Steps for restoration after 10 years of sitting

[cdmcali]

I have been a horrible Delorean owner for the past 10 years and have let mine sit stagnate. Around 10 years ago I was driving home from on a particularly hot day and the engine overheated. Since that day I thought I would get the time to try and fix it and never did. I am now going through a tough time in my life and thinking this may be what I need to get me and my car going again.

My question is... What steps and in what order should I begin to tackle the restoration. The body is flawless so no need to touch that. I am more worried about internals that will need to be fixed/replaced. I did not drain any fluids before I let the car sit. (horrible I know). The car was blowing white smoke the last time I started it (7 years ago).

Should I drain everything and do a head gasket repair then the fuel system and then the cooling system? Which order should I proceed?

Also, any estimates on cost to get the car running again?


Thank you,

-Colin

[uhhair]

10 years + overheating the engine? You're most likely looking at an engine rebuild, as well as going through everything rubber on the car (belts, hoses), the fuel system, brakes, etc.

Are you planning on doing it yourself? That obviously will help offset the cost a ton. But it's definitely not going to be cheap.

[cdmcali]

10 years + overheating the engine? You're most likely looking at an engine rebuild, as well as going through everything rubber on the car (belts, hoses), the fuel system, brakes, etc.

Are you planning on doing it yourself? That obviously will help offset the cost a ton. But it's definitely not going to be cheap.


I am thinking of doing most the work myself but probably not the engine gaskets.

[uhhair]

Well, you can price most of the parts from some of the vendors, but you're definitely looking at a few grand I'd say, plus the sweat equity. You might be able to clean out and reuse some of the fuel system parts, but all the rubber parts you need to buy new, as well as things like water pump, new battery, tires, etc.

[cdmcali]

Well, you can price most of the parts from some of the vendors, but you're definitely looking at a few grand I'd say, plus the sweat equity. You might be able to clean out and reuse some of the fuel system parts, but all the rubber parts you need to buy new, as well as things like water pump, new battery, tires, etc.

What things should I do first or does it make a difference? Oh BTW VIN#4626

[uhhair]

Really, the first thing you should do is tear down the engine and inspect the damage cause by the overheat and it's current condition. After that, it doesn't really matter, you need to tackle everything to make the care drivable, but the order I suppose is up to you. Probably easier to tear everything down to get to the engine, then just do the cooling system while the engine bay is open, as well as the carefully inspect the clutch hydraulics (slave and master) as they would be easy to replace while you're down there as well. Make sure you change all the fluids as well.

While this is going on, you can tear apart the fuel system, and check your injectors + distributor. Odds are you'll need to rebuild or replace that, and also repair the injectors + soft fuel lines. You can send those out to be rebuilt for you if you like too, so you might want to tackle that first and get them sent out so you can work on other stuff in the meantime. Then, you get to clean the gas tank out (so much fun), and replace all the stuff that has sat in the tank for the last 10 years.

After that, you can build the engine back up, replacing all the belts, hoses, etc as you go.

The lat thing you can probably do is the brakes, since they don't really interfer with anything else. Probably have to replace all the soft lines, pads, and check the condition of the calipers carefully, rebuild or replace any that are seized, and carefully inspect the master cylinder.

Sounds so easy, doesn't it? :) Good luck though. The most important thing you'll do is the engine inspection. As long as you can repair the engine properly and the heads didn't warp from the overheat, the rest of the job, while tedious, is pretty routine.

[David T]

You have a lot of work to do. you can start by cleaning out the fuel tank and replacing any deteriorated parts in it. Since you are fairly certain you "cooked" the motor you have to do a "top job" which should include replacing every seal, gasket, and hose in the cooling system. The water pump too and the Otterstadt switch and thermostat. Might as well also do a Tune-up. At this point, doing all of this yourself, you are in for around $1.5-2K in parts. Now add struts, rebuilding the brake and clutch systems, tires, and battery and you have another $1.5-2K again in parts only. That will get you moving but there will be more. If you give out any of this work to have done figure to X 3 these prices. Leave some money over for insurance and plates. As long as you figure you have to do a top job you can try running the motor by throwing in some anti-freeze and gas and a battery and see what happens. Pull the oil filler and check the plastic screen inside. if it's melted don't bother even trying to run it.\
David Teitelbaum

[Kenny_Z]

The most important thing is to not get discouraged. It's just a car and can be repaired like every other car out there. Plus you've got something a lot of other cars don't have, a forum full of people who will help and encourage you through the process. You will get that car running again.

