What have you done to your DeLorean today?

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Originally Posted by Jonathan

Awesome! Sure does look good!

I'll chime in about you mentioning the transmission slips a lot when cool. Assuming you're talking about an automatic here, you don't want to drive it much at all with it doing that. Certainly not aggressively. If your trans starts slipping, you might consider limping it home, but definitely don't go out bombing around until you sort out why it is doing that. You can end up damaging the internal plates and components and whatnot driving a slipping trans.

Now, why might it be slipping? I recall hearing the advice that if it is low on fluid, it slips. If it's got too much fluid, it'll leak. So check the ATF and add some if it's low.

Could also be the ATF filter is clogged and it's acting like the fluid level is low because the fluid can't get to where it needs to go.

And it definitely could also be the auto trans shift computer governor that's got problems. Those are susceptible to failing on the inside from capacitors blowing to solder joints coming apart but also failing externally because one or more of the electrical connection cables finds itself laying on top of a hot exhaust pipe. That shouldn't be hard to spot if you get the car in the air and have yourself a look.

Congrats and good luck!

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Thanks for all the suggestions, I appreciate it! I do not plan on driving more than a few miles (to the service shop and back, basically) until the transmission is fixed.

Yes, it's an automatic trans - the seller knew that the trans was bad and bought a replacement before selling the car, so I have a 'new' replacement that is in transit (it is RamblinDMC's transmission, 26k miles, complete with GC). The seller had replaced the fluid and filter, but that didn't stop the slipping - my plan is to swap the transmission with the replacement, then rebuild the transmission on the bench and replace all the clutch discs, bearings, and seals. Then swap back in the newly rebuilt original and if all goes well, sell the replacement.

For now I'm going to be working on diagnosing the brakes. I'm a complete noob when it comes to cars, so I have a lot of learning ahead of me on this one!!

Maybe mine were also bad, but brakes are definitely harder than any other car i've hard. This was with new pads and with the rebuilt rear calipers.

A few days before the car shipped, the seller had the hood release cable snap. He ordered a new cable but didn't have time to replace it, so that was my first task yesterday. He was able to rig up a backup line and put some vice grips on the broken release handle, so I was able to get into the hood. Took about 30 minutes or so to install, which I did record because I couldn't find a video of anyone doing the procedure. I may post that at some point in the future if the footage is good enough. Hardest part was getting the cable to snake over top of all the stuff under the dash, the rest is just a cotter pin and a couple of retaining nuts.

Now back to the brakes... My brake pedal feels soft until it goes a little down, and then is very hard to push. Whether the car is running or not, the pedal doesn't feel different at all. After watching a few hours of YouTube videos and some threads here on the brake system, I felt that the brake booster/servo was likely not functioning. I pulled the vacuum line off of the booster and it has no vacuum. So, effectively I'm running with manual non-assisted brakes, which explains why I need to use both feet to stop. :)

On the engine I found the vacuum line that splits into a T, and I took that apart and verified that when the car is running there is a very nice suction pressure there (and when it is not connected the car runs terribly). I hooked up the T, connected the end that goes to the vacuum tank, and verified that I still had good suction. This pretty much tells me that there is something wrong on the vacuum line that runs from the engine to the booster. I hooked up my air compressor to the line at the booster, used vice grips to close the line near the engine, and pumped some air into it - which did not hold. I set the air compressor to like 20-30 psi, and then started trying to hear and feel for air leaking. A quick walk around pointed me to the rear right - I took off the rear right wheel, jacked up the car, and crawled under. Unfortunately, it isn't good news. The line seems to be leaking all of the air from the hard line, somewhere above the frame on the passenger side, just above the transmission, near where the trailing arms attach. I don't think there is any way I can get to it without dropping the frame. :mecry:

I'm not in a position to do that at the moment - though it's on my TODO list - so I'm considering using a 20' 3/8" copper line, and running it under the car, zip tying it along the way. That way I can at least drive the car to the shop for an inspection. Would love to hear if anyone else has any ideas!

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Originally Posted by CyberBill

I'm considering using a 20' 3/8" copper line, and running it under the car, zip tying it along the way. That way I can at least drive the car to the shop for an inspection.

