View Full Version : VIN 559 - Captain's Log
Farrar
04-27-2013, 10:18 AM
I'd be careful about so many bright colors on the inside of your car. During a long road trip it could affect your vision. Look at your avatar for a minute or two, and then look at something white, and see what I mean. So I'd avoid having the bright jigsaw pattern in your field of view while driving. Just my 2¢.
Kenny_Z
04-27-2013, 12:52 PM
They can be stitched together. It'll be tedious no doubt, but it can be done. I may try my hand at things to see if I can do a proof of concept myself, and if I can, try to do the binnacle that way. It certainly won't be as easy as, say, vinyl, but it's at least worth a shot.
I'd be careful trying to stitch that much together. That's the area of the seat that's supporting the most weight. It's bad enough when one seam rips. In addition you've got the inner structure along the seam between the bolster and center section. It can put a lot of tension on the material. A lot of irregular seams means a lot of odd places for the material to bunch up and make unsightly and uncomfortable waves. Personally I'd go with a printed material. The material would be cheaper and breathe better than leather. When I made my seats I used a perforated vinyl for the centers and it isn't has hot as the old solid leather.
I'd be careful about so many bright colors on the inside of your car. During a long road trip it could affect your vision. Look at your avatar for a minute or two, and then look at something white, and see what I mean. So I'd avoid having the bright jigsaw pattern in your field of view while driving. Just my 2¢.I don't really take long road trips. Half hour tops, and that's to/from work. I'm a little confused by where you're referring to though. I'm leaving the hood stainless, I don't see too much of the binnacle at my height (5' 8", instrument cluster covers it well), did you mean the dash/glovebox? I'm probably not doing the dashboard, although I was considering the glovebox.
I'd be careful trying to stitch that much together. That's the area of the seat that's supporting the most weight. It's bad enough when one seam rips. In addition you've got the inner structure along the seam between the bolster and center section. It can put a lot of tension on the material. A lot of irregular seams means a lot of odd places for the material to bunch up and make unsightly and uncomfortable waves. Personally I'd go with a printed material. The material would be cheaper and breathe better than leather. When I made my seats I used a perforated vinyl for the centers and it isn't has hot as the old solid leather.Good point! I'll leave the leather for the binnacle only then, since that's not supporting any weight. (Assuming, of course, they make the right colors.) I do know colored patterns like logos and such are frequently put on vinyl, although usually on less durable items like beach balls. I'm not aware of any automotive examples from my (extremely limited) research, but I will keep digging. Hopefully I can find a local shop that is up to the task!
Dangermouse
04-27-2013, 11:51 PM
I wonder whether a brightly colored binnacle would reflect in the windscreen?
You may want to stick some of your left over material on it and take it for a drive in various lighting conditions as a test.
Farrar
04-28-2013, 10:51 AM
did you mean the dash/glovebox? I'm probably not doing the dashboard, although I was considering the glovebox.
Oh, my mistake! I thought you said you were considering covering them with the jigsaw pattern.
Never mind me... I'll grab a coffee now. :)
I wonder whether a brightly colored binnacle would reflect in the windscreen?
You may want to stick some of your left over material on it and take it for a drive in various lighting conditions as a test.Good point! The decals I have are reflective, so that wouldn't be an accurate test, but I can always lay an old magazine on the binnacle and shine a light at different angles as a test. I'll add that to my todo list, although I'm thinking it will depend quite a bit on how clean my windshield is.
SS Spoiler
04-29-2013, 04:19 PM
My wife was a graphic artist and I was helping her put border lines on some florescent poster boards. After staring at the bright colors I looked up and everything seemed to have a strange glow around it, "am I on drugs?"
My wife was a graphic artist and I was helping her put border lines on some florescent poster boards. After staring at the bright colors I looked up and everything seemed to have a strange glow around it, "am I on drugs?"...interesting story, but hardly relevant. I don't think anyone's going to be staring at the reflective exterior decals close enough and long enough to have any strange effects from it, and everything on the interior will be regular, non-reflective colors. Particularly since the license plate bezel is the thickest part with the reflective coloring. The interior will be no different than any number of cars from the 50's, 60's, 70's, and more recent exotics (Lamborghini's, ricers, Lotus's, Ferrari's, etc.), so it shouldn't pose a problem.
Jacko
04-29-2013, 05:27 PM
Good point! The decals I have are reflective, so that wouldn't be an accurate test, but I can always lay an old magazine on the binnacle and shine a light at different angles as a test. I'll add that to my todo list, although I'm thinking it will depend quite a bit on how clean my windshield is.We, (your admirers) want to see a video of you doing that...:nana1:
We, (your admirers) want to see a video of you doing that...:nana1:Interesting request, but definitely one I can do! I'm probably going to take a sort of "guess and check" approach, adjusting an aimed flashlight until it causes the magazine to have the highest reflection off the windshield, then sitting in the driver's seat and figuring out how much it obscures my view, if at all. Once that's adjusted, I can temporarily mount a camera to the driver's seat headrest and take a video of me moving objects in front of the windshield to get an idea of what it would look like in real-world driving conditions. Thinking about it, it wouldn't be too good of an idea to have real-world driving as a first test if it ends up obscuring my vision too much to see. It's bad enough to deal with an iced-up windshield and a clogged-up defroster heater core on my daily driver, but that's just fogginess and not color perception. I'd rather do "bench tests" first and follow-up with real-world driving tests if that passes.
MAD Magazine has some pretty colorful covers (in more ways than one), so I can grab one of my older issues I have lying around somewhere as a test. Shouldn't be too hard to find one with a variety of colors.
Dangermouse
04-30-2013, 03:38 PM
You are over thinking it. Just set the mag on the binnacle and go for a drive. Use some tape if necessary.
If there is a problem, remove mag. ;)
You are over thinking it. Just set the mag on the binnacle and go for a drive. Use some tape if necessary.
If there is a problem, remove mag. ;)Overthinking is one of my specialties! ;)
Although I think you may be underthinking it. Going for a drive would only simulate roughly average conditions. The flashlight method would simulate a worst-case scenario, which is much, much more important to test for in a controlled and motionless environment, rather than after I have constructed and installed the multicolored binnacle and am driving with no control over my conditions other than pulling over to the side of the road and waiting unknown hours for the reflection to become manageable :)
Dangermouse
04-30-2013, 10:07 PM
Well now you are just over thinking my under thinking :)
Step 1. Stick mag to binnacle. Go for drive. If there is a reflection, remove mag and stop test. If no reflection, proceed to Step 2
Step 2. The flashlight test
:)
Well now you are just over thinking my under thinking :)
Step 1. Stick mag to binnacle. Go for drive. If there is a reflection, remove mag and stop test. If no reflection, proceed to Step 2
Step 2. The flashlight test
:)Or just skip straight to step 2 since it's something I can knock out on a work night, whereas daytime driving with direct sunlight would require me to wait until a weekend. The tests may take longer, but I'll get the results faster :)
Of course, this will all be sometime mid-next week at the earliest, since I will be pressed for time to get the engine cover done before 559's first car show this Tuesday (May 7th), and may have to take a day off of work to accomplish it before it arrives at the car show. Hopefully the SEM colors I got are as good as the SEM Trim Black is.
