BTTF Time Machine Build Questions - Ask Me Anything

I do have an excel spreadsheet that I've created over the years with part numbers/sources and other info on various parts. The issue with sharing it as it currently stands is that a lot of the information was shared with me by other people and isn't necessarily mine to post publicly... or in some cases I don't even know if the person who shared with me would care if I shared it.

My list also contains sources for some of the parts that I've given others in private but that I wouldn't post on a public board. The issue with openly posting sources is that while most people will buy what they need for themselves and let the next guy do the same, you'll also end up with one or two people that buy up everything they can get their hands on and then try to sell it for 10x profit. I get that we live in a capitalistic society and that's how things work, but in a small community of builders it can actually make things worse for a lot of people if sources are out there for the world to see.

A lot of builders joined together at one point in time to share everything among ourselves and we worked together for years to figure out just about every single part on the car. It took a village to figure out some of the mysteries but eventually we were able to figure out as a team what one person could have never done by themselves. Even still, some of the for-profit types went to extreme lengths to literally steal information or paid other people to buy parts so they could get their hands on them. It sounds insane but people do crazy things when money is involved.

Anyway, long story short is that if you have a specific question I can give you answers on a almost everything. It would take some doing though to figure out what I could blanket share in one large file dump without crossing any lines with people I'm working with or have worked with in the past.

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Originally Posted by Mark D

I do have an excel spreadsheet that I've created over the years with part numbers/sources and other info on various parts. The issue with sharing it as it currently stands is that a lot of the information was shared with me by other people and isn't necessarily mine to post publicly... or in some cases I don't even know if the person who shared with me would care if I shared it.

My list also contains sources for some of the parts that I've given others in private but that I wouldn't post on a public board. The issue with openly posting sources is that while most people will buy what they need for themselves and let the next guy do the same, you'll also end up with one or two people that buy up everything they can get their hands on and then try to sell it for 10x profit. I get that we live in a capitalistic society and that's how things work, but in a small community of builders it can actually make things worse for a lot of people if sources are out there for the world to see.

A lot of builders joined together at one point in time to share everything among ourselves and we worked together for years to figure out just about every single part on the car. It took a village to figure out some of the mysteries but eventually we were able to figure out as a team what one person could have never done by themselves. Even still, some of the for-profit types went to extreme lengths to literally steal information or paid other people to buy parts so they could get their hands on them. It sounds insane but people do crazy things when money is involved.

Anyway, long story short is that if you have a specific question I can give you answers on a almost everything. It would take some doing though to figure out what I could blanket share in one large file dump without crossing any lines with people I'm working with or have worked with in the past.

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That's too bad you feel that way... I'm going to try to be as tactful as responsible because I don't want to come across as argumentative or offend you. You have your reasons - some may or may not be in your control... So here goes.

I don't understand people who search out information like this and then tuck it away for only themselves and a few friends. This seems to be limited to people in the prop community where there seem to be two camps... those who openly share everything from product to process because they want everyone else to share in their joy/excitement etc. The other side keeps everything secret. It was there time and possibly money spent finding the answers and why should they share it for free. Thank goodness this message board isn't filled with people with that ideology. Imagine if other DeLorean owners had tips and techniques for fixing their cars but refused to share them with the community... Kinda seems counter intuitive to the word "community."

One other point... You mentioned capitalism in regards to people hoarding parts and selling them for 10x the regular price. Aren't you basically doing the same thing with information? The people that would do that sort of thing already know what those parts are and are well known in the Time Machine building world. If you want to dismantle their ability to gouge people and overcharge them, what better way than to blanket release all the information? You basically take away their power to drive up pricing because everyone has the ability to try to find their own parts.

So do I have a specific question... Sure I'm curious about the specific manufacturer and part number for every piece that was sourced for the build. I guess I'll have to ask in multiple posts over the course of several weeks. Clearly I'm being sarcastic I'm just disappointed that you would come to this board and dangle a carrot like that and then agree to drop little bits and pieces here and there when you fell like it. Too bad.

Cheers
Steven

No offense taken to anything in your post, and I personally get your frustration. A few things to consider though:

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Originally Posted by mluder

I don't understand people who search out information like this and then tuck it away for only themselves and a few friends. This seems to be limited to people in the prop community where there seem to be two camps... those who openly share everything from product to process because they want everyone else to share in their joy/excitement etc. The other side keeps everything secret. It was there time and possibly money spent finding the answers and why should they share it for free.

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I should have clarified from the beginning that the vast majority of information I can share without any restrictions. What I described as things I'm not able to share are more the exception to the rule. There are literally thousands of parts and part numbers involved to build a time machine, so to ask for everything is a bit of a stretch for me to handle. That's why I said if you have a specific question, IE a part, or a series of parts you're looking for I'll give you everything I possibly can.

