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.

New Head Lamps for the DeLorean

I have changed every light bulb in the DeLorean, except for the headlights.  Well, lucky me, one of my head lamps went out.  This forces me to change them out.  While almost all the lights in the car have been switched to LED, I am keeping the head lamps as regular incandescent bulbs.  I have yet to do the research on LED head lamps and I am in a need to replace them now.

I recently had the right side lamp replaced while the car was in the shop.  The shop only replaced the one, but the internet says that you should replace in pairs.  The thought is, if one goes out, the other will eventually go.  Theory proven, as two months after one lamp was replaced, the other went out.

About to install Sylvania H4656 headlights

The replacement lamp is easily available at your local auto retailer or online.  According to the good folks in the DeLorean community, Sylvania H4656 is the 'modern' replacement.

 Accessing the lamp for removal and replacement is a little bit of a challenge.  They make it look easy in the workshop manual.  Yeah, I looked up how to remove and replace....just in case...refer to section M:11:01.  I realise that we are talking about changing a light bulb, here.  But, depending on your fascias, it could take more time that you think.

Removal of Gap Finishing Plate

First, the removal of the Gap Finishing Plate (101601/101602).   Again, this seemed like an easy task.  Remove the screw and the plate comes out.  Oh, no.  The plates, at least mine, were trapped in the fascia.  To unhook the plate, lift plate so it is horizontal and slide plate towards center of vehicle.  Then you can work the plate away from the fascia.  I know more complicated that is should be, and we have only just begun.

Removing the bezel presents new challenges.  For reference, the images below will focus on the right side of the vehicle.

Inside screw location

There are four screws that hold the bezel in place.  The inside screw (towards the center of the vehicle) is the easy one to get to. Enjoy this moment while you can, the next ones will drive you screwy.

Outside screw location

The outside screw is tucked in the corner of the fascia.  This one takes some effort to get to.  But, still relatively easy.  Careful not to scratch the fascia.

There are two more screws which are hidden underneath the fascia.

Inner hidden screw location

One screw is located about a third of the width in.  To get to it, you will have to pull up on the fascia  and get the head of the screwdriver in there.  Good idea to have a magnetic tip screwdriver or a magnet to retrieve the screw.

Outer hidden screw location

The last screw is about a third in from the outer edge of the Bezel (100643).  This is way up in the corner of the fascia.  Again, pulling up on the lip of the fascia to gain access to this.  This one is tough to get to, be careful.

Bezel.  Better look at screw locations

Once you get the bezel off, it is as simple as unplugging the old lamp and plugging in your new lamp.  Make sure to check the lamps and see if they light up.  You do not want to go through this process again any time soon. Remember that magnet I talked about.  It can come in very handy in helping you place the screw into the appropriate holes.  You could slip and drop the screw into the fascia.  Ask me how I know that...and I did it twice.  

But, this is a good thing.  I installed the bezel using three of the four screws.  I left the outer most corner unscrewed.  I did not want to pull up on the fascia any more than I had already.

Wedging a screwdriver in between the fascia an bezel

I now have a new theory on what causes DeLorean Eyebrows.

Some say that it is the heat from the high beam lamp causes the top of the fascia to warp.  I believe this is half true.  Yes, the more you use the high beam the more heat it will cause.  But...and here is my theory...the more use of the high beam, the more chance if the lamp burning out. This will lead to removal and replacing the lamp.  Well, you will have to pull on the fascia to access those hidden screws.  And that, my friend, is the cause of the infamous DeLorean Eyebrows.  *drops mic...audio feedback*

Then again, I could be totally wrong.

The infamous DeLorean Eyebrow (I stole this image from the internet)

In conclusion, I believe the best way to service the head lamps is to remove the fascia and replace all four with LED.  While you have the fascia removed, it might be a good idea to reinforce the eyebrow area.

Total time for project was about thirty minutes.  That means you can do this in fifteen.  One less thing to worry about until the next issue arises.

DeLorean Maintenance - 2015

DeLorean Motor Company in Hunting Beach, California

It has been a month since I had the DeLorean hauled down to Hunting Beach.  Well, I got it back today, and it is running better than ever...for now.  The stalling issue was fixed and I should be good until the next time it fails.  I also needed a smog certification...hey, thanks for nothing, California.

