1

Volume 1Number 3Fall 1998

2

Fuel Tank Fixes!Most DeLorean’s have sat dormant for at least a year or two at some point in time since they were new. Stagnantfuel deteriorates over time and can cause damage to fuel system parts. These problems begin in the fuel tankbut will spread throughout the fuel injection system. The longer your car sits the more extensive the problem

becomes. If you don’t know yourcar’s entire service history werecommend a physical inspectionof your fuel pump and tank. Callus and we’ll be glad to adviseyou or your mechanic on inspec-tion and repair procedures.

Having your VIN# handy will helpus in suggesting the correct partsfor any repairs that might beneeded.

110085G Fuel Pump ........................................... 159.38

110589G Dome Nut (necessary for 1981 models) .............. 3.50

110594 Banjo Fitting (necessary for 1981 models) ... 7.83

106977G Copper Seal (two needed)...................... .55 ea

106740 Harness, Fuel Pump (with fasteners) .... 12.64

106684G Cover Boot, Fuel Pump ......................... 29.75

101391G Support Boot, Fuel Pump ...................... 54.50

1FPCKIT HD Stainless Clamp Kit,

F.P. Boot and hoses (5) ......................... 19.85

100523 Fuel Filter ............................................... 23.75

1FPKIT Fuel Pump Kit - Includes all the above plus

stainless harness to pump mounting fasteners.

These are the most commonly needed items

but you should also check the parts in the next

column for rust or damage. .................. 279.72

106979 Upper Suction & Return Hoses(1 ea.) F.P. ............................................. 10.93 ea

106286 Lower Return Fuel hose, Fuel Pump ..... 12.73106287 Lower Suction Hose, Fuel Pump ........... 91.86110155G Baffle Assembly, Fuel Tank

Most cars before VIN#004782 need this newstyle baffle (supply limited) .........................75.46

101643G Tank Screen, Fuel Pump (supply limited).39.82110555G Tankzilla, Fuel Tank Sending Unit

Improved accuracy and durability,no modifications needed ..................... 295.00

The following parts are no longer available but are prone torust in the presence of sour fuel and water. We glass beadand replate them for like new durability and offer them on anexchange basis or apply a core charge. Call for information.

101644R Support Bracket, F. P. Boot .................... 38.97105020R Return Pipe, Fuel Tank .......................... 27.95101394R Fuel Filler Nozzle, Fuel Tank ................. 40.00

PJ Grady Inc.DELOREAN SALES, PARTS, SERVICE AND RESTORATION118 Montauk Highway, West Sayville, NY 11796PARTS ORDER LINE: TECH INFO LINE:

800-350-7429 516-589-6224Fax: 516-589-6241Prices subject to

change.

Now on the web!www.pjgrady.com

MAJOR CREDITCARDS ACCEPTEDORDERS SHIPPED

ANYWHERE!

HOME OF

ZILLA™

PERFORMANCE ELECTRONICS

3

Cincinnati DeLorean ShowJune 13, 1998

Photo by James Espey5 Admin NotesWhat a difference an issue makes...

8 18@ largeThree generations worth,by Scott Mueller

Tech ala ModeFix that hissing mode switch

9 20In Your TownNews from around the world Size does matter

Tankzilla, by Mike Griese

14 24The Big ShowKen’s Surprise Summer Smash How fast is it?

85mph to 140mph speedo conversion,by Marty Maier

16

26

Easy TechInstall a factory luggage rack

ClassifiedsFrom the website

Ken Koncelik’s June show in Cincinnati drew over 70 DeLoreans and 200 peopleand a lot of great photo opportunities. Read the full story on page 14 in this issue.

Feature

Volume 1, Number 3

7 @ largeDream Catcher,by Bruce Benson

4

Volume 1, Number 3Published quarterly (or thereabouts)

Editor/PublisherJames “Iron Hand” Espey

Layout/DesignTravis “Helping Hand” Graham

Contributing WritersBruce Benson, Scott Mueller, Mike

Griese, Marty Maier, MikeSubstelny, Knut Grimsrud, Dave

Swingle

Contributing PhotographersScott Mueller, Mike Griese,

James Espey, Don Gowler, MarlaRountree, Ken Montomgery, Ken

Koncelik, Richard Strecker

Special ThanksMarla Rountree, Chris Rabalais,

Ryan McCaffrey

Late Night CateringPizza Hut

7-11

CaffeineCoca Cola Bottling Company

© Copyright 1998DMC-News

P.O. Box 4833 • Mesa, AZ 85211602/401-1923 • 602/464-5352 Fax

http://www.dmcnews.comEmail: zine@dmcnews.com

DMC-News nor James Espey assume noliability for the results of any maintenance

techniques or modifications published herein.In other words, if you blow up or burn up yourDeLorean, or cause its resale to plummet as aresult of an article published in any issue of

DMC-News, it’s your fault, not ours. Plus, mylawyer can beat up your lawyer.

The DeLorean Poster...from DMC-News

This breathtaking full color 20x28 inch poster of the DeLorean auto-mobile is available exclusively from DMC-News. Limited quantitiesremain, so order quickly to avoid disappointment! Just $19.50 includespriority mail shipping in the United States (foreign orders please call, fax

or email for additional shipping costs).

Send check or money order to:DMC-News • P.O. Box 4833 •␣ Mesa, AZ 85211-4833

REGISTER FOR THEDELOREAN OWNERS DIRECTORY

It’s fast, it’s fun, it’s free!

In the interest of promoting socialization and commu-nication among DeLorean owners, an annually updateddirectory is being assembled. Since complete addressesare not listed, the risk of use for “junk mail”is slim. Allinformation you submit will be used ONLY for the pur-pose of creating and distributing the owners Directory.Also, only those that submit information will receive acopy of the Directory.

To be listed and get your copy of the Directory is simple- just complete the card at right and drop it in the mailor fax it to (602) 464-5352. Join the nearly 500 DeLoreanowners from 41 states and 15 countries already listedand do it today!

5

[admin]notes

WHAT A

DIFFERENCE AN

ISSUE MAKES!

Without a doubt, the first thing you’ve noticed about thisissue of the ‘zine is the new format. Longtime DML’erTravis Graham offered his services this past June in hopesthat the ‘zine could be created and distributed in a moretimely manner. Together we came up with this new for-mat - we hope you enjoy it!

A few new or revised features grace the pages this issue.Expanded coverage of local and regional groups is some-thing we hope you’ll find useful. Space is free to any De-Lorean-related group, no matter what size or geographicallocation. If your group would like to be included, call oremail me (contact information below) and we’ll set it up!

The new “@ large” columns are written by DeLoreanowners from around the world. And it’s an “available space”also - if you’d like to give it a shot, email me for details.This issue features two columns, one by Scott Mueller,who I originally met online, and then finally in person inIreland during EuroFest ‘97. I don’t think I’ll ever forgetripping around the factory test track in the back seat of aRover police car with Scott Mueller, “Senator” Mike Packand Chris Rabalais.

The second “@ large” column this month is written byBruce Benson, a longtime DML’er and DeLorean owner.I met Bruce at Expo ‘95 in Las Vegas - they were passingthe hat to come up with enough cash to cover the trafficticket he got on the “scenic drive”. The way he tells thestory now, he came out ahead by a couple of bucks.

A regular contributor to the DeLorean Mailing List, DavePrice has recently taken over the maintenance of the “Buyand Sell’ area on the DMC-News web pages. In additionto a spiffier design, they are now being regularly updatedand are easily the best place online to search for DeLore-ans and DeLorean memorabilia. This issue of the ‘zinecontains all the current ads from the web page as we putthis issue together.

James EspeyEditor, DMC-News

Lest anyone forget, we now have over 400 back issues ofthe DeLorean Mailing List archived and searchable at theDMC-News website. Greg Guillot, a DML’er from Loui-siana, has volunteered to maintain the back issues and keepthem current. For this I am very grateful!

It’s been an exciting summer so far - hopefully you madeit to the Cincinnati DeLorean Show. I think you’d be hardpressed to find someone who went and did not have agreat time. A recap of the event is on page fourteen of thisissue.

In case you missed it, another major DeLorean parts/ser-vice facility has appeared on the internet. PJ Grady of WestSayville, New York has a very nice web site located at<www.pjgrady.com>.

The DeLorean Mailing List recently celebrated it’s thirdanniversary of operation. With 1,100 subscribers and over400 digests compiled (totalling over 10,000 individual mes-sages), there truly is no better source for DeLorean infor-mation. My sincere thanks go out to everyone who hasmade the DeLorean Mailing List and DMC-News so suc-cessful - it would not be without all of you!

DMC-News/James EspeyP.O. Box 4833Mesa, AZ 85211-4833

602/401-1923602/464-5352 Faxespey@dmcnews.com

6

DeLorean Greeting Cards Now Available!

Shown actual size of 6 1/2” x 4 1/2”

Inside text: “Best Wishes for a Classic Holiday Season”

Send your holiday cheer in a DeLorean! A limited number of these finelydesigned and printed holiday greeting cards are available from DMC-News.Each set of twenty (20) cards and envelopes is priced at just $20.00 - andshipping in the U.S. is included! Don’t be left out - order today!