Also, the two camps you described aren't as black and white as you're thinking. There's definitely a range of what people are willing to share, especially in a PM vs in an open thread on the internet. As I've tried to explain the things I can't share because they are not my intellectual property, or because I have no interest in helping a vendor find another source to buy out in mass quantity and then resell for profit. It's not that I've spent time or money to figure it out. I have no problem giving info with someone who I know is going to buy what they need for themselves to build their car.

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Originally Posted by mluder

Thank goodness this message board isn't filled with people with that ideology. Imagine if other DeLorean owners had tips and techniques for fixing their cars but refused to share them with the community... Kinda seems counter intuitive to the word "community.

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The difference here is that you're not asking for tips and techniques for building a time machine, you're asking for part numbers. The other big difference is that the majority of DeLorean parts are not insanely rare or difficult to find, and the vendors involved in the DeLorean world are mostly honest and good people. The same cannot be said for all vendors in the BTTF community. Most time machine parts are extremely limited in quantity and when that quantity is depleted there are often none left in the entire world. Parts that were once plentiful 'in the wild' at normal prices are now extinct because vendors bought up every single one they could get their hands on.

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Originally Posted by mluder

One other point... You mentioned capitalism in regards to people hoarding parts and selling them for 10x the regular price. Aren't you basically doing the same thing with information? The people that would do that sort of thing already know what those parts are and are well known in the Time Machine building world. If you want to dismantle their ability to gouge people and overcharge them, what better way than to blanket release all the information? You basically take away their power to drive up pricing because everyone has the ability to try to find their own parts.

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Not all information is known to all vendors, including part numbers, sources, dimensions, etc. That's why it's not possible to simply list off every part number as you are requesting. As I said before though, if you have a specific question on something I can answer it, most likely publicly but if not publicly perhaps in private.

To use an example of the problem with BTTF vendors, I'll use DeLorean parts as an example: Imagine that you stumbled upon a source of 100 NOS left front fenders that had previously been in a defunct dealer warehouse. You're a "share everything from product to process" kind of guy, so you post the name and phone number on DMCTalk of the guy selling them for the insanely low price of $200 each. Your hope is that there are 100 owners out there who have been looking for a reasonably priced left front fender to fix their car. To your shock and awe, before a single person can buy one someone posts on the forum that your source has sold out. The next day you see advertised on vendor XYZ's website "New arrivals! Left front fenders, 2000 each".

Would this make you rethink your sharing strategy in the future? Replace "Left front fender" with "Janitrol Heater" or "Oil Separator tank" and this has literally happened dozens of times in the BTTF community.

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Originally Posted by mluder

So do I have a specific question... Sure I'm curious about the specific manufacturer and part number for every piece that was sourced for the build. I guess I'll have to ask in multiple posts over the course of several weeks. Clearly I'm being sarcastic I'm just disappointed that you would come to this board and dangle a carrot like that and then agree to drop little bits and pieces here and there when you fell like it. Too bad.

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All I'm asking is that you be more specific than 'tell me every part number there is to know'. You're not going to be able to search for everything all at once anyway and by asking for something specific I can give you a much more detailed answer that will definitely help you more than just a list of part numbers.

If you want to know about the orange tube or some other part I can write a 1000 word essay on it and where you can probably find one, but if you simply ask for everything all at once, including all the things I'm not able to share for reasons not in my control, I'm not going to be able to help you much. Help me help you and let me know, specifically, what you want.

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Originally Posted by Mark D

I do have an excel spreadsheet that I've created over the years with part numbers/sources and other info on various parts. The issue with sharing it as it currently stands is that a lot of the information was shared with me by other people and isn't necessarily mine to post publicly... or in some cases I don't even know if the person who shared with me would care if I shared it.

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I can totally see that, and I can actually relate. Many years ago, there was an idea on the DML to try and "modernize" the Workshop Manual. The idea was to take the existing manual, and then rewrite the entire thing using proper laymen's terms, include cross-indexing between the procedures, and then to finally incorporate modernized and simplified repair procedures as had been pioneered over the years within the community itself. That last part however was a huge sticking point. After all, who really owns the rights to the material that we posted onto the DML? Certainly anything that came from De Lorean World was protected buy Copywrite, and as such was taken down (the scanned diagram on how to lace the battery straps was a prime example). But what about what we as individuals that had contributed as a group?

Contributors wanted to be compensated. Some wanted money, and others (such as myself) merely wanted credits as a co-author. I simply wanted the entire community to benefit, but yes, I wanted to at least be listed as a contributor for the efforts. And that was the compensation that I wanted. Just like later on when I started going over the patent diagrams for the Legend Industries turbo system, and wanted to know the exact specifications on the vacuum system to get the Bias Boost working, and ran into the same thing of "Well, you didn't put the work in for this knowledge, so what right do you have to just receive it without compensation?"

