Oil Pressure Gauge repaired AND 8,000-MILE MARK CROSSED!

Brief update: Replaced the Oil Pressure gauge sender a few weeks ago. Had a scare with a shock from the alternator when the wrench got too close, but thus far everything SEEMS just fine. Oil pressure reads great again.

Today 6239 passed the 8,000-mile mark on the odometer. <sniff> I wonder how long it will be before 10,000 miles rolls up on there...

DeLorean 6239 in UPS photo shoot for Nike MAGs!!!

Check out the full blog entry at the link below!

http://blog.ups.com/2011/09/23/ups-delivers-the-future-for-nike/

Time Machine Encounter - Much Work to be Done

Helped a fellow SEDOC member today with his recent purchase - a half-finished, sad-looking DeLorean Time Machine that the previous owner pretty much ruined. Apparently it sat for six years in Indiana, while they ruined the interior and painted the various engine parts all manner of neon colors.

Today we gutted the interior completely and found so many rat nests it was like the Secret of Nimh! The calipers were extremely rusty as was the front suspension. We were able to get the car up on stands, remove the tires, drop the stabilizer bar and the driver side caliper. We also found a decomposing rat corpse up inside the passenger door headliner. There's going to be a lot of work to get this car ready for DragonCon...
 

Before...

After

Before...

After

Meet With Other Atlanta Owners - 4/14/2011

Yesterday afternoon, I took 6239 to a meetup with Dermot and Buddy, who own three other DeLoreans. Buddy owns two. One is his daily driver. One is an attempted Time Machine he rescued that does not run and needs serious repair. Buddy's daily driver has the DMC option side stripe.

It was a good time and they helped me check out my warm start hunting issue. So far, we've ruled out the idle solenoid and the cold start valve. Buddy also told me my engine mounts were in need of replacement. Add another thing to the list of stuff that has to be done...

This photo Dermot took really shows off 6239's new lowered stance when compared to stock DeLoreans.

China Bans Time Travel on TV

Yeah, China is banning time travel stories on TV. WOW... I guess they don't want their people even fantasizing about going back in time to change the future of their Communist nation?

Click Here for the Story

New Stereo and Speakers Installed!!!!

On Saturday, my friend Joe and I went at replacing the entire stereo system. We discovered that the previous owner had at some point removed the rear side panels as the retaining clips for the side panels were already gone. That saved us a lot of time, but it also made us very cautious. What else might he have done???

This DeLorean was a 2,300-mile DeLorean when I bought it and Rob Grady had given it the once over by the previous owner. However, it appears certain things were left waiting for me - like a mouse nest under the passenger seat. Up until this point in the car's life, the seats had never been removed! Fortunately the carpet was fine.

The install took from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. because we had to disassemble the entire console and kneepads, as well as the front head unit and the rear walls and shelf. It was really looking like a major pile of crap when we were in the middle of it. At one point, Joe looked at the gutted console, laughed and said, "Wow, that looks kind of indimidating, doesn't it!"

I was really glad to have his help. He knows stereos and knew exactly what to do in every instance.

We installed a Pioneer retractable touchscreen DVD head unit. I chose it based both on its features and because the outer face when closed was very understated and did not stand out against the rest of the interior. The speakers were of the Kicker variety, KS series. The original Craig speakers were totally blown and the original Craig radio still worked, even the face, so removing it for preservation was a good thing.

Just laying down new speaker wire and installing the new speakers was a world of improvement. The front speakers were a pain in the tush to install and we settled for installing them at a slight angle with a nylon spacer on the outside edge of each one. That simplified things nicely.

The PO appeared to have added a bunch of speaker wire back in the past. We removed that entirely and laid down new wire. The final result was worth the effort. The stereo worked flawlessly upon first install. Now my DeLorean has a better system than my daily driver! Thanks, Joe!

Y107 FM - Radio of the 1980s - Lock it in, and rip the knob off!

I grew up in Nashville from 1978 to 1990, and throughout the 1980s as a consequence. One might think the result would be that I would have become a major country music fan, steeped in the lore of Barbara Mandrell, Dolly Parton, Conway Twitty and Johnny Cash. Well, I listened to my fair share of Alabama, but thanks to a now long-gone FM radio station that is still a legend in the Nashville area, I grew up listening to 1980s rock and pop.

That station was Y107 FM. By today's standards, the content appears tame. By 1980s standards, the DJs at Y107 were considered so controversial due to their off-color humor and local "stunts" around town, even Jerry Falwell publicly had it out for the jockeys at Y107, known as "The Morning Zoo." They were headed up by DJ Coyote McCloud, Rhett Walker and Diana as well as traffic guy Buck Nayked and later Cam Cornelius.