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It worked!! It actually worked really really well. I had to cut the hoses off the ends of the hardline, since they were so corroded that they wouldn't move. But the whole process probably took me 1 1/2 - 2 hours. 3/8" line was roughly $25 at Lowes, and I used hose clamps on each end. The vacuum is holding perfectly, and the brakes actually work now!! I don't have to sue both feet to stop from 10 miles per hour!! :D

Part A1000020 - still in its original shipping box from 1981. After three years of searching, I finally tracked down one of my most wanted NOS parts - a gorgeous set of original mats.

The seller shipped them to me in the original box. He snapped a blurry photo of the original UPS labels featuring the old UPS C.O.D. tag for $90.24. They’ve been in the box for 39 years - totally unused and totally perfect.

It’s amazing to see the glue on the Velcro adhesive strips totally crystallized and brittle. Just love the little details like this. A total time capsule.

Just had to share my excitement.

PS. Sorry they’re covered in fluff. I haven’t had the time to meticulously vacuum them yet.

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/...2_nos_mats.jpg

A few shots of my messy garage and toilet paper collection - oh, and a few quick snaps of the underside of my pride and joy after detailing her today. There’s a couple of minor things to perfect under there, but very proud of the old girl.

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/..._detail_01.jpg

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/..._detail_02.jpg

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Originally Posted by C.Bennett

A few shots of my messy garage and toilet paper collection - oh, and a few quick snaps of the underside of my pride and joy after detailing her today. There’s a couple of minor things to perfect under there, but very proud of the old girl.

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Nice job.

It looks like that speedo cable hangs a little low. Would not want it to hit road bumps.

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Originally Posted by C.Bennett

A few shots of my messy garage and toilet paper collection - oh, and a few quick snaps of the underside of my pride and joy after detailing her today. There’s a couple of minor things to perfect under there, but very proud of the old girl.

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/..._detail_01.jpg

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/..._detail_02.jpg

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Yea, wow, that looks really nice. Perfect is quite the lofty goal, on these cars, or just in general.

I noticed how your passenger side parking brake cable runs under the trans and does not have the same clip I have on my own. I wasn't sure if this was something only on the automatics or if you were missing it. No intention to nit-pick (of course), just thinking of what else remains for that pursuit of perfection.

I'll try and show you what I mean. It's technically attached to the final drive and includes a small L-shaped bracket that has one end going through one of those lower bolts, with the other end just an open edge of metal. You then slide on one of those edge clips (SP10728 ) and allow the open, round portion of the edge clip to be in position to hold the parking brake cable.

I cannot seem to find it on the drawings at the moment, so wasn't sure if it was legit and on all cars, or just something made-up on my car only.

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Here's what it looks like on Manuals.
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Originally Posted by Bitsyncmaster

Nice job. It looks like that speedo cable hangs a little low. Would not want it to hit road bumps.

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Thanks Dave. Good catch. Yeah it hangs a little low. Rob Grady adjusted it for me a while ago, but it's possibly slipped down over the years. Gonna dig into it again.

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Originally Posted by Jonathan

No intention to nit-pick (of course), just thinking of what else remains for that pursuit of perfection.

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Not at all. My car has always looked like this as far as I'm aware. Danny Botkin and Rob Grady have both worked on the car and have never mentioned it. It's a good observation though and I'll dig into it as I want to make sure it's accurate. Thanks!

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Originally Posted by dmcnc

Here's what it looks like on Manuals.

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Cool. Nice reference. Rob Grady adjusted my handbrake cable a while ago so I'm not sure if mine was removed from the clip for a reason. Maybe it never had a clip. Either way, it's a good catch and I'll see if I can route it differently to make sure it's accurate.

Thanks guys!

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Originally Posted by C.Bennett

A few shots of my messy garage and toilet paper collection - oh, and a few quick snaps of the underside of my pride and joy after detailing her today. There’s a couple of minor things to perfect under there, but very proud of the old girl.

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/..._detail_01.jpg

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/..._detail_02.jpg

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Stunning!!! Not many left in that condition.

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Originally Posted by Michael

Stunning!!! Not many left in that condition.

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That's very kind Michael. :cheers:

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Originally Posted by C.Bennett

Not at all. My car has always looked like this as far as I'm aware. Danny Botkin and Rob Grady have both worked on the car and have never mentioned it. It's a good observation though and I'll dig into it as I want to make sure it's accurate. Thanks!

