What have you done to your DeLorean today?

[Michael]

A few shots of my messy garage and toilet paper collection - oh, and a few quick snaps of the underside of my pride and joy after detailing her today. There’s a couple of minor things to perfect under there, but very proud of the old girl.

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/2020-05-12_underside_detail_01.jpg

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/2020-05-12_underside_detail_02.jpg

Stunning!!! Not many left in that condition.

[Col Bennett]

Stunning!!! Not many left in that condition.

That's very kind Michael. :cheers:

[Jonathan]

Not at all. My car has always looked like this as far as I'm aware. Danny Botkin and Rob Grady have both worked on the car and have never mentioned it. It's a good observation though and I'll dig into it as I want to make sure it's accurate. Thanks!

Beauty. For me it's more thinking of it as complete as opposed to perfect. 13 years into ownership and every so often I still find something I hadn't realized was missing on my car or out of place. None of the last few things are crucial, but it's fun figuring out these little trivial details about the cars. Like Indiana Jones in archaeology, except on our cars and not on 1,000 year old buried cities or treasure. Could make us 'DeLarchaeologists' I'd say. :)

[white out]

oh, and a few quick snaps of the underside of my pride and joy after detailing her today.
Wow. Amazing.

[Bitsyncmaster]

I drove the D today to the post office. I don't drive it much since I retired since I would take it once a week to work. But two things have changed. First is it seems to go into reverse every time now without the need to double clutch. All I can think of that fixed that is when I did the clutch change I found the linkage on the transmission was binding with dried out grease which I fixed by cleaning and re-greasing.

Also shifting into first gear feels like the oil is thick for the first mile or two but then is normal after it warms up. All other gears feel fine during those first few miles. I did not open the transmission or even drain the oil when I replaced the clutch. Only thing I can think of causing that is my car sitting for a month or two.

[cdmcali]

I was going back and forth about replacing my cigarette lighter with either USB or getting the updated Vanagon socket. I had some trouble getting the proper measurements from the vendor selling the new socket, so I decided to make a power bank with a power switch, regular 12v socket, dual USB, and a voltmeter. Cut out some plexiglass and made a box to hold them all. Installed it with a quick disconnect so I can unplug it from the line going to the battery without having to completely remove the wires from the battery. Pretty happy with the result and can finally use my FM transmitter without it flopping around in the OEM cigarette lighter.

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[CyberBill]

I took my longest drive ever in the DeLorean today... about 10 miles. :) The trip was from my house to Delorean Service Northwest to drop off the car to get a full inspection and list of items for me to start working on.

My wife followed me and had a really great time telling me about all of the people pointing and smiling as they saw me driving by. :)

[cdmcali]

I took my longest drive ever in the DeLorean today... about 10 miles. :) The trip was from my house to Delorean Service Northwest to drop off the car to get a full inspection and list of items for me to start working on.

My wife followed me and had a really great time telling me about all of the people pointing and smiling as they saw me driving by. :)

One of the best parts of owning a DeLorean. The smiles!

[nkemp]

... all of the people pointing and smiling as they saw me driving by. :)

And that is the main reason why DeLoreans make poor get-away cars!

[CyberBill]

I was going back and forth about replacing my cigarette lighter with either USB or getting the updated Vanagon socket. I had some trouble getting the proper measurements from the vendor selling the new socket, so I decided to make a power bank with a power switch, regular 12v socket, dual USB, and a voltmeter. Cut out some plexiglass and made a box to hold them all. Installed it with a quick disconnect so I can unplug it from the line going to the battery without having to completely remove the wires from the battery. Pretty happy with the result and can finally use my FM transmitter without it flopping around in the OEM cigarette lighter.


That looks cool!! Is that CNC cut plexi? My cigar lighter doesn't seem to light up or turn on - but it does seem to be a little shallower than other sockets, do you know if it is a standard part, or specific for the DeLorean?

[Bitsyncmaster]

That looks cool!! Is that CNC cut plexi? My cigar lighter doesn't seem to light up or turn on - but it does seem to be a little shallower than other sockets, do you know if it is a standard part, or specific for the DeLorean?

Some day I will have to do a circuit board to LED light the cigar lighter. I did do a one off board on mine a long time ago which used 6 LEDs.

[Quinn]

63738

I finally got around to installing Bitsy's front relay ground buss. This project was on the backburner for a long time, because I didn't really think it was high priority. Boy, was I wrong. When I pulled all the relays out of the way, I could see that about 75% of the wire insulation had been melting off in various locations over the years. In fact, the portion between the fan fail and fan relay had almost completely melted off. A previous owner had obviously been in there before, because they had simply re-wrapped the melted portions with electrical tape! The picture above does not do it justice. You should see this thing in person. I'm surprised that haven't died in a giant ball of flames in the last year.

[Jonathan]

Some day I will have to do a circuit board to LED light the cigar lighter. I did do a one off board on mine a long time ago which used 6 LEDs.


63738

I finally got around to installing Bitsy's front relay ground buss. This project was on the backburner for a long time, because I didn't really think it was high priority. Boy, was I wrong. When I pulled all the relays out of the way, I could see that about 75% of the wire insulation had been melting off in various locations over the years. In fact, the portion between the fan fail and fan relay had almost completely melted off. A previous owner had obviously been in there before, because they had simply re-wrapped the melted portions with electrical tape! The picture above does not do it justice. You should see this thing in person. I'm surprised that haven't died in a giant ball of flames in the last year.

Dave, do you have prices listed for your products somewhere? I was looking at your website and it doesn't show how much things are or how to order/ship.

[Bitsyncmaster]

Dave, do you have prices listed for your products somewhere? I was looking at your website and it doesn't show how much things are or how to order/ship.

Email me for current prices. I like to verify I have the items ready before you order. I try to keep everything stocked but there are times when I get flooded with sales one week and then nothing the next.

[Farrar]

Replaced the blown glass fuse on the brake light circuit with a blade fuse of the same amperage. A light day. :)

[CyberBill]

Got some bad news from Toby at Delorean Service Northwest - looks like 5510 needs a new frame, or some extensive frame repair. Still trying to decide whether to bring it home, pull the body off the frame, and go to work on a full frame restoration... If anyone has thoughts on the subject, I'd love to hear it! The Stainless Steel frame is out of my budget. Tips on what work to do at the same time, how to approach it, materials to use, etc. Someone had recommended replacing the coolant lines? Maybe rebuild the suspension? If it makes a difference, my father is a professional welder with 30+ years of experience and would likely be able to do the welding for me if I handle ripping it apart and cutting out the bad stuff. He lives ~1700 miles away, so I would have to prep everything for him to do over a few days or a week, then I'd wrap it up by POR-15'ing the whole thing.

Prior to getting the news about the frame, I also ordered a complete brake rebuild kit. New rotors, pads, seals, caliper pistons, hoses, etc. I think I'm going to pick up a full set of stainless steel brake lines as well, since the brake vacuum line is toast and the body is coming off anyway. This would mean replacing everything in the brake system except the booster, master cylinder, and calipers.

In non-Delorean news, I sold my Honda CR-Z. I now have ample funds and room in the garage to work!

[CFI]

Got some bad news from Toby at Delorean Service Northwest - looks like 5510 needs a new frame, or some extensive frame repair. Still trying to decide whether to bring it home, pull the body off the frame, and go to work on a full frame restoration... If anyone has thoughts on the subject, I'd love to hear it!

Check eBay. There were two frames for sale recently. Both appeared to be in good shape. Toby might have a lead on a good frame as well. I think Don S. had a few frames but now that he has passed I’m not sure what’s going to happen with his stock of DeLorean parts. DeLoreanGo will make you a new, non stainless frame but with shipping from England it will probably be prohibitively expensive.

[nkemp]

Got some bad news from Toby at Delorean Service Northwest - looks like 5510 needs a new frame, or some extensive frame repair. Still trying to decide whether to bring it home, pull the body off the frame, and go to work on a full frame restoration... If anyone has thoughts on the subject, I'd love to hear it!

Been there ... done that ... and did so before all the great resources available via the internet. It doesn't take long to remove the frame but it takes some ingenuity. You'll also need space. Space for the car, the frame and stuff. I put the body on a snowmobile trailer so I could move it and store it. 4x4 lumber will be your friend for raising and lowering the body. A method to raise, lower the engine/transmission is needed. Make a rolling dolly for the engine to store and move it. Put all bolts back in place when removed. Don't make a bucket of bolts. BTW ... there are a number of small bolts on the facia that will break and the studs in the facia may need to be replaced. Grinf them out clean and get new stud plates and polyurethane them into the cleaned spots.

Go out right now and start applying penetrating oil on the nuts and bolts so it has time to work.

Patch the frame as needed. You may or may not decide to grind the welds. Strip as much of the old finish as possible. I believe that there are places that will bake the frame to remove it all. The bare metal can be zinc chromated. But it is optional. I then used a zinc rich powdercoat. That wasn't available in the right color so another color coat was powdercoated.

You will get the mizewells ... mize well do that while you are at it. Mizewell upgrade the suspension and powdercoat all suspension parts.

This will be a bonding experience with your car and you will understand it better than most when you are done. ...... And have fun, enjoy the process!

[Col Bennett]

Started my deep interior detail yesterday.

It all starts with the dark bits no one ever sees. Everything - and I mean everything - gets detailed down to the harness and electrical connectors. Yes, it's a little over-kill, but you know me. This is the first proper interior detail since I bought the car in 2016 and I want to make sure it gets the works.

The center harness wires are a little messy as I removed all of the old 39 year old (very sticky) black and grey electrical tape grouping the wires together. I'll replace the tape with some fresh 3M electrical tape so it matches the original wire grouping.

Working top to bottom. Next stop, the doors.

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/2020-05-21_interior_detail_01.jpg

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/2020-05-21_interior_detail_02.jpg

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/2020-05-21_interior_detail_03.jpg

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/2020-05-21_interior_detail_04.jpg


Oh, and you're probably wondering - why did you remove the dash to detail the interior you nutter? Well, it's getting a very rare NOS grey dash that hasn't seen a day of sunlight. :jawdrop:

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/2020-05-21_interior_detail_05.jpg

[Michael]

Started my deep interior detail yesterday.

It all starts with the dark bits no one ever sees. Everything - and I mean everything - gets detailed down to the harness and electrical connectors. Yes, it's a little over-kill, but you know me. This is the first proper interior detail since I bought the car in 2016 and I want to make sure it gets the works.

The center harness wires are a little messy as I removed all of the old 39 year old (very sticky) black and grey electrical tape grouping the wires together. I'll replace the tape with some fresh 3M electrical tape so it matches the original wire grouping.

Working top to bottom. Next stop, the doors.

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/2020-05-21_interior_detail_01.jpg

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/2020-05-21_interior_detail_02.jpg

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/2020-05-21_interior_detail_03.jpg

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/2020-05-21_interior_detail_04.jpg


Oh, and you're probably wondering - why did you remove the dash to detail the interior you nutter? Well, it's getting a very rare NOS grey dash that hasn't seen a day of sunlight. :jawdrop:

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/2020-05-21_interior_detail_05.jpg

Will you marry me? I will divorce my wife at your command.

[Col Bennett]

Will you marry me? I will divorce my wife at your command.

:cheers1: Haha!

[Riley88]

Damn and i thought my dash was super clean, his hasn't even touch sunlight bwuahahaha! Beautiful.

[cis6409]

Just amazing, to see that!

[CyberBill]

Agree on all fronts - that car is absolutely beautiful. Well done, C.Bennett!! It's very clear that you put a lot energy into that car.

[Col Bennett]

Damn and i thought my dash was super clean, his hasn't even touch sunlight bwuahahaha! Beautiful.


Just amazing, to see that!


Agree on all fronts - that car is absolutely beautiful. Well done, C.Bennett!! It's very clear that you put a lot energy into that car.

That's very kind. Thanks so much! Really appreciate it.

Glad to report my hands are fully intact after a deep detail of my knife-like driver door. Yep, detailed to within an inch of its life. Removed all of the sticky yellow glue (nightmare job) and it's all ready for a new black finishing strip. I may also refinish (yellow zinc) the handle bracket. It's not as nice as I'd like it to be, but hey. And no, the plastic door membrane and all that awful sticky glue is staying off the car. It doesn't get driven in rain, so I'm keen to keep it pretty in there.

I also included a photo of my passenger door as a "before" reference. It's next.

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/2020-05-22_interior_detail_06.jpg

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/2020-05-22_interior_detail_07.jpg

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/2020-05-22_interior_detail_08.jpg

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/2020-05-22_interior_detail_09.jpg

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/2020-05-22_interior_detail_10.jpg

[Michael]

Too damn pretty to cover all that up!

[mburshtain]

Started my first journey to the VOD. Pretty happy to find out I didn’t have any leaks or rust.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200523/432f46dce4aa2f58009cd5e19d690bb1.jpg

[Col Bennett]

Too damn pretty to cover all that up!
:fancy:


Started my first journey to the VOD. Pretty happy to find out I didn’t have any leaks or rust.
Nice one Maor. Have fun and enjoy the feeling when it's all done.

[nkemp]

With the door interior exposed, you might want to change the window wipes to the Ford Probe version. It's a great upgrade and if the originals fail, they will scratch the window ... As I know from personal experience.

Here are some details but the pictures are missing: https://www.dmcnews.com/Techsection/windowfelt.html

Has anyone found workable trim from a car other than the Probe? Probes can be few and far between in the junk yards.

[thibaut]

Here are some details but the pictures are missing: https://www.dmcnews.com/Techsection/windowfelt.html

details WITH the pics : https://web.archive.org/web/20110820074318/https://www.dmcnews.com/Techsection/windowfelt.html

[Col Bennett]

you might want to change the window wipes to the Ford Probe version. It's a great upgrade and if the originals fail, they will scratch the window
Thanks for the recommendation. I do want to keep my car as original as possible - but this might be a nice upgrade.



details WITH the pics
Nice one!

[Jonathan]

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/2020-05-21_interior_detail_02.jpg


Is that your VIN plate attached to the surface UNDERNEATH the dash? I could have sworn that plate on my car is riveted into the dash and not the surface underneath it.

[Col Bennett]

Is that your VIN plate attached to the surface UNDERNEATH the dash? I could have sworn that plate on my car is riveted into the dash and not the surface underneath it.
Haha. Nope, it's the manual pedal box bracket that sits on top of the fiberglass under the dash. Part #5 from this diagram.