List of things done to the car:

• Fix leak in engine block.  Yeah, I know.  I was told that "the engine has cancer".  The coolant was eating away at the block and caused a leak.  They fixed it by plugging the hole.  This beats the alternative, which is to replace the entire engine.  The fix should last until it fails...so, the cancer can comeback at any time.  Ugh!
• Drain, flush, and refill cooling system
• Got a new radiator, because the old was one was leaking, too.  Argh!
• Adjust fuel mixture
• Clean electric plugs at coil cover. This was the area causing all those shut offs.
• Stainless steel brake lines
• Flush and bleed brake system
• That damn smog certification

There were a few little things, but that was the bulk of it.  Yeah, minor stuff that ended up being some major stuff.  Hey, it needed to be done.  Hopefully, that damn engine does not leak anymore.  Otherwise, the cancer will be eating away at my bank account even more.  The price of owning a classic car.  Now, to drive it like I wanted to since January...I am four months behind...if only I had a time machine.

Hauling the DeLorean

I guess there is a time for most classic car owners to have to car hauled off.  Unfortunately, that time came for me. 

A little back story.  Back in January, the car died on me while I was sitting at a stop light. At first, I thought the car was not warmed up.  After restarting it, it died again at the light.  Thankfully, it did not die in the intersection.  I figured that it was an RPM issue, drove home that night while trying to maintain a higher RPM.  This meant revving the engine while at stops.

I drove it a few more times after that.  Each time, it would die on me during low RPM.  A few times at a stop light, once while pulling into a parking spot.  Trying to restart a car while at a light is not fun.  I guess it is better than having it stall on a highway.

Part of the full service that DeLorean Motor Company provides is pick up and drop off.  So, a call went out.

Official DeLorean trailer

Danny came by with a truck and trailer to load up the car.  The car started fine as usual, but I am sure after running it for a few blocks it would die, again.

All secured and ready to hit the road

Off to see the wizard

 Strange to see my car moving down the road, from the outside of the car.

Following my car in my other car

I told him the issues I was having and some other things I wanted worked on while they have the car.  Stay tuned, I will update with what has been done.  Should be ready in about two weeks.

New Battery for the DeLorean

I was having trouble starting the car, this happened twice in the last few months.  I did some testing with a volt meter and it was obviously the battery as it was not holding a charge.  Better to be the battery and not the alternator.  At least with the battery I can swap out with relative ease.

Missing the 'loop' part of the latch

I am going with a smaller, lighter battery that still packs a punch.  Before I install the new battery, I need to make sure smaller battery will be secure in the battery compartment.  There is a strap to keep the battery from moving, but I am missing half of the latch/hook system.

Sketches of the new latch

So, I will have to make one.  First, some sketches, a simple design.  I have no idea what the original one looks like, and I was unable to find images of one on the internet.  I did not look very hard.  This should be simple enough.  I took some measurements off the existing 'hook' and used that as my guide.

Laying out the lines in Illustrator

Next step it so to layout the lines in Illustrator in preparation for the laser cutter.  I need something a little stronger than styrene, so we are going with Delrin, again.

Delrin battery strap latch

The slot on top is for the hook, while the two slots on the bottom allow the strap to be adjustable.  The advantage of having access to a laser cutter, other fun tools, and co-workers willing to help out.  Meanwhile, I ordered a replacement battery and it should be here in a few days. 

Odyssey PC925L Battery

Here is my little battery.  So cute.  I did  a quick volt check and installed it in the car.  The old battery is about 40 pounds, while the new battery weighs in at 24 pounds. 

Strap is too long

Since the battery is smaller, the strap is too long.  Looks like I will have to come up with a strap shortening device.

Battery strap shortening thing

There are many similar/better strap or seat belt shortening clips out there. Of course, I realize this after I had my clip made.  Most of these seat belt clips only shorten the belt about three inches, I needed my strap about eight inches shorter.  Although, I could have borrowed and modified the design to shorten the strap to the appropriate length.

Delrin strap shortening clip and strap latch

Clip and strap works, batter is locked down.  Oh, and the new battery works, too.  I should be able to get a few years from this battery.  One less thing I have to worry about...until the next thing goes wrong with the car.

Engine Cover Support Slide Block

Engine Cover Support Slide Block

When I ordered my shock tower brace from DeLorean Parts Northwest, I also ordered an Engine Cover Support Slide Block (#106356DP).  This is machined from Delrin, a tough plastic developed by DuPont and has a low coefficient of friction.  It replaces the original Part# 106356, which was made from 'regular' plastic.  DMC offers a metal replacement version, as an alternative, removal and installation process is still the same.

Stock sliding block

Unless you have the DMC Louvre Brace, this block supports all the weight of the engine cover when opened.  While I do have reinforcement strips, I do not have the brace.  I have a plan to replicate the bonus function of the brace...again, another day.