I was pissed at first of course because I hit a roadblock when I was told "No", but I understand it. Which is really the norm for when you're compiling research. There is a price to pay for standing on the shoulders of other people. Granted we need that ability to advance forward for the greater good, but we also need certain restrictions in order to also protect those legacies as well. So I understand where you're coming from. You've got both a community to protect, as well as your own bonds of trust.

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Originally Posted by Mark D

No offense taken to anything in your post, and I personally get your frustration. A few things to consider though:

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I appreciate your thoughtful response... I guess I'm just the kinda guy who likes to have everything at his fingertips. I references the Ghostbusters Proton Pack. there are full measured drawings readily available on the internet with all the stock part numbers and manufacturers... Many of these parts are also rare/expensive. That didn't keep anyone from freely distributing it.

To address you left front fender example... I most certainly would share the information. Yep... there might be someone out there who buys them all up to resell at a markup... Heck, it happened when DMC when out of business. However, most people in this community, and in the prop building community don't think that way. Example - a member here recently posted that they had a number of dash clocks, some in varying degrees of working/not. As far as I know only two people requested to buy units. There was no massive run on people trying to grab them up... Example from the prop community - The Rocketeer back pack buckle. For years it's origin was unknown and then one guy stumbled on the answer and immediately took to the RPF to tell the world. Why? Because the information should be open and out there. The consequences were not his to determine. The community would decide that. And if some member tried to take advantage of that information and rip-off the rest of the community, they would quickly be shut out. Ask Video Bob why he's not allowed to play in the RPF anymore...

You originally stated that you have an Excel spreadsheet with part numbers etc... I guess I don't understand why that can't be made public. You said yourself that a lot of it came from other researchers who shared the info with you. So they apparently had no problem passing it out... did they specifically tell you NOT to share it? In the end, the info is your's to do with as you will so I have to respect that even if I disagree with it.

Thanks for your time.
Steve

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Originally Posted by DMCVegas

I can totally see that, and I can actually relate. Many years ago, there was an idea on the DML to try and "modernize" the Workshop Manual. The idea was to take the existing manual, and then rewrite the entire thing using proper laymen's terms, include cross-indexing between the procedures, and then to finally incorporate modernized and simplified repair procedures as had been pioneered over the years within the community itself. That last part however was a huge sticking point. After all, who really owns the rights to the material that we posted onto the DML? Certainly anything that came from De Lorean World was protected buy Copywrite, and as such was taken down (the scanned diagram on how to lace the battery straps was a prime example). But what about what we as individuals that had contributed as a group?

Contributors wanted to be compensated. Some wanted money, and others (such as myself) merely wanted credits as a co-author. I simply wanted the entire community to benefit, but yes, I wanted to at least be listed as a contributor for the efforts. And that was the compensation that I wanted. Just like later on when I started going over the patent diagrams for the Legend Industries turbo system, and wanted to know the exact specifications on the vacuum system to get the Bias Boost working, and ran into the same thing of "Well, you didn't put the work in for this knowledge, so what right do you have to just receive it without compensation?"

I was pissed at first of course because I hit a roadblock when I was told "No", but I understand it. Which is really the norm for when you're compiling research. There is a price to pay for standing on the shoulders of other people. Granted we need that ability to advance forward for the greater good, but we also need certain restrictions in order to also protect those legacies as well. So I understand where you're coming from. You've got both a community to protect, as well as your own bonds of trust.

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But it's not like he invented anything... All he did was compile a list of the parts. The studio and special effects house is the only one who could lay claim to intellectual property. If I create a list of all the books by Charles Dickens do I have a right to demand compensation if you want access to that list. After all, it's not like I wrote the books.

I assume the workshop manual was to be sold... Was it to be sold for profit or at cost? If you sold it for cost then no one should expect any sort of compensation. Now if it cost you $5 to produce and you charged $100 for it I might start to ask about some sort of compensation too, after all, you are profiting from something I created.

Just some thoughts.
Cheers
Steve

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Originally Posted by mluder

But it's not like he invented anything... All he did was compile a list of the parts. The studio and special effects house is the only one who could lay claim to intellectual property. If I create a list of all the books by Charles Dickens do I have a right to demand compensation if you want access to that list. After all, it's not like I wrote the books.

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Well now, it's a little bit more than simple compiling. There was a great deal of effort that went into obtaining that data. What the compensation he and those that obtained the data was, I've no idea. BUT still, there is the work behind it.

Comparing easily reproducible such as a book which is in the public domain isn't quite as fair. Perhaps something more inline to this might be if perhaps you found a site where you could pan for gold. There is a finite amount of gold in that location that perhaps people need. So as for those that need the gold, this is akin to those who know the location to only give out directions to those whom they know would be responsible enough to simply take what they need, rather than to go up there and profiteer by extracting everything, and then charging an outrageous markup for no other reason than that they can.

