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Monday, 9 September 1996 Volume 02 : Number 168
In this issue:
My New Plates
DeLoreans on Television
VIN #10213 is MINE!
Re: DeLoreans in the movies
Re: DeLoreans in the movies
Re: VIN #10213 is MINE!
DeLorean in Simpsons!
Delorean Stainless Steel Illusions book for sale
Profile - Bryan Pearce
DML SUBSCRIBER - Geren Piltz
Re: Custom Wheels
Rear Drive Noise
Re: Rear Drive Noise
Takes several times to start my D
Fuel sensor shot
Back home again!
Re: Takes several times to start my D
Re: Twin Turbo DeLoreans
Any repair chains do front-end alignments?
Re: BTTF 3 smash-up, Simpsons, rear-end whine, hard
----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: CarlIanNew(AT)aol.com
Date: Fri, 6 Sep 1996 17:09:07 -0400
Subject: My New Plates
Just received my new plates (NY). You won't see them on the road til
next spring as I work through the car. I am happy with my choice:
"D LOREAN".
Still waiting for my DOA membership number so I can order the tech manuals,
as well as, any advice on how to recondition enamel flaking, pitted rims and
how to adjust the door hang (they brush the top of the car).
Congratulations to those with their successful rendevzous.
Carl Newman
#1704 (a.k.a D LOREAN)
------------------------------
From: Delornut(AT)aol.com
Date: Fri, 6 Sep 1996 20:40:09 -0400
Subject: DeLoreans on Television
In the early 1980's there was a television series called MATT HOUSTON
starring Lee Horsley. The show quickly evolved beyond its original concept of
a rich detective who chased bad guys using his fleet of fancy cars. After the
first two episodes the cars took a back seat to his computer but the first
two episodes starred the DeLorean. The opening scenes of that first episode
had him crashing his XKE roadster into a fountain. The rest of the hour had
scene after scene of Matt cruising the streets of L.A. in his DeLorean. Near
the end of that episode he drove into his garage and complemented his sexy
girl mechanic on the twin turbo installation she had recently done. The
second episode also had the DeLorean featured exclusively and then in episode
three, it suddenly disappeared and never reappeared during the ensuing years.
Someone on the production staff must have known John DeLorean because the
two episodes were almost hour long commercials for the car. I'd love to get a
tape of those two hours. Does anyone have any idea how to go about finding
them? Matt Houston isn't listed as having been released to video.
Two little known movies featuring the DeLorean are; a really poor imitation
of Matt Houston, featuring maybe too much skin for some peoples taste called
"MALIBU EXPRESS" and a downright porno flick called ,ahmm...."BACKSIDES TO
THE FUTURE". I'm not really endorsing these films but I thought them
interesting because of the DeLorean connection. It seems we all clammer after
anything related to car.
Bruce Benson
------------------------------
From: "Mr. THX"
Date: Fri, 6 Sep 1996 22:07:50 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: VIN #10213 is MINE!
Hi all,
It's mine. A 1982 gray 5-speed VIN #10213. It was purchased from
Lance Motors here in NJ. Apparently someone on the list got the one before
mine, but I got a call from them saying that they had a second one
available.
It's gorgeous. Not a scratch or ding on the outside. 40k miles on
the inside. The problems I have with it now are:
Trunk cable snapped at the bolt on the inside. Will fix tomorrow I hope.
Gas tank sensor is shot.
I hate the radio. The previous owner put a JVC in there. UGH!
Cigarette lighter is rusty. Need to clean or replace.
Steering 'jitters' over 45 MPH. Need to have front aligned.
The GOOD NEWS is that the previous owner had EVERYTHING. Tech manual,
service manual, owner's manual, and some other goodies. Electrical
schematics, diagrams of the trans, and on and on and on. Bedside reading!
The BAD NEWS is that the Florida DMV put the WRONG SERIAL # on the title!