Name____________________________________________________________________________________

Address __________________________________________________________________________________

City / State / Zip___________________________________________________________________________

Email address _____________________________________________________________________________

Phone ___________________________________________________________________________________

Send the above information with your check or money order to:

DMC-NewsP.O. Box 4833

Mesa, AZ 85211-4833

602/464-1085 Phone • 602/464-5352 Fax

7

@large

Bruce BensonContributing WriterDREAM CATCHER

What, you say, does Gloria Steinem and the DeLorean sportscar have in common? Actually, I don’t have a whole lot ofinterest in her writings but several years ago she wrote a biog-raphy of Marilyn Monroe in which she made a statement ex-plaining the public’s fascination with Marilyn after all these years.Her words were “ When the past dies we mourn it, but whenthe future dies we feel compelled to carry it on.” My sentimentsexactly.

I think we all agree the DeLorean is a pretty good car, espe-cially when it was an all new vehicle from the ground up witha minimum amount of dollars spent developing it. Had itsurvived there would have been improvements in things likethe electric’s and turbocharging would have been offered togive performance that matched it’s racy looks. When I tookdelivery of mine in early ‘82 I certainly found the perfor-mance disappointing. Anemic would be the word that firstcame to mind. I began to think that I might have bought intoa dream that fizzled out before I woke up and it wasn’t toolong before I felt compelled to fill in the blanks myself.

Insulating my garage and finding a source of heat to cope withthe rather coolish Minnesota winter was my first project. Thenext step involved a bit of diplomacy as I had to explain whymy wife’s car would spend the winter outside between the snowbanks that lined the driveway. Also, there were a couple ofvery skilled tradesmen working in the Ford plant’s engineer-ing department, my place of employment, who would needsome buttering up. I knew they could help me create the in-take manifolding I was designing. Since turbochargers comein an infinite variety of sizes and volume efficiencies, trial anderror was out of the question. I called Turbo City in Orange,California and supplied them with the engine performancespecifications and my performance preferences. A couple ofweeks and a few more notches in my Visa card and I had theraw materials in my garage. I was even beginning to feel thatmy wife was getting close to turning off the “look” that spousesemploy when they’re convinced you’ve finally gone off the deepend.

As spring arrived my DeLorean rolled out of the garage, pastmy wife’s car thawing out in the driveway, and on to whatbecame many, many test trips up and down the county roadjust outside my neighborhood. By then I was beginning to getthe ”look” from many of my neighbors but I was lost in fuelpressures and boost adjustments. My computer program ispretty accurate and comes within two horsepower of the stockengine’s horsepower when I insert the stock specs. After punch-ing in 5.5 lbs. of boost along with sea level air pressure it calcu-lated an increase of 40 hp over the stock 130 at sea level, for a

total of 170hp. Adding a J&S knock sensor unit and a few fuelenrichment tricks turned the car into something that is consid-erably more responsive. From that point on I’ve always lookedways to really test this in a real world situation.

Three years ago my mate Carole and I, along with DeLoreanpals Don and Mary Lou DeBolt, joined the Wisconsin SportsCar Classic which combined two full days of fun, but not tooserious, rallying along with the chance to put a few miles in atRoad America. This proved so much fun we’ve continued todo it, completing our third trip this year which afforded usthe best track time yet. We also gained a few more DeLoreansso that last year there were five of us and this year, because ofRaddad being tied up on the cross country bike tour, therewere four.

We logged 28 miles of very spirited driving which consistedof passing allowed only on the front straight with very spir-ited driving over the rest of the four mile, fourteen turn track.We were told at the drivers meeting that anyone breaking anyof the rules presented to us there, or anyone causing an acci-dent, or spinning off the track, would result in all of us beingpulled from the track. The offending driver would be identi-fied and while the officials turned their backs, the rest of uswould be allowed to take out our wrath on the poor slump. Icame within two feet of the sand trap and tire pile at turn sixwhen I discovered the DeLorean brakes can get hot enoughto fade pretty seriously. Turn six is a sharp 90 degree turn atthe end of a long, high speed straight. Had I gone into thesand I’m positive I’d now be hanging from the tree at the topof turn seven and you wouldn’t have to suffer through thiswriting.

Actually the DeLorean does quite well for itself. You couldsay it does itself proud. Yes it does plow into the corners withquite a bit of understeer but it doesn’t take long to learn todeal with that. I was never able to get the sudden oversteerthat many auto writers predicted would come from the rearengine chassis; a true testament to the genius of ColinChapman. I had added the braided stainless brake lines thatDeLorean pal Marty Maier had made up and the car displayed

@ large, continued on page 22

8

@large

SEVENTEEN YEARSTO BUY A THIRTEENYEAR OLD CAR

DeLorean number 002981 came into my hands after manyyears of pleading, no, actually begging. Way back in the late70’s, when I was a teenage driver, I read an article about thisnew car that John DeLorean was designing. This car wouldhave gull wing doors and would be priced less than a Cor-vette. Well, this teenager went nuts about the DeLorean. Iread everything I could get my hands on about the car. Iconstantly tried to come up with ways that my father couldjustify buying the car as an investment. Some of the reasonsthat developed over time were that:

1) It’s so cool looking.2) Look how much a Tucker is worth now.3) I want one.4) You need a tax write off, it could be your company car,

then you could sell it to me.5) It will last forever.

I finally got tired of trying to convince my father that (HE)needed a DeLorean and I went away to college. I bet that dadwas glad to get rid of me for a while. My father called oneday, and told me that he had been invited by a friend to go seea prototype DeLorean. Again, I started begging, please let mego with you. That was a fantastic day, we actually got to sit init and talk to the people touring with it. Back to college I went.Along comes my 21st birthday and my father says he’s drivingdown to my college for the weekend. He gets there Friday nightand is driving a DeLorean, he took delivery that day. The carhad 275 miles on it, he threw the keys to me and lets me andmy roommate take it for a spin around campus. Was I bad orwhat? I figured what a fantastic birthday present, I wish that Icould turn 21 again. The bubble was burst, when we got backto the house and my father wanted the keys back. My birthdaypresent was a HP41C calculator that I needed for my Engineer-ing classes. The car was his mid-life crisis pacifier.

Over the next five years, my father would let me drive it withhim when we went on trips together. On rare occasions hewould let me take it out by myself for a cruise, just to keep thecar exercised properly. In 1986, with 11,000 miles on it, myfather decided to store the car, (HE) was tired of driving it. Ihad graduated, had a job and again the begging started, pleaselet me buy the DeLorean from you. My pleading fell on deafears, my father did not want to sell it.

Finally, in the Spring of 1994, my father decided to sell it tome. I guess he figured I was ready for the DeLorean. I wasmarried, had a house, and we were expecting our first child.We priced the cars and estimated the cost of putting the car on

Scott MuellerContributing Writer

the road again. A deal was struck. I spent over a year goingthrough the fuel system, brakes, AC, cleaning, polishing, re-searching and just tinkering. The car was ready for the Califor-nia registration process that included smog certification. I fi-nally found someone to certify the car, and it passed with fly-ing colors. The fun began, I could drive (MY) DeLorean. Istarted going to the local car shows. My dream had come true,I was very proud of the car and loved talking about it to anyonewho would listen, even talked about it to people that were notlistening.

The most fun I have had with the DeLorean was when myson would go with me to the car shows and tell people “that’smy daddy’s car”. Just before the Cincinnati show, I read apost on DMCNEWS that a gentleman had a battery poweredDeLorean for sale. He sent me a photo and my son saw it.He told me only as a three year old can that he “needed it”, hewanted a car like daddy’s.

Well, you can guess how this turned out.

Scott Mueller owns a 1981 5-Speed with Gray interior.Alan Mueller owns a 1986 BTTF 6 volt battery powered kiddycar, just like daddy’s.

9

The Pacific Northwest DeLorean Club (PNDC) was founded by Tom Wilson, Greg McDonaldand Arnie Brandon, who are still DeLorean owners and PNDC members. The first meeting ofPNDC was held February 26, 1983. This formational meeting included the proud owners offifteen DeLoreans. Twelve DeLorean automobiles were present at the meeting. On December8, 1992, PNDC was established as a non-profit corporation in Washington State.

Club dues are $20.00 per calendar year for US residents and $25.00 per year for non-USresidents (to cover the additional postage). PNDC publishes three or four news letters peryear of three to five pages each. Due to the close proximity of many of the members, substan-tial communication is maintained between the members and with the club headquarters.Each year, all paid members are sent an updated membership list, the club’s yearly activitycalendar, and an extensive aftermarket parts interchange list.

The PNDC Calendar provides an extensive list of events which PNDC either sponsors orparticipates in as a club. The club plans at least four events per year that are funded primarilyfrom the club treasury. The 1998 event calendar has eighteen events scheduled, includingtech sessions, car shows, parades, picnic, parties, tours, and the yearly (three day) BlarneyBall Rally. Additional events are participated in, as information and dates are acquired.

The PNDC Parts Interchange List provides members with extensive information on readilyavailable parts which can be used in place of DeLorean parts (many are identical to theoriginal). This list has been compiled and updated based on inputs from the membership.Significant research for the list was done by Darryl Tinnerstet, a long-time PNDC member,and owner of Specialty Automotive (an internationally recognized provider of DeLoreanparts).

The Club’s assets, as of December 1997, included the club treasury of approximately $2,500.00(which included a significant portion of prepaid 1998 dues) and a complete DeLorean fiber-glass underbody. The underbody is mounted on a trailer with DeLorean wheels and NCTtires, and is shown at mall shows, parades etc. The first newsletter of each year includes acomplete treasury balance sheet for the previous year, showing categorized income and ex-penditures.

