Wednesday, 2 October 1996 Volume 02 : Number 181
In this issue:
RE: Electrical musings
RE: Fuel Flap and Grooved Hood
DeLorean Models
DeLorean Firestar 500
RE: Avanti / Trunk Lid / Finding Parts
RE: dmcnews-digest V2 #179
Re: dmcnews-digest V2 #180
ADMIN NOTE
Re: dmcnews-digest V2 #180
Problems with DeLoreans
Re: manuals
Re: Rob Grady
X showing through the lid
Re: X showing through the lid
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From: Rob Hook
Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1996 19:12:51 -0400
Subject: RE: Electrical musings
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>I have to agree. When my radio was being installed, the headlight
>switch, whose light NEVER worked before, decided to work, then catch fire,
>then melt the switch itself.
Hmmm..... Looks like you found out what that little black doohickey was that you bypassed. :)
- --Rob Hook
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From: Rob Hook
Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1996 19:19:28 -0400
Subject: RE: Fuel Flap and Grooved Hood
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It seems to me that we had this discussion on this list a LONG time ago. =
It might have even been before the list was really a list but instead =
just the message section on David Takeuchi's web page. If I remember =
correctly, the loss of the fuel flap came somewhat before the recognized =
new model year. There are quite a few late '81s which have no fuel flap =
but the lines still in the hood. If I remember correctly again, =
somewhat said that was their favorite style. I think I'd agree.
- --Rob Hook
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From: Rob Hook
Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1996 19:16:16 -0400
Subject: DeLorean Models
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The last time I talked to the model builder, he said he'd be busy with =
two other projects (turning a long-bed model into a short bed and =
something else) until late September or early November. Looks like it's =
about time to call him again. I might just do it differently now as my =
financial situation has changed somewhat. I might just order them all =
myself and then re-sell them to the people on the list. Don't worry, I =
won't jack the price up except to cover delivery costs. Of course, I'll =
have to pay for the real DeLorean I'll have to buy to deliver the models =
in! ;) Just kidding. I'll call him and see if he's done with his =
other toys. :)
- --Rob Hook
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From: Rob Hook
Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1996 19:25:20 -0400
Subject: DeLorean Firestar 500
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I don't remember whether I posted this or not (I've been =
un-Internettable for a while) but I found some more info on the DeLorean =
Firestar 500.
It seems that this was the 'new' DeLorean which DeLorean and a Cleveland =
(I think) businessman were going to develop. From what I can tell from =
the newspaper article on it, the car would look exactly like the =
DeLorean but with a different rear end design (like the Ferrari F40 =
according to Patent information for the F40) but would have one heck of =
an engine which would give the car a top speed of over 200MPH. =
Unfortunately, I don't have any information on what happened to the =
idea. There is mention of DeLorean and the other businessman being at =
odds with each other over the businessman reporting that DeLorean was an =
equal partner when DeLorean didn't want to have too much to do with it.
There's also a whole write-up on this businessman (who's name I can't =
remember) being a cloak-and-dagger type. He claims to have been =
consulted by the White House during the watergate scandal to create a =
device which would hit the white house with a huge magnetic blast (pulse =
by today's terms) which would destroy any magnetic tapes inside. The =
article makes him sound like a crack-pot though. Oh well. I guess =
DeLorean probably decided that was the case and backed out of the deal. =
Would have been one hell of a car though.
- --Rob Hook
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From: Rob Hook
Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1996 19:33:21 -0400
Subject: RE: Avanti / Trunk Lid / Finding Parts
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AVANTI
James wrote:
>IMO, a company that still has market viability and relatively
>low start-up costs would be the former Avanti Motor
>Company. Right now the Avanti convertible is one of the
>hottest cars in status conscious So. Cal. All the tooling for
>the 2 door hardtop and convertible (and designs for a
>sedan, too, I think) is sitting in a warehouse, waiting for
>someone with approx. $3M to put it back into production.
Mike wrote:
>Unlike the DeLorean factory, which was dismantled with
>some tooling dropped into the sea, I think the Avanti plant is
>still sitting there waiting for someone with cash. BTW, I
>think they actually did produce the long-body sedan for a
>while, so that tooling probably exists already.
Actually, quite a bit of the Avanti tooling was damaged in a flood a few =
years back. I have an article somewhere about it.
Yes they did make the 4-door Avanti for a while. There was one for sale =
in D.C. just a few months ago. I remember seeing one at a car show a =
few years back too. It was straight from the factory and was being =
delivered to the person who played Batman (I can't remember the actors =
name. The newer batman; not the old one). The dealer (Roger Penn) had =
a sign on it saying "This is Batman's OTHER car!" It was a pretty =
sight. Had Elm-burl wood interior and a TV in the back seat. =20
I'd love to see the Avanti come back. My father had two of them and =
they gave him his start in the automobile business. He even engineered =
and had produced a kit to allow air-conditioning on the super-charged =
(R2) models. Anyway, this is a little off topic so I'll shut up now.
- --Rob Hook
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From: Rob Hook
Date: Tue, 1 Oct 1996 17:32:07 -0400
Subject: RE: dmcnews-digest V2 #179
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Yes we've heard about the SS replacement frames but they are rather =
expensive. The inventor is on this mailing list so I suppose he'll post =
something as well.
