Re: [DML] Restorable or Parts Car?

[mike.griese@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

John - Any car can be brought back - it's a matter of how much 
patience and cubic dollars you have.  One question you have to ask 
yourself is what do you want to have when you are done with the 
restoration?  You also need to be honest about your answer.  The 
answer is key to determining if the car is restorable - by you.  

If the answer is "I want a nice driveable DeLorean when I am
done", you are probably better off shopping for a nice, driveable
DeLorean because you will be able to find one for less than it 
will take to make this car fit that category.  

If the answer is "I want to learn a lot about quirky automobiles
no matter how much it costs or how long it takes, and learn a 
bunch of new swear words while I'm at it", then this car is 
for you.

Obvious things you will need to tackle a project like this are:
tools, a place to put the car while you are restoring it (it takes
a surprising amount of space to restore a car), some mechanical
aptitude (skill will come as you move along), a shop manual,
a parts manual, attention to detail, time to work on the project, 
and the ability to handle disappointment.  You will also need to be 
prepared to spend at least twice as much as you think it will take 
in both time and money to put the car into the condition you want.

I have done a couple of restorations in the past, and I'm in the 
midst of a nut and bolt restoration of a 1971 Mustang 
convertible (the car goes onto the rotisserie in June).  The first 
cars I tried to restore turned out to be pretty much total disasters 
because I didn't know what I wanted when I was done, and I 
didn't have a relatively permanent space to see the project through 
to the end.   Now I have an 1800 sq ft heated building with enough
tools to do pretty much everything but paint a car.  I have also 
amassed a library of service manuals, restoration guides, parts
catalogs, and how-to books to help figure out what is possible
and how much it will cost.  Take a good hard look at those 
pictures and then spend a few days looking at the DMCH 
online parts catalog to give you an idea of what you are in for from
a cost perspective.  Then take a look at your garage and basement
and imagine a DeLorean exploded across them for a couple of 
years.

Another thing to keep in mind is that in the world of collector cars, 
only a very few people who restore a car ever get their money 
out of it.  Those that do are working with cars that sell for 
hundreds of thousands of dollars or have access to parts and
expertise that are just not available to the unwashed masses.

Take a deep breath and good luck!

--
Mike


-------------- Original message from Chris Shepherd <chrisau79@xxxxxxxxx>: -------------- 


> The car sitting next to it is a Corvair. How do you know the body is straight? 
> The only reason to paint a DeLorean, in my opinion, is Bondo. I agree that "dirt 
> cheap" is the price to pay. It looks like a parts car to me. 
> 
> Chris 
> 6301 
> 
> John Spangler wrote: 
> --- In dmcnews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, Sam Hill wrote: 
> > Admit it, you've fallen in love already and 4543 is 
> > calling to you to rescue it from the eternal junk 
> > heap. Though the paint is the most disconcerting in 
> > my opinion, it looks like you've got a great 
> > opportunity to do an engine swap project...if you 
> > dare! 
> > 
> > I find it hard to believe that the car did not enjoy 
> > some kind of coverage for a long part of its life... I 
> > live in Tucson and that fascia should've warped long 
> > ago. 
> > 
> The dash took most of that burden, I'm afraid. 
> 
> I'm encouraged by the number of overnight responses to this post, and 
> I also received a number of emails asking how much the car is. The 
> current owner bought it from a guy's widow along with another, much 
> better condition car, which he subsequently gave to his grandson in CA 
> somewhere. This one became the parts car as it wasn't running. After 
> looking it over and showing him how bad it was, I still asked how much 
> he wanted for it. "I want a good price for it" was my answer, time 
> and again. $500 or $5000? No idea what he thinks is reasonable, but 
> I'll post pics and take recommendations, as I'm not the best haggler 
> when I'm excited. Here's a link to a quickie page I made. 

...

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]





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