What have you done to your DeLorean today?

[DrJeff]

Removed the driver's side rear outer door seal. Removal of the rubber took 3 minutes, removal of the combination of 3M adhesive and 30 year old original glue took at least an hour. Thankfully only three more outer seals to go!

[jawn101]

Removed the driver's side rear outer door seal. Removal of the rubber took 3 minutes, removal of the combination of 3M adhesive and 30 year old original glue took at least an hour. Thankfully only three more outer seals to go!

Only an hour? You must share your secret... lol

[DMC5180]

Ya really, Took me half a day on one door set using 3M general Adhesive Remover. Soak, sit, scrap, take a break and repeat, repeat, repeat and repeat. Short sections at a time until clean. In fact Now that I spent all that time cleaning them up, I'm reluctant to put the New seals on for fear that, as soon as I do, i'll need to remove one again for some reason.

[jawn101]

Ya really, Took me half a day on one door set using 3M general Adhesive Remover. Soak, sit, scrap, take a break and repeat, repeat, repeat and repeat. Short sections at a time until clean. In fact Now that I spent all that time cleaning them up, I'm reluctant to put the New seals on for fear that, as soon as I do, i'll need to remove one again for some reason.

And in CA, we can't even get the good adhesive removers. I had to do the whole thing with Goo Gone and maybe a hundred razor blades, and that was just for one quarter panel. Took about 4 hours over the course of maybe 3 days.

[dmc6960]

And in CA, we can't even get the good adhesive removers. I had to do the whole thing with Goo Gone and maybe a hundred razor blades, and that was just for one quarter panel. Took about 4 hours over the course of maybe 3 days.

Strait lacquer thinner. Certainly you can get that stuff, right? I used that stuff for all my adhesive cleaning this spring. You need industrial gloves though as it seems to each through nitrile gloves annoyingly quickly. Its a mix of Acetone, mineral spirits, and a bunch of other good stuff.

[jawn101]

Strait lacquer thinner. Certainly you can get that stuff, right? I used that stuff for all my adhesive cleaning this spring. You need industrial gloves though as it seems to each through nitrile gloves annoyingly quickly. Its a mix of Acetone, mineral spirits, and a bunch of other good stuff.

Yeah, that stuff we can get... how do you protect things like the plastic infill panels/fiberglass body/rub strips while you're applying it?

[DrJeff]

Yeah, that stuff we can get... how do you protect things like the plastic infill panels/fiberglass body/rub strips while you're applying it?

I scrapped with a very sharp chisel (like a razor blade but with a sturdy handle), which got rid of most of the 3M black adhesive. I then used Mineral Spirits dabbed onto a cloth and then rubbed like mad into the adhesive. I did my best to avoid anything other than adhesive stuck to the stainless edging. I've used mineral spirits to clean up over-application of 3M before and it dissolves dried-in 3M pretty good. The old adhesive pretty much just succumbed to physical abuse. Last step was a rub down with a ScotchBrite pad (just on the cleaned edge).

[dmc6960]

Yeah, that stuff we can get... how do you protect things like the plastic infill panels/fiberglass body/rub strips while you're applying it?

Apply to a towel and rub. This stuff evaporates quickly so you'll need to do it often. It doesn't affect most plastics, but do NOT get it on anything painted. I actually used it directly on my door vapor barriers with no ill-affects this spring. Definitely use a scraper blade first to get rid of the bulk of the stuff first though.

[Ozzie]

Incorporated the adjustable link/belt tensioner mod for the alternator (reference: DMCTalk Post (http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?3186-Adjusting-alternator-tension)). Have had the parts for over a month, only found/made time today to install it, a quick install btw. This simplifies an alternator belt change greatly, especially as it will happen on the road when it does happen.
Thanks to Matt for the mod tip, and Josh Q. for the part number (March Performance #655-RA-1.625 (http://www.jegs.com/i/March-Performance/655/RA-1.625/10002/-1)).

http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=11714&d=1341855679

[Chris 16409]

Incorporated the adjustable link/belt tensioner mod for the alternator. Have had the parts for over a month, only found/made time today to install it, a quick install btw. This simplifies an alternator belt change greatly, especially as it will happen on the road when it does happen.

Looks good Ozzie. I was a bit paranoid when I did mine, and bought a longer bolt for the alternator connection. I've got a nut securing it. Did you use a lock washer or something?

[MML]

Had a minor revelation today. A few months ago, when the driver's door was opened up to replace the window regulator, a small black plastic piece with a circular indentation fell out from inside. I had no idea what it was, until someone posted a photo of their mirror switch... it was the top part of the little "joystick" that adjusts the mirrors. I had no idea there was anything like that on it. Snapped it back into place, job done.

[Ozzie]

Looks good Ozzie. I was a bit paranoid when I did mine, and bought a longer bolt for the alternator connection. I've got a nut securing it. Did you use a lock washer or something?

Thanks.
Yup, have a lock washer on both actually.
I did think the same thing but that bolt is more than halfway into the alternator.
...maybe I'll change it as well, was easy enough to get in there.

[Tillsy]

Discovered my clutch master cylinder is stuffed - is responsible for the pedal being stiff as crap, it's full of horrid brown crap, the hoses deteriorating, and it was borderline to leaking (was sitting at the seal but not actually dripping out yet).

Ripped it all out and have replacement master, slave, and hoses on their way international priority so I can (hopefully) still conduct bleeding and commence first shakedown cruise this weekend as planned...

[Ozzie]

Looks good Ozzie. I was a bit paranoid when I did mine, and bought a longer bolt for the alternator connection. I've got a nut securing it. Did you use a lock washer or something?


Thanks.
Yup, have a lock washer on both actually.
I did think the same thing but that bolt is more than halfway into the alternator.
...maybe I'll change it as well, was easy enough to get in there.

Done. (Thanks for the keen eye and motivation Chris.)
Replaced previously pictured short bolt into alternator with a longer bolt, essentially sandwiching the alternator bracket, with nut/lock washer/washer on the other other end (also put some anti-seize on threads). Ten minute job (including looking for tools)...looks more robust(?)/reliable this way.

This mod really makes belt maintenance a breeze.

[vwdmc16]

Removed my steering rack and tightened up the passenger side inner tie rod. I hope that it works and stays tight

[jawn101]

Removed my steering rack and tightened up the passenger side inner tie rod. I hope that it works and stays tight

Think that will help with the pulling?

[vwdmc16]

No that must be something bent, I need to see if I have too much castor on one side of the front. This tightening should stop that banging noise that occurs when I stomp the brakes.

[jfirios]

I finished wireing up all the relays for the new window switches and installed the center console. That light at the end of the tunnel is getting really bright. Just hope it isnt a train. :)
Thank you all so much for your help and input on the forum and especially Dave over at DMC Midwest. He designed the new relay system for the push button window switches. They Look Awesome and work like a charm. Hope to have the rest of the interior finished by this weekend.
Then it is custom front grill. :)

[John U]

Washed and detailed it for the big local car show tomorrow. Had a man and his three kids bike by and go crazy over it....Handed out three hotwheels to the kids and explained to the man that John is dead...not in jail ;)

[Tillsy]

Replaced clutch master cylinder, clutch slave cylinder (holy heck what a job!!!), stainless braided hose (because I'm anal), reservoir hose, and my thoroughly cleaned reservoir.

Bled clutch, bled brakes, and conducted basic testing within garage.

Many thanks to Julee @ DMC MidWest and FedEx for getting the clutch parts to me just in time for today's work - from U.S. to Australia in three days flat!

With fuel, brake, and clutch systems now completely overhauled #6679 is (weather permitting) ready for her first shakedown cruise tomorrow! :wiggle:

[Kerichbe]

Replaced old 5 piece cowl under windshield, with a shiny new 1 piece cowl. Replaced door lamps and courtesy lamps, with DMCH's LED kit.

[bruscreen]

Drove it home for the first time, and parked it in my own garage!

[mluder]

Replaced clutch master cylinder, clutch slave cylinder (holy heck what a job!!!), stainless braided hose (because I'm anal), reservoir hose, and my thoroughly cleaned reservoir.



Just curious, did you remove the intake manifold when you did it or just climb over everything? I'm about to do mine - well I keep putting it off - so I'm curious if you were able to do it without major disassembly.

Cheers,
Steve

[jawn101]

Just curious, did you remove the intake manifold when you did it or just climb over everything? I'm about to do mine - well I keep putting it off - so I'm curious if you were able to do it without major disassembly.

Cheers,
Steve

I found that it was very easy to remove/replace the slave cylinder after removing the engine and transmission from the car. :lol:

[dmc3130]

Replaced all stock shocks to Spax from DPI. Installed front lowering springs and cleaned and repainted the the rear springs. Also installed new poly sway bar bushings. Now the stance is were it should have been. LOVE IT. Got done with the job, grabbed a beer and a chair just to sit and look.:thumbup:

[jawn101]

Replaced all stock shocks to Spax from DPI. Installed front lowering springs and cleaned and repainted the the rear springs. Also installed new poly sway bar bushings. Now the stance is were it should have been. LOVE IT. Got done with the job, grabbed a beer and a chair just to sit and look.:thumbup:

Congrats Stephen! How does it drive?

[dmc3130]

Congrats Stephen! How does it drive?

Like a champ. Going up to Placerville today. Get to feel her out a little bit better. I'm running about 10 clicks on the shocks right now, may need to go up some more. When I get my camera uploaded I'll post some pics. How's your project going?

[DMC5180]

Depending the road condition you may want to the lower the fronts to almost zero clicks. I've found 8-10 to be about right in the back and 0-4 up front. Primary reason is the Weight bias. You want the front to absorb high speed bumps. Of coarse if you are driving hard on smooth twisting road, then crank'em up :-)

[Tillsy]

Just curious, did you remove the intake manifold when you did it or just climb over everything? I'm about to do mine - well I keep putting it off - so I'm curious if you were able to do it without major disassembly.
Didn't remove a thing - not the intake, hoses, or even the engine cover. The most difficult part was getting the pin out of the slave, but I came up with a trick for manoeuvring/forcing that. I have posted a list of our (successful) steps on pages 2 and 3 of the Replacing clutch slave (http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?2723-Replacing-clutch-slave/page2) thread - hope it helps as, ignoring the full day we spent on the job, those were ultimately all it took to get the job done! Now that I've done it I would definitely not put it off if I needed to do it again some day.


I found that it was very easy to remove/replace the slave cylinder after removing the engine and transmission from the car. :lol:
LOL!!!

[Tillsy]

Finished a few odds and ends yesterday, such as clamping down the new hose runs, and then took #6679 on her first two shakedown cruises. Both were meant to be quick 2 minute laps around the block but I was having such a ball that I continued navigating through my neighbourhood streets for 45 minutes both times.

She ran an absolute treat with only three issues:

1. Little to no vacuum to the booster (made for very tough 45 minute drives!)

2. Third gear crunches/grinds into place - all other gears are perfectly fine (ultimately skipped third in favour of continuing the drives ;))

3. Passenger door lock solenoid does not activate in sequence with the driver's lock anymore

[Delorean02378]

Replaced the front Spoiler and Rock Screen on 15500. Looks a lot better, especially with all new hardware.