In essence, I believe that when it comes to the prop-building community, the goal isn't to create an army of "Pharma Bros". You want to start buying time machine parts from this guy?

http://www.adweek.com/prnewser/wp-co...pharma-bro.jpg

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Originally Posted by mluder

I assume the workshop manual was to be sold... Was it to be sold for profit or at cost? If you sold it for cost then no one should expect any sort of compensation. Now if it cost you $5 to produce and you charged $100 for it I might start to ask about some sort of compensation too, after all, you are profiting from something I created.

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But even then you're saying that you have a threshold of tolerance that once crossed, you demand financial compensation. What is that line, and why do you feel that way? I would say that if "at cost" you don't deserve compensation, then no matter what the profit margins would be, you shouldn't deserve any compensation whatsoever. And I say as much because it balances out the ethic on both sides.

Again, just some thoughts from my side as well over here.

As far as part numbers go I can share pretty much all of it.. The problem with the spreadsheet is that there is a lot more information intertwined like sources and measurements that other people have taken, info on parts that were not found items and things that were fabricated from scratch. The latter are the things that I'd consider intellectual property since someone sat down for literally tens or hundreds of hours measuring stuff or studying photos to make their own unique creation. It's more than just a part number, but a product of someone's own reverse engineering and replicating skills.

The effort it would take to separate everything out into two piles, one that I can distribute for public consumption and another pile that is not would be an extremely difficult task to say the least. That is why I was hoping for more specific requests that I can pull information from not only the spreadsheet but photos and notes to give a more complete answer that will be more helpful.

I don't have all the answers either so if there is something specific I don't know I can ask other people to try and get you the info you're looking for.

At some point it would be great to compile everything into one definitive source of info like the GB proton pack stuff, but the vastness of the information makes it really difficult. Some parts are so complex and made up of so many individual piece parts you could write a book on that one single prop. Then you start talking variations between the A, B and C car as well and it's multiplied by a factor of 3.

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Originally Posted by DMCVegas

In essence, I believe that when it comes to the prop-building community, the goal isn't to create an army of "Pharma Bros". You want to start buying time machine parts from this guy?

http://www.adweek.com/prnewser/wp-co...pharma-bro.jpg

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Yeah... look how well that worked out for him though... :)

Cheers
Steve

Mark is super cool and as respectful and generous with information as anyone I've encountered in the hobby. Seriously a stand-up guy.

To add my personal feeling regarding the guarding of information: A lot of us have considerable time invested in hunting down information and parts. We've incurred a cost in order to obtain parts or information. I spent eight years looking for a particular rare part, and when I found one, I found a few. I emailed friends and those who have helped me in the past to let them know what I'd found and to offer trade for parts they may have. In my case, I wanted to trade my time invested into finding part X for the time my friends had invested to find part Y or Z. This encourages cooperation between people, and allows those who are willing to do the heavy lifting to recoup the invested time. If someone thinks the hobby would be improved if everyone instantly publicly shared whatever information they gather, that's great.
The knowledge someone gains through their own toil is theirs to give away freely. But I encourage anyone who holds this opinion to get busy, walk the walk, and tell the rest of us what the worm hole emitter is.

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Originally Posted by Ikeaboy1

But I encourage anyone who holds this opinion to get busy, walk the walk, and tell the rest of us what the worm hole emitter is.

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Quick Google search shows that it's part of a vintage aircraft radio. Looks like a Reciever/Navigator given the markings on the bottom.

What's funny is it looks like the Bendix Trophy Line M-450. Has the perfect shape that aligns with the holes as and whatever may have been in those cylinders. Bendix bought that technology from Motorola. The M-450 may contain the shape, but has no accommodation for the switch. Perhaps this was for a pre-solid-state radio. Must not be too common as a couple of people have these things and have no idea what they are. Or what you're looking at is an internal part that is normally encased in something else.

I'd start checking with veteran radiomen. One of them probably recognizes it. This guy could probably help either identify it, or at least put you on the path: http://www.radio-nv.com/

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Originally Posted by Ikeaboy1

But I encourage anyone who holds this opinion to get busy, walk the walk, and tell the rest of us what the worm hole emitter is.

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I believe the 'official' name for that is Tachyon Field Generator. :wink:

I could be wrong (please feel free to correct), but the most of it was custom fabricated. The 'grille' piece in front of the TFG is from a Pioneer TS-1011 speaker.

Thanks Mark for all the info you provide.

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Originally Posted by DMCVegas

Quick Google search shows that it's part of a vintage aircraft radio. Looks like a Reciever/Navigator given the markings on the bottom.

