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.