As of December 1997, the club had an all-time high of 97 members. This number representsan increase of 25% over the past two years.

As stated in the club by-laws, PNDC is dedicated to preserving and enhancing the DeLoreanmarquee, and having fun while accomplishing this aim. Toward this end, PNDC communi-cates openly with other clubs to exchange information, ideas, methods, etc.

PNDC is not a chapter of, or officially affiliated with any other DeLorean clubs or associa-tions, but PNDC members are free to become independent members of any other clubs.

For more information, or to join PNDC, contact:Arnie Brandon

12839 SE 45th PlaceBellevue, WA 98006-2031

Regional DeLorean News from Around the WorldRegional DeLorean news is provided as a service to the DeLorean community at no charge to established organizations. For information on submitting information, contactespey@dmcnews.com. All the information on this page is provided by the regional organizations themselves and is believed to be accurate. However, DMC-News disclaims anddenies any responsibility or liability for the timeliness, use, interpretation,accuracy and completeness of the information presented.

PROFILE OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST DELOREAN CLUB REGIONAL CLUB LISTINGSArizona DeLorean ClubJames Espey, Coordinator602/401-1923 • 602/464-5352 Faxemail: azclub@dmcnews.com

DeLorean Club of OhioMike Substelny, President(216) 321-5024email: substem@cesmtp.ccf.org

DeLorean Club of IowaDave Sly, Coordinator(515) 232-5773email: daves@eai.com

DeLorean Club of OregonKnut Grimsrud, Coordinator(503) 649-8053email: knut.s.grimsrud@intel.com

DeLorean Mid AtlanticAldo Buono, Coordinator(215) 849-5160email: aldo.buono@phila.gov

DeLorean Midwest ConnectionDon Gowler, President(847) 397-0322email: Don-Gowler-CFP001@email.mot.com

Southeast DeLorean ClubTom Long, Coordinator(770) 449-1968email: trl2@mindspring.com

Pacific Northwest DeLorean ClubArnie Brandon, President(425) 746-6132http://www.valzog.com/pndc

DeLorean Owners Club (UK)Simon Lees-Milne01886 853294Worcestershire, United Kingdomhttp://delorean.connect-2.co.uk

DeLorean Club Deutschland (Germany)Michael Reinemuthemail: micha@delorean.dehttp://www.delorean.de

DeLorean Owners Club (Japan)Osamu Shimohara+81 (463) 32-4432email: hcd04403@niftyserve.or.jphttp://www.wellmet.or.jp/~osamudmc

Can’t find a regional group in your area? Depending on the number ofDeLorean owners in your area and your willingness, you might consider

starting your own. For details, contact “clubs@dmcnews.com”.

10

Regional DeLorean News from Around the WorldRegional DeLorean news is provided as a service to the DeLorean community at no charge to the organization. For information on submitting information, contact espey@dmcnews.com.All the information on this page is provided by the regional organizations themselves and is believed to be accurate. However, DMC-News disclaims and denies any responsibility orliability for the timeliness, use, interpretation,accuracy and completeness of the information presented.

October 10 & 11, 1998, Saturday/SundayA Canterbury Feast and Fall Tour, Western PennsylvaniaJoint Event with De Lorean Club of Ohio

Meeting Place: Steak and Lube in Sharon, PA, at 11AM on Saturday.We will enjoy lunch at this quaint restaurant which features all typesof automobiles, race cars, motorcycles and auto related items. Theneighboring restaurant is the Hot Rod Cafe — a must see!

At 1PM we will journey through the hills of PA to a small town calledCambridge Springs. This is where we dine and stay for the evening atThe Riverside Inn. The hotel was built in 1884 and today has beenrestored and furnished in that era. No telephones or TVs in your

September 6, 1998, Sunday1998 Concours d’EleganceLime Rock Park, Lakeville, ConnecticutClass 13C Foreign Sports Closed 1980-1985Show your De Lorean in this fine ConcoursRegistration: 860-435-5000

September 20, 1998, Sunday14th Annual British Car DaysRichmond, VirginiaDe Loreans will have their own judged class.Registration: 804-527-3934

September 26, 1998, SaturdayEnglish Car Day at Graeme ParkHorsham, Pennsylvania (north of Philadelphia)De Loreans will have their own judged class.Call Mike Nitroy, 215-672-0613

September 27, 1998, Sunday“Meeting of the Marques”The Meadows at Allenberry ResortSouth of Carlisle, PennsylvaniaDe Loreans compete in Class I (1981-1997)Registration: 717-761-1839

December 1998Annual Holiday Social

Call Aldo at 215-849-5160 in November for date, time and place.

rooms!!! Our fare for the evening will be a Medieval style musicalcomedy as Knaves and Wenches take you back to the year 1492 wherethey not only perform but also serve a delicious and plentiful feast,eaten without utensils!!!!

A (1) night package including the Canterbury Feast dinner and show,a full breakfast the next morning and your room is $160.00 includ-ing tax. For reservations at The Riverside Inn, call 800-964-5173 or814-398-4645. Tell them that you are with the De Lorean Club sowe can sit together.

Additional event info: Wayne and Jill Luoma, 440-352-1707.

DELOREAN MIDATLANTIC UPCOMING EVENTS

Membership in De Lorean Midatlantic isopen to all owners and enthusiasts. Benefitsinclude this exciting social schedule, annualcomplimentary door adjustment social in thespring, membership directory, Parts Inter-change List updated annually with lots ofstuff from DML, club newsletter two/threetimes a year.

Send a check for $12 made out toDe Lorean Owners to:

Dick Lash, De Lorean Midatlantic Treasurer409 Lark Drive

Newark, DE 19713

ARIZONA DELOREAN CLUB Fall 1998 Calendar

September 12, November 14 - Second Saturday at Scottsdale Pavilions. Free, informal get-together,followed by a trip to a local micro-brewery for more fun and frivolity. Spouses/SO’s welcome!!

October 10, 1998 - Streets of San Francisco Scavenger hunt, with the Arizona Alfa Romeo Club. Prowl thestreets of Phoenix for clues and other items for a chance at awards and prizes that

would make Karl Malden envious.

December 5, 1998 - APS Fiesta of Lights parade, cars must have at least 2,000 lights and be pre-registered.This is the big one! Only 90 entries will accepted this year, seen by over 600,000 people! Also televisedlocally. Free lighting workshop held twice in October, a “must-attend” if you are considering entering.

Contact James Espey for more information about any of these events.P.O. Box 4833•␣ Mesa, AZ 85211-4833

602/401-1923 • 602/464-5352 Fax

11

Regional DeLorean News from Around the WorldRegional DeLorean news is provided as a service to the DeLorean community at no charge to established organizations. For information on submitting information, contactespey@dmcnews.com. All the information on this page is provided by the regional organizations themselves and is believed to be accurate. However, DMC-News disclaims anddenies any responsibility or liability for the timeliness, use, interpretation,accuracy and completeness of the information presented.

DeLorean Club of OregonNews & Information

July 26, 1998

DeLorean Club of Oregon Movesby Knut Grimsrud

The DeLorean Club of Oregon has a new addressand phone number — not to worry, the club isstill in Oregon! My home is nearing completionand the next couple weeks will find meexperiencing the joys of moving our householdduring the hottest days of the year. Thisrelocation will postpone the mid-August BBQand troubleshooting event which will be re-scheduled for mid-September (hopefully it will bea little cooler by then).

The All British Field Meet, however, will be heldat the regularly scheduled time and place. The22nd annual meet will be held Labor Dayweekend September 4, 5, and 6 at PortlandInternational Raceway. The event caters tomarques of British heritage and the DeLorean iswelcome under the “Unique Marques” category.The meet includes numerous events including acocktail party Friday evening at the field, carshow on Saturday, and swap meet, slalom race,and rallye on Sunday.

More information on the All British Field Meetcan be obtained at www.abfm-pdx.com orcall (503) 504-ABFM. Registration fee is $30and includes reserved space on the field, dashplaque, and free swap meet or car-for-sale space.

Knut Grimsrud48009 SW Morel Ln.Forest Grove, OR 97116knut.s.grimsrud@intel.com

Home (503) 359-4856Work (503) 264-8419

About the DeLorean Club of Oregon

The DeLorean Club of Oregon caters tinterests of DeLorean owners and enthusias tand around the Oregon area. The club iorganized and emphasizes technical su pdiscovery as well as socialization.

Membership is available to owner senthusiasts in and around Oregon fcharge, and courtesy memberships are ato other regional clubs as a serv iDeLorean community. Membership ben einclude a quarterly newsletter (usu amore frequently depending on re savailability) that concentrates on discovery and regional interest itemsand technical events of interest membership.

The DeLorean Club of Oregon is affilia tno other DeLorean organization or intgroup. The club maintains contac trelationships with other key organiza tDeLorean community as well as a r eservice center.

For additional information on the DeLoreanClub of Oregon, take a look at the b aof the newsletter at:

www.dmcnews.com/faq/deco.htmor contact Knut directly.

Knut Grimsrud48009 SW More Ln.Forest Grove, OR 97116knut.s.grimsrud@intel.com

Home (503) 359-4856Work (503) 264-8419

12

Regional DeLorean News from Around the WorldRegional DeLorean news is provided as a service to the DeLorean community at no charge to established organizations. For information on submitting information, contactespey@dmcnews.com. All the information on this page is provided by the regional organizations themselves and is believed to be accurate. However, DMC-News disclaims anddenies any responsibility or liability for the timeliness, use, interpretation,accuracy and completeness of the information presented.