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Beauty. For me it's more thinking of it as complete as opposed to perfect. 13 years into ownership and every so often I still find something I hadn't realized was missing on my car or out of place. None of the last few things are crucial, but it's fun figuring out these little trivial details about the cars. Like Indiana Jones in archaeology, except on our cars and not on 1,000 year old buried cities or treasure. Could make us 'DeLarchaeologists' I'd say. :)

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Originally Posted by C.Bennett

oh, and a few quick snaps of the underside of my pride and joy after detailing her today.

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Wow. Amazing.

I drove the D today to the post office. I don't drive it much since I retired since I would take it once a week to work. But two things have changed. First is it seems to go into reverse every time now without the need to double clutch. All I can think of that fixed that is when I did the clutch change I found the linkage on the transmission was binding with dried out grease which I fixed by cleaning and re-greasing.

Also shifting into first gear feels like the oil is thick for the first mile or two but then is normal after it warms up. All other gears feel fine during those first few miles. I did not open the transmission or even drain the oil when I replaced the clutch. Only thing I can think of causing that is my car sitting for a month or two.

I was going back and forth about replacing my cigarette lighter with either USB or getting the updated Vanagon socket. I had some trouble getting the proper measurements from the vendor selling the new socket, so I decided to make a power bank with a power switch, regular 12v socket, dual USB, and a voltmeter. Cut out some plexiglass and made a box to hold them all. Installed it with a quick disconnect so I can unplug it from the line going to the battery without having to completely remove the wires from the battery. Pretty happy with the result and can finally use my FM transmitter without it flopping around in the OEM cigarette lighter.

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I took my longest drive ever in the DeLorean today... about 10 miles. :) The trip was from my house to Delorean Service Northwest to drop off the car to get a full inspection and list of items for me to start working on.

My wife followed me and had a really great time telling me about all of the people pointing and smiling as they saw me driving by. :)

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Originally Posted by CyberBill

I took my longest drive ever in the DeLorean today... about 10 miles. :) The trip was from my house to Delorean Service Northwest to drop off the car to get a full inspection and list of items for me to start working on.

My wife followed me and had a really great time telling me about all of the people pointing and smiling as they saw me driving by. :)

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One of the best parts of owning a DeLorean. The smiles!

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Originally Posted by CyberBill

... all of the people pointing and smiling as they saw me driving by. :)

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And that is the main reason why DeLoreans make poor get-away cars!

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Originally Posted by cdmcali

I was going back and forth about replacing my cigarette lighter with either USB or getting the updated Vanagon socket. I had some trouble getting the proper measurements from the vendor selling the new socket, so I decided to make a power bank with a power switch, regular 12v socket, dual USB, and a voltmeter. Cut out some plexiglass and made a box to hold them all. Installed it with a quick disconnect so I can unplug it from the line going to the battery without having to completely remove the wires from the battery. Pretty happy with the result and can finally use my FM transmitter without it flopping around in the OEM cigarette lighter.

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That looks cool!! Is that CNC cut plexi? My cigar lighter doesn't seem to light up or turn on - but it does seem to be a little shallower than other sockets, do you know if it is a standard part, or specific for the DeLorean?

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Originally Posted by CyberBill

That looks cool!! Is that CNC cut plexi? My cigar lighter doesn't seem to light up or turn on - but it does seem to be a little shallower than other sockets, do you know if it is a standard part, or specific for the DeLorean?

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Some day I will have to do a circuit board to LED light the cigar lighter. I did do a one off board on mine a long time ago which used 6 LEDs.

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I finally got around to installing Bitsy's front relay ground buss. This project was on the backburner for a long time, because I didn't really think it was high priority. Boy, was I wrong. When I pulled all the relays out of the way, I could see that about 75% of the wire insulation had been melting off in various locations over the years. In fact, the portion between the fan fail and fan relay had almost completely melted off. A previous owner had obviously been in there before, because they had simply re-wrapped the melted portions with electrical tape! The picture above does not do it justice. You should see this thing in person. I'm surprised that haven't died in a giant ball of flames in the last year.

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Originally Posted by Bitsyncmaster

Some day I will have to do a circuit board to LED light the cigar lighter. I did do a one off board on mine a long time ago which used 6 LEDs.

