FUCK YOU, STOP CALLING ME - May 2014

If I had twenty cents every time I ranted about getting a text message from a fucking telemarketer, I would be rich break even.  They find a way to annoy me.  First by taking time away from me, then taking money away...twenty cents at a time.

5 May 2014

   bairanbr@163.com - Another fucking text for some fucking sunglasses. Fuck you!

11 May 2014
   971-280-9936  OR, USA - Not only is this a weekend call, it came in at 1:19.  One o'clock in the fucking morning.  I was hoping this was a booty call.  Instead, I get fucked by the telemarketers, again.

Telemarketers and terrorists never sleep

Oregon, home of hipsters and telemarketers.  Telemarketers are terrorists.  Therefore, hipsters are terrorists.  Those fucking hipsters can go fuck themselves at 1AM.

14 May 2014
   951-266-5691  CA, USA - A quick search on Google tells me that this is a genuine robocall from a solar energy company.  Hey fuck nut, if you really want to save the earth from pollution, how about we rid the world of these toxic telemarketers.  Stop calling people and you will use less energy.  Heck, I will not have to wast my time and energy writing this.  But no, you have to harass people with your little scams.  Fuck you, I hope the sun burns your skin.

19 May 2014
   321-403-3561  Cocoa, FL - Hello return caller.  Oh, not from the same number.  But, I know you are a fucking return caller.  You and everyone in the 321 area code should just fuck yourselves.

20 May 2014
   106583770411811198593636@applesay.com - I know the only reason you are reading this blog is that you did a search for a number that called you.  I would be surprised if you actually came to this very post because you got a text, robbed of twenty cents, from this sender.  Surely, if you are going to send junk mail text, you would use something more common like, kaisersoze69@applesay.com.  Not this 106583770411811198593636@applesay.com.  Really?  Random fucking numbers.

Fuck you and your knock off sunglasses

By the way, the text came in at about 7:15 this morning.  Again, selling sunglasses.  I fucking hope you fry out your retinas, fuck you.

21 May 2014
   310-256-4359 Los Angeles, CA - At least this was a call and not a text.  Even better, they were not trying to pawn off some shitty knockoff sunglasses.  Actually, I am not sure what they were trying to sell.  I did not pick up, they did not leave a message.  Fuck you, very much.

22 May 2014
   106576874159711398976232@applesay.com - And...fuck you!

You owe me twenty cents, bitch

DeLorean Louvre Reinforment Strips

One of the unique features of the DeLorean is the louvres. While there are a handful of cars that have this sunshade, usually covering a rear window, the one the DeLorean acts as one of two engine covers.  The prototype DeLorean did not have any louvres, the rear is left open.  Some argue that it was added for better aerodynamics and aids in drawing heat away from the engine compartment. While others argue that the addition of the louvre was for pure aesthetics.

Because of its original design, with a thinner center rib, it had a tendency to break.  Later designs incorporated a thicker center rib and cross piece to help strengthen the area in hopes to prevent breakage.  Still, if you have weak struts holding up your louvre, it can slam down, causing it to break.  Or, if you have really strong struts, you can put too much torque on it when closing, and snap the center support.  Yeah, it is just one of those things you live with as a DeLorean owner.  Luck of the draw.

I stumbled upon some stainless steel louvre strips that I wanted to try.  Note that DMC offers a different designed Louvre Brace.  Both are designed to stiffen up the center rib and both are around the same price.  The DMC Louvre Brace requires longer struts so the louvre can be opened up more to hook the engine cover on the notch.  This way, you do not need to use the stock brace to hold up the engine cover.  Installation of either brace system should be similar.

DeLorean Stainless Steel Louvre Reinforcement Strips

The kit comes with two laser cut stainless steel strips and stainless nuts and bolts.

Dry fitting the reinforcement strips

These are precision cut to fit.  Since there are two (thin and thick) louver designs, there are two precision cut designs to fit the louvre you may have. Be sure to specify with seller when if you decide to order.  The DMC Louvre Brace is universal.

This is a great time to say this, follow the instructions when installing these strips.  While I did read through the instructions several times, the stupid voice in my head decided to do this a different way.  So what could have been a forty five minute (tops) exercise, turned out to be a two and a half hour workout.  Now, back to your regularly scheduled program to see where I went wrong.

Marking holes

I marked where the holes would do so I can drill them out later.

Spraying strips with SEM Trim Black

I thought about leaving the stainless steel finish, but I wanted the strips to blend in better.  There is an option to have a brushed finished, to match the body panels, at an additional cost.  Since mine were not brushed, I decided to spray them with good old SEM Trim Black. 

