Vin 883

[deloumis]

So 883 has finally made it home, pulled in around midnight last night. Pictures to come later on today, but for now some description. I originally bought the car as a parts car, mainly for the parts to convert 2565 Into a 5 speed. When the seller put the ad up, I was only <10 minutes away so I went to check it out. The car was actually in pretty good condition, and by that I mean what was there was in really good condition. All the stainless panels are there and they are in excellent condition of not perfect. The fiberglass does have a few chips and small cracks like he mentioned but only saw about 3 less than 1".

Now the interior, what is there, is great. What is missing from the interior is the wiring and electrical, seats, carpet and headliner. What's really great is the binnacle and dash are flawless (not in 2565). 5,000 miles on the odometer, now I know it may not be accurate but it also has original tires with a lot of thread left so I say it is 5k miles.

All the glass is perfect also, which I need a windshield so I'll see how that goes. The frame is also in great condition. The engine has has everything above the heads removed but I have a whole bunch of engine parts so that's not a problem. I will dig Into the engine and transmission to see how it looks internally.

The bad, no carpet, no seats, no wiring, no headliner. The upper engine cover (louvers) is broken and calipers and suspension will need to be rebuild. Also no gas tank and all the engine parts that were removed were tossed.

Like I mentioned I bought the car as a parts car, but there is a lot more than I thought, I think I may just restore this one for myself.

Pictures to come..

[Chris Burns]

So 883 has finally made it home, pulled in around midnight last night. Pictures to come later on today, but for now some description. I originally bought the car as a parts car, mainly for the parts to convert 2565 Into a 5 speed. When the seller put the ad up, I was only <10 minutes away so I went to check it out. The car was actually in pretty good condition, and by that I mean what was there was in really good condition. All the stainless panels are there and they are in excellent condition of not perfect. The fiberglass does have a few chips and small cracks like he mentioned but only saw about 3 less than 1".

Now the interior, what is there, is great. What is missing from the interior is the wiring and electrical, seats, carpet and headliner. What's really great is the binnacle and dash are flawless (not in 2565). 5,000 miles on the odometer, now I know it may not be accurate but it also has original tires with a lot of thread left so I say it is 5k miles.

All the glass is perfect also, which I need a windshield so I'll see how that goes. The frame is also in great condition. The engine has has everything above the heads removed but I have a whole bunch of engine parts so that's not a problem. I will dig Into the engine and transmission to see how it looks internally.

The bad, no carpet, no seats, no wiring, no headliner. The upper engine cover (louvers) is broken and calipers and suspension will need to be rebuild. Also no gas tank and all the engine parts that were removed were tossed.

Like I mentioned I bought the car as a parts car, but there is a lot more than I thought, I think I may just restore this one for myself.

Pictures to come..

Keep us informed on this one!

:popcorn:

What a find!!

[Mike C.]

I definitely vote restore! I would hate to see a low vin get wasted.

[Kenny_Z]

The solution is obvious, sell 2565 to someone that want an automatic and use that cash to build 883 into the Delorean of your dreams ;)

Needless to say I vote restore.

[jawn101]

Since it seems we're voting, I vote restore too! I know we'd all be worse off if it wasn't for parts cars, but I can't stand the idea of parting out a DeLorean, under any circumstances.

Good luck!

[Michael Babb]

+1 for restore . . .There are a finite number of DeLoreans . . I always hate to see one more disappear . . .

[OverlandMan]

Another restore vote cast. But don't sell your other car... keep both. I'm starting to warm to the idea of having 2 DeLorean automobiles one day.

Looking forward to your pics. :thumbup:

[Domi]

Congratulation on your purchase!
Like the others, I hope you will be able to restore VIN883 :thumbup2:

[Shep]

Playing devil's advocate here, I think it's entirely your choice what you do with it. It seems like there's quite a bit of work that needs to be done to bring it "back to life", and whether or not you feel it's "too far gone" is your call. I know we can all easily say "restore", but ultimately the choice is yours. While I always like seeing a 3-digit VIN kept on the road, sometimes it just doesn't make sense to do so. I haven't seen pictures of 883 though, so I can't pass judgement on it.

[Chris Burns]

If you get tired of one of your Deloreans, let me know :wink:

[Domi]

I haven't seen pictures of 883 though, so I can't pass judgement on it.

