theMonch is back and he's packing stainless.

[theMonch]

Last week I came across a CL post a few days before I had to go out of town to the Caymans for work. I decided to call it even though there were no pictures and the price seemed low for the initial description. I took a look at it last Saturday and was pleasantly surprised that it seemed to be exactly what I was looking for. A seemingly original running driving project car that had plenty of negotiating points, no deal breakers. (rusty frame, etc.), and a motivated seller. Long story short i went and snatched it up today and is currently sitting in my driveway.

Overall I am quite satisfied initially. She definetly needs a bit of TLC, but nothing that I can't accomplish myself.

I will post up some more shots once I get a chance to assess and clean it more thouroughly, but here she is 07190...


Once I get some time I'll post up some more details and picts, as I plan on starting a build thread for the progress /restoration.

[dvonk]

ha, congrats on your purchase! i assume you were able to get it for a price that you found satisfactory? :smile:

[Ozzie]

Congrats. Car looks very good in pictures.

[theMonch]

ha, congrats on your purchase! i assume you were able to get it for a price that you found satisfactory? :smile:

Thanks, yes it was very agreeable, thats why I couldn't pass it up. Once I get my assessment done, I'll post up all of the figures.

[qwerk]

And more pictures. :) Congrats on your new DeLorean!

[theMonch]

Congrats. Car looks very good in pictures.

Thanks, don't they all. :) Thats the problem with purchasing one, you really have to get in there and assess everything. The detail picts Ill take will shine a brighter light on all the flaws.

[Iznodmad]

Congrats on finally purchasing Monchy! Can't tell much from that first pic, other than she needs door seals, looks like original suspension, and a bad stain under the front marker light.

[Kenny_Z]

Glad you found one in the condition you wanted. Another Delorean finds a proper home. Can't wait to see more pictures :D

[theMonch]

Congrats on finally purchasing Monchy! Can't tell much from that first pic, other than she needs door seals, looks like original suspension, and a bad stain under the front marker light.

Thanks, yeah the door seals were taken off. It came with a brand new set. The "stain" is actually just dirt that ran out from marker light from it being outside for the last few months. it wipes right off.

[Ozzie]

.....The "stain" is actually just dirt that ran out from marker light from it being outside for the last few months. it wipes right off.

Tip: Check that the lens, and the gasket under it, that either haven't cracked/split. Simple cheap fix. Also check the bulb socket for possible corrosion if water did get in there.

[stevedmc]

Awesome. For some reason the title put a big smile on my face.

Btw, welcome to the family.

[theMonch]

Tip: Check that the lens, and the gasket under it, that either haven't cracked/split. Simple cheap fix. Also check the bulb socket for possible corrosion if water did get in there.

Thanks for tip. I plan to strip down a lot of the car. I like to take everything apart, replace screws with stainless versions, check wiring, etc. I like to do this when I buy a car so I can get familiar with the systems, check things out "under the skin". I just feeel safer if things were put together by my hands, vs. not knowing who or when a bolt was last tightened.

[theMonch]

Awesome. For some reason the title put a big smile on my face.

Btw, welcome to the family.

Thanks Steve, I wrote that title with you in mind. :)

[stevedmc]

Thanks Steve, I wrote that title with you in mind. :)

I love the packing stainless part. Awesome.

[Jacko]

... It may be time for a group hug ... :wave:

[dvonk]

here you go: :grouphugg:

:lol:

[theMonch]

Delorean 07190 Initial Assessment

1981 5-speed manual, grey interior, grooved hood (non gas flap). Light grey wheels
49,000 miles

Documentation - little documentation was provided. I bought the car from a guy who bought it from a local gas station 6 months ago. He said that there was nothing provided with it upon purchase, but I do have name and contact info for that station and plan to try "tracking backwards" to see if anything can be obtained. The story goes that the gas station sold the car for the family/widow of one of the previous owners. The station apparently serviced the car for the owner and had knowledge of D's. All of this is hearsay from the chap I purchased from. The car came with one key.

Mileage - The car currently shows 49,325 on the ODO. Based on the info from autocheck, this appears to be true mileage. The car was reported with 35k in '98, 44k in '01 and 48k in '11.

Owner History - The car appears to have been originally sold from Baker Pontiac Buick in Princeton, NJ in '81. At some point between '81 and '97 it made its way to Ohio. It came back into NJ in '98 where it has been ever since. There have been 3 owners that I can identify from the Autocheck since '96 including the owner I just purchased from who only had it for 6 months unregistered and untitled. It is unknown how many owners there were between '81 and '96.

