What have you done to your DeLorean today?

[DMC-81]

Dana, how long have been working on your restoration?

Is the interior work completed already?

Do you have a plater near you?


Dennis

Hi Dennis,

I've been working on it for almost 2 years. I've been taking my time, trying to restore it right, and enjoying the journey. My sequence has been: mechanical, exterior, and interior/electrical. So, the interior is next. I only have a few things to do there.

Yes, I have a good plater nearby which is convenient.

Cheers.

[DMC-81]

Lol those headlights make me really self conscious about what I worked on.

Thanks! Don't feel bad at all. I think all efforts that help repair and preserve these beautiful cars is great.

[mr_maxime]

Haha I said that because a lot of my bolts have rusted pretty bad in there. I have to cope with the fact that I dont have a garage and cant really do work that keeps the car apart more than a couple hours at a time as a result.

[axh174]

Today I put the hood hinges back on, and cleaned the headlight connectors with a toothbrush and paint thinner which dissolved all the old grease, etc.

Good tip, Dana. I'll definitely be putting this into practice.

Does this also do a good job of cleaning up any corrosion on the pins in the connectors or is there a different approach you take to making sure you've got the pins clean?

-Kevin

[DMC5180]

Good tip, Dana. I'll definitely be putting this into practice.

Does this also do a good job of cleaning up any corrosion on the pins in the connectors or is there a different approach you take to making sure you've got the pins clean?

-Kevin

This is great question, I think we've all seen those demonstrations where they submerge silver, copper bottom pans and pennies in a chemical solution that magically removes the oxidized surface.

I wonder how well submerging connectors in those solutions would work to remove the oxide layer on the brass terminals. No doubt you would need to clean any grease or oils first.



Dennis

[Bitsyncmaster]

This is great question, I think we've all seen those demonstrations where they submerge silver, copper bottom pans and pennies in a chemical solution that magically removes the oxidized surface.

I wonder how well submerging connectors in those solutions would work to remove the oxide layer on the brass terminals. No doubt you would need to clean any grease or oils first.



Dennis

Tarn-x works pretty good on the brass terminals. That is how I cleaned the connectors on my car. Just dip the whole connector in a jar of Tarn-x for about 60 seconds, shaking the connector around. Then dip the connector in a solvent and blow dry.

[DMC-81]

Good tip, Dana. I'll definitely be putting this into practice.

Does this also do a good job of cleaning up any corrosion on the pins in the connectors or is there a different approach you take to making sure you've got the pins clean?

-Kevin

Hi Kevin,

For the pins, if they are not too bad, I use 600 grit sandpaper and WD-40 to wet sand them. Not too much because often times they are plated.

[DMC-81]

This is great question, I think we've all seen those demonstrations where they submerge silver, copper bottom pans and pennies in a chemical solution that magically removes the oxidized surface.

I wonder how well submerging connectors in those solutions would work to remove the oxide layer on the brass terminals. No doubt you would need to clean any grease or oils first.



Dennis

Yes indeed. Try dipping a corroded penny in Tabasco sauce for 15 minutes. I learned this from helping my daughter with a grade 5 science experiment. I was amazed.

[DMC5180]

Somehow I don't think you would dip one of your harness connectors in Tabasco sauce.


Dennis

[DMC-81]

Somehow I don't think you would dip one of your harness connectors in Tabasco sauce.


Dennis

Haha. You would be correct. But I learned why I need a Tums after anything with Tabasco sauce.

Speaking of the topic, here's oxalic acid in action today on the bottom of my quarter panel...

Rusty captive spire nuts..
image.jpg

Rust stains left behind...
image.jpg

After wet sanding with the acid....

image.jpg