They forgot the 'SC' in the beginning so now I can't register the car in
NJ!!!! I have a DeLorean that I can't drive. No worry, there are LEGAL
ways around that. I'll have my car on the road tomorrow. I spent 4 *&*(AT)*#&
hours at the NJ DMV only to have them tell me they can't register my D. I
have to have the Florida title fixed IN FLORIDA. My dealer will be taking
care of that for me, but believe me...it was a long way down from the
cloud I was on this afternoon.
Already the car has gotten stares. The most common question is about
parts. I say I'm not worried about that, but if anyone read this far
(hehe) I'd like to know if there's a list of parts that are hard to find.
It shifts well. Reverse was hard to master. Maybe I should have gotten an
automatic, but that's irrelevant now. Did I mention that I hate the radio?
My mom gave me her old Clarion which I will be installing. Anyone have
success with CD players?
Now my Saturn SL1 goes to my wife who desperately needed a car for school.
I will be driving my D to work every day.
Any radio installation tips?
Mike (VIN #10213)
------------------------------
From: time(AT)Traveller.COM (Back to the Future...The Fan Club)
Date: Fri, 6 Sep 1996 21:38:25 -0500
Subject: Re: DeLoreans in the movies
>Last night I was watching Rocky 3, within the first 15 minutes or so, when
>they were showing Rocky gettin rich. If you watch the magazines they flash
>on the screen one of them is him standing next to a Delorean (w/ the doors
>up). Did he (Stallone) own one in real life? I also saw a Delorean in
>Beverly Hills cop 1 (just the nose of it). I can't quite remember but it
>was either a Briklyn or Delorean parked in a parking lot w/ the doors up,
>in one of The Cannonball Run movies. Are there any other sightings in the
>movies.
> Just senseless babble, see ya
> Josh
Oh, let's see. Well, there were three movies that I can think of that come
to mind that had a DeLorean in them. They made a couple of dollars when
they came out in theaters - perhaps you've heard of them. They were,
respectively, Back to the Future, Back to the Future Part II, and Back to
the Future Part III. Some people say that they had a little bit to do with
the popularity and value of the DMC, but not everybody agrees with me on=
that.
To Be Continued...
Stephen M. Clark, President
Back to the Future=99...The Fan Club
11101 Cardinal Drive
Madison, AL 35758-5803
Voice/Fax: (205) 230-6288
E-mail: time(AT)traveller.com
URL: http://www.traveller.com/~bttf/
------------------------------
From: Kevin MacDougall
Date: Fri, 6 Sep 1996 23:08:50 -0400
Subject: Re: DeLoreans in the movies
At 09:38 PM 9/6/96 -0500, Josh wrote:
>>Last night I was watching Rocky 3, within the first 15 minutes or so, when
>>they were showing Rocky gettin rich. If you watch the magazines they flash
>>on the screen one of them is him standing next to a Delorean (w/ the doors
>>up). Did he (Stallone) own one in real life? I also saw a Delorean in
>>Beverly Hills cop 1 (just the nose of it). I can't quite remember but it
>>was either a Briklyn or Delorean parked in a parking lot w/ the doors up,
>>in one of The Cannonball Run movies. Are there any other sightings in the
>>movies.
>> Just senseless babble, see ya
>> Josh
>
>Oh, let's see. Well, there were three movies that I can think of that come
>to mind that had a DeLorean in them. They made a couple of dollars when
>they came out in theaters - perhaps you've heard of them. They were,
>respectively, Back to the Future, Back to the Future Part II, and Back to
>the Future Part III. Some people say that they had a little bit to do with
>the popularity and value of the DMC, but not everybody agrees with me on=
that.
>
>
>To Be Continued...
>
>Stephen M. Clark, President
>Back to the Future=99...The Fan Club
>11101 Cardinal Drive
>Madison, AL 35758-5803
>Voice/Fax: (205) 230-6288
>E-mail: time(AT)traveller.com
>URL: http://www.traveller.com/~bttf/
>
I think BTTF is a known D. movie even people who know nothing of auto's or=
the D
know "the car from Back To The Future"The name Delorean is used throughout
the movie.