Removal of Engine Cover Stay Assembly

Replacing the sliding block is relatively simple.  Although, there is some 'extra' work involved as you cannot just remove the block and swap out.  First, you need to remove the pivot bracket and the entire engine cover stay assembly.  You will need really strong fingers or a ratchet and a 10mm socket...I recommend the latter.

This is a good time, or perhaps a little late, to remember to get some sort of stick to keep the engine cover up.  Once the assembly is out, there will be nothing keeping the engine cover from slamming onto your head.

Removal of sliding block

Removing the sliding block is a bit of a challenge.  There is no room to use a socket, you will need to use a traditional wrench, 7mm.  Even with the wrench, there is little room to crank. 

Assembly removed

I think this is the first time the assembly has not been a part of the car in 33 years.

Delrin slide block (top) vs stock slide block (bottom)

There extra holes in the Delrin slide block in case the holes in your engine cover have torn through.  Luckily, mine are undamaged.  It would also be very difficult to drill out these additional holes since there is no room for any drill to operate in such a tight space.  If sockets cannot fit, there is no way a drill would.

Installing the new block requires a little more coordination. The new bolts and nuts are 8mm, instead of 7mm.  So, getting the larger bolt into the smaller hole takes a little encouragement.  Also, the slot in the holes and the slot in the block is a snug fit.  I had to 'screw in' the bolt to get it in place, as it did not just slide in.  Again, slowly cranking the bolt with a wrench.

The nut and bolt towards the rear of the car is easier.  The one towards the front is a pain in the neck....literally.  When torquing that bolt, the support rod gets just gets in the way.  The only way to really do it is to rest the engine cover on my head so the rod is out of the way.  Only then, could I get the wrench in place to turn the nut and bolt.  You need two hands to torque the bolt and locking nut.  I am sure there is a better way to do this, having a partner help would put less pressure on your head and neck.

New sliding block installed

Hey, not that bad.  This was a relatively easy remove and replace project.  Total time was about ten minutes.  I doubt anyone can do it faster than five since you have to crank the nuts slowly by hand.  I wonder if there was a special tool they used at the factory to install these.  There must have been a better way than to slowly hand torque these nuts.

Besides the awkward assembling technique involved, the design of supporting a heavy metal lid at  the fulcrum is not the best.  Normal cars would have a support rod and/or some sort of spring or strut to help hold the cover up.  As mentioned before, if you get the DMC Louvre Brace, that has a hook that hooks the striker bar on the engine cover and takes the pressure off the engine cover stay assembly. 

Patching That Hole in the Tub

Missing chunk of fiberglass

Remember that hole and crack I found while installing the Shock Tower Brace?  Seriously, it was last week, just scroll down to previous post.  Anyway, it looks a small child bit a piece off of my tub.  This hole explains why that last screw was not screwing into anything.  I have no idea how long it has been like this, the break looks old.  Time to fix this, even though no one will really see it.

First step is to sand and clean the area.  I used 80 grit sandpaper to give the fiberglass some bite, making sure I got both sides roughed up.

Mesh gives it some backing

I got a sheet of self adhesive mesh to provide backing for the Bondo.  This is great stuff, the mesh holds it shape and it stays in place.   Genius!

Bondo with fiberglass strands

My buddy Jun...yes, that Jun...hooked me up with some Bondo Glass.  It is Bondo with fiberglass strands mixed in.  Perfect for fiberglass repair.  If the fumes do not get to you, the fiberglass should.  You can see that the mesh is in place and ready for the Bondo Glass

Spreading the Bondo Glass

Working with Bondo Glass is quite different from regular Bondo.  The strands of fiberglass make it a challenge just to scoop on to your mixing pallet.  It is a lot like trying to scoop wet noodles with a spoon, most of it gets pulled back into the container.  I mixed a few batches to make sure I do not waste too much of Jun's supply.  Multiple batches also helps with work time as it sets up pretty fast.

I made a small batch to spread on the underside, where the mesh is exposed.  This should help 'lock' down the mesh should the adhesive fail over time.  After a 15-20 minute wait for curing, it is time to sand.

Sanding, sanding, and some more sanding

Pro tip from Jun:  Wet sand the Bondo so the just does not get air born.

Good tip.  I wet sanded the Bondo, working my way from 80 grit, 120 grit, and 320 grit.  This step took a while.  Luckily, I had my laptop in the trunk, just above these images, and I was streaming Netflix while working on this project.

Looks like an orca

I spent about half an hour sanding it down.  A better way to do it would be to shape the Bondo before it totally hardens.  Who says I do things the right way or the easy way?  Still needs a little more sanding before I can paint.