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/2020-05-23_pedal_box.jpg

[CyberBill]

Successfully separated the body from the frame today. My brother-in-law Joe came to help, thankfully. No way it would have happened in one day (roughly 10 hours) without him. We did the poor man's lift using 16"x8"x4" and 16"x8"x8" cinder blocks,

My entire body is aching, every muscle feels like its pulled, and after we finished my entire body was covered with dirt... but... there's now a DeLorean body sitting on two furniture dollies and 4x4's, and a DeLorean frame sitting on 4 wheel dollies.

I'll update more in a day or two when I've recovered. :) For now, enjoy a picture of the highest point off the ground we took it, just after rolling the frame out.

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[Jonathan]

Haha. Nope, it's the manual pedal box bracket that sits on top of the fiberglass under the dash. Part #5 from this diagram.

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/2020-05-23_pedal_box.jpg

Good to know. Hadn't realized that was there. Doesn't show one for the auto trans. That part also doesn't come up in the parts list as it goes from #4 to #6 without a #5 being there?


Successfully separated the body from the frame today. My brother-in-law Joe came to help, thankfully. No way it would have happened in one day (roughly 10 hours) without him. We did the poor man's lift using 16"x8"x4" and 16"x8"x8" cinder blocks,

My entire body is aching, every muscle feels like its pulled, and after we finished my entire body was covered with dirt... but... there's now a DeLorean body sitting on two furniture dollies and 4x4's, and a DeLorean frame sitting on 4 wheel dollies.

I'll update more in a day or two when I've recovered. :) For now, enjoy a picture of the highest point off the ground we took it, just after rolling the frame out.

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Wow, bravo. Not for the faint of heart that job there, for a new owner or old.

[mr_maxime]

Thanks for the recommendation. I do want to keep my car as original as possible - but this might be a nice upgrade.


DMC has repros made from new material. Looks stock but the fuzzy bit won't separate. I've got them in my car.

https://store.delorean.com/p-9765-power-window-inner-wipe-seal.aspx

[Riley88]

DMC has repros made from new material. Looks stock but the fuzzy bit won't separate. I've got them in my car.

https://store.delorean.com/p-9765-power-window-inner-wipe-seal.aspx

I can attest to these. The original glue in my car obviously had hardened long ago, and caused what fuzz was on it to become very sharp. Both of my windows were scratched due to it. I ended up replacing the glass on both sides for the tollbooth and redoing that rub strip and now its great. A solid investment if you don't want your window's all scratched up. Replacing the tollbooth isnt hard, but it isnt fun.

[mr_maxime]

Successfully separated the body from the frame today. My brother-in-law Joe came to help, thankfully. No way it would have happened in one day (roughly 10 hours) without him. We did the poor man's lift using 16"x8"x4" and 16"x8"x8" cinder blocks,

My entire body is aching, every muscle feels like its pulled, and after we finished my entire body was covered with dirt... but... there's now a DeLorean body sitting on two furniture dollies and 4x4's, and a DeLorean frame sitting on 4 wheel dollies.

I'll update more in a day or two when I've recovered. :) For now, enjoy a picture of the highest point off the ground we took it, just after rolling the frame out.

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Seeing the rear on jacks sitting on cinder blocks stresses me out lol. Personally, I'd put it on something solid. When i did mine, I just had home depot chop me up a bunch of 4x6 wooden beams.

[CyberBill]

Seeing the rear on jacks sitting on cinder blocks stresses me out lol. Personally, I'd put it on something solid. When i did mine, I just had home depot chop me up a bunch of 4x6 wooden beams.

Haha, you're not the only one! This picture opportunity was very short lived, we put the 4x4 on jacks, jacked up the rear off of the jack stands and cinder blocks, rolled the car out, took pictures, and then immediately put the jack stands back in place and began lowering it down. :)

I'm really trying to devise a plan so that next time I can take the car to DIY shop where I can rent a lift for an hour... It was very sketchy. And cinder blocks are really heavy.

[nkemp]

Successfully separated the body from the frame today. My brother-in-law Joe came to help, thankfully. No way it would have happened in one day (roughly 10 hours) without him. We did the poor man's lift using 16"x8"x4" and 16"x8"x8" cinder blocks,


I used a different but similar approach. Did it myself. Not terrible difficult but you will get your 10,000 steps in. You only want to lift a point a bit to avoid twisting the body. My process:

4x4's under the body like yours
jack stays on the floor (I had one jack and had to go back and forth, side to side, front to back)
scrap 2x6's on side between the jack and the 4x4 to get enough lift
blocks, jack stands, wood between the floor and the 4x4 when more scrap 2x6's needed to be added or when working other points


Just kept working the points, adding a bit of height (not too much) and moving to the next point. Mine
never felt scary. The 4x4's were never more than a couple inches from the solid support under them

Then


the body went up
the frame rolled out
the snowmobile trailer went under
blocks of wood blocked the body to get the 4x4's out
the trailer was rolled away for storage until the frame was repaired.
Reversed the process to reassemble the car


FWIW, to remove the engine and transmission

I made a wooden swing set in the garage like found at most Home Depot like stores (I used the set's brackets for lateral support)
reinforced the top beam because I had the 2x4 lumber. I simply set a couple 2x4's on top the top beam and tied them in place

I think I used a 4x4 for the top beam because it was cheaper than the 4x6 in the set plans


Bought a chain hoist to lift the engine (come along was to scary to use)
rolled the frame out.
rolled a home made dolly under the engine and transmission
Rolled the dolly out of the way until reassembly
reversed the process for reassembly

[CyberBill]

the snowmobile trailer went under
blocks of wood blocked the body to get the 4x4's out


That's fantastic! I've been wondering how I could do something similar! If I could get the body on a trailer, I could store it for a month or two while I fix up the frame, and have full use of the garage... AND I could also use a DIY shop's lift for $50 when I'm ready to undo the process. Personally, $50 is a way better deal than 2+ hours of hard labor. :)

How did you secure the body to the snowmobile trailer for transit?

[nkemp]

How did you secure the body to the snowmobile trailer for transit?

I only moved the body across the garage/shop so I didn't secure it. Make sure it front loads the trailer so the tongue doesn't tip up dumping the body. I put the engine end towards the trailer tongue. I don't recall for sure but I think I moved it by hand.

Without thinking about it a lot (as such, this may be a batch of bad ideas :-) and there may be better ideas), I think I'd use eye-bolts (or hooks) through the body to frame mounting points (eyes on down side). Then use those four points to secure to the trailer. If trailering across town, secure the tie-downs DOWN and also ACROSS the trailer so it doesn't slide sideways. Cross the tiedowns across the trailer. Also make sure it can't slide front and back. In other words, I wouldn't go to far without being comfortable that the body wouldn't slide front, back or side to side. If it is only months, I'd definitely store onsite. It should be able to stay outside without damage.

[Ron]

Just a warning- Make sure your louvers are not attached if you haul/tow them facing backwards.
(They WILL fly; exceedingly well before 88 MPH ;-)

[Jonathan]

I've always liked the look of the wide stripes on the car and recently just got myself a set. I finished installing them yesterday and am really happy with the outcome. The slight variations and imperfections in both the positioning of the rub strips and the cut of the stripes themselves mean there are spots that aren't precisely where they likely should be, but hey, that's life with these cars.

I really like the mix of black and gray and silver that my car has now. On the interior especially. Suits me well.

638036380163802

[Michael]

I've always liked the look of the wide stripes on the car and recently just got myself a set. I finished installing them yesterday and am really happy with the outcome. The slight variations and imperfections in both the positioning of the rub strips and the cut of the stripes themselves mean there are spots that aren't precisely where they likely should be, but hey, that's life with these cars.

I really like the mix of black and gray and silver that my car has now. On the interior especially. Suits me well.

638036380163802

My interior he same. Even though I didn't score a manual when I found my car, al least the interior was just how I wanted it. I have been batting around the idea of a stripe.

[cis6409]

Got a chance to finish off the starter motors. Never got round to sorting my Paris rhone starter when it eventually gave up - Just needed a new solenoid. So redone both.

[Victor]

I've always liked the look of the wide stripes on the car and recently just got myself a set. I finished installing them yesterday and am really happy with the outcome. The slight variations and imperfections in both the positioning of the rub strips and the cut of the stripes themselves mean there are spots that aren't precisely where they likely should be, but hey, that's life with these cars.

I really like the mix of black and gray and silver that my car has now. On the interior especially. Suits me well.

638036380163802

Very beautiful! I do prefer a black interior over a gray. If the gray was lighter, it would be more interesting...

And I like your door sill with negative stainless logo. Where did you get it?

[Jonathan]

Very beautiful! I do prefer a black interior over a gray. If the gray was lighter, it would be more interesting...

And I like your door sill with negative stainless logo. Where did you get it?

Thanks!

That full negative sill piece was from DMC Midwest all the way back to 2011. Dave and Julee had a somewhat separate page or section of the main Midwest website with a few of their own unique parts. The Joe Cool thing was on there if I remember correctly and some other stuff too. I'm not sure if any of the DMC vendors have those kinds of pages anymore. I wish it was easier to find as there's some really great stuff out there that isn't on any websites. Not obvious anyway. Not sure where you would get that same sill part nowadays?

[Quinn]

I realize this will get mixed reactions, after having posted it on the Norcal Delorean FB homepage. But here it is, I recently installed this Discs-of-Tron arcade game inspired joystick shifter in my Delorean. Even wired in a few LEDs to make it glow. It's surprisingly comfortable and reversible back to stock configuration, if I get tired of it someday.

638586385963860

[Lwanmtr]

I realize this will get mixed reactions, after having posted it on the Norcal Delorean FB homepage. But here it is, I recently installed this Discs-of-Tron arcade game inspired joystick shifter in my Delorean. Even wired in a few LEDs to make it glow. It's surprisingly comfortable and reversible back to stock configuration, if I get tired of it someday.

638586385963860


Thats kinda neat..hehe

[Michael]

I realize this will get mixed reactions, after having posted it on the Norcal Delorean FB homepage. But here it is, I recently installed this Discs-of-Tron arcade game inspired joystick shifter in my Delorean. Even wired in a few LEDs to make it glow. It's surprisingly comfortable and reversible back to stock configuration, if I get tired of it someday.

638586385963860


Even though I wouldn't do it to mine, that is COOL AF!

[mr_maxime]

The tron shifter reminds me of the vector w2 interior

http://www.newdesignfile.com/postpic/2013/05/vector-w2_276943.jpg

[Riley88]

Local club, all 3 of us took a 180+ Mile road trip to...eat lunch and just enjoy the day. made a small album https://imgur.com/gallery/MBpyYG3

[Jonathan]

Local club, all 3 of us took a 180+ Mile road trip to...eat lunch and just enjoy the day. made a small album https://imgur.com/gallery/MBpyYG3

Whose car is the DELOR81 Virginia plate? Wow are those some big tires! What tire sizes/suspension lowering has that car got? Looks PHAT... lol, as the kids say! :)

[Riley88]

Whose car is the DELOR81 Virginia plate? Wow are those some big tires! What tire sizes/suspension lowering has that car got? Looks PHAT... lol, as the kids say! :)
he is a non forum user, his car is ridiculous. I cant say much out of respect for his privacy, but he has an incredible sound system he built in there, loudest thing ive ever heard. he also has the car on an air suspension he built, thats fully remote so he can raise and lower outside of the car, and its pretty much immaculate. Some photos you can see he has it down, some its up. he is running some pretty big tires too.

[skywalker77]

Good afternoon everyone, can someone please help me out with this project. I purchased SEM paint to repaint my louvers and I don't know if I should take them off, leave them on and should I primer first or just paint over. They are not bad, just wanted to tackle a project. Thanks in advance.

[Lwanmtr]

Good afternoon everyone, can someone please help me out with this project. I purchased SEM paint to repaint my louvers and I don't know if I should take them off, leave them on and should I primer first or just paint over. They are not bad, just wanted to tackle a project. Thanks in advance.

They are probably easier to remove than to tape and paper the car. Removing and installing them can be done by one person too..so its not an evil task.

[skywalker77]

They are probably easier to remove than to tape and paper the car. Removing and installing them can be done by one person too..so its not an evil task.

Thank you, what about primering first?

[Lwanmtr]

Thank you, what about primering first?

If youre using SEM Trim Black you dont need to prime..but it cant hurt either. I didnt prime my whole louvre, just areas that I repaired.

[skywalker77]

If youre using SEM Trim Black you dont need to prime..but it cant hurt either. I didnt prime my whole louvre, just areas that I repaired.

Perfect, thank you. I may prime because I have the time. Did you scuff up the louvers with a 3M pad as well? I was reading of people doing that, just want to make sure I am doing it right.

[Lwanmtr]

Perfect, thank you. I may prime because I have the time. Did you scuff up the louvers with a 3M pad as well? I was reading of people doing that, just want to make sure I am doing it right.

Mine were already pretty scuffed n worn, didnt have to do much in that respect..but doing a little bit is fine. The kind of primer I like is a filler primer because it will fill in small imperfections.

[nkemp]

Thank you, what about primering first?

Priming may change the texture giving it a smoother finish. I've heard that it works to spray farther away than normal from the louver so that the paint goes on a bit dryer. And not to saturate it. That way you may get the same texture as original.

If you don't care about maintaining the finish, than you could prime it but that is simply more work and more chance for mistakes (such as runs).

[CyberBill]

I've spent the last few days wrestling with getting the transmission out. I figured it would be a lot easier with the body off, but no.. not really.

The transmission is currently completely unplugged and unmounted, but stuck to the engine. It may be stuck due to one of the bell housing bolts snapping off and it being pretty rusted in there. I may need to pick up some pry bars or something, and look up the pry points.

In addition to the bell housing bolt head snapping off, I also had a torque converter bolt head round off, so I had to use a cut off wheel to cut it out, and then used a punch to push the torque convert back a bit. A transmission mount bolt also snapped in half. What's really weird is that, with the exception of the torque converter bolts that were all nasty stuck, the other bolts to get this far were pretty straight forward and easy. I do question the design of the transmission mounts, though... basically impossible to get the 'hidden' 3rd bolt on either side out, so I took the entire mount off from either side. I'm pretty sure that wouldn't have been possible with the body on, because there are bolts on the outside of the frame that weren't welded in, so they just spun until I put a wrench on both sides.

Also, this frame is so nasty and dirty - I can't wait to get it stripped and cleaned.

[MrChocky]

Drove 6791 for the first time today.

Mainly just getting used to driving it, but working on a list of things to do. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200603/7819e9e326deeb687676490b1c4fc33b.jpg

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk

[Riley88]

Drove 6791 for the first time today.

