Build the Back to the Future DeLorean - Missing Piece 22G

Missing piece 22G

I mentioned in the previous post that I was missing a small injector piece (22G).  There should have been six of these, but only five came with my issue.  While I contacted Eaglemoss, hoping to receive a replacement part, I figured I could make a stand in piece until I hear back from Eaglemoss.

Measuring the part

I took measurements of 22G with my trusty calipers.  In the photo above, you can see the tiny piece that I am trying to replicate.  Once I got all my numbers, it is off to modeling.

Screenshot of 22G

Modeling was simple.  I think it took me longer to take measurement than it did to model the piece.  For sure, it is taking me longer to write this than measuring and sculpting the piece.

Next step is to get some of these printed.

Tiny pieces

I had a full set printed, so they will all match.  There was a little clean up of support, but over all happy with the parts. 

Painted parts

Parts were double-stick taped to a Popsicle stick, then painted.  Done

As these pieces were being printed, I got an email from Eaglemoss stating that my replacement Issue 022 was on its way.  Even though I was getting new parts, I decided to finish this small project.

All I needed was the small injector parts, but getting the full issue means I can experiment with the fuel lines.  They look a little long, since I will have spare lines, I am going to cut them down to clean it up a bit.

I have to say that this is great customer service on the part of Eaglemoss.  My replacement issue should be here next week.  All before my next shipment of issues.

to be continued...

Build the Back to the Future DeLorean - Issues 020, 032-034

Finally, after three months, we have the elusive Issue 020

Issue 020

There were at least four Issues being put on hold until this issue arrived.  As mention in previous posts, you need the contents of 020 before you can finish building the engine.

Issue 020 - Intake Manifold

Contents of Issue 020

Not a lot of parts, in this one.  Pretty simple build.  One thing to watch out for, when mounting the assembly on the top of the engine block, make sure the manifold is facing the correct way.  Guess who put it in backwards and had to take it apart and do it correctly.

Good to finally see the engine come together...almost.

I had a small piece missing from Issue 022.  There are six injectors, but only five came with my issue.  That is an issue.  I have contacted Eaglemoss and hopefully replacement parts will come with my next shipment.

In building the remaining engine issues we are introduced to a few new screws.

Issue 032-034

Issue 032 - Fuel Tank

Contents of Issue 032

This is the first part with electronics.  The battery box is incorporated into the fuel tank, how clever.  Make sure your wires are properly connected to the battery box and switch.  I had a loose wire, but was easily fixed by soldering it back on.

Issue 033 - Fuel Tank Closing Plate

Contents of Issue 033

With the batter box being the fuel tank, it only makes sense to have the battery door be the closing plate.  I think they could have made the entire closing plate the battery door.  But, not many will be looking under the car once the car in finished.

Issue 034 - Luggage Compartment

Contents of Issue 034

One hunk of metal.  Once assembled, the luggage compartment stiffens the chassis and adds more weight to the build.
Other than that small snafu (with the missing part), we are all caught up with no back order issues...for now.  The assembled Time Machine, up to Issue 034, should look like this:

Assembled up to Issue 034

Ah, I did not forget about the screw count.  Note that this includes Issues that were previously omitted due to Issue 020 being on back order.  In the process, there were three new screws making their debut (MM, KM, LM).

37-AP, 7-BP, 2-CP, 12-AM, 10-BM, 4-EM, 4-CM, 13-DM, 2-DP, 1-FM, 3-GM, 3-HM, 2-IM, 2-EP, 8-FP, 2-JM, 1-HP, 1-GP, 2-NM, 1-MM, 1-KM, 1-LM

to be continued...

FUCK YOU, STOP CALLING ME - April 2018

We had two full moons in March (as we did in January).  We call this (two full moons in a month) a blue moon.  I just learned that. All this time I never gave much thought to the song.  I wonder what you call it when a telemarketer calls more than twenty times a day.

3 April 2018
  844-791-7356 - Another return caller, this number was flagged by my phone last month.  Like Jesus rising from the dead, a blocked number rises and still calls.  This time Call Protect intercepted the call.  Science and technology at your service.

