Time to say good-bye to the red.

[ALEXAKOS]

No need for further compliments! :Headspin:
I'll just add that your work gives us, still under grease and rust, patience to move on!
Love the outcome!:wrenchin:

[Josh]

No need for further compliments! :Headspin:
I'll just add that your work gives us, still under grease and rust, patience to move on!
Love the outcome!:wrenchin:

Agreed!

Something that works for me is a nice clean part. Like a powdercoated valve cover. haha

[Kenny_Z]

I lost count but maybe 6 coats? I put a temporary coat on my Mustang's new hood to keep the rust away several months ago since that electroplated black won't hold up. I'm not ready to paint the entire car and the Rustoleum was cheap. It hasn't faded or flaked at all. I did the engine cover the same way over a year ago. Granted it doesn't see the same sun level and isn't metal.

The rear finisher is plastic. The windshield surrounds are stainless. I considered leaving them stainless but I didn't like the look.

[Kenny_Z]

I test fit the heatshield. I need to cut the new bolts down a bit, they are hitting the muffler. The fascia is really dirty in this picture since it fell off into the mud. Twice. It's going to get reworked before the final paint anyway. It's hard to see in this picture but the heatshield is red so you can see the red through the ovals in the rear. I didn't even realize that was going to happen but I really like it.

http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/fascia42.jpg

I also spent some time getting the fascia aligned better. I can't make it perfect due to shrinkage but I can get close.
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/fascia43.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/fascia44.jpg

I'm using some fender washers as shims to push fascia out. I'm worried this might cause some rings to form in that area. Anyone experienced this?

[Farrar]

Could you maybe make yourself some spreaders using some threaded rods and nuts, wood cut to fit the ends, and towels over the wood? You could use your heat gun to stretch the whole thing, maybe. I dunno, just an idea. Good luck!

[ALEXAKOS]

Great tip on aligning the fascia!:)

[DMC5180]

A combination of adjusting the Quarter-panels inward slightly might help too. So long as the Louvre Alignment is maintained.

[jawn101]

I wonder if it would be possible to make some shims that are more form-fitting than the fender washers. Something that matches the interior contours of the fascia a little better but still provides some thickness/stiffness at the edges. My rear fascia is the shame of my whole car - it was blessed with near perfect panel gaps the whole way around, but the fascia has shrunk and matches up a lot like Kenny's "before" photo.

[Kenny_Z]

The quarter panel suggestion is a great idea but unfortunately the louver alignment is very good so I don't want to mess it up. Stretching it out with blocks and dowels might work for a time but just like the eyebrows I bet it would want to return to the shrunken state. I thought about that as well Jawn. I've got some stainless strips that I was going to cut and layer. I needed 2 washers on the bottom bolt but only 1 on the top two. I figure I might cut a strip to match the quarter panel's attachment point and then use a single fender washer between the bottom bolt and the stainless. This way the fascia still has the same type of support as it did when it was attached right to the quarter.

It's strange how the right hand side lines up well but the left side does not. When I try to slide everything to the left the fascia's tips are no longer centered with the louvers.

[DeLorean03]

Kenny, you are a beast, dude :notworthy:.

[Kenny_Z]

There's a face I have missed.

http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/fascia46.jpg

http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/fascia47.jpg

I'm probably going to paint the fascias on the car. I don't remember who here recommended that but they are right. I bet I'd crack my paint if I fought as hard as I did with these afterwards. I am going to work on the alignment of the front fascia a lot more before I commit to paint. The rear edge was aligned a lot better before I took them off.

[Kenny_Z]

It's a good thing I had a dinner to get to or I might have taken her around the block. I need to give everything a once over before I do that though.

http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/ext34.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/ext35.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/ext36.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/ext37.jpg

The interior is kind of in shambles at the moment and I've got a couple of bits of trim left to install. I'm also waiting on a bulb socket and some weatherstripping. I'm going to drive and enjoy this car until the weather starts cooperating enough that I can put some real paint on those fascias.

[pezzonovante88]

It looks frickin' fantastic. Nice work!

[dvonk]

wow, kenny, she looks amazing! incredible job.

[Josh]

Looks great man. You have no idea how jealous I am! :)

[ALEXAKOS]

Wow!:thumbup2:
WOW!!!!!!
Can't believe that was once RED!!!!!

Be proud:thumbup2::thumbup2::approve::approve:

[jamesrguk]

I'm probably going to paint the fascias on the car. I don't remember who here recommended that but they are right. I bet I'd crack my paint if I fought as hard as I did with these afterwards. I am going to work on the alignment of the front fascia a lot more before I commit to paint. The rear edge was aligned a lot better before I took them off.