Good luck with the car and the tough time you mentioned.

[Jonathan]

There are other owners who have had the "white steam" coming out of the engine. Not all of them required a complete engine rebuild. Only you would know for how far you drove or for how long you think the engine had gotten hot to guess at whether things got ugly inside. Yes, you may need to rebuild the seals or gaskets, but perhaps not. Just putting that out there.

There are also plenty of fairly simple reasons why your coolant got hot. And plenty that are quite easy to fix once you diagnose it. For one reason or another, maybe your fans up front didn't come on when they should have and caused all of this. Maybe the water pump had issues or something with the belts got loose or out of whack. Could have been the otterstat didn't tell the car the coolant was getting hot because one of the wires fell off or there was a pocket of air in there or maybe the otterstat was installed upside down? Maybe the wire out the back of the relay got wiggled down and isn't plugged in there anymore?

Like others have said, deal with the old fuel first. Clean everything out as best you can. There are suggestions or blogs of other guys doing that in many places. Once you are happy the fuel system is okay, change the other fluids too. Oil is easy, new filter of course too. Good opportunity to change the air filter as well and it is about the easiest maintenance job on the car. While the air filter housing is open, ensure no little furry friends called your car home over the last 10 years. Change the fuel filter and be conscious of any twisting you are doing to the fuel lines in getting the fittings loose.

If you had some coolant overheating, your level in there is likely low. It would be a good idea to drain all the coolant that is in there, flush it through and add new stuff in the correct amount. You may need to also replace some of the rubber coolant hoses. Do a visual check on the hoses and clamps and see what might be loose or cracked. Visual is ok, but you'll know pretty quick if you go to fill the system and you end up covering the floor under the car with it instead.

Depending on how it was stored, temperature, humidity, sun light, etc., there could be other "rubber" components needing attention. Door seals and weather striping for example. That might not be needed the first day to get it to start, but it will the first day you get driving it in the rain. How do the tires look? Any cracks in the sidewall or treads? Do they hold air okay? Flat spots potentially.

What transmission do you have? You could change the ATF if yours is an automatic and also the final drive oil. At least check the level in there. Make sure your shift computer governor cables are not hanging on any exhaust components or they get melted and cause problems. If you have a manual trans, you'll likely need to do some work on the clutch system and what not. Other owners can tell you about that as I have an auto myself.

Brakes are about the most important thing after you get it started and plan to back it out of your driveway for the first time. Replace the fluid, inspect the inside of the reservoir for anything out of place. Take all four wheels off and inspect pads and rotors. Bleed your brakes with new fluid and find out how your pedal feels. Might need a brake master cylinder replacement depending on how it is doing. Inspect the parking brake components on the rear wheels, adjust as necessary.

Windshield wiper fluid is not all that important but it could be on the list of course too. Check the A/C and alternator belts for condition and slack.

How does your fuse and relay area look behind the passenger seat? Any furry creatures in there recently? Take out every fuse and reinsert a few times to ensure good contact is being made. Compare what you see to the diagram and ensure everything is accounted for. Once you get to the point of putting a new battery in it (which will be required), start doing all those preflight tests on the electrical components. Do all your lights work as designed? Interior and exterior. Head lights, tail lights, marker lights, license plate lights. Engine bay light, trunk, interior dome lights, HVAC console and instrument cluster bulbs. Glovebox light and switch.

Does your parking brake light come on when you pull up on the handle? Do your windows go up and down? Mirrors can be electrically adjusted? Door locks (manually and electrically)? Radio, speakers. Mode control knob for HVAC system turns on each system appropriately? Turn signals? Horns? Wipers? Hazards? Fan speeds?

Trunk and engine bay release cables working okay? Spare tire in place and in okay condition and full of air? Tools and jack in place in compartment? Steering rack boots look okay and not torn? Same for rear drive axle boots? Tie rod ends? Upper and lower ball joints on front wheels?

Ownership is in the glovebox along with valid insurance? Flux capacitor fluxing?

That's a long list (sorry). Much of it could be visual and not cost you a penny to check or change. You can choose which things need to be done at different stages but most of it you would want to check off before considering your car good to go for indefinite periods of time going forward. Good luck (and have patience).