Linking DeLorean Owners in Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan

CLUB EVENTS:-Participation in Chicago’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade

in March-Annual opening meeting/brunch every April-“Hands-On” tech session with Don Steger once a

year-Low level tech session annually or semi-annually-Various car show events during the summer-Coordination on events with neighboring clubs-Concours every September at the British Car

Union Show-Newsletters to keep all members in touch-Affiliation/information sharing with other U.S.

regional clubs-Shared DMC - specific tools (door adjustment,

cooling flush)

CLUB CONTACTS:President - Don Gowler “The Silver Fox”4831 Deep Wood Lane, Palatine IL 60067

(847) 397-0322 cfpo01@email.mot.comVice-President – Guy Avellon

(847)487-0203 gt-roadracer@juno.netTreasurer – Mike Carollo

(708) 672-9472 deloea1@juno.netTechnical Director – Dave Swingle

(815) 459-8025 dswingle@enteract.comMarque Recognition – Bob Brandys

(630)325-2083 oehcs@flash.netSocial Directors – Gail Brandys & Linda Avellon

Gail:(630)325-2083 oehcs@flash.netLinda:(847)487-020 gt-roadracer@juno.com

Publications – Jay Steinberg(847)498-4610 jay@major-media.com

Internet – Bryan Pearce bryan@denebcorp.com

The “Silver Fox” with the original, our newest member!

INTERNET INFORMATION:www.delorean-midwest.org

13

Regional DeLorean News from Around the WorldRegional DeLorean news is provided as a service to the DeLorean community at no charge to established organizations. For information on submitting information, contactespey@dmcnews.com. All the information on this page is provided by the regional organizations themselves and is believed to be accurate. However, DMC-News disclaims anddenies any responsibility or liability for the timeliness, use, interpretation,accuracy and completeness of the information presented.

At the 1998 DeLorean Car Show in Cincinnati, theDCO's new clothing made its debut. With colorfulartwork inspired by the "America's Most TalkedAbout Car" DeLorean dealer posters, the T-shirts,sweatshirts, Henleys, and jackets are very sharp.Many of you expressed interest, so we have madethem available to everyone.

DeLorean Club of Ohio Clothing Order Form

Name:__________________________________________________

Address:________________________________________________

City:___________________________ State:_____ Zip:__________

Phone: (____)_____________ Date:___________________

Quanities: Small ________ Med _________ Large ________

X-Lrg ________ XX-Lrg ______

Total of items purchased:_____________

Total amount due:___________________Including postage (if applicable): $3.00 ea.

T-Shirts - no pocket $20.00Henley Shirts - (3) button/no pocket $25.00Pullover Sweatshirts w/ short zipper at the neck $30.00Jackets (call)

Colors available:Navy Blue, Black, Maroon andForest Green. Please specify for each item ordered.Although we have some items in stock, our suppliermay discontinue a color at any time without notice.We will be glad to ship to you, please add an additional$3.00 for postage.

All items must be paid in full when the order is placed.Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery. We can alsobring your order to our next club event if you prefer.

Photocopy (or print) form & send your order to:Amy Keaton134 Manhattan StreetClyde, OH 43410

DeLorean Club of Ohio

If your have any questions regarding the clothing youcan call Amy @ 419-547-0104.

The DCO holds at least onemeeting per year plus activities allover Ohio and the adjoining states.We also publish a great newsletterfour times a year with lots ofbeautiful pictures showing offourselves and our cars. In additionto seeking out the best car showsand cruises, our mission is to holdtechnical seminars, ride in parades, visit museums, have picnics & parties,tour wineries, conduct fun rallies, participate in charity events, attend theDOA Expo, and anything else that promotes the enjoyment of our membersand the love of the DeLorean marque.

As mentioned by the DeLorean MidAtlantic Club, we have a specialactivity coming up this October in Pennsylvania, near the Ohio border.If you come to the Canterbury Feast and Fall Tour at the Riverside Innyou can join us in a fun-filled weekend, which includes a feast in thestyle of 1492!

The calender for 1999 is already filling up with great activities for thesupport and enjoyment of our members, and the year 2000 is shaping upto be fantastic, too.

14

DeLorean CarShow in Cincinnati(sung to the tune of WKRP in Cincinnati)Baby, if you’ve ever wondered,wondered whatever became of meI’m here with all my friends in Cincinnati,Me, my friends and our DMC’s

All right, so Casey Kasem will not be counting that onedown any time soon, but it sure did seem like all myfriends (and many people I didn’t know) were in Cincin-nati June 12-14th. That was the weekend of the DeLoreanCar Show (DCS), organized by Ken Koncelik. Unlike

the Expo’s put together by the DeLorean Owners Asso-ciation, the DCS was arranged without the backing ofany club, regional or national, prices for the event werekept reasonable (just over $300 for the weekend, includ-ing hotel!), and virtually all the advertising for the eventwas through the internet.

In all, over 70 DeLoreans and 250 owners/enthusiastscame from as far west as Oregon, north into Canada,south from Texas, and east from New Jersey. Many own-ers drove their DeLoreans to the event, the furthest drivenfrom Phoenix, Arizona by Ace Underhill. Many morecaravaned together with other DeLorean owners, too.

The Friday night reception/dinner was held at the Gre-gory Center, right on the river. I saw so many people Iknew from the DeLorean Mailing List, I almost thoughtI was at a DML convention! Many of these people I had

COVER STORY

never met before, and had only corresponded with themvia the internet. It never gets old for me to be able to placea face with a name and email address!

After the dinner, organizer Ken Koncelik invited repre-sentatives of the various clubs and groups (including theDeLorean Mailing List) to say a few words about theirorganizations. Raffle tickets were sold, and it seemed thatthe drawings never stopped. Once the evenings drawingswere completed, the band started up! The music was great,but much of the crowd in attendance took the opportu-nity to “browse” in the parking lot, where over 50DeLoreans were parked. For most, it was a never-beforeavailable chance to look at so many DMC’s in one place,at one time.

As the skies threatened rain, many of us headed back acrossthe river to the hotel. The hotel was very clean and com-fortable, the biggest complaint being the lack of a bar onthe premises. Fortunately, a well-stocked party and liquorstore was right across the street. The skies did open up,and I saw more rain that night than I had the entire 6months prior in Phoenix. It did alert me to a water leak inmy car, however!

Saturday morning found many of the attendees busilycleaning their cars for the show/competition later that dayat the Cincinnati Museum. Fortunately for me, the rainhad washed off the six states worth of bugs, so all I had todo was dry it off and clean out the six states worth ofcandy wrappers and McDonalds bags!

15

Concours#1␣ ␣ ␣ Susan␣ Teitelbaum VIN 10757#2␣ ␣ ␣ Tom Griepenburg VIN 17168#3␣ ␣ ␣ John Schultz VIN 04565 ␣People’s Choice - Best of ShowLinda & Dave Colley VIN 01012

Modified - Temporal DisplacementBob Brandys VIN 4675␣ ␣ ␣ 33,133 mi. ␣ 347 Years

Over 100,000 Miles - Daily Driver#1␣ ␣ ␣ William Miller VIN 06262 235,000 mi.#2␣ ␣ ␣ Bruce Battles VIN 06569 109,634 mi.#3␣ ␣ ␣ Tom Long VIN 01482 138,000 mi. ␣50,000 to 100,000 Miles - Daily Driver#1␣ ␣ ␣ Andrew DeRosa VIN 00842 59,247 mi.#2␣ ␣ ␣ Aaron Mills VIN 11554#3␣ ␣ ␣ Travis Graham VIN 06344 54,500 mi. ␣40,000 to 50,000 Miles#1␣ ␣ ␣ Dave Bauerle VIN 16506 45,000 mi.#2␣ ␣ ␣ Lynda Nolan VIN 03878 48,000 mi.#3␣ ␣ ␣ Bruce Runge VIN 02372 41,800 mi.

30,000 to 40,000 Miles#1␣ ␣ ␣ Bruce Benson VIN 06938 34,000 mi.#2␣ ␣ ␣ Marty Maier VIN 10765 34,000 mi.#3␣ ␣ ␣ John Steifel VIN 03461 38,609 mi. ␣20,000 to 30,000 Miles#1␣ ␣ ␣ Cecil Longswisch VIN 10663 20,626 mi.#2␣ ␣ ␣ Ron Flowers VIN 01495 23,000 mi.#3␣ ␣ ␣ Marc Levy VIN 06068 23,600 mi. Sean Mullally VIN 03868 23,000 mi. ␣Under 20,000 Miles#1␣ ␣ ␣ John Yersky VIN 03462 13,066 mi.#2␣ ␣ ␣ Erik Frey VIN 05971 8,500 mi.#3␣ ␣ ␣ Robert Kozak VIN 03462 16,938 mi.

Painted - Modified#1␣ ␣ ␣ Curtis Bryant VIN 10159#2␣ ␣ ␣ Rob Grady VIN 05058#3␣ ␣ ␣ Bryan Pearce VIN 11529

Most Miles Traveled (in a DeLorean)Ace Underhill VIN 02860 1976 miles

General ClassificationCharles Muffley VIN 03750

Once at the museum, show registration was quite ablyhandled by volunteers from the DeLorean Club of Ohio.As the pictures show, the place was literally filled withDeLoreans in their original stainless, plus red and green.Original, lowered, turbocharged, a Back to the Future carand otherwise customized, you name it - it was there.

