds now -

1) OEM original one (NLA)
2) A reproduction sold by Houston and others in the late 90's, early 2000's, also NLA
3) a DMC-EU reproduction that is said to not be very good
4) New DMCH reproduction that just started shipping last week. That's what I'm talking about. I had #2 for the last 20+ years.

The new one, #4, is much heavier duty than #2, probably heavier than any other version made. Also some of the lock tabs are two-stage so it can partially engage while you line up the rest of the escutcheon, then fully snap it down. The engagement edge of the lock tabs sticks out further now too. It's a good design. There's an optional bracket you can install under the arm rest to screw the escutcheon onto if you have a really jacked up arm rest too. I guess early cars have more problems.

Here are a few more pics.

71113

These are my old warped reproduction (#2) escutcheons. Glad to be rid of these, BUT the color and finish was closer to the A/C vents.


71114

Close up of the finish on the NEW #4 escutcheon


71115

As you can see, the new escutcheon is pretty much a dead-on match of the blank switch and the mirror switch.

[Helirich]

Thankyou, I guess I need to order one. Do you suppose I need to order two? Is it going to bug me if I don?t?

[82DMC12]

Thankyou, I guess I need to order one. Do you suppose I need to order two? Is it going to bug me if I don?t?Haha well just take note that the LH and RH are slightly different, so don't get two of the same side!

Sent from my Pixel 6a using Tapatalk

[82DMC12]

Last project of the year - upgraded my front brakes to LSDeLorean's Wilwood package. Josh Shattenkirk was very helpful along the way and answered all my questions with his own advice and experience as I considered which components to mix and match. There are a few other owners like Steve Bano and Jim Gravina who provided great reference and encouragement to do the swap. The nice thing about this upgrade is you can choose which parts to use for either a daily driver experience, an autocross experience, or something in between. I was mostly looking for a bit more solid stopping in emergencies and less fade when driving aggressively. I opted for the Wilwood 4-pot calipers and normal vented rotors.

Josh's kit comes with everything you need except for the calipers and rotors (so you can create your own package). He has part #'s and recommendations to ensure you get the right parts though. I bought my calipers from an ebay retailer and the rotors from Rock Auto. Pads came from yet another retailer. Once I had everything in hand, the package Josh sent me had everything else including a new style speedo adapter cup. All new hardware included too.

I had both front corners stripped to the spindles in less than an hour, and everything installed shortly after. I flushed and bled all four wheels with ATE200 Dot 4 fluid using my Motive Power Bleeder and then after a safety check, bedded in the pads on a quiet county road. After warming up the brakes I stopped the car repeatedly from 55 to 5 mph and it wasn't until about the 10th stop that I even started to smell any heat from the brakes. No fade at all, no lock-up, and now I have a lot more options for brake parts. Check it out!


71135

The Wilwood 4-piston calipers. Quality stuff, nothing else to explain here.


71136

Fully installed and bled. I added silicone dust caps to the bleed screws to keep them clean. You can also see the DPI Spec suspension I installed a couple years ago.
These brakes and upgraded suspension really make the DeLorean a comfortable, capable cruiser. It's just solid as hell.


71137 71138


I also picked up this 3/8" electric ratchet which I used for the project. Nice half price ebay find. Love this thing, it really saves the hands and makes quick work of projects like this.

[82DMC12]

OK so THIS is actually my LAST LAST project of the year. I replaced my shift linkage pivot bolt with a better, preferred part from PJ Grady. The stock bolt is a known trouble area, in fact it is the only reason my car has ever had to be towed, and this happened to me twice in 24 years. The first time, the bolt snapped off in the frame, the second time the bolt eventually unscrewed from the frame.

This new bolt is a lot better, it's harder metal for one so it's not as likely to snap off, but also it's the proper length so that you can you fully tighten it in the frame when using the included hardware. The stock bolt you can't do that, you have to get it "just so" tight so that's not binding the bellcrank. I grease the bolt and crank end pivots with 50/50 red grease and anti-seize, then installed the jam nut with blue loctite. The shifter feels so nice and I feel better knowing the bell crank is as reliable and trouble-free as possible now.

71139

Comparison of the two bolts. Grady on top and NOS on the bottom. You can see the shank is longer on the Grady bolt. This allows the bolt to be screwed completely into the frame until the shank is on the frame. The wave washer goes under the bell crank and creates tension without crushing the crank. The NOS bolt requires washers on the bottom to create the proper length, and the top threads will stick up above the frame. No wonder it's a bad design and prone to breakage and unscrewing itself.


71142

Greased and ready for installation.



71141
After installation and properly torqued with the jam nut installed on an external tooth washer for added vibration resistance.

[Helirich]

I like this bolt upgrade. I need to do this even though I haven?t had a problem. It just makes sense.

On the brakes, I did the vented discs awhile back and they seem to work great, but I can see those Wildwoods got to be better.

[82DMC12]

Speaking of linkage pivot bolts, sometime around 2001 I had my linkage go out and had the car towed to a shop for evaluation (I was quite the newbie back then!). They found the original (?) pivot bolt broke off in the frame and John Hervey reached out very quickly and sent the shop a new improved bolt to use. That bolt lasted until November 2021 when I once again lost my linkage, this time I had the car towed to my house and when I got under it I found the Hervey bolt had unscrewed from the frame but fortunately the threads were still good in the frame.

Here is a photo of the Hervey bolt compared to OEM. You see how the shank on the Hervey bolt (left) is the same length as the OEM bolt - too short. And also not enough threads to really add a good backup jam nut. Compare this to the above picture of the Grady bolt and you see, again, the difference.

71147

[82DMC12]

One of the last parts of my car that I haven't done much restoration work on is the roof box. In 2012 I had my T-panel off for a dent repair and inspected the roof box and it was in good shape, not worth doing anything to it aside from installing some bolts to help keep the box bonded to the underbody. Now 13 years later I decided it was time to revisit this, mainly because there is some flaky paint and surface rust visible by the hinges, and my T-panel rubs the passenger door sometimes when the door is up.

This week I took the T-panel off and found everything to be about the same as it was 13 years ago. I took the plate off over the connectors in the center and using a really cheap endoscope from Harbor Freight, it looks to be in great shape inside but I did order a new scope so I'll check it again later this week when it arrives and post photos. I will be spraying Waxoyl inside when I'm done.

The job now is to scrape, clean, and paint the roof box, as much as I can, with the doors still attached. To do this, I will be removing the torsion bars. I also removed the upper rear infill panels so I can install PJ Grady's lower ball strut mount reinforcement plates. Finally, I will install 1/4" rivets into the roof box as a permanent solution, better than the small bolts I installed last time around.

To help with the torsion bars, I built the classic wooden torsion bar brace as outlined in a 1986 DeLorean World magazine. I haven't used it yet but it should work exactly as intended.

71181

Current views of the roof box. It's not too bad overall. Just needs a good sanding and rust neutralizer, then can paint with POR15.



71182

More surface rust.



71183

Roof box is nice and snug against the underbody, but the rivets I will be installing will make sure it never comes apart.

[82DMC12]

Here are a couple pictures of the torsion bar jig.

71185

71184

[82DMC12]

Here is the test-fitting of the new lower ball stud reinforcement plate. It just needs to be riveted in.


71186

[82DMC12]

And, like every job I do, I discard and replace all hardware I touch or can easily get to. As you can see, this spline plate bolt has seen better days. That's what happens if you try to remove them without having a helper apply slightly more tension to the torsion bar, so that the bolt can come cleanly out of the hole in the plate. Thankfully the threads in the roof box are still good.

71187

[Timeless]

This week I took the T-panel off and found everything to be about the same as it was 13 years ago. I took the plate off over the connectors in the center and using a really cheap endoscope from Harbor Freight, it looks to be in great shape inside but I did order a new scope so I'll check it again later this week when it arrives and post photos. I will be spraying Waxoyl inside when I'm done.
After watching youtube videos about spray coatings I went with Surface Shield inside my roof box. It's rated very high and since it is inside the box not exposed to direct water it should hold up for years. Good call on POR-15 for box paint. If mine ever peels I'll certainly slap 2 coats of POR on it.

[82DMC12]

After watching youtube videos about spray coatings I went with Surface Shield inside my roof box. It's rated very high and since it is inside the box not exposed to direct water it should hold up for years. Good call on POR-15 for box paint. If mine ever peels I'll certainly slap 2 coats of POR on it.

Never looked into that, I see it's popular with the truck crowd and probably does about the same thing that the Waxoyl will. I have the 360 wand tip for the spray can and will attach that to a coat hanger or something similar so I can start in the front corners and pull the wand backwards, getting a complete coating. Let it dry for a couple days and then check it with the articulating scope and see if I missed anything.

I'm also planning to replace the door hinge hardware one piece at a time once the torsion bars are out. Pray for me that nothing shifts!

[Timeless]

Never looked into that, I see it's popular with the truck crowd and probably does about the same thing that the Waxoyl will. I have the 360 wand tip for the spray can and will attach that to a coat hanger or something similar so I can start in the front corners and pull the wand backwards, getting a complete coating. Let it dry for a couple days and then check it with the articulating scope and see if I missed anything.

I'm also planning to replace the door hinge hardware one piece at a time once the torsion bars are out. Pray for me that nothing shifts!
I used a wand as well. I want to replace my door hinge hardware as well but nervous about shifting as my doors shut well.

[82DMC12]

I used a wand as well. I want to replace my door hinge hardware as well but nervous about shifting as my doors shut well.

My doors are also pretty much perfect. I think if the gas strut and torsion bar are removed it should be OK to replace one bolt at a time, making sure to replace the split washer as well. I will report back once I do it, might be a couple weeks though because I'm out of town for work for a few days.

[82DMC12]

Last night I did a little more work on the roof box.



