Re: Water pump replacement (a long one!)

["supermattthehero" <supermatty@xxxx>]

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]