I finally did a search for the number. It appears to be a toll-free number, with links to spam, telemarketer, Spectrum, suspicious spam, etc. Fuck you!

And, if it is Spectrum trying to up sell their bundle for $29 for internet, cable, landline...EACH.  Fuck you, too!

NOTE:  I was on a business trip for a few days. The phone was still on in case there was an emergency back at the ranch.  Little to my surprise, I had a few calls.

5 April 2018
  433-327-9049 Aberdeen, MD - Oh fun, we get to play this game again.  One....

  433-327-9049 Aberdeen, MD - Two...

  433-327-9049 Aberdeen, MD - Three...

  433-327-9049 Aberdeen, MD - Four...

  433-327-9049 Aberdeen, MD - Five...

  433-327-9049 Aberdeen, MD - Six...

  433-327-9049 Aberdeen, MD - Seven...

  433-327-9049 Aberdeen, MD - Eight...

  433-327-9049 Aberdeen, MD - Nine...

  433-327-9049 Aberdeen, MD - Ten...

  433-327-9049 Aberdeen, MD - Eleven...

  433-327-9049 Aberdeen, MD - Twelve...

  433-327-9049 Aberdeen, MD - Thirteen...

  433-327-9049 Aberdeen, MD  - Fourteen.  Fourteen calls by this number.  But here is something interesting.

  433-327-9049 Aberdeen, MD

Notice how the first call came through, but additional calls were intercepted by Call Protect.  Oh, here are the other calls from the same number.

  433-327-9049 Aberdeen, MD

 They also left a message. Since it is tax season...you guessed it...it was another one of those "the authorities are at your residence"calls.  The fun part is, my phone attempts to transcribe this message.  Take a look.

  433-327-9049 Aberdeen, MD

One more thing.  Fuck you!

  310-843-2415 Beverly Hills, CA - Oh, you thought we were done?  Nope, we are still on Thursday,  4 April.  Fuck you!

  310-849-9946  Beverly Hills, CA - If you have been following along, you should know this number.  Still calling.  Fuck you!

  310-849-2509  Beverly Hills, CA - If you are keeping score, that is seventeen calls in one day.  Fuck you!

7 April 2018
  467-67 - Well, at least this was not a 'call'.  This one came via text.

So they are basically spamming me, asking me if I want to use my car as a mobile spam device.  Fuck you!

9 April 2019
  310-849-7198  Beverly Hills, CA - Back from the business trip and without missing a beat, another spoofed number from Beverly Hills.  Fuck you!

13 April 2018
 323-792-1167  Los Angeles, CA - Good old phone marked this as a telemarketer. Telemarketer or not,  do you really think I am going to answer the phone on Friday the 13th?  Shit, the call could be coming from inside the house. Fuck you!

  215-402-5060  Springfield, PA - Oh, this on e is good.  Again, this was marked as 'telemarketer'.  So, obviously, I ignored it.  Then I noticed that a message was left.  This lead to a little digging on the internet machine.  I found this entry:

Received a call to our cell VM left was "... MaryAnn Johnson from Client Care" She was following up on a letter sent about discounted prescription benefits; provided a reference number: MD008121 and we should call back at 877-833-0642.

  Yep, that is exactly what I got.  Cold calling people with the same reference number and call back number from many reports.  Obviously, a scam.  Fuck you!

19 April 2018
  310-849-4836  Beverly Hills, CA - We all know this is a spoofed number.  Same Bat Time, Same Bat Channel.  Fuck you!

Build the Back to the Future DeLorean - Issues 028-031

Issues 028-031

Issue 020 is still on back order, but some are reporting shipments of 020 and other back order issues.  Hopefully, I will get 020 in my next shipment.  Meanwhile, the new parts allow us to continue...for the most part...without the missing issue.

Issue 028 - Radiator

Issue 028 contents

You will need the Radiator fans from the previous issue (027).  This is another simple build with only three parts.  All plastic parts in this bag.  The best part is, you get to mount the radiator assembly on to the frame when done.  These four issues all mount onto the frame.

