VIN 4566 Restoration

[Dan Willis]

That looks great Dan, if you can get the rest of the car looking anywhere near that....

That's the idea. If it can't be made to look like new, it will be new (or thereabouts). I'm trying to keep every part I can (that doesn't have to be replaced - one exception would be front springs) and plate/cover/paint as necessary. The interior will be a challenge!

[MikeWard]

Lee Pattison will be able to sort your interior out.

When it comes interior trimming there is no one else to recommend, he is the man!

[Dan Willis]

Whereabouts is Lee based? I've heard the name but know no more than that. I am intending on getting the entire thing done (dash, wheel, everything). Might be easier if he has the car...

Another small update:
Rear fascia came off yesterday, along with the grille. There is some writing on the rear...

Rear facia (inside) by willisit, on Flickr
Rear facia (inside) by willisit, on Flickr
Rear facia (inside) by willisit, on Flickr

As you can see, beyond a part number and a QA test (showing September 81 as her VIN confirms) it's nothing exciting.

I did also oil up a fair old number of bolts and nuts/screws as things start to come off. There are... remnants... of where rodents may have found homes too (behind the grille, in the suspension etc) so that's all out too. I have the wheels to mount, then I can test to see if the engine turns and then it's on to the real work!

[MikeWard]

Whereabouts is Lee based? I've heard the name but know no more than that. I am intending on getting the entire thing done (dash, wheel, everything). Might be easier if he has the car...

Lee is based near Gillingham.

We had pretty much the entire interior retrimmed by Lee (with the exception of the seat covers which were in good condition, for these Lee just cleaned them up and re-dyed them).

I posted a bunch of pictures up on DMC talk if you want to see some examples of his work (see posts 4 and 8): http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?11617-upholstery

I was extremely happy with the results.

[dmc4087]

Another shout for Lee. A few years ago he retrimmed my steering wheel, including the centre pad (I think some dont include that bit strangely). Still looks fantastic and its much better than original.

[BABIS]

We had pretty much the entire interior retrimmed by Lee (with the exception of the seat covers which were in good condition, for these Lee just cleaned them up and re-dyed them).

I posted a bunch of pictures up on DMC talk if you want to see some examples of his work (see posts 4 and 8): http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?11617-upholstery

Hello Mike, I've just seen the beautiful pictures of your interiors! are the rear speakers panels redyed or retrimmed? and the "A" pillars? any troubles in reinstalling them?

Best regards

[Dan Willis]

I had an hour today, so did some small bits to keep the ball rolling.

First up, I can only work on the driver's side at the moment due to the position of the car. Every gas strut is knackered (if they worked, I'd really worry) and as any owner will know, working on a DeLorean with out the doors working is a pain. So, the headliner came off:

DeLorean work by willisit, on Flickr
More date-aligned stuff here. Mine is literally a day prior to an October build. Also nice to see the door was destined for the car.

Gas strut on. Since it's so simple to do, I didn't mind this. The door won't open all the way on it's own, so I think some adjustment is needed when I get to the body. This I'll leave to the experts!
DeLorean work by willisit, on Flickr
Ignore the rotten interior...

Both front calipers off. Rears are more involved, but they're all being refurbed, so better now than when the wheels are back on:
DeLorean work by willisit, on Flickr
DeLorean work by willisit, on Flickr
DeLorean work by willisit, on Flickr

Then to the tank panel. The tank is coming out and being binned. All new fuel system will go in when the frame has been refreshed:
DeLorean work by willisit, on Flickr
DeLorean work by willisit, on Flickr
DeLorean work by willisit, on Flickr
I've soaked every nut in advance with penetrating oil. Nothing seized in this way and all bolts turned nicely. Had to use a breaker bar on the calipers but that's a little different.

So far the frame is better than anything else on the car!
DeLorean work by willisit, on Flickr
DeLorean work by willisit, on Flickr
I think the front crumple piece may be replaced. I'll see though.

All for now!

[A Van]

That crumple zone looks ok dan?

[Dan Willis]

It's "okay" but pretty rotten in places. When it's stripped I'll see if it needs anything major and then deal with appropriately.

[A Van]

Ok one of those situations where pictures look better than it is