Replaced the hardware for the passenger side torsion bar spline plate. The bolts that came out were in better condition than the driver side, and the new hardware went in no problem so glad to see no stripped out rivnuts or other issues.
Determined that my driver side spline plate is slightly angled because the roof box has a bit of a bow or bulge behind it. I spoke with Rob Grady and he agreed it is common and can be shimmed away so it doesn't affect the torsion bar's geometry , particularly getting too close to the rear hinge, which I do have an issue with. Rob is sending me some shims for this.
I bought a new boroscope (Teslong TD500) and a good inspection of the inside of the roof box. It's overall pretty good, but there was some flaky rust in the driver side channel on the inside. I was able to scrape most of it out using my magnet on a telescoping rod. I also put a magnet inside the box and used compress air to make a shitstorm inside and get more metal dust on the magnet.



Here's a video of the roof box now after cleaning it out:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=378C0bsVyUE


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=378C0bsVyUE

[82DMC12]

Here is a picture of all the rusty junk I got out of the roof box, 99% of it was on the driver side.

71205

[82DMC12]

Here is a comparison of the passenger side spline plate (left photo) vs the driver side (right photo). You can see the passenger side is nice and flush, and perpendicular to the hinge. The driver side has a couple degree tilt and doesn't sit flush.

I should be able to at least stop it, if not partially resolve it, by using 1/4" rivets along the back side of the roof box (as well as along the top of the roof box) to secure it to the underbody. I expect to have use at least one shim to get it perpendicular again though.

71206 71207

[82DMC12]

Yesterday I started removing the old paint from the center section of the roof box. This is where the peeling paint and rusty spots are so I'm going to focus on this and probably not even bother stripping and repainting the rear part of the roof box. I bought some gel stripper at Lowe's and while it takes multiple applications and scraping between each application (before it dries), it's doing a good job with very little mess. Once the paint is stripped I'll sand it down and prep and paint with black POR15.

71212

[82DMC12]

Now that the roof box center is totally stripped, I decided to see if the same gel stripper will work on the door weatherstripping adhesive that has to be removed. I'm replacing the outer weather strip since I had to remove it to get the T-panel and infill panel out. Turns out the gel works amazingly well!

I put some into a tin pan, then brush it on with a cheap chip brush. About 10 minutes later, while it's still wet, you can then use a scraper to remove everything that has loosened up (the whole top layer of glue), then once you've scraped down to dry glue again, brush more gel on. Takes about three coats like this and I got all of it off with no mess like a wire wheel would have done.

Also, here are pictures of the pole jack I'm using to prop the door open while I work since the gas strut is removed. I actually dropped it off at a machine shop this morning to get the top screw part welded to the pipe (it's just loose which is a little dangerous), and to get a flat base added for the floor. You can adjust the height of the pole jack using a bolt and nut through various holes in the main part, and then make fine adjustments by turning the screw on top, which I capped off with a silicone cap to protect my carpet.

71219

Only about 30 minutes of work to get this nearly perfect.

71220 71221

[Timeless]

Nice! For those looking for something similar to prop doors open, I use a telescopic light bulb changing pole. Adjustable length and doesn't damage the door panel/carpet. One end on the sill panel area - one on the door panel carpet. Gel remover is a great idea. When I replaced my outer seals I used 3M adhesive remover and plastic razor blades. Worked well and got both sides done and clean in ~45 minutes.

[82DMC12]

Got a bit more done this weekend. My wife was able to help me unwind the torsion bars using the wooden brace I made. After removing both M8 bolts and the spline plate, with the door just past perpendicular to the roof, there remains about 60 degrees of twist in the bar. I marked the end of the bar and the spline plate with red paint pen so I know exactly how it was when I removed them. I do plan to loosen them at least one, possibly two teeth once I have everything back together because I am relying too much on the gas strut brake to avoid shock to the roof and hinges.

My driver side bar was slightly mushroomed on the end which made it difficult to get the spline plate off. The best way to fix this is to clean the plate and torsion bar end thoroughly to remove any dirt, then oil both sides with machine oil or cutting oil, and then gently tap it straight through the spline plate, repeatedly, until it slides through smoothly. That's exactly what I did, being very careful not to scratch or ding the bar as it slipped through the vise jaws. I did this by setting the spline plate on the vise, slowly lowered the bar into the plate from above, then once the bar stopped because of the friction / damage to the machining I set the allen socket into the bar head and tapped it through using a rubber mallet. Now I can slide the plate over the splines with just my hands, as it should be.

I also finished removing the paint from the middle section of the roof box on top and started to remove the paint from the inside section under the torsion bars where the paint has started to peel away.

I am not going to remove the upper door seals, but they are kind of in the way for painting the sides of the roof box so the current plan is only to repaint the top faces of the roofbox and just scuff and blend it into the sides. New bead of RTV on the edges where it touches the underbody to prevent water from getting underneath. I replaced the M8 nuts that go on the roof studs but don't really have access to the M8 screws going horizontal into the box for the hinges as long as the roof seal is on. I'll just leave them alone. I did replace the M10 bolts that hold the doors to the hinges one at a time with no trouble though. It should look pretty damn good when I'm done and no longer be a worrisome spot on the car.

7123271233




















71234

[82DMC12]

Not too much progress lately as I haven't had a lot of time for garage work, and it's been colder again this week which isn't great for paint stripping, prepping and paint. However I did install my rivets along the top of the roofbox, these are 1/4" x 3/4" structural rivets. I drilled out the old smaller rivets and enlarged the hole, then installed the new rivets with a bead of RTV under the head. I found that two of the small rivets were stupidly installed directly over the torsion bars, which might have been OK for the size but when I installed a 1/4" rivet it was now hanging deep enough where it could scratch the bar. So I drilled out that test rivet and then put a new hole 3/4" away from the torsion bar area, and then filled the old hole with 3M windshield urethane.

On further inspection of the rear, vertical side of the roof box (where the spline plates attach), I found there were already some pretty big rivets installed under a bead of RTV along the back. I decided not to try to drill these out and just leave them alone. They seem to be doing the trick, plus there is some risk of damage to the rear window while monkeying around back there.

I then installed my lower door strut reinforcement plates, which actually turned into a fiasco because I originally installed them backwards. I figured this out before the RTV behind them was able to cure so I wasted a lot of time having to drill them out, clean up, and reinstall again.

I am installing new rear upper infill panels and they are not already drilled out for the attachment rivets. Thinking it would be a fool's errand to try to match up the original body holes with newly drilled blind rivet holes in the infill panels, I decided to fill the old holes with windshield urethane so I can drill new holes a half inch off and it will go together and look a lot more clean.

We have a winter storm coming tomorrow so I don't expect to get much done this week but maybe this weekend I'll be able to finish the riveting and install the upper infill panels. Then all I have left is to finish stripping the roof box between the hinges, then paint the roof box inside and out.

71245
Here is a picture of the driver side reinforcement plate correctly installed with both M6 screws and 1/4" rivets

71246The hole for the old rivet was exactly over the space for the torsion bar, which would have probably scratched the bar. Can't use it.

71247New rivets installed with RTV under the heads. The old holes were then filled with windshield urethane.

[82DMC12]

By the way, turns out the cheap $5 cartridge dispenser from Lowe's doesn't work for dispensing windshield urethane. After a few squeezes it completely distorted the handle and ratchet mechanism. I ran out 10 minutes before they closed and bought the best gun they had, and that one worked a lot better. Of course the electric guns would be ideal for a big job but if you're just filling in body holes and rivet heads, this will do the trick.

71248 71249

[82DMC12]

Yesterday I finally had some time to finish cleaning up the driver side of the roof box, degrease it, sand it with 150 grit, brush some Metal Prep on it, and then, after drying thoroughly with a heat gun and blow gun, I applied three coats of gloss black POR15. I cut off the RTV that seals the edge of the roofbox to the body, and will lay a new bead when everything is done. I'll let this completely cure for a couple of days before doing the same on the passenger side since at the moment I only have screw jack to hold a door up.

71256 71257

[82DMC12]

It has been bitter cold for the last week, in single digits during the day so I haven't done anything in the garage since the last update. Now the pendulum swings and we will see 60F by Monday so I'm getting ready to hopefully finish all the painting this weekend.

I decided the gloss of the POR15 is too shiny for my liking, and it's recommended to topcoat POR15 anyway, so I will knock down the sheen with red scotchbrite and top coat with SEM Trim Black which should be about just the right look. Unfortunately my Trim Black is a spray can so I will have to spent 10 times the effort to mask off before spraying than it will actually take to paint anything. Oh well, the price of perfection, right?

Also, here is a picture of the rivet installer I used for the 1/4" structural rivets. This is the real deal, not some cheap Chinese junk.

71266

[SupercoolBill]

It has been bitter cold for the last week, in single digits during the day so I haven't done anything in the garage since the last update. Now the pendulum swings and we will see 60F by Monday so I'm getting ready to hopefully finish all the painting this weekend.

I decided the gloss of the POR15 is too shiny for my liking, and it's recommended to topcoat POR15 anyway, so I will knock down the sheen with red scotchbrite and top coat with SEM Trim Black which should be about just the right look. Unfortunately my Trim Black is a spray can so I will have to spent 10 times the effort to mask off before spraying than it will actually take to paint anything. Oh well, the price of perfection, right?

Also, here is a picture of the rivet installer I used for the 1/4" structural rivets. This is the real deal, not some cheap Chinese junk.

71266When I bought my shop they left behind a bunch of old tools. A lot of them went in the dump or got given away. I did happen to hold on to this bad boy. I'm glad I did now. It is kind of awkward to store in your toolbox though.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20250221/55a27189dc12d69705c6d20d648b6db4.jpg

Sent from my SM-S928U using Tapatalk

[82DMC12]

When I bought my shop they left behind a bunch of old tools. A lot of them went in the dump or got given away. I did happen to hold on to this bad boy. I'm glad I did now. It is kind of awkward to store in your toolbox though.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20250221/55a27189dc12d69705c6d20d648b6db4.jpg

Sent from my SM-S928U using TapatalkNice, that one looks to be a similar geared lever design. It should work perfectly for the bigguns!

