Back to DeLorean Mailing List Page. Return to Back Issues page.
Having problems with these pages? Have a good idea for the back Issues? Email me at: backissues(AT)dmcnews.com
Member of the LinkExchange
Wednesday, 10 April 1996 Volume 02 : Number 099
In this issue:
DeLorean world
JZD adress
Winter use?
DMC Outside and Reliability
So...
Re: dmcnews-digest V2 #98
Re: dmcnews-digest V2 #98
Re: dmcnews-digest V2 #98
Re: dmcnews-digest V2 #98
Re: DeLorean Tires and Such from
Specialty Automotive
ADMIN NOTE
lowering your delorean
[none]
Delorean
Fuel distributor woes
Waterpump, Starting Problems, List Administrivia [longish]
VIN Number
----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: mack777(AT)ix.netcom.com (James McBurney)
Date: Sat, 6 Apr 1996 12:04:35 -0800
Subject: DeLorean world
Does anybody have any back issues of DeLorean world that they would be
interested in selling? I am not a member of DOA, but anyone who knows
were I can get them or is willing to sell replys would be very helpful.
Thanks
------------------------------
From: mack777(AT)ix.netcom.com (James McBurney)
Date: Sat, 6 Apr 1996 18:42:32 -0800
Subject: JZD adress
Does anyone have JZD adress? I learned that he moved out of his house
in N.J.
------------------------------
From: mack777(AT)ix.netcom.com (James McBurney)
Date: Sat, 6 Apr 1996 18:37:48 -0800
Subject: Winter use?
pay 15,000 for one I expect to drive it in the winter (cold weather,
not in snow storms). Does anyone have experience in driving in the
winter? will the car start in cold weather? If not what does it take to
Bring the car up to winter par. Also I am pondering with the notion of
Buying a DeLorean for around 7,000-9,000 that needs work, do any of
you, with experience in DeLoreans know if this is a good idea? will I
have to shell out more money in repairs than buying one in good shape?
BTW does anyone know of any famous people that own DeLoreans?
Thanks
~Dan
------------------------------
From:
Date: Sun, 7 Apr 96 09:21:50 +0100
Subject: DMC Outside and Reliability
DRAVEN writes:
>question...I know that a lot of you guys drive your D on a regular
>basis and you hold that even with 90,000 miles on her you would not
>hesitat to 'drive her cross country tomorrow'...now, I dont own one
>YET, but I am worried about this. I hear that they dont start in the
>rain, snow, cold...and I live in Maryland (not known for its tropical
>weather) and WHEN I buy one I wish to use it regularly. Will she be
>ok if I covered her every night? Or would I NEED a garage?
> concerned...thanks
>MacLeod
>There can be only one...
I live in a Chicagoland suburb and I use my DeLorean everyday of the
year. I also do not cover the car or have a garage. It survives all
Chicago's nasty weather and always starts.
Bryan Pearce
------------------------------
From: RedGTV6(AT)aol.com
Date: Sun, 7 Apr 1996 13:32:32 -0400
Subject: So...
So... if J.Z.D.'s company was still alive today, what kind of cars do you
think he'd be selling now? Would there still be gullwing DeLoreans? Would
they be overweight, underpowered personal luxo mobiles? Anybody care to start
something here?
Just thinking
Ray Iadanza
94 Golf 3 LE (modern day telephone booth)
85 Alfa GTV-6 (Why is there a radio in this car? Who wouldn't want to listen
to this engine?)
------------------------------
From: Delornut(AT)aol.com
Date: Sun, 7 Apr 1996 21:30:59 -0400
Subject: Re: dmcnews-digest V2 #98
Re: Lowered DeLoreans
When the DeLorean is lowered it produces a slight negative camber of the rear
wheel but it's no worse than many Corvettes of the late seventies. It can be
corrected by shortening the lower control arms. The DeLorean Motor Center in
Garden Grove, Ca sells an adjustable lower control arm but I haven't noticed
any wear that I'd call considerable with the original arms on my lowered
DeLorean. I've been running Yokohama AVS Intermediates and have made several
long trips without problems. These tires work very well with the DeLorean in
both wet and dry conditions. They're much quieter tha Goodyears.
DeLornut
------------------------------
From: michael richard pack
Date: Mon, 8 Apr 1996 00:16:50 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Re: dmcnews-digest V2 #98
Look in the May 1996 Road&Track mag. A VERY short article on the
DeLorean's powerplant, and cross referene to a 1987 Peugeot 505STX.
Page 181.
