DeLorean Car Show 2014 - Part III

DeLorean Car Show 2014

Saturday, 14 June 2014

It is car show day, this is what the event is all about.  The official count was 159 DeLoreans, the most for a show like this.  Heck, it may be the most assembly of DeLoreans since they were sitting at the factory.  There was even a unique reunion of sorts when three consecutive VINs were there, parked side by side by side. Surely the first time in thirty-three years that have been together.

In the trade show tent, there were representatives from DMC vendors from across the country.  Some debuted new exclusive parts ranging from tail light boards, front shock tower bars, front lower control arms.  There was shirts, movie license plates, jackets, photos, and of course.memorabilia from Back to the Future.  Everything and anything DeLorean was available.  There was even a table or two with Bricklin stuff.

"Bricklins, what DeLoreans would look like if they came in Skittles colours" - Jeffery Weissman

Oh, I forgot to mention this.  Along with the 159 DeLoreans, there was about 10-15 (do not know the official count) Bricklins there.  It was a convention of cars with goofy doors.

Hanging out with Bob Gale

I was not able to drive my car the 2200 mile to Dayton.  So, I brought a piece of my car, the driver's side visor, with me instead.  The hope was to get some of the cast of Back to the Future to sign it.  I first went to my buddy Bob Gale and asked him to sign.  He had already signed my car when he came to Mattel for a visit.

Don Fullilove, I like the sound of that

I saw Don Fullilove, better known as Goldie Wilson, and got his autograph.  He recognized me from last night as 'the Hot Wheels guy'.  He could have easily recognized me as 'the only Asian guy at the event'.  I would have been more impressed if he remembered me from Orlando 2012...I remembered him.

No caption needed

The one autograph I wanted was that of Christopher Lloyd.  It was known early on that he was attending the event.  He was part of the reason I wanted to go, and the reason I brought a piece of my car with me to the event.  Needless to say, Doc Brown was surrounded by people where ever he went.  It was hard to get to him through all those people.  Luckily, he had a table set up, but only for a few minutes.  I was fortunate to be near the front of the line to get to meet him, get his autograph, and shake his hand.  Wow, just wow.

But wait, there is more.  The Choir Club from Fairfield High School performed their Back to the Future production for the last time.  Many of the cast were seniors and came back just to do this final performance for us.

Fairfield High School performing Back to the Future

This was an amazing production.  Everything from the arrangement, choreography, props, costume, set...everything, just amazing talent all around.  I bet it was fun for the students as they performed not only in front of Back to the Future fans, but some of the cast from the movie




Wait, there is more. After the performance, there was a wedding proposal in front of 500 people.  Not a dry eye amongst us.  She said yes.

DCS wedding proposal

It gets better for the newly engaged couple.  Harry Waters Jr., Marvin Berry, said, "this one's for all you lovers out there".  Then sang Earth Angel, just as he did in the movie.  What?  Yeah, that happened.  How do you top that wedding proposal?

Fairfield High School cast with Back to the Future cast

One of the highlights for me was seeing the original prototype of the Hot Wheels DeLorean that never made it to production.  The only know prototypes were in the DeLorean Archive and I got a chance to see them up close. 

Hot Wheels DeLorean prototypes and other die-cast DeLoreans

 The curators of the items allowed me a private viewing...and touching...of this rare item.

Prototypes of the Hot Wheels DeLorean that never was

Image above from left to right:  My production Hot Wheels DeLorean (c. 2010), Hot Wheels DeLorean pre-production sample (c.1979), Painted resin casting (c.1978), Unpainted resin (c.1978), Pre-production sample (c.1979).

John DeLorean's hard hat and shovel from Dunmurry ground breaking

The DeLorean Archive curators even let us put on John DeLorean's hard hat and pose with the ground breaking shovel.  Truly an honour.