Kirk

[DMC5180]

Chris,

If 3rd gear continues to be problematic It may be an indicator you need a new 3rd gear synchronizer ring. 3rd,4th and 5th use the same part number. Of course it mean spitting the transmission.

Always a lot of fun :rolleyes1: I've had to do it three times over the years. The 3rd time was to investigate and (correct) an incorrect part that was inadvertently installed the 2nd time I had it open.

[jawn101]

Reinstalled the louvers and replaced the driver's side door ball stud bracket.

[bruscreen]

Installed a heat shield, diagnosed brake and speedometer issues, and tore apart the driver's door to discover there is no window motor. Not important, right? :rolleyes1:
Also, washed the dust off and treated the black trim so it finally looks decent.

[DMC5180]

No window motor? What was holding the Glass up?

[Tillsy]

If 3rd gear continues to be problematic It may be an indicator you need a new 3rd gear synchronizer ring.
Cheers mate really appreciated the advice :thumbup: Hoping to take her out for another shakedown today so will try double-clutching to confirm this is the issue

[mluder]

I found that it was very easy to remove/replace the slave cylinder after removing the engine and transmission from the car. :lol:

Helpful. :thumbup:

Cheers
Steve

[mluder]

Didn't remove a thing - not the intake, hoses, or even the engine cover. The most difficult part was getting the pin out of the slave, but I came up with a trick for manoeuvring/forcing that. I have posted a list of our (successful) steps on pages 2 and 3 of the Replacing clutch slave (http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?2723-Replacing-clutch-slave/page2) thread - hope it helps as, ignoring the full day we spent on the job, those were ultimately all it took to get the job done! Now that I've done it I would definitely not put it off if I needed to do it again some day.

Thanks. I'll check out the post and I'm gonna do it tomorrow. No more dancing around.

Cheers.
Steve

[SIMid]

http://i.imgur.com/jpErP.jpg

Very, very nice! :)

Tried to find it on their site, but guess it's not for sale anymore?

[jawn101]

Very, very nice! :)

Tried to find it on their site, but guess it's not for sale anymore?

Wait, what is that?

[DMC5180]

Wait, what is that?

It's a one off " cigarette lighter socket stopper" The OP CAD modeled it and had made on a 3-D printer. We have one of those machines at my work for rapid prototyping. You make some really COOL stuff with them.

It's Funny though, I initially was thinking it was a Handle Bar End Cap for the New Delorean Bicycle.

[Farrar]

Replaced evaporator, short hose, accumulator, etc. Ready to tighten all fittings and vacuum aircon system next weekend. :)

[MML]

Very, very nice! :)

Tried to find it on their site, but guess it's not for sale anymore?

Heh thanks!!
I don't think I made it visible to the public, but I can send you the files if you want! Have you got Solidworks?

[jfirios]

washed and polished her up. Drove her all day yesterday. Have a new optima yellow top installed. I LOVE driving that car. Anyone who says that a 10" sub is too much for the cabin space dosent know what they are talking about. DAMN does that system sound good. Just wish i could have moved the battery to the trunk space and had 2 10" subs installed

[Tillsy]

She ran an absolute treat with only three issues:

1. Little to no vacuum to the booster (made for very tough 45 minute drives!)

During third shakedown cruise on Sunday, plus subsequent garage testing since, I have confirmed plenty of vacuum on the line itself plus conducted pressure tests with the (new) booster. No problems there.

When I can get a mate over (my wife is nearly full term so she can't fit in to push the brakes for me) need to further narrow down why I have to shove the brakes so darn hard for them to (barely) work... something up with the callipers perhaps?

[Kenny_Z]

I went out to do the bolt down roof fix to Red and install the box of stuff I got from DMCH yesterday. I got the roof out, took the Tpanel off and took off the electrical cover plate. I cleaned of all the rtv and then the rain suddenly started to pour. It was cloudy but wasn't threatening rain. I had to hurry up and RTV the plate back on. At least I was able to locate a leak that had been bugging me. Unfortunately I didn't have time to patch the hole before it started raining. Sometimes I hate living in the south.

[Bitsyncmaster]

Found one of my new AC hoses was rubbing on the brake hardline bracket near the drivers side rear wheel. Tied it back and put a rubber guard on it. Thought I had all those lines tied back but missed that one.

Wish my new radiator had arrived because today temps did not even hit 80 degrees. Oh well, got a few home projects done.

[Farrar]

Installed the short hose and accumulator [receiver/dryer] into the air conditioning system and pulled a vacuum on it. After 30 minutes, showed -5 in. Hg. Must still have a leak.

Lost track of the wiring for the low-pressure switch. Worried a bit. Swore more.

[jawn101]

Rebuilt 3 of my CV joints (having done one only about 2 years ago due to a ripped boot). Shafts look great, nice and clean/shiny with almost no wear on the joints. Used Sean's trick of putting a little RTV on the lip under the big end of the boot to form a leak-proof seal under the clamp.

Amazingly, this is one of the first jobs I tackled when I first got the car. It seemed like such a big deal at the time. I did these three remaining ones in maybe 2 hours, with a ton of attention paid to removing all the old grease and shining the joint components. This car will make a mechanic out of me yet.... :)

[jackb]

Removed the intake manifold, replaced the water pump, cleaned the valley of death and put it all back together.

It was actually a much simpler job than I expected (even the pipe of agony wasn't difficult) and thanks to the walkthrough in the how-to section, it was very easy. The most difficult part was actually removed the rear cover off the old water pump. One of the bolts was completely striped and I had to cut the head off with an angle grinder.
I plan on replacing the radiator tomorrow.

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c348/kaaooga3/dmc/DSCN2787.png

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c348/kaaooga3/dmc/DSCN2788.png

[vwdmc16]

Ill be right behind you with the VOD, Im going back in right now to see why its leaking massively from the back of my 2 year old pump.

[Farrar]

Gave up trying to fix the air conditioning. Put the wheel back on, put the car back on the ground, cleaned up the garage, put everything away, closed everything up. Good night, moon.

[Bitsyncmaster]

Was going to do some D work but wife comes home and says here car is making grinding noise when she steps on brakes. Sure enough one front pad was only steel left. Funny they only put the "low pad" noise maker on the outside pad. The inside one was the bad one. So new rotors and pads installed but I have some air in the line since the pedal goes to low.

It's funny all break systems have separate lines for two brakes for redundancy but it you are bleeding one brake the pedal goes all the way to the floor. It's done that on every car I've ever owned.

[Kenny_Z]

I was stuck at my desk all day due to work. Sundays are usually slow so I brought the tpanel into my office to see if I could sand out the scratches by hand.

The right hand area is where I hadn't sanded yet. The left is a couple of hours of work.
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/tpan16.jpg

My arms gave out before I could get rid of any of the really deep scratches. Maybe next sunday I'll pull the panel into the office again and spend another 8 hours working on it. I might just have to bite the bullet and get a wolfwheel thought. Some of these are really deep.

Before
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/tpan04.jpg

After
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/tpan20.jpg

I spent awhile trying to figure out how to do this. I found that 220 gets rid of the minor scratches that 80 just wasn't touching. So I went 220, 180, 80, green scotch brite w/ barkeeper's friend, then blending pad.

[pezzonovante88]

I was stuck at my desk all day due to work. Sundays are usually slow so I brought the tpanel into my office to see if I could sand out the scratches by hand.

The right hand area is where I hadn't sanded yet. The left is a couple of hours of work.

My arms gave out before I could get rid of any of the really deep scratches. Maybe next sunday I'll pull the panel into the office again and spend another 8 hours working on it. I might just have to bite the bullet and get a wolfwheel thought. Some of these are really deep.

I spent awhile trying to figure out how to do this. I found that 220 gets rid of the minor scratches that 80 just wasn't touching. So I went 220, 180, 80, green scotch brite w/ barkeeper's friend, then blending pad.

Hell of a lot better. Keep working at it. During this project though, I bet a wolfwheel will be pretty much a necessity.

[dvonk]

Hell of a lot better...

+1, a great improvement! :biggrin:

[Kenny_Z]

Great news and bad news. The great news is with the panel back on the car and in sunlight you have to lean on the car and get up close to see the remaining scratches. The bad news is that I had to adjust the louvers because the previous owner broke the filler panel connected to the tpanel so I fixed it which threw off alignment. The louver was hitting the stainless. It's adjusted fine and looks good but when I lowered the louvers I dropped it a little too fast onto my wrenches which re-broke my engine cover. The one I spent weeks fixing. I'm guessing the heat warped and the shock snapped it because it broke in a little further up from the patch. This time I'm going add in a support brace made of metal.

[jackb]

Today I replaced the radiator.
Fired right up, then died instantly (Fuel mixture unit was apart yesterday, so this was expected, not a problem), fired right up again and stayed running. I immediately go to the back to check for fuel leaks since I didn't have washers on hand to replace the old ones... yup, leaking.
The coolant fill/bleed will have to wait a few days until I get new ones.

[jfirios]

rewired the stereo and got rid of the ground loops that was causing the altinator noise. But still have a power drain on the battery and now have to figure out what is drawing power when the car is off. Fun Fun Fun.

[Bitsyncmaster]

My new radiator arrived today. Looks like real good construction. Great looking TIG welds.

[Chris_Von_Bron]

Meshed up my intake :partyhat:

http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?4653-Air-intake-mesh-modification&p=66145#post66145

[vwdmc16]

I broke this:


http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0575.jpg

[Tillsy]

Extended wiring for front lights to allow for a future project, and then rewired amber perimeter lights to be indicators.

Replaced sealed headlights with semi-sealed units, which I had to modify to fit correctly and not short out (blew three fuses in process). Found repining the headlight plugs to be more complex than others have experienced - rather than just swapping two pins around (worked better but was still not functioning entirely correct) I had to change all three around to suit proper H4 pinout. Finally got regular, high, and spot combinations to correctly illuminate.

Re-bled brakes and got a single bubble of air out - this has made a major difference. Now just need to either machine or replace my discs and fit the replacement (ceramic) pads I've had waiting here for a while.

Tracked down creak noise (per this thread (http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?4642-Creak-When-Braking)) during braking to be the right side anti-roll bar bush. Lubricated temporarily for now but will import Toby's upgrade.

Aside from lots of small odds and ends, such as replacing ALL the fuses with brand newies, the most important thing has been taking her out for shakedown cruises #5 and #6.

[jawn101]

I broke this:


ooooooops...

[DrJeff]

Did the eyebrow fix to prevent any problems. Although the passenger side might just have been starting, got it soon enough to avoid using a heat gun to correct

Also took off the rock guard in front of the radiator, removed the rust and repainted. Fixed two bolts that sheered off trying to remove the nuts at the bottom of the guard.

[jackb]

Replaced the washers on the fuel mixture unit to to take care of the leak I had, discovered the leak was not coming from the washers, but from the inner nylon line instead! FML! I'll be ordering a set of new lines from DPI on Monday morning now.

[ccurzio]

Missed it. :(

[Manxmann]

Broke and replaced the throttle cable.

[vwdmc16]

How about something simple today, a wash.