The Product Display and Sale was well attended, and fea-tured many items ranging from DeLorean models to shirts,parts and books - even some stainless refinishing tools.Prices were pretty reasonable here, too, in keeping with thewhole rest of the weekend. Another great dinner ended thedays planned events, which included the awards presenta-tion. Award winners in each category are listed in the sidebarbelow.

On Sunday, many of the attendees visited the DeLoreanMotor Company warehouse in Columbus, about an houror so up the road. Aside from being more crowded withpeople this time, it was much like the warehouse tour ofNovember, 1997 (see DMC-News, #2). For those who hadnever been there before, it’s difficult to comprehend thatafter all these years there can still be so many original equip-ment parts left.

Now that it’s all over except for the reminiscing, we canlook forward to the next DeLorean Car Show, scheduledfor June of 2000 in Cleveland, Ohio. Watch this space andthe DeLorean Mailing List for more details.

16

Luggage RackInstallationTools needed: Electric Drill, with 1/4" bitPhillips screwdrivermetal punchutility knife

Parts required: DeLorean Luggage Rack, available fromthe DeLorean suppliers advertising in this issue.

Estimated time: 2.0 hours

Degree of difficulty: Easy

Most sports cars are not known for their luggage capacity,and the DeLorean is certainly no exception to this rule. Butadditional luggage capacity is not the only reason forinstalling a luggage rack, nor was it the original reason forthe creation of the luggage rack by the original DeLoreanMotor Company.

As the story goes, DeLorean Motor Company was instructedby the Department of Transportation to come up with amethod of carrying a flat rear tire, which will not fit in thespare wheel well, or even in the front storage compartmentwithout leaving the bonnet unlatched, a potentially danger-ous situation. Thus, the DeLorean Luggage Rack wasdesigned and offered as a dealer-installed option.

I initially learned of the luggage rack when I saw it picturedin a Delorean One catalog, which warned that they were inshort supply. This was a year or so after the catalog wasissued, so I assumed that I was out of luck. In 1996 I touredthe KAPAC (now DMC Houston) warehouse in Ohio andwas amazed at the quantity of luggage racks still available inunopened boxes. My most recent visit to the warehouse thispast June showed that there are still some available, thoughmany less than I saw in 1996. I encourage every DeLoreanowner to get one for their cars, they are a somewhat “rare”option, and certainly are very useful for their originallyintended purposes as well.

The first step in installing a luggage rack is the removal ofthe weatherstripping from the rear quarters where theymeet the lowered louvres. Unless you are very lucky, theweatherstripping is probably dried out and brittle, at thevery least it will be very stiff and prone to breaking. Toavoid destroying these, soak them the night before with an“Armor All” type product to increase the pliability. Youcan then remove them with less risk of damage, but as an

extra precaution, consider using a weatherstripping adhesiveremover to loosen the glue holding the strips in place. If you doend up damaging them or deciding to replace them, they areavailable from the DeLorean suppliers advertising in this issue.

Once the strips are removed, use the template (provided with theluggage rack kit) and your metal punch (photo 2) to mark theholes which you will drill. Attempting to drill the stainlesswithout a punch is not advised, as the drill will “drift” until itgets a start in the metal, quite possibly putting holes in thewrong place! The instructions provided with the luggage rackindicate that you should use the louvre strut bracket “pop rivets”as a guide for the template. Neither of the cars on which I haveinstalled a rack (#6776 and #10570) have had these pop rivets,rather spot welds, which I was able to use as a guide.

Place the hinges in positionbased on your punchedmarks and then place theluggage rack in positionwith the louvres closed.Compare how it looks tophoto 1, which is repro-duced from an originalDeLorean Motor Companybrochure for the luggagerack. Note how the top-most bar on the luggage rack is parallelwith the louvre slat. Remove the rack, raise the louvres andprepare to drill.

Assuming that you are competent in handling a drill, you shouldhave no trepidation indrilling into your stainlesssteel quarter panel. A sharpbit is a good idea, as thestainless is a very toughmetal. Use caution whenyou’re nearly through witheach hole, so that you donot gouge the fiberglasspontoon (only a dangerwhen drilling the holes for

1

2

3

17

the lower hinges). Irecommend drillingthe holes for onehinge, then installingthat hinge with thebolts, washers and nuts(photos 3 & 4). Youmay also want to placea drop cloth over theengine cover andpontoons to keep the

metal shavings from scratching anything or falling throughthe engine cover grilles.

At this point, place the other hinges in position, close thelouvre and replace the luggage rack. Verify the marks youmade for the other hinge holes are in the correct position andthat the luggage rack is straight, with the bars parallel to thelouvre slats. Remove the rack, raise the louvre and drill theremainder of your holes, and install the remaining hinges. Ifit makes you feel better to check the position by repeatingthe above steps for eachhinge, by all means doso. I did.

Once the hinges are allinstalled, use utilityknife to trim theweatherstripping as youdesire to accommodatethe hinges. Once again,it helps if theweatherstripping ispliable to do this. Somecars I have seen have trimmed the weatherstripping com-pletely, essentially turning each single piece into threeseparate pieces, and some just trim the bottom section of theweatherstrip (photo 5). I think the latter is more visuallyappealing, though whether or not you have the luggage rackin position, with the louvres closed, you can’t see the hingesat all.

When not in use, the rack can be stored in the front luggagecompartment. Drillone 1/4” hole centeredbetween the two holesto the left of the brakecylinder access cover.Install the includedcarriage bolt from thebottom up. You mustdrill a hole in thecarpet backer boardand cut a hole in thecarpet to allow the bolt

to protrude. Place the rack in the trunk and isntall the holddown bracket using the wing nut.

To use the luggage rack, raise the louvres and flip the hingesso the mounting bolts are pointing up, then close thelouvres and mount the rack holes on the bolts. Use theknobs included with the luggage rack to secure rack to themounting bolts. The nylon straps that came with theluggage rack can be used to secure luggage and the like tothe rack, but keep in mind that these straps are over 15 yearsold and may not be in the best of shape. I personally usedthem once, then put them away for safekeeping and nowuse black bungee straps instead.

You may think that a loaded luggage rack would impede thealready limited visibility out the rear window. Surprisingly,however, this is not the case. It’s a very well thought outdesign that’s incredibly functional as well.

When not in use, the luggage rack folds nearly completelyflat and stores neatly in the front luggage compartment,using the rack holder we previously installed to keep it inplace.

Try your handat tech!

Technical articles arealways in demand -

if you have a techniqueor procedure you’d liketo share and describe,

let us know.

4

5

18

Rebuild YourMode SwitchTools/supplies required:Phillips screwdriverVaseline3M adhesive glueNeedlenose plierstouchup paint (for marking purposes)small artists paint brush

Degree of difficulty: moderate

Estimated time: 2 hours

The mode switch is located in the center of your A/Ccontrol panel (part #100752, located in Section 7-3-0 ofthe factory parts manual), and over time, has a tendencyto “hiss”. This affects the airflow from the vents in the car,and other vacuum operated parts in the car will not func-tion properly because of the vacuum leaks. If after switch-ing between any of the settings (Off, Max, Norm, Bi-level,Vent, Heater and Defrost), you hear a hissing noise, yourmode switch should be rebuilt.

WARNING: Before proceeding, disconnect the bat-tery.

To access the actualswitch, which is locatedbehind the A/C controlpanel, begin by remov-ing the three round knobby pulling them straightoff. A phillips screw is inthe center of the panel,remove it also. You can

then gently pull the panel away from the console, expos-ing three lights behind the console. Carefully remove these,which frees the panel. Place it aside.

Another screw then holds the mode switch in place, re-move it also. Then, reaching behind the right (passenger)side of the center console, you can remove the rubber socketfrom the back of the mode switch. Hold the switch fromthe back, and rotate the switch from the front, exposingthe electrical connectors. Pay particular attention to thelocation of each of the colored wires (make notes if neces-

sary), and then usethe needlenose pliersto carefully unplugeach of the wires. Theswitch is now freeand can be removedfrom the rear of theconsole.

Before proceedingany further, use the touchup paint to mark the switch, asshown in Photo X. When the switch is reassembled, thesemarks will need to be aligned.

With the phillipsscrewdriver, removethe two screws andseparate the backportion of the modeswitch. With thispiece, take theneedlenose pliersand squeeze togetherthe two small whiteclips. Put your finger on the white spot, and release thepressure, allowing the spring to release tension.

Separate and remove the rub-ber vacuum piece, cleaningboth sides of it and bothpieces of the mode switch.Take care not to inadvert-ently remove the marks youmade earlier!

Apply the 3M glue to thewhite portion of the switch,matching the large rubber

peg to the large hole and the other holes to their corre-sponding pegs. Apply a thin coat of Vaseline to the “maze”side of the rubber vacuum piece with a small paint brushto ensure that it is distributed evenly.

Assembly is the reverse of the above process, making surethe paint marks line you made earlier line up. Before screw-ing it back together, double check that the large pegmatches with the large hole. Reinstall the switch in thecenter panel by again reaching behind the passenger sideof the console, reconnecting the electrical wires to theirappropriate locations as noted during the removal process.

19

What’s atwww.dmcnews.com?