The closing ceremonies included a awards, raffle, and presentationwith the Back to the Future cast.  Bob Gale shared his "Doc Brown Doesn't Drive A Fucking Mustang" story.  I have heard it twice and it never gets old.  Right after the punchline was said, Ken handed Christopher Lloyd the famous shirt inspired by Bob Gale's story.

Doc Brown Doesn't Drive A Fucking Mustang

I received a plaque for Honored Speaker for my presentation.  Of all the awards I have received, granted I have not received many, I am most proud of this one. 

Marty and I, posing with our plaques

My buddy Marty won an award for Most Awesome Canadian Who Owns A DeLorean...or was it for Best Car with 75,000 miles?  I forget.  Notice his plaque is better than mine.  The difference between having one of the best DeLoreans at the show and some guy talking about toys.

That was the end of the show.  Before we left, we said our goodbyes.  We met up with Terry and Oliver Holler of Team Fox and took a picture next to their clock tower display.

Terry and Olver of Team Fox

Go to Part I - Part II

DeLorean Car Show 2014 - Part II

Packard Museum

Friday, 13 June 2014

Ken Koncelik had a big day of events planned for convention attendees that included trips to various car museums and private garages in the Dayton area.  First stop the Packard Museum. John DeLorean worked for Packard before he worked at General Motors.

One of the many cars in the Packard Museum

Packards have awesome hood ornaments

Big sign made from a big rock

About two blocks away was the Taj Ma Garj, a private collection of German cars.  The collection included unique examples of Volkswagens and Porsches, along with unique pieces of random art.  It definitely has a different feel from your normal 'museum'.

Rot Iron VW Beetle

Porsche Carrera GT

Carrera GT license plate, and my Tag Heuer Carrera watch

Slammed VW Beetle

Upstairs is a video game room.

 Next stop is Jim Arnet's private collection cars.  Almost every car had its hood up to display the engine. 

Hoods up

Would have love to see this with the hood down

Euro Classics is a full service auto shop with a collection of really expensive cars.  I mean, really expensive.  Hoods are down here, so you can see how expensive they are.

Shelby Cobra

Ferrari Testarossa

Amphicar

 This Amphicar is supposed to be the world's most accurate Amphicar.  So weird, yet so awesome.   It drives on land and water.

Really expensive cars

Aston Martin DB5

Finally got to see an Aston Martin DB5 up close.  This would have been helpful a few months back as I was/am working on the James Bond DB5 from Goldfinger for Hot Wheels Elite.

Last stop was Carillon Historic Park.  The attractions include on the the Wright Brothers' planes and a replica of their bike shop.  You will also learn about the history of Dayton and its contributions to the world such as the cash register and the pop top can.

Cash registers were invented in Dayton

This how pop tops are punched from a strip of aluminum

Wright Flyer III

Deeds Carillon

After a long day of visiting museums, it was back to the hotel for dinner and evening events.

Like DCS 2012, I had a presentation to give.  My presentation was a modified version of one from Orlando.

This guys has no idea what he is talking about

My presentation is different from most presenters.  While others talk about the DeLorean car or the company, I talk about toys.  Since 2012, I had acquired more information on the history and relationship of the original DeLorean Motor Company and Mattel.  Like last time, I gave those in attendance a sneak peek of that is to come from Hot Wheels regarding the DeLorean and Back to the Future Time Machine.

JLPMOVIES is working on a DeLorean documentary

One of  the great things about events like this is making new friends and meeting up with old ones.  I met Jordan Livingston of JLPMOVIES back in Orlando.  He is working on a DeLorean documentary that I may be a part of...if I do not end up on the cutting room floor.

To Be Concluded...

DeLorean Car Show 2014 - Part I

DeLorean Car Show 2014 in Dayton, Ohio

Thursday, 12 June 2014

Two years after Orlando, DeLorean owners and enthusiasts gather in Dayton, Ohio for DeLorean Car Show 2014.  This is the last show to be run by Ken Koncelik, before the reigns get handed over to Jason Sharkey.  This show was not to be missed.  It promises to be the best and biggest yet. 

