VIN chronology differences

[mike123]

I often find myself overwhelmed by all of the variations of this car during its short production run. I thought it might be useful to collect the differences by VIN and then I could make some sort of spreadsheet or simple web form where one could look up a given VIN and see all of the stock differences of that given car.

I've compiled the list below by scanning through the DeLorean Buyer's Guide book, but I know there are a bunch more (like the door handle strap) which others might know. Please feel free to respond in the thread and I'll update this top post with all additional info. After a few weeks I'll see if I can make a handy way to look things up for any VIN input.

PS - sorry for the need to scroll way down to see the table, I am not sure why that is happening!

starting at VIN...	Description
0	glossy fascia finish
3600	matte fascia finish
0	grooved hood
10001	flat hood with emblem
0	gas flap with locking fuel filler cap
3199	no gas flap; no locking fuel filler cap
0	dark gray painted wheels, gray plastic center cap
1884	silver wheels with black plastic center cap
0	black door lock cylinders with different key for doors, ignition (and fuel filler cap), and storage cubby
4200	silver with black outline door lock cylinder; key matches ignition and storage cubby
0	windshield with integrated antenna
2712	windshield with no antenna
0	black interior has coarse charcoal carpet; gray interior has coarse light gray carpet
10579	all interior carpet is smooth light gray
0	auotmatic has plain shifter handle
4837	automatic has angled shifter handle with DMC logo tag
0	Craig radio, separate green LED clock
6159	Craig radio with clock; no separate LED clock
10304	ASI radio with clock; no separate LED clock
0	leather-wrapped binnacle
700	vinyl-wrapped binnacle
0	coil cover has no extra strap
11763	coil cover has an extra rubber strap holding it in place
0	80-amp Ducellier alternator
4539	90-amp Motorolla alternator
0	original otterstat positioning
1234	new otterstat positioning
0	fuel sending unit miscalibrated with gauge; fuel tank never reads 'full'
5238	fuel gauge can properly read 'full'

[Timeless]

My car is after 6159 and has console clock.

[Rich]

It's a nice idea. The Buyer Guide is a good start.

Assuming nobody has made a tool like you propose already here are at least two other references you might find useful:

The Millenium Concours Handbook - includes many specific references to equipment changes. It says at least one of the changes, the 2-key to 1-key change per p.10, starts at a different VIN than your draft table says. I didn't compare your table to any of the other changes.

The Texas DeLorean Club VIN History page - has good general information about how the VINs were assigned, including the VIN ranges by month although that's not part of your main goal.

[mike123]

Timeless, is there a clock on your radio in addition to the standalone clock? The Councours manual wording makes me think there's a big chunk of VINs that have both.

Rich, thanks for that link! There is some overlap with the buyer's guide, but seems like a good amount of unique info in each. Looks like the Buyer's Guide was involved in that Councours manual.

On a side note, I chuckle that one loses points for having fuel lines that aren't original. A literal pyrrhic victory, perhaps!

EDIT: apparently I cannot update the original post with the additional Concours info, but here it is below. Will merge it all together later.

0	no footrest/pedal
10001	have a footrest/pedal
0	door pull strap wrapped around grab handle with D-ring
5993	door pull strap has its own hole in the door trim
0	two-piece rear side panel bumper
6093	one-piece rear side panel bumper
0	metal door latch striker guide
11341	plastic door latch striker guide (or metal in some cases)
0	side mirrors not edge-finished
5930	side mirrors are edge-finished

[Ron]

The parts manual might be another good reference for you. The right hand column notes changes by VIN.

[mike123]

Thanks Ron! I found a PDF that I could download. The parts manual isn't super specific about the descriptive differences in many of these cases, so I've noted the VIN changeover but will need to fill in the descriptions of the changes later, as I learn more or hear from others. Here's what I've added that was in the parts manual but not the buyer's guide nor the concours handbook:

0	original battery bulkhead assembly
4240	different battery bulkhead assembly
0	original drive flange
2680	different drive flange
0	original speedometer cable
5179	longer (?) speedometer cable
0	original climate control knob panel
1964	different climate control knob panel
0	original door handle support brackets
5993	different door handle support brackets
0	original frunk hinge
1302	different frunk hinge
0	original headliners and visors
1792	different headliners and visors

[Timeless]

Timeless, is there a clock on your radio in addition to the standalone clock? The Councours manual wording makes me think there's a big chunk of VINs that have both.

I cannot advise since the original radio was replaced with upgraded unit by DMCH and was in the car when I purchased it.

[David T]

The service bulletins also indicate some of the running changes. In your spreadsheet you should reference where you got the information for each change and if it has been validated.

[AugustneverEnds]

DeLoreans, truly stainless steel snowflakes!

[mike123]

Timeless, got it, thank you. I'll keep digging on this!

The service bulletins also indicate some of the running changes. In your spreadsheet you should reference where you got the information for each change and if it has been validated.

Thanks, I will try to find these. I see them as one-offs here and there on the web. Might eventually purchase a book of them for this purpose.

I have added the source to each line in my spreadsheet (it's just the three sources from my individual posts above, so far so good). I also randomly stumbled across this post of yours which mentions the VIN where the front end recall kit started coming standard from the factory.