Andy

Sent from my Pixel 6a using Tapatalk

[Timeless]

It has been bitter cold for the last week, in single digits during the day so I haven't done anything in the garage since the last update. Now the pendulum swings and we will see 60F by Monday so I'm getting ready to hopefully finish all the painting this weekend.

I decided the gloss of the POR15 is too shiny for my liking, and it's recommended to topcoat POR15 anyway, so I will knock down the sheen with red scotchbrite and top coat with SEM Trim Black which should be about just the right look. Unfortunately my Trim Black is a spray can so I will have to spent 10 times the effort to mask off before spraying than it will actually take to paint anything. Oh well, the price of perfection, right?

I used Wurth trim black satin for the top coat over the gloss black POR on my door strut braces - looks fantastic. I also use the aerosol POR-15 satin grey that works well.

[82DMC12]

I used Wurth trim black satin for the top coat over the gloss black POR on my door strut braces - looks fantastic. I also use the aerosol POR-15 satin grey that works well.

I would imagine SEM trim black satin will look the same. I also have the high build primer , I should probably use that first to help level out the rusty divots that I've covered with POR15.

[82DMC12]

Incredible 60F weather this week so I've made some good progress on the paint project. I got the passenger side of the roof box painted now and this morning I did the first coat (albeit a bit blind) of the inside of the roof box using Eastwood Internal Frame Rust Encapsulator paint. This paint comes with a clear flexible wand that has a brass multi-directional tip on it. When you have this connected to the spray can, the tip emits a 180 degree spray pattern so you can stick into an area like the roofbox with no access and spray away. I taped the wand to a metal rod which I also marked so I knew the rod was fully inside the roofbox. Then I put the tip into each corner of the roof box and slowly withdrew the rod while I sprayed the paint. I'll wait a couple days until the paint dries before I stick my scope into the roof box to make sure I didn't miss any spots. After about a week of drying I also plan to spray Waxoyl inside over the Eastwood paint. That should fully protect the box.

Also I found a small hole in the driver side front corner of the roof box. It appears this hole is where the metal is folded but not welded closed. The passenger side in the same spot is stuffed full of urethane from the factory, visible with my scope from the inside of the box. I still have a cartridge of windshield urethane half-used so I gave a couple squirts into the corner and smashed it in with a flux brush. That should take care of that.

Next up, I need to RTV the edges of the roof box to the body so that water can't get under the box. After that's done, I'll install the infill panels and then I should be able to put the torsion bars back on!

71272

[82DMC12]

I got quite a bit done yesterday, it was so nice outside I could work with the garage door open.


Installed the passenger side lower ball strut reinforcement plate, RTV on the back side and under the rivet heads for water proofing
Two coats of Eastwood frame paint blasted into the roof box
Ran a thick bead of black RTV silicone along the edge of the roof box under the torsion bars and around the hinges
Installed both infill panels with 3/16 black head rivets and coated with RTV under the infill panel around each hole, under the head of each rivet, and then one more tab on the top of the rivet where the mandrel breaks off
Touched up a couple spots on the top of the roof box with POR15


At this point I think I can re-install the torsion bars and door struts and finally have working doors again.

What's left?


Replace and epoxy in a couple of broken fir tree clips in the door headliners
Figure out some way to fix a cut in the upper door B-pillar vinyl (done over 25 years ago by previous owner at some point to replace a fir tree clip)
Spray Waxoyl into the roof box after the Eastwood has fully cured, maybe do that this weekend
Line up rear quarters to the doors once the torsion bars are installed
Install Rear outer door weather stripping (new)
Re-install T panel and hopefully get it to stop rubbing on the passenger door


71285

71286

[82DMC12]

This morning I ran my scope up into the roof box to make sure the Eastwood paint didn't miss any spots. The coverage appears excellent and I was able to confirm my windshield urethane I injected into the driver side front corner hole did in fact close up the space and bloomed into the interior of the box. I did see a spot near the wiring loom that needed additional paint so I ended up spraying the rest of the can into the rear half of the roof box. I takes a long time to dry so maybe I'll wait until next week to spray any Waxoyl inside.

I test fit the torsion bars so I could determine where I need spacers on the backside of the spline plate to 1) prevent mushrooming of the end of the bars (need to have the bars nearly flush to the outside of the plate), and 2) I knew the driver side plate needs to be offset slightly to help keep the bar from getting too close to the rear hinge.

I used two hardened 1/8" spacers (thanks Rob Grady) on the passenger side to line it up and only a single hardened standard M8 washer on the driver side which adjusts the bar geometry just enough to keep me away from the hinge.

I also marked the bars where the hinges are so I can add about an inch of heatshrink of the bars to further prevent scratching.

71293








Passenger side bar aligned with spline plate using thick spacers.











71294









Driver side plate with a single washer to bias the bar away from the hinge.










71295







Now the bar is a safe distance from the rear hinge.












71296









Marked the bar with paint pen where the hinge is so I can center the heat shrink later tonight.

[82DMC12]

Doors are now working again! Yesterday I got the torsion bars installed, after adding about 1.5" of heat shrink near the hinges, and adjusted. I started out with two splines weaker than the starting point, which I know was a touch tight to begin. Two splines was too weak, the door only coming up 80% (new gas struts). I tried again with one spline off starting point which worked very well. Later in the day I pulled the car out into the driveway so I could sweep up the garage and let it sit in the sun for a bit. No change in door performance so I am going to keep them where they are.

71299









Here is a torsion bar with some heat shrink tubing on it, this is installed right where the rear hinge is to give it extra protection from scratches. Shouldn't happen anyway now that I have spacers on the spline plates but now's the time to put the tubing on.











https://youtu.be/fe2RbOOzgE4

This video shows how the door works with 2 splines shy of the starting point.

[82DMC12]

https://youtu.be/Pydc2JQ-hdU

This video shows 1 spline shy, which is what I am sticking with.

[82DMC12]

https://youtu.be/dRv2tG3sn9M

Finally, here's a video showing what the inside of the roof box looks like with two coats of the Eastwood internal frame paint. At the end you see a section near the wiring harness that needs more paint, this was addressed shortly after but I haven't ran the scope inside yet, still waiting for it to dry 100%. Last time I got a paint on the tip of my scope.

[82DMC12]

71300

[82DMC12]

I'm always finding something good to work on. While I had the driver door headliner off I decided it was time to repair the upper B pillar trim which had been slit by the Dreaded Previous Owner or some such over 25 years ago while, I guess, replacing fir tree clips. I took the trim off and found there's enough material on the opposite side where I can slide the whole vinyl around 1/2 an inch and it would be no longer visible. Very easy and great results - nice afternoon project!

71301









Here's the B trim with two areas of damage visible. Extra stupid, whoever did this. Fortunately it's easy to fix.











71302






First thing I did was use a heat gun and a plastic body pry tool to gently soften the old adhesive and remove the vinyl from the trim piece. I replaced the fir tree clips and used Weldwood contact cement to glue the foam back down to the plastic backer. I then cleaned the vinyl really well with Griots Leather Care and a microfiber.







71303




Then I did a few test wraps of the vinyl to make sure I really do have enough material so that it doesn't create a new problem on the back side. Fortunately I had a good eighth inch to spare at the narrowest section where the middle fir tree is. I first secured that with the Weldwood and then worked my way down the sides and to the ends, gently stretching the vinyl as I went so there wouldn't be any ripples or waves in it.

There will be a gentle crease in the vinyl where it was originally folded sharply over the plastic but it's in the least visible area (next to the glass on the inside) and it will probably disappear in time.






https://youtube.com/shorts/TKYU_Z3Vh9U?feature=share

Here's the end results! Awesome!

[82DMC12]

Over the last week or so I've finished the roof box itself. My final job was to replace the original electrical connectors with Deutsch DT connectors. These are very nice modern connectors, they are weatherproof, make a better connection, and are smaller size than the original plugs. I bought a 4X 8-pin kit on Amazon with open barrel connectors which I used the same crimp tool I've used in the past for Weather Pack connectors. Unfortunately WeatherPack doesn't come in 8-pin cavities so I went the Deutsch for this project. It's a bit time-consuming to cut, strip, crimp about 60 connections, and I made it more work by hitting each connector with soldering iron before I was finished. Now I can be sure the connectors up there will be reliable and I shouldn't have to go up there again for a long time.

71335






Original, bulky non-weatherproof plugs









71336









Crimping new connectors onto the wires for the Deutsch DT plugs











71337







All tucked away!








71338






Hopefully won't have to go into the roof box again for a VERY long time.
I taped the cover down with butyl tape and also made sure to cover up the four unused screw holes in the box with it.

[Bitsyncmaster]

I love those connectors. If you get the them from a US vendor they are very expensive but come with machined pins. Machined pins take a different crimper which I have. I like them because they can use 16 AWG wire. Now I see the imported connectors also offer the machined pins.

[SupercoolBill]

I bought one of those kits.
I got worried about the composition of the electrical connections (are they tinned copper or just junk pot metal with a light zinc plate?) And the amperage rating of the connections. Do you know? I am always hesitatant to cut out larger, copper connections for smaller non-copper ones. But....on the other hand that's what everything in newer vehicles has gone to so I would think it would be more than adequate.