I've painted mine on the car a couple of times during my ownership.

I just removed headlamps and centre grill, stuffed loads of crumpled up news paper everywhere i didn't want paint and the masked everything up.

After about 6years the front fascia has a couple of cracks in the paint, after some fatty sat on the front courner when I took him to a wedding. No biggie it'll cost peanuts to re-spray it DIY style even if it only lasts another 6years lol.

I used the Alpha Romeo paint code in 'rattle cans' as I think they are called state side, 1 x large can of primer, 2 of colour and 2 of lacquer per fascia ensured really good coverage and a nice glossy finish and looks good along side other DeLoreans.

Not as good as a professional job, but then again it cost me all of £40/$65 do do both fascias so I couldn't argue.

Pic of the front, I hadn't tidied up the lines at this point, looks darker in the pic but hopefuly you'll get the idea...

20542

Just watch out when you re-install the head lamps as they have some edges which can easily scrape the paintwork.

James

[Kenny_Z]

That looks great James. I've already purchased the paint. I went with the PPG paint code Ron provided in a thread about painting fascias. It was not cheap so I'm waiting for a series of really nice days to do it. I do not want to have to do it again and neither does my wallet. Putting the headlights back in is going to be nerve racking. Ever since I put in the extra eyebrow supports I can barely get a screwdriver in there. I seriously considered using a slow speed dremel to put relief in the fascia around the side screw positions.

[Domi]

Congratulation on the job done ;)

[Farrar]

Putting the headlights back in is going to be nerve racking. Ever since I put in the extra eyebrow supports I can barely get a screwdriver in there. I seriously considered using a slow speed dremel to put relief in the fascia around the side screw positions.

I got tired of losing all those friggin screws and scratching the fascia with the headlight brackets on the outer edges, so I just left those screws out. So far, no problems.

[JohnZ]

Is there any other way to keep the fascia from warping than putting extra supports above the headlights? Or is it the only (unpractical, if you want to lose the lights) way?

Anyhow, your D looks fantastic!

:)

but now that you stripped the old coat... what color will you paint it? :nana1::nana1::hihi2:

[Kenny_Z]

I think the most widely accepted way is to insert the metal strips. I don't know of any other way to fix it without the chance of it returning.

I finally drove her. That exhaust sounds so nice. I took her to the park for pictures. I know she needs a bath. Hopefully tomorrow. I wore myself out in the heat.

http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/progress05.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/progress07.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/progress02.jpg

I had some issues on our first test drive. In the yard I could rev her up to 4k on a fully warmed up engine and have zero issues. On the first drive around the block I had a hell of a time leaving stop signs. It was like I lost all power and then suddenly I had all the power in the world several times in a row. Ever hear a stock DeLorean bark the tires? I have now. When I parked her those months ago I had half a tank. When I got back to the yard I realized that my gauge said empty. I took the other car and got some gas in a gas can. It's hell putting gas in a DeLorean from a gas can. She had a tiny sputter leaving the yard on the second run but it may have just been some leftover air in the line.

The second drive was great. In fact I drove all over the neighborhood and took her out on the highway to hit the gas station to top off the tank. Then we went to the park for pictures. Finally I took her to my parent's house a couple of miles away and spent some time playing with their new puppy. She cranked from a hot start with zero issues. What's bothering me now is the loss of all that fuel. Is it possible I have a very slow leak or did it all evaporate over the months? I never smelled any fuel around the vehicle at any point. I still don't.

[Roman Legion]

Great job, it looks amazing. I'm glad you got all that red paint off, it's better off without it.

[Dangermouse]

Possibly your fuel sender way just lying to you?

It gradually dropped down with time?


Great looking progress as always :)

[OverlandMan]

Possibly your fuel sender way just lying to you?

It gradually dropped down with time?


Great looking progress as always :)

That was my thought. Usually you'd know if you had a leak even it was slow. It would smell to high heaven even outside. If it were leaking on the grass, the grass would be dead in that location.

Great progress Kenny. I've enjoyed this thread.

[Kenny_Z]

With the car having sat there for over 5 months the grass is very dead in a giant rectangle. I know what you mean though and there's no evidence of gasoline around the tank or anywhere in the centerline of the car. The sender was new to me and I think had about 50 miles on it per the seller. I think it's correct since it seems to be working great right now. I've put about 40 trouble free miles on the car since my post so I'm going with the assumption that I lost gas. I'm guessing evaporation because the system was open with the fuel sender out.