Issue 029 - Chassis Plate

Issue 029 contents

The Chassis Plate, as they call, is one large hunk of die-cast.  Obviously, in a real car, this is part of the fiberglass tube, not a metal floor as in most cars. No big deal, it adds weight and value to the model kit.

There is also a center plate that comes with this.  Only two screws on the back end holds this plate down for now.  No worries, the other two screws will be part of the fuel tank cover plate.

Bottom of the chassis

On the bottom of the chassis in marked with 1/8 1982 Delorean DMC-12 

There are two mistakes with this mark.  First, the year should be 1981.  Second, and many people make this mistake, DeLorean is written with an upper case "L".  Check the old DMC documents, see how John DeLorean wrote and signed his name.  Every time you write it with a lower case "l",  you die a little inside...much like smoking a cigarette.  I guess that is your pro tip of the day.

Issue 030 - Water Pipes

Issue 030 contents

These parts are a little tricky.  Pay attention to the orientation of the pipes and were the screws holes line up with the chassis.

There are two black hoses that need to be mounted on the finished engine. If you are missing parts of the engine, hold on to these two hoses for later.

Issue 031 - Air Deflector Plates

Issue 031 contents

These are plastic parts.  In a DeLorean, the Air Deflector Plates are metal (I think aluminum).  The idea is, as air is rushing along the bottom of the chassis, these 'deflect' air into the rear brakes.  Most DeLorean owners have removed these from their car.  Mine were removed, I have yet to reinstall them.

For such a small and 'unimportant' piece, there sure are a lot of screws used to attach these.  Seven on each side for the model kit.  Air Deflectors on a full size car only use three nuts to secure the plates.

At the end of Issue 031, your car should look like this, but hopefully with an engine in place.

Assembled car sans engine

Now the best part, the screw count, omitting 020, 022, 024, 025, and 026.

26-AP, 7-BP, 2-CP, 9-AM, 9-BM, 4-EM, 4-CM, 10-DM, 2-DP, 1-FM, 3-GM, 3-HM, 2-IM, 1-EP, 4-FP, 2-JM, 1-HP, 1-GP, 1-NM

to be continued...

FUCK YOU, STOP CALLING ME - March 2018

A new month is always interesting as I 'reset the counter' for telemarketer calls.

12 March 2018
  323-315-0150  Los Angeles, CA - Usually, on the Monday after a time change, it is one of the least productive days of the year.  Well, not for robocalls.  I guess the good news is, this is the first call of the month...almost two weeks into the month.  Another good is, this was branded a "telemarketer" call by my phone.  Obviously, the bad news is the same news...we are still getting calls. Fuck you!

13 March 2018 
  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA - See...when I 'complain' about not getting a call for nearly two weeks they hit me with this shit:

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA - #2

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #3

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #4

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #5

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #6

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #7

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #8

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #9

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #10

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #11

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #12

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #13

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #14

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #15

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #16

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #17

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #18

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #19

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #20

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #21

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #22

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #23

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #24

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #25

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #26

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #27

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #28

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #29

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #30

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #31.  Yep thirty one calls, all blocked by Call Protect app, from the same number, in a span of about two minutes.   Fuck you!

15 March 2018
  727-394-4166  Saint Petersburg, FL - The robot left a message.  Hey folks, it is tax season.  So, be aware of these calls.  Yep, it is the typical robot telling me that I have issues with my taxes...and the cops are at my place.  Same scam they have been running for a few years.

Uh, you have a robot call me on something this 'urgent'?  Maybe put a human on this.  Oh wait, I have not even filed my taxes yet, because, guess what...they are not due for another month...like it is every fucking year.  Oh, one more thing.  Why would someone...or some robot...in Florida call me about my California taxes.  Surely my federal and state taxes are the issue here.  You are clearly out of your jurisdiction. Fuck you!

16 March 2018
  310-849-8308  Beverly Hills, CA - Another (no doubt) spoofed number from the 310-849-XXXX, Beverly Hills numbers.  Fuck you!

  310-849-2425  Beverly Hills, CA - Well, the first number did not work.  What makes you think I give a fuck the second time?  Fuck you!