You can see some pictures on the car here:
http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?5138-0883-Parts-car-restoration-San-Antonio-Texas-6K

[deloumis]

1324413245132461324713248132491325013251
Well here are some pics, will give more detail tomorrow. Keep in mind this car was completely disassembled when I got, some things I am missing is pretty much an entire wire harness, seats, the upper engine cover, and carpet. So if anyone has any of what ik missing let me know!

[Chris Burns]

Wow! I amazed that car sat in a creek for all that time, because I thought it would be in way worse shape that that. That will be a long term project for sure, but what a find!!

[Jimmyvonviggle]

This car reminds me of that Ferrari that was found buried. I vote restore, you'll have a cool story with the car.

[1batt4u]

1324413245132461324713248132491325013251
Well here are some pics, will give more detail tomorrow. Keep in mind this car was completely disassembled when I got, some things I am missing is pretty much an entire wire harness, seats, the upper engine cover, and carpet. So if anyone has any of what ik missing let me know!

Wow!! Big difference!! I give you credit!!!

[deloumis]

1324413245132461324713248132491325013251
Well here are some pics, will give more detail tomorrow. Keep in mind this car was completely disassembled when I got, some things I am missing is pretty much an entire wire harness, seats, the upper engine cover, and carpet. So if anyone has any of what ik missing let me know!

So I got the car home Thursday around midnight so I couldn't do anything at that time. I finally unloaded the car yesterday and I began to assemble a few things on the car. Overall I would say the frame is about 8 out of 10. The fiberglass tub about 9.5 and the stainless steel panels at about 9.5. The frame has minor rust issues that I will have to get to but nothing too far gone or even close. All the suspension is still good along with the calipers. The calipers I already disassembled for rebuild so they will be as good as new pretty soon.

The wheels were in great condition also, but I can't say the same about the tires. They are dried out and have cracks, not surprised as they are original NCTs. The wheels are dark wheels, I don't really like the look of the dark wheels but I guess I can get used to it. Now the body panels like I mentioned are actually really great. The fenders are both flawless, the hood has a small imperfecton that i noticed when I got home. The driver door is perfect but the passenger door has a small dent on top. Both quarter panels are in great condition. All the glass is good nothing cracked or broken. Both facias need paint but they will turn out good. All lights mirrors and trim pieces were included with the car so im good on that (except a broken door handle).

Now the interior, I do have almost every bit of interior, and the leather (or vinyl) looks really good. The wood behind the seats is broken but that's not a problem. Like I mentioned, I will need seats because it didn't come with any. I will also need carpet and headliner. All the wiring is either cut or missing including the bulkhead connectors and fuse box.

I'm sure there are a few things I'm missing, but I'll get to everything as I go along working on it.

[ccurzio]

The wood behind the seats is broken but that's not a problem.

My driver's seat has this problem and it's annoying as hell. The back refuses to stay clipped into place - the left side always comes out and and the top (the broken bit) flops around. I can cram it back into place, but every time I sit down it pops right back out. I've tried a bunch of stuff including heavy-duty double-sided tape, but nothing works. I could always screw it in, but I don't want to ruin it with screws. I could also glue it, but I don't want to do that either since it's a little too "permanent" for my tastes.

Good luck with your car, though. It doesn't look as bad as it could be. :)

[deloumis]

My driver's seat has this problem and it's annoying as hell. The back refuses to stay clipped into place - the left side always comes out and and the top (the broken bit) flops around. I can cram it back into place, but every time I sit down it pops right back out. I've tried a bunch of stuff including heavy-duty double-sided tape, but nothing works. I could always screw it in, but I don't want to ruin it with screws. I could also glue it, but I don't want to do that either since it's a little too "permanent" for my tastes.

Good luck with your car, though. It doesn't look as bad as it could be. :)

Actually I was talking about the wood panels that run along from the battery compartment to the cubby.. but 2565 has the problem also. It is very annoying but for now I can live with it.

[jawn101]

Actually I was talking about the wood panels that run along from the battery compartment to the cubby.. but 2565 has the problem also. It is very annoying but for now I can live with it.

Seatbacks are easy enough to remanufacture by tracing the old ones. Too bad you can't say the same for the bulkhead wood! I'm waiting for someone more talented than I to start making replacements for those panels again.

Car looks really good, much better than the original description (sat in a creek since who knows when) made it sound! A great project for sure. Good luck!

