[DML] Re: Plastic and Metal Door Guides (was: Door Oddity?)

["David Teitelbaum" <jtrealty@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

There must be a lot more than 208 sets. I guess that would mean 4
pieces per set for a total of 832. On the wharehouse tour in Ohio I
saw a tote bin chock full of those things and I know that some are
installed on some cars so there must have been more than 208 sets. The
early cars didn't have guides, the later cars had metal guides. I
suspect that the plastic ones where supposed to be used after the
stock of the metal ones were used up. I bet the factory went to
plastic to save weight (and costs). The metal ones add a lot of weight
to the doors and you could probably save at least one spline. You
probably don't even have to adjust the torsion bar to retrofit the
plastic guides onto an early car that didn't have any. As to why a
particular vin has metal or plastic, since the QAC centers either did
not keep records or they were lost, there is no way to know what
happened. Same story about the hoods and other running changes. Even
though records seem to indicate vin cut-offs for running production
changes like the antennae, hoods, radios, and tailpipes, I do not
think the factory followed it nor the QAC centers. Typically assembly
plants will use parts until they run out and then go over to the
updated parts so they use up all of the older inventory. Just because
they knew they were going to go over to the plastic guides does not
mean they were going to throw away all the metal ones that had not
been used yet. As far as the factory was concerned I don't think they
really worried much about the vin cut-offs. That is for the concours
judges to argue over! As far as the "Materiel Receiving Cards", one
can wonder if the records are complete and accurate since DMC went
into bankrupcy and no one really protected the records.
David Teitelbaum
vin 10757



--- In dmcnews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "James Espey" <james@xxxx> wrote:
>
> According to the "Material Receiving Cards" for these plastic door
> guides, the factory had only received 208 complete sets of these
> guides as of Dec 16, 1981. Those wouldn't have lasted very long befreo
> being depleted and then they would have had either to go back to
> fitting the metal guides at either the factory or later in the states
> at the QAC.
> 
> James Espey
> DMC (Texas)
> http://www.delorean.com
> 
> 
> --- In dmcnews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "Marv Hein" <marvhein@xxxx> wrote:
> >
> > While attending a car show with the AZ-D this past weekend, I noticed 
> > that the doors on my car have plastic caps around the latches.
> > 
> > Dan Fox believes the plastic parts were introduced on the 1983 cars.  
> > Sure enough, of the 10 D's we had there, all 1981 and 1982 cars had 
> > metal parts.  The 1983 cars had plastic.
> > 
> > Here's my mystery.  I have 1982 VIN 10820 with plastic parts 
> > that "shouldn't be there."  
> > 
> > D








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