Interesting you mention that you had difficulty finding the bolt in a hardware store. Of all the bolts and screws I have removed and reinstalled on my DeLorean, I have never been able to find an exact match for any of them at a hardware store. By exact match, I mean same thread, thickness, length, and color(for exterior screws). I always ended up ordering them from one of the vendors. I suppose there may have been a few instances where a different thread or type of bolt could have been used, but well, I didn't want to have to replace them later if they would break off or come loose because the thread was not fine enough or the metal was too soft. Only with a DeLorean... Matt #1604 --- In dmcnews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, rbrogren@xxxx wrote: > This is a thank you message, but first let me give some background: > > Back in May my D decided to dump the coolant right as I pulled in to a Volvo > dealership lot (while picking up my car that was in for regular service). I > didn't have time to tow it back home so I asked my favorite mechanic there to > take a look and I would call back. When I came back they had replaced one of the > short hoses on top, at a cost of $146.70 but it still had a leak, "probably > the water pump". I was quoted $1250 to $1500 to replace the pump. I had heard > and read here about the tribulations of that job and since there was no way I > would pay that much I decided to do it myself. For various reasons I didn't > have time to get to it until about a month ago. In the meantime I had been > studying the manual, parts manual, service bulletins and although they gave me a > pretty good idea what I was in for I ended up several times just standing there > staring at the jumble of components, hoses and fuel lines to figure out where > to start. In desperation I started to search the arcives and came across two > excellent articles that proved to be invaluable! At the end of the disassembly > process the engine compartment looked like a x-mas tree, with connection tags > on strings all over the place. The reassembly process is going as well as can > be expeted -- slower than molasses, but I don't mind the time because I > certainly don't want to redo it! > > The only problem (so far) is that I broke off one of the 7Mx35 socket head > bolts on the back of the waterpump housing when I disassembled tho old one to > get the back casing for the new pump. Have you ever tried to find that type and > size of a bolt? Impossible locally and that includes mayn well stocked > hardware stores, industrial fastener dealers and Volvo and other import shops! Almost > two days wasted running around until I gave up and called Rob. > > Now to the kudos: > A sincere thank you to Dave Swingle and Peter Lucas for their write-ups and > pictures in the Tech Archives. Without the help of what they wrote I would > probably have been stumped several times and probably made a number of mistakes! > And a great big thank you to Rob Grady for his invaluable advice during > several phone calls and for their rapid deliveries of the parts! (Now, if the USPS > Express Overnight snail mail would deliver the 7mm bolt I can get the intake > and all the rest of the spagetti reinstalled!) > > I have said it before: Without the DML experts and archives and your favorite > parts suppliers, the Delorean would just be a memory! > > Roger > VIN 1074 > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]