Re: [DMCForum] Started my frame-off restoration!

["Farrar \"Doc\" Hudkins" <dochudkins@xxxxxxxxx>]

John,

Well done! I look forward to monitoring your progress.
Thanks for the tip about the bolts... I'm sure other
handy hints are on the way.

Congratulations on your large but ultimately
successful undertaking.

Cheers :)

Farrar
--- John Dore <dmcjohn@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> 
> Hi lads,
> 
> Well, I've started my frame-off restoration of my
> DeLorean! 
> 
> After 3 years and 15,000 miles of very happy
> motoring, I've turned my 
> car into a pile of parts in my Dads garage...
> 
> My brother Maurice and I started working on it
> Thursday morning, and 
> had the rolling frame out of the car that afternoon,
> after getting 
> delayed with lots of rusty seized bolts, and a
> fairly rusted and 
> seized steering shaft. Also, it was pretty time
> consuming raising the 
> GRP body up with concrete blocks, but we were very
> happy to have the 
> frame separated that day. 
> 
> Then on Friday morning, we started to strip the
> frame down, and got 
> everything of the frame except for the suspension,
> which we completed 
> on Saturday morning. We then powerwashed the frame,
> and inspected it 
> for rust damage, which thankfully is not bad
> overall. 90% of the 
> frame is in like new condition, but there is a bad
> area under the 
> front crossmember which will need to be cut out and
> replaced, some 
> minor surface rust in the fuel tank area (drivers
> side), and some 
> more rust on the lower side of where the front frame
> extension meets 
> the front crossmember, which will also need some new
> metal welded in.
> 
> Other problems we found during the stripdown include
> a bad passenger 
> side lower ball joint, a bushing missing on the gear
> linkage, the 
> drivers side rear hub was loose (glad I found that
> one out!), and a 
> few other things. 
> 
> One of the most surprising parts of the teardown was
> to find of the 
> 12 bolts securing the body to the frame, only 2 were
> actually 
> tight!!! The 2 bolts that go thru the saftey belt
> thingy were very 
> tight, but the rest were barely hand tight. These
> bolts could be 
> tightened in 5 minutes, so I'd definitely recommend
> everyone has a 
> look at theirs also, it would probably get rid of
> any creaking noises 
> you get when driving. I feel silly for not having
> checked mine before 
> now!
> 
> So, at the moment, I have a thing that looks like a
> DeLorean hovering 
> a foot off the ground at the back of the house, and
> the garage is 
> full of parts like the engine/transmission, fuel
> tank, suspension, 
> etc, and of course the frame. My Dad is not too
> impressed with what 
> I've done to his garage!
> 
> My Dad is not a car guy, and he thinks I've lost my
> mind doing this 
> to a car that appeared to be in perfect condition
> from the outside! 
> He came outside at one point when we were stripping
> the frame down, 
> shook his head and told us that in the 60 years he's
> been around, 
> this is the craziest thing he has ever seen anyone
> do! 
> 
> Back when I was about 7 or 8, my Dad came home one
> day to find I had 
> taken the TV and radio completely apart and arranged
> the pieces all 
> over the living room floor, (never did get it back
> together, they are 
> still in the attic in pieces), so he is a bit
> concerned now that his 
> garage is going to look like a junk yard
> permanently!
> 
> Anyway, the next step will be to get the welding
> done, then get the 
> frame acid dipped and sandblasted, hot-dipped
> galvanised, and 
> powdercoated. I'm not going to get the original
> matte gray color on 
> the frame, I'm going to powdercoat it a very bright
> metallic Silver, 
> to give it more of a Stainless Steel look. I'll
> powdercoat the 
> suspension arms the stock black color...
> 
> Then, I'll go shopping - the list will include
> Toby's polyurethane 
> bushings kit and strengthened brackets for the front
> sway bar, new 
> upper and lower ball joints from DMCH, the front end
> recall kit, 
> stainless steel braided brake hoses, and anything
> else that I find 
> needs to be done.
> 
> I took about 150 pictures so far, and will upload
> them to the website 
> in the coming few days, and will let you all know.
> 
> Any suggestions/comments/questions welcome!
> 
> Also, any advice on how I'll ever get this damn
> thing back 
> together?!!!
> 
> Thanks,
> John
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 


=====
"Forty-two," said Deep Thought, with infinite majesty and calm.


            
__________________________________ 
Do you Yahoo!? 
Yahoo! Mail - Helps protect you from nasty viruses. 
http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail

Yahoo! Groups Sponsor

ADVERTISEMENT

---

Yahoo! Groups Links

• To visit your group on the web, go to:
  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DMCForum/
   
• To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
  DMCForum-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
   
• Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.