Category: Upgrades

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!

Why blog about an oil change? It’s just an oil change, right? Wrong! This is my first time performing an oil change with The D, and only my second time ever performing an oil change!

Story: Someone I know went to a 10-Minute type oil change place. They forgot to put the drain plug back in. The person paid, drove off, and the engine seized. Result: 10-Minute type oil change place had to pay for a new engine and installation. But then, maybe if this happened to me, I could get the oil change place to buy me a Stage II Engine from DMC (Houston)….

Story: A 10-Minute type Oil change place once wanted to charge me $50 for an oil change. Why? They added a synthetic oil charge. I didn’t ask for synthetic oil. When I complained, they removed the charge. Did they fill my car with synthetic oil? They didn’t say they did, and I never figured that out. Why am I telling this? I don’t want to be overcharged, and I don’t want synthetic oil in The D.

Fact: 10-Minute type oil change places will try to get you to buy other consumables at an inflated cost. New air filters, light bulbs, washer fluid, etc. This stuff is inexpensive, and easy to replace yourself. I once had a 10-Minute type oil change place try to sell me a replacement brake light. I declined, and later discovered my bulb wasn’t even burned out. I never went back there again.

Fact: You can’t choose from different brands of oil and filters at a 10-Minute Type Oil Change Place. I don’t want cheap oil and cheap filters. I want quality Castrol GTX oil, and Bosch filters.

Anyway, as the saying goes, if you want something done right, you should do it yourself. After some research on the DML and DMCTalk.com, I’m ready to attempt my first oil change with The D.

Mileage: Almost 26K, probably just around 3K since the last change. Previous owner used 10w 40, and didn’t use a copper crush washer on the drain plug. I’m going to be using 20w 50 for the hot summer weather, and also at the recommendation of DMC (Midwest).

Ramps. I’ve read about people backing their car onto ramps without problems. I’ve driven up the ramps on my daily driver, but never backed up them. After a few tries, I nailed it.

(Camera wasn’t charged, so I used the Treo)

I’ve heard about people covering their frame with aluminum foil to prevent oil spilling all over. People even suggest creating a channel for the oil to guide it into your pan. Sounds like a good plan.

I have the stock drain plug, which has an 8mm square hole in it. Huh? I don’t have a tool for it, and most DeLorean owners just make their own tool for the plug. I went to hardware stores, but couldn’t find any 5/16^th key stock to make a tool for the hex head. I eventually settled on an 8mm hex key from Menards. I then took a dremel tool with a grinding bit to grind the end of it into a square. The key now fit into the drain plug perfectly. I still couldn’t budge the damn thing. I used a hammer to aid my effort, and eventually knocked it loose.

Oil!

I had already ordered a replacement drain plug. I didn’t want to worry about finding the tool for the drain plug for each oil change, and I’d much rather use a socket and ratchet to remove the plug. I decided on a stainless steel drain plug with an external 17mm hex head. I skipped the magnetic one, in favor of stainless since it fits with the theme of the car. I couldn’t use the ratchet on it at first since the frame is close to the plug. I ended up using a crescent wrench to get it started. I’ll have to buy a simple flat open-ended 17mm wrench for next time. I’m also glad I ordered a replacement plug, since it looks like my stock plug has seen better days:

You can’t see it, but the hex key has been squared off

I bought a new covered drain pan to catch the oil. It works great since it’s hard to spill, and when you accidently drop the hot drain plug, it stays separate from the oil.

I wrapped the frame in foil where the filter sits. I cleaned off the old oil filter, and was able to remove it with my hand. I filled the new Bosch filter with some oil, rubbed oil on the gasket, and installed it. Went on smoothly.

I added about 6.5 quarts, and started the car. Drove it down the ramps, and checked the level. I added more oil to get the needed level. Everything looks good.

Notes

-I painted my garage earlier this year with an epoxy paint. After two oil changes, I can definitely say the floor paint was worth the money and effort. Seemingly inevitable oil spots/spills clean up very easily, and won’t stain your concrete.

-The gallon containers of oil are nice. They cost less than 4 individual quarts, they have level markings showing where a quart is, and you can reuse them for recycling your old oil.

-It took me less than 2 hours to change the oil. It probably took more time to write up this blog entry.

Supplies/Costs

One-time:
Ramps: on hand ($25 – $30 at Meijer?)
8mm Hex Key: $1 at Menards
Dremel Tool to grind down hex key: on hand
Hammer to hit Hex key to knock drain plug loose: on hand
Stainless Drain Plug: $12.95 SpecialTAuto.com
Covered 15 QT Drain Pan: $8.88 Advance Auto Parts
Funnel: on hand (one from a funnel set purchased in a dollar store?)

Consumables:
(2) 1 Gallon Castrol GTX 20W50 Oil: $11.38 from Advance Auto Parts (about 1 QT left over)
Bosch Oil Filter: $6.95 from SpecialTAuto.com (includes copper crush washer)
Aluminum Foil: On hand in the kitchen
Crescent wrench to start drain plug install: on hand
Simple Green: On hand
Paper towels: On hand
Old Newspaper: On hand

Ken Koncelik noticed that my passenger tail lights were acting flaky. The original board was damaged, so Ken offered to have a replacement sent to me. It’s nice to have properly working brake lights.

Here’s the old board, and the new updated board already installed.

$59.75 from PJ Grady