VIN 4566 Restoration

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

Re: VIN 4566 Restoration

Postby Dan Willis » Sat Aug 13, 2016 6:12 pm

This weekend is the first part of the "proper" body-off piece. It was all going so well...

ImageMore DeLorean Body Work by Dan Willis, on Flickr

The body is about 6 inches from being "free" and my friend cut his finger on the stainless. Enough that we spent most of the day in A&E (6 stitches). The body was catching and he decided to give it a light push - it "popped" free and he looked down to see some blood and, well, that was the end of that for today. Sorry Si!

However, the technique is working well; when it's high enough to be supported by wooden planks, the bricks will be pushed out so the wheels can be free to run the body out of the rear. It's been much simpler than I would have thought and look at the frame; the crumple zone is a bit rusty, but otherwise it's in remarkable condition:

ImageMore DeLorean Body Work by Dan Willis, on Flickr
ImageMore DeLorean Body Work by Dan Willis, on Flickr
ImageMore DeLorean Body Work by Dan Willis, on Flickr
ImageMore DeLorean Body Work by Dan Willis, on Flickr
ImageMore DeLorean Body Work by Dan Willis, on Flickr

If it helps, I'm time-lapsing the whole thing; so here's part 1:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njwZ9X3TrX4

Any questions; feel free to ask. It's not being done quickly, it's being done right ;)
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 Dan Willis » Sun Aug 14, 2016 6:35 pm

More work today; friendless, I made sure the car went up a bit further. The biggest issues are height and safety. Whereas a good clean lift would put the base of the car somewhere around 4ft off the floor, I have to ensure I can stil work on the body (at least the underside) safely when the frame is out. So, I removed the radiator (since the body was high enough now to do so) and the only part that will cause me issue now, is the gear stick. 

Anyone know if that's removable? Hmm.

Finding extra cables, hoses and pipes that need to come away is something I expected; I did hope to remove the battery cables from the tub but time got away with me, so I did the reverse and popped them off the engine instead (and then worked out a safe way of doing the tub, so did both):
ImageMore DeLorean Body Work by Dan Willis, on Flickr

They can just be pushed out - rubber and all;
ImageMore DeLorean Body Work by Dan Willis, on Flickr

Can't remember what it does? Where is goes? Take a picture; that might save me time later...
ImageMore DeLorean Body Work by Dan Willis, on Flickr

With the radiator off - and just resting in front of the frame (due to an airconditioning pipe I don't want to force just yet) you can see all the way through the car - and the top of the gearstick (the highest point the lifting has to clear):
ImageMore DeLorean Body Work by Dan Willis, on Flickr

At this point, were it not for the bricks in front of the wheels, it'd come out... almost. It needs to lift another 2/3 inches, but there is still an issue...
ImageMore DeLorean Body Work by Dan Willis, on Flickr

See.. an inch or two and it'd be daylight:
ImageMore DeLorean Body Work by Dan Willis, on Flickr

I guess the frame is probably solid enough not to refurbish.. but every pipe is rotten enough for me to take it apart, so why not do the lot?
ImageMore DeLorean Body Work by Dan Willis, on Flickr

And the, short but sweet, video of today:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gO1avCymjXQ

So, for those who haven't done this; the body needs to come up enough to place wood between the breeze blocks - pushing those blocks out further than the wheels so the frame can be wheeled out (in reverse). That in itself is fairly simple once the body clears the frame; but that gear stick means the wood would hit the stick - so it has to go even higher, or I remove the stick prior. A problem to solve/bridge to cross in a weekend or two I think.

More soon!
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 Dan Willis » Wed Aug 31, 2016 2:07 pm

Work is going, I hope understandably, slowly whilst I work on it alone. Since there is no rush anyway, I'm taking my time and ensuring I don't wear myself out (and then make a stupid mistake) and always feel excited to get back to it.

First up, I removed the wheels. Whilst this isn't how i've seen most body-off work; my car is on wheeled dollies, so I don't need rubber on the ground in order to move it. This means first and foremost, the body doesn't need to go so high. Here are some rough pictures of the heights of the both the frame and body:

ImageDeLorean body-off work by Dan Willis, on Flickr
Base of the shock absorber mounting; likely the lowest part of the car. Roughly 3.5 inches.

ImageDeLorean body-off work by Dan Willis, on Flickr

The frame/sump is 5.5 inches off the deck. The hardest part of this was getting a low enough jacking point (the gearbox) to remove the other jack being used to support the frame.

ImageDeLorean body-off work by Dan Willis, on Flickr

The bottom of the tub is around 28 inches high here. That gives me a good 2/3 inches clearance on the top of the gearstick (sans knob).

ImageDeLorean body-off work by Dan Willis, on Flickr

The top of the car is 67inches high. I can still open the doors and hood at this point - though I wouldn't recommend messing with the car when it's sat so high. Those doors being lifted are significant in both weight and torque; it could move the unrestrained body. No thank you.


ImageDeLorean body-off work by Dan Willis, on Flickr

Frame on the deck, car high enough; but... bricks obviously stop the frame from moving anywhere but side-to-side.

ImageDeLorean body-off work by Dan Willis, on Flickr

The same at the rear; low, low, low.

ImageDeLorean body-off work by Dan Willis, on Flickr

Wheels off and protected; I don't envisage them being refitted for some time.

