Eds Delorean

Author: Eddie

New suspension components

Posted on by Eddie

It’s been over a month since I got the new suspension installed. The stock shocks were 25 years old, and felt rough. I felt the stock springs appear to make the car sit too high – because the originally designed springs were shorter. Early 1980’s bumper height regulations forced an increase in the ride height before the car was debuted, and taller springs were a last minute change. However, DMC (Houston) now offers springs that return the car’s height to the original design specification. I chose to buy new shocks from midstatedmc.com and Eibach springs from DMC (Midwest).

I was lucky enough to have all of the work completed at the Delorean Midwest Connection’s Fall Tech Session. The designer of the shocks that I bought was there to deliver them to me, and help me for most of the day with their installation in my car. I was extremely grateful for this, since I don’t know what to do, but wanted to learn. Also, I was advised to buy new lower ball joint rubber covers in case we damaged them. However everything came apart nicely. I did end up using the rubber boots on my tie-rod ends, which I am proud to say I replaced mostly by myself.

Before:




Installation:



New Shocks:




old springs compressed

old front spring left, new right:


New front left spring and shock



The hub is lift up, out of the way:


Rear:




What the reverse side of my tires looks like. I’m glad the white letters face this way.


Done! So I waited about 5 weeks to get some good after pictures. I still don’t know if the front end has settled as far as it can, compared to pictures of other cars with the same springs. However, I’m very pleased with the results thus far:



Front:


Front:


Rear:


Right about now, most Delorean owners are asking “How does it handle?!!!” The truth is: I’m not too sure. I have only driven one other DeLorean which had the hard-riding stock shocks. My daily driver is a 2004 sports coupe, and I have driven many other modern cars. I know my new shocks ride softer than the stock shocks. This was apparent when I first drove the car away from the event. Compared to modern cars: I think it’s still kinda harsh. Here’s what the shock designer originally sent to me:

“I call this a “sport” kit because the upgraded performance shocks we are using from KYB do have a little stiffer ride quality to them then the old “touring” setup we had. This new “sport” kit is still softer then the Eibachs from DMC Houston and ton’s better then the original Girlings. They do an excellent job of working with the D’s suspension and give the car a very controlled, well balanced feeling. I have driven my D with these shocks on it down to DMCH open hose events twice, which is 2000 miles at a time, and the car handles and drives great, on the road as well as the track time we’ve had down there. One of the other D owners who is running this KYB setup was making trips back and forth to Colorado every other week for almost a year and loves the way they handle. He says it’s the best setup he’s ever had on a Delorean, and he’s had more then a few over the years. Anyway, when it comes to shocks and ride quality a lot of it comes down to personal preference and what kind of ride you are looking for. This KYB setup makes the Delorean handle and ride like the sports car it’s supposed to be.”

I’m pleased with the softer ride, and think the setup looks great. I still think the ride height in the front needs to sink another half inch or more. I drove the car with about 120lbs of weights in the front for awhile, but that didn’t seem to do much. I don’t want to drive much more before getting an alignment done. But I don’t want to get an alignment until the height settled completely.

The shocks that DMC (Houston) sells with the Eibach springs cost considerably more than Mid-State’s shocks, so my wallet is also pleased. Overall, I’d recommend these shocks and springs to any DeLorean owner.

Costs (discounts not included):

“Sport” Shock Kit from www.midstatedmc.com: $340
Eibach Spring Kit from DMC (Midwest): $399 plus tax
2 Lower Ball Joint Boots from DMC (Midwest) $9.74 plus tax
Labor: Free! Thanks MM!

Sep 8th DeLorean Midwest Connection Fall Tech Session Wrap-Up

Posted on by Eddie

The day is over. I arrived early, left late, and when it was all over, I made several friends and my car has new shocks and springs. Highlights of the day:

-During a routine oil change, watching oil mixed with coolant drain out of the engine. The recommendation was something like “think about a new engine, or think about selling the car.” The car had previously over-heated, and may have sustained some damage.
-Impressing people with my DeLorean knowledge, yet only being an owner for a few months. “I’ve bought my car a few months ago, but I’ve been on the DML for 12 years.”
-Seeing many DeLoreans at once
-Getting a ride in an ’01 Vette
-Installing tie-rod boots all by myself
-Driving home with a smoother riding DeLorean

I’ll write up my suspension work in a separate blog. I’m waiting to get some good “after” pics once my front end settles down.