What's funny is it looks like the Bendix Trophy Line M-450. Has the perfect shape that aligns with the holes as and whatever may have been in those cylinders. Bendix bought that technology from Motorola. The M-450 may contain the shape, but has no accommodation for the switch. Perhaps this was for a pre-solid-state radio. Must not be too common as a couple of people have these things and have no idea what they are. Or what you're looking at is an internal part that is normally encased in something else.

I'd start checking with veteran radiomen. One of them probably recognizes it. This guy could probably help either identify it, or at least put you on the path: http://www.radio-nv.com/

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Google is a good place to start your journey.

After about 1,000 hours of research, if you're lucky to find a rabbit hole that actually turns up the actual part, be sure to share the result publicly with all of us.

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Originally Posted by awildermode

I believe the 'official' name for that is Tachyon Field Generator. :wink:

I could be wrong (please feel free to correct), but the most of it was custom fabricated. The 'grille' piece in front of the TFG is from a Pioneer TS-1011 speaker.

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It was not a fabricated part. You are correct about the TS-1011 grille.

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Originally Posted by Ikeaboy1

Google is a good place to start your journey.

After about 1,000 hours of research, if you're lucky to find a rabbit hole that actually turns up the actual part, be sure to share the result publicly with all of us.

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Nope. That is not a path which I choose to go down. Not because if I had the information I wouldn't share it, but because I've no desire to build a BTTF replica. Ergo I've no desire to solve that mystery. It doesn't interest me to really search for more than what I've already shared.

But I have left a lead. Because as it turns out, just as Google can search for pages and archives for meta data, someone has brought William Gibson's book Pattern Recognition to life to generate the same sort of data for image searches (hint: that's not a heat sink wrapped around the device, it's a stock vibration isolator)... And with that URL, I know a bit of that guy's backstory in radio communications, and feel that he'd be one of the best chances you'd have in tracking down such equipment.

Best of luck!

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Originally Posted by Ikeaboy1

Mark is super cool and as respectful and generous with information as anyone I've encountered in the hobby. Seriously a stand-up guy.

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+10


Here's a BTTF Time Machine question I'm certain you haven't yet been asked: you built a time machine?!....out of a DeLorean?!!

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Originally Posted by Ikeaboy1

It was not a fabricated part. You are correct about the TS-1011 grille.

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Ha! Thanks for the correction. Shows you what I know.

The info here and other places has helped with my Time Machines. While some information I had to 'fake' myself, thanks to all who have contributed the information. For the record, I did not bulk purchase any parts...actually, I did not buy any parts...just replicated the parts for the Time Machine. :)

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Originally Posted by Ikeaboy1

Mark is super cool and as respectful and generous with information as anyone I've encountered in the hobby. Seriously a stand-up guy.

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Thanks, I appreciate the kind words.

As far as the wormhole emitter / tachyon field generator goes, it's made up of a combination of found and fabricated parts.

The main body is a found part, one of the few that still remains a mystery as to what it really is. Has the words "Receive Voice Tone" cast into it. The two cylindrical bores appear to be mechanical in nature and have a yellowish chem film coating to prevent corrosion. The real emitter on the A car had some slight wear marks on the bores where it looked like there was some kind of reciprocating piston inside that had worn through the anti corrosion finish.

The plastic molded grille on the front is from a pioneer speaker as already mentioned.

The black ribbed belt is a standard type of rubber matting that you'd find on top of toolboxes and inside drawers/trays.

The base is custom fabricated from 1/8" aluminum sheet to fit the cast body and has two legs welded to it, made of aluminum rectangular tubing that is cut, notched and welded.

The cross shaped plate on the back is freehand cut from 1/16" galvanized steel sheet and is held in place with button head cap screws.

Attached to the back plate are two round light bases that hold a 12V automotive bayonet style bulbs. The bulbs were painted over with a transparent blue paint.

I don't think you ever really see the emitter light up on screen since you're typically viewing it from the front side.... There are a few photos where you can see wires heading up to the emitter so presumably at some time it did light up. The same light housings are also used inside the nuclear reactor which also never really gets seen in full glory lit up on screen.

This is a potato quality video, but I'm pretty sure you can spot the illuminated WHE in this shot. Check it out on the bluray. I also think it's illuminated in the following shots of Doc driving Marty home.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K54xnt4QRW4

Awesome! I never noticed the WHE lit up before in that scene... That shot It's actually one of my favorite sequences from the entire trilogy. The wipe using the lamp post between the ILM model to the full scale DeLorean is about as seamless as you can get for 1990's special effects. You can tell the stunt guys even put a little bump in the street for the real DeLorean to run over to add to the effect that it had just landed.

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Originally Posted by Mark D

As far as the wormhole emitter / tachyon field generator goes, it's made up of a combination of found and fabricated parts.

