Re: [DML] A thank you to the fine Senator

[Senatorpack@xxxx]

DML,
Fuel over the pump is a bad thing!!! The fuel hazards over the pump is 
a long story. Historically, DeLorean Motors was criticized by the federal 
government's NHTSA crash test of the DMC-12. The DMC-12 performed reasonably 
well @35 mph barrier crash test, however the car leaked fuel into the 
interior as well as into the environment. ((Interia switch recall)) 
The government uses a special dye mixed into the fuel systems of cars 
during a crash test. ((I gave this NHTSA test analysis to John Truscott of 
DeLorean Owners Association in 1995. The two of us discussed the crash 
worthiness of the DMC-12 & fuel leaks as well as fuel contamination. John and 
I spoke at great length about this to Chris Parnham at the 1997 Eurofest ))

On VIN 2109 the pump cover & boot along with the main and return fuel 
lines were original and deteriorated. The pump was just laying in the tank 
opening, and huge amount of dirt, rust, water and other contaminants was 
evident inside and out of the tank. The smell of stale gas was overwhelming 
upon initial inspection.
The engine timing & overall performance was WAY off as the previous 
butchers tried to keep the car running by cutting corners, poor workmanship 
and using the WRONG PARTS! 
Instead of using the correct parts & maintained the car properly, the 
original owner cut corners and added more frustration to the mix for VIN 2109.
The fuel distributor was rusted out, injectors were damaged, sparks plugs 
were fouled as well as the warm up regulator. Fuel filter had water and 
looked suspect. ((Someone on the DML checked this car out during the 
pre-purchase inspection. I must say that they really dropped the ball and 
overlooked the most common maladies on this car!))

However, after some serious work Mike & I were able to get the car 
repaired correctly. The ease of it was having the correct expensive parts 
from DeLorean vendor(s) and DeLorean advice from Rob Grady, the car is safely 
back on the road.

Your welcome Mike. I'm happy that your car is running well. I appreciate 
your sincere comments and welcome to the District Marque Club: DMC, an owners 
& enthusiasts association of historic, classic and exotic automobiles. 


Sincerely,
Michael Pack
DMClub, Founder & President





In a message dated 01/09/2002 9:03:20 AM Eastern Standard Time, 
billsfanmd@xxxx writes:

<< Subj: [DML] A thank you to the fine Senator
Date: 01/09/2002 9:03:20 AM Eastern Standard Time
From: billsfanmd@xxxx
Reply-to: dmcnews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
To: dmcnews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I wanted to take a few minutes to let the list know how helpful a fellow 
list 
member was to me. Having bought a Delorean from the west coast (I live in 
MD) 
i took a big risk buying the car and having it shipped here. After getting 
the car it seemed to be in great shape. However, I wanted to get someone 
here 
in MD's opinion on the car. I was told by a list member to find Senatorpack 
here in MD who is president of the Maryland Delorean chapter. After several 
great phone calls Mike was willing to come over and spend the day going over 
the car and giving me some pointers.

After several hours of going over each part of the car, Mike and I headed to 
his favorite place, PepBoys, we picked up all the neccesary cleaning 
supplies, protectants and a few other misc parts. After giving me an 
education on the car we were nearing the end o f the inspection when mike 
first noticed the problem. He smelled the gas tank and told me I may have a 
problem. He was right. After remeoving spare tire and the fuel pump cover we 
discovered why i smelled fuel all the time. There was 2 inches of gas on my 
fuel pump which was now listing like the Titantic, submerged and a major 
hazard.

"I would not drive this car another foot" he calmly said..... 

We sat down and made a list of everyting i would need to redo my fuel system 
and then do a tune up. I ordered the parts and we began. For two days I 
watched as Mike would meticulously use liqiuid wrench to get bolts apart 
that 
had been stuck for twenty years. First the fuel pump was redone, complete 
with new hoses, then the gas tank was cleaned to the plastic......this next 
part I think needs to go down in Delorean lore. If anyone has disconeected 
the 2 fuel hoses you will notice the 2 metal pipes that disappear into the 
body of the car. each of the pipes has a metal nut that screws into you're 
replacement hose...well somehow i managed to push that nut up the hose and 
it 
disppeared into the frame of the car!!!! I almost died....after an hour of 
mike on his back, upside down like a contorshonist with my wifes compact 
mirror, a flashlite and a little grabber claw it seemed it was hopeless. He 
was about to give up and said we may need to drop half the bottom of this 
car 
from the frame to reach that screw.....Mike did not give up!!!! for another 
hour he tried every imaginable option, including, magnets, ESP, cussing, the 
middle finger and a few other Delorean explatives including some 
engineeering 
comments that can not be repeated here...after 2 hours he somehow able to 
convince that piece to slide back down saving my car from stting on blocks 
for the winter...

Over the next 2 weekends we basically redid the fuel/ ignition system. Mike 
did all of this for the love of the car. He basically gave up 3 of his 
weekends to help a fellow Delorean owner. His advice, help, time and 
enthusiam for this car is one of the reasons the Delorean should never die 
out. 

I could write another 5 pages of the little things he did to help me with 
the 
car but I just wanted to publicly thank him. The car is now at a local shop 
getting all the adjustments and settings set back to factory specs. There 
are 
many other list members I would like to thank but just wanted to tell Mike 
thank you for you're time and helping a new owner appreciate the car. I hope 
someday to pass on any knowledge and help another new owner live the dream. 
I 
really feel like part of the responsibilty of owning a Delroean is sharing 
what u know with everyone from list members to perfect strangers, because 
just like a company is jugded by the people it employs, the Delorean is now 
be judged by the people that drive them....

Again, a long overdue thank you to Senator Pack....Now Mike told me anyone 
else looking for free work should not hesitate to call a different list 
member....Anyone out there with a low mileage Delorean you want to donate to 
a worthy person Just call the senator... 

mike cohee
vin 2109