Living the Dream - VIN 0628

[Helirich]

Your car looks fantastic. When I take my car out, everybody says “It looks so clean and fantastic shape”. But when I see yours, I realize I’ve got a lot of work to get it clean. Lol.

[JBaker4981]

Your car looks fantastic. When I take my car out, everybody says “It looks so clean and fantastic shape”. But when I see yours, I realize I’ve got a lot of work to get it clean. Lol.

Thank you very much man, I really appreciate that! I like to think that my car is a clean one but it absolutely does not compare to Michael's or Col Bennett's cars.

[Michael]

Thank you very much man, I really appreciate that! I like to think that my car is a clean one but it absolutely does not compare to Michael's or Col Bennett's cars.

Col's dedication and attention to detail is something I have never seen before but admire and respect so much. I especially liked his post about detailing the wiring harnesses under the console and door panels and refurbishing the torsion bar areas in the door jambs.

[JBaker4981]

Col's dedication and attention to detail is something I have never seen before but admire and respect so much. I especially liked his post about detailing the wiring harnesses under the console and door panels and refurbishing the torsion bar areas in the door jambs.

Dude! That wiring harness post is what got my attention! It's absolutely incredible. He could give Deanna Buckingham a run for her money when it comes to cleanest DeLorean!

[JBaker4981]

Project Overview
The goal of this project is to Diagnose and fix the issue of the Transmission slipping in third gear. The theory that we had drawn was that there was an issue with the C2 drum that is causing a loss in transmission fluid pressure. The plan is for Timeless Steel to pull the transmission and crate ship it to our buddy to take apart, diagnose, and rebuild. While the transmission is out, Timeless Steel is to take care of a few miscellaneous items and when the trans comes back, to install and get the car back on the road.


Transmission Removal
Date: 11/14/2021
Mileage: 41,071

The transmission was drained of all fluids and removed within a couple of hours. Jimmy built a stout crate and we arranged shipping to our buddy in Florida.

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Suspension Upgrades and Odds & Ends
Date: 11/21/2021
Mileage: 41,071

While the transmission was in transit, there was a small list of items that I wanted Timeless Steel to tackle since I had not had the time.

• Install Lower Control Arm Braces
• Install New Connector on Oil Pressure Sender wire
• Install Weatherpak Connectors on cooling fan wires/harness

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Automatic Transmission: Diagnosis
Date: 11/24/2021
Mileage: 41,071

What we had suspected turned out to be true. There was not only a fracture, but a complete split in the C2 drum... there it is. Upon further investigation, a large gouge on the inside of the hub located within the Hydraulic unit's case was discovered. Possibly whatever event led to the split in the drum caused the drum to slam into the side of the hub. Unfortunately the gouge was prominent that we were doubtful that it could be repaired in a manner where it still wouldn't hold pressure.

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At this point, I needed a new C2 Drum and a new case for the Hydraulic Unit... Already in a good $1,600 plus another $450 for clutch packs and a rebuilt kit. At this point, I decided not to venture down the rabbit hole anymore. I cut my losses and decided to order a new Hydraulic Unit from DMC along with some additional items.

Automatic Transmission: New Hydraulic Unit
Date: 12/11/2021 - 12/17/2021
Mileage: 41,071

The new Hydraulic Unit arrived and was bolted up. Rafael was able to move some items from my old unit to the new one in order to complete it. New Axle Flange Seals, Stainless Steel Flanges, Input Shaft Seal, and New Torque Converter all installed as well. At this point, it is being crated up and ready to go back up to TN to Timeless Steel and we are ready to rock!

[JBaker4981]

Rear Main Seal & Other Maintenance
Date: 12/31/2021
Mileage: 41,071

While the transmission was being shipped over the Christmas break, the car got a lot of love in preparation for the transmission to go back in. The Rear Main Seal had been leaking for a long time. Jimmy cleaned the back of the block and eliminated the massive buildup of grease, oil, and grime prior to installing a new Rear Main Seal. Along with this RMS, the oil in the car was also changed as well as the oil filter.

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A/T Installation
Date: 01/02/2022
Mileage: 41,071

With the transmission having arrived in Tennessee and in the hands of Timeless Steel Garage, Jimmy installed the transmission, new Transmission Mounts, new O-Rings for the A/T Dipstick Tube, and a new A/T Shift Cable. The previous cable had been chewed up and had been leaking AT Fluid out for some time and the rubber on the original transmission mounts were hard as a rock and needed to go.

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Finishing Up the Transmission
Date: 1/04/2022
Mileage: 41,071

Once the transmission in, Jimmy worked with adjusting the shift cable and the position with Rafael and was able to get it set to spec. The rubber on the motor mounts were almost in the same condition - Rotten and Hard. New Motor Mounts, New Ground Cables, ATF Dexron VI, and Gear Oil were all taken care of by TSG. At this point, she was ready to fire. Check out the YouTube Video from TSG

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https://youtu.be/i9zwB-EMa5M

628 Gets Her Stripes
Date: 1/05/2022
Mileage: 41,071

With the project nearly complete, the last order of business prior to a road test was to install the Wide Stripe kit that I had purchased from the late John Hervey (actually his wife). For those that do not know, Hervey was able to find a supplier that was able to replicate the original texture that the original dealer offer Wide Stripe kit had. These are really, really thick and should last a long time.