[is2]

This Sunday afternoon we did some more work on the engine bay restoration , remover all the old exhaust manifold studs, Fitted new stainless ones , now waiting for new headers to arrive. Much more fun than the Olympics

12205

[Gary Weaver II]

Did this during the morning while the temp was only in the mid 90's :)

12218

-Gary

[jawn101]

Long weekend. Saturday we put in my new clutch, finally. After 6 weeks of waiting for it, the new part went in nice and easy. Getting the transmission back in was a little tough though. A lot of swearing, but we got it. Aligned the linkage and crossgate cable, bled the new clutch, and hit the road. Everything was going great - transmission running perfect, clutch way better than the worn out one. Linkage was extremely precise.

Then, I went for a quick drive later in the evening to enjoy the fruits of our labor. As I pulled into a parking lot to grab a bite, the engine bay filled with a huge cloud of steam. I shut the engine off and opened the hood - EVERYTHING was covered in coolant and I couldn't see where it had come from. The bottle was dry. I walked to the store and bought some bottled water to dump in - everything I poured in came right back out the bottom. Sigh. Called a tow truck for the first time ever. When I got home I analyzed the situation and realized the heater control valve had broken in half. Bought a replacement at O'reilly and installed it this morning. Pressure tested the system and it held. Only needed about 3/4 gallon of coolant to top off so I didn't lose as much as I thought. Idled the engine up to operating temp and it ran fine and stayed cool. Everything is back together now and I'm just trying to get up the nerve to go for a drive.

[Tillsy]

Spent the weekend solid trying to remove my transmission oil fill plug - drain plug took a hell of a force but eventually "cracked" (no I didn't empty her though), but the fill plug was absolutely fused in place. The insane amount of force I had to used did nothing but, eventually, strip the absolute bejesus out of it necessitating other tools such as vice grips (which likewise got a really good hold of it, but with sufficient force would eventually just strip the metal as well). Several days of soaking penetrators made no difference.

Tonight I took a new approach - grabbed my wife's (cooking) blow torch and proceeded to cook the spray oil into the thread. Boiled the crap out of it and then vice gripped on and pulled as hard as I could - repeated the process five times and she finally began turning!

It is hard to imagine it has ever been changed with what has now been pouring out of her - it is utterly utterly utterly utterly utterly horrid. I think I'll change it again in another month just to give her a good flushing.

[jawn101]

Spent the weekend solid trying to remove my transmission oil fill plug - drain plug took a hell of a force but eventually "cracked" (no I didn't empty her though), but the fill plug was absolutely fused in place. The insane amount of force I had to used did nothing but, eventually, strip the absolute bejesus out of it necessitating other tools such as vice grips (which likewise got a really good hold of it, but with sufficient force would eventually just strip the metal as well). Several days of soaking penetrators made no difference.

Tonight I took a new approach - grabbed my wife's (cooking) blow torch and proceeded to cook the spray oil into the thread. Boiled the crap out of it and then vice gripped on and pulled as hard as I could - repeated the process five times and she finally began turning!

It is hard to imagine it has ever been changed with what has now been pouring out of her - it is utterly utterly utterly utterly utterly horrid. I think I'll change it again in another month just to give her a good flushing.

Have we mentioned how truly excellent the Red Line MTL is? :) if you can get it down there I highly recommend doing so. Maybe not for your 'flush' though as it's quite expensive.

[vwdmc16]

Yeah get some cheap gear oil and use it for a few hrs then refill with MTL which is about $13qt

[vwdmc16]

unsatisfied with just a car wash, I painted the driver door jams.


http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0597.jpg

[Chris 16409]

Replaced the nuts securing the binnacle with wing nuts. I thought it would make future removal of it easier. For reference the binnacle studs are M4.

Also, I experimented with fitting a rocker type on/off switch for the engine bay lights. Surprisingly, the original switch was working, but I don't necessarily want the light to always turn on when I open the engine cover. I had to do some modification to the switch housing in order to make it fit.

[jawn101]

Cleaned out plug well #1, which fixed my engine jerkiness. Went for a brief but satisfying (and incident-free) drive. Tried to track down why my left turn signals are flashing so fast, with more tests to run this evening. Tonight I plan to nail down that flash problem, re-tighten a couple of hose clamps that are weeping a bit, reinstall my trailing arm shields, and do a proper wash to remove all the hard water spots and filth from being out of service so long.

[Stainless]

Tonight I plan to reinstall my trailing arm shields.

Don't do it!

http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?1341-Anybody-that-still-runs-dustshields-on-their-D-is-a-GOSHDARN-COMMIE&highlight=commie

[Jonathan]

Also, I experimented with fitting a rocker type on/off switch for the engine bay lights. Surprisingly, the original switch was working, but I don't necessarily want the light to always turn on when I open the engine cover. I had to do some modification to the switch housing in order to make it fit.

Ooh, I like that. Care to post a little how-to with parts you need to make that mod?

[jawn101]

Gave it a proper vinegar bath and nice wash to get the hard water spots off. Clean as a whistle and gleaming like new!

[Victor]

Gave it a proper vinegar bath and nice wash to get the hard water spots off. Clean as a whistle and gleaming like new!

Vinegar really.

One product that work fine with me is Vim in cream form, and as an xtra you get that citrous smell !... But really, it works.

[jawn101]

Vinegar really.

One product that work fine with me is Vim in cream form, and as an xtra you get that citrous smell !... But really, it works.

Vinegar is the best product I've found to get the extremely hard spots off the stainless. It's unbelievably cheap and works on contact, and is environmentally safe, yada yada yada. I try not to use it too often as it stinks like crazy but at 2 bucks a gallon you can't beat it. Just repeatedly soak a rag and wipe the whole car down (I usually stay off the black and rubber bits) then wash the car as normal immediately after to get rid of the stink. Works great!

[Victor]

Vinegar is the best product I've found to get the extremely hard spots off the stainless. It's unbelievably cheap and works on contact, and is environmentally safe, yada yada yada. I try not to use it too often as it stinks like crazy but at 2 bucks a gallon you can't beat it. Just repeatedly soak a rag and wipe the whole car down (I usually stay off the black and rubber bits) then wash the car as normal immediately after to get rid of the stink. Works great!

Thanks Jawn101, I'll probably try it. I am all for the environment thing _ and since I am driving the ''ethical sport car''...

For the Vim thing, I only put a little nut size amount in my glove and rub the entire car when wet. And I rub her fast, and she seems to like it. And it does a great job too. Hum.. I am talking about washing a car here..:blush:

[OverlandMan]

Nothing cause is 110 F-ing degrees in Dallas today. :thumbdown:

[MTDMC]

I just installed the Joe Cool from DMC Midwest.

[D Knight]

Oved both quarters, all the stuff bolted to the walls in the engine compartment, the engine cover, sanded all the fiberglass that is from the doors back, prepped and painted the underbody, and engine cover,removed the quarter louver and air inlet, replaced both, regrained the quarters, installed new engine comp lamp, new coil cover, stainless labels, and replaced all hardware in this process with stainless.

[jawn101]

Oved both quarters, all the stuff bolted to the walls in the engine compartment, the engine cover, sanded all the fiberglass that is from the doors back, prepped and painted the underbody, and engine cover,removed the quarter louver and air inlet, replaced both, regrained the quarters, installed new engine comp lamp, new coil cover, stainless labels, and replaced all hardware in this process with stainless.

Wow, that's a hell of a day.

[jackb]

Replaced a leaking fuel line from the mixture unit to the WUR. Bled the coolant system.

[DMC4719]

Radiator cleaning kit got poured in today, I'm running a bypass for the radiator fans on a separate relay until I figure out why the fans don't kick on when it gets hot. Hopefully a cleaner radiator will help too.

Pulled out some of the PO's non-functioning radio mods and got her all put back together.

Still no A/C... since when do all the compressor piston rods just snap off? Not cool.

[vwdmc16]

Replaced the last original AC hose on the car, testing for leaks now. fingers crossed.

[Farrar]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_laMB4H0Y_s

After that, I ran the vacuum pump for just over an hour and it held steady at almost -29 in. Hg. after shutting off the hoses and turning off the pump.

I am leaving it overnight, so circa 18 hours later I will check the gauges again to see if it held vacuum. Fingers crossed...

[Tillsy]

Upgraded my transmission oil plugs to nice big hex bolts - hopefully give me something much more meaty to grab onto if they ever get stuck again (refer to earlier post for that job).

One of my coolant hard-lines pokes a fair way down toward the ground, which has concerned me since I got her. During shakedown cruise #7 last week (test run after transmission oil change) I heard a little thud when plopping down a spoon drain. Sure enough I noticed the rubber on that join had a rub on it - of course that impact had caused a small amount of movement and the next day I discovered a few of the rubber coolant hoses had begun to leak. Took the opportunity to loosen them all a little, shove the hard lines in further and correct the height and angle of that protruding hardline (now sits flush with bottom of chassis), and tighten the crap out of them all. No more protruding line nor leaks - that'll do for now until (amongst all the other gear I have piled up for future work) I install my new radiator, fans, bleed kit, and silicone hosing.

Per my Creak While Braking (http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?4642-Creak-When-Braking&p=67657#post67657) thread I also installed Toby's sway bar upgrade kit last week too and headed out on shakedown cruise #8, very impressed with the handling improvement!

This weekend was then spent cleaning and airing out my garage, front yard, and entertaining area which were all a big mess from my recent work and stunk to high hell from that horrid oil I got out of my transmission. Naturally I also gave my D a very thorough bath as well :)

[Kenny_Z]

I finally got a saturday off so I was able to go to the local cruise in for a couple of hours. I met and compare cars with BigBen84.

http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/bk01.jpg

[DMC5180]

Upgraded my transmission oil plugs to nice big hex bolts - hopefully give me something much more meaty to grab onto if they ever get stuck again (refer to earlier post for that job).

:)

HEX bolts (straight thread) or HEX NPT plugs (Taper thread)?

[D Knight]

Reinstalled the left quarter with new air inlet, installed new stainless engine cover labels, and regrained both quarters.

[Tillsy]

HEX bolts (straight thread) or HEX NPT plugs (Taper thread)?

Tapered - but the auto shop I went to said nothing about the differences of NPT and BSP which I've just read up on when I saw your post :swear1: So what they gave me was BSP - they screwed in just fine hope it didn't do any damage...

Will be reflushing again this weekend so will get another set of replacements...

[vwdmc16]

Welded in M10 x1.5 Studs to the frame extensions as the old sway bar bolts ripped out.


http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0619.jpg

[DMC5180]

Tapered - but the auto shop I went to said nothing about the differences of NPT and BSP which I've just read up on when I saw your post :swear1: So what they gave me was BSP - they screwed in just fine hope it didn't do any damage...

Will be reflushing again this weekend so will get another set of replacements...

Re-flushing? Why?

The 1 thread per inch difference between BSP and NPT is very subtle. Take the old plug with you and nest the threads with the replacement plug or have the shop check the old plug with a thread pitch gauge.
I could not tell for sure which standard was used. It would not surprise me that it is BSP though.

[Tillsy]

Re-flushing? Why?

I think a ferret died inside there 30 years ago...

[MML]

Got my Craig back in the car today. I asked Elvis to replace the tuning chip and fix my long-dead display, he did an amazing job! The display is perfect, good as new. And I can finally tune in my favourite stations.