Mainly just getting used to driving it, but working on a list of things to do. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200603/7819e9e326deeb687676490b1c4fc33b.jpg

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk

Hey you got a car and that interior looks fantastic, congrats man! So sick!

[MrChocky]

Hey you got a car and that interior looks fantastic, congrats man! So sick!

Thanks! It does. There's a tiny crack on the dash, and if you start to look too close, you can notice things, but it's really in great shape. Trying not to ruin it ;-)

I have the receipts to the dawn of time (well, 1998) - about 40K I think was spent on over owners 1 and 2 (I'm 4th) including addition and then removal of BTTF parts. It has DPI exhaust and adjustable shocks.

[Iznodmad]

Thanks! It does. There's a tiny crack on the dash, and if you start to look too close, you can notice things, but it's really in great shape. Trying not to ruin it ;-)

I have the receipts to the dawn of time (well, 1998) - about 40K I think was spent on over owners 1 and 2 (I'm 4th) including addition and then removal of BTTF parts. It has DPI exhaust and adjustable shocks.

This car sounds extremely familiar. The 1998 date you menntion starts in NJ, car makes its way to NC (6XXX) miles or so (owner DM), he kept it many years. The car is a 6XXX Nov 81 build. Thru a couple DeLorean flippers and now to you? Am I right?

[MrChocky]

This car sounds extremely familiar. The 1998 date you menntion starts in NJ, car makes its way to NC (6XXX) miles or so (owner DM), he kept it many years. The car is a 6XXX Nov 81 build. Thru a couple DeLorean flippers and now to you? Am I right?No. Similar, but I think we're talking about different cars. The car has spent much of its life in PA.

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk

[CyberBill]

Had a lot of time to work on getting the engine and transmission disassembled today, but still no luck getting them separated. I've got some pics to show people the issue, this is zooming in on the bolt in question:

638786387763879

I can use a pry bar on the passenger side of the transmission and get probably 1/4" - 1/2" of space. But the right (driver) side is stuck solid. I'm 99% sure that it's because this bolt is seized, even though its a smooth bore and not threaded on the transmission side.

So far I've tried:

Pry bars - including jiggling and bouncing it around
Grabbing the transmission and moving it side to side
Dropping the transmission down very low on the transmission jack
Propane torch, heat up the area around the bolt for about 5 minutes (I have a MAP gas torch, but am currently out of gas, will probably get some later)
Drilled the bolt and used an Easy Out - which almost immediately broke off, and required me to use a punch and hammer to get it out. I'll be upgrading to a new set that's made for larger bolts.
Used a punch and hammer on the bolt
Went to the back of the car and used a long socket extension and hammer to push on the bell housing on the passenger side
Smacking it around with a dead blow mallet
WD 40 Rust Penetrant, PB Blaster, Knocker Loose - been applying all sorts of stuff to it every few hours that I'm awake.
Cursing


I've undone all of the stuff required to take the engine out (except the mounts), and I've got the hoist ready to go, so I may end up taking them out together and then trying to beat on it once it's out of the frame. Would love some tips if anybody has one! Also, the more I see of the frame, the more I start thinking about getting a new one. It is not in good shape, in a lot of places.

[MrChocky]

No. Similar, but I think we're talking about different cars. The car has spent much of its life in PA.

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk

Here's as much history as I know right now:

Dealer in Lansing, MI.

October 1998, letter to what seems to be the original owner from DeLorean One, for restoration work totaling $14K. Car has 20K miles.
Followup in February 1999
April followup for additional work at $3600 and parts at $2700.

September 2008 - invoice for sale to next owner in Philadelphia, PA.
The invoice includes work with "engine out bead blast detail, refinish engine" etc. Work done
here is $5.5K. It's not clear who sold it.

October 2008 - work done by Eastern PA repair shop - $5800, $2700
November 2008 - $4300, $4500, $4800
January 2009 - $4600
February 2009 - $2600
April 2009 - $260

Also from January 2009, a professional appraisal for $45K. The list of conditions items is all 9 or 10.
"An outstanding example, much better than average. Clean. Very low original milage, Professional
maintenance since new, show quality". The car has 21888 miles at this point.

Sold to PJ Grady in October 2009.
Sold to PO sometime in 2011.

PO added DPI exhaust and shocks and other maintenance - about $7K worth.

Sold to me May 2020.


What's curious about the 2008/2009 work is much mention of BTTF items, especially
much mention of the "plutonium panel". It looks like the work included removal of the
BTTF items which had previously been added - obviously the car had been returned
to near concours for the appraisal.

[FABombjoy]

Dealer in Lansing, MI.
Capitol Cadillac, still in business but under a different name.

A friend of mine worked the parts counter and found some original binders, including these service procedures manual which I scanned awhile back:
https://archive.org/details/DeLoreanMotorCompanyDealerServiceProceduresManual

[CyberBill]

I got the engine and transmission removed from the frame!! Only missed one hose, which was a coolant line coming from the overflow tank. I learned some things - first was that you can get stainless steel carabiners (or similar) that can hold 1800 pounds, which work really great to hold the load balancer chains to the lift rings on the engine. Second, since the engine and transmission weigh about 750 pounds, its best to stick the engine hoist out there - mine is rated for 1-ton, and I set it at the 3/4 ton spot. I wish I would have put it at the 1/2 ton spot, because when I lifted the engine up high it started to rub on the hoist itself.

Once out, I was able to take off the two little plates that have to come off in order to separate the engine and transmission, and since both are present I will assume that the transmission has never been removed from the engine.

The transmission is still stuck to the engine, though. :( I got some MAPP gas and tried heating up the area around the stuck bolt, but that wasn't successful. I can get quite a large gap (1/2") on the passenger side, and a small 1/8" gap on the drivers side, so it's definitely just that bolt. I also tried using an SDS hammer drill set to hammer mode to try and punch out the bolt, but that didn't work either. This damn bolt is really stuck in there!!

[mr_maxime]

Those little plates really messed with me. Didn't look like they held anything together. Once I got them off, I finally was able to separate the engine and transmission. I used a transmission jack to get it out, then I pulled the engine. Didn't have space to take both out together.

[CyberBill]

Those little plates really messed with me. Didn't look like they held anything together. Once I got them off, I finally was able to separate the engine and transmission. I used a transmission jack to get it out, then I pulled the engine. Didn't have space to take both out together.

Did you put them back? From what I've read, not everybody does. I guess they are a pain in the ass to get to while in the frame, and most people don't bother putting them back on. Even the sensor on the driver's side plate isn't even used except through the diagnostic port.

[er1c]

Just completed this as well.

Transmission still attached...

63890

63891

63892

I would hate to have attempted this with the body on.

[mr_maxime]

I didn't put the plates back cause I'm going electric with my car.

Pulling the engine and transmission out really isn't that bad with the body on. I was able to do it and I didn't know jack shit about cars when I first bought mine 5 years ago. The worst parts were that stupid plate that I didn't realize held the engine and transmission togethern and the connection between the driver side exhaust manifold and the crossover. Once I had the plate removed, the transmission easily separated. The exhaust was just hard cause I really needed a 2nd person to keep the nuts from spinning. I had to wedge a wrench on the frame to I could hold the nut while using a ratchet.

[CyberBill]

Just completed this as well.

Transmission still attached...

I would hate to have attempted this with the body on.

Nice! What's the plan with the restoration? New frame?

[mr_maxime]

I'm working on this

https://imgur.com/a/Ck7IXOi

[CyberBill]

I didn't put the plates back cause I'm going electric with my car.

Pulling the engine and transmission out really isn't that bad with the body on. I was able to do it and I didn't know jack shit about cars when I first bought mine 5 years ago. The worst parts were that stupid plate that I didn't realize held the engine and transmission togethern and the connection between the driver side exhaust manifold and the crossover. Once I had the plate removed, the transmission easily separated. The exhaust was just hard cause I really needed a 2nd person to keep the nuts from spinning. I had to wedge a wrench on the frame to I could hold the nut while using a ratchet.

I'm also going EV with my DMC, but that's a longer time frame project, so I have to put my engine and transmission back in for at least a few months. I've had many conversations in my head about scrapping that interim setup, since this process of dealing with the engine and transmission has been a pain!!

[mburshtain]

Yesterday afternoon, I fired up the engine and took it for a test drive. It really drives great after replacing the spark plugs, spark wires, distributor cap, rotor arm and cleaned the injectors. I wiped everything as best as I could and zinc coated some parts.

I'm sharing some photos I took yesterday.
63896638976389863899

[SBL]

I installed this battery switch. I favor hefty purely mechanical switches. No chance for even small current drains, no latching relays, no need to reach far back into the battery compartment to the negative terminal, etc.

This one from Fastronix (#303-001) supposedly can handle 1000 amps intermittently and 180 amps continuous. It is quite beefy, but fits in the compartment on the right hand side.

63900

63901

[er1c]

Nice! What's the plan with the restoration? New frame?

No, I did consider that but I would like to keep the original, there is a chap in the UK who builds frames from scratch (interestingly he is building himself a stainless one) I have had it acid dipped to get rid of the rubbish and its now with him to fix it up, I think it will need a new front extension section and looks like it took a bump at some point so he will sort the rear out. Then hopefully get it galvanised and powder coated in the original colour.

[CyberBill]

The past few days I spent cleaning up the garage and working on tearing down the frame. Today it was finally nice enough that I rolled the engine and transmission out of the way, then pulled the frame into the driveway and pressure washed it. TONS of dirt and nasty crap came off, plus probably a pound of epoxy chips. I then took this chance to walk around the frame and inspect all of the areas of rust:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcTgm-ec3XM

Would love to hear people's thoughts on the state of the frame.

[DrJeff]

I wanted a new instrument cluster lens for my electric conversion. The prior lens was a little scratched up, but with my new digital display I wanted it to be perfect. I also wanted to not have a hole in the lens for the trip counter reset.

I bought a 3mm thick transparent acrylic sheet ($28). I then used a jig saw to cut the sheet to the right shape while flat. I didn't use a paper template, but that would have been easier! I cut a 45 degree edge (40 degrees may have been closer to the original) in a piece of wood and used a heat gun to slowly heat the acrylic up so that I could bend it around the wood. You have to heat it slowly to avoid bubbles forming in the acrylic. It took about 5 minutes before the acrylic got hot enough. I did the bottom edge first, and then fitted it to the instrument cluster to see where to place the fold in the upper part of the lens. I drilled-measured-drilled-measured the holes, starting with the holes along the bottom, and then once screwed in checking the position for the holes at the top. The top also needs holes for positioning pins.

Lots and lots of care needed to get the measurements right and not damage the lens in the process of making it (ask me how I know :).

Jeff

[CyberBill]

I wanted a new instrument cluster lens for my electric conversion. ...

Jeff

I'm very excited to see how your project turns out - the binnacle looks great from the pictures you posted in the TesLorean thread!! Do you think going with the dual 9" displays was the right call, or do you have any learnings from it? Like you, I am doing an EV conversion, and like you my first thought was to drive the stock instrument cluster with an Arduino or other microcontroller, but seeing your new setup I definitely think you're headed in the right direction. There are just so many things I don't particularly like about the stock instrument cluster. And of course there are a lot of things that don't make sense in an EV conversion.

[mr_maxime]

Got the washer bottle model done except for the threads. Not super close cause it's not a precision part.

https://i.imgur.com/GFo8W3L.jpg?1
https://i.imgur.com/anb5iIp.jpg?1

[Lwanmtr]

Got the washer bottle model done except for the threads. Not super close cause it's not a precision part.

https://i.imgur.com/GFo8W3L.jpg?1
https://i.imgur.com/anb5iIp.jpg?1

How are you planning to do the thread and get it the same?

[mr_maxime]

How are you planning to do the thread and get it the same?

Do a cross section of the pipe. Havent done threads like that yet, but I dont imagine it'd be too hard compared to the rest and the parts I've done for work.

Here's a shot from the scanning software and the references I use to make the model.
https://i.imgur.com/S5MuFmM.jpg?1

[iflights]

Changed engine oil, ATF fluid, and Final Drive oil. ATF and gear oil ran clear. Sending sample of engine oil to Blackstone to get an analysis as I always do.

Met another talk member, DukeNukeIt as he stopped by after seeing my car on the lift.

[Lwanmtr]

Today I put parts on my car, instead of taking them off.... I put on the new buffer strips for the louvre (ok..I assumed thats where they go, cause they fit just right).

63952

[CyberBill]

Spent the weekend continuing to tear down the frame - almost done!

The only items left on the frame are:

Brake lines on the rear
Radius arms / trailing arms (bolts are frozen, stuck to the trailing arm)
Fuel accumulator
Shifter & linkage
Steering rack
Engine mounts
All the little plastic clips and things


The suspension came off fairly easily, but there are a couple of stuck bolts. The bolts on the rear hubs that connect to the lower support arm - it's solidly stuck on both sides. My trailing arm bolts are also locked up, so I haven't been able to remove the trailing arms. Also, the flexible brake lines in the rear that connect between the frame and the trailing arms? Terribly rusted together and the little mounts for them just bend when I try to hit them loose. I got one on the frame side loose by smashing it with a hammer about a hundred times.

I'm hoping that I can get all of the remaining parts removed this week in the evenings.

Another thing I've been doing is reaching out to places to try and find options for getting the frame stripped of epoxy - either chemically dipped, sandblasted, or burnt, and then galvanized and powder coated. I found one place in Eugene, OR (~5 hours drive away from me, in Seattle) that does chemical dipping - and they are the closest option! I may send them a trailing arm or piece of the front frame extension as a test. For sandblasting and powder coating, I have tons of options - one place quoted me $120/hr for sandblasting and said it would probably take 4 hours if it works. I've searched high and low for some place with an oven, but there's nothing here. For galvanizing, there is a place about 30 minutes North of me, and another 30 minutes South, that I'm waiting to hear back from.

[DMC5180]

Decided to fix this issue

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200622/ddd1a66388a3ad7abb3fc411c22f8b4c.jpg

The boot is about 23 years old from PJ Grady. Other than the tear around the outer rim, it didn’t show any signs of rubber disintegration within the fuel tank. The inside of the tank was remarkably clean. Only a couple pieces of foreign debris.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200622/afc240ce662fbf0d5d5a352b015b4800.jpg

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200622/31d306895d5c0058327f32ed29338d23.jpg

All wiped clean

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200622/6ab90b68be6a6547963c15038ae2d8a5.jpg

I opted to install the integrated fuel pump module.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200622/bb37bdf506944eb1eba0b698b8a73881.jpg

No issues installing the access panel.