The main body is a found part, one of the few that still remains a mystery as to what it really is.

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You mean like this?

Attachment 39903Attachment 39904Attachment 39905

Exactly like that.

The first two photos are of the B car emitter and at some point in time someone sanded and polished the exterior smooth to remove the rough casting finish including the words cast into it. That third photo is of the A car emitter and you can see how the word Receive is barely visible (mostly sanded flush). The word Tone is hidden below the belt material.

It looks like there may have been some type of switch mounted to the exterior that pivoted on the round boss. It doesn't look like the switching mechanism had a whole lot to do with the actual function of the part itself though since the inner bores do not connect to it in any way.

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Originally Posted by Mark D

at some point in time someone sanded and polished the exterior smooth to remove the rough casting finish including the words cast into it.

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Wasn't it Ohrberg who polished it?

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Originally Posted by Ikeaboy1

Wasn't it Ohrberg who polished it?

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I don't know the answer for sure... At some point in the 90's castings were made of the B car emitter, one of which was on the A car for quite a while. Those castings are also smooth. It seems to have happened sometime shortly after filming which was when Ohrberg had the A car and some of the B car remains, so that would make sense from a timeline standpoint.

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Originally Posted by Mark D

The first two photos are of the B car emitter and at some point in time someone sanded and polished the exterior smooth to remove the rough casting finish including the words cast into it. That third photo is of the A car emitter and you can see how the word Receive is barely visible (mostly sanded flush). The word Tone is hidden below the belt material.

It looks like there may have been some type of switch mounted to the exterior that pivoted on the round boss. It doesn't look like the switching mechanism had a whole lot to do with the actual function of the part itself though since the inner bores do not connect to it in any way.

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Unless these are old photos for sold parts, these are separate devices from private collectors who are seeking to identify these parts.

Here are the internal cross-references:
Attachment 39907Attachment 39908

Though it isn't 100% complete as we cannot see if those two holes along the pivot point are connected to the bore on that side.

Those photos are of the actual parts. The screen used parts. Posted by people seeking blind feedback from communities who may be able to identify them.

And is that your CAD, Mark?

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Originally Posted by Ikeaboy1

Those photos are of the actual parts. The screen used parts. Posted by people seeking blind feedback from communities who may be able to identify them.

And is that your CAD, Mark?

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https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...ternet_dog.jpg

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Originally Posted by Ikeaboy1

Those photos are of the actual parts. The screen used parts. Posted by people seeking blind feedback from communities who may be able to identify them.

And is that your CAD, Mark?

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Yeah the first two photos of the B car emitter is literally the part that was attached to the B car. The one I noted as the A car emitter is the one that was originally on the A car, went into storage for a while, and is now back on the A car after the restoration.

And yes, that CAD screen grab showing the cross section of the wormhole emitter is a 3D solid model that I created 3 or 4 years ago. 8)

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Originally Posted by Mark D

Yup that CAD screen grab showing the cross sections is a 3D solid model that I created 3 or 4 years ago. 8)

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Gotcha. :)

As far as I'm aware not a single wormhole emitter has ever been found "in the wild". Castings and scratch built replicas have been made of the screen used parts but what and where the original parts came from remains a mystery.

It's one of the last great discoveries that has yet to be made.

Mark, and others,
Thanks for sharing whatever pieces you can within reason. I'm a new owner, only 10 months into it and I enjoy the puzzle-building challenge of it, much like as a kid putting the model cars together. Now, if there's a simplicated parts list you can share, or pictures of your builds, I'd appreciate it so when going to car shows against Mustangs/Chargers/Corvettes, and representing the DeLorean/BTTF fan base, it's closer to 95% solution than stuck at 40% because 30 years after the movie it's hard to know what parts to look for, even substitutes or look alike stuff would be great. Yes, we all want to make our fan-home-replica project cars as much like the movie as possible for accuracy. So for the few of us working on everything from scratch with no professional staff, (mine is mostly help from friends & grandkids & a welder on exhaust vents), where do you recommend going to get the flux band tubes (like national hardware chain?) (WHAT SIZE tube, aluminum??) and the stainless steel mesh (?) and the rubber pieces that hold it all to the car?

Thoughts on best tool to bend the tubes into right curves configuration?

Will any of you be attending the big national Delorean Convention in Springfield, Illinois this summer with your replicas? Hope to meet you there! Thank you very much!

Stan-PushN 88

Quote:

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Originally Posted by StanMan PushN 88

Mark, and others,
Now, if there's a simplicated parts list you can share, or pictures of your builds, I'd appreciate it

---

Good luck... I asked the same question here and was basically told to pound sand.
http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?11...l=1#post191064

However, I met a guy on Facebook building a replica... he was more than happy to share a bunch of info on what the parts are and even sources for getting them - he even sold me some rare parts that he had extra of. I'll ask him if I can share his contact info with you. I'm sure it won't be a problem as he's a really helpful guy.