I also made a little bracket that prevents the tape door from being pushed in, so the new wiring won't be damaged. I'm not going to use the tape anyway!
The hard part was getting the radio back in the car - I put it in through the hole for the vents. The little screw at the back of the radio is a pain to put in, so I changed it for a slightly longer one sticking outwards from inside the unit, and put a nut on it to secure it in the dash.
And the rubber connecting sleeves for the air vents... what a nightmare. Someone mentioned using thin strips of plastic to slide the vents into the sleeves, so I tried it, and it worked a charm.

And with that, my car's interior is complete!

http://i.imgur.com/sxJri.jpg

[Kevin]

Came out from Lowe's to find this:

12372

Turns out one of the hose clamps on one of the connections by the radiator above the frame simply broke:

12373

At first I thought, "good thing I'm at a hardware store," but they didn't have the right size clamps. Luckily I was only about 3 miles from home, so I topped off my coolant using the extra coolant I keep with the car and was able to drive home with normal temps. Then went to Autozone, replaced clamp, pressure tested, all is well.

But here's your friendly reminder to keep coolant in your trunk, you never know when you'll have to limp home on it.

[pezzonovante88]

Came out from Lowe's to find this:

12372

Turns out one of the hose clamps on one of the connections by the radiator above the frame simply broke:

12373

At first I thought, "good thing I'm at a hardware store," but they didn't have the right size clamps. Luckily I was only about 3 miles from home, so I topped off my coolant using the extra coolant I keep with the car and was able to drive home with normal temps. Then went to Autozone, replaced clamp, pressure tested, all is well.

But here's your friendly reminder to keep coolant in your trunk, you never know when you'll have to limp home on it.

Oh man. lol seems to happen a lot with our cars. And, I agree, it's always a good idea to have extra coolant.

[jawn101]

Oh man. lol seems to happen a lot with our cars. And, I agree, it's always a good idea to have extra coolant.

I know I'll never leave home without a bottle of it again. It's so unfair that a normally bulletproof engine is so easily brought down by the cooling system :)

[ramblinmike]

Oh man. lol seems to happen a lot with our cars. And, I agree, it's always a good idea to have extra coolant.

These cars have a gazillion places for coolant to leak. It surprises me how often they don't leak.

[MTDMC]

Just got the oil changed.

[bruscreen]

Removed all 4 brake calipers and the rear rotors. Off to buy a 32mm / 1.25" impact socket to pull the front rotors.

[Lenny]

For the first time in over 1.5 years, since I bought the car, it wouldn't start. I haven't driven it in 4 or 5 weeks. It tried to start but didn't feel like it was getting fuel. This is the first time it has happened It always started on the first turn of the key.

I've had a strong odor of gasoline at various times since I first got the car but, everytime I took it to DMCFL there was no odor. Once it was so bad I was afraid to drive it so I towed it 125 miles to Bonita Springs. When I started it only had the slightest odor AARRRGGHHH!!!!

Anyway I wonder if this is related?

[jawn101]

Fixed my cold start issue (turned out to be either loose or dirty connectors at the CSV/TTS)

Fixed my alternator problems (low voltage/flickering battery light) by simply replacing the connector to the regulator - removed the new one from Hervey and replaced it with my 30 year old original one, which works much, much better. Go figure.

Went for a shakedown drive to verify that the motor stayed cool and ran well, which it absolutely did. Still a bit of an odd whine coming from the relay compartment or possibly the motor area just behind it. That will need to be tracked down yet.

Drove through a small town near home for giggles and had a great chance meeting with a former owner. Details on that experience are here
http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?566-GOOD-POSITIVE-DeLorean-stories&p=68522&viewfull=1#post68522

Overall a good day! Tomorrow I'm driving up to Sacramento to try for smog and hang with Clint and David for the day. We'll see how the smog goes.... fingers crossed.

[WelmoedJ]

For the first time in over 1.5 years, since I bought the car, it wouldn't start. I haven't driven it in 4 or 5 weeks. It tried to start but didn't feel like it was getting fuel. This is the first time it has happened It always started on the first turn of the key.

I've had a strong odor of gasoline at various times since I first got the car but, everytime I took it to DMCFL there was no odor. Once it was so bad I was afraid to drive it so I towed it 125 miles to Bonita Springs. When I started it only had the slightest odor AARRRGGHHH!!!!

Anyway I wonder if this is related?

If it has been parked overnight, do you smell gas outside the car?
(if it's parked in a garage you will be able to get the smell being stronger: no way to get out into the open air).

Then test the gas cap: if you turn it, do you hear air escape/being sucked in?
Check the carbon canister for gas smell and also check the roll over valve.
You may have plugged hoses to/from the roll over valve or canister or one/both may have a defect.

[jawn101]

Took it up to Sacramento for a smog. Discovered that not only does it pass, but it basically emits nothing but rainbows, sunshine and water. OK, that might be an exaggeration - but it was so far below spec (and even below average in some cases) that I was stunned. Check it out...

http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=12451&d=1344743703

But for some reason the coolant started getting really hot afterwards - right at 210-220ish. I think the 106 degree weather combined with idling in a hot parking lot waiting for its turn on the dyno, combined with the dyno tests and then immediately driving around must have just heated it up so much it couldn't shed the heat. After a few hours cooling in Clint's garage it made it home without getting the slightest bit hot. The A/C seems to play a huge role in this. If I shut it off, the temp gauge will drop by 15-20 degrees in under 5 minutes. Is that normal?

[Tillsy]

No progress for me over the past week. I've been waiting for a month on the machining of my rotors through a friend of my wife - they offered a great rate to do it but have been dragging on and on and on. Have officially given up and simply ordered brand newies from MidWest but it'll be next weekend before I have them. This has held me up getting her roadworthied as my braking distance would not pass, and the rotor warp prevents me doing the park/emergency brake tight enough so that likewise would not pass.

To that end just been doing odds and ends, buying various things such as oil ready for next transmission and engine change, and taking steps to start getting her roadworthy organised.

More importantly went out for shakedown cruise #9 which, given no work over past week, was nothing more than to give her a run and for me to enjoy driving her :driving1:

[painterdave72]

to an awesome cruise.. finally! Its been so hot here havent really been able to but last night was about 75 degrees and there were around four hundred classic cars there!! Fun times...

[Jonathan]

But for some reason the coolant started getting really hot afterwards - right at 210-220ish. I think the 106 degree weather combined with idling in a hot parking lot waiting for its turn on the dyno, combined with the dyno tests and then immediately driving around must have just heated it up so much it couldn't shed the heat. After a few hours cooling in Clint's garage it made it home without getting the slightest bit hot. The A/C seems to play a huge role in this. If I shut it off, the temp gauge will drop by 15-20 degrees in under 5 minutes. Is that normal?

Hey Jon,

I remember being told by Dave S. that if you want to try and keep your car cooled down on hot days, you should actually turn the A/C on. And the reason behind this is that it forces the cooling fans to be on. I wonder if there is something going on that your cooling fans are not coming on when the A/C is on, but they do come on when it is off? Of the two ways the cooling fans are told to run, perhaps something goofy is going on with the A/C portion?

Do you know for sure the cooling fans come on as they should, and in both scenarios?

[jawn101]

Hey Jon,

I remember being told by Dave S. that if you want to try and keep your car cooled down on hot days, you should actually turn the A/C on. And the reason behind this is that it forces the cooling fans to be on. I wonder if there is something going on that your cooling fans are not coming on when the A/C is on, but they do come on when it is off? Of the two ways the cooling fans are told to run, perhaps something goofy is going on with the A/C portion?

Do you know for sure the cooling fans come on as they should, and in both scenarios?

Yeah, it's weird. The fans work. They kick on with the otterstat just above the second mark on the temp gauge. They also cycle with the compressor when the a/c is running, provided the otterstat isn't also calling for them. The otterstat is facing down (electrical connections towards the ground) as recommended. I have Dave M's fan fail module installed and verified working. My cooling system holds 20 psi, the water pump is new, no coolant is leaking, I have DPNW's autobleeder installed, and have recently manually bled the radiator. I can see coolant flowing in the bottle if I run the motor with the cap off. I've never traditionally had any heat issues at all. I don't believe the radiator is blocked but I will triple check that tonight when I get home.

Any other ideas? :)

[Chris 16409]

I'm sure it was a combination of the summer heat and longer than usual idling. Sounds like everything else is functioning properly. It's been 110 degrees in the central valley so I don't think our cars are happy in the heat.

[Bitsyncmaster]

Yeah, it's weird. The fans work. They kick on with the otterstat just above the second mark on the temp gauge. They also cycle with the compressor when the a/c is running, provided the otterstat isn't also calling for them. The otterstat is facing down (electrical connections towards the ground) as recommended. I have Dave M's fan fail module installed and verified working. My cooling system holds 20 psi, the water pump is new, no coolant is leaking, I have DPNW's autobleeder installed, and have recently manually bled the radiator. I can see coolant flowing in the bottle if I run the motor with the cap off. I've never traditionally had any heat issues at all. I don't believe the radiator is blocked but I will triple check that tonight when I get home.

Any other ideas? :)

Sounds like you have everything checked. Your sure the fans are blowing to the back of the car? It may be the radiator needs a flushing.

[Kevin]

Having a bear of a time trying to get my rear brake discs off, they seem pretty well-rusted to the hub. Going to let PB Blaster work some magic overnight and hopefully will have them off tomorrow. Also going to try to sand and clean the hub to hopefully make things easier for next time.

[DrJeff]

This weekend touched up the primer on the fascias and laid down the base color (mineral gray metallic) both front and rear with the air driven spray gun. Color looks exactly right - as instructed by others on this forum.

Since I had the headlights out, I took the opportunity to paint the light buckets and also the light front surrounds black (as done by one or two others in the forum). Reassembled they look great, cant wait get them into the new fascia.

[D Knight]

If you need rotors machined, I can help. I have a lathe. Not sure its really worth the shipping, but I can do it if you want it done. I won't charge to turn em for members here. Just glad to help other DMC owners.

[jawn101]

Sounds like you have everything checked. Your sure the fans are blowing to the back of the car? It may be the radiator needs a flushing.

Yeah, they turn the right way. Like I said, it normally stays quite cool. I will monitor it on shorter trips and avoid super hot days like that for now and if I still see issues I may investigate a new radiator. I don't think mine is original as I'm pretty sure the tanks are metal (though not magnetic) but it is quite old.

[dmc6960]

With the AC on the condenser is raising the temperature of the air before crossing the radiator. This reduces the potential change in temperature of the coolant inside the radiator. If it is partially blocked, internally or externally then your maxing out the ability for it to transfer heat into the air. At highway speeds there is more airflow than on the fans alone so the radiator has more ability to transfer that heat.

While running the AC does keep the fans on most of the time, remember you are still raising the air temp crossing the radiator. And the less change in temperature between the air and the coolant reduces the ability for it to lower the temp of the coolant. It will never cool it lower than the air temp. Fortunately that is still below the normall operating temp for engines.

[Kevin]

If you need rotors machined, I can help. I have a lathe. Not sure its really worth the shipping, but I can do it if you want it done. I won't charge to turn em for members here. Just glad to help other DMC owners.