Exterior

Panel Alignment- The doors are mis-aligned on both sides equally. They appear to be low in the fronts and high in the rears. From what I can ascertain, this is either directly related to the outer weather seals being removed from the car, or a seperation of the sub-roof panel, or a little of both. Once doors are addressed, panel alignment should be excellent.

Front fascia - overall good condition, no paint missing, "eyebrow" distortion present. Lower spoiler is faded.

Rear Fascia - good overall, no paint issues, slight fading to clearcoat, can be cut and buffed up.

Stainless panels - great overall condition, good graining on entire body. there is a small dent on drier door a-pillar the size of a nickel as well as another on front passenger fender that is smaller than a dime. There is also a rub mark from the door mis-alignment on the driver door roof section. It appears to rub on the roof t-panel when the door is "over extended" past its natural resting position. This could most likely be grained out and should be rectified by fixing the door alignment issue.

Glass - all glass in excellent shape. no chips scratches or imperfections whatsoever.

Engine cover - Great shape no cracks, very little fading. Passenger rear hinge needs nuts to be replaced, is currently detached. prop rod mechanism in excellent condition. Release mechanism/cable needs lubrication. need to "two arm it" to get open.

Rear louvers - great shape with minor fading. Could use a re-paint with satin black.

Lights/Lenses - all lenses in great condition. No cracks or damage. The driver rear taillight has slight fading of the amber section. Headlights are newer tungsten halogen type. All door marker lights are in excellent condition, as is all other marker lights.

Wheels - Lighter Grey style. Extremely excellent condition. Not a flaw on any of them. Either they were ery well maintained, or theey have been professionally refurbished. I mean not a scratch on them.

Tires - Good condition. Tread remaining on all with no dry rotting. I plan to replace down the road regardless.

Underbody/Frame - Great overall conditon. Some light surface rust discoloration here and there on frame, but no detectable structural rust. Fuel tank plate bolts are surface rusted. Overall great condition for a northeast car.

Interior

Carpet - Excellent condition. Looks to be a recent replacement with a very high quality formed replacement, or extremely well looked after original. No floor mats are present.

Dash- all dash panels are in excellent shape with no damage

Binnacle - has typical cracking. Will need replacement.

Center console - excellent condition, no blemishes. shift boot in great condition. ashtray shows no signs of previous smoking.

Stereo - kenwood aftermarket single din unit. Period correct 2 knob 1980's upgrade. functional, but needs volume potentiometer cleaned. No original Craig supplied.

Door Panels - excellent condition. no blemishes of any kind.

Other interior trim - passenger A pillar trim needs vinyl covering to be re-glued on in small section down by dash. All HVAC registers in excellent condition with no wear.

Headliners - both door headliners are sagging slightly. need recovering. t-bar headliner in excellent shape.

Sunvisors- excellent shape. have typical slight "banana" warping

Steering Wheel - excellent Condition

Seats - seat covers are driver condition with leather cracking, but no ripping or severe cracking. Overall good condition. Could easily be conditioned into acceptable with cleaning/creaming. (I plan on replacing down the road with DMCH grey/black two-tone units when needed) I think they add a nice touch to an otherwise drab interior.

Front Bonnet Interior - good condition carpet with no blemishes. Spare tire has no dry-rotting and holds air. Gas cap in good condition with slight wear. All rubber plugs are in place.

Mechanical

Brakes - fully functioning. Good stiff positive pedal with no leak down in master. No detectable leaks anywhere. No pulling on application. (still need to pull wheels and visually assess further for safety)

Suspension - appears to be stock components all around. springs are a bit surface rusted, as well as control arms are surface rusted. Both could do with a media blasting and re-paint.

Shocks - appear to be stock. They pass the "bounce test" and have no visible oil leaks.

TAB's - Look to be originals. Don't appear to be bent, but will be replaced with upgrades regardless for safety.

Steering Rack - good positive feel with no play. No rust detectable around rack mounting points.

Cooling system - appears to be fully functioning. Needs to be pressure tested and assessed further. Hoses look in great condition, possible recent replacements. Radiator looks good, fans look good. Fan control electronics look to have the "fan fail upgrade" from specialT auto.

Fuel system - appears fully functioning, but need to check tank for sludge since no documentation was provided as to condition, or if vehicle sat for any period of time. Need to assess individual components for age/condition.