Sent from my SM-S928U using Tapatalk

[Bitsyncmaster]

Here is the data sheet on the Amphenol socket pin which looks like the same connector. Now the China versions, not sure if you can go by this data sheet. As you can see this pin is rated for 13 amps.

https://www.amphenol-sine.com/pdf/datasheet/AT62-201-16141.pdf

[Timeless]

Hey 3/8/25 - my birthday! FWIW I used Lexel to seal my roof box plate. Very good stuff. I love the Deutsch connector idea.

https://www.amazon.com/Sashco-13013-2-Sealants-Adhesive-5-Ounce/dp/B0012DIUYW/ref=sr_1_4?crid=1K6GL40J9LMUM&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.IWjtLSO7dP1B0wU7SI4mwjG28070b7flT wVIDCFD9zLqIGbmwV3lzNbni6-Sjp2GmjzyayychNxAMdDxkS80V7rpZabLJG-fmFt-vmpaC4Gi0_RhneTKqr337kOC-4S3fVmXCI3HvDfzTGGKnvejR8j01aYjwQFb2vgelyo3AY-UHLSsjBXto0FwfUs78cadDDGydireUng7H4KMe6apY7noxbjmw hvKKRljS4wS7h60oYuVwoyBTHtN7mnP5BK5s9ZpGFGLB1VKidS MTpi9c0czVviwqtxUvSmhLk_zi31NT8Ef24V0lxwMp7WuiZhAd 7jxDjAU3NFEKigC20MLkVXuYnjinLH6IUktNa6fbfUtvVSg1z7 p1NYMGAl65UZwivGBQjOUZR5hfHFKitVaLUjsnX7ZHGOwT5gL-CU9fqU.pIzZhuzOHfysYvO029jciNQ_XUTKHDOhfNBWvTB5_5k&dib_tag=se&keywords=lexall+sealant&qid=1741727842&sprefix=lexal%2Caps%2C157&sr=8-4

[82DMC12]

I bought one of those kits.
I got worried about the composition of the electrical connections (are they tinned copper or just junk pot metal with a light zinc plate?) And the amperage rating of the connections. Do you know? I am always hesitatant to cut out larger, copper connections for smaller non-copper ones. But....on the other hand that's what everything in newer vehicles has gone to so I would think it would be more than adequate.

Sent from my SM-S928U using Tapatalk

Here is the kit I bought.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09V7YHCZX?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1

They are genuine Deutsch male/female plugs and accessories and came with enough nickel-plated copper alloy pins to do all the included plugs. They crimped very nicely, only one time did I have to snip off a bad crimp and do it again. It's a lot easier when you use a stripper like this so it's the same every single time -

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CXKOEQ6?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title

The only part that sucked was trying to combine two wires onto one pin like the stock plugs do about three times. I should have joined them together upstream instead of punishing myself and struggling to get the pin to lock into the cavity with two wires fighting to get through the silicone end. I'm glad I spend the extra time to solder everything, it was all super solid when I was done.

[82DMC12]

Hey 3/8/25 - my birthday! FWIW I used Lexel to seal my roof box plate. Very good stuff. I love the Deutsch connector idea.

https://www.amazon.com/Sashco-13013-2-Sealants-Adhesive-5-Ounce/dp/B0012DIUYW/ref=sr_1_4?crid=1K6GL40J9LMUM&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.IWjtLSO7dP1B0wU7SI4mwjG28070b7flT wVIDCFD9zLqIGbmwV3lzNbni6-Sjp2GmjzyayychNxAMdDxkS80V7rpZabLJG-fmFt-vmpaC4Gi0_RhneTKqr337kOC-4S3fVmXCI3HvDfzTGGKnvejR8j01aYjwQFb2vgelyo3AY-UHLSsjBXto0FwfUs78cadDDGydireUng7H4KMe6apY7noxbjmw hvKKRljS4wS7h60oYuVwoyBTHtN7mnP5BK5s9ZpGFGLB1VKidS MTpi9c0czVviwqtxUvSmhLk_zi31NT8Ef24V0lxwMp7WuiZhAd 7jxDjAU3NFEKigC20MLkVXuYnjinLH6IUktNa6fbfUtvVSg1z7 p1NYMGAl65UZwivGBQjOUZR5hfHFKitVaLUjsnX7ZHGOwT5gL-CU9fqU.pIzZhuzOHfysYvO029jciNQ_XUTKHDOhfNBWvTB5_5k&dib_tag=se&keywords=lexall+sealant&qid=1741727842&sprefix=lexal%2Caps%2C157&sr=8-4

Nice! Happy Birthday!

I had used RTV last time I was in there and it was still sealed intact when I went back in this time around (about 15 years later). Those unused holes were annoying me and I realized I could just cover them with butyl tape and then press the cover into the tape and kill two birds with one stone rather than going out and buying more stuff. I think it will hold up. I mean hell, the factory only used black duct tape....

[82DMC12]

With the roof box finished, I was very eager to get the T-panel re-installed, not only to move towards wrapping up this project but also because I wanted to get my louvers reinstalled so I can stop worrying about my kids damaging them , standing up against a wall in my office at home!

Installing the T panel was not so straight forward, for two reasons - 1) I really wanted to make sure it was perfectly centered and leveled so that my passenger door wouldn't scrape it towards the front like it had been for a number of years, and 2) I found that after installing the rear infill panels, that they were contacting the hardware on the lower door strut mount reinforcement plates. I had already eliminated the washer from the M6 bolts but the infill panel still sits probably 2mm forward relative to the factory position. This of course means the T Panel is pushed forward creating issues with the rear inner corner of the doors hitting the panel and the center of panel tending to want to bow upwards.

Reviewing the options, there really isn't much I can do even if I removed the infill panels and reworked the hardware on the strut mount plates so I spent a long time adjusting the location and amount of additional foam on the bottom of the panel and securing the panel to the infill panels with stainless screws. After about three hours I got it aligned better than it ever was before however it does slightly contact the rear corners of the doors when the doors are fully open. Also I ended up using about a 4 inch long strip of industrial velcro on the outer sides midway in the roof to help keep the panel from sticking up slightly. I used 3M 90 spray adhesive to enhance the adhesion to the roof box and the underside of the T panel on the black isolator pad which I roughed up with one of these discs on a die grinder.

https://www.grainger.com/product/6RX76

I set a blanket and a half a bag of rock salt on the T-panel afterwards to keep the velcro together while the adhesive cured and it's sticking! It actually looks great. I was talking to Rob Grady about this and he mentioned that midway through production the factory uses a tube of RTV on every roof to try to keep it from sticking up, so I see this as a modern evolution :-)



71344

71345

71346

[Timeless]

I need to utilize some thicker foam strips for my T-panel as well. Time for a SS rear finisher sir! :evil3:
71347

[Bitsyncmaster]

The only part that sucked was trying to combine two wires onto one pin like the stock plugs do about three times. I should have joined them together upstream instead of punishing myself and struggling to get the pin to lock into the cavity with two wires fighting to get through the silicone end. I'm glad I spend the extra time to solder everything, it was all super solid when I was done.

I always make butt spices upstream to eliminate all two wires to one pin for open barrel crimps. My fuse block is done that way.

[82DMC12]

I always make butt spices upstream to eliminate all two wires to one pin for open barrel crimps. My fuse block is done that way.Smart, I even have some two into one heat shrink Marine butt splices. I'm never going to attempt to put two wires onto one terminal again.

Sent from my Pixel 6a using Tapatalk

[82DMC12]

Well I'm at it again. This time I have a few small projects taking place simultaneously. Why? Well it was finally time to wrap up the roof box project which means replacing the outer door weather strip. I bought new strip for the front of the door and the rear of the door since both were starting to get a bit cracked after 20 years. I easily removed the old adhesive with gel stripper but unfortunately got a bit carried away and accidently got some stripper on one of the side windshield trim pieces. Even though I wiped it off with a clean rag within 5 seconds, the damage was already done! It took the gloss off and turned it matte where the gel was. Damn! Well, I was debating on refinished the header and side strips again anyway because the header had a few small scratches and whatever on it that I was having trouble removing with polish. Now my decision was made for me. So I took them off and sent them to Eric Woltkamp's power coating business in Florida.

While I'm waiting for the paintwork, I kept busy with some other projects I was meaning to get to eventually -

First I decided to have David Hudgins re-cover my dash. I have had a single crack held together by the VIN plate ever since I bought the car in 2000 which is a bit unsightly but without any NOS dashes available, not really thrilled with the puffy work that Just Dashes produces, and no really good refinishing service until David started vacuum forming them, I put off doing anything with it. Now time is running out because David is moving away from Kansas City soon! So I pulled the dash out with little fuss and I'll drop that off tomorrow.

As if that wasn't enough for an evening, I also tore out all my old stereo power and ground supplies and fuse blocks which have been pretty ugly and getting questionable over the years. It also took up a lot of room. So I removed all of it and replaced it with a new single unit that uses mini-ANL fuses so it's all contained inside the box. I also made fresh main leads to the battery using 4 AWG Made in USA copper welding cable and copper terminals crimped with my hydraulic crimper.

Now tonight I did a bit of clean up by epoxying in some loose studs in the back of the knee pads and using some contact cement to re-adhere the vinyl on the sides and back of the pads in a couple places.

[82DMC12]

71421





Probably no need to get too detailed in dash board removal, but basically you have to remove all the knee pads including the edge pieces that the door light switches are in, remove the glovebox and bin, remove the binnacle, remove the center console, remove the dash speakers, and then remove three nuts on the left side the dash from underneath, three nuts on the right side, one nut just to the left of the glovebox hole behind the radio, and then there are two nuts centered in the dash. I was able to remove the one closest to the windshield with a ratcheting wrench. The one that's behind the radio, surprisingly, didn't have a nut on it. I saw no signs of the dash having been removed before so maybe the factory said F-it. LOL. Then you basically just slide the dash backwards towards the seats and help the studs clear the body. In my case it was best, once the dash was pulled back about a centimeter, to fully disengage the passenger side and pull the driver side out with it.










71422






My single annoying crack.

[82DMC12]

71423









Installing the new distribution block. I have four devices that need power. The Alpine head unit, my battery bay mounted EQ, my mains amp, and my sub amp. All get power and ground directly to the battery in an attempt to keep everything clean without noise. The fuses go between the positive lead block and the four outputs, but I don't have the right size fuses on hand so I'll install them when they arrive tomorrow.








71424





Mostly done with the installation but I won't plug the battery in as long as the dash is torn apart.

[82DMC12]

71425








These studs are always a problem. You can really minimize the damage to them by replacing the nuts with nylon wingnuts. I have a few wingnuts installed but not all of them. I ordered a bunch of M6 wingnuts from Amazon today so along with setting the loose ones in with epoxy, and using wingnuts where possible, hopefully I don't have anymore issues with studs spinning or coming out.

