VIN 4566 Restoration

Describe these cars here or do a restoration blog of your DeLorean

Re: VIN 4566 Restoration

Postby Dan Willis » Tue Jan 18, 2022 5:50 pm

I'll write it up but the short answer is "no". The rebuild was thorough and beyond the block, heads and rods, everything was replaced. There are cheaper - R&D excluded - ways of doing what I did, but not by keeping her "original" in terms of the numbers or whatever. It felt like the best path, and she should be a bit more pokey given what's inside now, but I'll have to get some tuning done.
Dan
VIN 4566
Ex VINs 5284, 5641
Dan Willis
 
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Location: Denmead, Waterlooville
VIN #: 4566

Re: VIN 4566 Restoration

Postby Dan Willis » Wed Jan 19, 2022 1:07 pm

I'll do my best to fill in the huge gap between the mechanically sound car and the now cosmetically complete car in the following post.

She returned home in April (or thereabouts) of last year (2021) and I begun with, initially, insuring her against the chassis number "off road". Prior to this she was literally a pile of parts and now, despite looking - well, like the below, she was running and worth something.

After that I made sure she was mobile via the trollies as the engine wasn't (and isn't) run in and I cannot legally do that yet (and back then, the winscreen was smashed and there were no lights or rear end!).

I then began to work out, at least on paper, what I'd be spending and what really needed doing. The list obviously changed but it kinda looked like:

Stainless repair and regrain
Replace or fix and repaint fascias
New windscreen and surround (both smashed)
Replace side trim where it was missing or hanging off
Replace side light(s) due to damage
Replace one rear light as it was white instead of orange
Look at exhaust blow
Full interior retrim - seats, center console, dash and pads, binacle, wheel
New or fixed stereo
Carpets
Electrics

I reached out to PJ Grady and Chris, alongside some local specialists in case I couldn't get a slot and decided that I'd need help. Despite my ability to buy things, fitting them - for example, the windscreen or seat covers - would be beyond me without significant local resource. I also needed the stainless steel looking at, and Chris was my only "go to" in that regard.

As a potentially interesting side note, well over 20 years ago Chris did some significant work on my first DeLorean and the timelapse he showed me back then was something to behold. Needless to say, if it's stainless and DeLorean, it's Chris IMO.

I had previously asked Chris for help and his calendar was obviously full, so the oily bits went to Martin, as I'd convinced myself the engine was toast, and to his eye it was not. I'd err'd on maybe going the v8 route since the car was mechanically knackered anyway and secured sources for the engine/gearbox and even fitting and fettling if need be. However, with recent changes in MOT/tax standards and realising my car was a little more complete that initially thought, I decided to go back to original. That coupled with a somewhat vague diagnosis of chronic back pain and a (now nearly 4 year old) daughter to consume my free time meant a - dare I say it - trouble free classic car was more attractive.

So, I waited for Chris to become free in the meantime and tried saving some pennies after the expense of the mechanical restoration.

Fast forward to October-time and Chris could fit me in. Off she went, part-car, part-box of parts.

Shortly after the car arrived Chris got to work in detailing what I'd need to get her road-worthy. That wasn't an endless list of things "to do"; that will always be the case with these cars, but to a useable, MOT-standard.
I won't share the list and prices here; things change, costs change and labour rates (alongside a simple task being far more complicated elsewhere) change for every car, and believe me, I've seen a few of these things differ from car to car!

I gave Chris a fairly open "do what you must" edict and then the updates started arriving....

Firstly, Chris stripped the interior out and dealt with the stainless whilst parts were ordered. Note: all pictures are on Flickr

Interior parts went from this:
ImageCosmetic restoration by Dan Willis, on Flickr
To this:
ImageCosmetic restoration by Dan Willis, on Flickr

And stainless went from this:
ImageCosmetic restoration by Dan Willis, on Flickr
to this:
ImageCosmetic restoration by Dan Willis, on Flickr


The windscreen surround was saved:
ImageCosmetic restoration by Dan Willis, on Flickr

ImageCosmetic restoration by Dan Willis, on Flickr

I pretty much thought that was toast, so I'm pleasantly surprised!

