Re: [DML] Bad Mouthing DeLorean Flaws versus Correcting DeLorean Flaws

[Kevin Abato <delorean@xxxxxxxxx>]

Went does this keep coming up?  I have not seen anyone badmouth anything
recently.
 On Apr 11, 2012 11:40 AM, "content22207" <brobertson@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> For the record: I do not merely bad mouth flaws my DeLorean was built with
> -- I actively correct them:
>
> Front suspension: my impression (shared with Mike Loasby) is that the
> production front suspension is inadequate. I replaced what I considered to
> be problem components on both my cars with ready made aftermarket
> alternatives.
>
> Electrical grounds: my impression is that production electrical grounds
> are inadequate. I added ground buses to both my cars and tied every single
> factory junction into those buses. In the process I also found a junction
> hidden behind the central A/C duct, which is where the instrument cluster
> is in fact grounded, not via the radio bracket as was conventional wisdom
> as long as I had owned my car (since 2002). My buses render the braided
> block ground redundant with a weather tight battery connection inside the
> car.
>
> Fuel delivery: my current engine has no provision for multiport injection
> of any sort (no injector bungs), so I carbureted it at installation in
> 2004. Another owner asked for the same in 2008. Sand cast manifolds
> suitable for carburetion were rare even then, so I designed and fabricated
> my own intake manifold. Since then, at owners' request, 11 more carbureted
> intake manifolds have been fabricated and put into service (9 of them as
> part of a "kit" with all other necessary components). I also have made
> adapters to mount American (Motorcraft) carburetors on three Peugeot 604
> manifolds. Altogether I have helped 15 other owners, at their request,
> carburete their DeLoreans. Only those owners can speak to adequacy of the
> multiport injection they converted from, or adequacy of the carburetors
> they are currently running. As stated, in my own case there was no
> reasonable alternative to carburetion (K-Jet or EFI couldn't be installed
> in my heads).
>
> Exhaust: my impression is that the production exhaust system cumbersome
> and an impediment to engine maintenance and repair, that it is restrictive
> and reduces performance, and that a muffler across the back of the car
> creates heat that can damage the rear fascia and belts/seals on the front
> of the engine. I designed and installed my current exhaust setup as an
> alternative in 2003.
>
> Ignition: my impression is that stock DeLorean ignition voltage, and the
> plug gaps it is able to jump, is inadequate even by standards of its day
> (1981). I have increased my primary coil voltage to 1981 standards (12v,
> not charging voltage). I am running a contemporary high winding Made in USA
> coil. My plug gaps are 1981 standard .05". I also use spiral wound metal
> plug wires, primarily for durability rather than performance. Since they
> are custom made, plug wires for the passenger side of my engine, and the
> coil, take off straight from the 45 degree angle of the distributor cap
> rather than bending back on themselves from 90 degree terminals (I have no
> clearance issues from a fuel/air mixture unit).
>
> Door latch/lock internals: my impression is that the sharp reverse bend
> the outer door cable makes inside the door is an impediment to smooth
> operation, so I added simple 50 cent return springs to my bellcranks to
> ensure they always returns to the fully retracted position (dragging the
> outer cable through that sharp bend in the process). My impression also is
> that plastic retainers are inadequate to keep the front lock rods from
> flexing inside the door, so I replaced them with steel eyes.
>
> Rear illumination: my impression is that stock rear illumination is
> inadequate, so I modified my boards and housings to double the amount of
> tail light illumination, and increase brake light illumination 50%.
>
> Spare tire: my impression is that the stock spare tire is inadequate, so I
> replaced it with a full size steel belted 50,000 mile radial on a rim that
> fits both front and rear. When I sliced a sidewall while traveling in 2009
> I was able to drive on this spare to multiple tire shops looking for an
> in-stock 235/60-15 replacement. Had it been necessary I could have driven
> home, at highway speeds, on the spare. If I ever get a flat after hours or
> on a weekend, I can drive on my spare until tire shops open.
>
> There are 1,001 other improvements I have made to my car, from a custom
> headlight circuit to custom courtesy lighting, to headlights that can be
> aimed and changed without digging around in the front fascia, which also
> evidence that I do more than simply bad mouth flaws my car was built with
> -- I actively fix them.
>
> Bill Robertson
> #5939
>
>
>
>
>
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>


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