[Timeless]

It took the gloss off and turned it matte where the gel was. Damn! Well, I was debating on refinished the header and side strips again anyway because the header had a few small scratches and whatever on it that I was having trouble removing with polish. Now my decision was made for me. So I took them off and sent them to Eric Woltkamp's power coating business in Florida.
Powder coating the windshield trims is one of the best exterior aesthetic items I have done. I went with semi-glass/satin.
7142671427

[Helirich]

Powder coating the windshield trims is one of the best exterior aesthetic items I have done. I went with semi-glass/satin.
7142671427

Nice!

[82DMC12]

My windshield trim shipped back out today. I did receive these pictures before they boxed them up! Hell yeah!

71431

71432

[82DMC12]

Did some more clean up of the front wiring in the dash area yesterday. First of all I snipped off all the crappy uninsulated spade terminals for the door switches and replaced them with heat shrinked insulated terminals. Then my mini-ANL fuses for the stereo block arrived so I got those installed and tested the stereo. All good and booming! I also replaced my LOCK DOORS lamp with a used socket Rob Grady sold me, my old one was partially melted and no longer making a reliable connection.

I also spent quite some time using electronic cleaner to clean every plug connection there is including the fan motor, and applying dielectric grease to the pins. Lastly I used some multi-lube spray and red grease to lube up the hot/cold vent mix mechanicals and the wire that pulls on the mix door.


71433

71434

71435

[82DMC12]

Working on inspecting all of the parts I had to remove in order to get the dash out. I'm checking all the other knee bolsters/pads to make sure the studs are in good shape. I found a couple more bad ones in the piece that goes between the steering column and center console. This one required using clamps to hold the cracked bolster substrate together while the plastic weld cured overnight. Looks like a solid repair and shouldn't have any more trouble here. All the knee pads are ready to go back in now.

I also inspected the binnacle and cluster, though I had it out a couple years ago to install the new Stevie binnacle (fiberglass handmade unit). This time I noticed one of the copper traces was no longer stuck to the plastic and could actually short on another tracer next to it if the black plug doesn't go on straight. I used a tiny bit of contact cement applied with a toothpick to re-adhere the finger to the plastic backing. Bulletproof now!

Next I removed the speakers from my lower panel enclosures (bought them from Don Steger a long time ago). I don't have any real issue with the speakers, which are made by the now-defunct Ample Audio of Irvine, CA. They actually look to be a high quality coaxial speaker. However since I have new Kicker speakers in the dash, I'm thinking about replacing these with 5 1/4" Kicker coaxials so they are all voiced the same. The Ample Audio speakers say they are 5" speakers which is an extremely odd size so I'm hoping I can get 5.25" speakers in instead. I ordered a pair of Kicker KS-series speakers so we will find out soon enough.

71442

7144371444

[Timeless]

I also inspected the binnacle and cluster, though I had it out a couple years ago to install the new Stevie binnacle (fiberglass handmade unit). This time I noticed one of the copper traces was no longer stuck to the plastic and could actually short on another tracer next to it if the black plug doesn't go on straight. I used a tiny bit of contact cement applied with a toothpick to re-adhere the finger to the plastic backing. Bulletproof now!
I just did a cluster inspection last week since it appeared to not have not moved since installed at Dunmurry. Everything in the cluster was working fine but it was time for LED updates and cleaning. I found a copper section coming up at the main connector as seen here so I replaced the circuit board with DMC new unit. Works well.
71446

[82DMC12]

I just did a cluster inspection last week since it appeared to not have not moved since installed at Dunmurry. Everything in the cluster was working fine but it was time for LED updates and cleaning. I found a copper section coming up at the main connector as seen here so I replaced the circuit board with DMC new unit. Works well.
71446

Yes the new ones are a lot better than the original one. I replaced my circuit board once like 20 years ago, or longer, and I think even back then there was already an updated version. I've had no problems with it, but it's pretty fragile and can only take so much disturbance. Hopefully won't be touching it again for a very long time after this. I too replaced the bulbs with LED a couple years ago.

[82DMC12]

I got some good stuff done yesterday!

First of all I received a pair of Kicker KS 5.25" coaxial speakers which I was pleased to find fit perfectly into my Steger kick pods using the existing mounting backplate. I bought the optional grills for them so I put those on too. I got both pods swapped out in about an hour, only had to add a ring of adhesive foam insulation between the speaker and the grill ring for a totally secure fit.

Next, I received my windshield header and side trim pieces from the powder coat shop. The header turned out fantastic but I have decided to buy a set of NEW side trim pieces because my original ones were unfortunately a bit wavy/striped under the paint, but that was my fault from at least 20 years ago. I had my original trim pieces powder coated when I replaced the weather strip a long time ago and I stupidly used a wire wheel to remove the old paint. The wire wheel actually took away from aluminum so as I went up and down the trim piece it ran shallow stripes into it which were not that apparent with the old powder coat but now the new powder coat must have flowed differently or wasn't as thick and the stripes are visible if you are looking for them. I don't like it and I know it'll tick me off forever, so.... I bought a pair of NOS side trims and shipped them straight to the paint shop so they can strip them and paint them, hopefully looking perfect in the end.

All good though, I'm always working on something else and I'm still waiting on the dash which probably won't be done for another week anyway.

The header was a bit tough to install, there are five clips you have to get under the stainless windshield header strip in order to retain the header flat to the windshield. It took a couple hours to get this just right and only got it 100% after I removed the T panel AGAIN (man I'm getting good at this). While I had the T-panel off I had second thoughts about the butyl tape being the only thing holding the wiring access cover on, so I drilled two 1/8" holes and put a couple of rivets in. That should take care of that FOREVER.

71452

71453

71454

Extremely anal detail, I know, but you can feel the waves with your finger if you run it up and across the side trim pieces. I know I have to live with whatever I've got for a very long time after this because refinishing the trim pieces means removing and ruining the outer weatherstrip so now is the time for perfection. I'd rather wait an extra couple of weeks to finish everything instead of looking at it a year from now and kicking myself for being impatient.

[82DMC12]

OK I just realized I'm about a month behind on this blog!

In early April I took delivery of my refinished dash from David Hudgins (see my review in the vendor /product reviews section) which turned out, essentially, perfect. I couldn't be happier with the quality of the repair and how it looks inside my car again! No more crack and the material and color is a great match for the rest of my interior. I did some updating to the mount system for my dash speakers (including 3D printed spacers) and then installed the dash which was pretty straight forward. I had to do a few repairs to some of those M6 studs on the knee pads using 2-part plastic weld epoxy. Now everything is super solid with no loose parts or rattles.

71559

71560

71561

[82DMC12]

Next I received my windshield side trim pieces from the power coat company (Thanks Eric Woltkamp in FL!). These were a pair of NOS side trim pieces that I had shipped directly to Eric so his company could strip them and powder coat them. They turned out great and look better than new. When installing them, I had a couple of body screw holes that were stripped out so I simply drilled new holes in the side strips and ran the correct screw through that hole into a new fresh part of the body, then filled the old hole with urethane. I had to bend and manipulate the driver side slightly to get it to lay flat over the header but eventually it all worked out and looks better and fits better than it did when I started.

Installing the header and aligning it was a pain. I think the tangs and fingers on the underside are slightly bent from being removed and installed a few times, and perhaps the header has warped slightly from powder coat curing. I was able to run my scope up into it from the back side after it was aligned and confirm that all tabs have engaged the stainless strip below it, so I really can't make it any better. I replaced all the U-clips and locked it down after confirming door alignment multiple times.

71562

71563

[82DMC12]

The next job was to install a new set of rear upper infill panels which is what the T-panel attaches to on the rear inside. I had to remove the first set of panels because I found the M6 screws that hold the gas strut lower reinforcement plate was interfering with the panel alignment. In short, the hardware was pushing on the infill panel near the strut mount which was making T-panel installation difficult.

I had to order some fairly exotic hardware from Belmetric which is an ultra-low profile torx screw, this was installed with an internal tooth washer and blue loctite. Finally I was able to set in the infill panels once and for all.


71564



71565

[82DMC12]

At this point, all that was left was to install the T panel and weather stripping. Even after all of this work, I still had a tough time getting the T panel aligned and set exactly where it needs to be so that it's not trying to tuck under the header but also not catch on the door corners. I ended up having to really pry the header forward with plastic pry tools and a rubber mallet between the door hinges and the header. That was needed to push it forward and give me more room to keep the T panel level with the header.

In the rear, I found the main problem is the two inner screws for the T panel which screw into the body were getting loose and somewhat stripped. I bought some larger stainless screws which helped but still didn't give me confidence the panel would lift up at some time in the future. I ended up drilling a small hole in the flange on the T-panel next to this inner screw, where I then ran a back up screw into the infill panel while holding the T panel in just the right position. This way the panel is locked down and can't shift up because the backup screw hole is not slotted.

FINALLY I was able to install the weatherstrip.

71566






Here you can see how the T-panel wanted to dive under the header because there just wasn't enough room for the panel between the header and infill panels. I had to pry this header forward and lock it down again in order to get it to sit better. I am using industrial velcro to hold the center of the T panel flat so it won't bow upwards which is a common problem. In this picture I have a folded up blue towel under the panel between the pieces of velcro so I can easily move the panel to align it.







71567









Weatherstrip installation time!

[82DMC12]

I had to do a couple of minor adjustments to the passenger door striker but otherwise at this point the car was done. It was filthy from all this work all winter so I drove it out the driveway to hose it off before driving back inside to give it my usual hand wash. I didn't bother with a full detail because I'm trying to drive it as much as possible to really wring it out before spring cruises and a road trip coming up in May. So far it's been very good with no issues. I did an oil change on Sunday and everything looked normal there too.

Of course I feel like I'm "mostly done" but is the car ever really done? I think I'm now at the point where there is no part of the car I have not yet worked on (except for the HVAC box which, knock on wood, seems solid) and I can't think of any major campaigns to wage anymore. I may get some adjustable front upper control arms so I can dial in the alignment even better and I do want to refinish the facias again - but that will wait until next year. I just want to relax and enjoy the car now.