The station mascot, Tookie the Toucan, was a fixture in Nashville on thousands of bumper stickers (and those were usually on the bumpers of the thousands of overly-bondoed Camaros that traveled all of the Tennessee roadways.)

The station's famous aircheck slogan, "Lock it in...and rip the knob off!" is still a favorite of 1980s-era Nashville residents.

I used to listen to Y107 every morning my Dad took me to school. When my mom took us to school, it was the oldies station. On weekends on trips to Percy Priest Lake or Radnor Lake, Dad would have that station on and it would be playing Casey Kasem's Weekly Top 40. Good times.

I found a clip from Y107's vintage broadcast from November 1987 during their morning show. One of the songs they played that morning was Huey Lewis' "Back In Time." I haven't heard it on the radio ever since then, even during retro 80s weekends.

First Car Show of the Year - Caffeine & Octane - April 2011

Twas the night before Caffeine & Octane. Melinda and I had busted our butts washing the car the night before, then correcting some weather stripping that was coming off the car. For that, Melinda had to sit in the luggage compartment...

Early that morning we arrived at the car show and met up with my friend Joe and his slick VW GTI. Both cars got a lot of attention. The day was also filled with a Laborghini wreck, a jerk revving his muscle car engine and about 500 other sweet rides. I just didn't have a good feeling about the distances at the new show location, so I left my doors closed while I was away.

The striker pin grommet I replaced on my driver's side door was chewed off again by the door within a few hits and jammed me in the car for a minute. Best to just leave it off I think... We also captured the moment my car crossed 6,666.6 miles.

Wheels Aligned and Tires Balanced - She's on the road!!!

Went over to Gran Turismo East in Chamblee, GA today and had the wheels aligned and balanced. Apparently the caster on my front wheelbase is wonky but there's no way to correct it without an adjustable Upper Control Arm, which the DeLorean doesn't have. Ah well, you can't have it all...

Enjoy the photos from the alignment process.

With this fuel my DeLorean could run FOREVER!

Check it out! Possible eco-friendly biofuel for traditional cars in 10 years or less!

Biofuel Breakthrough?

Successful Test Drive!!! She's Baaaaack....!

After five and a half months of research, frustrations, returned parts, bad parts, unexpected additional repairs, unexpected additional tools and a lot of hair-pulling, tonight I made the final temporary adjustments to the steering tie rods in anticipation of Friday's alignment at Gran Turismo East. I also checked the front brake lines again and did some tightening to the flange couplings and made sure the front wiring harness was secured.

At that point, I was going to hang it up until Friday morning, but Melinda convinced me to take a quick test drive to see if everything was ok. Despite it being damp outside and the tires not being completely pressure tested, I agreed a short test of all systems would be a good idea--but I was really, really nervous.

The car fired up and settled down from hunting rather quickly, I assume due to the new O2 sensor. We inched out of the garage and the brakes were responsive. So far so good. I left the neighborhood slowly and only went a little ways, before pulling over as I remembered there were still loose access panels and screws in the luggage compartment. I removed those to a safe location and then proceeded to continue getting used to the DeLorean's brakes (They're not as responsive as my 2001 Bullitt Mustang, so I had to "relearn" them as I briefly panicked that they were spongey and possibly malfunctioning, but it was all good.)

After a brief stop at a gas station to check for that suspension creak on the passenger side, which was thankfully now completely gone, I headed off for a cruise to listen for any wheel humming in the bearings or other problems. I immediately noticed the shuddering front brakes were no more, thanks likely to new pads and new rotors. Also, the speedometer was working so the angle drive and lower cable had survived the removal and reinstallation. Very very good signs.

The new front stance of the car provided much better handling and visibility. Cruising was even more enjoyable than before. When we stopped at a local Starbucks to turn around and head for home, someone yelled, "Dude, I LOVE the DeLorean! That is OFF THE CHAIN!"

Yeah...It's good to be back.

The car is still hunting on warm starts, but it seems to settle down faster. I will be looking into this soon. The immediate next steps though are a coolant flush, installation of the new stereo and speakers, headlight switch upgrade, LED interior lighting to replace the incandescents and, yes...a Flux Capacitor.

  

DeLorean Song of the Week - 3/28/2011

This week's DeLorean era classic is an unforgettable hard rock song from 1987 by the legendary Def Leppard.

Def Leppard - Hysteria

The Tires are ON THE GROUND!!!! WOOHOO!