------------------------------
From: michael richard pack
Date: Mon, 8 Apr 1996 00:16:50 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Re: dmcnews-digest V2 #98
Look in the May 1996 Road&Track mag. A VERY short article on the
DeLorean's powerplant, and cross referene to a 1987 Peugeot 505STX.
Page 181.
------------------------------
From: michael richard pack
Date: Mon, 8 Apr 1996 00:31:25 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Re: dmcnews-digest V2 #98
BOWIE BRITISH CAR DAY
SUNDAY JUNE 23, 1996
ALLEN POND PARK
BOWIE MARYLAND
INTERSECTION OF MD. ROUTE 50, AND MD. ROUTE 197.
LAST YEAR THERE WERE HUNDREDS OF BRITISH CARS ON DISPLAY. THE DELOREAN
IS AN IRISH/BRITISH CAR. ROB GRADY FROM P.J. DELOREAN CAME WITH HIS
BRITISH RACING GREEN D AND WE ATTRACTED HUNDREDS OF FANS. LETS SEE HOW
MANY DELOREANS WE CAN GET THIS YEAR.
MORE INFO:
MIKE PACK
MEMBER # 4743
DELOREAN OWNERS ASSOCIATION
mrpack(AT)wam.umd.edu
301-314-0376
LOOK FOR AN AD IN DELOREAN WORLD.
FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT ARE NOT IN THE DELOREAN OWNERS ASSOCIATION PLEASE
JOIN. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE AN OWNER TO JOIN.
WRITE TO:
DELOREAN OWNERS ASSOCIATION
MEMBERSHIP DATA CENTERE
C/O JOHN F. TRUSCOTT
879 RANDOLPH ROAD
SANTA BARBARA CALIFORNIA 93111
DUES ARE $60.00 PER YEAR, AND WELL WORTH IT.
LIVE THE DREAM...DRIVE THE DELOREAN TODAY.
------------------------------
From: myjak(AT)tridis.ist.ucf.edu (Michael Myjak)
Date: Mon, 8 Apr 1996 08:59:16 -0400
Subject: Re: DeLorean Tires and Such from
In response to James Espey's tire search Chase Clark
writes:
> As far as rotating tires, you can rotate the tires from one side to
> the other, but not diagonally front to back.
Chase, You cannot assume that you can rotate tires from side to
side. Some of the newer tires incorporate a directional tread
design which does not permit them to be swapped from side to side. I
should qualify that... because you can always take the tire off the
rim and swap tires (*but* not wheels).
I also had pretty poor experience with pirelli tires. I had such a
bad wabble/shimmy in the front that I ended up replacing them. I went
through a set of BF Goodrich Comp T/As, because they were the only
235/60HR15's I could find. Wore them out... then replaced them again
with a set of GoodYear Eagle Aquatreads for about $500 and it made a
world of difference in drivability. I put 195/60HR14's on the front
(identical to the NCTs..) and 225/60HR15's on the rear. They don't
make a 235/60 aquatread and the 1cm difference in width and 6mm shorter
height so milage and ride height weren't affected by enough to notice.
- - Michael D. Myjak
Senior Research Scientist
Institute for Simulation and Training
The University of Central Florida
Don't forget... 10% from Swedish Auto just for mentioning this list!
------------------------------
From: Knut S Grimsrud
Date: Mon, 08 Apr 96 07:48:00 PDT
Subject: Specialty Automotive
Has anyone heard from Darryl at Specialty Automotive recently? With
prime DMC tinkering season coming up, I am preparing to fix up a few
little nuisances I accumulated over the last winter and miss my favorite
source for parts.
Knut Grimsrud
DOA Chapter 41
------------------------------
From: James Espey
Date: Mon, 8 Apr 1996 20:49:37 -0700 (MST)
Subject: ADMIN NOTE
Time for the mid-month catch up, everyone...as many of you know, I just
moved into a new place, and by not knowing when to quit, I further
stirred things up by getting a new computer, too. Just got back online
Monday night, actually. With any luck, things should be getting back to
normal fairly soon - unless I get a social life and then all bets are off.
Many people have pointed out to me that the list seems to have a mind of
its own at times. Careful research has proven that all of the recent
problems have been due to "operator malfunction". PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE
watch what you're doing when you post to the list - if your email
software is set up to automatically include the FULL TEXT of the message
you are responding to, EDIT IT OUT! That's why digests seem to be
repeating themselves.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE - just post your message ONCE. Recently multiple
messages have begun appearing - if you're not sure whether or not your
mail was sent, wait a day and see, don't automatically send it again.
