Re: Hello! And: Upcoming purchase ...

["jtrealty@xxxx " <jtrealty@xxxx>]

I agree with most everything that Walter says except it is probably 
better to just plan to tow the car. If it is a 5 speed then towing on 
a dolly is no big deal. An automatic is a much bigger problem, it 
either has to be on a trailer or tilt-bed or if you still want to use 
a tow dolly it must be backed on to keep the rear wheels off the 
ground unless you remove the half-shafts to the rear wheels. If you
do 
tow on a dolly backwards remove the rear louvre or it will rip off 
from the wind resistance. On the exhaust gasket don't even think of 
trying it till you get home. While you may have some success with 
penetrating oil I find that to work on any exhaust parts they always 
come off without breaking if you heat up the part with a torch. I 
hardly ever break anything although sometimes threads do strip and
you 
must use EXTREME caution around fuel lines, wiring, plastic, 
fiberglass and such and should also have a fire watch because with
the 
welding glasses on you can't see flames. It would be best if you can 
hook up with local owners so the can help you.
David Teitelbaum
vin 10757




--- In dmcnews@xxxxxxxxxxx, "Walter" <Whalt@xxxx> wrote:
> I wish you luck with your coming purchase. I bought my Delorean in 
a
> similar situation. I live in Tampa and found a nice Delorean for 
sale in
> Ft. Pierce (just north of Ft. Lauderdale on the east coast). I 
drove over
> with a friend to check it out. I bought it from a dealer who only 
owned it
> for a short time and would/could not tell me anything about the 
previous
> owner. The car had less than 9K miles on it. It was very clean
and 
had no
> weather related deterioration. I bought the car (for $17.5K) and 
took turns
> with my friend driving it home a few hundred miles away.
> 
> In city traffic it overheated, but not bad. I was watching the 
gauge most
> of the time. It turns out that the electrical system in the car
had 
never
> been upgraded, and it had a bad relay. This was the night before 
the drive
> home. With nothing but a volt meter I bought at Radio Shack for 
this
> purpose, I found the problem and hot-wired the fans to always stay 
on. The
> rest of the trip home was uneventful except for the fun!
> 
> If you have very far to drive with your new Delorean, I recommend 
having a
> driver who can deliver you to pick it up and then follow you home. 
I would
> plan on the other car being an SUV that can tow a car dolly if 
necessary. I
> would bring a full complement of tools and an extra battery &
jumper 
cables
> as well as some jugs of water in case the cooling system leaks.
> 
> If this car is not a daily driver, then expect little things to
keep 
going
> wrong with it until it does become a daily driver. The Delorean is 
full of
> factory weak spots and defects as well as more problems that will 
come about
> because of the car's age. Generally, problems like this are not 
fixed until
> AFTER they become a problem. So unless these things have already 
broke and
> been repaired on your car, then chances are they are getting ready 
to break.
> Since the car you are buying already as 40K miles, most of OEM 
problems
> should be resolved by now. When I bought my car, I had no idea
what 
I was
> getting into since there were a lot of (and still a lot of) things 
that need
> to be fixed. So far, my Delorean has never left me stranded (yet
-- 
but
> knock on stainless). I have put 4400 miles on it in the past 11 
months
> since I bought it. I would have done more than double that if I 
could keep
> it running well enough. If I spent half the time working on the
car 
that I
> spent on reading DML backissues and Delorean related web sites then 
I would
> have a full restoration done by now! But I need the knowledge 
first. It's
> strange how this knowledge is mostly only available on line or by 
word of
> mouth from a vendor.
> 
> Also some more advice: Have the service manuals with you. If a
set 
doesn't
> come with the car, then buy some from your favorite vendor. And 
keep their
> phone numbers handy on your trip home. I would establish contact 
with some
> of the better vendors and make an appointment with them to be on 
call while
> you are on the road. (Fat chance, but worth a try.) I suggest 
considering
> DMC Joe and Rob at PJ Grady. DMC Houston may be of help too. 
Delorean One
> is almost always too busy. ;)
> 
> I recommend saving the exhaust manifold gasket replacement for
until 
after
> you get the car home. The main problem with a bad gasket is the 
loud
> tap-tap-tap noise it makes. I don't think this is anything real
bad 
except
> it is annoying to listen to. It may also allow exhaust gases to 
linger
> where they don't belong. To take the manifold loose, you need to 
soak the
> studs with a penetrating solvent for a few days to help stop them 
from
> breaking off. You might break some anyway and then you will have
to 
drill
> them out -- fun, fun -- not something you want to try with a car 
before you
> take it home for the first time.
> 
> Gook luck,
> Walt Tampa, FL