The BTTF triology is great and everything except they butchered the interior
and exterior of numerous Deloreans(post exacts if you know).the worst is
that they completely crushed a D. in the end of BTTF 3.If anybody knows for
a fact
that it was not real but a model or special effects let me know then I can
stop sending rude e-mail to rob zemeckis.
Kevin MacDougall(VIN# hopeful)
------------------------------
From: mikasa(AT)goodnet.com
Date: Fri, 06 Sep 1996 23:42:13 -0500
Subject: Re: VIN #10213 is MINE!
At 10:07 PM 9/6/96 -0400, you wrote:
>Hi all,
> It's mine. A 1982 gray 5-speed VIN #10213. It was purchased from
>Lance Motors here in NJ. Apparently someone on the list got the one before
>mine, but I got a call from them saying that they had a second one
>available.
Congrats! Another '82 owner on the list! Keep us posted!
James
#10570
------------------------------
From: Scott Tester
Date: Sat, 7 Sep 1996 01:18:06 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: DeLorean in Simpsons!
A friend told me that there was an episode of the Simpson's that
had a DeLorean in it. He said that the owner was a crazy 80's
guy and showed him and the car throughout the show. If anybody knows
if this is true or not let me know.
------------------------------
From: "Scott J. Dygert"
Date: Sat, 07 Sep 1996 15:54:07 +0000
Subject: Delorean Stainless Steel Illusions book for sale
Hello,
I have a copy of John Lamm's Delorean Stainless Steel Illusions for
sale. The book still has its original jacket, with a minor tear(1-inch)
in the upper corner, otherwise the book itself is absolutely in pristine
condition. Please e-mail me at sjdygert(AT)snet.net if interested.
Regards,
Scott J. Dygert
------------------------------
From:
Date: Sat, 7 Sep 96 15:33:37 +0100
Subject: Profile - Bryan Pearce
Since I was unable to attend the National Expo, I figured that this would
be a good opportunity for other members of the list to get to know me a
little:
I am 27 years old and was born and raised in the various suburbs of
Chicago. I married in October 1995 and, as of yet, don't have any
children. My educational background is in Physics, Computer Science, and
Information Systems. I try to limit my computer exposure as much as
possible, but when I have to work, I am addicted to Apple Computer
technology. I started my computer career with an Apple II in the late
70's and founded Deneb Corporation in 1992 for the purpose of providing
Macintosh ONLY technical support and custom solutions.
I find that I am drawn to things that are unique in approach or present
new ways of doing things, probably the reason I have a NeXT computer
(along with my Macs of course) and a DeLorean.
The DeLorean is my only car and has been very reliable after the rebuild
a couple of years ago onto the Stainless Steel frame. I purchased the
car in Dec. 1990 and drove it till the original frame gave up. I would
definitely consider myself a DeLorean Nut!
Besides the Mac stuff and DeLorean stuff my other interests include:
Shotokan Karate: I received my Black Belt in 1990 just prior to
purchasing the DeLorean.
Freestyle Figure Skating: I am rather competitive and have participated
in a few National events. You have probably guessed, with the
combination of Karate and Skating, that Elvis Stojko is one of my
favorite performers.
Astronomy: While I don't have any formal education in this area, I find
it particularly fascinating.
Classic Cars: This is an interest that was passed down from my father.
At one time he owned several 1950's and older Jaguars that he had
completely restored.
That's about it for me in a short E-Mail to the world.
Happy Motoring!!
Bryan Pearce
------------------------------
From: zerkle
Date: Sat, 7 Sep 1996 18:02:42 -0700
Subject: DML SUBSCRIBER - Geren Piltz
My name is Geren Piltz, and I'm thirteen years old. The first movie I ever
saw was Back to the Future. This was the moment I knew I had to have one of
those cars. I kept asking my dad for about a year what that car was.
finally, he gave me a book of British sports cars that he had gotten from
Delco\GM where he worked as a car designer\engineer. At the age of 10, I
was hooked on everything DMC!!! I couldn't get enough! Unfortunately,
There was hardly any info about these cars at the time. Finally, when I was
11, we got a Gateway 2000 486\DX4-100 with 16 MB of ram (a real screamer!!)