[D Knight]

Just perused this thread again. Brings back memories of long hours in the driveway stripping my car of the red that was afflicted on it. Good job! I know your pain, but well worth it! Stainless looks way better.

[Kenny_Z]

Thank you. I agree, I love the stainless.

Having had the car on the road for a couple of months I think I can accurately gauge the reaction between a painted an unpainted car. In case anyone out there is curious. I have received at least twice as many BTTF jokes. Obviously the "why is it red?" comments have stopped. The car gets noticed far more often and I haven't received a single "what is it?" since the paint removal. I'm guessing the paint actually caused people to think it was some other vehicle than a DeLorean. The stainless is iconic even if people thing it is aluminum. I've seen a drastic increase in photos. And I have burnt my hand on the door. The bare metal transfers heat so much better than paint.

She's temporarily back off the road. The AC won't hold any pressure now so something blew. I'm waiting for cooler weather before I drive again. I had already planned to rebuild the AC and cooling system this winter but I was hoping to get through the rest of the heat before having to take a break from driving. At least I managed to get her to a show before it died completely. I had a lot of fun even though I burnt to a crisp. She got rushed as soon as I pulled in the lot. With all the people and reactions I forgot to put on sunscreen.

http://25.media.tumblr.com/1221acbfedd22c10cf73bb842211d2c1/tumblr_mrce5x3ULI1rdjq2mo1_1280.jpg
http://25.media.tumblr.com/0e50657afae8f8236e00c7754bc434f9/tumblr_mrce5x3ULI1rdjq2mo2_1280.jpg
http://25.media.tumblr.com/1221acbfedd22c10cf73bb842211d2c1/tumblr_mrce5x3ULI1rdjq2mo1_1280.jpg

[john 05141]

That is great, I'm sure it was worth all the hard work you've put into it. Glad to see a Delorean comming back to its original condition. I guess it must feel like you have a totally different car.
Thanks for sharing the project, I love to follow up on thise restoration projects. Is she finished ir are you still finalising things?

Jan

[ccurzio]

Ahh, this makes me so happy to see. Well done, Kenny. It looks great.

[Kenny_Z]

The fascias still need to be painted. When I replace the strips along the top of each door I'll be able to get the last specs of red off. The stripper stained the rubber.

[ALEXAKOS]

Unbelievable this once was...red!

Any ideas what you are going to be using for the outer door weather strips? Going DMCH or cross over parts? There was a situation ofver in The UK where they bought a silicone lookalike for real good money. But they are out of that.
It was a purchase of 100m for 15 vehicles and they did a group order.

[Kenny_Z]

I thought I was going to reuse what I removed but I decided against it at the last minute. They were cracked and stained. I went to the show without them instead of installing the old ones and then having to remove them later. I bought a set from DMCH.

[Dangermouse]

Interesting to read your first-person account of living with a SS car after a painted one.

[Kenny_Z]

So yeah. I never actually got around to painting the fascias. I kept waiting for better weather that never came. Between the hot sun and the insane floods of the passed year the primer never stood a chance.

https://38.media.tumblr.com/e6eeec3a54c74983d0a7acb63f666c9c/tumblr_nbigetLEZd1rdjq2mo1_1280.jpg
https://33.media.tumblr.com/d6d355a94f82fc544a368cd55629dfa4/tumblr_nbigetLEZd1rdjq2mo2_1280.jpg

As much as I usually love to say "yeah, I did all that" I'm going to take the fascias to a local painter that comes highly recommended. Of course that means I need to strip all the nasty primer off. Luckly I'm pretty good at it. It took me a few hours to take all the cracked primer off the top. I'm going to sand off the lower strip since I don't want the stripper to eat off my good SEM trim black paint.

Next up, the front fascia after it comes off the car...not looking forward to that again.

[ALEXAKOS]

Or, leave the fascias like that and Do a bttf conversion;)
Those look great with unpainted fascias. After all you got the rights plates buddy;)

Few more steps and you are there folks. :)

[Kenny_Z]

As cool as they look I don't think I'll be leaving them. I am still trying to shine up the rear fascia but it is a real pain. I've got 10 days to do the front before she's needed for a commercial.

[refugeefromcalif]

I've got 10 days to do the front before she's needed for a commercial.

Do Tell...

George

[Kenny_Z]

I can't say much yet. It should be a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to it.