[Riley88]

Changed out the fuel accumulator on my buddies DeLorean. Wasn't too bad if you have all the tools you need.

[ritztoys]

@ DMC5180,

Did the fuel pump assembly fit(as you said) without lifting the access panel when all was re-assembled and screwed down?

So you didn't have to cut/modify anything in replacing your fuel pump with the modern replacement?

TIA

[DMC5180]

@ DMC5180,

Did the fuel pump assembly fit(as you said) without lifting the access panel when all was re-assembled and screwed down?

So you didn't have to cut/modify anything in replacing your fuel pump with the modern replacement?

TIA

I didn’t modify anything. Just installed the cover per the method in the instructions.

The cover does make hard contact with the pump. You install the 3 front bottom screws first then push down and back on the cover to install the top center screw. From there I just went outward alternating in both directions with the screw installation. I went for 35 mile drive and didn’t notice any induced vibrations from the fuel pump hard contact. It is important to clock the pump in the right position for the least amount of hard contact. I have seen a pump module installed that the cover couldn’t be installed due to an odd fitting in the top of the unit in the flat area in front of the connection bosses. It was also on a carbureted car. So who knows where the pump was sourced from.

The fuel tank plastic, so it wouldn’t surprise me if the tank flexed down slightly as I pushed down on the cover during installation.

[ritztoys]

@ DMC5180,

Thanks for your reply. My fuel pump assembly is currently working quite well(for now). This pump in my car is my second one in my 27 years of ownership.

Really just doing research for when 'that day' occurs, I don't like having my car mechanically down for any length of time.

[mhanch]

@ DMC5180,
I don't like having my car mechanically down for any length of time.

Allow me to share with you a sad truth about classic British Automobiles.....

:)

[DMC5180]

@ DMC5180,

Thanks for your reply. My fuel pump assembly is currently working quite well(for now). This pump in my car is my second one in my 27 years of ownership.

Really just doing research for when 'that day' occurs, I don't like having my car mechanically down for any length of time.

Yeah, my 2001 Bosch pump worked fine. That wasn’t the issue, I had a torn cover and mounting boot. I could have just replaced those and been fine. I just chose to upgrade to the integrated style to see if it helps reduce the hot fuel noise that was quite loud during low fuel conditions.

[nkemp]

... the hot fuel noise that was quite loud ...

I thought that was the tell-tail indicator that the fuel pump was working. :)

[DMC5180]

I thought that was the tell-tail indicator that the fuel pump was working. :)

So true [emoji23]

I prefer a running engine as my pump indicator [emoji6]

[Col Bennett]

My original door panels looked great, but the backing boards were totally busted at the fir-tree holes so I decided to buy a set of new NOS panels a few years ago. As I’m sure you all know by now, NOS doesn't mean perfect. They arrived with marks on the vinyl from 39 years of storage. Minor, but you know me - not perfect.

I was bummed. I originally planned to sell them on and repair my backing boards with fiberglass - BUT, you know, if you're gonna perfect your car properly, why not do it with some style.

Tri-Valley Auto Interiors in Pleasanton (California) took on the job of swapping the vinyl from my original panels over to the NOS boards - and also restored the padding too. Thanks to local owner Sandy for the recommendation!

Absolutely gorgeous work. The best of both worlds. My original door vinyl with brand new boards and glorious spongey padding - just like it rolled off the lot in 81.

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/2020-06-24_door_panels_01.jpg

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/2020-06-24_door_panels_02.jpg

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/2020-06-24_door_panels_03.jpg

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/2020-06-24_door_panels_04.jpg

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/2020-06-24_door_panels_05.jpg

[mr_maxime]

Looks awesome. Did they originally have that much padding? Cause mine look deflated in comparison

[Col Bennett]

Looks awesome. Did they originally have that much padding? Cause mine look deflated in comparison

They did.

As far as I can tell, most door panels these days will look totally flat because the foam will have disintegrated into black powder over the past 39 years. If yours haven't, try pressing on them and you'll hear the foam squish and turn to powder. Actually, scratch that - don't press them. That's a bad idea if they still look nice.

Mine were flat too, and the NOS panels I got from DMCH we're also flat. I believe the same foam was used on original leather seat covers - again turning to a black sandy powder.

I'm sure there's plenty of better references, but here's a few quick ones from a fairly obscure movie…

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/2020-06-24_bttf_reference_01.jpg

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/2020-06-24_bttf_reference_02.jpg

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/2020-06-24_bttf_reference_03.jpg

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/2020-06-24_bttf_reference_04.jpg

[mr_maxime]

I actually like it better that way. I got some eventual interior refresh I'll have to do. Probably get those done with the seats.

[Col Bennett]

I actually like it better that way. I got some eventual interior refresh I'll have to do. Probably get those done with the seats.

Totally. It's one of those things that once you see it returned to its original look, there's no going back. It looks and feels great. It's so nice to have a sense of squishiness to the panels. Feels a lot more premium than the flat boards for sure. Well worth doing - and doing properly. Cheers!

[DMC5180]

Totally. It's one of those things that once you see it returned to its original look, there's no going back. It looks and feels great. It's so nice to have a sense of squishiness to the panels. Feels a lot more premium than the flat boards for sure. Well worth doing - and doing properly. Cheers!

They look great. But how did they put new foam in. Did they remove all the stitching, then bond a new foam filler in, carefully re-stitch over the existing stitch pattern? Or, did they simply cut foam inserts and slide them in between the original stitched rows? Is the new foam a better type? The original was PVC foam. Surely a more modern replacement was used.

[louielouie2000]

They look great. But how did they put new foam in. Did they remove all the stitching, then bond a new foam filler in, carefully re-stitch over the existing stitch pattern? Or, did they simply cut foam inserts and slide them in between the original stitched rows? Is the new foam a better type? The original was PVC foam. Surely a more modern replacement was used.

The part I bolded is how I've seen this done before. Basically the vinyl skin is just glued onto the backer boards around the edges. Once you peel the vinyl off the backer boards, you can open up the individual "channels" in the vinyl and remove the old foam dust, slide new foam into the channels, then just glue the edges of the vinyl back onto the backer boards (using many clamps around the edges to keep the vinyl in place while the glue dries). There used to be a blog that showed a step by step how to do this... but I can't seem to locate it.

In any event, I *LOVE* seeing when restorations go to this extent. Thanks to Darren Decker, I have an unchecked OCD obsession when it comes to proper DeLorean cosmetics haha.

[Col Bennett]

They look great.
Thank you!


Once you peel the vinyl off the backer boards, you can open up the individual "channels" in the vinyl and remove the old foam dust, slide new foam into the channels, then just glue the edges of the vinyl back onto the backer boards.
Thanks! - and yes, spot on. That's how it's done.

Oh, and maybe this is the article you were thinking of…
https://timemachine16606.tumblr.com/post/164973543326/door-card-restoration

[louielouie2000]

Thanks! - and yes, spot on. That's how it's done.

Oh, and maybe this is the article you were thinking of…
https://timemachine16606.tumblr.com/post/164973543326/door-card-restoration

That's the one! I'll have to bookmark this for later use, thanks for sharing the link!

As a side note, I sometimes wonder if vendors take the time to eyeball parts before shipping them. Maybe they figure only a small percentage of people are particular enough to send items back for quality/condition issues, and just roll the dice.

[DMCMW Dave]

As a side note, I sometimes wonder if vendors take the time to eyeball parts before shipping them. Maybe they figure only a small percentage of people are particular enough to send items back for quality/condition issues, and just roll the dice.

Quite honestly, with NOS parts, especially "soft goods" at this point there isn't much choice. NOS parts have been stored and picked over for a very long time, and they will not throw away remaining parts that are "defective" as they are better than nothing and probably restorable to a better condition than a full reproduction. Full reproduction of parts like this would be insanely complex and expensive to come anywhere near the quality of the originals. The OP didn't mention the cost of having these re-mounted and foamed, but I'll bet it wasn't cheap.

If you happened to have a situation where someone gutted or damaged the car and you need the panels, you'd be happy to have these. If you want perfection you'll have to refurbish them. If the NOS vendor was to refurb parts like this the prices would likely more than double. Maybe an option would be multi-tiered pricing (restored and non-restored), but that's a lot of extra work for some pretty slow moving inventory. I recall seeing notations on some parts that condition may be variable, maybe that should be added to these as well.

[CyberBill]

My frame is now completely disassembled!!

Last night and today I removed the steering rack and trailing arms, which were the last few pieces. I've also decided on a new frame - going stainless steel from DeLorean Industries. I suspect it'll take a few weeks before I have it. I kind of went all out and got coilovers front and rear, new stainless brake and fuel lines, SPEC 'outriggers', etc. If anyone is looking for a replacement, or a secondary frame to fix up, I will be selling this one for cheap soon!

In the meantime, I've got a pile of parts from the old frame that will make their way to the new frame that I need to go through and fix up or replace. Anything staying will get stripped down, sandblasted, and powder coated. The lower control arms will get boxed in, too.

If anyone has any suggestions for specific things that should be done while the frame is bare and the engine and transmission are out, I'm all ears! :)

[Bitsyncmaster]

I made a one inch thick foam box today to do some testing of my fan fail and other units as needed. My warming plate which I use when I pot with epoxy to heat the molds only has an 80 watt heater so my box needed to cover the one foot square aluminum plate to get high temperature tests. I was able to get one tested to 160 deg. F with a foam cooler from the dollar store but that was the limit because it left to much of that top plate exposed.

[L3V3L1]

My frame is now completely disassembled!!

Last night and today I removed the steering rack and trailing arms, which were the last few pieces. I've also decided on a new frame - going stainless steel from DeLorean Industries. I suspect it'll take a few weeks before I have it. I kind of went all out and got coilovers front and rear, new stainless brake and fuel lines, SPEC 'outriggers', etc. If anyone is looking for a replacement, or a secondary frame to fix up, I will be selling this one for cheap soon!

In the meantime, I've got a pile of parts from the old frame that will make their way to the new frame that I need to go through and fix up or replace. Anything staying will get stripped down, sandblasted, and powder coated. The lower control arms will get boxed in, too.

If anyone has any suggestions for specific things that should be done while the frame is bare and the engine and transmission are out, I'm all ears! :)
I would love to follow a project like this on insta, you should start a page!

[nkemp]

My frame is now completely disassembled!!
...
If anyone has any suggestions for specific things that should be done while the frame is bare and the engine and transmission are out, I'm all ears! :)

- Great time to clean and paint the engine bay.
- Clean and protect (dielectric grease at a min.) the ground points during reassembly. DeLorean grounds can be funky.

[mr_maxime]

I now also have my frame nearly fully diassembled, minus one body bolt stuck in a spinning captive nut. Was planning of sandblasting it, but was told it wouldn't work. So I ordered some paint stripper and scrapers.

[Col Bennett]

Tidied up my garage and NOS parts inventory today and realized it's starting to look like a small DMC franchise. :hihi:

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/2020-07-01_parts_collection_01.jpg

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/2020-07-01_parts_collection_02.jpg

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/2020-07-01_parts_collection_03.jpg

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/2020-07-01_parts_collection_04.jpg

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/2020-07-01_parts_collection_05.jpg

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/2020-07-01_parts_collection_06.jpg

[iflights]

Tidied up my garage and NOS parts inventory today and realized it's starting to look like a small DMC franchise.


Going forward we could all refer to your location as DMCCB.

[mr_maxime]

Tidied up my garage and NOS parts inventory today and realized it's starting to look like a small DMC franchise. :hihi:


theres a guy i met in alabama trying to sell a NOS collection of parts if youd like to add to yours lol. luggage rack, windshield washer bottle, wide strip, thin stripe, tail lights and 100s of spark plugs & bulbs.

[CFI]

Tidied up my garage and NOS parts inventory today and realized it's starting to look like a small DMC franchise.

Wow. Are these spare parts for “just in case” or do you just enjoy collecting stuff?

[Col Bennett]

Going forward we could all refer to your location as DMCCB.
Haha!


theres a guy i met in alabama trying to sell a NOS collection of parts if youd like to add to yours lol. luggage rack, windshield washer bottle, wide strip, thin stripe, tail lights and 100s of spark plugs & bulbs.
Thanks, but I think I'm covered there. It's always exciting to stumble upon these cool part stashes.


Wow. Are these spare parts for “just in case” or do you just enjoy collecting stuff?
A bit of both. I recently bought a parts stash specifically for a few rare items, but I'm planning to sell a bunch of parts I don't need to help offset the cost.

[CyberBill]

FINALLY got my engine and transmission separated!!

After about 40 attempts with welding a nut onto the broken bolt, I gave up and decided on a different route. I drilled straight down into the bolt, and used one of the others as a template to know how far down to go so that I wouldn't accidentally drill into the threads in the engine block. It took me about 2 hours of drilling - the woes of Harbor Freight drill bits and a cordless drill - but I finally got it drilled all the way down. Then it was as simple as wiggling the engine and transmission with some pry bars, and I could see the bolt start to recede and a gap opening up. A minute or so of rocking it back and forth it and it finally let go!

Aftermath video here:

https://youtu.be/TfuGHvy6TK0

[SBL]

Since she lives here anyway, thought I should take her to the other side of the house for a few pictures on the beach.

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[CyberBill]

I've done some various things on the DeLorean over the past ~2 weeks:

It took only two tries, and I was able to remove the broken bolt shown in my previous video - used the Flux core welder to weld a nut on to the destroyed bolt. The first time I tried a wrench and it had a good amount of resistance, but then broke. Second attempt I used my weak Ryobi impact driver and it popped right out! The threads seem fine, I cleaned them up and ran a new bolt in and out about a dozen times. With the bolt removed I was able to transfer the engine off the hoist and onto the engine stand. I had never done that, so I had to learn some tricks, but it didn't take too long to get it mounted. I needed the hoist because...

The new stainless frame is scheduled for deliver on Monday!! I think its going to be a bit of an experiment getting the frame unloaded. They told me that the crate wont fit on the lift gate, so I'm going to have a reciprocating saw available to cut open the crate and the hoist available to pick the frame out and lower it onto some dollies. That's the backup, the primary option is to have 4 people available to pick it up and set it down.

The brakes are now completely disassembled to bare components. The parking calipers were a pain - well, specifically just the pin that holds the cover on the parking caliper. It wasn't the stock version with a cotter pin, and I ended up having to get an air hammer pin punch set to get it out. All of the calipers are split and I've taken a wire wheel to them to get the badly chipping paint and gunk off, though I'm really just trying to get the big spots, since it will be sandblasted prior to powder coating.