Dremel with attachment

One of the reasons I did not follow directs was I did not want to remove the louvre to do this.  Another reason, I did not have a drill that was small enough to fit into such a tight spot.  Luckily, I had a Dremel with flexible shaft attachment.

Drilling out the holes

Event with the attachment, you can see there is barely enough room to maneuver.  I was also limited to the size of the bit, so there was a lot of hand finishing with files.

Look at all that debris

Needless to say that marking the holes can lead to slight misalignment with the holes in the strips. 

Pre-installation of reinforcement strips

One of the obstacles is, you need to line up both holes of the reinforcement strip, along with the hole in the central brace...and you need to do this with all eight holes.  Even if I followed the directions word for word, there is a very good chance that all twenty four holes will not line up.

The laser cut holes in the strips leave little room for error.  If you drilled the holes at a slight angle, it would not meet on the other side.  Obviously, my holes were not at right angles, even with using the attachment.  Good luck getting right angled holes using a standard girthy drill.  To correct the misalignment, I had to dry fit each bolt with both strips in place and re-mark each hole. Then file away at the like I am breaking out of prison.  Luckily, the louvre is made of fiberglass and not steel.

Finished installation of the reinforcement strips

The bolts that come with the kit are a little long and can bottom out on the dome nuts.  These were provided since there are variable thicknesses in the center brace, even on the later wider versions.  To solve this, the instructions suggest cutting the bolts.  I have a tap and die set for such and occasion, but I realised that adding two washers is way easier than trimming and re-cutting the thread in eight bolts.  Last thing I need is to mess up these nice bolts...and I am already going into overtime on this as it is.

Close up of painted strips and exposed nuts and bolts.

The DMC Louvre Brace is one sided, so it would be a lot easier to install.  Although, you would need to factor in the time to swap out longer struts.  Knowing me, it would have taking me about three hours to do, also.

After installation, there is a noticeable difference in stiffness in the louvre.  I noticed that there was always a little flexing and torquing when closing a stock louvre.  With the strips, there is still a little of this flex and torque, but way better than without the strips.  It also seemed to fix the misalignment of the louvre as used to sit a little to the left and I would have to guide it down and to the right.  Now, it can just close straight down without rubbing the sides.

Final review, one less thing to worry about, totally worth it.

Replacement LED Bulb for Door Light Kit

Back in November, I installed an awesome LED kit for my door lights.  Everything was fine until about a month ago when I noticed that one of the bulbs was blinking.  I did not think much of it, since it seem to be working the next day.  Then, it was consistently blinking...something was wrong.

At first, I figured it was yet another electrical issue with the DeLorean. Typical.  I swapped out the LED unit with a few other ones to see if the socket was the issue.  I even plugged in my old LED bulbs and the stock incandescent bulb to make sure the sockets were okay.  Good news was the sockets are fine.  Bad news, I had a defective bulb.  What to do?

I contacted Tom at deloreana.com, and asked for a replacement bulb.  I offered to pay for the new bulb and any shipping and handling fees he would charge.  As part of great customer service, he shipped me a new bulb for free, since it was under warranty.  I did not know it was under warranty. He only ask that I send him the defective bulb so he can exam and debug it.

Today, I received my replacement bulb.  Again, it came in an awesome foam box.  Have I mentioned how much I love these boxes?

Replacement LED bulb from deloreana.com

I simply popped out the lens, pulled out the defective bulb, and replaced it with Tom's new bulb.  It works perfectly.  Now, I just need to pack up my old bulb and ship it back to Poland.  Kinda sad that I have to return that awesome box.

As a consumer, you always hope that manufacturers stand by their product and offer hassle free replacements if defective.  I have said that I look forward to Tom's future products.  This just confirms that I will definitely order from him again.  In fact, I have already pre-ordered a set of door struts from him.  Stay tuned for that.

Blowing DeLorean Fuse #11

If you have a DeLorean, then you most likely have blown fuse #11.  I have blown this fuse a handful of times...literally, I have blown a hand full of these fuses.  I have bought these 30A fuses in packs of five in more than one occasion.

Fuse #11 controls the radio clock, gear selector lamp, A/C panel lamps, and power windows. Basically, the entire center console blacks out when the fuse is blown.  Fuse #11 is prone to failure. 

As you know, I have been working on the window switches, gear selector lamp, and the A/C panel.  All effected by my favourite fuse.  In the past few months, I have blown this fuse about five times.  Sometimes, it the fuse would blow from just turning on the car.  Most of the time, it would be from operating the windows.  Imagine the fear I felt when driving along and needing a little air.  Oh, I should open the window.  POP!  Everything goes dark.  I feared that the entire car shorted out.

