Re: [DML] New Info on Body Dies

["Stian Birkeland" <dmc_norway@xxxx>]

I believe the dies are made of stainless steel. I also remember Mike Loasby 
(former director of engineering, DMCL) talking about testing of the 
stainless steel panels on the car which were exposed to a salt environment 
equivalent to 50 years, and no damage to the panels! This was discussed in 
the documentary "Back From the Future". Now, all that is necessary is to get 
the dies up from the ocean and then give them a nice good cleaning. I would 
guess they would be "as new".

There has also been some discussion on where these dies came from, somebody 
talked about Germany. What I believe is true, is that the stamping company 
was based in Ireland, and this company was a smaller division of the German 
stamping company LAPPLE. This company was owned money by DeLorean and when 
DMCL went to the wall, Lapple sold the dies as scrap - they had no use for 
them.

When looking close at the pictures of the molds on the boat, they dont seem 
to be very big, however they are probably very heavy!

Maybe the folks restoring the ship that dropped off the dies would be 
interested in a "re-union" trip. This time not to drop dies, but to get them 
aboard again. (I see a very big crane in those photos) :)

The only thing else needed would be deep sea divers, who would cost quite a 
lot of money....Another thing - how deep exactly is the ocean where the dies 
were dropped?

Who wants to go fishing?
Ah, one can dream right!
Anyway, it would be great to have those dies recovered. Right now there are 
plenty of body parts left (new and used) but I continue to think about the 
future of the DeLorean. It would be nice to know that those dies were in 
safe hands. Lets give them to DMC Houston :)

Best wishes
Stian Birkeland
NORWAY




> From: "Gus Schlachter" <gus@xxxx>
> Reply-To: dmcnews@xxxxxxxxxxx
> To: dmcnews@xxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: [DML] New Info on Body Dies
> Date: Mon, 12 Jun 2000 19:50:46 -0000
>
> Thanks, Dave! That's some pretty exciting historical info there.
>
> So, anybody here on the list a diver? :-)
>
> Seriously, if the fish company that bought the dies has since gone
> under, then aren't the pieces just so much refuse? Not that I think
> they're still usable after 20 years in the water, but they'd make
> great bookends.
>
> What are those dies made of, anyway?
>
>
> Gus Schlachter
> Austin, TX
> VIN #4695
>
> </SNIP>
> --- In dmcnews@xxxxxxxxxxx, "Dave Swingle" <dswingle@xxxx> wrote:
> > It has often been reported that after the demise of the DeLorean
> > Company in 1982, the stamping dies that were used to manufacture the
> > stainless steel body panels for the DeLorean car were dumped into
> > the ocean by the British Government. This is one of those tales
> > that is repeated often, without any proof of fact. ...Well - - out
> > of the blue (actually cyberspace) comes some new evidence.
> </snip>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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