and a 28.8 kbps modem. After a while of looking for information about DMC
Automobiles on AOL, I was happy to have found Back to the Future...The Fan
Club!!! Finally, I was smart enough to get off AOL and swithch to an ISP by
the name of West.Net serving the Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties. Now
that I had pure internet access, I had the ability to find all kinds
information and pictures about my favorite car. Now that I've gotten older,
I have to focus more on the acedemics and "important life decisions." I
don't really care though, I can still have fun!!! To start, I founded THE
TIME-TRAVELER"S INFORMATION KIOSK, a web based kiosk dedicated to the fun,
logic and adventure of Time-Travel. You can get there (AT)
http://www.west.net/~zerkle. In real life, I'm an actor who has worked on
everything from stage in Santa Barbara, CA to print work and commercials in
Los Angeles, CA and everything else in between. I volunteer around our
community and recently had my title "On Track to The Future - 2020" chosen
as our city's theme till the year 2020, when I will be driving my
hover-converted DeLorean down Linden Ave.!!! Ok, well I just want to give
my appreciation to all of you for sticking with this list and keeping this
wonderful car in all of our memories!!! Ok, now that i've given you my
whole life in a nutshell, I want to ask a few questions. First, are there
any teenagers subscribed to this list? Next, how about some DMC events here
in California, even maybe Santa Barbara, home of the DOA?!! Well, Thanks
again! You are all my friends. take care.
See you in the Future,
Geren Piltz
zerkle(AT)west.net
http://www.west.net/~zerkle
MiniReal Industries
GULLWING NEWSLETTER
_________________)___
H O V E R M E R I C A
__ __
\____/
/____\
0 0
------------------------------
From: DMC81sle(AT)aol.com
Date: Sun, 8 Sep 1996 21:17:28 -0400
Subject: Re: Custom Wheels
I am a relatively new owner of an 81 #1604. It is a fairly low mileage car,
(24,500) and was in need of only a few fixes such as door struts, bulbs, heat
shields, and a little TLC. My wife and I have driven this car aprox. 1000
miles in 6 weeks and can say it is a really enjoyable car to drive. I know
that I would never part company with the original wheels (Dark Grey) however
it NEEDS something else in this area. I would like to ask EVERYONE on this
list who has any experience with sources and styles of aftermarket wheels to
share their expriences. Thanking you in advance,
Scott & Lori Engelhart
LaCrosse, WI.
DMC #1604
------------------------------
From: David Hutchinson/SSI1
Date: 8 Sep 96 18:30:17 EDT
Subject: Rear Drive Noise
An interesting new noise is showing up on my 1981 Delorean.
It makes a continuous, loud, low frequency whine from the rear
that is audible at all speeds above around 20 mph, and whose
frequency is a function of the speed. At first I thought it was
coming from the final drive gears, but just noticed something new.
When I turn left quickly (such as changing lanes) the noise totally
stops during the turn and returns after the turn. There is no
interruption to the whine when I turn right. Any ideas from this
Delorean knowledgeable group? I've stopped driving the car until
I fix it because I'm afraid the back wheels are going to fall off! I
have a lot of experience with engines but almost nothing with
suspension and the like. Thanks
------------------------------
From: franka(AT)midwest.net (Frank Augustine)
Date: Sun, 8 Sep 1996 20:38:23 -0500 (CDT)
Subject: Re: Rear Drive Noise
>An interesting new noise is showing up on my 1981 Delorean.
>It makes a continuous, loud, low frequency whine from the rear
Well, I would have guessed the altenator has the problem .. My corvette does
that, but changing lanes sounds more like a wheel bearing problem???
Frank
Frank of FOTOZ Color Lab
Centralia, Illinois, USA
------------------------------
From: "Mr. THX"
Date: Sun, 8 Sep 1996 23:40:12 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Takes several times to start my D
Hi all,
When it's hot, it starts fine. If it sits for a few hours, it
takes 2-5 times of turning the key to start it. Also seems sluggish when
moving for the first 5 minutes of driving. Bad fuel injectors? New
plugs/rotor? Other ideas? Thanks.
