[DMCForum] wingless wonder, body bolts, burnt solenoids

["bkp944" <bk_pollard@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

--- In DMCForum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "Joe OBrien" <joeyoseppijoe@xxxx> 
wrote:
> Gee Greg, you could slap on some taillights & headlights and drive 
> around in true Mad max style. Without the doors most people 
wouldn't 
> know what you are driving.


Greg,

Actually, Joe may have a point. 

I'm not saying let's joy-ride down I-40 at 88 MPH, but it might be 
worth a shot to see if we could get the engine fired up. Everything 
is reasonably accessible now :-). It's your car, but I'm anxious to 
see it going also!

> > One quick note people, check your body bolts.  We found a few 
> loose bolts
> > this weekend.  That could explain some clunking.


Greg made a good point about loose body bolts. The engine brace on 
my car looked like it had been rubbing the fiberglass body a bit. We 
put a socket on the bolt and was able to get a full turn on it. The 
bolt on the opposite side was just as loose. The other DeLorean 
present also had similar problems.



Meanwhile, I have been replacing the window motors/regulators and 
rewinding the door lock solenoids in my car. In case no one has ever 
seen the result of sticky relays in an original DeLorean door lock 
module, check out the picture I posted in #4494's album in the 
Photos section.

I also posted a picture of the rewound solenoid pair. I took the 
opportunity to rebuild the lock module, upgrading the resistors, 
transistors, and capacitors. It now has extremely low standby 
current (~600 uA). 

I took it a step further and replaced the factory undersized relays 
with off-board 40A relays. These should be able to better handle the 
sparking associated with opening an inductive load and last the 
lifetime of the car. If there ever is a problem, the relays can be 
easily unplugged and replaced. Also, the purists could easily return 
this modification to stock if they wished.

I am also replacing the door lock's 30 circuit breaker with a 
resettable 5 amp circuit breaker to prevent solenoid "cooking" from 
ever happening again. 

May have been easier to buy DPNW's actuators and replaced the 
solenoids, but where's the fun in that?

-Brian
VIN #4494

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