[DML] Re: More thoughts on rust

["Dave Swingle" <swingle@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Actually the DeLorean frame did pretty well considering its design. 
The original design spec was that it should last about 10 years, in 
general that's about what you'll see for a daily driver DeLorean in 
the salt-belt. The car I did the frame-swap on last winter was such a 
car early in its life, and it had holes all over the frame. The steel 
under the epoxy has absolutely no corrosion resistance to it. This is 
not very different from driving an 81 Corvette or Camaro, by the way, 
and you don't see many of them around in the salt belt either.

Unfortunately the cars are now 23 years old, the epoxy is more 
brittle with age, and on most of the cars it has started to crack at 
least around the corners. Once it cracks it does a great job of 
holding salty water against the steel accelerating the damage. 

If you started with a new DeLorean frame and drove it year-around 
you'd get your 10 years. You are not starting with something new 
however, it is old epoxy.  

But hey - it's your car, if you look at it as the investment/cost-of 
ownership (depreciation, not maintenance) equivalent of a new Honda, 
i.e. it will rust away and be worthless in 8 years, you'll come out 
about right. And it is a lot cooler! 

Dave S



--- In dmcnews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "smileksr" <michaelbarth@xxxx> wrote:
> 
> 
> I am the guy who has aroused several responses by stating that I 
> have "no fear" by driving my car in the winter.
> 
> About a dozen responses came in, all of which centered on rust.
----
 Mine was the same price as a new honda.  I 
> guess my thinking is, I will treat it the same and enjoy it year-
> round.  I don't know...I can see both sides of the argument, 
because 
> there are only so many of them (Deloreans, that is), and there will 
> always be hondas.









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