Cheers
Steve

The flux bands are 3/4". The mesh can be purchased at tons of places(Amazon.com, even) but i can't recall the correct hole size/spacing. I'm sure that info is out there on the internets.

The rubber brackets you'll need to custom make or find someone who can make or has a set to sell.

I'm planning on making a replica digital speedometer sometime soon. I can't seem to find any dimensions/drawings of it online anywhere. Does anyone know a source for this? I really just need the dimensions of the box and the size of the 7 segment LED displays.

Thanks!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by StanMan PushN 88

Mark, and others,
Thanks for sharing whatever pieces you can within reason. I'm a new owner, only 10 months into it and I enjoy the puzzle-building challenge of it, much like as a kid putting the model cars together. Now, if there's a simplicated parts list you can share, or pictures of your builds, I'd appreciate it so when going to car shows against Mustangs/Chargers/Corvettes, and representing the DeLorean/BTTF fan base, it's closer to 95% solution than stuck at 40% because 30 years after the movie it's hard to know what parts to look for, even substitutes or look alike stuff would be great. Yes, we all want to make our fan-home-replica project cars as much like the movie as possible for accuracy. So for the few of us working on everything from scratch with no professional staff, (mine is mostly help from friends & grandkids & a welder on exhaust vents), where do you recommend going to get the flux band tubes (like national hardware chain?) (WHAT SIZE tube, aluminum??) and the stainless steel mesh (?) and the rubber pieces that hold it all to the car?

Thoughts on best tool to bend the tubes into right curves configuration?

Will any of you be attending the big national Delorean Convention in Springfield, Illinois this summer with your replicas? Hope to meet you there! Thank you very much!

Stan-PushN 88

---

Hey Stan, If you PM me your email address I can email you a bunch of reference photos to help with your build.

For the flux bands the acurate solution is to use either 3/4" solid aluminum rod or 3/4" aluminum tubing. I've only worked with solid rod using a hydraulic pipe bender like this one: http://www.harborfreight.com/12-ton-...der-32888.html

It's not the easiest method but with solid bar you don't have to worry about kinking tubing. If you can get the rod in annealed form it will be much easier to work with than heat treated rod like 6061-T6 which is more common. A map gas torch can also help to anneal the sections you're bending. If you mark off and heat up the sections where you're going to bend and let them cool down slowly you remove the heat treatment from the aluminum.

An alternative is to use galvanized steel conduit, but 3/4" OD is between conduit sizes and if you're going for accuracy the conduit does not look right. There are also small aluminum straps welded between the two bands which will be problematic to do with steel because of the need to remove the galvanized coating on the conduit and rusting issues afterwards.

There are gold chem film coated aluminum P clamps that secure the perforated aluminum mesh to the bands, and there should also be an 1/8" layer of plexi glass sandwiched between the ends of the clamps for the correct look, even if you're not planning on lighting up the flux bands. The clamps are measured in 1/16" increments and originally came with a layer of cushioning rubber on them, similar to the clamps that you see screwed into the panels of the car. The correct size flux band clamps are size -10 (5/8") measuring to the inside diameter of the clamp if there were rubber cushioning present. With the rubber removed a size -10 clamp has the correct 3/4" inner diameter with enough gap for the aluminum perforated mesh and the plexi. If you do not plan on using plexi you may want to go down one size in clamp. You can find various sized clamps at mcmastercarr, grainger, electronics websites, and even some big box retailers but it will be difficult to find the correct aerospace style clamps with 'lightening" holes in them to reduce weight. For ultimate accuracy the restoration had to special order clamps from an aerospace clamp manufacturer in large quantity to match the original specs. If you are anywhere near a place that sells surplus aircraft parts/surplus that would also be a good place to search.

The exterior wire clamps with purple rubber cushioning also have the same lightening slots and were part of the large special order we had to place. Those are size -13 and have a purple rubber cushion. The same clamps are also used at the bottom of the SID (light up display behind the driver's seat).

I have the exact specs on the perforated aluminum mesh you'll need, but I don't have any of my reference files on this computer so I'll get back to you on that one.

The rubber isolation blocks that mount the bands to the car were custom made for the car and not a found part. We machined a master part out of aluminum (could also use wood) and then made a silicone mold and poured castings in rubber. You could also cut them from thick sheets of rubber if you have a local water jet cutting place or create a cookie cutter type stamp out of sheet metal and die cut them out using a shop press.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by RamblinDMC

I'm planning on making a replica digital speedometer sometime soon. I can't seem to find any dimensions/drawings of it online anywhere. Does anyone know a source for this? I really just need the dimensions of the box and the size of the 7 segment LED displays.

Thanks!

