Tuesday, 10 September 1996 Volume 02 : Number 170
In this issue:
Re: A bit about me.
(Fwd) Turbo/2
Thermostac
Thoughts on thermostats
My Delorean Story
Rear noise
DeLoreans & College
Re: ME JOSH!
Re: $$$$$$ Click for Money $$$$$$
ADMIN NOTE
Help from Expo attendees!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: ausmith@pdx.oneworld.com
Date: Tue, 10 Sep 1996 08:07:57 +0000
Subject: Re: A bit about me.
> Thats the answer that I have been waiting for!!
OK. Glad to here it! Which part?
> My name is Ian and I have the same mechanical talent that you have. I
> love to play with cars and anything mechanical. Right now I'm driving a
> '63 VW bug and love to work on it. (It'll be restored by the end
> of next summer) I'm a Junior in High School and I am planning to get a
> DeLorean (5-speed gray) when I go to college. (No, I have no wonderful
> great aunt that will pay for all of this. Just *my* drive to have my
> dream car.) Well, like you were saying:
>
> > I grew up in Carmel, CA, a very car oriented area.
>
> I live in Menlo Park and love Carmel. Where do you live now?
Nehalem, Oregon. Very much like Carmel was in the '50s, but with a
lot more rain.
> > I've had several Volvos and one Porsche (never again) and two
> >DeLoreans. My first was a stock auto, grey interior. My current D is
> >a stick, grey interior, twin turbo. I've driven this one on my last
> >three trips to Carmel, 1,500mi round trip, without any problem. But
> >then I really don't expect any.
>
> Alright! No problems! Shows you care for your cars. Even with the turbo
> installed, is the car really dependable?
There is no reason that the turbo installation would effect the
dependability. All a turbo does, one or more, is compress air. Even
if they both quit the car will still operate normally. Most of the
time they do nothing anyway, only when you stick your foot in
it and the boost builds do you even know they're working.
> > I've always loved mechanical things, the stranger the better, and
> >tools. If you've got the right tool, or can make it, anything's
> >possible. I try to do all my own work on my car, but when it comes
> >time for a new clutch I may have it done, or I may buy a lift
> >(another tool, heh, heh, heh).
>
> So, would you recommend the DeLorean as a daily driver?? Through College?
Absolutely!! Buy the right car and it will be more dependable than
most. You can buy any brand of car and get a basket of mechanical
problems if you don't pay attention before you buy. Check the whole
car and talk to the owner. You can tell a lot by just the way someone
answers questions.
> > When I take someone into my garage to show them the D it's always
> >good for a reaction. I have it parked right behind my "Wayne FMC
> >Starsweep". It's a small streetsweeper, looks like a huge bumper car
> >or a really small zamboni. Yes it works. I take it out a couple of
> >times a year, make a lot of noise and amaze my neighbours. I think
> >"Rube Goldberg" had a hand in the design. It's got more belts,
> >pulleys, chains and stuff than you can believe.
>
> WOW! I guess everyone has to have a hobby... How did you find that
> streetsweeper?
Found it in the newspaper. Anyone want to buy it?
> Well, you know my question...
>
> How much time and $$$ did you invest in the DeLorean before you felt
> it was reliable? Can a college student, who will have a hard enough
> time getting a DeLorean, be able to (cross your fingers) survive with
> all the little problems that DeLoreans seem to have?
I felt it was reliable the day I bought it. I flew to San Jose to
see the car, and talk to the owner face to face, and drove it home
from there. It had a couple of things wrong, strictly cosmetic, or I
would have flown back home. I started to doubt my judgement a bit
into the trip and will send an article I wrote for the Chap. 41
newsletter.
> In fact, if you really feel generous, could you tell me your history
> of living with a DeLorean?
Not enough time right now. They have both been great, but the one I
have right now is so much better than the first it's hard to believe
they're the "same" car. As a matter of fact the one I have now is 375
cars older than the first. That is if you can believe the serial #
system used at the factory.
> Thanks,
> Ian
>
> --Leader of the wanna-be DOA.
Chris, current #6301
------------------------------
From: ausmith@pdx.oneworld.com
Date: Tue, 10 Sep 1996 08:16:11 +0000
Subject: (Fwd) Turbo/2
- ------- Forwarded Message Follows -------
From: Self
To: Knut Grimsrud
Subject: Turbo/2
Date: Wed, 3 Apr 1996 08:13:27
When I started to look for another DeLorean I was specifically
looking for a 5 speed with a Twin Torbo. I had owned a stock
automatic in the 80's. That one was my only car at the time and I
drove it for 4 years before reluctantly parting with it. Insurance at
that time was the major reason, and thankfully the insurance
companies seem to have come to their senses.
I found my car in Hemmings and called the owner as soon as I got the
magazine. He was the original owner and had bought the turbo
setup when it was Dicor. Sounds to good to be true, doesn't it?Due to
the weather, California was flooded at the time, I couldn't get back
from there. See, it isn't only us. After a couple of calls and a lot
of weather related frustration I sent Dr.Woods a deposit. After a
couple of weeks I was able to fly down and see the car. The only
thing really wrong with the car was the headliners. Even had the
original tires on it, so I was reasonably certain the mileage was
correct. Also, you can tell a lot by talking to the owner of any car
you are thinking of buying.