My car, before suspension work:

About to go under the knife:

Ron W’s car:

Gotta love the Eagle 3.0 liter PRV:

Many DeLoreans:

Many, many DeLoreans

I got to ride in this car later on:

My car, post-suspension work. Front springs settling in a little:

Out to dinner later on. Not your typical restaurant parking lot scene:

What a difference ten years can make

Posted on by Eddie

September 1997:

I had been on the DML for maybe a year or so, and I saw a tech event in my area was happening soon. I exchanged a few emails with another local owner, Dave S, and he invited me to come to this event. I was unbelievably excited since I hadn’t seen a DeLorean in person in several years, and never had the chance to get a close look at one. So I grabbed a buddy, my Dad’s 35mm camera, and headed out.


My 17 year-old self sitting in Dave S’s DeLorean.

I took a whole roll of photos, talked with several owners, and sat in several cars – that was tremendously exciting for this 17 year old. Up until then, a DeLorean seemed almost mythical or legendary – they were beautiful, rare, and totally unattainable. Now I had a chance to see many cars all at once, and everyone was very nice to me. In retrospect, I probably shouldn’t have invited myself to touch and sit in everyone’s cars, but no one complained. I believe this event started me towards a goal of someday owning a DeLorean.

September 2007:

I realized my dream of owning a DeLorean earlier this year, and bought VIN 16908.

Dave S opened DMC (Midwest) earlier this year, where I am a customer.

I’m headed back to the same tech session next weekend, where I’ll hopefully get my driver’s door adjusted, new shocks installed, and maybe new lowered springs.

10 years later, it’s still exciting to see several DeLoreans together and talk with the owners. I’ll be there with my camera.

Vanity Plates

Posted on by Eddie

Got my vanity license plates from the State last week. I also got a plastic cover for the front plate. No pictures, since I’m trying to protect my identity.

Costs:

State of Illinois Vanity Plates: $126.25
Smoked License Plate Cover: $4? at Murray’s Auto Parts

Breakdown #2

Posted on by Eddie

Friday August 17th, I drove the D to work. Around 1:00pm, I left work to go run an errand. Little did I know, I wouldn’t return until over 4 hours later.

On this particular day, I was driving the tollway fairly confident – speeding. While driving to my errand, I felt the car sputter a little. Is this the transmission? Great more problems. While pulling into my destination, I felt the gas go flat, and the brake pedal stiffen up. The car stalled. Lovely. I restarted it, drove it around the parking lot, and parked it. Later, after leaving, I drove down a narrow curved road with no shoulder, and it stalled again. I couldn’t get it started, so I tried pushing it up the road. I could only imagine what people were thinking as they drove past a young male trying to push and steer his DeLorean up a road. I couldn’t do it, so I tried starting again. It fired, so I drove it up the road, made another turn onto a busy street, where it stalled again. I managed to get off the road, so I could pull over to see what was up.

I didn’t panic this time. I called work to let them know I was not going to make it back to the office. Then I called Ken K, where he had me make sure the electrical connections were secure. When checking the ignition coil, I noticed it was hot. Ken said it should only be warm, and not hot. Well the coil looked original, and Ken said this might be the cause of my problems. The good news is that I’m in the city that I grew up in, and live not too far away. I used my toolkit to un-mount the coil, and walked to the local auto parts store. Now it’s almost 80 degrees, and I’m in business casual. By the time I got to the local auto parts store I was drenched in sweat. The store – I’ll call it Shmautosone – the clerk couldn’t find DeLorean in their database, and looked at me like I was crazy. The part number on the coil was barely visible, but I couldn’t read it. So I left Shmautosone, and had my brother come pick me up.

I visited another auto parts store – I’ll call it Schmadvance Puto Aarts – and they found a cross reference, but would have to order it. I decided against this part in favor of a part offered by one of the DeLorean vendors. So I returned to the D, reinstalled the old coil, and the car fired up. I drove it around the neighborhood before it could get too warm. I left it to cool again, and later drove about 2 miles to my parent’s house. On Sunday morning, I drove it about 5 miles to my house.

So the D runs good when the engine is cold. Ken K said if it’s the coil, it would work again when it cooled off. So I ordered a new one:

Can you guess which coil it the old coil? Even if the coil isn’t the problem, I’d still rather have a new coil for any performance improvements, and to improve aesthetics.

I installed the coil last night, and drove around the neighborhood for about 25 minutes. The engine was definitely warmed up, and there were no problems. And the coil was hot <shrugs>. Now I know some people reading this can point out I don’t know what I’m doing, or they would do things differently, or they would use a different coil, or they would use a different supplier, or I paid too much, etc. So what? I liked the idea of using a new exact replacement Bosch coil, and not 25 year old NOS. Besides, I’m young, and I’m learning.

Note to self: Get a Voltmeter/Ohmmeter, and learn how to use it.