Engine compartment - Overall good condition. No damage to underbody compartment. Needs a clean-up and detail. Intake Valley very clean with only a couple of leaves to be found. A few rusty components that will need to be cleaned up or replaced. No leaks on valve covers, timing cover, etc.

Engine - good overall condition. Appears to be running acceptably, with only the occasional surging on initial cold start that goes away after initial warm-up. ( I have real extensively that this is not uncommon, but can be remedied) Upon inital inspection it looked like the rear main seal was leaking. I think it might have been accentuated from the vehicle sitting for a few months. I have since cleaned up the area and no leak has continued. I will have to watch this in the future, to see if it returns. Need to assess condition of spark plugs, ignition system, etc. Need to perform compression test for baseline documentation.

Gearbox/Transaxle - fully functioning in all gears with no whines or grinding. CV boots look in good condition with no cracking/damage. No detectable leaks. Gear linkage needs to be assessed.

A/C - In original ad PO boasted "ice-cold A/C". When I tested it when there, I was not too impressed. It is definetly functioning and cycling the compressor, etc. But it is hard to tell how efficient when it is 45 deg outside to begin with. It does not apper to have ever been converted to R-134A. When it warms back up in the spring, I'll fully assess how well it works. This is no biggie for me as I have all of the proper tools for charging, evacuating, leak detection, etc.

Electrical

Dash Gauges
Speedometer - fully functioning
Tachometer - fully functioning
Fuel - functioning, low fuel light functions as well. still hae to run it through with a full tank to judge its accuracy.
Oil Pressure - Reads high upon cold start (70 psi) and can bury the needle past 80 psi when revved.
Volts - fully functioning
Temperature - functioning, but accuracy could be off. Need to test further.

Center Controls - all fully functioning with bright excellent markings. No signs of wear.

Steering Column Stalks - fully functioning with bright flawless markings.

Wipers - fully functioning delay and all.

Horn - non-functioning. I believe it to be the horn units themselves.

Exterior Lighting - all fully functioning.

Interior Lighting - all fully functional

Power Mirrors - fully functioning

Power Windows - fully functioning.

Central Locking - fully functioning.

Starting - fully funtional

Charging - fully functional. charges at 14.4 at 45 farenheit at 800-900 rpm.

Rear defogger - fully functioning

Heater - appears fine. blower motor functions in all speeds.

Battery - looks brand new, date code of 6 months ago. PO had to jump car to show it to me, but I have since layed down a low amp trickle charge that appears to have been satisfactory to bring it back to life. I will eventually replace with Optima Spiral Cell when needed.

So, there she is. I'm sure I missed a few details, but this is all from my original notes and from memory when I picked it up last week. I have it wrapped up in a cover in the garage since I am travelling a whole bunch right now. As soon as I get a chance I'll give her a good wash and take some picts as well.

[Dangermouse]

Comprehensive review. I see that your time on the forum was spent wisely while you looked.

[stevedmc]

Sounds like perfect Delorean to me.

[theMonch]

Comprehensive review. I see that your time on the forum was spent wisely while you looked.

Thanks, yes I definetlly need to thank the forum and its members for the vast amount of knowledge that I obtained pre-purchase. I hope the .com forum's database can get restored some day, as there was so much great info there that got lost.

[theMonch]

Sounds like perfect Delorean to me.

She's no 9/10 but arguable a strong 6 or maybe even a 7. All her bits are there and intact, and its a turn key running driving car, I know its hard to judge without pictures, but what would you rate it from the description?

[stevedmc]

She's no 9/10 but arguable a strong 6 or maybe even a 7. All her bits are there and intact, and its a turn key running driving car, I know its hard to judge without pictures, but what would you rate it from the description?

I was hoping to get a more hostile response since I enjoy starting crap. Are you planning on going to DCS this year?

[theMonch]

I was hoping to get a more hostile response since I enjoy starting crap. Are you planning on going to DCS this year?

Oh I know brother. :biggrin:

I might try to stop by since I am in Ft Lauderdale quite a bit and it's not too far of a drive. Doubt I'll have the car there though. How about you?

[stevedmc]

Oh I know brother. :biggrin:

I might try to stop by since I am in Ft Lauderdale quite a bit and it's not too far of a drive. Doubt I'll have the car there though. How about you?

Yep, I'm gonna be there. I've got my room booked and I'm ready to go.

You need to start working on that car. There is no reason it can't make the drive. Just make a post everytime you need advice and we can help you get the thing ready for the trip down to florida.

[Mike C.]