After more than five months in the air, 6239 is finally back down on her tires! On Saturday, Melinda and I worked all day and into the evening to get the brakes back together. After a serious head game with a crappy Mityvac Brake Bleeder Pump that didn't do jack, Melinda and I did it the old fashioned way with one person working the pedal and the other bleeding the brakes. After a few adjustments, the brakes were working like a charm.

Sunday morning was the reassembly of the front end. The front brake calipers seemed to be weeping fluid, so I tightened them and will check them tomorrow night. The only thing left now is to get a front end adjustment and change the coolant!

We had a heck of a time getting the stabilizer bar back on, but we finally managed to get everything in place. Then due to the lowered front end, we brought the DeLorean's front wheels down on a stack of plywood squares. The new look of the front ride height was greatly improved. I cannot wait to get the car back on the road for the spring and summer season!

 

Happy Birthday Wishes to a Young BTTF Fan

A good friend of mine has alerted me that her cousin, Joe, is a big Back to the Future fan. The best part is that Joe is a new fan, which means one of the greatest films ever made is still entertaining 26 years later!

Like most Back to the Future fans, Joe told me his favorite car is the DeLorean. Why? Well, let me give it to you in his own words.

"Hi. I love that it is from the [future]... ...I love it!"

Yeah, that pretty much sums up my feelings as well. No joke.

Joe, I know your birthday is soon and the DeLorean is still getting repairs done, but it will be ready soon! When you get back from spring break, I'll make sure you get to meet your favorite car. But there's one thing we won't be able to do - We can't go 88 miles per hour. Why? The police will give us a ticket. I know from personal experience...

Faces Not Known But Forever Remembered

I've been so focused and frustrated with the repairs to the vehicle lately, that I haven't taken the time to relax and reflect. This afternoon I had a moment of pause, and a vivid memory from my ownership experience came to mind. I had planned to eventually write down a lengthy, multi-part chronicle of my purchase and road trip home from Connecticut, but I think I'll tell this story now.

It was the second day of my road trip home with the DeLorean. If I recall correctly, I was somewhere in Pennsylvania heading for the edge of Maryland. I will never remember the town. It was one of the many tired no-name remnants of Americana I flashed through on the way back to Atlanta.

The sun was just starting to turn orange behind the weathered early-20th century buildings. I was following state roads to keep the car off the highway. The benefit was little to no rocks being thrown up on my new car. The drawback was navigation confusion as the roads wound around and signs pointed to out of date avenues or simply paths to nowhere.

Expectedly, as I followed the road down the main drag of the tiny town I was in, the signs suddenly sent me to the right and then after two blocks, I was sent to the left and then immediately left again, where I found myself behind some apartment houses, with some young kids playing ball in the street. They couldn't have been more than 7 or 8 years old. As I slowly drove past, they stopped and looked with curiosity, but no recognition.

Then I turned left at the end of the street and found the signs telling me to go right at the end, back onto the first detour. The signs had just made me do a pointless loop. Ugh.

The road was on an incline and going right was going back up the hill. As I lunged the DeLorean back onto the road to head back to the main street where I would take a right and keep going, ever thankful for the pointless extra gas and time wasted on that little loop, I passed a man on the sidewalk on my right.

The man looked to be in his 40s, though maybe he was a weathered late-30s or well-preserved early-50s. It was hard to tell. The orange pallor of the sunlight was going purple behind the town.

What I didn't miss was the automatic wheelchair he was seated in, and the speed with which he turned the wheelchair to follow the DeLorean as it zoomed by. I saw his face only for an instant, and he was slack-jawed with surprise, his eyes wide and trying to take it all in as fast as he could.

I could tell he was absolutely stunned. He knew exactly what car he was looking at, and he didn't expect to see it driving by in a flash in the tiny town where he lived. I often wonder if he'd ever seen one in person before. I often wonder if it was his favorite car, or maybe he was just a car enthusiast. Either way, I look back and think two things: First - Why didn't I stop? Well, there was nowhere to do so, and you can't stop for every pointing finger, but in this case I often wish I had done differently. Secondly, I think to myself, "He clearly loved DeLoreans, and likely had never seen one in person before, but the chances are slim to none he would ever get to drive one." It always makes me feel simultaneously very sad and very lucky.

It is moments like these that make owning this car worth it. I'm glad I chose to take the backroads for many reasons, but the one that stands out the most in my mind is that man in the wheelchair in that tiny forgotten town, completely surprised. I hope 6239 gave him a good memory.