Also, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE - Edit the SUBJECT line of your responses. It
makes it MUCH MUCH easier to find what your looking for when you get each
new issue AND in the archives (honest, I'll update them soon!).
The list needs all the activity it can get, and I encourage everyone to
participate, but please pay attention to what you're doing. I hope this
didn't sound too harsh - I really appreciate all the nice comments and
everyone who posts to the list. I'll have a total subscriber count later
this week (as soon as I find the box that has the "list-owner
instructions" in it).
Thanks again to you all - keep them cards and letters coming!
James Espey
Running out of clean clothes and still haven't hooked up the washer and dryer...
------------------------------
From: JAlbin(AT)aol.com
Date: Tue, 9 Apr 1996 13:24:06 -0400
Subject: lowering your delorean
I also had softer (lower riding) springs put on my dmc12. before I did it
you could not
ride down the road and hold a cup of coffee ... new springs (and shocks) BIG
comfort difference.
------------------------------
From: Jeff Frailey
Date: Wed, 10 Apr 1996 11:34:25 -0500
Subject: [none]
Hello all,
I've been listening a while, and thanks for all the tips. I am actually
going to drive my new D home this weekend. I don't think the previous owner
can stand to watch me work on it in his garage any longer. My friend never
really wanted to sell it.
You should have heard the roar of the engine as I started it for the first
time... the stainless steel headers and exhaust give a it thunderous sound.
Oh ya', it only took one key turn.
BTW, to explain why I'm so proud, I had to do a little work on the D to get
it to it's current state of operation, and there is more I would like to do,
but for all you potential buyers out there... While I do consider myself
technically minded the only other car I have worked on was my 1960 Jeep that
I had in college. So I'm no auto-guru but the Delorean isn't hard to
understand or work on. Now if I could just trade my tools in for a metric set.
As for the previous discussions concerning insurance... some of you are
getting robbed. I'm 25, single, 1 speeding ticket, 1 accident under $300
damage, and live in the greater Chicago Land area. I only get insurance
from reputable companys and I still pay about $350 / 6 mo. for
$100k/$300k/$100k coverage on the D (with a multi-car discount). The car
is insured for $15,000 with a $500 dollar deductible. I rarley hear of
anyone benifiting from a low deductible, usually the insurance company will
stick it to ya' some how. I only use insurance for catastrophes.
I'm not sure if the insurance info. helps or just pisses ya' off, but now
you know.
Not that it is a good thing to have a car with hi miles, but it is good to
know that cars like yours are still running well after collecting a lot of
miles. My D has 104,500 miles and it looks and runs great for an '81
vehicle of any make or model. I have heard of a guy who has over 200,000
miles on his D. Has anyone else reached this range? How's it going?
Anything I need to watch out for soon?
One more thing... I just put on new brake pads and disks, but my peddle
still has a lot of travel to it for my liking. I know there is an
adjustment for the peddle, but is it something I can do real quick before
getting on the road? I would appreciate any direction on how to tackle
this. Thanks.
Spring is here (as far as my De Lorean is concerned)
Best Regards,
B.C.
------------------------------
From: .(AT)arl-mail-svc-1.compuserve.com, (AT)compuserve.com(AT)world.std.com
Date: Wed, 10 Apr 1996 13:42:57 -0400
Subject: Delorean
Lokking for Delorean to buy. please contact
------------------------------
From: ssykes(AT)cygnus.rsabbs.com (Scott Sykes)
Date: Wed, 10 Apr 1996 18:26:55 -0400
Subject: Fuel distributor woes
Looking for a new fuel distributor gasket.
The effects of water, time, and inactivity have taken their toll on my poor
DeLorean's fuel system. The worst case of fuel contamination my mechanic
has ever seen.
After cleaning, flushing, and installing new injectors I'm left with good
running engine but a leaking fuel distributor. It had to be disassembled to
be cleaned. We can't locate a replacement gasket only new or rebuilt fuel
distributors.
Any ideas on where to obtain a replacement gasket or substitute?
Thanks,
Scott Sykes
ssykes(AT)rsabbs.com
------------------------------
From: jory bell
Date: Wed, 10 Apr 1996 12:08:33 -0700
Subject: Waterpump, Starting Problems, List Administrivia [longish]
A while back I remember James saying there would be a "realtime" list. Any
progress here? I really hate digests, since it makes searching for and
retaining interesting messages/topics tricky. Also, evey realtime list I am
on benefits from a greater sense of interaction and dialogue on partticular
issues.