Calls from 310-849-XXX on 16 March 2018

I thought I would check Call Protect did its job. Well, look at this.  Six calls came in, and four were pre-blocked by the app.  Two slipped through, but still registered as telemarketer calls.  Note that they are all from the same area code and prefix.  These are most likely spoofed numbers.  Fuck you!

20 March 2018
  310-849-0946  Beverly Hills, CA - Auto blocked by Call Protect. If you have AT&T, look into downloading this app, it works.  I am sure there are similar apps for other carriers and phones.  As for telemarketers, fuck you!

22 March 2018 
  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA - Recognise the number?  Here we go again.  Count with me. One...

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA - #2

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #3

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #4

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #5

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #6

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #7

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #8

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #9

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #10

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #11

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #12

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #13

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #14

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #15

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #16

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #17

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #18

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #19

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #20

  323-430-8296  Los Angeles, CA -  #21.  Yep twentey-one calls in about in a minute.  Luckily, this was blocked by Call protect.

323-430-8296 x 52

With thirty-one calls earlier this month, that makes it fifty-two calls from this one number.  Fuck you!

27 March 2018
  844-791-7356 - Branded as "Suspected Spam".

Also, labeled as "SS".  So, not only telemarketers, these fuck nuggets are also war criminals.  Fuck you!

28 March 2018
  310-849-7170  Beverly Hills, CA - Another spoofed number from Beverly Hills. Looks like there will be an end of the month push from these fuck nuts.  Fuck you!

30 March 2018
  310-849-5659  Beverly Hills, CA - Looks like Call Protect is having some issues with some spoofed numbers.  No fault of Call Protect, I blame the fucking telemarketers.  Fuck you!

31 March 2018
   844-791-7356 - Branded as Telemarketer.  Return caller.  Funny, previously this number was branded as 'Suspected Spam'

 At least the phone is telling me not to answer.  Thanks, phone.  As for the telemarketer/suspected spam, you know the drill.  Fuck you!

Time Change

Well, it is that time...again.  Welcome to my bi-annual rant about setting watches and clocks.

Every six months or so, we have to go through this unneeded, useless ritual of springing back and falling forward...or is it fall back and spring forward.

Whatever.  My point is, there is no need to do this.  The planet tilts and orbits closer to the sun, giving us more daylight hours in a twenty four hour period.  Why do we need to adjust our time telling instruments every March and October?

Side note*.  Did you know that not everyone observes this dated ritual.  You have heard this before.  I am not just talking about some countries.  Some states do not even deal with this crap, while other states are looking into banishing this ridiculous observance.  Furthermore, other countries do not change their time on the same day.  The UK (and I am guessing some of Europe) does their time changes over a different weekend as their North American friends.  I do not even know when or if Asia or Oceania and other areas of the word changes  their clocks.  Argh!

Here is another interesting fact.  It takes about three days for the average person to acclimate to this, what is essentially, jet lag.  So everyone on Monday morning is driving with jet lag, causing an increase of 17% of accidents the Monday morning following a spring forward.

For the states and countries that are already not following this dark age convention, good.  You keep doing what you are doing.  For the governing bodies that are fighting for the elimination of this archaic practice, keep up the good fight.

Obviously, we cannot agree on one thing.  Heck, there are some countries (well, two) that are still stuck on the Imperial system.  Anyway, here again, is my proposal:

We not only stop this nonsense.  But to please everyone, we meet half way.  She want one hour ahead, he wants one hour behind.  #TimesUp  We set the clocks a half an hour off and leave it.  That is it.

We pick a day, the Winter Solstice seems like a good one, with the sun and the daylight and all that. Since we would be on Standard time during the Winter, everyone follows according to their originally assigned time zone and set their clocks forward a half an hour.

All the atomic clocks will follow this change.  That way, all our computers, globally and in orbit, will be all set.

Tangent:  Of course, I am writing this before we are supposed to set our clocks.  At 2 AM, the clocks magically jump to 3 AM.  So, I am trying to set this to post at 2:XX AM and it defaults to 3:XX AM.  Wow, we literally really lost that hour.  Anyway, I set this to post at 1:59 AM.

We will all sleep better and function better the next day...and forever...knowing that there will never be any unnecessary setting of clocks and watches.