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Originally Posted by Quinn

Attachment 63738

I finally got around to installing Bitsy's front relay ground buss. This project was on the backburner for a long time, because I didn't really think it was high priority. Boy, was I wrong. When I pulled all the relays out of the way, I could see that about 75% of the wire insulation had been melting off in various locations over the years. In fact, the portion between the fan fail and fan relay had almost completely melted off. A previous owner had obviously been in there before, because they had simply re-wrapped the melted portions with electrical tape! The picture above does not do it justice. You should see this thing in person. I'm surprised that haven't died in a giant ball of flames in the last year.

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Dave, do you have prices listed for your products somewhere? I was looking at your website and it doesn't show how much things are or how to order/ship.

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Originally Posted by Jonathan

Dave, do you have prices listed for your products somewhere? I was looking at your website and it doesn't show how much things are or how to order/ship.

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Email me for current prices. I like to verify I have the items ready before you order. I try to keep everything stocked but there are times when I get flooded with sales one week and then nothing the next.

Replaced the blown glass fuse on the brake light circuit with a blade fuse of the same amperage. A light day. :)

Got some bad news from Toby at Delorean Service Northwest - looks like 5510 needs a new frame, or some extensive frame repair. Still trying to decide whether to bring it home, pull the body off the frame, and go to work on a full frame restoration... If anyone has thoughts on the subject, I'd love to hear it! The Stainless Steel frame is out of my budget. Tips on what work to do at the same time, how to approach it, materials to use, etc. Someone had recommended replacing the coolant lines? Maybe rebuild the suspension? If it makes a difference, my father is a professional welder with 30+ years of experience and would likely be able to do the welding for me if I handle ripping it apart and cutting out the bad stuff. He lives ~1700 miles away, so I would have to prep everything for him to do over a few days or a week, then I'd wrap it up by POR-15'ing the whole thing.

Prior to getting the news about the frame, I also ordered a complete brake rebuild kit. New rotors, pads, seals, caliper pistons, hoses, etc. I think I'm going to pick up a full set of stainless steel brake lines as well, since the brake vacuum line is toast and the body is coming off anyway. This would mean replacing everything in the brake system except the booster, master cylinder, and calipers.

In non-Delorean news, I sold my Honda CR-Z. I now have ample funds and room in the garage to work!

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Originally Posted by CyberBill

Got some bad news from Toby at Delorean Service Northwest - looks like 5510 needs a new frame, or some extensive frame repair. Still trying to decide whether to bring it home, pull the body off the frame, and go to work on a full frame restoration... If anyone has thoughts on the subject, I'd love to hear it!

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Check eBay. There were two frames for sale recently. Both appeared to be in good shape. Toby might have a lead on a good frame as well. I think Don S. had a few frames but now that he has passed I’m not sure what’s going to happen with his stock of DeLorean parts. DeLoreanGo will make you a new, non stainless frame but with shipping from England it will probably be prohibitively expensive.

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Originally Posted by CyberBill

Got some bad news from Toby at Delorean Service Northwest - looks like 5510 needs a new frame, or some extensive frame repair. Still trying to decide whether to bring it home, pull the body off the frame, and go to work on a full frame restoration... If anyone has thoughts on the subject, I'd love to hear it!

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Been there ... done that ... and did so before all the great resources available via the internet. It doesn't take long to remove the frame but it takes some ingenuity. You'll also need space. Space for the car, the frame and stuff. I put the body on a snowmobile trailer so I could move it and store it. 4x4 lumber will be your friend for raising and lowering the body. A method to raise, lower the engine/transmission is needed. Make a rolling dolly for the engine to store and move it. Put all bolts back in place when removed. Don't make a bucket of bolts. BTW ... there are a number of small bolts on the facia that will break and the studs in the facia may need to be replaced. Grinf them out clean and get new stud plates and polyurethane them into the cleaned spots.

Go out right now and start applying penetrating oil on the nuts and bolts so it has time to work.

Patch the frame as needed. You may or may not decide to grind the welds. Strip as much of the old finish as possible. I believe that there are places that will bake the frame to remove it all. The bare metal can be zinc chromated. But it is optional. I then used a zinc rich powdercoat. That wasn't available in the right color so another color coat was powdercoated.

You will get the mizewells ... mize well do that while you are at it. Mizewell upgrade the suspension and powdercoat all suspension parts.

This will be a bonding experience with your car and you will understand it better than most when you are done. ...... And have fun, enjoy the process!

Started my deep interior detail yesterday.