Good old SEM Trim Black

I masked off  and covered some areas and sprayed away.  A few light coats of SEM Trim Black finishes the job. 

Oh wait, I need drill a hole for that final screw.  Since I do not have the threaded insert, the lazy thing to do is to attach a corresponding nut to the hole.  I used some JB Weld to 'weld' a nut on the underside of the repaired hole. There is not much stress in this area.  Heck, for years, there was nothing for the screw to screw into.  So, a glued nut works fine...until it fails.

The access plate goes back in with all the screws holding down the plate.  The shock tower brace goes back on, and we are done.

Total project time was about two hours.  This includes mixing and curing time for the filling compounds.  Oh, and a lot of sanding.

DeLorean Shock Tower Brace Installation

Yes, I am a dork

What? Shock Tower Brace?  I thought I have already installed one.  Yes, and no.  Two years ago, I installed the Shock Tower Bar, not Brace.  While they essentially do the same thing, there is a difference.  The new Shock Tower Brace from Toby Peterson of DeLorean Parts Northwest, is made of stainless steel, much stronger than the aluminum bar.  Toby's design also allows the spare to be removed without removing the brace. This also means that the trunk carpet can lay flat, with the brave below the carpet.  No more bar exposed in the floor of the trunk.  So, I decided to get one after I saw it at DCS2014, last month.

Note to self:  wipe the lens before taking photos

Installation begins with removing the Shock Tower Bar.  I have removed and reinstalled the bar many times for various reasons.  First step is to take the bolt and thread it all the way down, until it bottoms out on the frame.

Threading the bolt down

The kit comes with two 'extra' nuts so you can thread the bolt down. 

Exposed bolt

With the bolt hitting the bottom, the nuts are removed.  This leaves a long exposed bolt.

Sleeve placed over bolt

The sleeves go over the exposed bolts.  The one with the slot goes on the left (driver's) side of the car.

Slotted fitting

Both machined fittings get bolted down using the lock nut provided.  Nuts are torques at 23 foot pounds.  Make sure that the slotted fitting lines up with the opposite fitting, or perpendicular to the car.

Putting the brace in place

Now, the brace is ready to be placed.  The brace rests on the fittings, and floats above the trunk floor.  The curved part of the brace points towards the rear of the car.  Note that the slotted hole is on the slotted fitting, or the left side of the car.  Torque down the right side first at 23 foot pounds.

Adjustment bracket for tension

The adjustment bracket goes on, sandwiching the brace.  The slotted fitting allows this brace to fit flush...for a normal DeLorean.  Here is where I ran into some problems.

Bracket resting on edge of access panel

My bracket was just barely resting on the edge of the access panel.  This does not seem right.  At this point, I stopped working on it and shot an email to Toby to ask for advice.  He told me that for most cars, this should not be a problem.  It is possible that because I have a textured pontoon, there are some slight variances.  Or, because it is a DeLorean, it will differ from every other DeLorean.

Also, there should not be any silicone to seal the access panel.  There is a foam pad that 'seals' the panel, along with eleven screws.  Well, ten for me as one screw is not screwing into anything.  Notice the big hole in photo below, there is also a slight crack in the fiberglass.  That is another project for another day.  Typical DeLorean project, try to deal with one problem and another problem comes up.  Yay!

Under the access panel

I removed the panel to file away a notch so the bracket can sit properly.  While the panel was off, I cleaned up the silicone.  The silicone was so old that it was not even sealing the panel to the body.  I feared that it would be a task to remove the panel, but it just popped off once the screws where out. 

Panel notched to fit bracket

Bracket now level with brace

I shaved off about 2mm, now the bracket just falls right into place.  Now, I can get back to install this thing.

Putting tension on the bar

Before torquing down the nut, the bar needs to be tensioned.  That is what the adjuster bracket does.  Taking a 3/16 hex bit (why not metric?), the screw bottomed out, then tightened two turns to load the brace.  Finally, the last nut can be torqued on the bar, again at 23 foot pounds.

Finally installed

This is simple install, even with the extra modifications I had to do.  It should take no more than twenty minutes for the average person to install.  For me, with all the bonus stuff needed, it took about two hours.  Plus, I had to stop working on it for a few days and seek advise from Toby.

I took it out for a short test drive, not sure if it is any stiffer than the previous bar.  But, either bar or brace is significantly different than stock.  My route takes me over some bumpy train tracks.  Ugh, trains tracks and DeLoreans do not mix well.  Anyway, I can tell that the stock set up is way more 'flimsy' going over bumps.  With the added support, there is better control and stiffness.