Back In Black - 6239 parts on the mend and tools on the move!

This evening was a mix of success and mediocre results. I was able to apply the first coats of Rustoleum Gloss Black to the radiator support brackets and frame reinforcement panels. While I was at it, I started the third coat on the stabilizer bar.

I had less success cleaning up the brass frame extensions themselves. Below is a "before" picture, but even after some brass polish and scrubbing, there was no discernible difference, so I didn't take another photo.

Orders were placed today for a Stant Coolant Pressure Tester and a Mityvac Brake Bleeder Kit/Vacuum System Tester. Slowly, but surely and not cheaply, the DeLorean workshop is getting equipped. Next major hurdle - coolant flush.

Frame reinforcements and radiator brackets primed

Hellbent on getting something done each night this week, I took the Dremel and Emery Cloth to the frame reinforcement plates and radiator support brackets. These parts had come off during the removal of the sway bar and cooling fans, and they looked awful. The moment the Dremel's flapwheel started hitting them, huge flakes of paint flew away revealing rust underneath the black.

In the case of the frame extension reinforcements, the two parts were almost painted two different colors. After a few hours of Dremel and hand sanding, they were ready to be primed for a new coat of gloss black. One side was primed tonight and left to dry. I'll get to the other side tomorrow night.

In the meantime, an order was placed with DMC Houston for a new fan shroud, wiper pump wiring harness and a rubber grommet for that door striker pin on the driver's side that was shredded to bits by the gullwing. Tomorrow I'm on the hunt for a coolant pressure tester so I can get the coolant flushed while the fans are out of the way.

"Back" Tracks - The Music of "Back to the Future"

First time I was aware of movie soundtracks was the summer of 1985. I went into a record store at Hickory Hollow Mall in Tennessee with my mother and my cousin Ginger and saw the LP album for "Back to the Future" on the feature wall.

That Christmas, my stocking stuffer gift was a Toshiba cassette player and the cassette soundtrack for "Back to the Future." That very cassette now takes up permanent residence in 6239's glove compartment.

Since then, I have hunted down every CD containing music from the series.

Here's a breakdown of each one ever made available:

Back to the Future: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (MCA) - This is the mainstay. This album, whether it be LP, cassette or CD, has never changed. It contains the Huey Lewis singles "Power of Love" and "Back In Time" as well as the famous rendition of "Johnny B. Goode" and the "Back to the Future Overture" by Alan Silvestri in addition to a number of other background songs from the original film.

Back to the Future: The Score - This is arguably the rarest "Back to the Future" CD. It contains much of the Alan Silvestri score that was missing off the MCA release. The best information I have found suggests this CD is a bootleg of an ever more rare promotional release, however I have not been able to prove this, although my CD does say "DeLorean 85.5591" on the spine, which might mean something. I found mine at Footlight Records in New York City in 2000. This CD contains some of the best lost music from the series, including the Twin Pines Mall Chase track. Up until recently, this was the only way to get this music.

Back to the Future: Intrada Special Collection (Intrada) - A 2-disc godsend CD set for "Back to the Future" fans released in 2009 and comprised of remastered tracks of the entirety of Alan Silvestri's score for the original film, as well as a second disc comprised of early rehearsal tracks and concepts. Although officially limited to 3,000, through an arrangement with BTTF.com, Intrada is extending this printing to meet demand.

Back to the Future: Part II - Original Motion Picture Sountrack (MCA) - After the bootleg "Score" CD, this is the hardest official CD score to find. Now sadly out of circulation, this CD highlights the rollicking and more adventurous takes on the themes of Alan Silvestri's "Back to the Future" in "Part II," making it a sought after CD by fans and collectors.

Back to the Future: Part III - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Varese Sarabande) - Still available, this is Silvestri's slower and most sentimental jaunt into the scoring of "Back to the Future," including an instrumental version of ZZ Top's end credits song, "Doubleback." Alas, the actual ZZ Top song is omitted from this release, likely due to music label conflicts.

The Back to the Future Trilogy (Varese Sarabande) - Released in the late 1990s, this CD was a re-orchestration by John Debney of the series' major musical cues. It was a nice stopgap for fans looking for music missing from the original film soundtrack that could not acquire the score, but unfortunately most of the tracks chosen by Debney were already reflected in the original soundtracks. Of note however is Debney's inclusion of music from "Back to the Future: The Ride." This is the only official CD to include material from The Ride, albeit re-orchestrated, but many times throughout the CD if you close your eyes, you'd swear it was the original music.    

Cooling Fans Removed & Parts Sanded

This weekend, Jake and I removed the original cooling fans from the car in anticipation of the DMC Northwest upgraded fans, which will weigh less and demand less power from the vehicle.

The removal process involved getting the fan shroud separated from the radiator. In doing this, I am fairly certain the new radiator installed by PJ Grady is not an OEM, but a superior variant with a metal coolant reservoir. That will make the coolant flush easier.

The fan shroud was attached by six small 8mm bolts and we had to get on either side as they were spinning in place.

The shroud's original label was still there, but it was in tatters. A fair amount of manhandling was needed to slide the shroud out from under the frame extension. I'm pretty sure the removal of the wiper reservoir aided in this process.

In order to free the shroud, Jake and I eventually determined the upper radiator brackets were in the way. Good thing they were removed as well because they were rusting significantly and needed sanding.

Once the shroud was removed, we removed the fan motors and discovered the shroud is cracked at the bolt point on the lower right corner. Looks like I will have to purchase a new one. The rest of the afternoon was spent sanding the radiator brackets and the frame extension braces. As soon as things warm up, I will prime and re-spray these with gloss black Rustoleum.

