[DML] Restorable or Parts Car?

["John Spangler" <johnspangler@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi-

I had the experience of checking out a sad DeLorean today, vin #4543
from 10/81 that was painted white and had been sitting in the Tucson,
AZ sun for "at least 8 years"  I haven't even touched a DeLorean in
several years, so the opportunity drew me like a moth even though I
knew it wasn't going to be pretty.  I was just wondering, at what
point does a car become a "parts car" versus something that could be
restored.  Here's the good and the bad:

Good:  Tucson is pretty dry, so frame rust *should* be minimal if any,
the body (painted white) seems straight and the doors line up well. 
Good condition front fascia (no eyebrows), it has all 4 wheels plus
the spare, which has been sitting on the engine for who knows how
long.  The seats seem ok, as well as some interior bits (gray
interior). It only has 25k miles on the odometer.  The trunk release
cable is usable (though the handle is missing), and the glass is all
there and ok, though the tinting turned purple.  Doesn't appear to
have been in an accident, just unloved, and the previous owner died
several years ago of old age.

Bad:  Definitely non-running, painted white with insides of doors
painted black, 2 blown front tires, SEVERELY cracked dash & binnacle,
no battery (couldn't test anything), possibly no key, filthy interior,
sagging door headliners, struts are rusty and not working well, has
been sitting for 8 years. And off the top of my head I noticed the
following items "missing": Rear louvres & deck lid, air filter housing
(thing with the DMC sticker usually on it), distributor (cables are
everywhere), alternator, fuse cover, and probably lots of other parts
I'm not familiar with.  And some part of the rear end fiberglass is
broken, I'm guessing it's a support bracket of some kind, and there's
a pretty good size dent below the bumper line on the rear fascia,
presumably where some meathead tried to tow it but ripped something
off instead.

So, along with not knowing why someone stopped driving it sometime in
the last 23 years... would you consider this a parts car or a
restoration project for some brave soul?  I took pictures if anyone
wants to see it.

-John Spangler






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