71568

71569

71570

[SupercoolBill]

The next job was to install a new set of rear upper infill panels which is what the T-panel attaches to on the rear inside. I had to remove the first set of panels because I found the M6 screws that hold the gas strut lower reinforcement plate was interfering with the panel alignment. In short, the hardware was pushing on the infill panel near the strut mount which was making T-panel installation difficult.

I had to order some fairly exotic hardware from Belmetric which is an ultra-low profile torx screw, this was installed with an internal tooth washer and blue loctite. Finally I was able to set in the infill panels once and for all.


71564



71565If my mounts are solid should I just leave them alone. Seems like quite a pain to do the reinforcement set up.

Sent from my SM-S928U using Tapatalk

[SupercoolBill]

Do you worry that something is going to happen to your car now that it is 100% perfect. Runaway shopping carts, distracted drivers, trailer truck drivers that have no clue what they are doing, etc.
If you don't mind me asking, how much insurance do you have on it? Asking for a friend. [emoji16]

Sent from my SM-S928U using Tapatalk

[SupercoolBill]

I had to do a couple of minor adjustments to the passenger door striker but otherwise at this point the car was done. It was filthy from all this work all winter so I drove it out the driveway to hose it off before driving back inside to give it my usual hand wash. I didn't bother with a full detail because I'm trying to drive it as much as possible to really wring it out before spring cruises and a road trip coming up in May. So far it's been very good with no issues. I did an oil change on Sunday and everything looked normal there too.

Of course I feel like I'm "mostly done" but is the car ever really done? I think I'm now at the point where there is no part of the car I have not yet worked on (except for the HVAC box which, knock on wood, seems solid) and I can't think of any major campaigns to wage anymore. I may get some adjustable front upper control arms so I can dial in the alignment even better and I do want to refinish the facias again - but that will wait until next year. I just want to relax and enjoy the car now.

71568

71569

71570Looks [emoji108]

Sent from my SM-S928U using Tapatalk

[82DMC12]

If my mounts are solid should I just leave them alone. Seems like quite a pain to do the reinforcement set up.

Sent from my SM-S928U using Tapatalk

Good question! I guess everything I do to this car is a labor of love so to me I'm glad it's the best it can be. My old mounts were not bent from the outside looking at them but once I had them out I could see both of them were slightly bent roof-ward. Certainly this is not a common failure area and you can mitigate it by running with torsion bars properly tensioned (weak), using struts that have an internal brake, and not driving with the doors open. The installation was tough when dealing with the riveted infill panels and I made it even more tedious by messing with the windshield trim which didn't NEED to be refinished but in the end, I guess it's all worth it to me.

[82DMC12]

Do you worry that something is going to happen to your car now that it is 100% perfect. Runaway shopping carts, distracted drivers, trailer truck drivers that have no clue what they are doing, etc.
If you don't mind me asking, how much insurance do you have on it? Asking for a friend. [emoji16]

Sent from my SM-S928U using Tapatalk

Yeah I do worry. I've had close calls before and maybe someday it won't be my lucky day. I try to avoid certain areas, driving at night, avoiding bad weather, and drive very defensively. I will have to deal with whatever happens when it happens. It's insured for $100,000 so if it gets totalled I guess I'll have a budget to play with!

[SupercoolBill]

Yeah I do worry. I've had close calls before and maybe someday it won't be my lucky day. I try to avoid certain areas, driving at night, avoiding bad weather, and drive very defensively. I will have to deal with whatever happens when it happens. It's insured for $100,000 so if it gets totalled I guess I'll have a budget to play with!Yeah
Honestly I don't know if you'd find a car as nice as yours that someone is willing to sell.

Sent from my SM-S928U using Tapatalk

[82DMC12]

Yeah
Honestly I don't know if you'd find a car as nice as yours that someone is willing to sell.

Sent from my SM-S928U using TapatalkHonestly I would probably be so disheartened I would buy something completely different. That's the truth.

Sent from my Pixel 6a using Tapatalk

[SupercoolBill]

Honestly I would probably be so disheartened I would buy something completely different. That's the truth.

Sent from my Pixel 6a using TapatalkYeah I hear ya.

Sent from my SM-S928U using Tapatalk

[82DMC12]

I'm getting ready to take this car on a 9 hour trip in a couple of weeks so I've been driving it as much as I can to shake out any final issues, and fortunately nothing has popped up. I did the same trip last year (DeLorean event in Kentucky) and I had a problem with wiper blade chatter during the light rain that follows a storm. At that time I had some modern beam wipers installed. Thinking they were not ideal for the old arms and springs on a DeLorean, I had to swap them out for cheap Trico blades while on the trip and at the same time got into using Rain-X. Those blades reduced the chatter about 80%. A few days ago I tried out the wipers again while washing the car and there was a bit of chatter again.

This winter I replaced the arms with NOS when Houston had a big sale on them so I don't think that's the problem.

My windshield was replaced about 13 years ago and I keep it cleaner than hell, even using a clay bar on it so I know it doesn't have any residues or contamination. Speaking with another owner he recommended Bosch Micro Edge blades so I ordered a pair of them and installed earlier this week. I drove to work yesterday and got caught in rain over lunch and thankfully there is zero chatter. So maybe I have found a blade that actually works for me.

I've also read that PIAA silicone blades should be chatter-free but they are fairly expensive - I'll run with these Micro Edge blades for a while and upgrade to PIAA if I have any other issues.

[SupercoolBill]

I'm getting ready to take this car on a 9 hour trip in a couple of weeks so I've been driving it as much as I can to shake out any final issues, and fortunately nothing has popped up. I did the same trip last year (DeLorean event in Kentucky) and I had a problem with wiper blade chatter during the light rain that follows a storm. At that time I had some modern beam wipers installed. Thinking they were not ideal for the old arms and springs on a DeLorean, I had to swap them out for cheap Trico blades while on the trip and at the same time got into using Rain-X. Those blades reduced the chatter about 80%. A few days ago I tried out the wipers again while washing the car and there was a bit of chatter again.

This winter I replaced the arms with NOS when Houston had a big sale on them so I don't think that's the problem.

My windshield was replaced about 13 years ago and I keep it cleaner than hell, even using a clay bar on it so I know it doesn't have any residues or contamination. Speaking with another owner he recommended Bosch Micro Edge blades so I ordered a pair of them and installed earlier this week. I drove to work yesterday and got caught in rain over lunch and thankfully there is zero chatter. So maybe I have found a blade that actually works for me.

I've also read that PIAA silicone blades should be chatter-free but they are fairly expensive - I'll run with these Micro Edge blades for a while and upgrade to PIAA if I have any other issues.Oh to be at a point on my car where I'm only having windshield wiper chatter. [emoji1]
I bought the wiper arms from DMCH also. They had some smoking deals.

Sent from my SM-S928U using Tapatalk

[82DMC12]

What's up everyone? Well another month goes by without an update but that's because DeLorean life is pretty good. I mentioned in the last update that I was off to Kentucky for a DeLorean meet. I was glad I spent some time daily driving my car before the trip because I did come up with an issue that was a little concerning just a couple days before taking off. While driving around town suddenly at stop signs and stop lights I was smelling fuel, then it goes away as I drove away. I pulled into a parking lot and opened the engine compartment and smelled nothing, no leaks visible. I looked under the car and around the front and didn't find anything either. I was not far from home so I proceeded to my house and once I got to the driveway I parked and opened the gas cap. There was so much pressure behind the cap that it almost jumped up into my face. I spent some time checking evap connections for blockage and removing the roll over valve and carbon canister but didn't find any smoking guns. I had vacuum where I should have vacuum and the switch in the carbon canister is holding vacuum. I put it back together but left the rollover valve on the bench, connecting the suction hose directly to the fuel filler. I did not experience any more pressure build up and decided to drive to Kentucky like this. I never did find the solution so I did put the roll over valve back on the car when I got home. More tests to follow... when I finally have time!

[82DMC12]

I won't post up a hundred pictures from the Kentucky trip but here are a few favorites. Of course, you have to take a picture before hitting the road, and then I brought my drone with and had a chance to take some cool pictures from downtown Louisville when we all got together for a little show-off show and pub dinner event.

71656

71657

71658

[82DMC12]

The road trip was great, racking up about 1,300 miles, mostly in good driving conditions but a bit of rain here and there. My A/C was blowing at about 39F, I was comfortable as hell with my ceramic tint (DeLoreans can be pretty warm without tint added), and I hit 30.5 MPG on one tank on the way there. The only mechanical issue I had was suddenly one morning my speedometer stopped working. I have a PJ Grady rebuilt Smiths angle drive and a one-piece speedo cable so I knew the issue is likely the speedo adapter cup. I actually have a Wilwood brake kit from LS DeLorean and a couple weeks prior I noticed my speedometer might be slipping a bit so I mentioned this to Josh who suggested adding a layer of electrical tape for now, but he also said he has a new cap design that should work better. He sent me the new cap and I had thrown it in my tool kit in the car before heading out. At my first opportunity I removed the center wheel cap on the driver wheel and saw that the old adapter cup the fallen out of the hub and was just rattling around in the wheel. Later that day I swapped out the old cap for the new cap and I didn't have a single problem the whole way home. Nice! And thanks to Josh for that!!

On my return home I took a day off to clean up the car and inspect the chassis after a long trip. I'm glad I did because I found two issues. 1) one of the DPI caster limiting arms turnbuckle lock nuts had loosened up and unwound a bit down the threads. The other nut was still tight so I don't think I lost any alignment there. I added blue loctite and tightened the heck out of the nut this time. 2) My passenger side wheel hub had a tiny bit of play in it when holding the rotor top and bottom and trying to shake it. I ended up tightening the axle stub nut with a big breaker bar and that eliminated the play. I checked the driver side and that seemed to be OK so no adjustment needed.

71659
71660

[Carbuilder]

A few days ago I tried out the wipers again while washing the car and there was a bit of chatter again.