DeLorean Song of the Week - 12/20/10

Here's your 1980s DMC-12 song of the week: Journey's "Separate Ways" at your fingertips at the orange link below.

This week's song is also in honor of another 1980s icon - TRON. Just saw TRON: Legacy twice this week. Excellent film - highly recommended.

Journey: Separate Ways 

Back to the Future game spectacular! Gets DeLorean right on the money!

Just played through the first chapter of Telltale Games' "Back to the Future" and I am extremely pleased with the result. The download was a pain in the butt with a lot of bugs and errors, but once the game was going it was gangbusters!

Christopher Lloyd and the voice actor playing Marty McFly are PERFECT and the story thus far is amazing - easily an equal to the films in terms of structure and "temporal sophistication."

I have attached some screengrabs for your enjoyment. Check out how well the DeLorean is detailed! SPECTACULAR! Very very clean and accurate!

Back to the Future Game Out Today From Telltale Games!

The "Back to the Future" game from Telltale is available for download TODAY for PCs and Macs, and features the voice of Christopher Lloyd as Doc Brown!

I know what I'm doing when I get off work, and it won't be sanding suspension parts...though I really should be...

The Fluxing Capacity a Wallet Needs for DMC Ownership

I don't do budgets, not as a rule. However, with 6239, the world works differently. Having done the calculations, I estimate I have spent $2800 on parts since taking ownership in 2009. In order to complete all of the needed upgrades and repairs, the numbers are telling me another $2800 is going to be needed. That doesn't include tools or time.

In the immortal words of Marty McFly when the DeLorean died on him in 1955, "This is nuts..."

She's alive!!!

My cousin Jake and I installed the new O2 sensor yesterday afternoon right after we hooked up a new space heater in the garage. Atlanta is kinda cold this winter...

After some realization that we hadn't plugged the fuel pump back in, all was well and she fired right up. Now to get that suspension worked out and upgraded!

Damn this cold weather!

I used to hate the warm winters of Atlanta, but this year I thought there'd be a silver lining as I could work on 6239 in relative comfort. However, even a garage door can't keep the 11-degree temperatures from keeping me off the job and by the fire...

Looks like that O2 sensor will have to wait until this weekend. Also looks like the coolant flush is going to be sooner rather than last. Something tells me I need to flush that fluid as soon as possible.

Stabilizer Bar Bushings Modified

The bushings from Byrne Heninger's lower control arms for the Stabilizer Bar have steel sleeves in them that are too long by 1/8" of an inch or more. Fortunately, it doesn't appear that it is necessary for the sleeves to be finely cut, so long as they allow the bushings to get up against the LCA tightly, so I took a Dremel cutter to them and sheared off about an eighth inch before smoothing the cut edge with a flap wheel.

Next stop -- Front suspension removal...

New Front Springs and O2 Sensor

The new front springs for 6239 arrived from DMC UK! Finally 6239 will have the proper ride height in the front once all the work is done in the coming months. I also received the new O2 sensor, which I will install tomorrow, the first step in diagnosing where that pesky warm start hunting is coming from...

New Lower Control Arms!

On Sunday I took the Bullitt Mustang up to Gainesville, Georgia to meet one of the most well-known DeLorean vendors in the business - Byrne Heninger. I've decided to completely replace the Lower Control Arms (LCAs) in the DeLorean's front suspension as they are rusting and are a failure-prone part anyway. Wasn't sure how I would recognize Mr. Heninger's operation. It didn't take long to figure it out...

The new LCAs are markedly heavier than the OEM versions! Mr. Heninger coats them in bulletproof POR-15 Black paint and has German ball joints and frame pivot bushings already pressed in. Can't wait to get these on 6239, but there's a lot more work to do first.

I have some concerns about the sway bar bushings provided as the inner sleeves appear to be too long, but hopefully with a little innovation, I can work around that...

Sway Bar Refurbished & Stainless Steel Labels Arrive!

Progress continues on the winter refurbishment of 6239's suspension and overall tune-up. Spent time working on the sway bar, which was being attacked by rust under the flaking paint. Jake and I found the rust had worked its way underneath the paint layer. We tried hand sanding, but it wasn't producing the desired results, so I opted to go with a Dremel and flapwheel sander and that worked to great effect.

After the sanding was complete, the sway bar was primed and then given the first of many coats of Rustoleum Gloss Black.

In other news, my Stainless Steel labels arrived in the mail, which will make for a great permanent upgrade to the DMC so I can retain the original laminate paper engine compartment labels from eventual destruction to the elements.

Next steps involve cleaning, removing any rust and then repainting other front end components, as needed, such as the frame reinforcement plates.

DeLorean Song of the Week - 12/06/10

This week's 1980s DMC-era classic is "Magic" by The Cars. Enjoy!

The Cars - Magic

Red Letter Date: October 25, 2009 - 6239 HIT!

Yes, 6239 was hit on October 25th, 2009 by a pot smoker in a white Crown Vic. Fortunately, the damage was limited to the rear fascia, but it would have been better if "Stefan" had just kept away from my car entirely. What followed was an almost six-month repair process. To this day, it pains me to think about it...

DeLorean Owners Don't Hobnob.

So I'm at this press club author party and my co-workers never showed up. They want me to bid on a bunch of boring junk. I have a DeLorean in the garage and a proton pack in my house. What here could possibly interest me??? Absolutely nothing!

6239 in the Georgia Autumn

6239 attended my brother's wedding and the photographer apparently found the car interesting enough to snap off a few shots. Enjoy!