World leaders, get on this.

...or, we can just all go by Swatch Internet Time (or beat time).

*Update:  Today in the UK, they are celebrating Mother's Day.  No time change for them.  Good luck telling mum her special day is an hour short.

Build the Back to the Future DeLorean - Issues 024-027

Issues 024-027

Still no Issue 020.  Without this elusive issue, we are unable to continue to build off the engine.  Issues 024 to 026 finish off the engine assembly.  While we wait for Issue 020 to arrive, we can look at the issues and parts from this shipment

Issue 024 - Pulleys and Belts

Issue 024 contents

This looks fun, there are pulleys and belts to assemble.  I thought I could build off of that I had since none of these parts directly connect to anything from Issue 020 or 021.  As you may recall, you need 020 to work on 021.

Anyway, the upper parts of the engine assembly need to be assembled in order for the belts to go on.  Sure, I could have just mounted the pulleys.  But, what is the point?

Issue 025 - Heat Shield and Exhaust Pipes

Issue 025 contents

Again, some of these parts can be build on to the existing block.  But, the heat shield and brackets need to be on top of the pulleys and belts...which are not on the block yet because of missing parts.  Argh!

Issue 26 - Exhaust and Mounting Engine

Issue 026 contents

Remember the two inner drive shafts from Issue 014?  Well, this you can finally mount them when you mount the engine on to the frame.  But, that is only if you have all the issues and parts up to this point.  Otherwise, you will need to wait for parts.

Reports of Issues 022, 023, and 024 are also on back order.  I guess the good news is these are all engine parts.  You could just move on to another area of the car...which brings us to...

Issue 027 - Radiator Fans and Horn

Issue 027 contents

Finally, we can build something.  We also get introduced to three new screws!  This issue is quite easy to build.

DeLorean owners/enthusiasts will notice that there is only one horn, on the driver's side.  A DeLorean has two horns, one on each side.  Yep, the DMC-12 has stereo horns.  Actually, one 'high' note, one 'low' note to create that distinctive 'dying duck' sound.  Side note:  One of the items of the bottom of my list is to replace my horns with something that has a little more umph!

The radiator fan build is pretty straight forward.  Just mount the fans onto the frame.  You will have to set these aside until (I guess) you receive the radiator itself.  Then they will mount on the radiator brackets.

Another note.  The fan blades are a little off.  The blades on a DeLorean fan are off set.  More of an 'X' shape than a traditional 'cross' shape.  Here we have four blades that are 90° from each other.  On a DeLorean, the blade are set at about 60° apart.  Think of a six-bladed fan, and remove the top and bottom blade.  Look here is a picture:

Stock cooling fans

These are stock.  Perhaps Doc replaced these goofy off set fans and replaced them with a 'normal' fan design.

Okay, with Issue 027 assembled, it should look like this:

Horn, radiator bracket, and cooling fans assembled

Now, we wait and hope for 020 to ship along with the next issues.

Screw count.  I did not work on Issues 024-026, so there are no 'extra' screws to add to the collection.  As mentioned, there are three new screws introduced in 027, so here is the count, omitting 020, 022, 024, 025, and 026.

24-AP, 7-BP, 2-CP, 8-AM, 6-BM, 4-EM, 4-CM, 8-DM, 2-DP, 1-FM, 3-GM, 3-HM, 2-IM, 1-EP, 2-FP, 1-JM, 1-HP, 1-GP, 1-NM

to be continued...

FUCK YOU, STOP CALLING ME - February 2018

The telemarketers closed off last month with a strong push with 13 calls on the last day of the month.  Not letting their foot off the pedal, as a call rushes in bright and early on the first day of February.

1 February 2018

  315-280-8585  Oneida, NY - An early call from "Suspected Spam".  Oh, how I love that my phone and/or carrier occasionally brands these fucknuts with "Suspected Spam".  It saves me time from looking up the number.  Heck, it saves me time from even looking at the phone for too long...wondering who the fuck is calling me at 8 in the morning?  Oh, it is suspected spam...well fuck this shit!  Ignore, click.  