Quick note while I'm thinking about it: I got the rivnuts for securing the plexiglass grill to the front fascia a week or two ago, and the bolts just came yesterday. The only problem is that I went with the Tri-Groove bolts (read: completely overkill on security, but I have 98 spare for use elsewhere), and the driver I selected didn't come with the right socket, so that project is going to be delayed until I get the right socket. They called it a Tri-Groove driver, but pulled a "bait and switch" and gave me a generic 1/4" socket square driver instead :swear1:
Update on the transmission job: the shop Josh sent the hydraulic unit out to evidently are a bunch of lazy slackers and are taking a ridiculously long time to finish it :smackbum: As a result, it will not be back in time for me to paint the engine cover before the car show. Josh did mention that "we will push like mad for it" to be done in time to appear at the car show. Forecast is only 30% chance of rain, so it most likely will not be rained out. I will be working from home that day, and if all goes well, I may or may not have a family member ride shotgun ;)
So the car show (if I make it -- fingers crossed!) will show the current state of my work on it, which anyone following this thread and/or my blog already have seen pictures of. Subsequent car shows will show the state of various work as it progresses. Frankly I'm going to take my camera and take pictures of the crowd that gathers around my DeLorean -- last time one showed there was back in 2008, and it had a fairly large crowd around it that made taking unobstructed pictures difficult! :biggrin:
I've finally registered a second domain: AutisticDeLorean.com (http://AutisticDeLorean.com/)! Right now it forwards to the blog here, but pretty soon it'll point to an introductory index page. Later I will also make the main domain here point to an index page rather than the blog (affecting old links as well. The blog will be moved here (http://vin559.com/?blog), and all on-site links have already been updated accordingly).
Last Thursday, Egull (that's what I'm calling VIN 559 now) made it back from having the transmission done. I told Josh that I was fine with him driving it since the usual trailer could not be arranged, so he drove not one, but TWO DeLoreans into my driveway! Egull was in front, and one of Josh's personal DeLoreans was in back. Made for quite a sight when I walked out my garage and saw two DeLoreans in my driveway! As my dad pointed out, not many guys are lucky enough to have two in their driveway!
Prior to her return, the louvers got minor damage again. The screw on the driver's side louver strut bracket broke through the fiberglass, just as it had done when she was still in Las Vegas. I will address this at a later date, but I'm thinking of a slightly custom approach to solve it rather than replacing all the louvers as a whole. Josh checked the alignment and everything was within normal specs, so he's thinking the louvers need to be replaced outright due to them being weakened by improper struts. I'm thinking the stock spec of 1/4" between the screw hole and the edge of the fiberglass isn't nearly enough to prevent this from happening. The bracket has plenty of room to at least double or triple that space with additional fiberglass, which is at the very least worth attempting before I resort to replacing them outright.
I also took Egull to get gas last Sunday! As a Mother's Day present, I took my Mom for her first ride in it. She swears it's way too loud, but I beg to differ. Today I had a cop tailing me for quite a long distance and he didn't pull me over, even at full volume, so obviously it's not too loud for law enforcement. When I pulled up to the pump and opened the door, I heard a guy shout "Dude! DeLorean!! Back to the Future!!!". I was grinning from ear to ear. My Mom noticed a guy in a company van next to us texting someone, when he happened to glance my way and did a double-take. Only took about 3 gallons yet read half a tank. After filling up it read 3/4 tank. Might have to look into that a bit further.
And when I got back, I worked on my Angel Eyes. Josh had taken my "redneck" grounding job and chopped it off. Which is his not-so-subtle way of telling me I was doing it wrong. So I took the route of the trunk light and grounded it to the right front fender. After that, I hooked up the Angel Eyes to the Lambda light on my dashboard. Normally the light goes off every 30,000 miles until reset. I did the math, and it'll literally take me over a decade to reach that mileage, and I needed some sort of interior indication that the angel eyes were on. So needless to say, I combined the two and made it so the Lambda light on the dashboard turns on any time the angel eyes are on, even with the engine off and the key out of the ignition. It still draws less than an amp powering the whole system (at least, if my 1A fuse is any indication).
Then today I drove to work! Egull drove like a champ with the freshly rebuilt transmission! Right before I pulled into the driveway at work, there was a guy walking down the street headed towards me. He looked down for a second, then looked up and was mesmerized. I looked in the rearview mirror as I passed him, and he had turned completely around and was staring as I went by. I even got an endspot close to the building! Here's a couple pictures of the spot I got, MUCH closer than before:
http://vin559.com/images/events/drives/2013-05-14/resized/seconddrivetowork01_640.jpg (http://vin559.com/images/events/drives/2013-05-14/seconddrivetowork01.jpg)
http://vin559.com/images/events/drives/2013-05-14/resized/seconddrivetowork02_640.jpg (http://vin559.com/images/events/drives/2013-05-14/seconddrivetowork02.jpg)
I had forgotten we had a network guy there transitioning servers today. I got into my cubicle, and I overheard him saying how he was going to take pictures of Egull! Then my boss tells him a coworker of mine thought she saw me getting out, so he went into my cubicle and asked "So when did you get a DeLorean?" I told him I got it a year ago, but it just came out of an eight month restoration and I've only driven it to work twice since. He told me he always saw me driving my Honda, but didn't know I had a DeLorean. (The model DeLorean I keep on my desk probably helped!) Then coming home from work I was sitting at a light, and a guy turning left in front of me looked right at me and started laughing, saying something to his passenger. I may have had a guy flash his lights as I passed him in a driveway just north of 303 and 21. I couldn't tell if he flashed his lights or if his lights were on the whole time or if it was just a reflection from the sun.
Can't wait to drive it even more!
[permalink to VIN 559 blog post here (http://vin559.com/?34)]
Side note: I've added the new URL to my signature now, since I know I'll forget to do that later :biggrin:
Delorean Industries
05-14-2013, 11:35 PM
Too nice of a night to not make the short drive and Craig wasn't back from the Chicago drop off yet. Always fun to caravan in Deloreans!
I didn't take a picture of the destroyed clutches for you prior to giving you the bag. Post up a picture of the destruction!
Chris Burns
05-14-2013, 11:44 PM
I am very jealous of you Shep that you get to own a really nice low digit VIN DMC. And with DPI's blessing it sounds like you will have miles of fun with it!:thumbup:
NightFlyer
05-15-2013, 01:42 AM
Hey Shep - the ride is looking fine! :thumbup:
First off, gotta love the grey wheels - I personally prefer the grey over the silver. Plus, we can raz (all in good fun of course) on other owners that don't exactly care for or have the grey wheels by saying that they're rarer, thus making our cars more valuable, over cars with the common silver wheels on them. It's like a small little sub-group within the already small DeLorean community! :cheers:
Did you put the black center caps on them? It's actually a nice touch and looks great! Now you have me considering doing the same to mine. :approve:
Second, I just noticed that your car also has an incorrect (out of VIN sequence) fixed mast fender mounted antenna, just as mine does. Both or our cars should have a windshield embedded antenna (at least from the factory, anyway). Any idea how that came to be on your car, as I have no idea how it came about on my car, although I'm led to believe that it may have been an act of the QAC in response to the customer complaints that the factory was receiving regarding the poor reception of the windshield embedded antenna?
Does your car also have a windshield embedded antenna as it should (assuming that you or a PO didn't replace the windshield at any point)? Mine doesn't, and both PO's claim that they never had the windshield replaced as far as they could recall (another mystery of my car). It seems like many other early VIN cars also have a fender mounted antenna, but usually they also have the windshield embedded antenna (just disconnected) in addition to the fender mount.
Finally, I'm having a problem visualizing the exact damage to your louvers from your written description - perhaps some pictures would help. My louvers were damaged upon purchasing my car as well. I'll try to post some pictures later showing how I repaired mine, as if your damage is at all similar to the damage mine has, perhaps they can help you to figure out a way to satisfactorily repair your louvers, as opposed to replacing them (expensive).
Take care and glad to see that you're having fun with the car - they were truly meant to be driven and enjoyed!
ALEXAKOS
05-15-2013, 08:17 AM
Hey you got those Halo headlights as well:) Beat me to it.....
I think those look great on that futuristic car! But I will change the standard H4 bulb with a set of HIDs to get the bright (blueish) white match the halo tone;)
Nice site!!! :lockdance:
Thanks for the kind words everyone! I'll have to take pictures of the gears when I get home today. I still haven't taken them out of the bag yet, and I don't have them with me at the moment.
Chris, if you're ever in the area, let me know and I'll try to arrange a meetup :thumbup:
Did you put the black center caps on them? It's actually a nice touch and looks great! Now you have me considering doing the same to mine. :approve:They were swapped out long ago, probably in '83 when they took the right-front wheel off and replaced it with a silver version. I've been debating going back to grey center caps, but I can't decide which looks better.