Costs:


Stock Bosch Ignition Coil – $59.95 plus shipping at SpecialTAuto.com

Engine Compartment Upgrades

Posted on by Eddie

I’ve spiffed up the engine compartment a little bit. First up was the Engine Cover Support:

The old sliding bracket mounting holes were broken, so I got a new one with more mounting points from DeLorean Parts Northwest. I then simply painted the brace, spring, and screw heads with Rust-Oleum:

Next was the coolant bottle replacement, with stainless brackets. The old bottle looked bad, and had the wrong cap type. Ken K did the installation. Old:

New:

My air box sticker was the wrong sticker! I really wanted “DMC” to pop out on the engine, I want the correct sticker, I want a new looking sticker, and I want the sticker to match the Airbox Label T-Shirt I bought. Since the sticker I bought was NOS, the backing didn’t come off easily. I nearly destroyed it, but salvaged it with some double stick tape. I later found out you’re supposed to warm them up with a hair dryer, or heat gun. Even letting it sit on the dash board on a hot day might work. Oh well, it’s on and looks decent. Old:

New:

I finally added my K&N air filter. Here’ shot of the old filter, and the new K&N:

Done!

Costs (discounts and reimbursements not shown)

Rust-Oleum Bright Coat Metallic Finish Spray Paint from Home Depot: $3 – $4?
Stainless Coolant Tank from SpecialTAuto.com: $151.90
K & N air filter and cleaner from SpecialTAuto.com: $62.95
Sliding block, engine cover support from delorean-parts.com: $22.45 (shipped with door launchers)
Air Cleaner Label from DMC (Midwest): $5.95

 

Future Upgrades:

Refinish or replace Engine Cover Screen Brackets
Replace all other old, yellowed engine compartment labels
Replace Engine Cover Striker Latch (currently awaiting available replacement)
Blue Silicon Vacuum Hoses from SpecialTAuto.com
Replace broken firewall compartment cover

August 3rd Downers Grove Car Show Wrap Up

Posted on by Eddie

Orphan Cars was the featured category. This was also my first car show. I was kind of indecisive about my parking spot, but I settled on a good one in front of the Downers Grove Library. Friends and family showed up. The car got lots of attention. I answered lots of questions, and handed out many fact sheets and Save The Clock Tower flyers. A few other local owners were there, and the weather was perfect. I couldn’t have asked for a better night.


I think my car got more attention than the Shelby Cobra on the right.

New DeLoreans?

Posted on by Eddie

So the LA Times ran an article with an interview with James of DMC (Houston):

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-garage28jul28,0,7786124.story?coll=la-home-center

The article mentions DMC (Houston) will be building new cars. I believe James has mentioned in the past they’ll need to make new fiberglass underbodies since their supply is low. I believe this means new VIN tags. Which translates into “New DeLoreans.” This caught the attention of several other news outlets including Slashdot:

http://slashdot.org/articles/07/07/29/1259202.shtml

Get ready to read several hundred flux capacitor, 1.21 Gigawatts, plutonium, and cocaine jokes, and several other comments about how the car was a poor performer and all around disaster. Nothing that hasn’t been beaten to death before.

 

There are many DeLoreans available in any condition – just check ebay, and the for sale listings on various DeLorean websites. If you want one, you can find it. I believe the market for new DeLoreans would be minimal, and a DMC (Houston) refurbished DeLorean is completed mostly with news parts anyway. I don’t think we’re going to see “New DeLoreans” anytime soon.
 

DMCTalk.com has a good discussion going on this topic: http://www.dmctalk.com/showthread.php?t=6597

 

Still, I’ve had several people over the last few days say they’ve heard about the new DeLoreans coming soon. Whatever.

Door Pull Strap Repair

Posted on by Eddie

My driver’s side door pull strap came apart where the loop is sewn together. My 83′ model has the straps incorporated into the door panel. Since I already had the door apart for the door launchers, and to adjust the linkage, the break happened at a good time. The strap looks original, and is made from leather that is folded a couple times. Needless to say, I couldn’t repair it myself.

At the suggestion of my mom, I went to a local shoe repair store. The clerk wanted to know what it was, and I explained it was the pull strap for the door in my DeLorean. He was really nice, and didn’t make any jokes or stupid comments. He explained the stitching would probably give out again after some use. He sewed several rows of stitches back into the strap, which seems a lot better than what was there. Best of all, it took less than 10 minutes, and didn’t cost a fortune. I’ll definitely go back there if I ever need my shoes repaired.

Leather Pull Strap repair stitching – $5 at Woodridge Shoe Repair

(Sorry, no pics)