Mike
VIN 10213
------------------------------
From: "Mr. THX"
Date: Sun, 8 Sep 1996 23:50:35 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Fuel sensor shot
Hi all,
My fuel sensor's shot. Can I get a part from a local dealer, or is
a DeLorean-only type part? How easy is it to replace?
Mike
VIN 10213
------------------------------
From: James Espey
Date: Sun, 8 Sep 96 23:12:08 -0700
Subject: Back home again!
What a long, strange trip it's been! Pulled back into PHX 6:30pm Sunday
night and like Dorothy says, "There's no place like home!". The list
seems to be behaving nicely (kiss of death, I know) so that's one less
hassle.
The trip from STL to PHX was a bit more eventful than the ride out to
Nashville. Stopped in Jefferson City and was able to meet Chase Clark and
his girlfriend as well as his red DeLorean. If anyone on the list will be
traveling and wants to meet up with others on the list, be sure and post
a note here! I wish i had done that as I'm sure that I passed several
other DeLroean owners and possibly list members between PHX, NAS and STL.
An hour or two after I left Jefferson City, the car started to "cut out"
as if it were out of gas. I had about half a tank, but I pulled over and
heard this horrendous humming noise from the fuel tank. I knew it was the
fuel pump. I limped it into Springfield (about 20 minutes) and into an
auto parts store parking lot. They had a fuel pump in the warehouse and
sent someone to "go and fetch it". While I was waiting, I thought, "gee,
i'd hate to drop $226 and have it not be the problem.". I called Ed
Bernstein and he confirmed that the problem was probably in the tank,
possibly a kinked hose. I thanked him and emptied out the car to get at
the pump. It all looked normal so, rather thank bug Ed angain, I decided
to bug Stephen Wynne instead. After explaining the symptoms to him, he
suggested that I top of the tank and see if that made the problem go away
and noise stop. IT DID! Stephen said I probably have a split hose that
was sucking air after the tank got down so low. So I stopped every
120-150 miles and got gas the rest of the way home. A big thanks to both
Stephen and Ed for getting me home!
But the fun continued! This morning, in a still half asleep state, I
heard a WHUMP from the rear of the car - everything looked normal on the
gauges, and sounded normal after that, too. I pulled over and popped the
back of the car. "HEY! Where'd my A/C belt go? Oh, I see, it tried to go
THRU the engine cover, that explains the dent in the grating." Lower
idler pulley bearing froze and threw the belt. So, no A/C from Texas to
AZ.
In any case, now I have TWO projects on the top of my list. Anyone care
to guide me through replacing the idler pulley bearings? Guess updating
the back issues will have to wait another couple of days.
Oh, before I go, let's see some more profiles out there! I think there's
about 270 more peole out there that haven't posted one!
James
------------------------------
From: "Marvin S. Sterling"
Date: Mon, 09 Sep 1996 03:44:00 -0700
Subject: Re: Takes several times to start my D
Mr. THX wrote:
>
> Hi all,
> When it's hot, it starts fine. If it sits for a few hours, it
> takes 2-5 times of turning the key to start it. Also seems sluggish when
> moving for the first 5 minutes of driving. Bad fuel injectors? New
> plugs/rotor? Other ideas? Thanks.
>
> Mike
> VIN 10213--------------------divider
fuel pump ! ??
------------------------------
From: mal(AT)hocpa.ho.lucent.com
Date: 9 Sep 96 08:32:14 +0100
Subject: Re: Twin Turbo DeLoreans
>>Could anyone tell me how much more horsepower a Twin-Turbo DeLorean
>>has than the normal one. And if you know how many were produced!
>Eleanor Rodgers of Turbo Manifold (ad on IBC of DeLorean World) offers a
>nice twin turbo kit that is similar to the Legend Industries design. She
had
>her car in Nashville, but I ran out of time before I could drive/ride in
it.