Similarly, the suspension components and hubs are also getting fully torn down. I'm having some issues with pressing the bushings out, so I am going to drop them off at DeLorean Service Northwest tomorrow to let Toby take care of them. I also found that my rear left hub bearing was replaced with an aftermarket bearing (it was red, so I believe its from Delorean Industries) and for the life of me I can't get it out (that is, I can't get the half shaft out of the hub carrier). The bearing is built like a tank - I've hit it with a hammer, an air chisel, a MAP torch, I've let it soak in penetrant for a WEEK - and the thing still spins like it was brand new!! The stock one took me about 3 seconds to break in half with the air hammer! All I can say is that this replacement one is clearly well made, haha! I'm also quite glad that I'm replacing the stock bearing, because that wheel wasn't spinning freely and I thought it was the brakes, which were definitely stuck, but after I got the caliper off I found out that the bearing was bad - it would spin a bit, then get hard to move, then spin a bit.

Other than that, I've been trying to reorganize the garage and get all the parts moved onto my storage rack so that when the new frame gets here it will have a place to live. I'm also going through all the parts that I pulled off the car and trying to figure which ones need some work before going back on - I think the steering rack, steering mounts, crossover brace, and shift linkage all need some love before I'll allow them back on. Other than the rusty exhaust, no other rust is allowed!

[Delorean Industries]

Our advice as to reduce the risk of damaging if you can't remove the entire crate from the truck is this procedure.

Condensed instructions:

___ Min 4 people to assist
___ Center crate in the truck and remove the lid with t25 torq bit
___ Crate must be center as the cross braces go through the sides of the structure. (these fasteners are standard #2 wood screws)
___ Remove all loose components surrounding the frame
___ Remove the 6 locking blocks that hold the frame to the base (two visible at center section two front two rear at lower cradle/shock tower area)
___ Remove the upper cross braces x3
___ Lift frame vertical and rest on the long edge of the crate (two front two rear)
___ First two people walk out onto liftgate, have driver lower halfway, Step down and other two follow.
___ Don't miss the big flat piece of cardboard beneath the frame. This is the powder-coated tank closing plate
___ Hope the shipping company doesn't expect you to take the crate too.

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[MrChocky]

I've written up a history (as far as I know of) of my car, and keeping notes as I address things:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1poakWigcz8Yi7tyYhnReEIz3cJNwL8yg7Ay6vMhvdTU/edit?usp=sharing

[Riley88]

Went for a drive then dropped her off to have my windshield tinted

[iflights]

Washed 4665 and vacuumed out interior. Getting ready for the drive in movie on Friday. Won't be hard to guess which movie is playing, and I just couldn't miss the chance.

[CyberBill]

Today I checked out of work a little earlier than usual and had everything setup so I could clean up all of my coolant pipes! Some of them have a lot of black gunk on them, and they're just generally in need of a shine before putting on the new frame.

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Then I started cleaning... And I found that every single pipe looked like this:

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Not all of them have pin holes that go all the way through, probably half do. The other half are close to breaching through. I'm guessing there is no saving them? Also, most of the hose clamps are the type that dig into the material, so the hoses that connect everything together are pretty well trashed and are getting replaced with silicone ones.

[Sorry about inverted pictures, by the way - apparently the forum software doesn't understand cell phone rotation]

[Riley88]

Today I checked out of work a little earlier than usual and had everything setup so I could clean up all of my coolant pipes! Some of them have a lot of black gunk on them, and they're just generally in need of a shine before putting on the new frame.

64106

Then I started cleaning... And I found that every single pipe looked like this:

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64107
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64109

Not all of them have pin holes that go all the way through, probably half do. The other half are close to breaching through. I'm guessing there is no saving them? Also, most of the hose clamps are the type that dig into the material, so the hoses that connect everything together are pretty well trashed and are getting replaced with silicone ones.

[Sorry about inverted pictures, by the way - apparently the forum software doesn't understand cell phone rotation]

I have to do this job on my esprit, and they run through the frame so i need to remove my radiator. not looking forward to it. have new ones but bah

[CyberBill]

The stainless steel frame has arrived! I'll do a more proper post and video soon. In the mean time, I've been working on de-rusting all of the things that are going back on the frame, and I've started doing some experiments with electrolysis for rust removal. So far I'm quite happy with the results - and its SUPER CHEAP. For one, I had everything necessary just laying around the garage already with the exception of some Super Washing Soda that cost $4. My first test was one of the exhaust manifolds - I let it sit in there for about 16 hours or so. By the way, I wire wheeled both manifolds before the pictures, they were absolutely horrible looking before.

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I'll call that a win! Up until this point I've been using Evaporust to remove rust, and while it works very well it's also $30/gallon! I'll keep it on hand for cleaning up small things like nuts and bolts. Speaking of which - I also picked up a cheap bench grinder and put a wire wheel on it. It works GREAT for cleaning up rusty threads. I may need to find a better wire wheel, though, because this one shakes the dickens out of my entire work bench when it gets up to speed.

[RIUM+]

My DeLorean hasn't been driven for around a month and a half while I was in hospital, and it was running a bit rough before I went in there so I thought I'd give it a bit of a service when I got out before I first turned the key. I replaced the oil + oil filter, air filter, a bunch of vacuum hoses, the fuel injector seals, and did my best to clean the fuel injectors. This was done by having a bottle of Techron added to 1/4 tank of fuel, and manually jumping the RPM relay to flush it through the fuel injectors at full flow, repeated every few hours for a few days. At the start the spray patterns were a bit rough on a couple on them, but by the end they'd greatly improved! The spray volume comparison test is also now much better; to me this now looks "acceptable" but I'm sure other people on here can tell me if they think my fuel system needs more work.


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[Bitsyncmaster]

My DeLorean hasn't been driven for around a month and a half while I was in hospital, and it was running a bit rough before I went in there so I thought I'd give it a bit of a service when I got out before I first turned the key. I replaced the oil + oil filter, air filter, a bunch of vacuum hoses, the fuel injector seals, and did my best to clean the fuel injectors. This was done by having a bottle of Techron added to 1/4 tank of fuel, and manually jumping the RPM relay to flush it through the fuel injectors at full flow, repeated every few hours for a few days. At the start the spray patterns were a bit rough on a couple on them, but by the end they'd greatly improved! The spray volume comparison test is also now much better; to me this now looks "acceptable" but I'm sure other people on here can tell me if they think my fuel system needs more work.


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Good idea to clean the injectors that way. For flow amount testing, I only push the air plate down about half way. I don't think the engine can ever pull that air plate down fully.

[SS Spoiler]

has anyone ever added a light spring to assist
the air plate pull down rate? I wonder if it would
make for a more responsive acceleration, and a
higher top speed?

[Bitsyncmaster]

has anyone ever added a light spring to assist
the air plate pull down rate? I wonder if it would
make for a more responsive acceleration, and a
higher top speed?

Just install a wideband controller and sensor if you want to run a richer mixture. Your other option is to disengage the lambda and just set the mixture richer.

[FABombjoy]

You can adjust the CPR and lower control pressure which would have the same effect as an assist spring.
Your fueling will oscillate on transients and cold start fuel may be overly rich. Have done this, do not recommend.

A simpler route would be to augment the lambda WOT mod with a load-based option. An adjustable vacuum switch would be a cheap experiment, set for something like 70-90kPa? Keep the WOT switch and add the vacuum switch to detect high-load but non-WOT conditions.

It might feel a little bit jerky on the transition to WOT mode but you'll still have lambda at cruise and at low-loads for better fuel economy.

[Patrick C]

I'm guessing there is no saving them?

Sure there is. Just use longer hoses that are clamped on a better area of the metal. It doesn't matter if the pitted spots are safely encapsulated by the rubber hose.

[mr_maxime]

Coworker gave me a toolbox and I bought a rack, so I started organizing some of her parts and all of my tools.

https://i.imgur.com/x5Agv10.jpg?1

[Lwanmtr]

Organizing is for chumps :)

Much more exciting to wonder where you put that part or tool you know you had

[mr_maxime]

Organizing is for chumps :)

Much more exciting to wonder where you put that part or tool you know you had

I'm still looking for my ratcheting 15mm combo wrench...

[mburshtain]

I’m in the process of assembling my ceramic coated Muffler, exhaust, manifold and crossover pipe.
It’s not an easy project but it will look amazing!
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200809/51ac46cbbecd13267f06f88cc7496a2f.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200809/669500e478b217de2a162f15b7224b00.jpg
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https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200809/eeac1e6acebfd2d9912fe398de033f08.jpg

[Lwanmtr]

I'm still looking for my ratcheting 15mm combo wrench...

A: Its right where you left it..
B: It'll be in the last place you look (cause to keep searching for it after you find it, would be insane)

I always lose 8mm sockets and 13mm wrenches...lol

[CFI]

I put more than 300 miles on the car yesterday, enjoying some nice weather, quiet back roads, and some cool tunes on the radio via Dimitri’s Bluetooth upgrade.

[Midnight Specialist]

Replaced the RPM relay, fan fail, and blower (Dave solid state relays) put LEDs in the dash, new alpine front speakers, new headlight switch, stainless steel DeLorean logo on rear bumper and DMC on doors, digital door lock module, and LEDs except cigar lighter, hazard button, and glove box. Been a busy day.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Lwanmtr]

Finish putting the new hood seal on..only took a few hours total.

[Col Bennett]

10 weeks ago I started the most intense and laborious refinement jobs on my car yet.

The messy factory sealant around the door hinges and roof box area has bugged me for years and it was finally time to take it on - with the goal to make it 10x better than it left the factory.

I started by meticulously scraping off every last flake of sealant with small sculpting tools. Easily 12-18 hours (in total) of work per door. I then sanded the scratches and used various blending pads and acetone to prep it for paint.

To get it perfect I used used temporary bolts and sourced slightly smaller washers than the factory originals prior to painting. This means I can replace them and the slightly larger washers after paint to cover any gaps and get it looking pristine.

I just peeled off the masking tape and I'm delighted with the result. Yes, I even applied silicone around the door hinges and roof box using masking tape to control the mess. You can barely see it. Excited to see what it looks like with fresh fasteners and the torsion bar back in.

Next up is the passenger side. I'll post some more photos when it's all done and showroom ready ;)

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/2020-08-11_door_entry_refinement_01.jpg

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/2020-08-11_door_entry_refinement_02.jpg

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/2020-08-11_door_entry_refinement_03.jpg

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/2020-08-11_door_entry_refinement_04.jpg

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/2020-08-11_door_entry_refinement_05.jpg

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/2020-08-11_door_entry_refinement_06.jpg

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/2020-08-11_door_entry_refinement_07.jpg

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/2020-08-11_door_entry_refinement_08.jpg

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/2020-08-11_door_entry_refinement_09.jpg

[Lwanmtr]

Awesome job there.

[Michael]

WOW!!! I thought I did my jamb cleaning well but you took it to the highest level!

[Col Bennett]

Awesome job there.


WOW!!! I thought I did my jamb cleaning well but you took it to the highest level!

Cheers guys. That means a lot. It's probably my art school training, but's all in the prep-work. Weeks and weeks and weeks and weeks of perfecting and refining to get the surfaces as nice as possible - and then 25 mins of paintwork. Haha. It always feels like such an anti-climax, but once you remove the masking tape (which also takes days to get perfect), it's worth it.

I also found that you have to be very disciplined with the SEM Trim paint. It looks spectacular when done right. The secret is lots and lots of light coats. I emptied a full tin and a full coat of an additional tin on this. Probably 5-6 coats in total. Layer them with a short flash time (2-3 min) in 70-80 degree heat (longer for cooler temps). Also be sure to keep the spray moving constantly from a distance of around a foot. Spray too close and it gets very wet and shiny quickly.

Hope that helps some of you other perfectionists.

[Lwanmtr]

Cheers guys. That means a lot. It's probably my art school training, but's all in the prep-work. Weeks and weeks and weeks and weeks of perfecting and refining to get the surfaces as nice as possible - and then 25 mins of paintwork. Haha. It always feels like such an anti-climax, but once you remove the masking tape (which also takes days to get perfect), it's worth it.

I also found that you have to be very disciplined with the SEM Trim paint. It looks spectacular when done right. The secret is lots and lots of light coats. I emptied a full tin and a full coat of an additional tin on this. Probably 5-6 coats in total. Layer them with a short flash time (2-3 min) in 70-80 degree heat (longer for cooler temps). Also be sure to keep the spray moving constantly from a distance of around a foot. Spray too close and it gets very wet and shiny quickly.

Hope that helps some of you other perfectionists.


SEM Trim black is great stuff...it is a forgiving paint, but yeah lots of light coats to get the best results. Ive gone through quite a few cans of it...and yeah, cant just stop at the 3 coats they say on the label....lol

[MrChocky]

Heater return pipe on the way out. Checked whilst changing distributor cap. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200811/4d205b02d3b68579ca60a16d0130d595.jpg

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk

[Michael]

Yup 90% of the labor in a paint job is under the paint!

[Lwanmtr]

Got my hood and front spoiler back on today...

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[iflights]

Replaced my inertia switch & installed it at the '82 relocated position next to the hood pull. According to the service bulletin, this should have only taken 30 minutes. It took more. No surprise there.

[Michael]

Replaced my inertia switch & installed it at the '82 relocated position next to the hood pull. According to the service bulletin, this should have only taken 30 minutes. It took more. No surprise there.

Doc. Are you tellin' me the DeLorean Fanatics....are full of shit?

[CFI]

Replaced my inertia switch & installed it at the '82 relocated position next to the hood pull. According to the service bulletin, this should have only taken 30 minutes. It took more. No surprise there.

Recall labor times are based on average mechanical skills. More importantly, they define what the company will pay for the repair to be accomplished, regardless of how long it actually takes. This is why most auto techs do not like warranty repairs.

[RIUM+]

It's taken me a lot of work of measuring with a lux meter & modifying lenses, but I've finally replaced my headlights with LEDs that I'm fully satisfied with. These have daytime running lights built-in that consume only 0.9W each (only the two outer DRL strips illuminated), the low-beams consume 15.0W each (only the two outer illuminated on low plus DRL strips), and the high-beams 30.7W each (all 4 illuminated on high plus DRL strips). This is around a quarter of the power on low-beams and 60% of the power on high-beams but they're MUCH brighter - not in a single blinding spot, but over a wide spread. The light output is tightly controlled to be ~10% below the legal maximum allowed in Australia by the ADR, and aimed within a couple degrees of perfectly optimal for its falloff pattern. You don't want to know how many pages of spreadsheets worth of measurements I took while trying to optimise everything and modifying the existing units, heh. There's still more fine-tuning I could do but I'm happy with it for now. I also re-grounded my headlights too while I was at it, to give the old Halogens as much of a chance as I could with my comparisons. Re-grounding gave me another 0.8V or so to the headlights, which really isn't much but hey now you can't blame that for the Halogens seeming dim by comparison.