I really did not want to remove that front fascia only to have to reinstall it before the shoot. Especially after I saw a wasp go inside and not leave for awhile. I'm thinking there's a nest back there. I decided to mask up my painted bumper. I learned from the first time around that nothing eats through tinfoil. I also learned that you put some masking tape down and then stick the aluminum tape on top of that. Aluminum tape leaves a lot of residue behind.

https://38.media.tumblr.com/dfac90e0c3d32da48c4877fb9d66854d/tumblr_nbpplnqPPs1rdjq2mo1_1280.jpg
https://33.media.tumblr.com/0bae08f3a1648e6e40386b7a80e6993c/tumblr_nbpplnqPPs1rdjq2mo2_1280.jpg
https://31.media.tumblr.com/3b56aa582a4e0a8423c4b40bc93681ec/tumblr_nbpplnqPPs1rdjq2mo3_1280.jpg
https://33.media.tumblr.com/a7feb5f6b1f855eeab02dc53d9b1212d/tumblr_nbpplnqPPs1rdjq2mo4_1280.jpg

Not bad for a couple of hours work. I'll finish up the rest tomorrow when I have light. I'm debating on polishing the fascias. I'd like them to look nice for the commercial but I don't want to cause myself any issues getting the new paint to stick.

[Kenny_Z]

It looked so much better in the dark. I remember why I primed the fascia. It had a ton of swirl marks. They were filled with primer so they looked horrible. I started off by hand sanding but that wasn't getting me anywhere. 500 grit on a headlight polishing kit attachment worked much better. Then I hand sanded with 800, 1500, and then polished with 3m plastic polish.

https://38.media.tumblr.com/dba9d1a3ddcb2c9bba0f7eafba944135/tumblr_nbrji0kfWB1rdjq2mo1_1280.jpg

The battery in my cordless drill ran out about halfway through the fascia. My corded one is way too powerful to use on the car.
https://38.media.tumblr.com/bb6b1e4d55d917054451f15bc2421263/tumblr_nbrji0kfWB1rdjq2mo3_1280.jpg
https://33.media.tumblr.com/b321bbc29b543a02236b83bbf2f1ba30/tumblr_nbrji0kfWB1rdjq2mo2_1280.jpg

[Kenny_Z]

I don't know why but I really like this photo.

http://31.media.tumblr.com/5c06a10672a931fccc2516b2a287b1db/tumblr_nbv7zdLJ6t1rdjq2mo1_1280.jpg

I finished the front fascia and reinstalled the lights and grill in the rain. At this point I'd sell everything I own to build a garage but then I'd have nothing to put in the garage.

[Shep]

I don't know why but I really like this photo.+1 from me, I dig it too :thumbup:


At this point I'd sell everything I own to build a garage but then I'd have nothing to put in the garage.Have you thought about a car canopy? Depending on the size and place bought, they range from $100 to $200, far cheaper than a garage. That would let you work in the rain, but obviously not in the cold. Still though, might be an improvement. Could even hang lights from the supports to work at night. Just a thought. :)

[Kenny_Z]

I worked for years on my Nova under one of those. I still have the frame except a couple of the legs rusted away. I want to get it out, fix it, and put a new tarp on it but it's in the collapsing shed at the rear of my property. I stepped on a snake out there last time and was stung 16 times by wasps a time before that. I am gun shy about going rooting around for the frame until the dead of winter when everything is hibernating.

https://38.media.tumblr.com/33449d50f4944f0af369139ac31f9220/tumblr_nbw94i03vD1rdjq2mo2_1280.jpg
https://38.media.tumblr.com/638c21daa68661986ffe6fc3d36f73be/tumblr_nbw94i03vD1rdjq2mo1_1280.jpg

I'm going to work on sanding that grey primer off when I take the fascia off for the painter.

[DMC5180]

I worked for years on my Nova under one of those. I still have the frame except a couple of the legs rusted away. I want to get it out, fix it, and put a new tarp on it but it's in the collapsing shed at the rear of my property. I stepped on a snake out there last time and was stung 16 times by wasps a time before that. I am gun shy about going rooting around for the frame until the dead of winter when everything is hibernating.

.

OMG LMFAO even my wife busted a gut when I read this to her.

