1982 Frame Off Restoration

[SupercoolBill]

Here are some rust pics, homemade frame extension that someone did, and sketchy front suspension.20211030_142743.jpg20211017_180036.jpg20211017_175623.jpg20211017_175650.jpg20211103_193607.jpg20211103_193521.jpg

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[SupercoolBill]

So far so good. I have the same fuel pump kit (DPI). Making the weatherpack connectors was more work and special tools but I'm sure it was worth the effort, long-term. Might as well change the fuel filter and fuel accumulator while you're at it. Probably injectors, too. Hopefully the fuel distributor isn't too far gone.

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Yeah those connection suck to try to do down in there. I wanted to solder them on but I didn't have my soldering gun out at the shop. I may take it back apart an put some solder on it at some point.

I bought a fuel filter which ironically they had in stock at my local Advance Auto because someone order one years ago and never picked it up. Just ordered an accumulator. I haven't ordered injectors yet.
Next post is about fuel distributor.

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[82DMC12]

Yeah those connection suck to try to do down in there. I wanted to solder them on but I didn't have my soldering gun out at the shop. I may take it back apart an put some solder on it at some point.

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I pulled the wires out into the brake fluid access cover and had more room for the crimper.

Also - you want to put a 2x4 between the jack and the frame from now on. The frame is very thin in the boxed sections, I think 1/16", and you will literally put your jack right through the bottom of the frame if you don't spread the pressure out!! Repeat after me: "I will never let my jack touch the car without a 2x4 on the pad".

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[Michael]

I think you are in a nice resto car at a very nice price. I believe you shoud feel good because at 12.5k, you were fair to yourself and your friend. I almost envy you on the journey you are about to take.

If you want, post your location. We are a dedicated bunch and if you are close to one of us, you will no doubt have some willing hands eager to help.

[SupercoolBill]

I don't have pics but basically we put a plastic container up front,, set the new fuel pump in the container with new, non-ethanol gas in it about 3" deep. We bolted the supply and return lines together out on out on engine end so the fuel would be pump out through the supply piping and back through the return line. We had the return line dump into another container until it cleaned up then just recycled the same fuel through for a half hour. while jumping out the fuel pump connector we found more signs of mice. Yeah....

Yesterday the wife and I installed the new lift struts (which I purchased off Amazon for a pretty reasonable price). And tackled the fuel distributor which seemed to have a stuck piston. (Intake disk stuck).
This thing is sooooo rusty!! I had to use a hand impact to get the mounting screws out (and they still barely came out!!) and had to literally PRY the distributor off the engine with a small pry bar.
The piston was stuck solid. I couldn't spin it or pull it out at all. Like a moron I tried tapping it in further hoping it would break free and come out. Well that just gave me less meat to grab on to. I went to the hardware store and bought a band new set of vise grips for my slide hammer. I tried for a half hour to get the piston out. No matter how tight I went with the vise grips they would pull right off and the piston wouldn't budge. At this point I ALMOST decided to take the distributor apart even though everything I read online said NOT TO TAKE IT APART. Then I suddenly had an idea. I took a Demel tool with a cutoff wheel and made some roughness on the piston. This gave the Vise grips something to grab. BOOM BABY!!!! Piston pulled right out!! Cleaned everything and put some light oil on the piston. It now slides in and out easily. We put the distributor on the engine and hooked up all the fuel lines. We had dropped and lost a couple copper washers so we had to use some from a kit I had. Not a perfect fit but good enough for now. We also pulled all the spark plugs and sprayed some Kroil down in the plug holes as suggest by someone on FB.
I had the wife get in and crank over the car. Nothing....just a good battery going dead from cranking. I knew my wife was getting frustrated. She had been saying for the past couple days "I just want to hear this thing run". So I dumped a little gas down in the intake "Turn it over" I said
"VROOOOMM!!!" It fired up and ran for a few seconds. All kinds of noise and smoke from all the crap burning off the engine and exhaust. She was happy. Did it again in hopes that it would stay running on its own but no luck.
We called it a night.
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[SupercoolBill]

Forgot to mention a few things. We changed the oil and oil filter, replaced a rusted out hose clamp on a coolant tube and topped off the coolant the first day we worked on the car.

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[SupercoolBill]

I pulled the wires out into the brake fluid access cover and had more room for the crimper.

Also - you want to put a 2x4 between the jack and the frame from now on. The frame is very thin in the boxed sections, I think 1/16", and you will literally put your jack right through the bottom of the frame if you don't spread the pressure out!! Repeat after me: "I will never let my jack touch the car without a 2x4 on the pad".

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I was thinking that as I jacked it up. But then I was like "Screw it, the frame is junk anyways" lol

Question. Is it OK to use regular jack stands on the body jack points or do I need some sort of an adapter that fits inside that metal recess?

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[SupercoolBill]

I think you are in a nice resto car at a very nice price. I believe you shoud feel good because at 12.5k, you were fair to yourself and your friend. I almost envy you on the journey you are about to take.

If you want, post your location. We are a dedicated bunch and if you are close to one of us, you will no doubt have some willing hands eager to help.

I may do that but also my wife and I made a pact to do every part of this project together so I have turned down offers for buddy's to come work on the car with me. In the past I have been obsessed with projects and totally neglected spending time with my wife so she grew to not like said project. The plan is to do this together. The work, the money spent, then the usage after it is all done.

We are in southern Maine.

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[SupercoolBill]

So the next steps as we see it based on what I have read and watched online.
Replace fuel filter and accumulator (if we can).
Try to start the car again. If is doesn't start try to somehow figure out if it is a blockage before the distributor OR between the distributor and the intake (hoses or injectors)
I may just go ahead and order injectors. Really we are just trying to see if this engine is any good or not. It doesn't need to run good at this point. It just needs to run on its own.
If we get it to run, monitor oil pressure to make sure the pump is working and the pick up screen isn't plugged and monitor the coolant temperature to make sure the water pump, etc. works.

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[Michael]

I may do that but also my wife and I made a pact to do every part of this project together so I have turned down offers for buddy's to come work on the car with me. In the past I have been obsessed with projects and totally neglected spending time with my wife so she grew to not like said project. The plan is to do this together. The work, the money spent, then the usage after it is all done.

We are in southern Maine.

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No problem! I can certainly appreciate that and I doubt I could name one of my friends that has a wife take such an active interest in her husband's DeLorean...she sounds like a keeper!