Apologies in advance for my cheap $140USD phone over-exposing lights during night-time photos.

The bulbs themselves:
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Low-beams comparison, Halogens on the left, LEDs on the right (not properly aimed, they were just in while I was testing):
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High-beams comparison, Halogens on the left, LEDs on the right (not properly aimed, they were just in while I was testing):
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Real-life use case (practice run during a hired filming event) in a nearby well-lit shopping centre car park: engine off, low-beams on. The most important thing to look at here is the woman lining up the shot on the left - her knees are brightly illuminated but the rest of her is mostly lit from reflections off the concrete, not the lights themselves. These lights won't be blinding anyone! :)
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Finally, I took apart, cleaned, and painted white the insides of the indicator lights. Painting a reflector white usually means less light directly ahead but more light to the sides - something I thought would be good given how recessed they are, at least until I can get around to doing the front side marker flashing mod. But more specifically, the reflective chrome coating had completely disintegrated off one of my indicators and you could see that it looked darker than the other one, so if I wanted them to match my choices were paint both or buy a new one. I haven't found a good chrome paint locally so white it was.

The cleaned-up good-condition "chromed" one on the top with the painted white one on the bottom for comparison:
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[Col Bennett]

Better than when it left the factory in 1981. Two months of meticulous refinishing work on my DeLorean door hinge/torsion bar area.

The last photo shows how it looked when it left the factory, just as I started chipping the messy silicone off. Needless to say that if someone spent as much time as me at the factory, they would have been building one car a month.

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/2020-08-25_door_entry_refinement_01.jpg

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/2020-08-25_door_entry_refinement_02.jpg

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http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/2020-08-25_door_entry_refinement_05.jpg

[jawn101]

Better than when it left the factory in 1981. Two months of meticulous refinishing work on my DeLorean door hinge/torsion bar area.

The last photo shows how it looked when it left the factory, just as I started chipping the messy silicone off. Needless to say that if someone spent as much time as me at the factory, they would have been building one car a month.

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/2020-08-25_door_entry_refinement_01.jpg

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/2020-08-25_door_entry_refinement_02.jpg

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http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/2020-08-25_door_entry_refinement_05.jpg

Wowowowowowow. That looks amazing. Mine looks...very much like that before pic, but with new seals and Heninger’s brackets. Nice, very nice work.

[Col Bennett]

Wowowowowowow. That looks amazing. Mine looks...very much like that before pic, but with new seals and Heninger’s brackets. Nice, very nice work.

Cheers Jon. Really appreciate that mate. Yeah, it's been bugging me for a while and it was finally time to take it on. Definitely one of the most laborious and mind-numbing jobs yet, but it's always a nice moment when you get to this stage. Phew!

[Lwanmtr]

Wow..very nice...if your bored you could visit..ad bring your brushes...lol

[Bitsyncmaster]

I pulled my drivers seat and started pulling the skin off the seat. Also pulled the skin off my finger pulling the hognose rings off. It will be interesting how to get those rings back on where the headrest skin is clamped way deep into the foam.

It's quite a workout pulling the old rings off. There are so many and you kind of do a snap pull. Not sure if you could cut the rings.

[louielouie2000]

I pulled my drivers seat and started pulling the skin off the seat. Also pulled the skin off my finger pulling the hognose rings off. It will be interesting how to get those rings back on where the headrest skin is clamped way deep into the foam.

It's quite a workout pulling the old rings off. There are so many and you kind of do a snap pull. Not sure if you could cut the rings.

There are "hog ring cutters" that make this job so much easier. Google them and see where all they can be bought. It is well worth spending $15 on them. If you don't have "hog ring pliers" buy a pair of those, too. Using regular pliers will frustrate the hell out of you doing this job.

I can't remember how we tackled affixing the head rest hog rings... but I do remember using a lot of zip ties on the seatback to pull the material forward so a hog ring can be fastened to the material. So it was probably the same trick. Also, we used plastic grocery bags to get the new seat cover over the headrest foam. I know some people use spray lubricants (I believe silicone?) instead, though.

And yes... I bled a LOT while doing this job. Bill Robertson's passenger seat foam will always carry plenty of my DNA! haha

[dn010]

Way back when I did my seats, I used a heavy duty pair of "diagonal cutting pliers" to cut the old rings off. When it came time to reassemble, I used 12/2 copper wire with the insulation gone (or use the ground), cut into strips. You can either wrap the copper wire around or in a lot of spots you can use a pair of pliers and twist the section closed. The copper is really easy to work with compared to steel hog rings and they work just as well - I don't have any sections on any of my vehicles that came undone.

Initially, I found this worked when I had an old '67 Mustang. I bought new seat covers but didn't know about hog rings. Thinking dejectedly how the project would take another week to receive the rings and tool, I look over and there was a roll of 12/2. :hmm:

[Michael]

Better than when it left the factory in 1981. Two months of meticulous refinishing work on my DeLorean door hinge/torsion bar area.

The last photo shows how it looked when it left the factory, just as I started chipping the messy silicone off. Needless to say that if someone spent as much time as me at the factory, they would have been building one car a month.

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/2020-08-25_door_entry_refinement_01.jpg

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/2020-08-25_door_entry_refinement_02.jpg

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/2020-08-25_door_entry_refinement_03.jpg

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/2020-08-25_door_entry_refinement_04.jpg

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/2020-08-25_door_entry_refinement_05.jpg


Amazing! I did mine several years ago as I wasn't a fan of all the gooped on silicone but it didn't look that clean!

[Victor]

Amazing! I did mine several years ago as I wasn't a fan of all the gooped on silicone but it didn't look that clean!

Amazing! So beautiful work! Is there a special solvant or solution that works best for removing that black silicone?
Most of my cleaning is done using that purple liquid bottle called Super Clean, which work amazingly on a lot of surfaces.
I know that Mother wheel cleaner is used also on some area as well.

[Col Bennett]

Amazing! I did mine several years ago as I wasn't a fan of all the gooped on silicone but it didn't look that clean!
Cheers Michael. That means a lot. Yeah, it's one heck of a mind-numbing job. I instantly regretted starting it - but now that it's done, I'm glad I did - although I did consider selling the car at least twice during a few heated "f*** you DeLorean" moments. I'm sure we've all been there! Glad I made it through the trauma.



Amazing! So beautiful work! Is there a special solvant or solution that works best for removing that black silicone?
Most of my cleaning is done using that purple liquid bottle called Super Clean, which work amazingly on a lot of surfaces.
I know that Mother wheel cleaner is used also on some area as well.
Thanks Victor. Sadly, there's not. I tried a bunch of solvents before realizing that none of them worked - at all! Don't waste your time. The only thing that worked was a bunch of small craft/sculpting tools to literally scrape the sealant off flake by flake. Weeks and weeks of scraping to get rid of every last bit! I then sanded the metal and finished with a 3M blending pad to get it as nice as possible for refinishing.

Cheers guys! :cheers:

[white out]

Just in case anyone isn't following the build thread

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50239623157_fac2aba479_c.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50239081882_92f8e636cc_c.jpg

[white out]

video from the shop:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGyfZSoeT6E&t=39s

[Lwanmtr]

video from the shop:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGyfZSoeT6E&t=39s

Nice :thumbup:

[Bitsyncmaster]

There are "hog ring cutters" that make this job so much easier. Google them and see where all they can be bought. It is well worth spending $15 on them. If you don't have "hog ring pliers" buy a pair of those, too. Using regular pliers will frustrate the hell out of you doing this job.

I can't remember how we tackled affixing the head rest hog rings... but I do remember using a lot of zip ties on the seatback to pull the material forward so a hog ring can be fastened to the material. So it was probably the same trick. Also, we used plastic grocery bags to get the new seat cover over the headrest foam. I know some people use spray lubricants (I believe silicone?) instead, though.

And yes... I bled a LOT while doing this job. Bill Robertson's passenger seat foam will always carry plenty of my DNA! haha

I tried some heavy diagonal cutters and they could not cut the rings but they do work better pulling the ring with more bite. I see there are some small steel rods where that head rest get clamped. The new skins did not put in the rods so I guess we use the old ones. I got the skin over the head rest just working it. After it was on I had to shove my hand up there to flatten the seams on the top stitch. I will use a plastic glove next time. When you get old your skin is so thin I got some blood just from the friction moving my had under the skin. Also there is no cut for the back release lever so either skin goes on either seat.

[Trstno1]

I relocated the wiring harness from above the intake to below the metering unit so I could install the new throttle covers.


64379

[MrChocky]

Thanks Victor. Sadly, there's not. I tried a bunch of solvents before realizing that none of them worked - at all! Don't waste your time. The only thing that worked was a bunch of small craft/sculpting tools to literally scrape the sealant off flake by flake. Weeks and weeks of scraping to get rid of every last bit! I then sanded the metal and finished with a 3M blending pad to get it as nice as possible for refinishing.

Cheers guys! :cheers:

I fear I'm going down at least a little of this path. Just trying to reglue a trunk seal right now, and the effort is mainly elbow grease. But there's a bunch of places where the sealant is a mess - I don't know if it's factory or later restoration. But I'm interested to know what tools you found most useful? I've had a little luck with a dremel and wire wheel attachment, but that's not going to work everywhere.

[Bitsyncmaster]

I got the 10 hog rings into the head rest bars. I had to use long nose pliers for those. First one took forever but it gets a little easier after the first. This is more work than I thought. I would defiantly find a place that does seat covers and pay to have it done if I had not started. I assume I should stretch the bottom end on first before doing the center "bars".

[MrChocky]

I got the 10 hog rings into the head rest bars. I had to use long nose pliers for those. First one took forever but it gets a little easier after the first. This is more work than I thought. I would defiantly find a place that does seat covers and pay to have it done if I had not started. I assume I should stretch the bottom end on first before doing the center "bars".Yeah. That's what I did. It was clearly going to be a ton of effort. Taking the rings off is easy but replacing them wasn't a skill I needed to learn. I paid $125 to have my seat restitched and reattached. Well spent. The only thing I haven't done myself to date.

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk

[jackb]

I got the 10 hog rings into the head rest bars. I had to use long nose pliers for those. First one took forever but it gets a little easier after the first. This is more work than I thought. I would defiantly find a place that does seat covers and pay to have it done if I had not started. I assume I should stretch the bottom end on first before doing the center "bars".

It's a little late for you, but zip-ties would have been your friend for this step.
Thread the zip tie from the back of the head rest bar loop, through the seat skin "tab", and then back/around the head rest bar loop back into the zip tie. Thread all of them in place, then tighten them together, pulling the tab back towards the bar loop. Then continue the rest of the installation with hog rings.

[Bitsyncmaster]

It's a little late for you, but zip-ties would have been your friend for this step.
Thread the zip tie from the back of the head rest bar loop, through the seat skin "tab", and then back/around the head rest bar loop back into the zip tie. Thread all of them in place, then tighten them together, pulling the tab back towards the bar loop. Then continue the rest of the installation with hog rings.

The long nose pliers work pretty good for area that you can't get the larger and shorter hog ring pliers into.

[Michael]

I relocated the wiring harness from above the intake to below the metering unit so I could install the new throttle covers.


64379
Those covers are just what my car needs.

[LimitedRunDouglas]

Just put in the rear LED lights and a new rear harness!

Trying to figure out how to do the sidelights now and I want to change my headlights to LEDs but not sure what to buy...

[Lwanmtr]

I got my headlights on amazon

The LED's...
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01L91AQAC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The Housings with halos
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GNU0TG6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Toby at Delorean NW also sells an LED replacement set.

[Col Bennett]

Ah, "California" and "SMOG". Two dreaded words depending on where you live in America. :umm:

My last ever smog test is done. The anxiety attack is over forever as my car will be traveling with me to Scotland next year, where the car will be exempt from MOTs from the end of 2021.

Great to go out with some solid numbers. "NO" being a huge improvement from 2018. Might be my new injectors and properly adjusted Dwell. Who knows. Either way, I'll take it.

Happy days…

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/2020-08-31_smog_results_compare.jpg

[JBaker4981]

I've been prepping the car for a trip this weekend where I am going to put around 500 miles on her. Since my last issue of my fans cycling due to a couple of dirty pings on the bulkhead connector (and cleaning that) a bit, I have wanted to thoroughly give all of the bulkhead connectors a bath.

64392

What I am doing is soaking each connector in a mason jar filled with a Vinegar/salt solution for 20 minutes then afterwards I pull it out, dry it off, and scrape the inside of the female pins clean with a dremel bit. I then rinse with a Baking Soda/Water mix in order neutralize oxidation and of course dry it off. I then pop the connector/pins with QD Electronic Cleaner to remove the moisture. When I get all of them clean, I am going to apply Dielectric Grease on the male pins on the bulkhead and plug em' in which will most likely be tomorrow. As of this writing, I have 7 of 8 bulkhead connectors cleaned up

64393

Note the shininess of the bulkhead connector on the left compared to the corrosion built up on the one on the right.

The picture below is of the corroded connector in the above picture after its bath.

64394

[Bitsyncmaster]

I've been prepping the car for a trip this weekend where I am going to put around 500 miles on her. Since my last issue of my fans cycling due to a couple of dirty pings on the bulkhead connector (and cleaning that) a bit, I have wanted to thoroughly give all of the bulkhead connectors a bath.

64392

What I am doing is soaking each connector in a mason jar filled with a Vinegar/salt solution for 20 minutes then afterwards I pull it out, dry it off, and scrape the inside of the female pins clean with a dremel bit. I then rinse with a Baking Soda/Water mix in order neutralize oxidation and of course dry it off. I then pop the connector/pins with QD Electronic Cleaner to remove the moisture. When I get all of them clean, I am going to apply Dielectric Grease on the male pins on the bulkhead and plug em' in which will most likely be tomorrow. As of this writing, I have 7 of 8 bulkhead connectors cleaned up

64393

Note the shininess of the bulkhead connector on the left compared to the corrosion built up on the one on the right.

The picture below is of the corroded connector in the above picture after its bath.