• Over 400 back issues ofthe DeLorean Mailing List

• Downloadable back issuesof DMC-News, the ‘zine

• Downloadable FactoryParts Manual

• QuickTime movie of adrive around the factorytest track in Belfast

• The most completeDeLorean FAQ section

• Home of the DeLoreanOwners Directory

• Comprehensive DeLoreanProduction Chronology

• Listings of DeLoreansautomobiles and DeLoreanmemorabilia for sale

• And more!

When placing the switchin the center panel, checkto see that both whitepegs are coming throughthe panel, then install thesmall phillips screw in thefront.

Before reattaching the rubber socket at the rear of the switch,ensure that it is in approximately the 2 o’clock position.

Now you can reconnect the battery. Check the headlightsand flashers to make sure they did not get unplugged whileyou were behind the center panel. If so, they can be recon-nected simply by sticking you hand behind the console againand carefully reattaching them. Install the lights in the ap-propriate sockets (hint:turn the ignition key tothe “ON” position, thenturn the defroster on po-sition, this bulb goes inthe center socket). Re-place the A/C panel andreinstall the small screw.Push the three knobsyou removed back into place and the installation is com-plete.

Start the DeLorean andslowly cycle the modeswitch to the MAX po-sition. Turn the fanswitch to the fourthspeed. You should feel agreat flow of air from thecenter and door vents.Then cycle the mode switch to the other settings to ensurethat each position is working properly.

Try your hand at tech!

Technical articles are always indemand - if you have a technique

or procedure you’d like to shareand describe, let us know.

20

Tankzilla InstallationIt was a Saturday in late September. I had just finished wash-ing the DeLorean at the local spray and wash. It was a littleon the cool side but the sun was shining brightly. Leaveswere beginning to change. It was a perfect time for a drive towestern Wisconsin. I headed home to pick up my wife.

Not far from the road that leads to our driveway is a sweep-ing right-hander that heads downhill. You can see oncom-ing traffic for about a mile, which makes this a perfect turnto feel the suspension of the DeLorean begin to work. As Itook this turn, I heard it – a growling noise that intensifiedas the suspension loaded on the left side of the car. Uh oh,wheel bearing. All thoughts of a spirited drive to see the fallcolors disappeared as thoughts of wheel hubs, half-shafts anda not inconsiderable expense flashed though my mind.

As I rolled up the driveway and pulled the car into the ga-rage, I thought that now was as good a time as any to prepthe car for winter - it was clean, the gas gage showed nearlyfull, I had just changed the oil, and I really didn’t want to facethe wheel bearing replacement just now. So I lubricated thedoor seals, disconnected the battery, tossed in the desiccant,and pulled on the car cover.

Fast forward 8 months. It is now May. My insurance com-pany has informed me that full coverage for the DeLorean isnow in effect. The weather is unusually warm for this timeof year in this part of the country. My thoughts turn to get-ting the DeLorean back on the road. I take off the cover,hook up the battery and the car roars to life after a little bit ofcranking to get the fuel system up to pressure. Oil pressure isup, gas gage shows half a tank, and the idle is fine. I take thecar out for a spin up to the car wash (everyone knows it’smuch easier to work on a clean car) and listen carefully forany sign of growling bearings.

The trip to the car wash was uneventful, as was the cleanupitself. On the way home, I decided to take a spin through avery old part of Rochester near the home of one of the origi-nal Mayo doctors. Lots of sharp turns, ups and downs andeven some open straights. Back comes the growling, onlythis time, I hear it whenever I turn right OR left. Now thesound seems to be coming from the front of the car. Ah ha!Fuel system! My diagnosis gains further evidence as the car

begins to cut out on hard turns. It’s either the fuel pump orthe pickup hose inside the tank.

I get home and start looking for a container to siphon off allthat gas. The fuel filler neck for the DeLorean takes somesharp bends on it’s way from the gas cap to the tank itself.That and the unleaded fuel restrictor plate made it impos-sible for me to snake the siphon hose into the tank. Sincethe fuel pump was coming out anyway, I decided to waitand empty the tank from the opening for the fuel pump.

To get to thefuel pump, re-move the car-peting and thespare tire fromthe front bootand removethe screwsfrom the ac-cess cover atthe back of thespare tire well. Carefully slip a sharp blade under the edgeof the cover and gently pry upward to break the cover seal.Work all the way around the cover until it is loose. Put thescrews into a ziplock bag, tape the bag to the cover and set

Removing access panel.

All the tools necessary to repair fuel pump and related items. Handy, butnot necessary: diagonal cutters and small 1/4" ratchet.

Tech TimeTech Time

Mike GrieseContributing Writer

21

Top view of fuel pump. Note electrical connections andhose placement. Fuel pump cover seal on right.

1

Bad fuel pump sealing ring - note severe checkingin rubber.

2

Original equipment fuel sender. The cylider cap andmesh screen had fallen off the cylinder. Note the unevenwindings on foreground shaft. This makes gaugeerratic and inaccurate. Keep the connector and wiresfrom old unit.

3

t h e ma s i d e .Next, takes o m esoapy wa-ter andt h o r -o u g h l yclean thetop of thef u e lpump, thehoses, fuel

tank, and fuel gage sending unit. Since this area is going tobe opened up, you don’t want any dirt to find it’s way intothe tank. Disconnect the fuel pump from the front wiringharness. The connector is probably under the boot floor.Gently pull the connector into view and disconnect it bypressing on the small tabs on the side of the connector at-tached to the wiring harness. Take a flat-blade screwdriverand loosen the hose clip around the fuel pump cover seal (seephoto 6). Work the clip loose by gently rocking it up anddown. Slide the clip over the hoses coming out of the top ofthe cover seal and lay it in a convenient place out of the way.Now gently pull the cover seal off of the fuel pump sealingring and work it up the length of the hoses. You may need tocut some cable ties that clamp the cover seal to the hoses.You can now see the top of the fuel pump inside the sealingring.

Pull the sealing ring off of the fuel tank by slipping yourfingers under the seal and pulling out and up. It helps towork from side to side. When the seal is free from the tank,pull the fuel pump assembly out of the tank and lay it on it’sside (see photo 1). Be careful, as the lower return hose andthe fuel supply hose are still attached to the side and thebottom of the pump assembly. Examine these two hoses forchecking, splitting or other signs of deterioration. You shouldalso take a good look at the fuel pump sealing ring. The

sealing ring isp a r t i cu la r lyimportant as itdissolves overtime, droppinglittle bits ofrubber into thetank. Thesepieces of debriscan foul yourfuel pump, fuelfilter, accumu-lator, fuel dis-

tributor and eventually your injectors. You also want to shinea flashlight into the tank and look for dirt, debris, and anysigns of varnishing on the baffle assembly. Now is the timeto clean or replace any of these parts if they show any signsof contamination or wear.

With the pump out of the way, I grabbed my siphon hoseand got ready to stuff it into the tank. I took a look inside tomake sure I wouldn’t get the siphon hose stuck on anythingand much to my surprise, the tank was almost bone dry! Ididn’t have a fuel pump problem, I had a fuel sender prob-lem. I also had a serious problem brewing, as my sealingring was badly checked (see photo 2).

To remove the fuel sender, disconnect the wiring harness atthe connector close to the sending unit. The connector maybe tucked under the edge of the boot floor. Turn the screwcap counterclockwise to loosen and remove it. Pull the senders t r a i g h tup. Don’tremove thes e n d e rright away.Let the gasdrain outb e f o r epulling itout of thetank.

My senderwas in par-t i c u l a r l ybad shape.It had always registered incorrectly when the tank was underfull and now I knew why (see photo 3). Not everythingcame up out of the tank when I removed the sender. Theslosh screen and sender bottom were still in the tank. Closerexamination of the inside of the sender showed why the gagewas inaccurate. The thin nichrome wire that is wrappedaround the outside post should be wound with even spacingbetween the coils from top to bottom. Repeated filling andemptying of the tank over the years caused the float to pushmost of the coils to the bottom of the shaft. This gage wouldnever read more than 3/4 full. A quick call to P.J. Grady fora Tankzilla unit (see photo 4) and a new fuel pump sealingring was in order. I put the fuel pump and sender back in tothe tank to seal it up and keep gas fumes out of the garagewhile I waited for parts. It wasn’t much of a wait. Threedays later, everything I needed to complete the repair was inhand.

22

Fuel pump about to be installed. Fuel supply nose onbottom of pump. Return hose on side. Note how hoseclamp end is captured in the support ring.

Large opening to left is for fuel pump, smaller forsender. Screw cap shown at right. Hoses in backgroundare for filler and vent. The near connector is for thefuel pump, the 3-wire is for sender.

Fuel pump with new sealing ring installed.

Tankzilla sender and electronics box. Oldconnector is crimped to the red, black and white

4

To re-place thef u e lp u m ps e a l i n gring, dis-connectthe re-turn hoseby pull-ing it offof thes h o r tsteel tube

on the side of the fuel pump. Loosen the hose clip sur-rounding the fuel supply hose and remove the hose fromthe bottom of the pump. Next, disconnect the fuel returnhose from the top of the steel tube. You will need 14mmand 17mm open-end wrenches to remove this hose. Makenote of where the steel tube is located with respect to theother fuel line. You will want to duplicate this arrangementwhen you put things back together. You do not need toremove the hose attached to the top of the fuel pump. Nowloosen and remove the hose clip surrounding the sealing ringand the support ring.