Second, I just noticed that your car also has an incorrect (out of VIN sequence) fixed mast fender mounted antenna, just as mine does. Both or our cars should have a windshield embedded antenna (at least from the factory, anyway). Any idea how that came to be on your car, as I have no idea how it came about on my car, although I'm led to believe that it may have been an act of the QAC in response to the customer complaints that the factory was receiving regarding the poor reception of the windshield embedded antenna?
Does your car also have a windshield embedded antenna as it should (assuming that you or a PO didn't replace the windshield at any point)? Mine doesn't, and both PO's claim that they never had the windshield replaced as far as they could recall (another mystery of my car). It seems like many other early VIN cars also have a fender mounted antenna, but usually they also have the windshield embedded antenna (just disconnected) in addition to the fender mount.The windshield was removed and re-added around the time of the right front wheel, so the fender antenna was added out of necessity, as they no longer had the windshield antennas. I haven't seen any others quite like it though, so I'm thinking it's a cheap generic rather than a DMC one. It's silver, non-retractable, and isn't flexible in the slightest. I actually really like it, so even though I may never use the radio, I'm keeping it. I think it gives her character. :)
Finally, I'm having a problem visualizing the exact damage to your louvers from your written description - perhaps some pictures would help. My louvers were damaged upon purchasing my car as well. I'll try to post some pictures later showing how I repaired mine, as if your damage is at all similar to the damage mine has, perhaps they can help you to figure out a way to satisfactorily repair your louvers, as opposed to replacing them (expensive).I took pictures when I got her back, but don't have those handy. I do have a picture I took the day she came from Las Vegas though:
http://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/78099959/VIN%20559/Pictures/Problem%20areas/Resized/Problem18s.JPG
The damage this time around is similar, but slightly less severe. The screw that's still attached is starting to wobble now, which has me concerned that it'll break off entirely. I don't recall that bit happening when this picture was taken.
SS Spoiler
05-15-2013, 01:19 PM
I had a similar problem with my cover. I added strips of stainless along both sides extending all the way to and under the hinge. Drilled for large headed rivets and fastened them down. Then I drilled holes for the strut brackets. Also made a complete sub frame under the louver to hold my 37lb SS spoiler. Now it is very stiff and strong. Be aware that the louver has a gentle curve to it. In fact there isn't a straight line on the car. It gives the DeLorean a touch of class and keeps it from looking like a kit car
Paul Cerny #2691
Kalispell, MT.
NightFlyer
05-15-2013, 02:36 PM
I've been debating going back to grey center caps, but I can't decide which looks better.
Personally, I'd keep the black - unique and looks great!
But, if you really want the grey ones, I have a brand new spare set that I'd be willing to trade for an excellent condition set of the black ones - just let me know.
I haven't seen any others quite like it though, so I'm thinking it's a cheap generic rather than a DMC one. It's silver, non-retractable, and isn't flexible in the slightest. I actually really like it, so even though I may never use the radio, I'm keeping it. I think it gives her character.
Yeah, sounds like a generic aftermarket - the ones from the factory were black and definitely flexed. I agree about liking the fender mounts. I'm actually considering swapping mine out with one of the factory manually retractable fender mounts. They're only $12.44 from DMCH. Or the factory correct black flexible fixed mast is only $19.95. Just some food for thought!
http://store.delorean.com/p-7254-antenna-manual-retract.aspx
http://store.delorean.com/p-7257-antenna-fixed-mast.aspx
My louver actually suffered a straight through crack just above the strut mounting bracket point that the PO attempted to repair with black electrical tape. Here's the pics that I have from the repair that I did:
190711907019069190671906419063190681906619065
Once it was fully painted and re-attached to the car, you couldn't even tell that the stainless steel brace was there unless you were deliberately looking for it.
Interesting approach guys! I'm actually thinking something that should have been done at the factory, making the fiberglass taller rather than reinforcing it:
http://vin559.com/images/work_done/struts/resized/strutplanofattack01_640.jpg
[link to full size (http://vin559.com/images/work_done/struts/strutplanofattack01.jpg)]
(That's what it looks like now.) This would put more distance between the screw and the edge of the fiberglass, which should help to strengthen it. The nut that it gets very close to can be adjusted by unscrewing the bracket from the louvers first, rather than trying to fit a socket over it, which may give me more wiggle room. With the proper paint job, it'll look completely stock.
I also took some pictures of the transmission gears while I was at it. There was some transmission fluid in the bag, and there were a ton of gears in there, so I kept everything together for now. I'm leaving for Florida tomorrow and will return on Monday, so after I return I can lay them all out and take detailed pictures of all the damage. Here's what I got in the meantime:
http://vin559.com/images/work_done/transmission/resized/burnedgears01_640.jpg
[link to full size (http://vin559.com/images/work_done/transmission/burnedgears01.jpg)]
http://vin559.com/images/work_done/transmission/resized/burnedgears02_640.jpg
[link to full size (http://vin559.com/images/work_done/transmission/burnedgears02.jpg)]
http://vin559.com/images/work_done/transmission/resized/burnedgears03_640.jpg
[link to full size (http://vin559.com/images/work_done/transmission/burnedgears03.jpg)]
(By the way, for those on Tapatalk, I apologize for linking the pictures themselves again and making you download the full-size to view it. Completely forgot last time, but I remembered this time! :) )
[Note: this was posted on Thursday, May 30th; my birthday was the previous Friday, May 24th]
A fellow DeLorean owner was driving behind me on my way to work. I was in the left-turn lane in my DeLorean, turning south from Snowville Road onto Route 21 (Brecksville Road), and he was behind me in an SUV. He took a picture and sent it to Josh down at DPI, who forwarded it onto me. Here it is!
http://vin559.com/images/events/drives/2013-05-30/img950830.jpg
My birthday was six days ago, so this is a very, very amazing belated birthday gift!
[permalink to VIN 559 blog post here (http://vin559.com/?35)]
Wednesday is garbage day here in my neighborhood. Normally when I drive my Civic, I put the trash can in the trunk and drive down the rest of the driveway. Since the trunk is in the front on my DeLorean, and I took my DeLorean to work today, I put the lid behind the driver's seat, tied a rope between the garbage can and the louvers, and drove very slowly. It survived! Here's some pictures:
http://vin559.com/images/events/drives/2013-06-05/resized/garbagepickup01_640.jpg
[link to full size here (http://vin559.com/images/events/drives/2013-06-05/garbagepickup01.jpg)]
http://vin559.com/images/events/drives/2013-06-05/resized/garbagepickup02_640.jpg
[link to full size here (http://vin559.com/images/events/drives/2013-06-05/garbagepickup02.jpg)]
This brings a whole new meaning to the phrase "white trash". But hey, it worked quite well, so every time I drive on a Wednesday I'll be doing the same thing!
[permalink to VIN 559 blog post here (http://vin559.com/?36)]
Dangermouse
06-05-2013, 11:40 PM
Shoot, You just need to get you one of them thar louver luggage racks and strap that can on with bungee cords :)
You know you're a redneck delorean owner when.........
J/k
ALEXAKOS
06-06-2013, 09:51 AM
hahahahah!
All those "want so bad to be Delorean owner" out there will frown upon the use of yours taking out the trash! hahaha
Hate to think if that string snapped and you had to collect the trash from the road... What a mess.
OverlandMan
06-06-2013, 10:04 AM
Shoot, You just need to get you one of them thar louver luggage racks and strap that can on with bungee cords :)
You know you're a redneck delorean owner when.........
J/k
My redneck cousin tells a story of a hay bail tied to the rear louvre of a DeLorean in far West Texas. It was apparently on some ranch out there. Unfortunately there are no pictures. This was back before everyone had a phone w/ a camera on it in their pocket. Hell just a phone in their pocket for that matter... circa 1987
hahahahah!