ImageDeLorean body-off work by Dan Willis, on Flickr


This amount of clearance isn't necessary as you can see - but safe over sorry. I may be doing this solo (with perhaps my wife's eyes) so the more the better.

ImageDeLorean body-off work by Dan Willis, on Flickr

Test fitting of wooden planks - not going where you see them; just making sure they go in and come out, are the right height and so on.

ImageDeLorean body-off work by Dan Willis, on Flickr


And... the rears in place. But, nope, not happy with that level of bend. So, mid-chassis jacks go in to add extra support and...

ImageDeLorean body-off work by Dan Willis, on Flickr

Back to bed it goes. I've ordered 100mm x 100mm x 2.4m posts (fencing). What I have is what I'd done some research on and had worked for others. For me, I want FAR more support and nil-bending. Once they go in (and I do the front), the frame will be wheeled out and I start on stripping the frame and removing the engine/gearbox. Then it'll be off to various suppliers/vendors to get the frame refurbished and the engine rebuilt!
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 Dan Willis » Wed Aug 31, 2016 2:14 pm

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 Dan Willis » Sat Sep 03, 2016 4:47 pm

A quick update; wood inserted; bricks pushed out and the frame is finally free. It may be a few weeks until I actually wheel it out due to holiday and other commitments, but next stages are:

Remove engine and gearbox
Strip frame
Get frame sent away for refurbishment

Whilst the frame is away I'll strip the engine and gearbox and begin work on those, ready for frame refitting and the "reverse of removal" :)


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 Dan Willis » Wed Oct 26, 2016 10:33 am

Time for an update. The past few weekends I've managed only a couple of hours here and there on the car. The chassis is now out, as is the engine. Here are a couple of pics and vids:





As you can see, having the wheels off, and the chassis on castors makes manipulating the chassis very easy. The engine came out without any fuss, and none of the bolts were seized or problematic. That said, I liberally coated everything in bolt removing oils/sprays.

The engine is currently under the body on a pallet. I needed to order a 'bit' to get the sump nut out and the oil that came out was more like hot chocolate. Removing the accessories and pumps, including the water pump has me thinking the engine may be a very large, and heavy, door stop, but I've yet to have time to remove the heads and investigate further. Here are some pics :

First off; two packs of bricks (40 in total) get the body high enough (with room to spare):
ImageNo jack, just bricks by Dan Willis, on Flickr

Body one side, chassis the other - as you can see, you need room! (if you want to be inside and dry):
ImageDeLorean Chassis Removal by Dan Willis, on Flickr

Water pump off, and these are pics of what I was presented. Worth remembering that this is possible 10/15 years of the car sat. So, is it terminal, or just what happens (crystalisation, rot etc). Too early to tell, but not heart warming just yet:
ImageDeLorean Chassis Removal by Dan Willis, on Flickr
ImageDeLorean Chassis Removal by Dan Willis, on Flickr
ImageDeLorean Chassis Removal by Dan Willis, on Flickr

As you can see, the chassis is excellent in most places:
ImageDeLorean Chassis Removal by Dan Willis, on FlickrImageDeLorean Chassis Removal by Dan Willis, on Flickr
ImageDeLorean Chassis Removal by Dan Willis, on Flickr

More when I get inside the engine!
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 Andy » Wed Oct 26, 2016 4:17 pm

One thing I noticed: why do you work barefoot??
User avatar
Andy
 
Posts: 235
Joined: Tue Jun 09, 2009 10:08 am
Location: Belgium
VIN #: 04610

Re: VIN 4566 Restoration

Postby Dan Willis » Thu Oct 27, 2016 8:54 am

I do everything barefoot - in particular, running. I hate shoes. Don't know why, but back in 2000 I broke my right ankle and since then, long periods in shoes causes me significant back, hip and neck pain. So, life is easier without.
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 Admin-bloke » Thu Oct 27, 2016 9:55 am

Keep up the good work, I'll look forward to seeing the car fully restored :jzd:
Admin-bloke, "The D Whisperer"
Pie n Pint Northerner....
Vin #4068 - y'official "Mighty Auto" test car for Admin-bloke tuning.

https://www.justgiving.com/campnibble

Forum Founder [means I just installed it........] and Tech Help
DeLorean Club

The Future's Bright....
The Future's
DeLorean Club
User avatar
Admin-bloke
 
Posts: 5300
Joined: Thu May 28, 2009 6:45 pm
VIN #: 4068
Spaxed

Re: VIN 4566 Restoration

Postby A Van » Thu Oct 27, 2016 10:08 am

Likewise
Alistair V

Vin 11753 - B/Auto - Kuwait, painted black
Ex Vin 11766 - B/Auto - Dubai
Ex 11622, 6064

RIP Mike 'Bozzy' Bosworth 19/04/1969 - 31/12/2015


Official Spokesperson and Media Liaison Officer, and off road Buggy flipper
DeLorean Club

The Future's Bright....
The Future's
DeLorean Club
User avatar
A Van
 
Posts: 7813
Joined: Fri May 29, 2009 6:33 pm
VIN #: 11753
Spaxed

PreviousNext

Return to Members Cars or Unique DeLoreans

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 9 guests

About us

The DeLorean Club UK forum for European DeLorean owners and enthusiasts. The largest DeLorean forum in Europe.

Registration is FREE and all registered users get full access