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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.

The Good Calipers, the Bad Dust and the Ugly Rotor - REPAIRS STALLED

I'll keep this quick. The front suspension is finally rebuilt despite great difficulty. The OEM lower control arms were refurbished while the Heninger LCAs were sent back for evaluation. So, now the front wheels are reassembled--new rotors, new pads, calipers mounted, new springs, new shocks and LCA braces.

So I move on to the rear brakes, after topping off the fluid. Turns out there's no way I can easily remove the pads without disassembling the entire shebang. So, off comes the emergency brakes and the rear calipers, with great difficulty and some brake dust in my eye, which is never good...

The trouble starts with the new rear rotors. The second one is an absolute mess right out of the box. It was covered in a horrendous, slick gunk that I can only assume is the remnants of Cosmoline. One side of the rotor was scored, as if someone had stabbed it with a knife. There was no way I was putting this on my car. Looks like I'll be delayed again as I return yet another part.

I guess the good news is my McFly Jacket, despite having to be returned also for having the wrong color panels, is being completely remade and should be done in a week. God let something go right...