All those "want so bad to be Delorean owner" out there will frown upon the use of yours taking out the trash! hahaha
Hate to think if that string snapped and you had to collect the trash from the road... What a mess.Oh goodness no, I'd never do that to take out the trash. This was to wheel the empty can back from the end of the street to my garage. I mean, someone was bound to do it. So I thought why not me? ;) As long as there's no garbage inside, it's actually a fairly light payload that literally wheels itself. Next time I'll bring bungee cords though.
This kind of thing runs in the family, sadly. I kept complaining about how dark our shoe closet was, and wanted a light installed. My dad's solution (that he still uses himself I might add) was to hook a flashlight on a string to the wall. It's not even a normal flashlight either, it's one of those shake-up ones. If necessity is the mother of innovation, then apparently ridiculousness is its bastard child :hihi2:
Today I drove to work. I started to approach a three way intersection. This one has stop signs except for the way I was headed, so I had the right of way. I got to the three way intersection, and a mid-2000's corvette pulled out right in front of me and turned going my direction. I had to brake hard to avoid hitting him. I figure he'd get up to the speed limit at some point. It's a 45 MPH speed limit, and he was literally doing 30 MPH. Initially he got up to about 38 MPH, but evidently he's one of those douchebag types that think that just because he owns a fancy car he can be a jerk to everyone.
Two lane road. We get to the part where it's legal to pass. No opposing traffic for half a mile. I gunned it, and within about three fourths of a second had redlined at 60 MH. My cat-delete SPEC exhaust roars to life, and it only took about two seconds and 100 feet to pass his ass. The angle drive couldn't even keep up! I even let inertia slow me down to 50 MPH while I was passing him. By the time I got to the next traffic light, he was two miles in my rearview mirror. I passed a goddamn corvette! Man that made my day!
Hilariously, when backing up in my driveway, the engine stalled. Apparently cold starts have an idle a wee bit too low. I still haven't gotten the hang of starting it up, and half the time it stalls if I don't press the gas pedal down enough or release it too early. Still too used to my daily driver I guess.
Better yet, I'm only about 30 miles short of hitting the magic 5,000! And yes, I'll be YouTubing it, as well as a video (possibly the same one) of how my exhaust sounds. None of the other videos on YouTube seem to sound like mine except for a couple quick ones by a user with the handle "xbrules", and even then it's not a good representation of the sound at various RPM's.
By the way, expect some engine cover and/or grille work to begin tonight and tomorrow. ;)
jawn101
06-14-2013, 12:16 PM
...evidently he's one of those douchebag types that think that just because he owns a fancy car he can be a jerk to everyone.
...I gunned it, and within about three fourths of a second had redlined at 60 MH. My cat-delete SPEC exhaust roars to life, and it only took about two seconds and 100 feet to pass his ass.
Oh, the irony...
Oh, the irony...:confused0:
thirdmanj
06-14-2013, 02:49 PM
If that corvette had cared enough, I'm sure he woulda smoked you.
If that corvette had cared enough, I'm sure he woulda smoked you.I wouldn't have stood a chance, no, especially on a 3-speed automatic. Still was fun though. I honestly didn't expect her to accelerate quite as fast as she did. She just kind of took off as if she was tired if his shenanigans too. I guess I'm just too used to the lack of power my 4-cylinder Civic has and thought I had to push Egull just as hard. The joys of driving a v6 :)
refugeefromcalif
06-14-2013, 08:00 PM
Apparently cold starts have an idle a wee bit too low. I still haven't gotten the hang of starting it up, and half the time it stalls if I don't press the gas pedal down enough or release it too early. Still too used to my daily driver I guess.
My understanding was, You Don't touch the accelerator pedal while starting the car.?.? :confused:
How quickly does it start? Then I assume, it idles too Low for a bit?
In the morning when my car is cold, I just turn the key and it starts after about 2 seconds and runs fine by itself. (I'll not go into the Hot start issue I Still have, in your thread).
George
My understanding was, You Don't touch the accelerator pedal while starting the car.?.? :confused:
How quickly does it start? Then I assume, it idles too Low for a bit?
In the morning when my car is cold, I just turn the key and it starts after about 2 seconds and runs fine by itself. (I'll not go into the Hot start issue I Still have, in your thread).
GeorgeThe way mine works, if I don't touch the accelerator pedal, then when the starter "catches" and the engine starts operating under its own power, it immediately stalls and goes back to being powered solely by the starter, presumably due to not having enough gas. Keeping the key turned, it cycles through that process until either I let go of the key, the battery dies, or I give it some gas. If I have the accelerator pedal pressed down too far, the engine revs up high, at which point I have to back off. If I back off too much, the RPM's drop too rapidly and it stalls. It's quite tricky maneuvering, and apparently every single post in the thread I made on the subject (http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?5171-How-do-you-start-a-DeLorean) is wrong for my setup.
Then again, I haven't tried the "no gas pedal" approach since winter, so maybe the warmer temperatures will change that. I'll have to give it another shot. By this point I do it instinctively. Still doesn't explain the stalling when stopped in reverse issue I had this morning, but considering all the drives I've racked up (http://vin559.com/sightings.php), I'll consider it a fluke unless it happens again.
And with that, we have another blog post!
Captain, We've Reached 5,000 Miles!
When Egull came off the truck from Las Vegas, she had 4,641.6 miles on the odometer. Today, she reached 5,000 miles! I even got a video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdYW-CCV1yk
Now she's sitting in my garage at 5,005.55 miles:
http://vin559.com/images/events/drives/2013-06-14/resized/5000_miles01_640.jpg
[full size here (http://vin559.com/images/Events/Drives/2013-06-14/5000_Miles01.jpg)]
Next goal: an odometer reading of 05249.0 -- 05-24-90 -- my birthday!
[permalink to VIN 559 blog post here (http://vin559.com/?37)]
Okay, so I tried starting it like you're supposed to, turning the key first to "on" to prime the fuel pump, then all the way with no gas pedal. Held on for a full five seconds with zero movement whatsoever on the tachometer. The instant I gave it gas, it started right up. I think it's just another one of Egull's idiosyncrasies. I'm getting better at it though, and practice will make perfect!
Just wanted to point out a couple notes: I started painting the engine cover today. I made a design in GIMP a few days ago that I converted into a stencil today. I cleaned it as much as I could, but the paint wouldn't stick, and I put so much of it on there that it took at least an hour to dry, and still left black spots there. It was misaligned anyways, so over the next couple weeks I'm going to take the lowest-grit sandpaper I can find and sand the entire cover down so I can paint it again. It looks really nice though, and you can even see the outline on the grille, so it'll look like pure perfection when I'm done!
And while waiting for it to dry, I finally finished my bracing for the plexiglass grille. I designed it to be easily removable and installable, with consistent positioning each time so you don't have to fiddle around with it. The best part is that it's secure not only due to the fact that I'm using Tri-Groove screws (the driver of which is damn near impossible to find), but also because one brace goes in front of the plastic supports, and one brace goes behind it, so pulling on the plexiglass will pull on the plastic supports too. Installs and removes in seconds. I'm hoping I can finish it up tomorrow so I can at least have some measurable progress made. The engine cover will be a much bigger project than the grille will be to finish from where it currently is, so the grille comes first. Hopefully I'll have it done before the weekend is over! :)
Bitsyncmaster
06-16-2013, 05:36 AM
Hitting the gas to start does two things. Opens the throttle air and give you vacuum advance. Does your car idle at a solid 775 RPM? If so then your idle motor should have opened the throttle air to the correct position to start.
Hitting the gas to start does two things. Opens the throttle air and give you vacuum advance. Does your car idle at a solid 775 RPM? If so then your idle motor should have opened the throttle air to the correct position to start.Actually it idles at 1,000 RPM with minor fluctuations. It seems like when I go below that, it stalls out. Not sure what's related, but I do have DPI performance camshafts, a SPEC cat-delete exhaust, stainless steel fuel lines, and one of those newer gear-reduction starter motors. Still running K-Jet though, and I'm on a 3-speed automatic.