And Chris even managed to sort the exhaust tips out (I bought some; he did the rest):
ImageCosmetic restoration by Dan Willis, on Flickr
ImageVarious new images by Dan Willis, on Flickr
Not too shabby :)

In addition, the front springs were swapped as the car rode very high (the springs were unused but a few years old and didn't seem to be either US or Euro height, so it was easier whilst in bits to swap them out). The stereo worked but had no display so I sourced a Blaupunkt unit that was in keeping with the design and age of the car, but with modern convenience, and new speakers and so on were installed as they were mostly non-working or torn. Unfortuntely fitting that highlighted some issues with the electrics, so a new fuse box was installed. A job Chris did not enjoy...
The carpets were saved, as were the fascias and some mechanical issues were minor (the clutch and gearbox didn't seem very happy for a while, and a split pipe (perhaps due to the cold) was a pain, but quickly found and fixed.

Lastly, she was MOT'd without issue.

ImageDelorean HOME! by Dan Willis, on Flickr

And now she's home.

The list of continued work will be things like:

Replacing some trim (door sill)
Door light issues (they don't work and one is missing entirely)
LED rear lights (they are original and bit flaky, but work)
Re-trim the steering wheel (minor but worth doing whilst I wait on registration)
Try to sort out an angle drive (I'm on number 3 and the car hasn't moved yet)
Fix the BRAKE light on the dashboard as it's on alllllll the time.

And some minor cosmetic bits as I get time.

I have catalogued the work, costs and parts over time. It's not, um, cheap, but that was never the aim!

Any questions, ask away. It's been a ride.
Dan
VIN 4566
Ex VINs 5284, 5641
Dan Willis
 
Posts: 87
Joined: Wed Jul 29, 2009 9:54 am
Location: Denmead, Waterlooville
VIN #: 4566

Re: VIN 4566 Restoration

Postby jerzybondov » Wed Jan 19, 2022 4:05 pm

Great work Dan - love it!

What have you decided in terms of 'upgrading' the engine? Is it Martin G who did the work on it?
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Re: VIN 4566 Restoration

Postby Dan Willis » Thu Jan 20, 2022 9:11 am

It's running different cams, crank, pistons and whatnot; so it should be "Euro" spec give or take; maybe 170hp? Who knows; need to do some tuning to find out. It runs well and sounds quite nice but I'm not expecting miracles!
Dan
VIN 4566
Ex VINs 5284, 5641
Dan Willis
 
Posts: 87
Joined: Wed Jul 29, 2009 9:54 am
Location: Denmead, Waterlooville
VIN #: 4566

Re: VIN 4566 Restoration

Postby bandit » Thu Jan 20, 2022 9:16 am

Dan Willis wrote:It's running different cams, crank, pistons and whatnot; so it should be "Euro" spec give or take; maybe 170hp? Who knows; need to do some tuning to find out. It runs well and sounds quite nice but I'm not expecting miracles!

Not expecting miracles is a good viewpoint, as there won’t be any ;)
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Re: VIN 4566 Restoration

Postby Dan Willis » Thu Jan 20, 2022 9:43 am

Ain't that the truth. If it goes and stops, I don't really care about performance. As long as what it does have isn't dangerous(ly slow) :)
Dan
VIN 4566
Ex VINs 5284, 5641
Dan Willis
 
Posts: 87
Joined: Wed Jul 29, 2009 9:54 am
Location: Denmead, Waterlooville
VIN #: 4566

Re: VIN 4566 Restoration

Postby Hardrinseron » Thu Jan 20, 2022 9:16 pm

Looks great Dan. Nice to see it finally all back together. Awsome job


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Re: VIN 4566 Restoration

Postby Admin-bloke » Fri Jan 21, 2022 9:43 pm

Well done Dan, great work
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Re: VIN 4566 Restoration

Postby Dan Willis » Wed Feb 16, 2022 11:44 am

One thing that couldn't be completed at PJ was the steering wheel:


ImageVarious DeLorean pics by Dan Willis, on Flickr


I engaged Royal Steering Wheels, and this just arrived:

ImageDeLorean steering wheel by Dan Willis, on Flickr


Impressive is an unstatement. It's new :)


I now have a long list of parts, ironically, to fit:


New gearknob
Driver's side forward door light lense (it fell out somewhere in its travels)
Some trim pieces (such as trunk passenger wing cover)
A new luggage net
LED rear tail lights
Fog light kit for above
Parking sensors
Some airconditioning trunking (missing)

Nothing major and I already have some ideas of next jobs as well (it'll never end).

More pics when I can get some time to fit it all.
Dan
VIN 4566
Ex VINs 5284, 5641
Dan Willis
 
Posts: 87
Joined: Wed Jul 29, 2009 9:54 am
Location: Denmead, Waterlooville
VIN #: 4566

Re: VIN 4566 Restoration

Postby cis6409 » Wed Feb 16, 2022 3:53 pm

Very nice steering wheel re trim!
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