I had my window switches checked, they worked fine.  Of course they would, they were fairly new and I had spend a lot of time making sure they worked right and fit correctly.  Yet, somehow tapping the switch would burn a fuse.  The obvious problem is Lucas Electronics.  The next thing to check is the connector to the window switch.  This is the white part with all the wires that plugs into the actual window switch.

Window switch connector, possible shorting wires

I noticed that some of the 'separating walls' of my connector was cracked.  Operating the window switch, or just applying any pressure to the switch or center console can cause the wires to touch and short out the fuse.  Remember that the new window switches from DMC are longer than the 30+ year old stock ones.  This pushes the connector against the floor of the center console, bending the wires at a severe angle.  This can also cause the separating walls of your connector to crack.  This is why I cut some relief holes to allow the connector and wires to sit stress free. 

Unfortunately, the damage to the separating walls were already there.  The simple fix was to take some heat shrink tubing and shrink it around at least one of the touching wires.  In the image above, the black wire (in slot 2) is a good choice since it is between two wires that can cause a potential short.

Since I have done this, I have not had a problem with shorting out fuse #11.  Good thing, too.  Because, I am running out of ideas as to where the shorts maybe taking place.  Hopefully, this information helps you out.

 

FUCK YOU, STOP CALLING ME - April 2014

It seems that I have been getting text messages lately.  What sucks about these is, I really cannot ignore them.  Sure, I can chose not to read it.  But, since I do not have a texting plan, I get charged for it.  Which makes me less likely to buy what you are selling.  Yeah, I know I should keep up with the times and get a texting plan, but I am cheap.  Besides, if I want to communicate with you, if I am not lazy, I will call you or email, anything beyond that can wait.

1 April 2014
   sessakwnlj@hotmail.com - Yep, you guessed it, another texted spam.  A 'textamarketer', if you will.  Just like the text from a few days ago, this one come to us from those fuckheads at raybansshopz.com.  I did not even bother going to the site, you should not either.   If you really want some sunglasses, you know where to go to find them.  Well, that van be said about anything a telemarketer is selling.  If you need/want something, you will know where to find it.  Fuck these guys.

2 April 2014
   321-250-4593  Kissimmee, FL - Looks like it is going to be a long month.  But hey, there is some exciting news. Not the first call from Kissimmee, but the first call from the 321 area code of Kissimmee.  So, I applaud that from the penis state.  What other area codes do you have?  Oh, and fuck you!

8 April 2014
   321-402-9215  Kissimmee, FL - What the fuck is it with fucking Kissimmee?  A few years ago the hub of terrorists telemarketers was Washington.  Now, it is fucking Florida?  They have the Northwest and Southeast covered, it is a plague, devouring the country.  Fuck you, cancer telemarketers.

12 April 2014
   hechesmq@163.com - What is it with this need to liquidate sunglasses?  Here is a fucking text, trying to get me to buy more sunglasses.  Sorry, you just cost me twenty cents so I can no longer afford your sunglasses.  Maybe oakleysoutletstore.com and raybans100.net are legitimate sites, but I am sure as fuck that I am not going there to buy sunglasees.  Fuck you for texting me, I hope the sun burns out your retinas.

25 April 2014
  518-444-2217  NY, USA - Pretty exciting to get a new number.   Message to new guy in town:  No one cares what you are trying to sell.  Do everyone a favour and stop calling.  Better yet, just kill yourself.  Really.  The world would be better without you.  No one needs calls from telemarketers, no one.  Everyone hates you, just end your life.  Final tip, fuck off.

2015 Registration Sticker for My DeLorean

2015 registration sticker from DMV

Totally nerdy, but I got my 2015 registration sticker for the DeLorean.  Part of me wants to not put it on, so I can preserve the fresh 2015-ness of the sticker.  While another part of me wants to put it on, and never cover it up...to preserve the 2015-ness of it.

I like that the sticker is yellow, which matches the 1986 sticker, as seen on the OUTATIME plate.

Replica of the registration sticker on OUTATIME plate

Although, orange would have been acceptable, as it would match the 2015 plate.

Replica Back to the Future plates

This just came to me.  I would need to get another 'month sticker', then I can use my other plate for the year and stick the 2016 on my current plate.  Genius.  Now, were to get a 'month sticker', without waiting in DMV hell.