I assume that was towards me? Thanks for the offer, but my discs are already below the minimum spec!


The A/C seems to play a huge role in this. If I shut it off, the temp gauge will drop by 15-20 degrees in under 5 minutes. Is that normal?

Is this on MAX AC? If so, I wonder if not allowing the coolant to flow up to the heater core would be enough to make the temperature rise on a hot day.

[bruscreen]

Pulled the front rotors, then attacked the angle drive. Took a liberal dose of WD40 plus jacking up the wrench to break it free. Installed new front brake hoses. Done until parts arrive.

[jawn101]

Is this on MAX AC? If so, I wonder if not allowing the coolant to flow up to the heater core would be enough to make the temperature rise on a hot day.

Yep, max A/C... I rarely use anything else if I'm honest.

[82DMC12]

I shipped my T-panel off to DMCMW so they could fix a weird ding in it, probably from a dreaded PO messing with the torsion brackets.

Had to get creative with the shipping because I couldn't find a pre-made box that was close enough. Can you believe this thing only cost $29 to ship FedEx Ground from ND to IL?

1252412525

[Lenny]

Worked on the yard sunday when I finished I thought I'd tackle the non starting "D". Anyway, got in, turned the key and it started. Took it for a drive and no problems. I need to drive it more often however I'm on the road 30-40 weeks a year. When I get home after mowing the yard, fixing the broken toliet or whatever else is wrong it's time to pack head out again. Doesn't leave enough time to put a few miles on the car.


For the first time in over 1.5 years, since I bought the car, it wouldn't start. I haven't driven it in 4 or 5 weeks. It tried to start but didn't feel like it was getting fuel. This is the first time it has happened It always started on the first turn of the key.

I've had a strong odor of gasoline at various times since I first got the car but, everytime I took it to DMCFL there was no odor. Once it was so bad I was afraid to drive it so I towed it 125 miles to Bonita Springs. When I started it only had the slightest odor AARRRGGHHH!!!!

Anyway I wonder if this is related?

[jmast]

sold some parts :disapprove:

[Kevin]

I shipped my T-panel off to DMCMW so they could fix a weird ding in it, probably from a dreaded PO messing with the torsion brackets.

Had to get creative with the shipping because I couldn't find a pre-made box that was close enough. Can you believe this thing only cost $29 to ship FedEx Ground from ND to IL?

1252412525

Nice deal! I'm trying to figure out a way to send them a rear quarter panel, it's a little more difficult. :-/

Today, I finally got my rear brake discs off with the help of a Really Big Hammer, 30-year-old rust is something. I cleaned and sanded the hub and adapter plate to try and get most of the rust off, then installed new discs and put the calipers back on. Front ones are next, going to need to find a place to press in new wheel bearings for me.

[Michael]

Nice deal! I'm trying to figure out a way to send them a rear quarter panel, it's a little more difficult. :-/

Today, I finally got my rear brake discs off with the help of a Really Big Hammer, 30-year-old rust is something. I cleaned and sanded the hub and adapter plate to try and get most of the rust off, then installed new discs and put the calipers back on. Front ones are next, going to need to find a place to press in new wheel bearings for me.

That's going to be tough, I recently shipped a fender and I had 5 inches to spare before it became too big to ship USPS. It cost me around 100.00 to ship, if It were any bigger it would have to go Fed Ex or UPS to the tune of 800.00!

[DavidProehl]

I shipped my T-panel off to DMCMW so they could fix a weird ding in it, probably from a dreaded PO messing with the torsion brackets.

Had to get creative with the shipping because I couldn't find a pre-made box that was close enough. Can you believe this thing only cost $29 to ship FedEx Ground from ND to IL?

1252412525

Impressive packaging! Very well engineered!

[Stainless]

Nice deal! I'm trying to figure out a way to send them a rear quarter panel, it's a little more difficult. :-/


I shipped my rear quarter panel to DMCNW last year. It was a bear finding a box big enough to fit it in. Finally found one that was used to ship a GM car door to a body shop. I shipped it via FedEx Freight using the vendor's account and then I just paid for the repairs & shipping once the work was completed. Saved a ton of money using his commercial account instead of as a first time customer. The panel also made it there and back with no further damage.

To see pics of the box, go here: http://deloreanblog.blogspot.com/2011/08/road-to-recovery.html

[Kevin]

I shipped my rear quarter panel to DMCNW last year. It was a bear finding a box big enough to fit it in. Finally found one that was used to ship a GM car door to a body shop. I shipped it via FedEx Freight using the vendor's account and then I just paid for the repairs & shipping once the work was completed. Saved a ton of money using his commercial account instead of as a first time customer. The panel also made it there and back with no further damage.

To see pics of the box, go here: http://deloreanblog.blogspot.com/2011/08/road-to-recovery.html

Thanks for the tips! Nice of DMCNW to let you use their FedEx account, I'll have to look into that, and find one of those boxes!

[82DMC12]

Impressive packaging! Very well engineered!

Thanks! Actual dimensions were about 39"x41"x3". It was 25lbs. UPS quoted me about $115 to ship based on an estimate of a couple inches larger. Glad I tried FedEx!

Andy

[Victor]

Replaced the hood release cable with a new stainless steel one and add teflon grease to it. Now the cable is teflon filled and the inner of the outer cable is also teflon. So it really is butter smooth.
Also installed a back-up cable_ just in case, and just because it is the wise thing to do...
Installed sound insulation on the back shelf. My muffler system is somewhat loud.

[jawn101]

A bunch of little but productive things. Installed some 5/8" black vinyl tubing over the torsion bars to stop them from rubbing on the hinges. Removed the T panel and put some more foam weatherstripping under the leading edge to stop an annoying rattle where it was hitting the windshield header. Fixed a strange clunk from the back of the car, that turned out to be a jug of coolant banging around in the front of the car. Gotta love these fiberglass tubs! At least it gave me an excuse to inspect the rear suspension, torque the rear wheels, etc.

Anyone have a passenger side parking brake cable they want to sell? I sheared off the stud where the cable attaches to the caliper and it's held on with zip ties right now :angry0:


Thanks! Actual dimensions were about 39"x41"x3". It was 25lbs. UPS quoted me about $115 to ship based on an estimate of a couple inches larger. Glad I tried FedEx!

Andy

Wow, who knew! I paid UPS like $65 to ship a smallish (but heavy) box containing core flywheel and clutch parts back to DPI recently. I was floored that it was so expensive. Next time I'll price shop FedEx first, I always thought they would be way more expensive.

[jfirios]

still trying to figure out the power drain on my system. Found the DMC grill that came off my car on the road two months ago. Very weird how i ended up finding it. But Half assed screwed it back to the bumper using wood backing so that it wont come off until I get the bumper fixed. Since I was doing that, I decided to tear out the interior again and re do all the grounds for the equipment i installed. LED lighting, Extra power supply for the IPAD, all the relays...Then while doing that I decided to start cleaning up all the main ground points on the car, using my dremmel and brush. got rid of the decay on the flag on the main ground harness for the car, then the jump point in the engine bay, and the body ground point.
Just waiting on the new alternator and ground wires.

[dvonk]

got my NOS Grady boards in the mail today, got them on ebay for a deal i couldnt resist: $65 shipped for the pair! :thumbup2:

http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=12578&d=1345154351

12578

[jfirios]

did it come with the screws and bulbs too? That is awesome. I might need to get a new set.

[OverlandMan]

got my NOS Grady boards in the mail today, got them on ebay for a deal i couldnt resist: $65 shipped for the pair! :thumbup2:

http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=12578&d=1345154351

12578

Nice find!

[dvonk]

thanks! it did come with bulbs and screws. i assume that was part of Grady's kit. the seller said he bought them as a backup for his original boards but never needed them.

[jawn101]

got my NOS Grady boards in the mail today, got them on ebay for a deal i couldnt resist: $65 shipped for the pair! :thumbup2:

http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=12578&d=1345154351

12578

Wow, congrats on that! Plenty of owners would love to have those, now you've got the jump on them when you get your car!! :)

And if you Grady guys are reading this... make another batch of these please!

[jfirios]

BUMP. I would love a new set as well.

[vwdmc16]

going to try a new brake anti rattle product, hope it works.



Also I guess I just became the 50,000th viewer of this thread, wow.

[Bitsyncmaster]

going to try a new brake anti rattle product, hope it works.



Also I guess I just became the 50,000th viewer of this thread, wow.

I would think light springs on the pad pins would stop brake rattle.

[Dangermouse]

Wow, congrats on that! Plenty of owners would love to have those, now you've got the jump on them when you get your car!! :)

And if you Grady guys are reading this... make another batch of these please!

Now why did I assume that one board would be the mirror image of the other? I guess I've never had my OEM ones out at the same time,

[dvonk]

i expected them to be mirror images as well. i guess it makes sense from a manufacturing/logistics standpoint.

[Jonathan]

I would check into that. They both show the same 101488 part number. I had thought there was a left and right also?

Edit: learned something new today. DeLorean.com has them as qty 2 on the page so I guess they are the same. You basically just rotate one of them 180 degrees to put in the other side. I believe the end with the connector is the reversing light and the opposite end is the turn signal bulb. The others in the middle are symmetrical. Neat!

[DavidProehl]

I would check into that. They both show the same 101488 part number. I had thought there was a left and right also?

The OEM boards are the same between left and right. If I remember correctly the difference is that you mount one upside down, if you could call it that. You can see on the parts page (http://store.delorean.com/c-342-3-5-1-lighting-system-rear.aspx) it shows the same part number for #8 used twice:
12595

Edit: Looks like Jonathan beat me to it!

[vwdmc16]

I have some old Grady boards in my car, I can confirm they are the same left and right, one is just flipped

[jawn101]

Manufactured and installed a 3-way jumper to replace my rheostat. Removed and reinstalled my passenger side upper door panel as it had a broken fir tree and wasn't sitting right. Did some more troubleshooting on the cold start system. Went for a very nice drive.

[Kevin]

Finished up a few jobs this weekend:

- New rotors on all four wheels
- New front wheel bearings
- New adjustable rear lower links to fix my camber from lowered springs, going to get an alignment this week
- Flushed brake and clutch fluid, glad Castrol GTLMA is available on Amazon Prime now
- Started work on painting my louvres, waiting on more SEM Trim Black to show up in the mail to finish the job and also paint the side louvres and license plate bezel

[DMC5180]

Finished up a few jobs this weekend:

- New rotors on all four wheels
- New front wheel bearings
- New adjustable rear lower links to fix my camber from lowered springs, going to get an alignment this week
- Flushed brake and clutch fluid, glad Castrol GTLMA is available on Amazon Prime now
- Started work on painting my louvres, waiting on more SEM Trim Black to show up in the mail to finish the job and also paint the side louvres and license plate bezel

Please post pics of all the repainted items in good daylight. I Need to redo my bezel and side louvres too but have hesitant to do so.

[Tillsy]

No progress for me over the past week. I've been waiting for a month on the machining of my rotors through a friend of my wife - they offered a great rate to do it but have been dragging on and on and on. Have officially given up and simply ordered brand newies from MidWest but it'll be next weekend before I have them. This has held me up getting her roadworthied as my braking distance would not pass, and the rotor warp prevents me doing the park/emergency brake tight enough so that likewise would not pass.