I think these cars look much more sexy with the Wide Stripes.

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Road-Test
Date: 1/11/2022
Mileage: 41,071 - 41,152

I asked Jimmy to take the car to work one day to give the car some exercise for its shake down cruise. Safe to say that the car was Timeless Steel approved and was ready to go.

https://youtu.be/ScFfI8zYqH4

[Helirich]

Looks like you will be ready for spring. I’m on the fence about the wide stripe. I look forward to some more pics of yours. It’s such a beautiful example.

[JBaker4981]

Pick Up!
Date: 01/22/2022
Mileage: 41,152 - ????

January 22nd, 2022 was the day. Finally. Good Ole' John Parsons came down the prior evening and went with my wife and I to go pick up the car. We were greeted by Jimmy and his wife with a warm welcome and shown the car. They ended up detailing it a few days prior and she was slick looking. Below are some of the photos of the work that was done.

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Among us coming up to TSG, a couple of our TNDMC members also showed up for the first start of a car that is being restored... this car has not ran in 38 years and it was a massive treat to get to witness this moment. Check out their video below!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRwOBp-Dm1A

John, myself, and the wife headed out to get lunch and to also go our separate ways. While heading back home, we stopped off in Nashville to visit Lane Motor Museum since John had never been and we had a really great visit... Thanks Rex!

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Enjoying the Car
Date: 01/23/2022
Mileage: ???? - 41,341

The next day, we took the car out for some much needed road time. I took John through the valleys, mountains, switchbacks, and foothills of rural Tennessee on a nice 2 hour drive. When I say rural, it truly it rural. No cell service, plenty of sheer drops off the mountains with no guard rails, nor did we pass anyone in the 55 minutes that it took to get to the next town. Rural.

Regardless, it was a great day to put many many miles on the car.

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Wrap Up
I personally want to thank Jimmy & Shaylen Houston and Rafael Cruz on their hard work on this project. Y'all are the best and this could not have been done without you all.

I want to give a shout out to Jimmy's newest business - Timeless Steel Garage: https://timelesssteelgarage.com/

Thank you to all of the vendors that helped us with the Project - DMC Houston, DMC Midwest, and Rob Grady. Thank you to Steven Wynne for assisting with the Hydraulic Unit items.


Items Replaced during Project

• Installed Lower Control Arm Braces
• Installed WeatherPak Connectors on Cooling Fans
• Installed new connector on Oil Pressure Sender
• Installed new SS Axle Flanges
• Installed new Axle Flange Seals
• Installed new A/T Seals
• Installed new Input Shaft Seal
• Installed new Hydraulic Unit
• Installed new Rear Main Seal
• Oil Change!
• Installed new A/T Mounts
• Installed new A/T Dipstick O-Rings
• Installed new A/T Shift Linkage Cable
• Installed new Motor Mounts
• Installed Dual Ground Cable
• Installed Wide Stripe Kit

The car now drives PERFECTLY

[JBaker4981]

Winter Stuff & Forward Loom Cover
Date: 01/29/2022
Mileage: 41,341

Having the car back is great! Now I can stare at her and rub her with a diaper during these Winter months. One thing that I had been wanting to do is reroute the unsightly engine harness under the mixture unit and also wrap it in a new loom to clean things up a bit. Taking off the W-Pipe, Throttle Spool, Air Box, Mixture Unit Mounts, and Pipe of Agony makes this process a lot easier. I was able to wrap the main harness in a 3/8" wrap to protect it from heat and other conditions and route it under the throttle body and around in a manner that it clears the throttle bar.

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I also took this time to restore my Stainless Steel Throttle Spool Cover as it had multiple scratches and hardware marks on it. Using a Scotch Pad and stainless steel polish, I was able to remove the scratches and regrain the plate. Much nicer looking!

The Forward Loom Cover can be purchased from DeLorean Parts Northwest via this link: https://www.delorean-parts.com/produ...-transmission/

The Forward Loom Cover hides the Ballast Resistor, harness, and everything on the back wall at the expense of removing the Engine Cover Stay Bracket. This ultimately makes the engine compartment look less busy and serves another function - this makes the Bulk Head Connector Cover actually STAY ON. I love this upgrade!

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Going Forward
This year is going to be a big year for our TN DeLorean Motor Club and I plan on enjoying this car as much as I can this year. I plan on getting the following things done by April so that the car can be enjoyed to its fullest potential.

• Adjust Headlight Buckets and Positioning
• Bleed, Vaccum, and Refill HVAC System to Spec
• WINDOW TINT (to keep the inside cooler in Summer)
• 175F Thermostat

[Helirich]

Sounds like good times. I love that Lane museum. I tell everyone going to Nashville to visit. Your car looks great. The DMC in the stripes is cool. Also those two slanted lines at the back. Is that all stock?

I had to stare at your pics to understand why your interior looks so much better than mine. I figured out a big part is your door sills are clean. Lol. I guess I need to get busy.

I bet it drives nice with the lower control arm braces. That was probably the biggest change on mine. Later I installed the shock tower braces. I didn’t notice as much there. People on this site told me that would be a major improvement. I’ve come to believe that which ever you do first will be the big change. Than, if you choose, the other will give a smaller improvement.