Maybe it's time to ask Josh. Still waiting to get into DPI for unrelated work, so that's one thing I can ask him. It might be related to the battery light not illuminating when the key is turned to "on". It's not blown out, it just doesn't light up. I pulled the binnacle and hard-wired the bulb to the battery, and it lit up just fine when I did that, so the bulb's intact, just not getting current. That has me wondering if it's causing this issue too.
This weekend I made major headway on two of the biggest items on my list; the engine cover and the grille. On Saturday I tried painting the engine cover, and learned the hard way two valuable lessons: 1) always clean thoroughly AND sand with coarse grit before you paint, don't just clean. And 2) go with very, very light coats. The kind of coats that get a little bit of color but leave mostly the original surface exposed. Don't go all out. I tried going all out, and due to me not sanding properly, it wouldn't stick and left black spots where the paint refused to stay, and it literally took over an hour to dry when the can said 5-10 minutes.
On a positive note, SEM color spray paints have an amazing glass-like feel to them. Trim Black does not do this, it seems to be a color-only thing. I love the feel of it! And the best part of all: I was worried that the detail would be lost on the grilles on the engine cover, but due to the construction, you can clearly make out the exact shape of the stencil I made. Have a look for yourself!:
http://vin559.com/images/work_done/engine_cover/resized/engine_cover_test01_640.jpg
[Full-size image here (http://vin559.com/images/work_done/engine_cover/engine_cover_test01.jpg)]
While I was waiting for this all to dry, I worked on the grille. Just like all the parts with the exception of the bumper letters, parts can be easily swapped out to return it to a stock look in the event that such a thing is required (an upcoming car show benefiting Multiple Sclerosis comes to mind, where an autism theme may be inappropriate). I designed a cross-brace pattern that goes both in front of and behind the plastic supports, with a sort of "pin" that holds it together. When the pin is removed, the brace can be removed within seconds. The best part: I designed it to be consistent, so when assembled properly, it will always have the studs in the same position. This is crucial to my design process as I not only wanted easy reverting to stock (and back!), but also because the grille is entirely opaque, and all you have to find the studs are the three holes I drilled out. Tricky business.
Here's what the (almost) final product of the grille looks like off the car:
http://vin559.com/images/Work_Done/Grille/Resized/Grille_Installed01_640.jpg
[[Full-size image here (http://vin559.com/images/work_done/grille/grille_installed01.jpg)]
I say "almost" because I haven't painted the DMC logo on there, although I am debating putting an actual DMC emblem in its place. Careful eyes will notice in the top-left corner both the part I cut out of the stencil for the engine cover, the paper I traced it from, and the posterboard I originally tried prior to the stencil approach, respectively. It was not a random design, it was precisely created in GIMP to ensure the notches fit exactly within the pins. Unfortunately, the tape I got which claims "high" cornering ability does not do corners at all, forcing me to either spend a week getting the tape perfectly right or spend half an hour making a stencil and painting every piece from the same exact stencil. But I digress, here's what it looks like installed:
http://vin559.com/images/Work_Done/Grille/Resized/Grille_Installed02_640.jpg
[[Full-size image here (http://vin559.com/images/work_done/grille/grille_installed02.jpg)]
This is what it looks like during the daytime, albeit with more muted colors than what it actually has. To compensate for this, I got out my smartphone, turned the flashlight on, and pointed it at the grille to light it up better. Since it's reflective, it lit up very easily:
http://vin559.com/images/Work_Done/Grille/Resized/Grille_Installed03_640.jpg
[[Full-size image here (http://vin559.com/images/work_done/grille/grille_installed03.jpg)]
That's more like it! Nighttime visibility at its finest! Looks kind of odd with that black rectangle in the middle though, right? Don't worry, the next step for me is to use the white spray paint I got for the engine cover (thank god I didn't go with green!), tape it off, and paint the DMC logo on there. Then I'll work on sanding up the engine cover with 80 grit sandpaper to prepare for round 2 of painting. While the weather's supposed to be wonderful later this week, she'll be out of commission until I finish the engine cover. I just filled up, so the gas is as fresh as can be, perfect for sitting around waiting for me to finish.
It's the waiting that she hates the most. She wants to be driven, and to have great weather outside and not be able to enjoy it will be torture for her! But alas, the roads will most likely be wet anyways, and wet roads are a no-go! Not with an undercarriage as fresh as hers anyways.
[permalink to VIN 559 blog post here (http://vin559.com/?38)]
I've made some progress on the Grille and the Engine Cover. A couple days after my last post (http://vin559.com/?38), I spray-painted a white DMC logo onto the grille. It'll work for now, but long-term I'm planning on either taking the emblem from my old grille or buying a new emblem entirely and attaching it to the plexiglass in place of the painted-on emblem.
And I've made some major progress on the engine cover as well! I discovered quickly that the thick cardboard I cut the pattern out of not only had very, very rough edges, but was also way too stiff to lay down properly, so I got some posterboard and cut a stencil out of that. It's coming along great! Here's how it looked when I was done painting this go around:
http://vin559.com/images/work_done/engine_cover/resized/engine_cover_progress01_640.jpg
[full size version here (http://vin559.com/images/work_done/engine_cover/engine_cover_progress01.jpg)]
There's still one column on each side of the engine cover I have yet to paint, and I haven't painted the blue pieces yet. I've decided that I'm going to revisit the painting, touching up the existing pieces. There are a TON of air bubbles as a result of the coats being too thick (it's hard to get a nice, even coat when it's windy out!). I'm going to make a stencil that has holes for nine pieces (three wide and three tall) so I can paint each color all at once. Instead of moving the same stencil around to paint the different pieces, I'll put the stencil in place and paint all the pieces that are to be in that color all at once. Much easier, and more reliable too.
Then I put the engine cover back on Egull, and noticed an unintended side effect: it's visible from the outside!
Here's a picture:
http://vin559.com/images/work_done/engine_cover/resized/engine_cover_progress02_640.jpg
[full size version here (http://vin559.com/images/work_done/engine_cover/engine_cover_progress02.jpg)]
Here's a picture of it installed, with the louvers raised:
http://vin559.com/images/work_done/engine_cover/resized/engine_cover_progress03_640.jpg
[full size version here (http://vin559.com/images/work_done/engine_cover/engine_cover_progress03.jpg)]
All ready for Tuesday's car show!
[permalink to VIN 559 blog post here (http://vin559.com/?39)]
(Side note for DMCTalk guys: don't lay engine covers on bricks like that. Always support it evenly on all sides or it'll crack like mine did. My apologies to Josh for giving him more work to do)
(Also worth noting: the red puzzle piece on the top-right isn't too visible in the grille due to the orientation of the camera. Apparently that angle captures the thin side of the grille more than the thick side, which didn't catch the paint all too well, so it's not nearly as visible as, say, the bottom one. This will be fixed on the repaint.)
dhaney
06-26-2013, 11:55 PM
Thanks for the update, even without the photos.
Oddly, your links just seem to link back to this same thread. maybe I am missing something.
http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=10037&d=1336008985
Actually, this isn't as rare as you might think. Mine has it also (2743), but I don't know when they changed to the logo version. I know that DMCH only have the logo version in stock, so it's certainly unobtainable NOS.
I agree with this... my vin #03254 also came stock with the same shifter.
Dan
vin #03254
Farrar
06-27-2013, 12:02 AM
I agree with this... my vin #03254 also came stock with the same shifter.
As did #2613. The VIN for the change in shifter is noted in the Parts Manual.
(FWIW, I upgraded to the later style.)
I agree with this... my vin #03254 also came stock with the same shifter. Since we're discussing it, I might as well share that I do have an unused NOS shifter that will be replacing my old one when I finally install Wings-A-Loft :biggrin:
Speaking of which, I've got to make a thread on my old one. I can't get it to fit together like the NOS one does, even after I removed all the hot glue that the original owner put on there. I can't see any obstructions, and every last trace of hot glue that I am aware of is gone :hmm:
DMC5180
07-05-2013, 01:53 PM
Hey Shep,
I recall 559 has a few extra holes drilled in the trunk area. More specific the passenger front corner of the underbody (opposite the washer fluid filler). Can you Post a photo looking inside that cavity pointing down? This might help the guy who flooded his underbody in an attempt to clean out mice infestations.