Also, with each digest, I am currently receiving an enclosure entitled
"WINMAIL.DAT" This seems like a problem with the listserv software...
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
On to DMC tech and my ongoing restoration/rebuild...
Well, after replacing my waterpump (and every cooling system hose) about a
month ago, the new waterpump failed after just a few hundred miles. Arrggh.
One of the things that is a real pain about replacing the waterpump
(assuming what I had was original/stock) is that the pulley is pressed onto
the pump shaft. Also, the replacement volvo pump has a longer shaft which
either sticks out beyond the end of the pulley or must be machined down.
When I first replaced my pump, I machined out the old shaft, then pressed
on the pulley to the new pump with a press then machined off the "excess"
pump shaft. Kind of annoying since it means you basically need a machine
shop to do the job.
Also, when replacing the waterpump with the pressfit, there is always the
danger of damaging the pulley with the press... particularly when removing
the pulley from the old pump.
This whole process is made all the more annoying, since the Volvo waterpump
has a keyway designed to lock the pulley on without the press fit.
So, the second time around, I decided to adapt the Delorean pulley to work
with a stock volvo pump using the intended locking arbor key.
To this end, I purchased a 15MM reamer, a 4MM broach and a 15MM diameter
4MM broach guide. I then reamed the pulley (on the lathe) to be a slide fit
on the waterpump pulley. I then broached the reamed hole so it has a keyway
to match the one on the waterpump shaft.
In order to get the right offset on the pulley, I machined 2 spacers (one
for each side of the pulley on the waterpump shaft). All of this is
assembled with the appropriate arbor key, and held together with a 12MM (I
think that's the size) bolt and wave washer (there is a threaded hole in
the stock volvo waterpump for this purpose).
Now I can replace my waterpump in the field (so to speak) with conventional
tools. Yay!
I am much happier with the new arrangement. I can't Imagine why DMC did not
do this in the first place, since they were already making a custom
pulley... weird.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Anyways, I am now using my DMC to commute a few days a week to from San
Francisco to the South Bay. It is running quite nicely on the highway, but
is idling poorly, and sometimes has trouble starting (it will simply not
catch for up to 15 minutes... but this has onlyhappened 3 times). Each time
it had trouble starting, it had been driven for a bit, and then sat for 1-3
hours. However, this same regimen does not necessarily cause the problem
(necessary but not sufficient, etc). Other times it starts after just a
couple turns (2-5 seconds)
The rough (warm) idle seems to have resurfaced since I took everything
apart for the second waterpump replacement, but I can find nothing
wrong/different from the earlier assembly, when the warm idle was quite
smooth (still a bit rough when cold)
For background, in order to get it smogged and running smoothly, I
originally ended up replacing the warmup regulator, injectors, and injector
seals. I also put in new plug wires, plugs, distributor cap, checked
ignition timing, replaced all engine compartment vacuum tubes and untangled
the mess that had been made of the eletrical system (though that may be an
ongoing project ;) While replacinhg the waterpump, I replaced all the
sensors in the waterway/plenum thing (temp,etc) and the thermo-time switch.
Oh yeah, I also put in a new O2 sensor on the theory that they die all thee
time anyway. I already wrote about my complete brake system rebuild.
However, I'd certainly appreciate any assistance diagnosing my starting
problem.
I am currently considering being lazy and having a valve adjustment done by
an actual shop (ick), and I am contemplating putting in a new fuel metering
head, though the fuel pressure seems OK. I don't think these will affect
the warm idle though, especially since it seemed OK before the recent
(second) waterpump replacement.
Anyway, enough of my rambling, I look forward to any help/comments.
- -jory
------------------------------
From: hansolo(AT)xis.com (Joel Baum)
Date: Wed, 10 Apr 1996 20:34:16 -0400
Subject: VIN Number
Hello everyone. I was wondering if someone could send me the entire VIN of
their Delorean. I need the VIN so that I can obtain a catalog from Delorean
One (I do not own a D myself, however I want to see how much parts cost).
Delorean One will not send a catalog without the entire VIN #. Thanks!!!
--Joel
Joel Baum
hansolo(AT)xis.com
Joel Baum's Home Page
http://www.xis.com/~hansolo/
------------------------------
End of dmcnews-digest V2 #99
**************************** Go to previous digest | Go to next digest.
Back to DeLorean Mailing List Page.
Return to Back Issues page.
Having problems with these pages? Have a good idea for the back Issues? Email me at: backissues(AT)dmcnews.com
Member of the LinkExchange