[deloumis]

Seatbacks are easy enough to remanufacture by tracing the old ones. Too bad you can't say the same for the bulkhead wood! I'm waiting for someone more talented than I to start making replacements for those panels again.

Car looks really good, much better than the original description (sat in a creek since who knows when) made it sound! A great project for sure. Good luck!

The previous owner put up some pretty bad pics and description. I was so amazed by the condition after we had a deal and cash was in his hand and title in mine, I had to ask him "Do you even know what you have here?" Lol

Thanks everyone I hope to be able to restore it.

[Dangermouse]

I see a trip to Lowes in your future for some PT plywood.

[deloumis]

I see a trip to Lowes in your future for some PT plywood.

Most likely. I just don't see myself paying money for something that can be made at home. I do have some ideas that I may do with that area... :shhh:

[jawn101]

Most likely. I just don't see myself paying money for something that can be made at home. I do have some ideas that I may do with that area... :shhh:

Make some nice ones (or a good roll-your-own template) and you might find yourself making money rather than spending it! :)

Secret plans though, eh... Exciting stuff...

[Morpheus]

Why go through the hassle of swapping frames/tranny/pedalbox/etc. to make your other car a manual? You have a low mile, 800 vin car that looks to be an ideal restore candidate. However, if the title is salvage, then maybe the cost involved in a restore would not make restoration a worthwhile expenditure in this case. Either way, swapping auto/5spd seems like a waste of time and resources when there are so many DeLoreans available in either tranny option.

[MML]

My driver's seat has this problem and it's annoying as hell. The back refuses to stay clipped into place - the left side always comes out and and the top (the broken bit) flops around. I can cram it back into place, but every time I sit down it pops right back out. I've tried a bunch of stuff including heavy-duty double-sided tape, but nothing works. I could always screw it in, but I don't want to ruin it with screws. I could also glue it, but I don't want to do that either since it's a little too "permanent" for my tastes.

Good luck with your car, though. It doesn't look as bad as it could be. :)

Have you tried neodymium magnets? Those things are ludicrously strong.

[ccurzio]

Have you tried neodymium magnets? Those things are ludicrously strong.

Holy crap, I hadn't even thought about using magnets. Thank you for the suggestion!

[deloumis]

Why go through the hassle of swapping frames/tranny/pedalbox/etc. to make your other car a manual? You have a low mile, 800 vin car that looks to be an ideal restore candidate. However, if the title is salvage, then maybe the cost involved in a restore would not make restoration a worthwhile expenditure in this case. Either way, swapping auto/5spd seems like a waste of time and resources when there are so many DeLoreans available in either tranny option.

I'm doing the swap because they are my cars and I can. 2565 I consider "my" car and I want "my" car 5 speed so I'm going with it. I have a freshly rebuilt auto tranny that I have yet to test because I'm waiting on some TABs. I just haven't ordered them yet 883 is another car that I will restore, it does have a salvage title but in Texas I should have no problem. I have a budget of $10k total, so far I'm $4k in which is what I paid for the car, I'm sure I can do it under $5k. I have a lot of spare parts that I have collected including a lot of engine parts which I will use to complete this engine. Everything seems to be good in it but I won't know for sure until i tear it apart. I have some heads sitting in boxes which have been rebuilt so I will use those. Its not really about what is out there to me, I just want both my cars the way I want them, which is what I plan to do. Most parts are in great condition and I have *almost* a complete car.

[Morpheus]

^ Sounds good to me! Good luck with the project(s)!

[LEVY]

I'm doing the swap because they are my cars and I can. 2565 I consider "my" car and I want "my" car 5 speed so I'm going with it. I have a freshly rebuilt auto tranny that I have yet to test because I'm waiting on some TABs. I just haven't ordered them yet 883 is another car that I will restore, it does have a salvage title but in Texas I should have no problem. I have a budget of $10k total, so far I'm $4k in which is what I paid for the car, I'm sure I can do it under $5k. I have a lot of spare parts that I have collected including a lot of engine parts which I will use to complete this engine. Everything seems to be good in it but I won't know for sure until i tear it apart. I have some heads sitting in boxes which have been rebuilt so I will use those. Its not really about what is out there to me, I just want both my cars the way I want them, which is what I plan to do. Most parts are in great condition and I have *almost* a complete car.

Add another $5000.00 to 883 budget! :D

LEVY