Just an FYI: I've intentionally done modifications only to parts that can be easily swapped in a matter of minutes to revert back to a "stock" look. The rear license plate bezel takes only two minutes to swap out, the engine cover takes about fifteen (or less with a helper), the front grille takes about three, the binnacle would take under thirty, the trunk mat takes 30 seconds, etc. I've also made sure every part that I've permanently modified (e.g. the engine cover) is not the one it came with from the factory, so no 500-series parts have been touched during this process. It only takes about half an hour to an hour to switch everything I've modified back to the way it originally was when I bought it a year ago, with the sole exception of the bumper letters.
I recall 559 has a few extra holes drilled in the trunk area. More specific the passenger front corner of the underbody (opposite the washer fluid filler). Can you Post a photo looking inside that cavity pointing down? This might help the guy who flooded his underbody in an attempt to clean out mice infestations.Here's three I took with a point-and-shoot:
203642036520366
It's hard to reach in there and have the flash still work. If you need more detailed shots, I can try it with my smartphone and see what I come up with. Let me know.
DMC5180
07-05-2013, 03:21 PM
Here's three I took with a point-and-shoot:
203642036520366
It's hard to reach in there and have the flash still work. If you need more detailed shots, I can try it with my smartphone and see what I come up with. Let me know.
Yeah , try the phone camera with the flash and lens inside the hole.
Thanks
Yeah , try the phone camera with the flash and lens inside the hole.
ThanksCouldn't figure out a good angle for the picture, so I did you one better and took a video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-Y8twENNSM
Hopefully that's what you're looking for :thumbup:
DMC5180
07-05-2013, 04:57 PM
Hopefully that's what you're looking for :thumbup:
Perfect!
I wanted to see if there was foam core in the bottom of the cavity. Nope. A person could drill a small drain hole in the corner to drain it out.
Thanks.
thirdmanj
07-05-2013, 05:10 PM
She sure is coming along swell, Shep! Can't wait to see that Wings-a-loft system in action! :thumbup:
Perfect!
I wanted to see if there was foam core in the bottom of the cavity. Nope. A person could drill a small drain hole in the corner to drain it out.
Thanks.Nothing but metal and fiberglass all around. Good luck with the draining!
Actually, come to think of it, he could drill the hole himself in the same location. Normally I wouldn't even consider suggesting that, but since there's mouse fluids in there, it may be the only way to really clean it out short of a disassembly.The plug for it is readily available here (https://store.delorean.com/p-8705-cover-clutch-resvr.aspx) for under five bucks. It's #27 in the diagram here (https://store.delorean.com/c-384-4-4-1-clutch-hydraulics.aspx), found directly next to the gas cap on every VIN. The earlier VINs (500 to mid-800's) have some extras to hide production errors, that being one of them.
She sure is coming along swell, Shep! Can't wait to see that Wings-a-loft system in action! :thumbup:Thanks! Budget cuts have delayed the Wings-a-loft a couple months, but it won't be long! :)
Just wanted to let everyone know: after being delayed two weeks due to rain, I will not be attending the car show originally scheduled for June 25th. The weather looks like crap this week too, however in two weeks (July 23rd), they will have a charity show at the same location, so I'll be attending that one. If it rains out this week (and considering it's literally rained every day for the past month, I don't doubt it), then I would show two weeks in a row, so I figure I'll get into DPI now and get those minor and self-inflicted issues worked out prior to its first showing. And in the meantime, I've got more projects to work on anyways.
If anyone tried to go to Cruisin' Solon the past few weeks, you'd notice it's been rained out frequently. Turns out Mother Nature kind of got her drain clogged and it took a month for her to notice the mess. One month straight of rain every single day. It was a nightmare! As a result, all but one week was rained out, and what was going to be my first appearance at a car show will be delayed a bit. The one I was hoping to attend first ("Tuner - American & Import" night) was pushed back until August 13th.
But there's good news! Two Tuesdays from now (July 23rd), Cruisin' Solon will have their Charity Cruise, where all cars are welcome! That will be my first show, weather permitting. If it rains, don't expect them to skip it -- the "Super Solon Charity Cruise" is a tradition they've had for several years, and there hasn't been a single year that they haven't had it. This is, however, the first year it's on a Tuesday (normally it's on Saturday; last year was the day of my sister's wedding and the early stages of Egull's restoration, so I couldn't attend that one).
Which brings me to the topic of this post: The "All About Autism Car Show" is being held on Saturday, August 17th down in Columbus, Ohio. I don't care if it's rain or shine, I'm making the trek down there and spending the whole day there! I will be there one way or another, that much I will guarantee. Naturally, the one exception is if it they announce that it has been rescheduled, in which case I will go down there on that rescheduled date. It's going to be a busy week, first we have the "Tuner - American & Import" night at Cruisin' Solon on Tuesday, August 13th, then we have the "All About Autism Car Show" on Saturday, August 17th, then we have the "Two Seat Sports Car" night at Cruisin' Solon on Tuesday, August 20th. Talk about a doozy!
For those interested in attending the "All About Autism Car Show", here's what you need to know:
- Live auction, with proceeds benefiting the "Make It Fit" foundation for children with Autism
- On-site "Bounce House" for the kids
- Live music
- Directions and more details can be found here (http://www.makeitfit.org/events_car.html)
- Facebook page can be found here (https://www.facebook.com/events/345193959807/) (Mobile access requires login; desktop/laptop access does not)
- Flyer can be found here (http://www.makeitfit.org/2013_Show_Flyer.pdf)
- Located at the Quaker Steak & Lube in Columbus, Ohio on Saturday, August 17th
And I will most definitely be making an appearance, hopefully having completed a few more projects yet to be done. I'll see everyone there! :wave:
[permalink to VIN 559 blog post here (http://vin559.com/?40)]
Well, not everyone. Those that are attending anyways ;)
And for the DMCTalk guys, here's a few projects I'm hoping to complete before then:
- Building my own flux capacitor (95% done already! Just need a couple relays and a couple more LED's. You'll see why I'm building my own when it's done; it's going to be awesome :biggrin: )
- Custom side trim similar to the dealer option wide black stripe, except with the same pattern and size as the bumper letters, with black puzzle pieces spelling out "AutisticDeLorean.com" (it may be tacky, but I've already gotten my fair share of "so you really like puzzles, huh?", and I figure it's better if they can read what it's for)
- Still can't decide, but possibly a bumper sticker that reads the same (what I can't decide on is if both doors having the URL is already enough, and if any more becomes overkill, although I'm leaning towards "yes" on that one)
- Custom vinyl to (temporarily?) replace the trunk carpeting, with the autism puzzle on it and "AutisticDeLorean.com" visible. (With the doors open, the URL on the doors is facing the sky, so I figure it should be put in the one other spot that is usually open when both doors are. Gives me a bit more trunk space too with the carpeting gone, although very marginal)
- Swapping radio faceplates (removing and probably selling the old Craig, instead putting in a drawer/cupholder combo since I never listen to the radio. But I've tested it and everything works 100%, including the tape deck. Not taking offers yet until I complete the swap ;) )
- Refining my LED choices. Taillights (all eight bulbs) work flawlessly, as do the dome lights and trunk light, however the front parking lights are horrible when both hazards and parking lights are on, and the engine light could use an upgrade too.
UPDATE: The Super Solon Charity Cruise was rained out until July 30th. While the weather looks good for that day, Egull will be back at DPI getting some minor work done (fixing the broken louver bracket, replacing the passenger window motor, and investigating some electrical issues, among other things). Unfortunately I will not be able to make it to the Super Solon Charity Cruise this year, unless it is delayed another week (which is doubtful). So it looks like "Tuner - American & Import" will be my first night after all, on Tuesday, August 13. Unless that rains out, in which case it will be Saturday, August 17th. And if that rains out, then it will be "Two Seat Sports Car" night on Tuesday, August 20th.