I am also waiting to get my blue plates.  Oh, you did not know?  DMV California has a program that will (hopefully) issue Legacy Plates.  So, if you have a 'classic' car in California, and you are currently sporting a current white plate...think about getting a period correct plate.  Heck, even if you do not have a car to put it on, it would be cool just to have a legacy plate.  You have until January 1, 2015 to place your order.  They need a minimum order to proceed with production, like a Kickstarter campaign.  You have until January 1, 2015 to back this project.  

The Hidden LED's in the DeLorean

When I was replacing the AC Panel a few months back,  I realized that there were three tiny bulbs that I for got to replace.  Inside the light switch and hazard switch are two very small incandescent bulbs.  There is also a small bulb for the cigar lighter.  All of these just happen to be the same bulb.  These will be replaced by a #74 LED bulb.  So, back in to the center console.

Fuzzy picture, but I can almost do this with my eyes closed

First, the easy one.  Well, easy after you get the center console out.  The cigar lighter has a ring around it that lights up.  Just unplug the incandescent bulb and replace with LED 74-x.

I like blue

Naturally, I went with a blue LED.  Although the lens of the ring is green, I wanted blue to match the rest of the lights in the interior.  The blue LED bulb give is ring an blue-ish glow...when it works.  My cigar lighter ring would sometimes work.  Another thing I will have to figure out later.  So, sometimes, it looks awesome...the rest of the time, it just looks dark.  No matter, I do not use the lighter anyway, no need to call attention to it.  Heck, I even use the ashtray as my garage door remote holder.

Garage door remoter in ashtray

Next up, getting to the light switches.

DeLorean hazard switch

Once you extract the switches, you need to take it apart to get to the bulb.  The bulb is hidden way in the center of the switches, like the reactor core in the Death Star.

Bulb location in hazard switch

You will need to pry the outer casing to get to the juicy center.  The switches work on a cam like mechanism.  There is a wire that rides a maze like path.  Each depression of the switch 'guides' the wire along this maze, giving you different positions of the switch.  A simple design, yet fascinating to see in action.

Oh yeah, the bulb.  To get to the bulb, you will need to guide this wire outside of the maze.  The two parts will separate.  Careful of the spring.  Now, just replace your bulbs.  I went with red for the hazard.  Although I have never seen this light up. Again, another wiring issue that I will need to figure out later.  But, at least I have and LED, instead of incandescent bulbs in there.

Blue LED indicator for headlight switch

The good news, I got the light for the headlight switch to work.  This one was green.  It really stuck out when I replace my AC panel, everything was nice and blue...then you have this one green light just mocking me.  I will show you.

One more light to deal with.  Since I have an automatic, the shifter plate illuminates in green.  Well, not anymore.  My first attempt was to get some adhesive blue vinyl and stick a piece behind the existing green shifter plate lens.  This did not do too much, as it still looked a little green.

Modifying a white bulb into a blue one

Okay, the real way to do this is to get a blue LED.  You will need a BA7s LED bulb.  I already had a white one I replaced years ago.  While these are cheap, shipping costs nearly tripled the price of the bulb.  Luckily, I had a big sheet of that adhesive blue vinyl.  You guessed it, I am going to wrap the bulb.  Yeah, totally ghetto way of doing things.

Wrapping an LED bulb

Yeah, I totally wrapped an LED bulb.

Custom made blue LED

You know what, it actually worked.

Blue (ish) lights

Now the fun part of putting everything back together.  This takes up the most time.  Even though I have done this about ten times, now.  It still takes me a good fifteen minutes to take out and put back in the center console.  Lost of nuts, screws, and wires to maintain.

Yeah, blue lights all around...and all LED

Finally, with the exception of the battery light (which should remain incandescent), headlights, and high beams, I have LED's all around the car.  At least until I stumble upon another hidden incandescent bulb somewhere.  Ah, the perks of DeLorean ownership.

FUCK YOU, STOP CALLING ME - March 2013

Hey, new month.  You would think there are new callers.  No, same fucking assholes, as always.

3 March 2014
   310-734-1306  Beverly Hills, CA - Again, first Monday of the month.  These fuckers are right on it.  Oh, did I mention that this is a return caller?  Yeah, even calling exactly one month ago, today.  It works out just right since February was a short, twenty eight day, month.  So, I should be getting a call on the fifth.  Meanwhile, fuck you.

24 March 2014
   937-203-4263  OH, USA - Hmm, slow month?  So what has been happening the last three weeks?  Were you on vacation?  Just when you think that Do No Call List is working, in comes this fuck nut from Ohio.  Ah, it has been so long.  Just like how you have been itching to call, I have been itching to say, "fuck you!"