Curtis Bryant's masterpiece

As we approach the hotel, there was no mistaking that the Dayton Marriott was hosting the event.  There was about twenty DeLoreans already parked in the lot.  Among them was Curtis Bryant's 'VNDIC8R'.  Photos do not do it justice.

Lighted replica dealer sign

Thursday was a relative light day as people were arriving at different times and registering.  There was still some setting up in the halls, as well as under the tents.  We were treated to Back to the Future Production Designer, Andrew Probert's presentation.

Andrew Probert and Jeffery Weissman

Our master of ceremonies was Jeffery Weissman, who played George McFly in Back to the Future Part II and III.  Andrew Probert presented some of his designs for the movie, along with storyboards for the original ending of the first film.

One of Andrew's first gigs was production designer on Star Trek - The Motion Picture, which eventually led to his work on Star Trek - The Next Generation.  He gave a great presentation on his work for the show.  This included designs for the Enterprise-D.  Yeah, he designed the ship, exterior and interior, the bridge, even some of the aliens.  As a designer and a Star Trek fan, it was quite a treat to see original sketches for one of my favourite shows.  I mean, we had just seen awesome designs for Back to the Future and now, Star Trek...nerdgasm!

Just some of the cars that were under the tent

As people arrived, the cars were being set up for Saturday's car show.  It was a long travel day, and a long day of events tomorrow.  Off to bed.

To Be Continued...

FUCK YOU, STOP CALLING ME - June 2014

School is out.  This could mean summer jobs and internships.  Which could possibly mean more fucking calls from telemarketers.  I am hoping that they go on some vacation, instead. It would be damn funny if they get calls from other telemarketers, selling them vacation plans.

3 June 2014

   310-464-1422 Gardena, CA - Apparently, this is a call from Time Warner.  I may or may not be a customer of TWC...either way, I would not buy what they are selling, all because they are using telemarketer tactics.  Besides what is with the 'intro pricing'?  They lure customers in with a low price then fuck you in the ass after a year and make you pay more.  Hey new potential customer, want your dick sucked?  Dear loyal customer, thanks for being with us for 12 months, now bend over.  Fuck me? No, fuck you!

5 June 2014
   209-239-8572  Manteca, CA - Manteca?  Have not heard that name in decades.  I remember there being some sort of water theme park in or around Manteca.  I wonder if it is still there.  What if the water park is calling me with a promotional deal?  Yeah, that would be awesome...no wait, that would be an unwanted telemarketing call.  So, fuck you!

20 June 2014
   215-525-0073  PA, USA -  I did a little Google search, and obviously it was some sort of scamming douche bags.  What is interesting is, this is apparently a scam to that offers Wal-Mart gift cards...I was in a Wal-Mart at the time.  What the fuck!  Is there some sort of spy shit going on here?  Wal-Mart drones, somehow tracking people, then calling them?  This is what I get for even being in a Wal-Mart.  We are not safe from telemarketers...and Wal-Mart.  We need to make these fuckers our number one...wait for it...Target.  Wwwaaaahhh!!!!  Oh, and fuck you.

24 June 2014
   310-464-1422 Gardena, CA - Hello there, Time Warner.  Want to offer me some shit deal that will only cost me more money yet not provide me with anything better than I already have?  At least you have not fucked my on service, I will give you that.  Your pricing sucks for loyal customers.  So, fuck you.

30 June 2014
   215-525-0073  PA, USA - Oh, you just had to slip in another harassment, I mean, 'call', before the end of the month. Why would I want a Wal-Mart gift card?  I do not want to go to a Wal-Mart.  Having a gift card virtually forces me to go in and spend money.  I guess I could give it to charity.  Whatever, this is a fucking scam and a fucking telemarketer call. So, fuck you! 

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.