I have now rebuilt both my rear calipers - in the process discovering one of my pistons was seized, two were extremely stiff, and one was nice and smooth. Also found them full of absolute crud (refer to sample picture attached) despite having replaced and flushed the rest of the system. Have also fitted new rotors, brake pads, and park pads. Re-bled and taken out for shakedown cruise #10 - not the improvement I was hoping for but very likely the discs and pads need to wear in a little. One things for sure - when I work the brakes hard for testing the old front pads get quite hot and smelly but the new rear ceramic ones are beautiful!

Now the fronts to go...

Have also had an engineer's inspection and report done to certify door intrusion bar strength to Australian standards because, you know, the attached shot isn't good enough :hysterical:

[WelmoedJ]

Have also had an engineer's inspection and report done to certify door intrusion bar strength to Australian standards because, you know, the attached shot isn't good enough :hysterical:

Most countries have standards for vehicles they allow on their roads.
Some of those standards are a bit weird, but hey, it's the government.
It keeps its clerks busy spending a lot of time thinking of what to place in your path (like crow's feet ;) ) and waisting our money doing so.
And their brainstorm hopefully assuring the government of some income and sufficient barriers to discourage the average civilian.

[Bitsyncmaster]

Got my new Radiator bolted up to the AC condenser. Would be better as a two man job because you really need to be careful of those studs sticking out of the condenser.

[jfirios]

I think i figured out the power issue with my car. tore everything out, re did all the grounds, cleaned up reinstalled everything and the voltage seems to be doing much better. Drove it all day today stopped and started a lot, got home voltage was still 12.6 v
Nice.
I love driving this car.

[jawn101]

I think i figured out the power issue with my car. tore everything out, re did all the grounds, cleaned up reinstalled everything and the voltage seems to be doing much better. Drove it all day today stopped and started a lot, got home voltage was still 12.6 v
Nice.


12.6 still sounds low to me. I don't have a big stereo but I get worried if the gauge starts getting close to 13v, it's usually more like 14.5.



I love driving this car.
+1 :)

As for me, I did a little more troubleshooting on my cold start problem and decided to stop destroying my brain thinking about it until I've tried just replacing the thermotime switch. That's on it's way from Dave and Julee now.

I also have a new main relay on the way. Everyone says that these "never go bad" but I just got so darn lucky... mine appears to be physically broken. The bottom with the electronics mounted to it is loose inside the case, and if you touch any of the wires in the relay compartment it will wiggle around and close the circuit. I noticed it when I was in the relay compartment with the car off and unplugged my starter relay - the fuel pump primed and I felt the relay click on. Lucky me! You'll need your volume way up to hear the symptoms in this video.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dKJh9sutWs

[jfirios]

The gauge on the dash is hovering around 13v. But when i check it i use my multi meter and get an accurate test. The battery should be around 12.8-12.6 V any more then it is overcharging. But UPS came late last night, weird, 9pm and dropped off Harveys 140 amp alternator and ground wire kit.
Very excited about it. :)

[MTDMC]

Washed it today. Getting for the 28th Street Metro Cruise in Grand Rapids, MI.

[Kevin]

Please post pics of all the repainted items in good daylight. I Need to redo my bezel and side louvres too but have hesitant to do so.

Will do! My extra paint comes in Monday so will likely be next week.

For the past few days, I've been wondering why my rear defrost light has been on. Then today, I noticed my cooling fans haven't been running and I get a little hot at stoplights. Putting 2 and 2 together, I'm guessing one of the times the center console has been taken apart, the fan fail light was accidentally swapped with the rear defrost light. So, I've got some electrical diagnosis to do later, but I thought that was a funny thing to mention. The fun never ends. :)

[Jonathan]

Got back home to Ontario, my house, and DMC. Got the battery recharged, did my usual pre-flight checkouts, and it fired right up on the first try. May be seeing a bit of a high idle thing going on, but I'll save that for another day. Didn't have a chance to wash it, but I loaded my car show gear back in to the trunk and set out for the local cruise night down by the lake. It was a nice night for it. A real high precentage of good people tonight with very few flux capacitor/cocaine references. Might be part of the perception too as that got better recently. I think I may have even found another DeLorean owner previously unknown to the club. Giddyup!!

I had stopped at DMCMW on my way back across the continent and picked up some odds and ends. I highly recommend the Stabilus door struts for anyone with the droop. And the "They're still out there" alien/DMC t-shirt is a real hit!! The new location is going to be fantastic and Dave and Julee have some great ideas for the place. I'll be setting my sights on a trip to the Chicago area next June or so to see the finished product.

Here's a funny picture of a little companion who was praying for a ride on my front right wheel just before leaving for the cruise night.

12737

And a couple from about when the sun was setting.

1273812739

[dvonk]

Here's a funny picture of a little companion who was praying for a ride on my front right wheel just before leaving for the cruise night.

haha, mantids are awesome. :thumbup:

[vwdmc16]

After a week of delays I have my driver side door popper installed and wired to the remote. Oh the fun I will have with that! These last few hours were spent looking up how to wire the 3rd "option" button to activate a relay for the door popper. Im using DMCH'S keyless remote system, Its a very basic remote system, so basic in fact they dont even put the unit's manufacture or part number on it anywhere, this made it hard to find the wiring diagram. FYI It's called the Advent/ Audiovox PRO-9845B

[jawn101]

Installed my new thermotime switch (fixed my cold start issue!), main relay (not exciting but peace of mind given the state of my old one) and the driver's side door strut bracket. Now I just have to put in the passenger's side bracket and I can install my slick new headliners!

[DavidProehl]

Went to Euro Sunday in Roseville, CA this morning. Met Clint, Stephen, and Charlie there. Had a wonderful time, saw a lot of great cars, and even learned of a local DeLorean that is going to be up for sale soon (owner recently passed away and widow is looking to sell it). Clint is going to check it out this afternoon, hopefully he posts some pictures here.

Here is a photo from this morning. My car is on the right, Clint's is on the left, and you can see Stephen's open door on the far left of the picture.

12749

[Bitsyncmaster]

Got the new radiator installed and all the hoses back on. I pressurized the system dry just to see how it holds. Need to pick up 1.5 gallons of antifreeze. Drop that in and fill the rest with water. The system is completely empty since I drained the two lowest pipe and the engine drain plugs.

I'm waiting to put the fans back in after I'm sure there are no leaks.

[jawn101]

Went to Euro Sunday in Roseville, CA this morning. Met Clint, Stephen, and Charlie there. Had a wonderful time, saw a lot of great cars, and even learned of a local DeLorean that is going to be up for sale soon (owner recently passed away and widow is looking to sell it). Clint is going to check it out this afternoon, hopefully he posts some pictures here.

Here is a photo from this morning. My car is on the right, Clint's is on the left, and you can see Stephen's open door on the far left of the picture.

12749

Looks like fun! Sorry I couldn't make it - next time!

Do you mean the D in Brentwood that's up for sale? Be interesting to see what a pro like Clint thinks of it.

[DavidProehl]

Do you mean the D in Brentwood that's up for sale? Be interesting to see what a pro like Clint thinks of it.

No, not Brentwood. The guy we talked to said it was about 4 miles from where the event was held in Roseville. Being unfamiliar with the area I don't recall the name of the town, but it was closer than Brentwood.

[vwdmc16]

Lincoln, CA Im posting a thread with all the pics. Its a promising project car for somebody.



On my way back this happened, first flat tire ive ever had in my life:



http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/20120826_183511-1.jpg

[jawn101]

Lincoln, CA Im posting a thread with all the pics. Its a promising project car for somebody.



On my way back this happened, first flat tire ive ever had in my life:



http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/20120826_183511-1.jpg

Oh, shitty!! Sorry to see that man. I guess you made it home ok? How did the spare hold up?

[vwdmc16]

Pretty good, kept it under 55mph all the way home. Since my car is lowered so much I had to have two guys help lift up the car just so I could slide the jack under the car, the pontoon floor was just 1/2 off the ground.

[John U]

Reinstalled my glove box lid after having it signed, then took my 4yr old daughter on a cruise....she loves that car!

[Jonathan]

The weekend ended up being a good time to work on the car. Funny how you build up this list of things to do on the vehicle but never find the time to do it. Then put yourself 3,400 km away from it for four months and all you want is to be able to get working on them. Here's a couple things I was working on:

- Adjusted throttle spool to lever arm linkage to remove some slack and help the butterfly valves spring back to position zero at idle. Likely still need to go back in and remove the whole assembly and grease the pivoting point of the butterfly valves.
- Added the four snap rings that were part of the deice recall kit to the throttle spool post, thus ensuring the spring end stays in position.
- Confirmed my vacuum hoses were routed properly and the idle micro switch wiring connectors were snug and clean. In the process, realized the vacuum solenoid wiring connector had one of the wires backed down out of the connector and wasn't getting the 12V to the solenoid. Fixed the connector and the solenoid started working again.
- Confirmed my front suspension had already had the front end recall castle nuts and cotter pins installed. (Something I pondered from 3 provinces over and couldn't confirm with the pictures I had with me until I got home and looked first hand). Also confirmed both front wheels had their dust shields installed, another item I read about from another owner and wanted to double check.
- Installed a new dust cap on the angle drive cable end. Paid special attention to ensuring the hole was lining up correctly with the cable as it snapped in place. Made sure the lower speedo cable was lining up well at it's connection too. Then proceeded to put the first 13 miles on the car that actually registered on the odometer in over a year. Yippey!!
- Installed front brake anti-rattle clips. It helped with the "clicking" noise, but ultimately I believe one of the pistons is sticking on the front left brake and to fix it will mean a caliper rebuild of the front pair.
- Installed new door struts. These were the Stabilus ones with the dampening technology. Vast improvement over the ones I had and my doors are opening much better now on their own.

- Working on snapping in the wiper delay module bracket into it's correct home. I don't want to steal Dave's thunder by posting this here, but when I was at MidWest last week, we were looking around and when we had the wiper delay module bracket in hand, and saw a pedals assembly on the floor, Dave took a picture of how the bracket is supposed to cleverly snap right in there (there are clips on it in certain places to do this). Mine just dangles down in a wiring mess sort of like something C3-P0 would be trying to fix on the Falcon. I didn't realize this is where it was supposed to go. I got up in the footwell and saw that there is a chunk of air ducting plastic in the way so I need to figure out how to sneak it into position, but I thought a few others here might get some use out of seeing the picture.

12756

[DavidProehl]

Pretty good, kept it under 55mph all the way home. Since my car is lowered so much I had to have two guys help lift up the car just so I could slide the jack under the car, the pontoon floor was just 1/2 off the ground.

Sorry to hear about the flat! Glad your spare was good, I was just talking with Stephen yesterday about the condition of our spares. He mentioned he had his resealed.

[John U]

Made up a new "car show" shirt....now just have to find a car show to go to....

[thirdmanj]

Made up a new "car show" shirt....now just have to find a car show to go to....

I'll take one of those!