64394

Try Tarn-x. Soak it for about 30 to 60 seconds. Then I use a solvent to rinse it.

[dmcman73]

I've been prepping the car for a trip this weekend where I am going to put around 500 miles on her. Since my last issue of my fans cycling due to a couple of dirty pings on the bulkhead connector (and cleaning that) a bit, I have wanted to thoroughly give all of the bulkhead connectors a bath.

64392

What I am doing is soaking each connector in a mason jar filled with a Vinegar/salt solution for 20 minutes then afterwards I pull it out, dry it off, and scrape the inside of the female pins clean with a dremel bit. I then rinse with a Baking Soda/Water mix in order neutralize oxidation and of course dry it off. I then pop the connector/pins with QD Electronic Cleaner to remove the moisture. When I get all of them clean, I am going to apply Dielectric Grease on the male pins on the bulkhead and plug em' in which will most likely be tomorrow. As of this writing, I have 7 of 8 bulkhead connectors cleaned up

64393

Note the shininess of the bulkhead connector on the left compared to the corrosion built up on the one on the right.

The picture below is of the corroded connector in the above picture after its bath.

64394

Dielectric Grease is non-conductive, you don't want to put it on the conductors after you've done all that cleaning. The grease should be applied to the outside of the plastic shell so that when you connect them, it forms a seal.

[Victor]

Decided to redo the inside, and starting with the carpet.

[nkemp]

Dielectric Grease is non-conductive, you don't want to put it on the conductors after you've done all that cleaning. The grease should be applied to the outside of the plastic shell so that when you connect them, it forms a seal.

With dielectric grease on the connector metal pins, the metal still makes metal to metal electrical contact but the grease forms a moisture and oxygen barrier to prevent corrosion ... at least that is what I've heard but I could be wrong :-)

[CyberBill]

I spent about 5 hours working on the restoration today. All of the cast aluminum parts that need to go out for TIG welding are ready to go (rear hub carriers, front knuckles, transmission case), the exhaust manifolds are ready to be sent out for machining, all of the steel parts that I'll be welding up are ready to go (dust shield, flywheel inspection plate, transmission dipstick tube), and I only have 4 more items that need to be cleaned up before everything is ready for zinc plating... There's ~140 items being plated! And I've got about 10 other items remaining to clean up before they're ready to be sent for powder coating.

My spreadsheet currently shows me at 83.7% of items ready for coating, and I should be able to wrap up most of the remaining stuff this weekend. I'm sure you all know this... but damn, this is exhausting. It just seems like it never ends!!

[nkemp]

Baby got new shoes! How fast they grow up.

Today I took the D for a ride on its new tires (Hankook Kinergy). I'm pleased, very pleased.
http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?15992-What-tires-are-you-running-on-Its-been-8-yrs/page4


Also changed:
- Lugnuts (using: 2x1.5 Dodge Caravan Intrepid Stratus Neon Factory OEM Stainless Lug Nuts. Search eBay for listings). These are shinny polished SS. The originals (as best I can tell from mine) were more grayish and a duller finish. The new ones look good but they are more noticeable than the originals given the brighter appearance.
- New hubs. For whatever reason, my hubs have some of the finish scratched off, showing the underlying black. I got a set of new ones for 897 (darker rims) but they are a shade darker than my rims. So that is somewhat confusing and disappointing. I might look into spraying the original hubs if I could get the right color.

[louielouie2000]

- New hubs. For whatever reason, my hubs have some of the finish scratched off, showing the underlying black. I got a set of new ones for 897 (darker rims) but they are a shade darker than my rims. So that is somewhat confusing and disappointing. I might look into spraying the original hubs if I could get the right color.

The center caps on the early-style grey wheels "should" be a couple of shades darker than the wheels themselves. It's very common to see them faded/oxidized, and peeling (revealing the black plastic underneath), though.

[Jonathan]

I got to join one of those birthday drive-by's on Monday. You guys heard about these? Kids stuck at home through the COVID crisis, celebrating birthdays alone is no fun. So why not get a few cars to do a drive-by, horn-honking birthday celebration. A cruise night I like to go to (not in 2020 of course) has organized a few of these for local kids. Gives the classic car owners a chance to get out too.

The video was taken by the boy's mother. It was his 7th birthday. It rained a lot earlier in the day or I think we might have had more cars. It was still a good turn-out. And having a few extra Hot Wheels DeLoreans still in a box in the basement came in handy... I gave him one through the passenger window :)

https://www.facebook.com/541701166/videos/10157663217961167/?extid=UkZMOL0L3friKQgm

[Lwanmtr]

I got to join one of those birthday drive-by's on Monday. You guys heard about these? Kids stuck at home through the COVID crisis, celebrating birthdays alone is no fun. So why not get a few cars to do a drive-by, horn-honking birthday celebration. A cruise night I like to go to (not in 2020 of course) has organized a few of these for local kids. Gives the classic car owners a chance to get out too.

The video was taken by the boy's mother. It was his 7th birthday. It rained a lot earlier in the day or I think we might have had more cars. It was still a good turn-out. And having a few extra Hot Wheels DeLoreans still in a box in the basement came in handy... I gave him one through the passenger window :)

https://www.facebook.com/541701166/videos/10157663217961167/?extid=UkZMOL0L3friKQgm


Thatd be a cool thing...though maybe not honking the delorean horn, since it sounds like a dying llama.

[Jonathan]

Thatd be a cool thing...though maybe not honking the delorean horn, since it sounds like a dying llama.

Ha, no doubt! A kid asked me what the horn sounded like and I honked and told him "like a dying giraffe!" Only thing more embarrassing might have been to try and chirp the tires while leaving...

[Lwanmtr]

Today I made the decision to tackle the seat covers myself, so I took my seats apart so theyre ready when I get the tool and rings.

[Bitsyncmaster]

I take the D when I'm just driving to the post office to mail some packages. This morning my driver door would not release the front latch when I went to get back in the car. I don't lock the doors for those trips but I do have my door lock ECU out of the car. So I'm guessing that front lock rod needs a little adjustment but when the door lock ECU is working it gave a little more bump so I never had the problem before.

I did try to lock the doors when I started the car in the garage and said.....why is the lock door light not going out? But then remembered I removed the door lock ECU.

I did get the door open using the key to lock and unlock the door from outside.

[er1c]

Transmission separated ready for clutch refresh (no idea on the history and the engine is out)

64464

Whilst waiting for the chassis to come back, just had new front extensions welded on.

64465

[nkemp]

What have you done to your DeLorean today? In my case the operative word here is "to"!

My car ran poorly when first started. A couple minutes later it ran fine. So today I decided to fix that problem and in the end I barely got it back into the garage ... blowing all sorts of blue smoke.

So today I turned a car with a minor inconvenience into a non-usable car.

To "fix" it, I disassembled the WUR (something I've done before), cleaned it up and verified that the inlet screen wasn't clogged (it wasn't). I reassembled it and reinstalled. I also verified that there was vacuum at the WUR when the engine was cold (Used a vacuum pump and checked vacuum). It starts right up but runs really bad and dies if I attempt to drive it. But it starts right up again. Now it runs continuously like it did before prior to it warming up to operating temperature.

Now it is time to spend some quality time with the car. And I had other ideas for the day.

[nkemp]

So today I turned a car with a minor inconvenience into a non-usable car.

$0.75 later and a new o-ring for the WUR diaphragm and I'm back to where I started. The car runs poorly when cold but now runs fine again when warmed up (about 1/2 mile from home). You can tell when it crosses that threshold. Noticeable performance difference. The exhaust manifold intake air heater is not installed. But I thought the car had enough control range to compensate.

So that is my "What have you done to your DeLorean today".

[Michael]

I originally bought these with the intention of mounting them in the doors but they are too dim at that distance.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdl9xddBe4w&feature=youtu.be

[DMC-81]

Thatd be a cool thing...though maybe not honking the delorean horn, since it sounds like a dying llama.


Ha, no doubt! A kid asked me what the horn sounded like and I honked and told him "like a dying giraffe!" Only thing more embarrassing might have been to try and chirp the tires while leaving...


Lol! If your DeLorean's horn sounds like any dying animal, it's time to replace both and check the wiring and ground. I replaced both mine with the original Mixo units from DMC when I restored the car. Everybody that hears them is surprised that they are stock.

If that's not loud enough, I have FIAMM "Freeway Blasters" (part numbers 72112 for the low note and 72102 for the high note) in 2 of my other cars. They are just a few decibels louder than normal, and the best thing is that they look just the Mixo horns.

[Victor]

I originally bought these with the intention of mounting them in the doors but they are too dim at that distance.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdl9xddBe4w&feature=youtu.be

Very nice courtesy light

[Michael]

Very nice courtesy light

Thanks! Very courteous of you to say.

[Riley88]

Was in San Diego this week for work. Stopped by DMC huntington beach to say hey to Danny and Cameron, buy a few things and just see the shop, its been awhile since i have been there. Then i went to lotus prepared by Claudius to get some parts for my Esprit S2. it was a good week.

[Quinn]

I've been running with the DMC subwoofer box for a while now. It does a pretty good job for an 8", but I've been wanting to go bigger. 10" is about big as you can fit in the storage compartment lid, so I built this new speaker frame to fit in that spot. It sounds pretty good, but it would sound even better if I could figure out a way to seal off the storage compartment. If you take a close look, the storage compartment is not air tight. It actually opens up into the electrical compartment that contains the ECU, and up into the side panel that holds the 4x10 speaker. For now, I've just stuffed the compartment with some polyfill for extra dampening. I'm open to suggestions if anyone has a good idea.


645296453064531

[larsmhh]

I bought a stainless stell shifter plate from a supplier in Germany. The letters DMC were - different to the plates from DMOCO cut out so I filled them up with blue dyed epoxy resin and put a LED backlight from a LCD display behind it. I used the power supply of the automatic shifter plate whic was tehre but unused on my manually shifted car.
It took some time to mechanically adjust, but now it works fine. I hope you like it too :)



645456454764546]

[mr_maxime]

I bought a stainless stell shifter plate from a supplier in Germany. The letters DMC were - different to the plates from DMOCO cut out so I filled them up with blue dyed epoxy resin and put a LED backlight from a LCD display behind it. I used the power supply of the automatic shifter plate whic was tehre but unused on my manually shifted car.
It took some time to mechanically adjust, but now it works fine. I hope you like it too :)



645456454764546]

I approve. I had a similar one I did myself with red acrylic but no backlight.

[CyberBill]

I've officially started work on assembling the frame! I've only got a handful of parts at this point, but tonight I was able to get the body bolt brackets onto the frame (this is the stainless steel frame from DPI, they are bolted on brackets rather than welded on), which was actually a giant PITA! The bolts go from inside the frame out, and the front brackets in particular, which are between the gear selector and fuel tank, doesn't have any hole big enough to get my hand through. I was able to get it with a tool I bought last week, a Ryobi One+ ratchet, various short socket extensions, and a universal joint. After getting them situated with the same spacing as my existing frame, I torqued them down and put the fuel tank and closing plate on. Oddly, the front bolts for the frame aren't threaded, and are definitely larger than M6 like the existing bolts, so I need to investigate what to do there (I'm sure its fine without them).

The parts I sent off for zinc plating should be back soon, and I'm working on finding a place to powder coat a handful of parts (~30 pieces). I've received two quotes so far - both for the ~$1k range, which kind of blows my mind. I was able to do zinc plating for $325 for like 200 pieces, and was expecting to be able to powder coat all of these for roughly the same amount. They want $250-$350 just for the calipers!

[CyberBill]

Just picked up all the items sent off for zinc plating - DAMN it's awesome!! They look so good!!!

64609

Total came out to like $350 after tax, and it was well worth it. I also found a place to do powder coating, they are right across the street from the zinc plating place, and they quoted me $350 to powder coat everything (brake calipers, rear cross bar, sway bar, dust shields, knuckles, hub carriers, upper control arms, and a handful of brackets). Those should come back by the 9th, and then I've decided to take a week off from work to get the frame put back together - or at least, as much as possible. Since the powder coating place has a lot of suspension parts, I won't

In other news - my wife and I put in an offer on a house in Ellensburg, WA this past weekend and it was just accepted... It has a 30'x60' shop!! That's really going to make my life working on the DeLorean a whole lot easier. In addition to the two car garage on the house, I'll now have two large bays - one of which will eventually get a 2 post lift - plus ample space for work benches, a proper press, drill press, maybe even a small lathe and milling machine, plus a 3d printer, powder coating oven, and anything else I can think of. Not being limited to a two car garage is going to be life changing!!

[cis6409]

Lovely stuff, always nice to get to that point where the shiny stuff can go back on!

[Nioreh]

Today I installed a new idle speed motor, and it seems to have fixed a rough and hunting idle issue I've had. The new one is a lot slimmer, so it doesn't fit in the bracket, so I'm just running it without the bracket for now. Seems OK so far.

[Bitsyncmaster]

Today I installed a new idle speed motor, and it seems to have fixed a rough and hunting idle issue I've had. The new one is a lot slimmer, so it doesn't fit in the bracket, so I'm just running it without the bracket for now. Seems OK so far.

I have been running without the bracket for many years now.

[Victor]

Congrat on your new place CyberBill!
It’s really makes all the difference to have some room when working on car. I have a small garage but had a chance to get a speedyLift recently on sale at canadian tire, and it just wonderfull to work now.

Enjoy

[mburshtain]

This week I got my seats recovered by an upholstery shop nearby. They did an amazing work, I can’t be happier.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201004/fa8526c8d86748d7fd10e6760bf9eb87.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201004/a6bb5df6353cf46ad37c9a89d53e75da.jpg

[louielouie2000]

This week I got my seats recovered by an upholstery shop nearby. They did an amazing work, I can’t be happier.

Those are gorgeous, and the installation is perfect. Which seat covers are they?

[mburshtain]

Those are gorgeous, and the installation is perfect. Which seat covers are they?

Thank you so much. I was debating between purchasing the “Original Material Grey Seat Covers” that DeloreanGo are selling to the DMCH covers.
After careful consideration I decided to go with DMCH as in my opinion have the OEM look, but are more durable.

[Jonathan]

Thank you so much. I was debating between purchasing the “Original Material Grey Seat Covers” that DeloreanGo are selling to the DMCH covers.
After careful consideration I decided to go with DMCH as in my opinion have the OEM look, but are more durable.

Those look incredible! Very nice. You'll get a ton of comments with those as it totally transforms the look and condition of the interior. Enjoy!