Suspected Spam

A call on the first day of the month.  Looks like it is going to be a long month.  Oh wait, February is the shortest month.  So, looks like it is going to be a short month...argh, you know what I mean.  Fuck you!

  315-280-8585  Oneida, NY -  Call

  315-280-8585  Oneida, NY -  Protect

  315-280-8585  Oneida, NY -  blocked

  315-280-8585  Oneida, NY -  an

  315-280-8585  Oneida, NY -  additional

  315-280-8585  Oneida, NY -  eleven

  315-280-8585  Oneida, NY -  calls

  315-280-8585  Oneida, NY -  from

  315-280-8585  Oneida, NY - these

  315-280-8585  Oneida, NY - cocklicks

  315-280-8585  Oneida, NY - If you are keeping track, that is a total of twelve calls...so far.

  315-280-8585  Oneida, NY

My guess is once the phone recognizes the number as "Suspected Spam", see above, Call Protect will block future calls from the number.  Day is young, will I get more calls from Oneida, NY?

Apparently, they also left a voicemail.  Well, robo-voicemail...and my phone dictates the message for me.  Check it out:

This is the voice

Fuck you!

  818-603-0340  Los Angeles, CA - Another one blocked by Call Protect. Boy, I am popular today. So many calls in one day.  Fuck you!

2 February 2018
  310-248-9965  Beverly Hills, CA - First call of the day.  A little late in the day compared to yesterday.  Oh look, a call from Beverly Hills...imagine that.

310-248-9965

Good news is the phone flagged this as a telemarketer.  If a telemarketer calls on Groundhog Day, we get six more weeks of telemarketer calls.  Fuck you!

5 February 2018
  310-849-0946  Beverly Hills, CA - Mother Fucker!  The only reason you should get a call before 8am is in case of emergency.  Calls from family members, friends, or work.  Why are these fuckers calling me at 7:50 in the morning?   Fuck you.

Wait.  One more thing.  Only family, friends, or work should call me, period.  Telemarketers DO NOT fall in either of those categories.  So, again, fuck you!

8 February 2018
  323-430-8296  Montebello, CA - Marked as "Telemarketer" like a scarlet letter.  Fuck you!

19 February 2018
  310-846-451  Inglewood, CA - What the fuck is this?  No, there is no typo here.  The number came in as "310-846-451", no last digit.  Clearly, this is a telemarketer with an attempt to fool us.  Fuck you...actually, I should say, fuck yo!

  323-430-8296  Montebello, CA - We have a return caller!  Again, this was marked as "Telemarketer".  I love technology, and I love ignoring calls.  Fuck you!

   310-469-7256  El Segundo, CA - Another marked as Telemarketer.  Another fuck you!

22 February 2018
   310-296-5857  Gardena, CA - You bare the mark of shame, the mark of Telemarketer.  Shame on you and your family.  Fuck you!

   816-988-3701  Blue Springs, MO - Blue Springs is a pretty cool name for a town.  Too bad your town is infested with telemarketers.  Now, your almost cool town is a shit town.  Fuck you!

28 February 2018
  323-419-3044  Huntington Park, CA - Branded by phone technology as a Telemarketer. You shall wear it in shame.  I piss on thee and the grave of your ancestors.  Fuck you!

Recents calls from telemarketer

Build the Back to the Future DeLorean - Issues 019-023 (sans 020)

Issues 019, 021, 022, and 023

Notice the gap in the photo?  Issue 020 is missing.  Apparently, there is a shortage of Issue 020 at the distribution center.  So, they skipped it and shipping Issue 023, that way we have our four issues this month.  This has happened to many subscribers who were waiting for 019-022.

I still find it kinda weird.  Why make, say, 1000 copies of Issues 1-50, but only, say 500 issues of 20?  Would it not make sense to make 1000 of each?  Anyway, looks like Issue will...should...be shipped with the next shipments, along with the next three in the series.  Let us get to the build.

Issue 019 - Engine Top, Water Pump

Issue 019 contents

Tiny parts, tiny screws.  Straight forward build, with no real problems. On a real DeLorean, this is a problem area, and has been called affectionately "the valley of death".  We get our first hose piece, a small tube about 1mm wide.  Luck for you, they included tweezers...which is pretty much useless. 