>Maybe someone else who has the kit or experience with it can provide
their
>insights. I believe this adds about 70 hp and costs approx $5K.
I have Eleanor Rodger's kit (a older version, before she added the CAT's)
and I love it! I purchased the car with the kit on it already, and had
only test driven a few cars with out it. I can't imagine not having
them!
My only complaint is the increased exhaust noise. When I have some time
I am going to look for alternative muffler to reduce the noise.
Marc
malevy(AT)lucent.com
------------------------------
From: "Mr. THX"
Date: Mon, 9 Sep 1996 10:54:28 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Any repair chains do front-end alignments?
Hi all,
My DMC needs the front end aligned. Does any chain like Midas or R&S do
that kind of work on a D?
Mike
------------------------------
From: Mike Substelny
Date: Mon, 09 Sep 1996 11:19:17 -0400
Subject: Re: BTTF 3 smash-up, Simpsons, rear-end whine, hard
Kevin MacDougal said:
>If anybody knows for a fact that it was not real but a model
>or special effects let me know then I can stop sending rude
>e-mail to rob zemeckis.
Kevin, I am quite certain that a real DeLorean was used for
that scene, although I am also sure it was a non-functional
car. During the smash-up you can see many unique
recognizable parts from the DeLorean's internal workings.
However, the way the car breaks up (instead of being
crushed) it is obvious to me that they used a DeLorean with
all the nuts, bolts, and glue removed. If the front crumple
tubes of the car has simply been squashed (which is what
would really happen to a DeLorean rammed by a train) it
would not have been as spectacular a shot. Fortunately,
they did not show the car erupting in a ball of flames (very
unlikely in a DeLorean, especially one with no fuel).
Please do not send rude email to Mr. Zemekis, as we all like
his work and he was just doing the same thing other movie
producers do. Perhaps instead you should start a new
organization like the ASPCA to prevent the cruel treatment of
automobiles by movie makers. I would love to see a movie
with the disclaimer:
"No automobiles were injured or mistreated during the
production of this motion picture."
Scott Tester said:
>A friend told me that there was an episode of the Simpson's
>that had a DeLorean in it.
Someone else on the list once said that a "Simpsons"
semi-regular character, fictional movie star Troy McClure,
drives a DeLorean in several episodes. I cannot confirm this,
although I have been looking for months.
David Hutchinson said:
>It makes a continuous, loud, low frequency whine from the
>rear that is audible at all speeds above around 20 mph, and
>whose frequency is a function of the speed.
Are you sure it is speed related, or might it be RPM related?
If you can rev the engine and get no noise then it is
somewhere in the tranny/final drive/brakes.
If you can recreate the noise with the car standing still then
it is engine related and you are in luck. I suggest the
stethescope method I used two weeks ago. (Anybody listen
to CarTalk on NPR? Tom & Ray recommended this very
thing on Saturday.) If you don't own a stethescope use a two
or three foot siphon hose. While someone sits in the car and
revs the engine to the proper RPM to create the sound, you
stand behind the engine compartment with your hose. Hold
one end of the hose to your ear and touch the other end to
various parts of the engine until you find the source of the
sound. In my case it was simply a loose bolt on the throttle
water shield.
Of course if the noise can only be duplicated at 20 mph this
method is not very useful. Maybe you could hire a stuntman
to cling to the back of your car with a stethescope as you
drive down the road? I went to high school with a kid who
would have *paid* for the chance to do that . . .
Mike (Mr. THX) said:
>If it sits for a few hours, it takes 2-5 times of turning the key
>to start it.
If you read your owner's manual carefully, it actually
recommends that you depress the gas pedal a little bit when
you start the engine. Most fuel injected cars DO NOT
recommend this; I usually forget to do it myself and my car
still starts fine even when I use cheap gasoline. But when I
do give it a little throttle during cranking it causes no ill
effects.
Mike, follow the starting instructions in your manual *exactly*
and please let us all know if it makes any difference.
- -Mike Substelny
------------------------------
End of dmcnews-digest V2 #168
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