[mburshtain]

Those look incredible! Very nice. You'll get a ton of comments with those as it totally transforms the look and condition of the interior. Enjoy!

Thank you Jonathan, it does feel like a completely different experience driving it.

[Kukem]

Well, I bought another DeLorean. I am the proud owner of VIN 4266. 81, manual, grey interior with a grooved hood. She is a beauty! Took possession of her last night. It feels surreal having a DeLorean back in the garage, even though it's only been 2 years since I parted with 11056. But I am super excited to be back behind the wheel! I don't have many pictures yet, but I will post soon.64648

[CyberBill]

Well, I bought another DeLorean. I am the proud owner of VIN 4266.

Congrats!!! How's the condition of the car?

--

I spent most of the evening working on the frame. The fuel line compression fittings came in today, so those are all installed now, plus new fuel lines for the accumulator. I also have the exhaust manifolds, crossover pipe, and catalytic converter primed and nearly ready for paint.

[Kukem]

Congrats!!! How's the condition of the car?

It is in good shape! Very similar to my last one. NOS seats, original uncracked binnical and dash, stainless is really nice. Fuel system is really good, probably better than 11056, but i got some temperamental little electrical issues that like to sometimes have a nap instead of working. Overall, it's a fabulous car. Been grinning ear to ear for the last 2 days. Great to have one back in the garage.

[DMC-81]

Well, I bought another DeLorean. I am the proud owner of VIN 4266. 81, manual, grey interior with a grooved hood. She is a beauty! Took possession of her last night. It feels surreal having a DeLorean back in the garage, even though it's only been 2 years since I parted with 11056. But I am super excited to be back behind the wheel! I don't have many pictures yet, but I will post soon.64648

Congrats Korey! It's a nice looking car. :thumbup:

[Kukem]

Thanks, Dana. I am super stoked to be back into the hobby. One of my high beams bit the dust before inspection, so I have to get that sorted. Lol. Never realized that a slight eyebrow would come in so handy. 64659

[CyberBill]

A bit of frustration with the DeLorean restoration - I had an ETA on my powder coating to be done on Friday, and hadn't heard anything, so I called in and they said it won't be ready til mid to late next week. This is kind of a bummer, since I took all next week off so I could work on the car! I have also been expecting some parts from DPI, but I think shipping is super slow these days because it shipped out on the 23rd and still hasn't arrived (it's now 2 1/2 weeks later). It's also pouring rain today, so that means I can't paint the exhaust.

I guess that means I'll be doing some other work on the car... cooling lines, fuel accumulator, and some other small bits and bobs.

Speaking of bobs - Video Bob Moseley has started a new series on YouTube showing a conversion of a stock DeLorean into a Back To The Future Time Machine replica. Here are some links if anyone is interested!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=og_OAI75uDo&ab_channel=VideobobMoseley

[Nioreh]

Turns out the idle speed motor didn't solve my idle issues. It actually runs great when first started now. But I took it on a trip this weekend, and after a couple of minutes the idle is high, like 1500 RPM. After like an hour of driving it starts running really poorly. Idle is hunting a lot and even stalls out completely. Exhaust smeels like crap. It also hesitates on acceleration when in this state. My guess is I probably need to get the mixture adjusted. I haven't touched it, since I don't have a dwell meter. Either that or I have something weird with the electronics, or maybe a massive vacuum leak or something. I can hear some relay or something clicking when I get off the gas. Meh, I should just drive it to a real mechanic to fix it :)

[Bitsyncmaster]

Turns out the idle speed motor didn't solve my idle issues. It actually runs great when first started now. But I took it on a trip this weekend, and after a couple of minutes the idle is high, like 1500 RPM. After like an hour of driving it starts running really poorly. Idle is hunting a lot and even stalls out completely. Exhaust smeels like crap. It also hesitates on acceleration when in this state. My guess is I probably need to get the mixture adjusted. I haven't touched it, since I don't have a dwell meter. Either that or I have something weird with the electronics, or maybe a massive vacuum leak or something. I can hear some relay or something clicking when I get off the gas. Meh, I should just drive it to a real mechanic to fix it :)

It could be your deceleration springs/valves are shot. Many cars have this problem which cause the high RPM idle after warmup.

[Nioreh]

It could be your deceleration springs/valves are shot. Many cars have this problem which cause the high RPM idle after warmup.

Ooof, looking around there seems to be no good replacement for those springs? I'll try and remove the W-bend on the intake and see if I can visually see if the springs look bad. Thank you.

[TheStoot]

Well I got vin #4328 a little over a week ago and have done a lot so far. Started with new door struts from PJ Grady. Then it went: Fuses, relay update kit, rewire hidden power antenna, clutch reservoir hose, Steering column bushing, LED lights for the doors and the bonnet, cleaned and conditioned the leather seats, new leather shift boot, O2 sensor, stainless muffler heat shield, alternator belt and ran new wires for my reverse switch and put a new alternator belt, coolant cap and gas cap.

[er1c]

Chassis is finished and ready for pickup, Repaired, new front extensions, straightened/re-aligned, galvanised, re-powder coated.

5 months ago

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Yesterday

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[Riley88]

Chassis is finished and ready for pickup, Repaired, new front extensions, straightened/re-aligned, galvanised, re-powder coated.

5 months ago

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Yesterday

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Looking great, bet you are stoked!

[er1c]

Looking great, bet you are stoked!

Thanks chap, 50 percent stoked, 50 percent worried how little sense these multiple piles of labelled Delorean parts in my garage mean to me after 5 months. Luckily I have taken a thousand pictures.... I think I will be sat playing "what goes where" over winter.

[Riley88]

Thanks chap, 50 percent stoked, 50 percent worried how little sense these multiple piles of labelled Delorean parts in my garage mean to me after 5 months. Luckily I have taken a thousand pictures.... I think I will be sat playing "what goes where" over winter.

Hey you did the right thing though. Whenever i go to take something apart, i take photos from all angles. You will be fine

[TheStoot]

I replaced my top front shock bushings, The steering rack boots and front tie rod ends

[MrChocky]

Got my car running after 7 weeks of being in pieces.

Incomplete list:

New steering bushing
New stereo
New speaker lines
Redid a number of seals
Affixed driver's side window edging
Removed a bunch of rust from handbrake bracket
New heater return pipe, Y-pipe, some coolant hoses
New vacuum hoses

The car has a serious vacuum problem, which I still need to track down, but it is running - around the block anyway, so that's a huge relief.

[mburshtain]

This week I had some free time to attend to the door trim. Completely removed the trims and the old foam that become dust over the years. Replaced it with new upholstery pad.
It really brings the interior back to life.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201020/c0040d420ee1e5e81b0feacf48cf7cf1.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201020/e7135d1c590b2aff7d1fbb8dccefd9d6.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201020/38614c507abbb0f0e1fc6d9eb64c5caf.jpg
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[Rich_NYS]

This week I had some free time to attend to the door trim. Completely removed the trims and the old foam that become dust over the years. Replaced it with new upholstery pad.
It really brings the interior back to life.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201020/c0040d420ee1e5e81b0feacf48cf7cf1.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201020/e7135d1c590b2aff7d1fbb8dccefd9d6.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201020/38614c507abbb0f0e1fc6d9eb64c5caf.jpg
64801I did that on 4728, it's a nice "resto-mod." I agree, it does bring it back to life.

Sent from my LGL164VL using Tapatalk

[CyberBill]

Today I got my replacement auto transmission almost ready to attach back to the engine!

The big issue I was having was with the shift cable - the transmission came with the shift cable cut, just a metal wire sticking out, and I didn't understand how it was put together. Thanks to some help on a Facebook forum, I found out that you can twist that cable and it's actually connected to a threaded sleeve that will unscrew it from a bolt, and out it comes! Took about 5 minutes to pull them out from both transmissions and swap them. Then I spent about an hour chasing all of the threads and cleaning up the bolts on a wire wheel and was able to get the torque converter case installed and torqued down. All of the parts that I need to swap over have been swapped, so the old transmission is headed for the corner of the garage!

I need to chase the threads in the torque converter, and get the engine on the hoist and chase the threads that connect it to the trans, and then it's all ready to be attached. I'm waiting on the bolts that attach the transmission mounts (to the transmission) and once they are here the set will go in the frame!

[Riley88]

Got my car running after 7 weeks of being in pieces.

Incomplete list:

New steering bushing
New stereo
New speaker lines
Redid a number of seals
Affixed driver's side window edging
Removed a bunch of rust from handbrake bracket
New heater return pipe, Y-pipe, some coolant hoses
New vacuum hoses

The car has a serious vacuum problem, which I still need to track down, but it is running - around the block anyway, so that's a huge relief.

You really dove in on your car you got it, thats awesome man! I have a project I need to do, but I keep putting it off because travel for work.

[Victor]

Very nice work mburshtain 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

[mburshtain]

Very nice work mburshtain [emoji1360][emoji1360][emoji1360]

Thank you so much Victor. I’m very happy with the results [emoji41]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[TheStoot]

This week I had some free time to attend to the door trim. Completely removed the trims and the old foam that become dust over the years. Replaced it with new upholstery pad.
It really brings the interior back to life.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201020/c0040d420ee1e5e81b0feacf48cf7cf1.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201020/e7135d1c590b2aff7d1fbb8dccefd9d6.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201020/38614c507abbb0f0e1fc6d9eb64c5caf.jpg
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What did you use to replace the foam inside the doors? I wanna do mine but DOn't wanna over pay for foam from a vendor. Thickness and type?

[mburshtain]

What did you use to replace the foam inside the doors? I wanna do mine but DOn't wanna over pay for foam from a vendor. Thickness and type?

Right. I like to support the vendors but some items are way overpriced. This is what I got from eBay - https://www.ebay.com/itm/Sew-Foam-1-4-Scrim-Cloth-Backed-Sewing-Pleating-Padding-Upholstery-Fabric-55-W/274360067551?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

Sew Foam 1/4" Scrim Cloth Backed Sewing Pleating Padding Upholstery Fabric 55" W

[Michael]

Replaced parking brake pads. Not sure I trust DMCH's pads though. One came apart before I even got the assembly back on the caliper. Thankfully 2 my old pads were still good and I reused one of them.

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[Lwanmtr]

Replaced parking brake pads. Not sure I trust DMCH's pads though. One came apart before I even got the assembly back on the caliper. Thankfully 2 my old pads were still good and I reused one of them.

64811

Hooray for NoS parts....lol

[WHO1DMC]

Replaced parking brake pads. Not sure I trust DMCH's pads though. One came apart before I even got the assembly back on the caliper. Thankfully 2 my old pads were still good and I reused one of them.

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I bought a set of Ferodo pads. I haven't put them on yet but the europeans rate them the best. There tappard for better contact with the break rotor because of the angle.

Dave B.

[CyberBill]

Woot! Last night I got my new rear suspension almost completely built on both sides!! I did mess up and knocked the helicoil in the rear brake caliper mount loose. I didn't realize that's what it was, and I was cleaning up the threads with a tap, and noticed a little bit of metal sticking out of the hole. When I pulled on it, it uncoiled and came out... OOPS! So, new helicoil kit coming in today. :)

Tonight I will be trying my best to press in new upper control arm bushings. Step 1 of that is to build a helper tool to keep the flanges spaced properly. Turns out they are almost exactly 1" apart, so I think I'm going to pick up some 1" square tube and thin it down as necessary, and weld it together to make a little Y-shaped piece that I can use. I may also give it a go with two 1/2" pieces of plywood. Once I have them pressed in I can finish up the front suspension and install the front brakes.

[TheStoot]

I bolted the lip of my rear fascia between the tailpipes back onto the mounting plate, looks so much better now. Also epoxied the ripped out screw hole that help my engine cover hold up bracket on and installed a new 4 hole hold up bracket on so my engine cover stays up on it's own. Next to come are rear brake pads an oil change and diagnosing the lambda system to try and get the car into closed loop idle.

[FABombjoy]

I bought a set of Ferodo pads. I haven't put them on yet but the europeans rate them the best. There tappard for better contact with the break rotor because of the angle.
It might be a caveman solution, but you can file a taper on stock-style pads. Only takes about 60 seconds per pad.

[CFI]

Also epoxied the ripped out screw hole that help my engine cover hold up bracket on and installed a new 4 hole hold up bracket on so my engine cover stays up on it's own.

If you ever get tired of the stock engine cover bracket system, consider installing this: https://www.delorean-parts.com/product/lower-engine-cover-support-clip/

Cheap, easy to install, and holds the engine cover higher up than stock. It also reduces stress on the engine cover.

[Victor]

I arranged something similar on my. But the one from Northwest looks way more stylish and sturdy. They make very good parts and I wish I ordered that one from Toby with the recent purchase of the third brake light, from them as well👍🏼

[Victor]

Just installed the third brake light, from Northwest. I decide to fish the wire trough the space between the stainless steel quarter panel section. The instructions that came with the parts were clear and easy to follow. They also use wax paper instead of plastic for their parts wrapping. 👍🏼

[jackb]

If you ever get tired of the stock engine cover bracket system, consider installing this: https://www.delorean-parts.com/product/lower-engine-cover-support-clip/

Cheap, easy to install, and holds the engine cover higher up than stock. It also reduces stress on the engine cover.

That’s clever. I did something similar by drilling a small hole where that bracket screws into the upper louvre, then taking a thick metal coat hangar, cutting a short piece of the metal, and bending it into a S shape. I used the S shape hook to hang through the hole drilled in the upper louvre and hold up the lower cover by same method as the linked hook.

[CyberBill]

Last night I was able to successfully press the upper control arm bushings in! It was actually pretty simple. I picked up some 1" square tube from Lowes for about $12, cut off two 8" long pieces or so (didn't measure) and then chamfered the edges a bit so it wouldn't dig into the powder coating. I stuck those inside the 'pocket' of the arm and it worked perfectly to prevent the arm from crushing!

I did run into a slight issue - it appears one of my UCAs was slightly bent inward, and also the 'dimples' that the bushings go into was kind of loose on one of them. So, I flattened the dimple down a bit in the press - so it holds the bushing much tighter now - and I used a floor jack to spread the arm open a bit (about 1/8" or so) and now it all fits perfectly! I was worried I was going to crack the arm or something, but went slow and pushed on it about 10 times with the jack until fit.

That means I now have a 100% installed front suspension!

I moved onto the brakes after that - fixed the helicoil in the rear, super simple - and I've now got both calipers installed on the passenger side. Tonight I'll do the driver's side and then finish up the brake lines all around. This weekend I should be able to get the engine and transmission back in the frame and all hooked up!!