---

The digital speedo box is made from Hammond enclosure PN 1591CGY.

http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/...ygdYdvPg%3D%3D

The original was actually blue so production painted it white. The gray enclosure is close in color that you wouldn't need to paint it or you can still paint it satin white. The connector on the back is a D-sub type connector like you'd find on an old printer cable. There are various types you can buy on Newark.com, mouser.com, etc that are close, I don't have a source for any that are identical to the screen used connector.

The digital displays were originally made by Stanley Readout and are basically extinct at this point since they're ancient technology. Most people use 7 segment LED displays that look pretty accurate if you put a sheet of acetate film over the displays to act as a diffuser. I made a speedo a long time ago and used 1/16" styrene sheet to build the little black frame around each digit. The black border is part of the Stanley Readout on the real car, but you can make a close approximation of the real thing with polystyrene around an LED display and paint it black.

Here's a CAD model of how the original was constructed showing the Stanley Readout housings. If you're going for super accuracy people have made plastic castings of the stanley bodies and then made matching circuit boards with grain of wheat size incadecent bulbs or warm LED's. It also requires manufacturing a clear lens and as well.

http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?at...9&d=1325896787


Here's a stanley readout housing minus the clear lens, diffuser, or circuit board.
http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?at...8&d=1325896785

The speedo was originally 3 digits and would read XX.X Apparently the third 1/10 MPH digit made reading the display confusing so production put a piece of black gaffer's tape over the 3rd digit so you only see XX.

The images above are all I have available at the moment, but I can post some better reference if you need it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mluder

Good luck... I asked the same question here and was basically told to pound sand.
http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?11...l=1#post191064

However, I met a guy on Facebook building a replica... he was more than happy to share a bunch of info on what the parts are and even sources for getting them - he even sold me some rare parts that he had extra of. I'll ask him if I can share his contact info with you. I'm sure it won't be a problem as he's a really helpful guy.

Cheers
Steve

---

I'm not sure why you continue to post negative comments in this thread. I've said multiple times that if you have a specific question all you have to do is ask and I'll do my best to answer whatever I can. I don't know everything there is to know, nor do I have every single piece of information needed to build a 100% accurate car. There are literally thousands of parts that go into building an accurate replica. It took two dozen guys more than a year to restore the A car and no one person holds every single piece of information in a single comprehensive document. I was lucky enough to be a part of the restoration and I want to share whatever I can with people.

So please, ask a specific question and I'll do whatever I can to answer it for you. Hint: "Tell me everything" is not specific enough.

This is great thank you! I would love to have that CAD model if possible! Do you know if there is an accurate CAD model of the Flux as well?

Sent from my XT1049 using Tapatalk

Quote:

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Originally Posted by StanMan PushN 88

Mark, and others,
Thanks for sharing whatever pieces you can within reason. I'm a new owner, only 10 months into it and I enjoy the puzzle-building challenge of it, much like as a kid putting the model cars together. Now, if there's a simplicated parts list you can share, or pictures of your builds, I'd appreciate it so when going to car shows against Mustangs/Chargers/Corvettes, and representing the DeLorean/BTTF fan base, it's closer to 95% solution than stuck at 40% because 30 years after the movie it's hard to know what parts to look for, even substitutes or look alike stuff would be great. Yes, we all want to make our fan-home-replica project cars as much like the movie as possible for accuracy. So for the few of us working on everything from scratch with no professional staff, (mine is mostly help from friends & grandkids & a welder on exhaust vents), where do you recommend going to get the flux band tubes (like national hardware chain?) (WHAT SIZE tube, aluminum??) and the stainless steel mesh (?) and the rubber pieces that hold it all to the car?

Thoughts on best tool to bend the tubes into right curves configuration?

Will any of you be attending the big national Delorean Convention in Springfield, Illinois this summer with your replicas? Hope to meet you there! Thank you very much!

Stan-PushN 88

---

Hi Stan,

My friend and fellow DMC club member Tom "McFly" Sedor with have his 100% temporary and reversible Time Machine conversion at DCS 2016 and he will be giving a presentation.
If you want to "hold off" on some of your purchases of parts until you see the presentation (and the Q&A session afterward), you may have a lot more of your questions answered.

While Tom's Time machine conversion is not 100% screen accurate, I'm sure its 88% or better and completely reversible in a few hours (half day?), with no interior or external holes
drilled in any panels. The only non-reversible modifications were done, were to a spare engine cover that I supplied to Tom, to attach the vents and the plutonium chamber base.

No glass was removed (rear glass and both rear quarter glass remain installed). The quarter glass does cause a little glare in direct sunlight, but otherwise, it is not much of an issue.

Night photo taken at the Adler Planetarium on Chicago's Lake Front, with the skyline in the background.

Attachment 41697

Thanks,
Rich W.