The good news about all of this is that I'll have a few extra weeks to get more projects done. Expect to see more progress in the meantime!
Refining the list of projects above:
- Flux capacitor (still at 95% -- gotta order the parts first)
- Side trim and bumper sticker are out due to complaints from my parents that it "ruins the classic car look", even though the black side stripe was a dealer option and this will blend in better :swear1: Also due to concerns about the URL attracting hate crimes and vandalism (yeah, that one's quite :screwy: I mean good god, we don't live in Syria, it's a complete nonevent)
- Replacing the trunk carpeting with the autism puzzle is still a go, however I doubt it will be done before the Autism car show.
- Swapping radio for a cupholder is done!
- LED swap still pending. Will ask around on this one.
- Binnacle project is back on track after finally finding a company that creates custom prints for automotive upholstery. I just sent them pictures and a quote request today, so we'll see how that one goes. I'm really hoping it turns out well, because if it does, the seats are next! :giddy: And after that, custom headliners!
Jacko
07-27-2013, 10:52 PM
Refining the list of projects above:
- Flux capacitor (still at 95% -- gotta order the parts first)
- Side trim and bumper sticker are out due to complaints from my parents that it "ruins the classic car look", even though the black side stripe was a dealer option and this will blend in better :swear1: Also due to concerns about the URL attracting hate crimes and vandalism (yeah, that one's quite :screwy: I mean good god, we don't live in Syria, it's a complete nonevent)
- Replacing the trunk carpeting with the autism puzzle is still a go, however I doubt it will be done before the Autism car show.
- Swapping radio for a cupholder is done!
- LED swap still pending. Will ask around on this one.
- Binnacle project is back on track after finally finding a company that creates custom prints for automotive upholstery. I just sent them pictures and a quote request today, so we'll see how that one goes. I'm really hoping it turns out well, because if it does, the seats are next! :giddy: And after that, custom headliners!
Hey Shep, I've been reading your thread faithfully and I wish I had half your energy.
With your job and your family I don't see how you have the time to get so much done.:thumbup:
You mentioned above your binnacle project. Are you going to cover it with the autism puzzle?
I ask because a while back there was some discussion about it reflecting off the windshield so
is that issue resolved? I'm sure you've thought it through.
On another front, 4915 has been at DPI exactly one year today. I keep adding things I want done and it
pushes it back. BTW I love what you've done to 559. Remarkable. :whip:
Hey Shep, I've been reading your thread faithfully and I wish I had half your energy.
With your job and your family I don't see how you have the time to get so much done.:thumbup:One of the many perks of being single with zero outside obligations. Who needs movies when you've got a DeLorean? ;)
One thing I forgot to mention: I'm in the process of adding one of those old-time "ahooga" horns. I figure it's a more polite version of the stock horns (which I'm leaving intact) that draws your attention more than the usual honking. I took out the rheostat and put a toggle switch in there, which will route directly to the horn (no relay needed since it only pulls 3A and the switch supports 15A). I was going to mount it in the engine compartment, and I thought I had a place for it, but test-fitting it showed that I had to drill into the fiberglass to mount it. And then I realized the engine heat would toast the thing, so now I'm trying to figure out where to mount it. :hmm: I'll give it a fresh look tomorrow.
You mentioned above your binnacle project. Are you going to cover it with the autism puzzle?
I ask because a while back there was some discussion about it reflecting off the windshield so
is that issue resolved? I'm sure you've thought it through.Indeed I am! While I haven't field tested it yet, my plan is that if it becomes too much of a nuisance to drive with, I can fabricate a cover from black fabric that covers the top, only to be used while driving. I generally don't drive with the sun in my field of view (less than 100 feet to and from work), so it shouldn't be too much of a problem, but making a cover is the best solution I can think of. The DMC CA binnacle has been sitting here for the better part of a year now, so it's time I get the ball rolling and have it redone. Hopefully they can do it for a reasonable price! :wiggle:
On another front, 4915 has been at DPI exactly one year today. I keep adding things I want done and it
pushes it back. BTW I love what you've done to 559. Remarkable. :whip:4915 is still there?! Man you should get frequent flier miles for that :hihi2:
UPDATE: Egull's pickup has been delayed until Thursday or later, and you can register at the event, so we're going to the Super Solon Charity Cruise after all! Starts at 4:00 PM tonight (July 30th), and I'm hoping to be there at around 4:45 PM to 5:00 PM and will stay until the end of the show (at 9:00 PM). Details here (http://rnrcsm.com/). I'll post pictures of Egull at the event tonight or tomorrow. Stay tuned!
And a side note for the binnacle project: I realized yesterday that the reflection of the binnacle starts halfway up the windshield, well above where I need to be able to see, so even if the color is insanely reflective, it still won't pose a problem. And the "Ahooga" horn is almost completely done too. Just gotta figure out why the button keeps shorting out and it'll be good to go! Hopefully a little electrical tape and removing the ground will solve the issue (I think the LED in the button shorted out somehow).
ALEXAKOS
07-31-2013, 03:29 AM
Proud moments:)
Let anticipate for them photos!
I went to the Super Solon Charity Cruise, and it was a blast! Egull got a TON of attention. Probably more than she ever has in her 32 years of existence! Even though she's a "work in progress", only one guy noticed the shifter knob was off. No one noticed the broken louver bracket, or the eyebrows I'm starting to get, even the missing passenger door panels! We got quite a few spectators that came up and talked to me about it. There were, of course, some original BTTF references. One guy asked "Where's Professor Brown?", another asked me the top speed, and when I said about 120 MPH, corrected me and said "no man, you're supposed to say 88 MPH!"
There were 450 cars there, and the lot holds 500. I was in M-437, so way far in the back. But when I drove from the front, I had the driver's door open the whole way. Overall, there had to have been about a hundred spectators and hundreds of pictures (90% using a smartphone).
Enough talking, here's some pictures!
http://vin559.com/images/events/car_shows/2013_super_solon_charity_cruise/resized/2013_super_solon_charity_cruise_01_640.jpg
[full size picture here (http://vin559.com/images/events/car_shows/2013_super_solon_charity_cruise/2013_super_solon_charity_cruise_01.jpg)]
http://vin559.com/images/events/car_shows/2013_super_solon_charity_cruise/resized/2013_super_solon_charity_cruise_02_640.jpg
[full size picture here (http://vin559.com/images/events/car_shows/2013_super_solon_charity_cruise/2013_super_solon_charity_cruise_02.jpg)]
http://vin559.com/images/events/car_shows/2013_super_solon_charity_cruise/resized/2013_super_solon_charity_cruise_03_640.jpg
[full size picture here (http://vin559.com/images/events/car_shows/2013_super_solon_charity_cruise/2013_super_solon_charity_cruise_03.jpg)]
http://vin559.com/images/events/car_shows/2013_super_solon_charity_cruise/resized/2013_super_solon_charity_cruise_04_640.jpg
[full size picture here (http://vin559.com/images/events/car_shows/2013_super_solon_charity_cruise/2013_super_solon_charity_cruise_04.jpg)]
http://vin559.com/images/events/car_shows/2013_super_solon_charity_cruise/resized/2013_super_solon_charity_cruise_05_640.jpg
[full size picture here (http://vin559.com/images/events/car_shows/2013_super_solon_charity_cruise/2013_super_solon_charity_cruise_05.jpg)]
http://vin559.com/images/events/car_shows/2013_super_solon_charity_cruise/resized/2013_super_solon_charity_cruise_06_640.jpg
[full size picture here (http://vin559.com/images/events/car_shows/2013_super_solon_charity_cruise/2013_super_solon_charity_cruise_06.jpg)]
http://vin559.com/images/events/car_shows/2013_super_solon_charity_cruise/resized/2013_super_solon_charity_cruise_07_640.jpg
[full size picture here (http://vin559.com/images/events/car_shows/2013_super_solon_charity_cruise/2013_super_solon_charity_cruise_07.jpg)]
http://vin559.com/images/events/car_shows/2013_super_solon_charity_cruise/resized/2013_super_solon_charity_cruise_08_640.jpg
[full size picture here (http://vin559.com/images/events/car_shows/2013_super_solon_charity_cruise/2013_super_solon_charity_cruise_08.jpg)]
http://vin559.com/images/events/car_shows/2013_super_solon_charity_cruise/resized/2013_super_solon_charity_cruise_09_640.jpg
[full size picture here (http://vin559.com/images/events/car_shows/2013_super_solon_charity_cruise/2013_super_solon_charity_cruise_09.jpg)]
http://vin559.com/images/events/car_shows/2013_super_solon_charity_cruise/resized/2013_super_solon_charity_cruise_10_640.jpg
[full size picture here (http://vin559.com/images/events/car_shows/2013_super_solon_charity_cruise/2013_super_solon_charity_cruise_10.jpg)]
http://vin559.com/images/events/car_shows/2013_super_solon_charity_cruise/resized/2013_super_solon_charity_cruise_11_640.jpg
[full size picture here (http://vin559.com/images/events/car_shows/2013_super_solon_charity_cruise/2013_super_solon_charity_cruise_11.jpg)]
There was an official photographer that came around and took a picture of my engine bay, so if they post it online anywhere, I'll share it here.