Remove the support ring by slipping it off of the bottom ofthe pump. Grasp the bottom of the pump and the sealingring and gently twist the pump inside the ring to break itloose. A little WD-40 or silicone lubricant will help free thepump. When the sealing ring breaks free, slip if off of thebottom of the pump. Take a look at the top of the fuelpump. If the electrical connections look dirty or corroded,disassemble them and clean them up with a little 400 gritcarbide sandpaper, then reconnect the wires. Remove thesmall hose band from around the steel tube where it passesthrough the sealing ring. Work the tube out of the sealingring, as you will need it for the new ring. Clean off the sidesof the fuel pump. Dirt can collect in the creases betweenthe pump and the sealing ring. If you leave the dirt on the

pump, thenew sealingring willnot sealproperly.Insert the

steel tubeinto thehole in thenew sealingring andinstall the

s m a l lh o s eb a n d .Slip thes e a l i n gring overthe fuelp u m pand workthe ringonto thepump upto wherethe old ring was seated. Again, some spray lubricant willhelp the sealing ring slide easier. Rotate the pump until thesteel tube is located in the same place before you took every-thing apart. Replace the support ring and the hose clip.Tighten the clip, taking care to capture the loose end of theclip in the bend at the bottom of one of the support ringlegs. Reconnect the return fuel line to the steel tube.

Now you will need to reattach the hoses from inside the tank.The hose to the steel tube is the smaller, unformed hose.Fish it out of the tank and slid it over the end of the tube.For the supply hose, the procedure is more complex. Youmust take care to ensure the supply hose does not get twistedwhen you attach it to the bottom of the fuel pump. A twistedhose will reduce fuel flow, reducing your car’s performance.To attach the hose without a twist, hold the fuel pump overthe hole with the top hoses toward the rear of the car. Thehoses must be toward the rear or the access panel will not fitproperly. Reach into the tank and pull the supply hose straightup and slide it over the fuel pump nipple. This is where ithelps to have a third hand. Tighten the hose clip, taking careto not rotate the hose on the nipple. When the clip is tight,lower the pump assembly straight down into the hole andseat the sealing ring over the lip of the tank. Slide the fuelpump cover seal over the sealing ring and seat the hose clipover both seals. Tighten with a flat-blade screw driver. Re-connect the wiring harness to the fuel pump connector.

For the fuelgage sender,the process ismuch simpler.Loosen and re-move the re-taining ringand pull outthe old sender,rememberingto let it drain.

23

Tightening (or removing) the hose clip around thecover seal/sealing ring.

6

Everything installed. Note wire ties on fuel lines at cover seal andaround wire harness.

Applying black silicone RTV. Be generous.

5

Mike Griese is a Program Manager for IBM. He lives with hiswife and #2135 (July ‘81) in Byron, Minnesota.

Remove the gasket from the sender and set aside. You willneed it later. Cut the connector off of the old sender as closeto the sender as possible (see note at end of article. Ed). Youwill need this in a moment, too. Strip about 1/4 inch ofinsulation from the end of the each wire on the old connec-tor.

Following the Tankzilla directions, crimp the wires from theconnector to the butt connectors on the wires coming fromthe Tankzilla electrical box, making sure you match the wirecolors properly. Affix the electrical box to the fiberglass bulk-head behind the fuel filler pipe, making sure the wires are atthe bottom. I used double-sided foam core tape to hold thebox to the bulkhead. Place the old gasket onto the newsending unit (the large silver tube) and insert the sender intothe hole in the fuel tank. Replace the screw cap and tighten.Connect the remaining three wires (the ones with spade con-nectors) to the metal tabs on the top of the sending unit.The red striped wire connects to the tab labeled W, thewhite with stripe to the tab labeled G, black with stripe tothe tab labeled T. Don’t do this too soon, as these spadeconnectors have a lot of grip. If you have to remove them,you can pull the wires out of the back end of the spade con-

nectors asI foundout -t w i c e .Napa car-ries re-p l a c e -m e n ts p a d econnec-tors.

Now you are ready to test the car. It will take a little extracranking to pressurize the fuel system and to refill the hosesthat were removed. Your fuel gage should work properlynow and your fuel pump should run a little quieter. Runthe car until it is warm and shut it down.

Before closing up the access panel, clamp the fuel pumpcover seal to the hoses with new cable ties. I also recom-mend bundling up the Tankzilla wires with cable ties tokeep them from moving around. To replace the access panel,clean the groove in the boot floor with a good adhesive re-mover. I like 3M General Purpose Adhesive Cleaner (partnumber 051135-08984) for this. You can get it at any autopaint supply house. Test fit the cover to make sure it stillfits. You may have to bend the tabs on the top of theTankzilla sender for a good fit. Apply a generous bead ofsilicone RTV in the groove (see photo 5), making sure yourun the bead around the screw holes. Place the cover andscrew it down. Wait a day or two before replacing the sparetire and the carpeting to allow the RTV to cure.

Congratulations! You’re done. The entire procedure takesabout three hours if you have everything handy.

Note: Rob Grady, owner of PJ Grady, reports thatall new Tankzillas are sold with an OEM style con-nector, eliminating the need to cut of the old con-nector and crimp it to the Tankzilla unit.

24

HOW FAST IS IT?

At the 1997 DMC (Houston) Warehouse tour in Colum-bus, I had a brief conversation with Stephen Wynne aboutthe 170mph speedometers that his company sells. He alludedthat he was not all that happy with them, both because oftheir appearance and also because 170mph is not very real-istic regarding the capabilities of a stock DeLorean. He wenton the describe a 140mph speedo that had been created forthe Euro-spec cars, which never made it to market, he saidhe had one installed in his DeLorean that was in Columbus.I took a look at it and was impressed.

A later conversation with Jerry Rhine (who worked for Con-solidated International as they distributed the remainingDeLoreans in the early-1980’s, and then later for Kapac) con-firmed that a few of these speedos made it onto productioncars, but were replaced as they entered the QAC’s and weresold. Photo (1) shows one of these 140mph speedometers,while photo (2) shows a Canadian 240kph.

After broaching the subject on the DeLorean Mailing Listto see what the interest level was, I was encouraged enoughto try and design a new 140mph face that could be appliedto existing 85 or 170 mph speedometers and then re-cali-brated.

It took a few months of spare time working with a localdesign/printing company in nearby St. Louis, but we cameup with a near perfect match, both with the colors and thelettering. Believe it or not, the most difficult problem wasgetting a nice, matte black finish that would match the ta-chometer and the rest of the gauges - we ended up trying 37different blacks before we got an acceptable match.

The lettering was a different story. The letters and numberson the stock speedo face don’t match up with any “normal”

typeface. They appear tobe taken from differenttypestyle families en-tirely. Scanning the let-tering produced lessthan desirable results,and they were eventu-ally re-drawn by handon the computer usinga greatly enlarged scanof a photo of the speedoface.

The end result is shown in photo (3), the 140mph decalinstalled on an existing 85mph speedometer face. Note thedifferences between this and the factory 140mph speedoshown in Photo (1). The most obvious difference is the lackof all the kilometer markings, making for a less clutteredlook. The intent was not to re-create the factory speedo face,decreasing the value of the very few in existence, but to comeup with an economical, good looking alternative to the170mph speedos in existence.

The cost for this new decal? Just $20, which includes com-plete instructions. This will require the recalibration of thespeedometer by a qualified speedometer shop. This serviceis easily and inexpensively (less than $30 in my area) per-formed and does not require any additional parts, all thenecessary information is included with the decal. Orderinginstruction are at the end of this article.

The following instructions are included with the decal,providing a step-by-step installation guide:

A. Installation of this 140-MPH face decal to a stock 85-MPHDeLorean speedometer will require recalibration of the speed-ometer by a qualified speedometer shop. This service is eas-ily performed by speedo repair facilities and does not re-quire any additional parts. Inform the speedo shop doingthis work that the settings for recalibration are: 1000 RPMspeedo cable input speed equals 60 MPH on the speedoface needle.

B. The 140-MPH face decal is made from self-adhesive vinylwith a silk-screened face. Care must be taken with this de-cal to prevent stretching of the vinyl and/or scratching ormarring of the matte black facing. Handle this decal by the“white area” around the black face when possible.

1) Remove binnacle with instrument cluster - followDMC shop manual.

85mph to 140mph speedo conversion,by Marty Maier

25

2) Remove 8 Phillips head screws holding cluster tobinnacle and remove cluster.

3) Remove the screw, knob and collar from the tripmeter reset arm.

4) Remove 6 Phillips screws holding clear plastic faceto cluster and remove face.

5) Remove 6 hex nuts from back of tachometer andremove tach from cluster.

6) Remove 2 hex head bolts with rubber washers fromback of speedo and remove speedo from cluster.

7) In order to remove the speedo face, the speedoneedle must be removed. The speedo needle is justpressed on to a shaft which runs through thespeedo and attaches to a drum on the back side.

8) Remove the speedo needle by pulling straight off-Do Not Bend The Needle or Shaft - Note: Pullon the black colored base of the needle - you mayhave to very carefully pry between the speedo faceand the underside of the needle base to get it to“pop” off. The speedo face is made of plastic andmars very easily - use appropriate caution.

9) Once the needle is removed turn the speedo over- remove the 3 spring clips holding the speedo faceplate on to the body. Use a pair of needle nosepliers to squeeze the ends of the spring clips to-gether to release them - once again, the plastic tabsthat the spring clips are hooked to are somewhatdelicate. Use care removing the plastic faceplate.Also remove the blue and green tinted plastic thatindicates the high beams/turn signal. Set thespeedo unit aside.