Tweezers

Needless to say, these are not professional tweezers.  They will work...in a pinch (ha).

Issue 021 contents

Issue 021 - Cylinder Head Covers and A/C Compressor

Good news.  You do not need Issue 020 to assemble 021.  You will have to wait until you receive 020 to complete the assembly at the end of this issue.

Issue 022 contents

Issue 022 - More Engine Parts

Bad news.  You kinda need 020 to assemble 022.  While you can pre-assemble some parts from this issue, most of the parts mount directly on to areas that would be included in Issue 020. 

I elected not to start assembly of this issue. 

Issue 023 contents

Issue 023 - Even More Engine Parts

These few issues have been relatively fast builds. Again, no parts that need special attention.  The parts from this issue can be assembled directly onto your engine from previous builds (up to Issue 018) or last shipment.  Issue 020 is not needed to complete this issue.

Finished engine up to Issue 023, without 020 and 022 should look like this

Update engine assembly

Well, this is not the first time I had to wait for DeLorean engine parts to arrive from a distributor.  While my car was getting its engine replaced, the shop needed to wait for parts. 

Now for the screw count, after 23 issues.  Note that I did not include the screws from Issue 021 that mount the top of the engine to the main block.  Also, screws from Issue 022 were not used, therefore were no 'extra' screws.

24-AP, 7-BP, 2-CP, 8-AM, 6-BM, 4-EM, 4-CM, 8-DM, 2-DP, 1-FM, 3-GM, 3-HM, 2-IM, 1-EP, 2-FP, 1-JM

to be continued...

Painting DeLorean Louvres

Five years ago, I repainted the 'fake vents' on the DeLorean.  I had to look that up, did not realise it had been half a decade since I did this.  Well, it was time to do the same with the louvres.

Grey louvres and swirl mark

One day, I noticed that there was a blemish on one of the louvre panels.  I am not sure if I did this. Looking at the image above, if you can image, it looked like someone (possibly me) used something abrasive to clean what was resting on the panel.  There are swirl marks.  Something must have really been stuck on there to use an abrasive to remove the foreign substance.

Also, you can see that my louvres were fading and getting that old UV-ed grey look.  Similar to the side vents from a few years ago.

Oh, I should mention that there is a correct way of repainting your louvres, which involves removing them from the car, getting the correct paint, and properly spraying the paint in a paint booth with a spray gun.

But, this is me we are talking about. I am only concerned with the exposed surfaces.  I will be using SEM Trim Black...from a can.  And, I will be spraying it in my garage...of course, with the door open (most of the time).

Taping and masking

First step is to tape the areas not to be painted.  I installed a third brake lights, or CHiMSaL (Center High Mounted Safety Light), just under the top panel, a while back, those need to be masked off.  The hardware for the lid also needs to be free of paint.  You can see the green tape used to mask off those areas.  In addition, I covered the back half of the car in case of overspray.

Since I am only repainting the 'outside' surfaces and not removing the louvres, I needed to mask off the underside of it.  Basically, providing a backing for in between the panels.  You can see the brown paper through the 'holes'.  There is also backing on the bottom panel, under the vents.

The taping and masking process took over an hour.

First pass

This is a big area to rattle can, which means multiple coats are required.  One of the issues I had while spraying was the occasional spatter from the nozzle.  Sometimes, there are spots that are splotchy.  Multiple coats help blend these blemishes.

Multiple passes

I spent a lot of time chasing these blemishes.  Luckily, I am going for the textured look as that was what the original finish was.  If I wanted the gloss look, a spray can is not the way to go.  After multiple coats and two cans of paint, I was at a place where I was happy.  Well...more like I was at a place where it was good enough and I did not want to spray anymore.

Freshly painted louvres

The best part and easiest past was removing the tape and masking.  Although it did take about 15-20 minutes to get all the little pieces of tape, and gathering up all the paper.  Total job can be done in a weekend.  But you know me...this took me about a week since I had to get another can of paint to touch up the splotchy areas.  At the end, it looks much better...like a new 36 year old car.  I am happy with the results.