30 March 2014
   rockmanfzl@hotmail.com - Yes, this was a text message.  That totally counts as telemarketing and spamming in my book.  It also costs me twenty cents.  So, they owe me.  Anyway, these fuckers are trying to sell shitty sunglasses under the guise of raybansshopz.com.  'Shopz'?  Oh, how professional...fuck you, I hope the sun burns out your retinas.

31 March 2014
   331-000-0001  Unknown - What the fuck kind of number is this?  It says 'unknown, but a quick search on Google states that 331 area code is somewhere in Illinois.  But what is with all the zeros?  Well, fuck these guys.  But good on you for getting in before the end of the month.  

Retribution High, by Bob Gale

Bob Gale's new short story deals with bullies in non-traditional way.

Retribution High, by Bob Gale

The writer/producer of the Back to the Future trilogies, Bob Gale, takes us back to your high school day.  Well, unless you are in high school now...and if you have not been to high school yet.  Either way, Bob Gale's tale is a fascinating look into social conflict.  We seem to be affected by bullies, whether you are in school or at a work place, the groups are interchangeable.

There are two versions of this book, a standard (green) version and explicit (red) version.  The explicit version holds nothing back.  I am not sure how the author toned it down for the 'standard' version.  It seems that you would miss out on some of the details in the standard version.  Given the choice, get the explicit version.

I enjoyed the story, even to the point where I 'could not put the book down' and staying up until 2AM to finish the book.  The story starts out with a slow build.  The first few chapters took me a few days to read.  Once you get to Chapter 8, the story picks up really fast and you will be up until the late hours reading to see what happens.  Sure, I am a slow reader, the average person could finish this in a few hours...about the length of a full-length feature.

The story revolves around two 'low life' high school students who are bullied by a group of 'better off' students.  One day, they pray for help.  Little do they know that help comes from different sources.  As the tag line of the book suggests, "Sometimes God answers prayers, and sometimes the devil does".

Both versions of the book are available at Amazon in print and Kindle.  You can even sample the first two chapters, just enough to get you hooked in.  You can find more information on the book and Bob Gale on the official website.

I would love to see the big screen version of this some day.  Hey, maybe my good friend Bob Gale will cast me as an extra in the movie.

FUCK YOU, STOP CALLING ME - February 2014

How long before I get a call in the month of February?  How about the first 'work' day?

3 February 2014
   310-734-1306  Beverly Hills, CA - Beverly Hills, home of the rich and famous.  Apparently, also the home of telemarketers.  Pretty fucked up to think that one can reside in such a posh neighbourhood by committing such crimes to humanity.  May you live on the streets of Beverly Hills, fuck you.

5 February 2014
  360-322-6663  Marysville, WA - Hello Marysville, it has been a month since you called.  And, a month since I ignored your call.  Hope you have been fucking off this past month.  Until next time, keep on fucking off.

6 February 2014
   407-932-5711  Kissimmee, FL - Such a cute name for a town.  Too bad your cuteness is tainted by the stench of telemarketers.  Maybe change your name to Stopcallingmmee...and fuck off.

10 February 2014
   701-771-9654  Rugby, ND - Happy Monday morning, and fuck you.  Oh, and fuck you twice for being a return caller.

11 February 2014
   407-932-5711  Kissimmee, FL - Kissimmee?  Fuckiyouu!

   310-734-1306  Beverly Hills, CA - I never liked the Beverly Hillbillies.  But, I did have a thing for Jennie Garth. Actually, I was not that much into Beverly Hills, 90210.  The plots were too complex for me.  No car chases or fighting.  Where am I going with this?  I have no idea.  Oh yeah, fuck the telemarketers.

18 February 2014
   407-933-4575  Kissimmee, FL - Smart move, Kissimmee.  Changing the number to get me to answer the phone.  You can change your number, but you are still in Kissimmee.  Here is a random thought.  There are two I's, S's, M's, and E's...but only one K.  I think there should be two K's.  Something like Kkissimmee or Kissimmeek.  What do you think?  Hey, maybe just one of each letter.  Something like Kisme.  Yeah, next time you call, change your number and your name...and fuck you.

21 February 2014
   509-381-1629  Spokane, WA - Yeah, the Northwest.  Why am I not surprised that I got a call from the fucking Northwest.  You know it is a fucking hipster on the other end, trying to sell me some shit I do not need.  Hey thanks, but if I want to spend money on unneeded things, I use eBay.  Fuck you, Spokane.

24 February 2014
   310-734-1306  Beverly Hills, CA - Fucking Beverly Hills, the world's most famous ZIP Code.  Even the luxurious areas has shit holes.  Deep in the center of said shit hole are telemarketers.  Fuck you.