[Domi]

Pretty good, kept it under 55mph all the way home. Since my car is lowered so much I had to have two guys help lift up the car just so I could slide the jack under the car, the pontoon floor was just 1/2 off the ground.

Where did you put the rear tire?
To the passenger seat if you were alone?

[pezzonovante88]

Oh, shitty!! Sorry to see that man. I guess you made it home ok? How did the spare hold up?

This is kind of an unusual response to that picture, but the car looks really good in that pic. :)

[jawn101]

This is kind of an unusual response to that picture, but the car looks really good in that pic. :)

I am not sure what is unusual about it... but yes, the car does look really good! :) I dig the wheels most of all.

[Bitsyncmaster]

Filled my dry coolant system. Still about a quart short of the 2.9 gal it should take. Have not started the engine yet, I just pressurized the system and opened the bleed screw on the thermostat housing. Boy has coolant gone up in price. Paid $12 a gallon at Wal-Mart. The already mixed stuff was $10 gal...........Let me get my calculator to find the better buy.:smoke1:

[Chris 16409]

Filled my dry coolant system. Still about a quart short of the 2.9 gal it should take. Have not started the engine yet, I just pressurized the system and opened the bleed screw on the thermostat housing. Boy has coolant gone up in price. Paid $12 a gallon at Wal-Mart. The already mixed stuff was $10 gal...........Let me get my calculator to find the better buy.

I've been getting the O'Reilly standard green unmixed coolant since I've owned the car. The price is pretty much the same at $11.99.

http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/detail/AFZ0/GAL/N0496.oap?ck=Search_coolant_N0496_-1_3682&keyword=coolant&pt=N0496&ppt=C0059

[Spittybug]

Filled my dry coolant system. Still about a quart short of the 2.9 gal it should take. Have not started the engine yet, I just pressurized the system and opened the bleed screw on the thermostat housing. Boy has coolant gone up in price. Paid $12 a gallon at Wal-Mart. The already mixed stuff was $10 gal...........Let me get my calculator to find the better buy.:smoke1:

Antifreeze is mostly mono-ethylene glycol (MEG), an ethylene derivative. Ethylene is made from either oil (via naphtha from a refinery) or from NGLs (ethane, propane, butane extracted from natural gas). Shale gas is dirt cheap and the cost to make ethylene in the US is now close to being the lowest in the world. Ethylene prices however are set by the higher cost increments (Asia in this case since they use oil based naphtha) so the ethylene guys in the US are coining money right now. Ethylene derivatives producers are just passing along those higher costs. This should all change by 2017 or so when excess capacity gets built and we drown in the stuff. Seen tire prices lately? Butadiene (a component of synthetic rubber) is a byproduct of ethylene production. As more is made from NGLs rather than naphtha, less butadiene is made, driving its price up and up and up...... no end in sight for that one.

(PS... this used to be the day job - chemical industry consultant)

[Kevin]

Installed Toby's sway bar kit this evening. Pretty nice upgrade, it no longer feels like the car is going to topple over in corners.

[Kevin]

Painted my louvres and side louvres. I took the rear louvres off and painted them vertically. I'm mostly happy with the result, could use another light coat to even things out, but I ran out of paint. Also didn't have enough paint to do the underside.

12790 12789

I think I'll get one more can to do my license plate bezel and windshield trim.

[Stainless]

Painted my louvres and side louvres. I took the rear louvres off and painted them vertically. I'm mostly happy with the result, could use another light coat to even things out, but I ran out of paint. Also didn't have enough paint to do the underside.

12790 12789

I think I'll get one more can to do my license plate bezel and windshield trim.

They look great! Did you paint the side louvres while they were still on the car, or did you remove them to paint?

[Kevin]

They look great! Did you paint the side louvres while they were still on the car, or did you remove them to paint?

Thank you! I left them in the car since they're such a pain to remove. It's easy enough to just mask them off to paint them.

[mluder]

Painted my louvres and side louvres. I took the rear louvres off and painted them vertically. I'm mostly happy with the result, could use another light coat to even things out, but I ran out of paint. Also didn't have enough paint to do the underside.

12790 12789

I think I'll get one more can to do my license plate bezel and windshield trim.

Nice - SEM Trim Black paint or another brand?

Cheers
Steve

[Kevin]

Nice - SEM Trim Black paint or another brand?

Cheers
Steve

Thanks! Yes, SEM Trim Black. Seemed to be the most-recommended and I wanted it to look right. Problem is no where around here sells it, so I have to get it off of Amazon and wait a few days if I need more paint.

[mluder]

Thanks! Yes, SEM Trim Black. Seemed to be the most-recommended and I wanted it to look right. Problem is no where around here sells it, so I have to get it off of Amazon and wait a few days if I need more paint.

Did you try searching on their web page? There is a "Where to Buy" at the top where you can enter your zipcode. I found several places in my area.
http://semproducts.com/

Cheers
Steven

[Kevin]

Did you try searching on their web page? There is a "Where to Buy" at the top where you can enter your zipcode. I found several places in my area.
http://semproducts.com/

Cheers
Steven

How about that! There's supposedly a place near by, I'll have to check it out. But also, I had lots of Amazon credit from a recent birthday and also my Amazon credit card points, so I've been getting all this paint for free by ordering it. :)

[Dangermouse]

How many cans did you use on the louvers and did you spray them front and back.

Nice job btw.

I have 2 cans on the shelf ready to go.

[Kevin]

How many cans did you use on the louvers and did you spray them front and back.

Nice job btw.

I have 2 cans on the shelf ready to go.

Thanks! Sadly, I used about 4.5 and that was ONLY for the front, but it's probably my fault. I was trying the technique of spraying from a distance to get a textured effect, but that meant it went on very thin with each coat and I think too much of the paint dried before hitting the surface or didn't hit the surface at all, so I had to keep applying more to get it looking even and dark. I'd say if I sprayed closer or knew better what I was doing, I'd have been closer to 2 cans.

[Dangermouse]

Time to go shopping again then. Luckily I have an actual store nearby.

[jfirios]

how hard was it to remove and re install the louver from the car for the painting? You did a great job on the side louvers. What did you do to prep them? Wet sand with a sponge or something. I am sure you just didnt go at it with the paint.

[Kevin]

how hard was it to remove and re install the louver from the car for the painting? You did a great job on the side louvers. What did you do to prep them? Wet sand with a sponge or something. I am sure you just didnt go at it with the paint.

Thanks! Removing and reinstalling the louvers was pretty easy, it's best to have another person help to support the weight of the other side when removing and refitting. Refitting was a bit of a pain though because they can bolt on too forward, or too backwards, too high or too low, so it takes some trial and error to get them back on right.

I sanded them with 320 grit sandpaper (400 wasn't available) and cleaned with rubbing alcohol and hosed it off a couple times to get the sanding dust off.

[Tillsy]

Only a few odds and ends over past couple of weeks - shampooing the front and rear carpet mats, changing engine oil and filter, enjoying shakedown cruise #11, etc.

Available time now severely impacted due to birth of second daughter. :monkeys:

[jawn101]

Moved it for the first time in over a week, to get it into the middle of the garage. Started up instantly thanks to the new thermotime switch!

Installed my passenger side door strut reinforcing bracket. While I was waiting for the RTV to cure I finally reinstalled the center headliners. They look great! Still have to trim back the edges and glue them over the tub under the door seals, which will be a job for tomorrow.

[82DMC12]

Put a new fuse box in and re wrapped my main looms with cold fusion tape.

http://img.tapatalk.com/ae7ec285-9e44-e74f.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/ae7ec285-9e4e-dc39.jpg

[bruscreen]

Bled my brakes to finish the brake job that's taken a couple of weeks.
Fixed my fuel pickup hose on the side of the road.
Made my first-ever trip to a gas station with the car.
Added the first thirty miles to the odometer since at least two owners ago.

[jawn101]

Headliners are all installed! Shows what someone with a deft hand (not me... lol) can do with backer boards in good condition and $30 worth of fabric and glue.

[SIMid]

Didn't order any spare parts. :thumbup2:

[Bitsyncmaster]

Replaced my Bosch +4s with standard plugs today. Can't see or hear any difference in the idle. From what I could measure, the +4s have a gap of 55 thousands from the edge of the center pin to one of the side pins. But the spark travels over the insulator so not sure if that makes a difference.

It's time to replace my 45 year old spark plug socket. The center foam plug holds the plug so tight on the install that I can't pull the socket out. Had to pull that foam plug to torque down the plugs to 15 ft/lbs.

[DavidProehl]

Installed the remote for my digital lock module. My wife gave it to me for my birthday yesterday. Took about 20 min to install, not too bad! Need to figure out how to tidy up all those extra wires, the compartment didn't look too beforehand. The remote adds 7 long wires that I had to fold up and try tucking away.

Works awesome though. I'd highly recommend it!

[vwdmc16]

Headliners are all installed! Shows what someone with a deft hand (not me... lol) can do with backer boards in good condition and $30 worth of fabric and glue.

They looks damn good! now to go fuck up mine!

[Michael]

Headliners are all installed! Shows what someone with a deft hand (not me... lol) can do with backer boards in good condition and $30 worth of fabric and glue.

NICE JOB!!!!:thumbup2:

[jawn101]

They looks damn good! now to go fuck up mine!

Thanks again for doing them! :)


NICE JOB!!!!:thumbup2:

See above :lol:

As for me, I drove it to work today. It was uneventful and everything performed perfectly. Just like old times. Yay! Plus the 50 degree commute through the valley kept things nice and cool.

I also actually stalled it out in a parking lot. I put the throttle spool return spring back in the other day and that additional pedal effort combined with the brand new clutch... sigh

[jfirios]

Got my baby back yesterday from DMC Cali, Had a bunch of work done, but most important, I believe i fixed the power issue and finally finished the interior, Minus the new seat covers (Christmas gift) . Washed and polished my girl.
What do you think of the interior.

[Domi]

Amazing audio system :aniclap:

[Stainless]

Got my baby back yesterday from DMC Cali, Had a bunch of work done, but most important, I believe i fixed the power issue and finally finished the interior, Minus the new seat covers (Christmas gift) . Washed and polished my girl.
What do you think of the interior.

Very clean looking. Did you relocate your vents somewhere that were above the radio? I can't see any relocation in the pics.

[cybercusp]

That looks good. How's the sound?

[jfirios]

the system is amazing sounding. There is so much control between the pre amp eq and the HU eq and power distro not to mention the main sub woofer power control that is located at the bottom of the knee pad to the right of the steering collum. With all the dynamatting I did in the car, the stereo can be blasted inside and sounds like a rock concert, incredible seperation of sound frequencies. But outside the car, it is barely noticible.
Again, if anyone says a 10" sub is too much for the car, they dont know what they are talking about. It is all about sound control.
As for the vents, I took the idea from the EV Delorean. I went to the junkyard and removed two round vents from a BMW. I sheared off the vent openings from behind the radio and epoxed a piece of plexi over the holes sealing that section off which doubles the output of the vents. I then re routed the side vents to go to the new locations one on each side of the knee pads. Here is a photo of the setup before it was refoamed and covered. I really need to send out my many thanks, first to Proto Delorean. Because of his site and photos, he gave me the inspiration and the ideas (Though some were copied) for my interior rebuild. Second is to Dave over at DMC Midwest. He is the one who helped me with the wiring setup for the new relays to have individual window switches which work great. And to everyone here on the forum for the great feedback.