Do they chatter in both directions or just one? If it is just one, then the arms need to be bent a bit to change the angle of the blade on the glass. If it is both, well, I suppose different blades is the only thing to try.

[Timeless]

Yes, silicone blades. I mentioned it eariler.

[82DMC12]

Do they chatter in both directions or just one? If it is just one, then the arms need to be bent a bit to change the angle of the blade on the glass. If it is both, well, I suppose different blades is the only thing to try.

When they do chatter, it's both directions. As Timeless says, I will switch to PIAA silicone blades next time I swap out but so far the Bosch Microedge seem to be a good choice. On my Kentucky trip I did get caught in rain a couple times and I don't recall having any chattering but I'm also in the habit of using the wipers as little as possible and instead relying on Rain-X to do the heavy lifting.

[82DMC12]

This week I was surprised to see NOS cross gate cables available from DMCH. I remember looking for one two or three years ago and they were NLA, with the only option being another used one or the DeLorean Go cable that has a bad reputation for snapping the end off. My cable is working well but has some outer jacket damage near the transaxle which will eventually be a problem if enough dirt or moisture gets inside. I was going to heatshrink the cable jacket next time I'm under the car but then I found the cable is once again available so grabbed one. It came yesterday and sure enough, it's NOS and not a reproduction. Not sure when I'll get around to installing it because I've been pretty busy with work and family and not a lot of garage time. But when I do install it, I will first heatshrink the ends where the jacket goes into the metal tubes for extra reinforcement.

71665

71667

71666

[SupercoolBill]

There's a guy in the Delorean community that sells a really high quality cross gate cable (his name escapes me) they are expensive though.
I am still running my D-go cable. Hoping to not have issues with it.

Sent from my SM-S928U using Tapatalk

[82DMC12]

There's a guy in the Delorean community that sells a really high quality cross gate cable (his name escapes me) they are expensive though.
I am still running my D-go cable. Hoping to not have issues with it.

Sent from my SM-S928U using Tapatalk

That's Ben Ferguson, he makes them for LS swaps but can also make UN1 cables. I'm sure they are high quality but 4 to 5 times the price, and OEM cables don't seem to be a problem area unless the jacket gets damaged (common). Lots of reports of D-Go cables failing where the end snaps off.

[SupercoolBill]

Yeah that's the guy.
I was going to buy one off him but when he told me how much I changed my mind.

Sent from my SM-S928U using Tapatalk

[82DMC12]

It's middle of summer here which means I'm not driving the car very much. Not really for any reliability reason but I don't drive it to work because I don't want it sitting outside in the parking lot baking all day, and then when I get home I often watch our two young boys (1 year old and nearly 4 years old) until my wife gets home from work about 8 PM. And then the next day starts. I've been to a couple of Cars and Coffee and the odd cruise around the county but not a lot happening. I certainly haven't wrenched on the car but that's also because I don't have anything to do on it. LOL.

The only thing I've done since the last post on here was back in May I shimmed my primary pressure regulator to get just over 5 bar fuel pressure. For many years now my primary pressure was only reading 4.7 bar (DPI fuel pump) which seemed to work fine but I didn't like how it actually on the edge of being below workshop spec. I got new stainless shims and after some experimentation with different thicknesses managed to get the pressure to 5.1 bar. Of course that also required resetting the fuel-air mixture to compensate for the earlier injection opening relative to throttle position. Everything seems to be going well after the pressure adjustment and I think I restored some power in the upper RPM range too, but that could be my imagination.

I haven't installed the cross gate cable yet. That will be a good winter project.

71727

Before shimming the PPR

71728

After shimming

[82DMC12]

I took the D to Cars and Coffee up in Bonner Springs KS this weekend and thoroughly enjoyed the weather with a cup of good coffee and a couple breakfast burritos. On the way up, I noticed a bit more vibration than usual in the steering wheel on some pavement types, mostly at higher speed on Highway 7. I had noticed this on the last couple of drives as well so on my return I jacked up the front of the car to give it a good look.

I first took the front wheels in to get re-balanced as that seems like a very likely cause. One wheel was off by 1/2 oz and the other by 3/4 oz.

Before reinstalling the wheels, I checked all my suspension attachments and found my driver side LCA to frame bolt was about one turn loose before hitting 60 ft lbs torque as it should. So I torqued that back down, and then also snugged down the top nuts for the coilovers. I think they have settled in and the bushings may have compressed now that I have about 5,000 miles on them. I was able to turn both nuts a few times before I felt like they were really snug. Locked them down with the second jam nut and then went for a test drive. Much better!

[82DMC12]

Yesterday I noticed a single drop of oil on the garage floor and traced it to this clip that holds the low oil pressure sensor wire away from the belts. That clip has been damp for at least 20 years LOL but I guess it finally had enough oil on it where it made a drip. There were also signs of a drip on the muffler at some point too. I removed the bolt from the engine and the threads were damp all the way up with oil on them so I'm wondering if this is a through-hole where oil can come out, or if the timing cover gasket is leaking into the threads? Anyway I cleaned everything up really well and smeared hylomar on the threads as a sealant and reinstalled. I'll keep an eye on it and see if any oil comes back.

71824

[82DMC12]

Guess what, winter is over and car show season started today with Cars and Coffee. It was a cold day but I still showed up and that's what counts!

It sure is nice pulling the car cover off and not having a list of crap to do. I'll do my spring oil change in a few days but until then I'm just trying to navigate around work and rain so I can burn up last year's fuel from the gas tank.

I actually had kind of a funny situation earlier this week. I have a spare OEM distributor that I bought off the Facebook parts group that looked like new but I wanted to make sure it works in order to justify holding onto it versus taking it apart for individual pieces. I took it apart and checked it out and everything looked good. Coil checked out, set the reluctor gap, oiled the wick. and checked end play. I have a some NOS distributor caps and rotors so I built it up with the right stuff and it was good to go. I decided to install it since I do like to do a valley of death inspection every couple of years and I had some new Tygon vacuum hose I wanted to install on the vacuum switch. I removed the fuel injection and intake manifold and installed the distributor, paying attention to the position of the rotor, and put it all back together. At the same time I did a compression test (all cylinders between 150 and 160 PSI as per usual), checked plugs, set gap, reapplied anti-seize on hardware, replaced all o-rings, smoke-tested for vacuum leaks, and it was ready to start the engine.

It fires up right away but man it was running rough like it was misfiring. I got out of the car and walk towards the engine and all of a sudden **BOOM**............ BOOM BOOM!! First time I ever heard a DeLorean backfire. Something's not right. I check timing with my timing light and it's only off a couple degrees. I set it to 13 degrees but it's still backfiring now and then. I turn off the engine to think about it. I decided that replacing the distributor (my old one was a modified one with extra advance) probably means I need to reset the base fuel mixture because it must be running really lean. So I pull an injector and put it in a jar and jump the RPM relay. I probably had to turn the CO screw 3/4 of a turn before it started to drip. I backed it off until the drip stopped then started the car again. No difference but now I'm running so rich I have fuel dripping out of the exhaust and it keeps backfiring. Now I pull spark plug on cylinder 6 to check quality of the spark and already my plug is fouled black with soot. The spark is white so I check to make sure all wires are getting spark with my timing light. All wires are flashing. I turned off the engine to think about it some more and it seems like there must be something wrong with the ignition and I guess I'll start with the distributor. So, I take the fuel injection off again and look at the cap. I realized I had swapped wires 1 and 3 on the cap! The funniest part is I should have realized this because I checked base timing on Cylinder 6 and Cylinder 1 (for some reason I was thinking you check base timing with 1 instead of 3). So Since I checked Cylinder 1 I was actually checking wire 3 anyway so I didn't get a tip-off. I swapped the wires around and put it all back together and bingo - no more backfiring and a smooth engine. I set the CO again with my dwell meter and took it for a nice long drive. All good. The next day I pulled the plugs and cleaned the rest of the soot off with a brass brush and carb cleaner.

Drove it to cars and coffee today and total perfection.

Let's see how the driving season goes this year!

[82DMC12]

72109

Spare distributor installed and valley clean up complete. No leaks and no issues detected.

[SupercoolBill]

You know what....I think I may have been clamped onto plug wire #1 on my car when I set the timing.
I will have to check that again.

Also side note...you are way more motivated than me. Once I get my car done and running right I probably won't be pulling a bunch of stuff apart just to check it. If it is running good I will just assume everything is okay. [emoji1]

Sent from my SM-S928U using Tapatalk

[82DMC12]

You know what....I think I may have been clamped onto plug wire #1 on my car when I set the timing.
I will have to check that again.

Also side note...you are way more motivated than me. Once I get my car done and running right I probably won't be pulling a bunch of stuff apart just to check it. If it is running good I will just assume everything is okay. [emoji1]

Sent from my SM-S928U using Tapatalk


Wire # 1 and # 6 will both work for checking base timing, I find #6 to be a lot more convenient for my inductive timing light.

Interesting, since installing the OEM distributor again I no longer have a "gurgling" sound from the engine under full throttle acceleration. I don't know what it was but I think it had something to do with spark advance and potential pre-detonation under load. Think I'll just use this distributor for a while and look at if there's anything that can be done about the other distributor. At least I know I have a spare coil and all the other guts.

[SupercoolBill]

Okay I guess I misunderstood your earlier post. So we DON'T use wire #3 to set base timing then? I haven't had a chance to recheck the manual yet.

Sent from my SM-S928U using Tapatalk

[82DMC12]

Okay I guess I misunderstood your earlier post. So we DON'T use wire #3 to set base timing then? I haven't had a chance to recheck the manual yet.

Sent from my SM-S928U using Tapatalk


DAMN IT I can't edit my post but no it's supposed to be #3 or #6.

[SupercoolBill]

Okay #3 or #6. Gotcha

Sent from my SM-S928U using Tapatalk

[Helirich]

DAMN IT I can't edit my post but no it's supposed to be #3 or #6.

That?s one thing I hate about this site. Why can?t we edit our posts?