[Kenny_Z]

I'm glad my terror and pain is amusing ;)

I washed her, ran some Barkeeper's Friend over the stainless, and took her for a quick photoshoot. I wanted to play with the GoPro since it's been an expensive paperweight for months.

https://33.media.tumblr.com/3f00dd4dc746e45169446a01f13e0bb7/tumblr_nc2izc5CxE1rdjq2mo1_1280.jpg
https://33.media.tumblr.com/a18f809dbb5da43e6a000fa275c82511/tumblr_nc2izc5CxE1rdjq2mo2_1280.jpg
https://38.media.tumblr.com/17e88781d398e1a7f9a47812493c0b36/tumblr_nc2izc5CxE1rdjq2mo8_1280.jpg
https://38.media.tumblr.com/de1d220369057e04e94fe23fc03713d6/tumblr_nc2izc5CxE1rdjq2mo7_1280.jpg

I know there's still primer around the edges of the bumper area. I'm going to wait until I have the parts off the car to clean that up. My back will thank me.

[ALEXAKOS]

Fisheye lens makes the d look small.
But great pictures;)

[Kenny_Z]

Finally, I can show what went on at the commercial shoot. It was a lot of fun and I'm adding "stunt driver" to my resume.

http://33.media.tumblr.com/5d2686fd2e68b9314b3db4bdc8ac2f9c/tumblr_neqlxvmy1c1rdjq2mo1_1280.jpg
http://33.media.tumblr.com/98dcf73fccab2d81fcc0c856e9bdc2c6/tumblr_neqlxvmy1c1rdjq2mo2_1280.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/64e1bb05415f42d9d0cfd8eeec305aec/tumblr_neqlxvmy1c1rdjq2mo3_1280.jpg
http://33.media.tumblr.com/bcb758bb505711a0a356a4a84741d0e2/tumblr_neqlxvmy1c1rdjq2mo4_1280.jpg
http://38.media.tumblr.com/0df705c0e4814aff569d3bf8914ec513/tumblr_neqlxvmy1c1rdjq2mo5_1280.jpg

Yes...I know. The weather strips are still not on my passenger side. I never remember because I never open that door. When they opened it at the location I was thinking "ah hell...I knew I forgot something." Yeah, still haven't put them on.

http://www.pnj.com/story/entertainment/events/pensacon/2014/11/08/pnj-exclusive-check-debut-pensacons-new-commercial/18710229/

When they put up the extended commercial they'll have the portion with Red in it. The producer said I'm going to love it.

[refugeefromcalif]

Can't wait to see the final commercial! :cheers:

(Any more pics of the redhead that's sitting behind the wheel of Red)? ;)

George

[alexwolf1216]

Ha thats Ben! Nicely done.

[Kenny_Z]

(Any more pics of the redhead that's sitting behind the wheel of Red)? ;)


Nope, those are the only photos. They didn't want anyone else taking pictures during the shoot. I forget her name but she's the head of the local chapter of the 501st.

[vps3922]

http://33.media.tumblr.com/bcb758bb505711a0a356a4a84741d0e2/tumblr_neqlxvmy1c1rdjq2mo4_1280.jpg


Wow, this guy has a M41-A rifle from Aliens. Awesome!

[Kenny_Z]

They released the video as a new years special. Red's part starts at 1:35.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7lS7eajDu4

[refugeefromcalif]

Loved the video!
Reds part was short but worth the watch.

George

[Kenny_Z]

Red got a new fuse block, headlight switch, and power mirror switch today.

https://38.media.tumblr.com/95b79865d3747606110c1ba76a0a6cd6/tumblr_ni1fw9wICb1rdjq2mo3_1280.jpg
http://40.media.tumblr.com/d210b9e5dd31c3966b722c7bbdd6f327/tumblr_ni1fw9wICb1rdjq2mo2_1280.jpg

While it turns out I didn't need a new headlight switch I installed the one I bought from DMCH because why not?
http://36.media.tumblr.com/8aadcd2b8d00786c11c0faef54a16096/tumblr_ni1fw9wICb1rdjq2mo4_1280.jpg

I also installed my new power mirror switch. The switch has always been broken for as long as I have owned the car. It was never a priority to fix. I knew it was the switch because I tested the mirrors with a jumper over a year ago.
http://41.media.tumblr.com/696afdf6e5959c33ee2cbccc502dc687/tumblr_ni1fw9wICb1rdjq2mo1_1280.jpg

Is there any market for a perfectly good original headlight switch? Here are some blurry pictures of it. Not liking this new phone's camera.
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/lucas12.jpg
http://uploads.m-cgi.com/kennyz/Delorean/Projects/lucas13.jpg

[Domi]

Very good job on the fuses box and headlight switch :thumbup2:

[refugeefromcalif]

Is there any market for a perfectly good original headlight switch?

Depending on price and if it works good, I'd be interested in the headlight switch.

George

[ravecrocker]

amazing loved to watch this car go back to stock.