Non-factory design mods... PO/CO handy work

[Jonathan]

I got thinking recently whether there was anything on my car that was not "as per design."

One thing that came to mind was a small section of the fuel line between the accumulator and fuel filter that was cut out and a small piece of rubber fuel line hose put in in it's place. We did this when the accumulator was replaced and found a pin hole leak in the metal fuel line. For the sake of getting it back together, the rubber hose went in, and after seeing that it was not leaking, the general consensus was "then leave it alone."

Now, if I sold my car one day and the new owner had it up on the hoist doing an inspection, they might say "well that's not how it is supposed to look." It works though and will likely remain that way unless forced to change it.

What sort of PO or CO handy work do you have on your car?

I know my car came to me in 2007 with the fuel pump wired directly to the battery. That got changed tout suite. What sort of clever fixes, repairs, or mods do you have that won't be found on any pages in the service manuals?

[Nicholas R]

Pre-engine swap, nothing really. My PO was an idiot. The only thing that I found that needed undoing was that the drain for the cabin air intake (the one above the fuel tank) on my car was sealed off by someone. Must've thought it would fix some problem with water in the gas or something. All it did was cause the water not to drain, fill up, and pour into the evaporator box.

Post-swap, very much would not be in any manual.

I'm actually curious though, how exactly was your fuel pump wired directly to the battery? If that were the case your fuel pump would run at all times, even when the car is off.

[Tillsy]

I'm actually curious though, how exactly was your fuel pump wired directly to the battery? If that were the case your fuel pump would run at all times, even when the car is off.

And cross connected to the phase inducers to create a regenerative power source...

[WelmoedJ]

My list would be a rather long one:
non-original FD,
non-original spark plug wires,
coil wire and coil, non-original rear wiring harness (modified),
removed resistor relay and modified resistor pack setup,
front side markers also functioning as directional lights,
modification of inertia switch ground,
buzzer replaced by chimer with lights-on warning,
CPR replaced with an electronic version
modified shift stick (2" shorter),
partially modified interior (black leather instead of grey vinyl),
LCA braces (DMCEU),
shocks with adjustable damping,
non-original cooling fans,
some non-original relays (by Dave McKeen),
steering wheel center pad covered with DMC imprinted leather

I'm sure I must have forgotten some, but isn't this already enough?

[Jonathan]

I'm actually curious though, how exactly was your fuel pump wired directly to the battery? If that were the case your fuel pump would run at all times, even when the car is off.

Good point. My mechanic I used the first year I had the car found this and put it in those terms. I am guessing a better way to describe it was that it was wired to the 12 volt side off the ignition switch. You're right, it wouldn't be directly to the battery, or it would run even when the car was sitting there parked and turned off. He must have meant wired in such a way that it bypassed the inertia switch, RPM relay, etc. Not 100% sure... probably why I didn't do my own work the first year!!

[dmc6960]

Having a nearly-stock car when I purchased it, I was fortunate to have a small list of PO stuff to deal with...

Inertia switch removed, wires in harness cut and merely twisted together and covered with electrical tape. This caused a no-start on the 4th day of ownership.
Rear window possibly shattered. Found glass evidence buried under the rear shelf. Replacement glass installed with butyl bead instead of urethane. Caused gaps and water/noise leaks.
Pivot-pin on the clutch fork was sheared off at some point, and replaced with a bolt. Discovered this when the clutch stuck disengaged and I sheared off that bolt as well.
Fuse 7 was replaced with a 10amp fuse for some reason (should be 20).

Only other thing I can recall is the installation of a stainless braided clutch line, but that was something done right!


Now, for all that other crazy crap on my car, I have the CO to blame for that...

[Bikercmbc]

My PO thought he was a great engineer. Things he did were instead of replacing parts he would just find ways to make it work. He used wood screws to hold down the original torn gearshift boot. He cut up a screw driver to use it to prop the door up instead replacing the struts. He did the same with the rear louvre and cracked it on the left side and now the left side now goes up higher than the right. Also thought it would be a good idea to put a bunch if epoxy on the a pillars and the hold it down with vice grips, which did didn't hold and popped off breaking the front windshield.

[DMC5180]

My PO thought he was a great engineer. Things he did were instead of replacing parts he would just find ways to make it work. He used wood screws to hold down the original torn gearshift boot. He cut up a screw driver to use it to prop the door up instead replacing the struts. He did the same with the rear louvre and cracked it on the left side and now the left side now goes up higher than the right. Also thought it would be a good idea to put a bunch if epoxy on the a pillars and the hold it down with vice grips, which did didn't hold and popped off breaking the front windshield.

A lot of creative engineering happened during the late eighties as service dealers did not want to work on the cars and parts were more difficult to find prior to the internet. Back then your only connection to support for the car was via publications like Delorean world magazine published by the Delorean Owners Association or advertisements in Hemmings motor news.