[SupercoolBill]

That?s one thing I hate about this site. Why can?t we edit our posts?Yeah i don't know why that is. F.B. has done similar. After it has been there awhile you can't edit it. Also on F.B. it only lets you post one picture to a reply now.

Sent from my SM-S928U using Tapatalk

[Timeless]

P/N 62708 is good. I bought these when I was still K-Jet since my car sat 20 years.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00H2RO0QE?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_ti tle_1

[82DMC12]

Hey Bill! You hijacked my build thread!

[SupercoolBill]

Hey Bill! You hijacked my build thread!Omg! Lol how do we fix this! I am so used to following your build thread that I didn't even notice.
I will start but making the same posts on my thread.
Administration, HELP!!

Sent from my SM-S928U using Tapatalk

[82DMC12]

Thank you Tamir / admin for cleaning up the posts!

Not a whole lot to post so far this spring. I gave the car an oil change shortly after I got the plug wires fixed up and there certainly did appear to be some fuel in the oil. After the first two or three quarts drained out, the oil was then mixed with a yellowish streak that looked a little foamy. It didn't really smell different but I don't think it's moisture or coolant or else that would have come out of the drain plug first, and I have no symptoms of head gasket etc such as steam or smoke from the exhaust and coolant in the expansion tank looks normal. Glad I got that out.

I also pulled the O2 sensor wondering if that was as fouled as the spark plugs were and yep it was pretty black. I put a new one in and set the CO screw with my dwell meter. At the same time I took both wheels off and gave the rear suspension a look over and checked for cracked bushings and other trouble and everything looks good. Can't think of anything else to do this spring since I'm up to date on coolant and brake fluid changes. I might change the oil again in a month so I can be sure the discolored stuff I saw in the oil is no more. If it is there again I guess I have to dig deeper.

72118

[82DMC12]

Car is running great! Starts up quickly on cold start, even after a week, and hot starts are even faster. I think I have everything dialed in really well right now.

Next job is I need to look at my steering column bushing. I replaced it a LONG time ago but I think it's wearing out somehow between the bushing and the pedal box. I have noticed a small amount of vibration in the column while driving and on inspection I find there is some play surrounding the bushing. The bushing is fine where the column goes through the center but if I grip the column I can shake it very slightly inside the firewall and the play is around the bushing. I can actually grab the bushing from the trunk side and rotate it 360 degrees without a lot of effort and it didn't improve by turning it 180 degrees. So I think I need a new bushing that fits better.

[82DMC12]

Well it's been a hell of a month - I hosted the first Kansas City DeLorean Owners' Club Spring Rally here in KC last weekend! We had about 12 owners either drive in or fly in and we had 8 cars at once on the tech session day. I call it a success and I'm absolutely motivated to do it again next year! You can follow our group here -

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1407449880268942

I spent a bit more time working on the steering column bushing issue today and found there is still a tiny bit of play around the bushing in the firewall, and also a small amount of play in one axis on my lower intermediate shaft u-joint. The shaft and joints were replaced a long time with a kit from Darryl Tinnerstedt. Perhaps the lower joint is finally wearing out. I'll have to look into replacing that one. I also found, while the front end was in the air, the passenger side front wheel had a bit of play in the bearing / axle detectable while grabbing the wheel at 12 and 6 and pulling/pushing. The axle nut was torqued properly but I ended up kissing it with the impact and gave it another few degrees. No more play. I drove around the neighborhood and it did feel better so maybe I'll try that for a bit and see if I still want to address anything else.

I also picked up a Hoppy B4A headlight aiming set. This is old school 70's tech using bubble levels and mirrors to set the headlights vertical, horizontal, and parallel relation. All four headlights needed adjustment and they are so much better now it's amazing. I actually ended up aiming the low beams upward a couple turns for personal preference.

Not much else going on but Cars and Coffee tomorrow!

72147

72148

[82DMC12]

It's been a fine spring so far but this week has been a lot of rain. Fortunately I made it to Cars and Coffee on Saturday and it was the most fabulous spring Kansas City day in so long. The show was hopping and there was actually another DeLorean there, one I am a little familiar with because a couple of us helped the owner get the car idling correctly, but he has now sold it to a broker who will put it up for sale. The broker brought the car to Cars and Coffee.

Here's a video of mine to show the current state of things!


http://youtube/hyo279CUyBc?si=dTb6e2ZK5-wmkpvu

[82DMC12]

It's been a fine spring so far but this week has been a lot of rain. Fortunately I made it to Cars and Coffee on Saturday and it was the most fabulous spring Kansas City day in so long. The show was hopping and there was actually another DeLorean there, one I am a little familiar with because a couple of us helped the owner get the car idling correctly, but he has now sold it to a broker who will put it up for sale. The broker brought the car to Cars and Coffee.

Here's a video of mine to show the current state of things!


https://youtu.be/hyo279CUyBc

https://youtu.be/hyo279CUyBc

[82DMC12]

How anal am I ? Well I removed the M5 cheesehead screws from my CPR and cleaned them in Evaporust, and then replaced the nuts with new yellow zinc nuts from Belmetric. Why? Because I didn't have anything else to do and didn't want to get into anything too messy.

A couple days later I swapped out my 7495 alternator belt for a 7490 because I didn't like how I was nearly at the limit of adjustment. I'm not sure why that was, it might have something to do with the DPI alternator , mount system, or the adjustment bracket. Anyway I put a 7490 on and have about an inch of adjustment remaining so I like this more.

72161

[Timeless]

After reading your headlight post I purchased a set of Hoppy headlight aimer kit at a great price. Cant wait to utilize it for the D and other vintage vehicles.

[82DMC12]

After reading your headlight post I purchased a set of Hoppy headlight aimer kit at a great price. Cant wait to utilize it for the D and other vintage vehicles.


Nice! It's so easy to use. I suggest going through the calibration steps before trying to use it on the car. You need to make sure the vertical and horizontal calibration is correct so when you put it on the car you don't get strange results.

Like I said, I don't think it necessarily sets the headlights at the perfect position for driving but what it does do is set them perfectly parallel and equal in all directions. Some people set the DS headlight a bit lower "so they don't blind oncoming traffic" but let's be real, even the LED lights for DeLoreans are not as bright as modern OEM design and we need all the help we can get. Also we sit so low - we aren't blinding anyone.

I ended up tipping both low beams upward a couple extra turns which was just trial and error, driving down my street at night until I was satisfied with the result. At least I knew I started from a good, in-sync baseline. The highbeams are fine as the Hoppy set them up.

I didn't realize until now that the highbeams are highbeams because of the lens design. I always assumed they are pointed upward more than the low beams are, but that is not the case. They are supposed to set horizontal just like the low beams and all the magic happens within the glass itself.

[Timeless]

I have the Holley RetroBright units and they are as bright as modern OEM LED headlights - at least when compared to my 21 Taycan. Because they can be used for low or high they are the same for all 4. Not sure how it works but they state it doesn't matter which is used for low or high and they operate as designed in the D. When the high beam is activated all 4 light up and get brighter. Assume elements in bulb are activated/de-activated.

[Helirich]

A couple days later I swapped out my 7495 alternator belt for a 7490 because I didn't like how I was nearly at the limit of adjustment. I'm not sure why that was, it might have something to do with the DPI alternator , mount system, or the adjustment bracket. Anyway I put a 7490 on and have about an inch of adjustment remaining so I like this more.

72161

I did the same thing on mine. Now I don?t have enough adjustment to remove the belt. I need to get a differnt adjustment mount.

[82DMC12]

I did the same thing on mine. Now I don?t have enough adjustment to remove the belt. I need to get a differnt adjustment mount.

That's strange. It must be a function of the sum of the parts. I was able to get the belt on and then tension it with the 7490. I probably wouldn't have gotten into this but sometimes when the engine is cold and I'm in the rain the alternator belt squeals for a few seconds until it warms up. I hate that.

[82DMC12]

I have the Holley RetroBright units and they are as bright as modern OEM LED headlights - at least when compared to my 21 Taycan. Because they can be used for low or high they are the same for all 4. Not sure how it works but they state it doesn't matter which is used for low or high and they operate as designed in the D. When the high beam is activated all 4 light up and get brighter. Assume elements in bulb are activated/de-activated.

So I have Toby's headlight system which is Hella glass with LED bulbs. I actually bought it secondhand from someone. I assume the bulbs are working "normally" because LED's don't lose power, they just die. They are sitting in the lenses as straight and even as possible. They are bright enough but nowhere near as bright as my previous Audi Q5 and now Q8 E-tron. I'd like to see the Retrobrites in action but I heard they have acrylic or plastic lenses? And they are too expensive to just buy for the hell of it!

[Timeless]

So I have Toby's headlight system which is Hella glass with LED bulbs. I actually bought it secondhand from someone. I assume the bulbs are working "normally" because LED's don't lose power, they just die. They are sitting in the lenses as straight and even as possible. They are bright enough but nowhere near as bright as my previous Audi Q5 and now Q8 E-tron. I'd like to see the Retrobrites in action but I heard they have acrylic or plastic lenses? And they are too expensive to just buy for the hell of it!
I got lucky and bought them in 2022 before a price jump. They are acrylic lenses and they are damaged you can purchase lens only.

https://youtu.be/hkVkpBFskk0?si=sq_JAckBGii1rOsv

[82DMC12]

I got lucky and bought them in 2022 before a price jump. They are acrylic lenses and they are damaged you can purchase lens only.

https://youtu.be/hkVkpBFskk0?si=sq_JAckBGii1rOsv


Looks nice to me, I would have to take my car out onto a dark country road and do the same video comparison. Since aligning them I have only driven around the neighborhood which has streetlights. It would be awesome to do a tech session some day with various types of headlights installed and compare them all at once!

[Timeless]

https://youtu.be/Luync7UYwsI?si=JzaRYKpYobIEDZo0

[82DMC12]

I just posted a new How-To in that section of DMCTalk, this one shows the simplest way I know of to use a smoke machine on the DeLorean.

https://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?20463-Using-a-Smoke-Machine-the-easy-way&p=285671#post285671