Congrats on the car! Noticed your outer door gasket looks to be missing on your driver's side. I ordered a set of the silicone ones from one of the vendors in Europe, and after 2 years they seem to be holding up very well.

Hope you can make it to DCS!

[theMonch]

Congrats on the car! Noticed your outer door gasket looks to be missing on your driver's side. I ordered a set of the silicone ones from one of the vendors in Europe, and after 2 years they seem to be holding up very well.

Hope you can make it to DCS!

Thanks for tip, yes the seals are off the car on both sides. The car came with a brand new set that I have yet to put on. I just was pulling things apart trying to assess if I need to do any repair to the roof structure to rectify the door misalignment. As soon as thats done, I'll put them on.

[theMonch]

I had a chance to take her out for a drive yesterday to see what I could break and decided to fix some of the annoying little things to get started.

Tires: I went around and checked air pressure to make sure it was safe to take on a "spirited" drive.

Engine Cover Hinge: I pulled the interior from the rear to re-fasten the lower engine cover hinge.

Ignition: I pulled the air box so I could check the condition/age of the ignition components. Most looked pretty old, if not originals, so I will probably be replacing most of it and using these as spares.

Horn: I diagnosed that the horn not working was down to the low tone horn being unplugged and the high tone horn having a corroded positive connection.

Door Alignment: I pulled the rear T Panel cover off to get a look at the torsion bar retaining plates and the rear roof structure. It is actually not anywhere as bad as I originally thought. The driver's side definetly has signes of roof panel seperation, but it looks to be at a very early stage. I will most likely get away with only having to unload the driver torsion bar and not the passenger to bolt the roof structure together. Once completed the doors should line up with slight striker pin adjustments. I can then replace the outer seals. I have attached a picture of the retainer plates and you can see where the driver's side has begun to twist up towards the center of the car. I will "sandwiche" the panels back together using large washers and bolts. I have seen this method used before with great results.

[theMonch]

addressed a few more annoying things today.

Oil Pressure gauge: I pulled the connection from the sender and cleaned up the terminal and replaced it and voila! a functioning oil pressure gauge. It was reading high and now it reads down around a 1/4 sweep at idle and pushes up to around 60 - 70 at 2000 rpm.

Alternator/charging: I encountered a problem where the battery light came on while I was local driving last sunday, so I brought the car home. I hooked my multi-meter up to the back of the alternator, positive to the stud with the wire bunch and negative to the braket mounting bolt. It looked to be not charging at all. Tryed testing from the battery as well and same results. below 12v and dropping while engine running. Funny thing now was that I charged the battery back up and tested it again, and now it seems to be working again. It gets just over 13v at idle and 14.21 consistently at off idle all the way to 4k rpm. Its a Motorola and looks to be pretty old. I am thinking that it is dying and maybe on its last leg. I'll have to monitor it to see where it goes.

Cooling System: I crawled around underneath to check for corosion and leaks and it all looks good. Checked level and condition of coolant and all looks great.

[sdg3205]

When do we get to see some more pictures of your new baby?!

[theMonch]

Here's what I have from the day I picked it up. I have since cleaned a few things up.

[sean]

Are there black stripes running in the hood groves or is that just shadowing?

[stevedmc]

I hope you plan on replacing your coolant resevoir soon.

[sdg3205]

Looks good Monchy, nothing there a little TLC can't fix.

[theMonch]

Are there black stripes running in the hood groves or is that just shadowing?

Yes, I thought it odd as well, but I guess someone pinstriped it somewhere along the line. I kind of like the way they look. I might keep 'em.


I hope you plan on replacing your coolant resevoir soon.

It will get a stainless replacement down the line. It held up under a pressure test just fine, so it isn't that much of a concern to me right now.

[theMonch]

Looks good Monchy, nothing there a little TLC can't fix.

Thanks, there is a lot of labor that needs to go into it, but not that much money in parts....Yet:D

[sean]

Yes, I thought it odd as well, but I guess someone pinstriped it somewhere along the line. I kind of like the way they look. I might keep 'em.


Its funny because it doesnt show up in all the picture so I thought I was going a bit nuts.

[Mike C.]

Good eye on the hood stripes!


Car looks great! Definitely going to be a decent car to restore!

[Mike Z]

Congratulations man!!!

[theMonch]

Good eye on the hood stripes!


Car looks great! Definitely going to be a decent car to restore!

Thanks, yeah I'm looking forward to it warming up around here so I can start taking it apart.

[theMonch]

Congratulations man!!!

Thanks, much appreciated.