10) The numbers on the speedo face plate are paintedon. When the 140-MPH decal is applied over thesenumbers, the numbers may cause raised spotsthrough the 140-MPH decal face. We recommendfine sanding the speedo face with 400-grit sand-paper to remove these painted numbers before thedecal is applied.

11) With the backing still attached to the 140-MPHface decal, lay the decal over the faceplate to trialfit it. Hold the faceplate and decal up to a brightlight so the light shines through the back of thefaceplate and you can check for proper alignmentof the decal.

12) Make sure the faceplate is smooth and clean. Us-ing Windex, spray the faceplate until wet. Peel thebacking from the decal and spray the decal backwith Windex until wet. Now lightly apply the de-cal over the faceplate. Hold up to the light to checkalignment. If incorrectly aligned, carefully pull thedecal free from the faceplate, spray with Windex

again, and lightly reapply. Check alignment againand repeat procedure until correct alignment isobtained. Once you have the correct alignment, setthe faceplate with the decal on a table with the de-cal facing up. Note: Wet the tabletop area withWindex to keep the edges of the decal from stick-ing to the table. With the decal facing up, wet theface with Windex, place the decal backing paperyou removed earlier over the decal face. Workingfrom the center ofthe speedo face out to the edges,press the decal onto the face plate in a squeegeetype motion while working the Windex fluid outfrom between the surface without creating any airbubbles. Once the decal face is smooth, rough trimthe white decal edges with scissors to within about1/2 inch of the faceplate. Set the face plate asideand allow to air dry for about 24 hours.

13) After the faceplate and decal have dried, it is timeto trim the decal. Using an Xacto knife or razorblade, carefully trim the decal and cut the open-ings as required, using the faceplate as a guide. Af-ter the decal is trimmed to fit, the white decal edgescan be colored using a black felt tip pen. Be carefulnot to get any black ink from the felt tip onto thedecal face.

14) After the faceplate is trimmed and finished, it canbe reinstalled to the speedo body and the tintedplastic for the high beam/turn signal can be re-placed. Replace the face on the body and installthe 3 spring clips. Squeeze the spring clips withneedle nose pliers and slide over the plastic postson the back of the faceplate. Release the springclip after placed in position.

15) Very lightly press the speedo needle back onto theshaft. Do not press the needle on very fırmly. Thespeedo shop will need to remove this needle whendoing their recalibration. During recalibration, thespeedo shop will correctly reinstall this needle.

16) Take the speedo for recalibration.17) Upon return, reinstall the speedo by reversing the

removal steps. No other adjustments are requiredto any other part of the speedo system to make yournew 140-MPH speedo work correctly.

NOTE: Before reinstallation ofthe binnacle and instrumentcluster assembly, it is a good idea to re-lubricate the upperspeedo cable while it is exposed. To do this, just pull (slide)the inner cable out of the housing (the cable housing doesnot need to be removed), lubricate with grease, and slide itback into place.

26

@ large, continued from page 6at a firm pedal, even when the pads heated to the point ofserious fading. It only took about two miles for them to coolto the point of recovery. The rest of the car worked very well,although a bad connection in the wiring loom feeding theknock sensor box held my rev’s down a bit. I was able to passearly Porsche 911’s and actually stayed right with a Viper coupethrough turn one and again through the hurry downs. He’dleave me in a cloud of ten cylinder exhaust fumes on the frontstraight but by turn nine I could catch up and hang with himuntil the mad sprint from the carousel to Canada corner, whenagain I’d be breathing Viper venom. All of this merrimentculminates with all of the participating cars getting a policeescort from the track to downtown Elkhart Lake where thestreets around Seibkin’s resort are blocked and our cars are puton display. A group of automotive journalists voted Seibkinsthe second best racing hangout in the world a few years backbut actually, Bruce’s, just outside of town is less crowded andhas great food.

All of this has set my next priority which is to find some betterbrake pads and give some consideration to the cross drilledrotors that have been mentioned in past News Letters. Thestock brakes are more than adequate for everyday driving butfor really spirited work they need some upgrading. SomehowI have the feeling the “look” may again appear as my wife’slong suffering car heads for the snow bank again next winter.

CLASSIFIEDSClassifieds listed below are taken directly from the DMC-News website(www.dmcnews.com) and are posted at no cost to the advertiser, henceDMC-News assumes no responsibiolity for the information listed, ortypographical errors that may be present within.

1981, Nov. build, 13,600 mi., Stainless, gray int., 5-spd., North-ern CA. Super clean, fuel system r e-worked, new water pump,master brake cylinder, original NCT, Tankzilla, SS clutch line,look great inside & out, runs per fect (510) 354-0771 orDNishihara@aol.com. Pictures available. Never crashed.$17,000.

1981, 17,000 mi., Stainless, black int., 5-spd., San Luis Obispo,CA. Immaculate thr oughout, definitely collector quality, neverrained upon, original owner , driven monthly. Because ofrelationship with DMC, 28 hours wer e put into this car atquality control center in NJ befor e delivery. Ther e has neverbeen a problem with this car in r etrofittings, workmanship,or body alignments. Stainless steel skin was even r eworkedfor evenness and is quite evident compar ed to otherDeloreans. Always garaged. All factory updates per formedby original Delorean dealer. Contact me at (805) 594-1003.Please only serious inquiries. $20,000.

1983, Vin # 16584, 19,600 mi., Stainless, gray int., 5-spd.,Cincinnati, OH. New r ear tires, body in gr eat shape,runsgreat. Needs minor latch work, door struts weak but workfine. Call me at (513) 942-5452. E-mail: haas@infinet.com. Itravel a lot but I will get back with you. $13,000

1982, 60,000 mi., Stainless, black int., A T, Abington, PA.Body in great shape. Interior in gr eat shape. Runs and looksgreat. Just replaced headliner. Just drove to a wedding inAnnapolis, MD. last week and it cruised just fine. Must sellsoon. Need garage space for a new hummer . Frank Leone215-657-2789. $12,000.

1981, Stainless, gray int., 5-spd., Saginaw, MI. Mint DeLor ean!Doctor’s Pride! Original owner , from first half of ’81 manu-facturing run, with gray interior in mint condition. Only14,700 miles. Original equipment (including ster eo cassettedeck), with manuals. It’s as it was of f the dealer lot in 1981(with appropriate maintenance). Car has been stor ed inheated garage at all times. I can send photos or a short homevideo to “show you ar ound” this gem. 312-856-4087.$20,000.

1981, Stainless, gray int., A T, Grand Rapids, MI. 81 DMCAutomatic: 1-owner, Absolutely Show Room Condition. GrayLeather Interior. Only 3,672 Actual Miles. Heated Storage.Original Tires. All Technical Modifications, Books and Manu-als. Perfect for the Concourse, or the Road. Asking $20,500Call Bill: (616) 381-0354 (Grand Rapids, MI) or E-Mail to:mro1@prodigy.net $20,500.

1982, Stainless, gray int., 5-spd., T ampa, FL. 22kmi on 2ndM.D. owner DMC. No exterior flaws, interior is excellent also.Runs well, weekend driver . Orig radio, fr ont NCTs, nothing

broken. Buying Boxster, so losing garage, Brian, 813-786-4505 or johnson1@gte.net. $13,900.

1982, Stainless, gray int., 5-spd., Grand Rapids, MI. In-cludes: Twin Turbos, Car Cover, Floor Mats, Retractable Antena(rear), Engine has been blue-printed, Full Shop Manuals (ex-tremely detailed), Must see to believe. Call Mike at (616) 669-0625. $16,500.

1981, 13,600 mi., late 1981 - V in #6882, Stainless, gray int.,AT, Lake Mary, FL. NTCs on all four rims. All updates done.Very Good Condition. This DMC-12 was loved. Br eaks myheart but I must sell my baby. Call 1-407-330-0721 or emailme at razzzzd@aol.com. I can down load photos if you wish.$16,000.

1981, 6000 original mi., Stainless, gray int., 5-spd., NorthCarolina. All updates, ice cold air , polished wheels, newtires, the car is kept in a garage, no dents. (919) 383-6187.$16,500.

1981, Vin #6600, 12,000 miles, gray int., 5-spd., Atlanta, GA.Beautiful silver sheepskin seat covers, tankzilla, all manuals(parts, service, drivers), per fect running order, 18,500, origi-nal NCT tires available. Please call 770-536-2410, or emailseanm@atlcom.net. $18,500.

1981, Stainless, AT, southeast MI. Leather interior , excellentcondition. (734) 482-2637. $19,000 (OBO).

27

Bauerle Automotive Inc.Complete DeLorean Service Located in Central Ohio4211 Radnor Road, Radnor, Ohio • (740) 595-3348

Preventive Maintenance

Accessories Installed

Wheel Alignments - Tire Balance

Twin Turbos Installed

Updates and Improvements Installed

Frame Rustproofing

ASE Certified Technicians

Repairs, includingMechanical, Electrical, Brakes,

Steering, Suspension, A/C and more!

Loose Steering?We have remanufactured

steering racks!

Cracked Louvres?We have the fix!

De Lorean Motor Company10804 Roark Road • Houston, TX 77099281/568-9573 Voice • 281/568-9386 Fax

(800) USA-DMC1 Toll-freehttp://www.usadmc.com

Search for and orderparts online at the

DeLorean Motor Companywebsite

www.usadmc.com

Service,Restoration,Sales &␣ Parts