#1458 and #2727 hit England!!! (long)

[Martin Gutkowski <webmaster@xxxx>]

Hi All

Well, after four years as a DML member, I can finally sign my posts with
VIN #1458

She arrived in Southampton last Friday together with #2727 and my friend
Rich and I picked them up on Wednesday.

Bought for $15000 for the PAIR, from the For Sale page at DMCnews, #1458
has 2353 miles and is a black manual, and #2727 has 34000 miles and is a
black auto with the Island twin-turbo kit (the first to arrive in this
country).

We've spent the past two days at the Diesel Centre in Staplehurst, Kent,
discovering just what a bargain we have! I'll write about mine, Rich can
have his say about his after :-)

#1458 is absolutely stunning. In need of a paint job on the fascias,
they are perfectly straight. THe louvers were so bleached as to almost
be white, but one application of Car Plan Black Trim Wax has brought the
colour back beautifully (HA! - it's nice to finally get revenge on you
lot across the pond always pushing products we can't buy :-) £3.99 from
Halfords)

The chassis is superb - one tiny bit of rust on the flap that holds the
fuel tank, but nothing more. The car hasn't been started for four years,
and so the first job was to strip down the engine to perform a thorough
service. Jason, my mechanic, was delighted with how simple everything
was, and we were all pleased that parts were all available the same day,
or the next day (all the filters, and spark plugs and fuel pump).

The big problem was the fuel tank - absolutely horrible inside, with the
pump, boot and hoses completely rotten. This wasn't a complete surprise
- but what came as a shock to Jason was my being able to get a fuel tank
the next day for 50 pounds (thanks Dave Howarth!).

Today I played with the electrics while Jason reassembled the engine.
Brakes, Clutch, Throttle, coolant and fuel lines have all been checked,
flushed, adjusted or just plain inspected. As to the electrics, all the
bulbs came off the shelf at the Diesel Centre and I look forward to
tomorrow! [Martin]

As for #2727, it's previous occupant was obviously of the rodent variety
having left a big pile of fluff behind the front grille. The engine
hasn't been touched yet, been fiddling mainly with electrics and
cosmetics. The new gas struts mean that the doors can now stay open
without the assistance of a broom handle. The enormous after market side
skirts got hastily removed to discover that the original ones had not
been retained, more items for the shopping list. Fuel tank suffered a
similar fate to the other one and needs replacing as well. The previous
owner had fitted a big switch to disable the battery, this could well be
because when testing the electrics, found that they all stay active with
key removed, requires further investigation. [Rich]

Pictures from the cars' arrival at www.delorean.co.uk

A HUGE thanks to Darren Decker for being our eyes and ears when buying
these cars - we're chuffed to bits!

Martin and Rich
#1458 and #2727