I've got to say I had second thoughts when I got it up to speed
leaving San Jose. It coughed and wheezed when I put my foot down.
Didn't seem to want to leave stoplights either. I'm thinking I may
have to find a place to do some serious tinkering before I go to much
farther. I'm getting low on gas when I get to Santa Rosa so I get it
filled with Supreme. Never needed anything but regular in the old one
but, what the hell, why not. About five miles later I start to pass a
slow car, whoooosh. What? I'm about ten car lengths past him before I
can react. What a rush! All I needed was better gas? No kidding,
that's all it needed. The rest of the trip home was great. Ran away
from a Corvette and a Z passing a couple of campers in southern
Oregon. They caught up after I slowed down to make a pit stop and
were shaking their heads as they went by. Heh, heh, heh.
I should say that my car looks absolutely stock, for those of you
that havn't seen it.
The Twin-Turbo system is great. It consists of a matched pair of IHI
Turbos and quite a few modifications to other engine parts. The
distributor has to be re-curved to prevent to much pre-ignition when
the boost comes on. The boost is very subtle. It doesn't come on all
at once, but rather, seems to swell up. It's fairly modest at seven
pounds but the effect is very good.
I've done a couple of things since to bring it more into line with
the present configuration. At risk of sounding like a salesman, I
can't say enough about Eleanor Rogers, the owner of Turbo Manifold
Co. I had no documentation on the system so I called her and offered
to buy any information she had and she just sent it to me without
charge. She also gave me the name and phone number of an installer
that she uses. He's great too. Told me how to check the system to
insure that everything had been done correctly. We've had a couple of
conversations, to bad he's in Long Island. One of his clients has
modified the engine, forged pistons etc., is running twelve pounds of
boost and has nitros-oxide injection. Hmmmm.
The system is expensive. $3,800.00 for the kit, in the documentation
I have. I talked to her yesterday and she said that the cost, to
her, of the IHI Turbos just went up $300.00 each. These prices don't
include installation so I would guess you'd have a minimum of
$5,500.00 in it when complete unless you do it yourself. It really
doesn't appear to complicated, just time consuming.
Chris
------------------------------
From: mal@hocpa.ho.lucent.com
Date: Tue, 10 Sep 1996 13:34:04 +0100
Subject: Thermostac
76153.3641@compuserve.com writes:
>In Puerto Rico temperatures are from 80 to 95 centigrades
>Is posible eliminate the thermostac of de Delorean
>and still working properly.I do that in my Honda 8 years ago
>and i have a good motor tempetures
>Delorean can handled that
I dont recommend this on ANY car. The purpose of the thermostat is to
keep the engine warm, not prevent it from over heating. If the engine
runs too cold the moisture in the oil will build up and create sludge.
Sludge = not good.
The mud like oil will clog the small oil passages, and stick in every
small corner of the engine.
Some people remove the thermostat, or lower the temperature to get higher
gas density, but the added 1 or 2 HP is not worth the long term damage
to the engine.
Leave the thermostat in you DMC, and put one back in your Honda.
Marc
malevy@lucent.com
------------------------------
From: Mike Substelny
Date: Tue, 10 Sep 1996 13:53:54 -0400
Subject: Thoughts on thermostats
Marc said:
>The purpose of the thermostat is to keep the engine
>warm, not prevent it from over heating.
As I understand it, the purpose of the thermostat is to allow a
cold engine to warm up quickly before coolant begins to flow
through the block. When I have ran my Blazer's 350 V8 with
no thermostat the engine eventually reached the exact same
operating temperature (thermal equilibrium) as it would with
the thermostat in place. Of course it took much longer to get
there because of all that cold coolant flowing through the
engine while it was trying to warm up.
Every piston stroke in a cold engine results in a little more
wear & tear than in a warm engine, so the thermostat will
help reduce engine wear by warming up the engine faster. A
warm engine also get better fuel economy than a cold
engine, so a faster warm-up should save a little fuel. There
are other benefits to having your engine warm up quickly.
In Puerto Rico the engine may warm up pretty quickly
anyway, since the coolant and the air are not as cold. Here
in Cleveland I might run my DeLorean without a thermostat in
an emergency, but I would never intentionally leave the
thermostat out.
- -Mike Substelny
------------------------------
From: LordWeb@aol.com
Date: Tue, 10 Sep 1996 19:28:58 -0400
Subject: My Delorean Story
I guess my Delorean story is a little unique in that I was not searching
for the car but it kinda found me. The original owner of the car
(serial# 1049) was my uncle who did not drive it much. . In fact, when I
acquired the car it had just over 9,000 miles. Suffice it to say that he
made me an offer I could not refuse.
