Re: [DML] Original Shop Manuals

[deloreanernst@xxxxxxx]

In a message dated 5/12/2008 11:07:34 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,  
fhudkins@xxxxxxxxx writes:

<<Mine came with the car, so I don't know how hard they are to  come by. 
You can tell it's an original because it's printed on A4 paper  and 
punched with two holes instead of  three.>>



A two hole manual is original, as Farrar said. But most originals are not  on 
the longer A4 paper. I've spent years and a ton of cash tracking down and  
collecting dozens original manuals, including some still in the original shrink  
wrap from the DeLorean bankruptcy trustee. I find that the quality of the  
printing is clearer. In some cases, a repro is a copy of a copy of a copy. Oddly 
 enough, the vendor-supplied repros tend to be missing a page here and there 
or  have some pages out of order. That's also true of some well-worn 
originals. I  think the vendors assume they have a fully complete manual when they have 
it  copied, but don't.  Every vendor plus a number of others over the years  
have printed repros, and I'll confess I haven't seen every repro printing  
made by everybody. Maybe somebody is printing perfect copies, but I haven't seen  
one. Originals were popping up weekly on eBay a few years ago, but not as  
frequently lately. They were typically quite a bit costlier, like over a hundred 
 bucks or even twice that for a rare, perfect one. (Some of the more esoteric 
DMC  manuals are not available as repros, but you can live without them 
unless you're  a manual collecting fanatic. Ahem... Actually, a "Preliminary Parts  
Identification Manual" is handy if you have an early D, but nobody reprints  
them.) 
 
Here are some other differences: The bulkier original manuals such as the  
Parts Identification Manual,  (except for the ones I bought from Europe,)  were 
in black vinyl three ring binders, printed with original DMC company  
identification and the name of the specific manual on the cover, and "AD  INDUSTRIES" 
stamped inside the back cover. The original Technical Information  Manual is 
bound like a softcover book, but with a leather textured feel. The  original 
1981Owner's Manuals had a small wire spiral binder.  Repros  typically are 
plastic spiral bound, although DMC Texas does theirs these days  with a black 3 
ring binder that clearly is marked with the DMC Texas info on the  cover. The 
original Workshop Manual apparently had no specific binder, but was  often 
inserted into the Technical Service Manual binder or whatever other binder  was 
handy. Original Service Bulletin pages are printed on colored paper- yellow,  
brown, blue, green, salmon or pale gray stationary. Even the original full-car  
1981 electrical schematic has a few pale hard-to-read spots, but they are two  
pages wide, where repros typically are not. Some of the original manuals have a 
 glossary in front. I've never seen one so far in a repro. Some repros show  
evidence that they are photocopies- either the crescent shaped shadow of a 
prior  hole punch, or ink that has offset (printed a ghost image) on an opposing  
page. Many 3 hole original manuals have tabbed section dividers. In  
originals, the drilled binder holes are larger than the punched holes you  usually 
see. There are a few other differences, but those are the main points. 

 
So are there any advantages to getting original manuals? Ninety-nine  percent 
of the time no. Are there any advantages to getting repros? Yes, they're  
cheaper and easier to get. Unfortunately, no one to date has updated or  
corrected any of the errors in the originals. Even where a Service Bulletin  published 
an update or correction, the vendors still reprint the repro copies  with the 
errors intact. If you're still interested in an original, contact me  
off-list, since I have a few spare complete originals I've been meaning to put  up on 
eBay.
 
Wayne A.  Ernst
_deloreanernst@xxxxxxxx (mailto:deloreanernst@xxxxxxx) 
vin  11174
DMCTech
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/DMCTech/



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