The ride home was quite scary though. In installing the cupholder, I broke the headlight switch. The push-button action worked fine, so I assumed it worked and didn't test it. Bad, BAD idea, I had no functional headlights coming home, at 9:00 PM at night! It wasn't until I was about a quarter of the way home that I realized I could hold the brights on to use headlights. Then deer crossed the road in front of me, so I slammed on the brakes, and the guy behind me almost didn't stop, evidently not realizing that I was braking. After that, it was mostly fine driving, but holy hell was it scary! Lesson learned, whenever you do any work, test EVERYTHING! I checked the hazards later on, and while they work, the side-blinker mod did not, so evidently I really, really broke the switch.
On the bright side (get it?), this will give me an excuse to upgrade to the headlight switch with the built-in relay. Currently all the current (I'm on a roll, huh?) for the parking lights goes through the switch, which is a lot of current if you're not running LED's. And on the sides, I'm not, only on the front and back. It helps to isolate the switch, and prevents shorts from melting the switch and leaving you without headlights of any kind, which, believe me, is scary as hell!
[permalink to VIN 559 blog post here (http://vin559.com/?41)]
UPDATE:
Due to unforeseen family-related circumstances, I will not be able to attend the "All About Autism" car show this year. I was really, really, really looking forward to it, but alas I will have to wait until next year to make my big splash in Columbus, OH, a few months after DCS 2014. Cruisin' Solon on August 13th and August 20th (both Tuesdays) are still very much on schedule! And we also have a new car show that I will be attending on Saturday, August 24th: the Hillbilly Rod & Custom Nationals (http://hillbillynationals.weebly.com/)! I know, a DeLorean may not sound Hillbilly, but I've got a few aces up my sleeve for that. Keep an eye out for more blog posts in the next couple weeks! ;)
DMC5180
08-11-2013, 11:12 PM
What's up with the wonky louvers in the photos? Do you have a weak strut?
What's up with the wonky louvers in the photos? Do you have a weak strut?Nope, the bracket broke off for the second time. Don't have a picture handy of the second round, but here's the first time it broke (when I first got it):
http://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/78099959/VIN%20559/Pictures/Problem%20areas/Resized/Problem18s.JPG
As a result, the struts are fully extended, but very off-balance. I got it repaired in the past, but it broke free again. This time around, I had Josh put strips of stainless (painted black) as more reinforcement to prevent it from happening again, and so far so good, so we'll see how that holds up. I'm quite confident that it'll hold this time considering the design, but he's cautious (would you expect any less? :) ).
EDIT: I should mention that I had just washed the engine cover when I took the picture, so that's water, not bubbling paint.
Ha, swanky! Now I'm in "Johnny Z's Restoration Shop" :approve:
I probably won't be making new posts on the other two Cruisin' Solon's I went to. Didn't win awards at any of them, but the last two were much closer to the front. The one I posted about (one post up) was in spot 347, the second one was in spot 228, and the third one was in spot 60. I could've parked in 59 the last time, but the owner of the truck in 58 was standing there eying me as if he wanted some space, so I gave him room. Plus I don't really trust my reverse skills in the wider turn radius that my DeLorean has (compared to my Civic, at least).
Photo album was a huge hit with all three car shows, as was putting the Sunstar model on the center console with the doors and hood propped open. The adults loved the photo album, and the kids loved the little model (or "replica" as one senior citizen put it). Kind of reminds me of the whole XZibit thing from 2009:
http://vin559.com/images/events/car_shows/cruisin_solon/2013-08-13/delorean_recursion.jpg
Or a programmer's joke about recursion. ("In order to understand recursion, you must first understand recursion" comes to mind). And in case you're wondering, that's Thinkgeek's Wampa backpack in the driver's seat. Running gag within my family far too complicated (and just generally strange) to explain. The first show I let a lady sit in the driver's seat, and she hit her head on the door panel coming out, so I thought I'd block it off on the second go around. Changed my mind on the third time though.
I didn't go to the Hillbilly Rod and National Custom Show this year after all. And since I didn't go, I'll share what that "ace up my sleeve was". With 100% credit to Dermot (Dangermouse) for coming up with the idea in my Hood Plugs (dmctalk.org/showthread.php?p=76665#post76665) thread (which is still a mystery, and DMCH never did get back to me :hmm: ), I was converting the underside of my hood into the confederate flag. I started with sections of paper colored red and inset into the carpeting. I was going to then cut out the stars and put them in place of the hood plugs. I instead chose to attempt my long (bypass) speedometer cable instead, which didn't work, and left me with next to zero time to get ready for the car show. As a result, I opted not to go. Bummer, but it is what it is. Next year I'll be far more prepared!
I do love the look of red carpeting against the black background. Always loved those two colors together. In fact, my old bedroom was the same shade of red with black trim. Still looks great (albeit juvenile, which at the time it was) ten years later. Gotta try blue, white, and yellow next. Maybe I'll put one of each color in the same pattern as my engine cover ;)
One note: I'm currently sketching my "final stage" with Egull. This is not a short-term thing, but rather this will be the point where I finally say "I'm done, no more, that's enough" and I can just enjoy Egull for what she is. I am strongly, strongly optimistic that, budget willing, it will happen by DCS 2014. Two or three more months, and my loans and credit cards will be paid off, and I'll be back in business! It will not be terribly expensive to get there (relatively, at least, compared to the restoration and whatnot), but it will be very, very time-consuming. Keep in mind that not every mod I'm planning is Autism-related. Some of the projects I'm sketching (I can think of five off the top of my head) are just general upgrades and modifications that can be done to any DeLorean. I've already sketched the side, the rear, the seats/armrest, and I'm now working on the driver's view while driving. Within a few weeks I'll have the sketches done and posted to the blog and here. My family has made it clear to me that they do not want me to do everything I'm planning on doing, but I've made leeway since then that has put them at ease, so they may have changed their minds by now. We'll see! :biggrin:
Final stage done and posted to the blog! (http://vin559.com/?42)
It's way, way too massive to fit in a post here, or even two, so I'll leave it on my website only. 90% the text is just describing what's in the pictures, but the pictures do quite a nice job of explaining themselves. This one was mostly a "note to self" kind of deal for me to reference down the road when I start tackling these projects, so feel free to skip the text :)
thirdmanj
11-12-2013, 11:06 AM
Saw this today, Shep. Made me think of 559, lol.
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/11/13/da6ynu2a.jpg
Saw this today, Shep. Made me think of 559, lol.
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/11/13/da6ynu2a.jpgHa! Nice find :)
NightFlyer
11-12-2013, 02:00 PM
Ha! Nice find :)
Where have you been, big dog?
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