Right after I got the car I started looking for information anywhere I
could get it. Keep in mind I did not know about the Delorean Owners
Association and the Delorean Mail List had not begun. My first place to
look was on America Online. In the Road and Track Magazine area there
was a folder on the D and one of the more active contributors was a guy
named James Espey. After sending James an E-Mail introducing me and my
situation he first got me in touch with John Truscott and the DOA. I
immediately became a member of the association. Then I asked James for
some recommendations for a service center. James presented me the list
of usual suspects (the names we all know and love) and I settled on
Stephen Wynne and his Delorean Motor Company in Houston.
You can imagine all the things that needed to be done to a low mileage D.
Electrical relays updates, Ducallier alternator replacement, Cooling
system modifications, Fuel system inspection (all OK there, I was lucky),
new hoses, belts, engine tune up. Not to mention that I had them add a
new stereo with CD changer and replace the speakers. So I dropped a few
more bucks into the car but i figured it was better to do it all at once
rather than piece-meal it over a period of time. I am the shade tree
mechanic type.
I did go to the EXPO in Nashville. What did I think? The people were
nice. The Tech Seminar is a must for any D Owner. I spent too much money
at the product fair and there were far to many buffet lines for my
liking.
The car has become a great diversion for me personally. It is simply my
weekend machine and I have enjoyed every minute of it. As much as I
enjoy the car I also enjoy this list and all of the information it has
given me. Thanks James for being the keeper of the flame.
Professionally I am in the insurance business and it seems to pay for all
of my bad habits. I have 3 other cars that I drive. My daily car is a
Dodge Stealth Twin Turbo and a Cadillac Sedan DeVille (business car). My
wife has a Ford F-150 truck on order that we are anxiously waiting for.
(anyone wanna buy a '91 Nissan Maxima?)
------------------------------
From: deneb@denebcorp.com
Date: Tue, 10 Sep 96 19:32:47 +0100
Subject: Rear noise
In Digest #168 David Hutchinson/SSI1 writes:
>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
It sounds very much like a rear wheel bearing. How many miles does your
car have on it? I just replaced my rear wheel bears at 80,500. You can
check this by jacking up the rear of the car and spinning the wheel by
hand, if you should be able to tell by the noise if the problem is the
bearing.
Bryan Pearce
------------------------------
From: "BHenderlong" (bhenderlong@wusf.usf.edu)
Date: 10 Sep 1996 21:41:35 +700
Subject: DeLoreans & College
There are more than a hundred car break-ins a year at the
university where I work; granted it's a very large campus, but I
think even with a small campus you're asking for trouble if you
leave "too nice" of a car standing alone overnight.
When I purchase my DeLorean, if I'm still working at my university, I
won't ever drive it to work (except maybe the first weekend to
show it off), because I don't think my campus is safe enough for it.
Sorry if I sound a little too pessimistic to the members of the list
who are students! If you're confident your campus is safe enough,
then obviously what I've said won't apply to you. I just want to
save you the hassle of having to buy a new window if someone
decides to try out your car without your permission!
_____________________
Brian Henderlong
henderlong@wusf.usf.edu
Concert 90 Public Radio
WUSF-FM 89.7 Tampa / St. Petersburg
WGCU-FM 90.1 Fort Myers / Naples
------------------------------
From: Blarness@aol.com
Date: Tue, 10 Sep 1996 22:03:40 -0400
Subject: Re: ME JOSH!
Josh,
I too am among the few very long haired Delorean owners
and I've never thought about being pulled over because of
long hair. I guess if you expect it to happen it may but
I never pay any attention to it.
Besides, the cop couldn't catch you if you had a good
stretch of open highway before you. ;)
- -C2
#3876
------------------------------
From: James Espey
Date: Tue, 10 Sep 96 19:58:14 -0700
Subject: ADMIN NOTE
My apologies for the $$$$$ messages that have been coming through the
list. As is probably obvious, I have taken the list OFF moderation, both
to free up some time for myself as well as because the list had been
running well with an excellent "signal-to-noise" ratio. If it gets out of
hand, I will go back to moderating and approving each message. Thanks!
James Espey
List-owner, DMC-News
------------------------------
From: James Espey
Date: Tue, 10 Sep 96 20:03:28 -0700
Subject: Help from Expo attendees!
For those of us that went to the cruise night at the "Car Be Que" instead
of the Grand Ole Opry, and subsequently went cruising through downtown
Nashville, I'm trying to gather the names of those who joined us that
night. These are the names I can remember so far:
James Espey and Lori Breer
John Spangler
Marty and ??? Maier
Mike Substelny and Patti Otremsky
Dave Swingle and Gary (?)
Dennis ??? (the guy who overheated)
Micah ??? (the guy who thought of the thermo time switch fix)
And two more cars worth of people
If anyone can fill in the blanks for me, I'd appreciate it! Additionally,
for thjose who attended the tech seminars, please EMAIL ME directly with
your thoughts and comments about the content, presenters and whatever
else strikes your fancy. All comments with be kept confidential if you so
desire.
Thanks!
James Espey
Still sweating in AZ
------------------------------
End of dmcnews-digest V2 #170
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