[jfirios]

New vent locations.

[John U]

Cleaned the blower motor and squirrel cage because it was a little noisy....it's still a little noisy :frown:

There were some small metal clamps on the squirrel cage....are those to balance it?

John

[vwdmc16]

metal clips on the blades? yes those balance the fan.

[vwdmc16]

Found a much better overflow bottle.



http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0661.jpg

[Tillsy]

The past week was a big milestone for #6679.

Finished bedding in the all-new rear brakes and they are now biting well, further tuned the handbrake and it now finally holds properly, reinstalled all panels, replaced CD player with an old cassette deck, etc. Obtained a left hand drive exemption and a temporary permit and drove her to other side of town for identification (VIN and engine number) inspection and then her roadworthy inspection.

Passed with flying colours and was then able to fully register her. Now officially "on the road" I was able to conduct shakedown cruises #13 and #14 on main roads at faster speeds - has produced some interesting results with my tyre pressure tests, still working on an ideal balance there.

[DMC5180]

Replaced both front Dash speakers. Definite improvement over what was in there.

Fixed Squeaking and Popping noise when I would push down on the Clutch pedal. The Clevis Push Rod Had a a lot of side play, The pin was slightly worn too. I took up the side play with 2 washers reinstalled cotter key and lubricated it. It's Nice and Quite now. :biggrin: While I was at it, I adjusted my clutch pedal free height to be even with the brake pedal. I have a PJ Grady adjustable link for the clutch pedal (NLA).

[DMC5180]

Found a much better overflow bottle.

Clever! Is it vented somewhere or do you rely on air seeping around the hose through the side of the thermos bottle?

Your implying you had an overflow bottle previously. What did it look like?

[Bitsyncmaster]

Did an oil change. I'm thinking about replacing my engine light with a dome light since I have my originals with my custom LEDs already in them.

[vwdmc16]

Clever! Is it vented somewhere or do you rely on air seeping around the hose through the side of the thermos bottle?

Your implying you had an overflow bottle previously. What did it look like?



I was using this water bottle that I cut 2 " out of, I was not able to TIG weld it well, so I attempted to epoxy it back together and that just didnt last. This new thermos is a sold bit of kit. I have a vent hole in on the back side of the bottle so its not visible.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0126.jpg

[vwdmc16]

I replaced the foam in this door panel, it is fluffy once again.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0681.jpg

[jawn101]

I replaced the foam in this door panel, it is fluffy once again.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c396/vwdmc16/dmc/IMG_0681.jpg

Looks really nice!

[vwdmc16]

Hey thats another thing we can do on your interior Jon, it will be a quick job and your panels might match when we are done.

[pezzonovante88]

I replaced the foam in this door panel, it is fluffy once again.


Hey, that's not a bad idea. Maybe I'll do that this winter.

[Bitsyncmaster]

When I changed my oil today, I ended up filling it to much. I was thinking the oil containers were 4 quarts (I just did my coolant change and those are 4 quarts). So I was thinking I put in 6 quarts and really put in almost 8 quarts. I removed the oil filter twice and got maybe a quart drained that way. I will have to check it later.:frown:

[DMC5180]

Topped up my A/C and went for a 50 mi. Drive this afternoon. It's just a picture perfect day here.

[DMC5180]

I replaced the foam in this door panel, it is fluffy once again.

How did you do that with the stitching intact? What thickness foam did you use?

[vwdmc16]

The stitching only goes along two sides so it was like a pocket that you could fill with foam. I used scrap headliner material that was 1/4" think. I may post up a how to if you like.

[jawn101]

Hey thats another thing we can do on your interior Jon, it will be a quick job and your panels might match when we are done.

Yeah, my driver's side is really nice and puffy. The passenger's side is more deflated looking. I wanted to put new fir trees along the top of the passenger panel anyway.

[SIMid]

Tried to install the new LED window switches. Failed drastically. Going to modify the tunnel to make them fit as the switches are marginally longer in depth.

[jfirios]

Re did the grounds again, trying to get rid of the engine whine through the speakers. Got it down to barely noticable when the stereo is off. The only thing else is the power from the pre amp eq. I got it to where you can barely notice it, so I guess it will have to do.

[Spittybug]

Currently have the front fascia off the car and in my workshop. Just patched a small crack/gouge/hole that has been there since day one. It's not really noticeable in casual looking since it is just under the black bumper portion on the driver side. If you step back or squat down you see it. I am using the epoxy-like product from Bondo to do it. So far so good, it's setting up. I will sand it down and I have the Dupli brand primer and "precision grey" paint to paint the entire fascia. I figured that it was worth a shot at doing it myself before taking it to a pro. As they say, the secret is in the prep so I'll sand it, wipe it, tape it and shoot. Since the black parts are simply unpainted plastic, they'll get the real fine sanding afterwards to get them smooth and uniform in color. They are in good shape as it is. At the same time I have my eyebrow fix drying. I used thin flat steel bar that I covered in POR15 so they won't rust. Beveled an edge a bit, covered in epoxy and slipped into the pocket. A few clamps holding the fascia to the bar. I only had minor eyebrowing, so hopefully this will be more of a preventative measure.

[ccurzio]

Bolted in the idle speed regulator (finally), gave the AC a charge, tracked down my fuel smell problem, and adjusted the idle speed.

[DMC5180]

Tidied up my relay compartment after years of procrastination.

http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?5060-pics-of-restored-fuse-box-please&p=72880&viewfull=1#post72880

[DavidProehl]

Hit the 25k milestone!

13133

[jawn101]

Hit the 25k milestone!

13133

David, is your car running in that shot? It looks like it is but boy is that voltage gauge scary low...

Congrats on the 25k! You're almost half way to me and Clint... better catch up...

[DMC5180]

David, is your car running in that shot? It looks like it is but boy is that voltage gauge scary low...

Congrats on the 25k! You're almost half way to me and Clint... better catch up...

I'd say the car is running with A/C ON and FAN. It looks like he pulled over on the shoulder to take the photo. Notice the Hazards are ON.

FWIW: That's what my gauge showed when I did the FULL load Voltage check referenced in your thread. DVM indicated 12.01 at idle when my gauge showed the same.

[DavidProehl]

I'd say the car is running with A/C ON and FAN. It looks like he pulled over on the shoulder to take the photo. Notice the Hazards are ON.

FWIW: That's what my gauge showed when I did the FULL load Voltage check referenced in your thread. DVM indicated 12.01 at idle when my gauge showed the same.

Exactly. I pulled over with the A/C and fans running. Voltage looked fine while driving. I noticed this earlier this summer when sitting in traffic with the A/C on, when I turned off the A/C my voltage was fine. I'm hoping that when I finally install low power fans it will help some with this. Also note the oil pressure is well below driving pressure.

[vwdmc16]

You are very sensitive about everyone's volts Jon. Mine has been getting lower and lower lately, It would scare the hell out of you, But my DVOM confirms I still have good power and great charging volts. My dash grounds are failing again, its time to get serious with them.

[Bitsyncmaster]

You are very sensitive about everyone's volts Jon. Mine has been getting lower and lower lately, It would scare the hell out of you, But my DVOM confirms I still have good power and great charging volts. My dash grounds are failing again, its time to get serious with them.

I guess I'm the only one with voltage showing on the high side. Mine reads just below the first orange line. My alternator does put out about 14.8 volts but I also have the inertia switch grounded to the frame. That ground will correct your dash gauge up about 0.3 volts.

[jawn101]

You are very sensitive about everyone's volts Jon. Mine has been getting lower and lower lately, It would scare the hell out of you, But my DVOM confirms I still have good power and great charging volts. My dash grounds are failing again, its time to get serious with them.

I can't help it, when I work on a project of my own it tunes me in to the related items on everyone else's car! :)

[ccurzio]

Added a camera mount because of this bullshit (http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?5136-Invest-in-a-Dash-Cam!&p=72996#post72996).

[DavidProehl]

I can't help it, when I work on a project of my own it tunes me in to the related items on everyone else's car! :)

Jon may not be wrong about my car though, maybe I do have a failing alternator. I was just reading his voltage thread and saw someone posting about a black gooy alternator being a dead one, my orignal Motorola is very black and gooey. Maybe it is on its way out.

[SIMid]

Bought a small hacksaw to attempt to cut the FB to install the LED switches, another failure. Not enough room to "hack". Dremel too was too short as well.

Borrowed a new drill bit to "carve" and enlarge the hole to compensate the later switches.

Hmmm, nearly damaged a metal tubing (fuel line?) running along the tunnel, close call. Also found a cable that runs along into the engine compartment underneath the console, wasnt sure what it was .... ? I think it may be something relating to the a/c controls? Or throttle cable?

Just got to vac all the dust and shavings tonight, then a good clean before reinstalling the switches.

[dmc6960]

Hmmm, nearly damaged a metal tubing (fuel line?) running along the tunnel, close call. Also found a cable that runs along into the engine compartment underneath the console, wasnt sure what it was .... ? I think it may be something relating to the a/c controls? Or throttle cable?

LOTS of stuff under that console. Three fuel lines (feed, return, vent) though these are under the body and only visible at the shifter and accumulator openings, two main sections of wiring harness, two vacuum lines, and the throttle cable.

[SIMid]

LOTS of stuff under that console. Three fuel lines (feed, return, vent) though these are under the body and only visible at the shifter and accumulator openings, two main sections of wiring harness, two vacuum lines, and the throttle cable.

Can't remember who had posted before, but said it was clear and hack away. :lol:

I saw the looms on either side and the hard line must had been a vacuum one (under the FB) , not one mark amazingly from the drill bit (like Vincent in Pulp Fiction). The other must had been the throttle cable (black and curving its way to the rear bulkhead near the cubby holder).

[Bikercmbc]

spent a few hours tonight working on my car. got the center console out, binnacle, dash, a-pillars, and removed the front windshield. got my new parts from houston coming later this week so I should have most it back together this weekend. here some progress1315713156131551315413153131521315113150

[DavidProehl]

spent a few hours tonight working on my car. got the center console out, binnacle, dash, a-pillars, and removed the front windshield. got my new parts from houston coming later this week so I should have most it back together this weekend. here some progress

Impressive for one evening of work! It took me a couple nights to remove my interior when I was replacing my A/C evaporator. Probably didn't help that I had to label every screw and nut so I knew where it went...

Today I entered my car in a show at the General Mills Lodi plant. I won first place in the 1973-2012 category! Less impressive when you take into account that it was a small car show only open to General Mills employees, but still fun to walk away with an award. Below are a couple pictures from the event.

1316513166131671316813169

[jawn101]

Impressive for one evening of work! It took me a couple nights to remove my interior when I was replacing my A/C evaporator. Probably didn't help that I had to label every screw and nut so I knew where it went...

Today I entered my car in a show at the General Mills Lodi plant. I won first place in the 1973-2012 category! Less impressive when you take into account that it was a small car show only open to General Mills employees, but still fun to walk away with an award. Below are a couple pictures from the event.

1316513166131671316813169

Hey man, who cares about the why? Congrats!! :)