- --Rob Hook
------------------------------
From: JAlbin@aol.com
Date: Tue, 1 Oct 1996 20:24:44 -0400
Subject: Re: dmcnews-digest V2 #180
>I've heard similar stories about Rob, and even HAD similar (though not as
>severe) when ordering parts from Rob. My question to you, Jim, however,
>is if you were able to ascertain just how busy the shop was/is at the
>time you car was being done?
The shop is busy ... there were several more cars queued for major repairs
... rob also reconditions and sells deloreans.
One more good thing to report is that rob's mechanic, Pat is really a very
dedicated and a competent mechanic ... a professional. It's interesting that
independently, they both made the same statment to me "half the work we do is
fixing something that someone else screwed up"
- - jim albin
------------------------------
From: James Espey
Date: Tue, 1 Oct 96 19:28:37 -0800
Subject: ADMIN NOTE
As of late, we;ve had SEVERAL messages get posted to the list with
improper subject lines. Everyone (especially the digest subscribers)
needs to make sure that your subject lines are accurate, and not "Re:
dmcnews-digest V1#XXX"
Thanks!
James "Mikasa" Espey
Moderator, DeLorean Mailing List
http://www.dmcnews.com
------------------------------
From: "Falcon"
Date: Tue, 1 Oct 1996 22:38:01 -0700
Subject: Re: dmcnews-digest V2 #180
How much to the prices on DeLoreans' depreciate (bad speller). What was
the original cost of the vehicle when it first came out? How has it
changed? And, how do you know if you're getting ripped off, if some guy
tries to sell you one? I mean how do you get the value of the car?
This guy is selling an '81 Delorean w/ 21k miles on it. He says it's in
exc. condition, and he's selling it for $13500. Is is a good deal? What
kinds of questions should I ask him about it?
- -FK (Soon To Be DeLorean Owner)
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From: "Falcon"
Date: Tue, 1 Oct 1996 22:44:48 -0700
Subject: Problems with DeLoreans
Those of you that own DeLoreans, what kinds of problems have you had during
the life of your car? Do you regret owning your vehicle? What are some of
the major cons in owning this car. What kind of maintainence problems have
you had? Have you ever needed to replace a common part, and havn't been
able to find it? Sense the car is discontinued, how do you find simple
parts for it?
- -Falcon
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From: "Marvin S. Sterling"
Date: Wed, 02 Oct 1996 01:51:18 -0700
Subject: Re: manuals
GunkelWWW@aol.com wrote:
>
> Hi everyone!
>
Big snip .......
>
> Marv wrote...(even a long time ago...)
>
> >The original, and still available tires, are Goodyear NCT's, they are
> >HR rated ... the original spec's were going to use Pirelli P7's but
> >the NCT's were deemed better. Reprints of the manuals are available
> >from the DeLorean Motor Club of America ... check the Web Home Page
> >for availability. Best regards,
> >Marv Sterling vin # 16000
>
> what is the DeLorean Motor Club of America?? I only know the DOA!?
>
One and the same =8-)
Marv
------------------------------
From: "Marvin S. Sterling"
Date: Wed, 02 Oct 1996 02:04:56 -0700
Subject: Re: Rob Grady
malevy@lucent.com wrote:
>
> Rob would have more time to work on the cars if he spent less time on the
> phone with us. This would suck for most of us that don't want to drive
> through the potholes of Brooklyn every time we have a quick question.
> (Well, Most of you take the GWB, but that is the long way!)
>
- --------------------------------------------
My 2 cents worth. My mechanic, who is also a DeLorean noted shop
(Parkway Service Center in Whitestone, NY) was walked through installing
a clutch and slave cylinder assembly by Rob Grady. Rob supplied the
parts but gave my guy plenty of phone time and directions on exactly how
to do the job . . . . and has done so with regard to a number of other
jobs. The last time my D was at Rob's shop it was flat bedded there
because he and my guy concluded that it just wasn't safe to drive it (
had I only known that while I was doing about 90 on rte 80 from Bayonne
NJ back to Whitestone. Rob even delivered my D bringing it back on his
flat bed and not charging an excessive fee for doing it.
Regards,
Marv Sterling
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From: andreas@tradesoft.se
Date: Wed, 2 Oct 1996 11:14:05 +0100
Subject: X showing through the lid
Hi
I'm going to buy a DeLorean and as I live in Sweden I don't have many to
choose from. I've found two and on one of them you can see a "X" showing
through the lid. I read something in the latest dmcnews that suggested
that washing the car might be the reason for this. If I buy the otherone
I wouldn't want the same thing to happen to it.
If anyone has any experience to share about this I would be grateful.
Andreas Ludwig
------------------------------
From: raddad@cmn.net
Date: Wed, 2 Oct 1996 06:50:41 -0600
Subject: Re: X showing through the lid
>Hi
>
>I'm going to buy a DeLorean and as I live in Sweden I don't have many to
>choose from. I've found two and on one of them you can see a "X" showing
>through the lid. I read something in the latest dmcnews that suggested
>that washing the car might be the reason for this. If I buy the otherone
>I wouldn't want the same thing to happen to it.
>
>If anyone has any experience to share about this I would be grateful.
>
>Andreas Ludwig
Regarding the "X", I suspect that the older the cars get, the more you will
run into this syndrome. It's not the washing, per se, that causes the "X",
but the use of too much pressure when washing/polishing/blending on the
hood (lid/bonnet/etc.). I had a slightly noticeable "X" begin to appear
over 8 years ago. I immediately became more careful in my approach to the
lid and have not seen any further deterioration.
Dick Ryan
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End of dmcnews-digest V2 #181
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