It all starts with the dark bits no one ever sees. Everything - and I mean everything - gets detailed down to the harness and electrical connectors. Yes, it's a little over-kill, but you know me. This is the first proper interior detail since I bought the car in 2016 and I want to make sure it gets the works.

The center harness wires are a little messy as I removed all of the old 39 year old (very sticky) black and grey electrical tape grouping the wires together. I'll replace the tape with some fresh 3M electrical tape so it matches the original wire grouping.

Working top to bottom. Next stop, the doors.

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/..._detail_01.jpg

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/..._detail_02.jpg

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/..._detail_03.jpg

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/..._detail_04.jpg


Oh, and you're probably wondering - why did you remove the dash to detail the interior you nutter? Well, it's getting a very rare NOS grey dash that hasn't seen a day of sunlight. :jawdrop:

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/..._detail_05.jpg

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Originally Posted by C.Bennett

Started my deep interior detail yesterday.

It all starts with the dark bits no one ever sees. Everything - and I mean everything - gets detailed down to the harness and electrical connectors. Yes, it's a little over-kill, but you know me. This is the first proper interior detail since I bought the car in 2016 and I want to make sure it gets the works.

The center harness wires are a little messy as I removed all of the old 39 year old (very sticky) black and grey electrical tape grouping the wires together. I'll replace the tape with some fresh 3M electrical tape so it matches the original wire grouping.

Working top to bottom. Next stop, the doors.

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/..._detail_01.jpg

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/..._detail_02.jpg

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/..._detail_03.jpg

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/..._detail_04.jpg


Oh, and you're probably wondering - why did you remove the dash to detail the interior you nutter? Well, it's getting a very rare NOS grey dash that hasn't seen a day of sunlight. :jawdrop:

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/..._detail_05.jpg

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Will you marry me? I will divorce my wife at your command.

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Originally Posted by Michael

Will you marry me? I will divorce my wife at your command.

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:cheers1: Haha!

Damn and i thought my dash was super clean, his hasn't even touch sunlight bwuahahaha! Beautiful.

Just amazing, to see that!

Agree on all fronts - that car is absolutely beautiful. Well done, C.Bennett!! It's very clear that you put a lot energy into that car.

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Originally Posted by Riley88

Damn and i thought my dash was super clean, his hasn't even touch sunlight bwuahahaha! Beautiful.

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Originally Posted by cis6409

Just amazing, to see that!

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Originally Posted by CyberBill

Agree on all fronts - that car is absolutely beautiful. Well done, C.Bennett!! It's very clear that you put a lot energy into that car.

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That's very kind. Thanks so much! Really appreciate it.

Glad to report my hands are fully intact after a deep detail of my knife-like driver door. Yep, detailed to within an inch of its life. Removed all of the sticky yellow glue (nightmare job) and it's all ready for a new black finishing strip. I may also refinish (yellow zinc) the handle bracket. It's not as nice as I'd like it to be, but hey. And no, the plastic door membrane and all that awful sticky glue is staying off the car. It doesn't get driven in rain, so I'm keen to keep it pretty in there.

I also included a photo of my passenger door as a "before" reference. It's next.

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/..._detail_06.jpg

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/..._detail_07.jpg

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/..._detail_08.jpg

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/..._detail_09.jpg

http://content.colinbennett.com/dmc/..._detail_10.jpg

Too damn pretty to cover all that up!

Started my first journey to the VOD. Pretty happy to find out I didn’t have any leaks or rust.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...e19d690bb1.jpg

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Originally Posted by Michael

Too damn pretty to cover all that up!

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:fancy:

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Originally Posted by mburshtain

Started my first journey to the VOD. Pretty happy to find out I didn’t have any leaks or rust.

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Nice one Maor. Have fun and enjoy the feeling when it's all done.

With the door interior exposed, you might want to change the window wipes to the Ford Probe version. It's a great upgrade and if the originals fail, they will scratch the window ... As I know from personal experience.

Here are some details but the pictures are missing: https://www.dmcnews.com/Techsection/windowfelt.html

Has anyone found workable trim from a car other than the Probe? Probes can be few and far between in the junk yards.

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Originally Posted by nkemp

Here are some details but the pictures are missing: https://www.dmcnews.com/Techsection/windowfelt.html

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details WITH the pics : https://web.archive.org/web/20110820...indowfelt.html