Monday, December 10, 2007

Finally, the first post!

Wow, I meant to start this blog back at the end of summer. The point of this blog is for me to share my experiences owning a DeLorean, and to talk about cars in general. But mostly my DeLorean.

So, a little history of how I came to own a DeLorean. Back in the fall of 2005, I was taking classes at my now alma mater, RIT (Rochester Institute of Technology). In one of my networking classes, I teamed up with a gentleman by the name of Todd Nelson. We got to talking about our interests, and I found out he owned a DeLorean. Of course, at the time, I knew jack-shit about these cars (much less cars in general, I couldn't even do my own oil change back then), and I had the common misconceptions about them. Though, at that point I did become aware that they were still out there. Todd showed me his website, which is now www.1561project.com, and I decided to start reading up on the work he had done.

Fast forward about one year later. One day, seemingly out of nowhere, I started really liking the DeLorean, and I got the insane idea that I would buy my own. Seeing as I had neither the mechanical aptitude, nor the patience for doing a restoration, I decided I wanted to go with a restored car from DMC Houston. Of course, this wasn't going to be easy for a few reasons. Firstly, I knew jack-shit about cars. Secondly, my income was not high enough that I could afford a DeLorean in the shape I wanted. Lastly, I wanted a stick shift, but didn't know how to drive stick.

So how did I solve these problems? Lots of hard work. I began ravenously reading everything I could find about cars, DeLoreans in specific of course, and I started helping my friends do smaller jobs on their vehicles. Secondly, I began working extra hard at work in hopes that I would get a substantial raise from my employer upon graduation. I did. Woo-hoo. Lastly, I somehow managed to convince my buddy Pat and his wife Mary to teach me to drive stick in Pat's new VW Passat. You should've seen the fiasco that was my first time behind the wheel of that car. Last time I saw that many stalls I was in a horse barn.

So, around rolls July of this past year. I got a hold of the folks down at DMC Houston about purchasing a pre-owned DeLorean, and after a few weeks of talking with them, I flew down to Texas on July 13th. Yes, I bought my DeLorean on a Friday the 13th. I'm pretty sure that's an omen. James Espey was kind enough to pick me up himself from the Houston airport. When we pulled into their facility, my jaw just dropped when I saw the dozen or so DeLoreans parked in the parking lot. Little did I know what I would be in for when I went into the place.

The Houston facility is absolutely mind-blowing for a DeLorean fan. When I went, there were 3 cars in the show room, including the last one ever built. There were a whole bunch in the warehouse being worked, and in various stages of fix/decay throughout the giant aisles of the facility. Seeing a giant wall of transmissions, followed by another wall of doors is very impressive.

I spent many hours that day going through the car, test driving it, and just talking DeLoreans with the guys in Houston. I ended up purchasing the vehicle; it is VIN1049. It is a black interior, standard transmission DeLorean. You can see pictures of the car at the following URL:

Pictures

Next blog, I will talk about the history of this car in specific, and what it's been like for me to own this car. It has been a life changing experience.

I will wrap this one up by listing out the rather extensive service history of the vehicle, in the order that it is documented (basic maintenance items may be omitted, as well as repeat maintenance items):

Fuel tank baffle
Major tune-up
Radiator upgraded
All cooling system hoses replaced
Under car coolant pipes replaced
Water pump
Rear brake pads
Front pads, rotors, shims
Stainless steel clutch line
Relay update kit
Louvre struts
Door seals and weather stripping
Factory safety recalls performed
Alpine speakers front and back
Lower speedometer cable
Windshield washer pump
Parking brake adjustment
Automatic antenna installed
3rd brake light; brake light is from a Corvette
Open beam headlights
Heater fixed
Driver's side torsion bar adjusted
Louvre latch repaired
Passenger side window regulator repaired
All electrical grounds cleaned & secured
Rear rotors
Muffler heat-shield replaced
Tie rods replaced
Alignment performed
Air deflector plate hardware
All struts replaced
Engine cover grill retention strips
Stainless steel coolant bottle & cap
Engine compartment light
Fuel pump, boot, cover & bracket
Fuel accumulator
Fuel lines
All hoses in engine compartment
All exterior and interior lights
Rear arm rest extension repaired
Fuel filter
O2 sensor
Rocker cover gaskets
Alternator belt
A/C belt
Spark plugs
Distributor cap & rotor
Spark plug wires
Intake o-rings
All fuses replaced
All circuit breakers replaced
Brake master cylinder
A/C serviced
Battery
Eibach shocks and springs
Alpine CDA-9885 head unit
JL Audio 8W04 with custom built enclosure
Genesis P-5 amplifie
Joe Cool
TOBY tabs
Broken luggage compartment cable fixed
Oil sender
Driver's side door linkage adjusted
Front dome light repaired
Schrader A/C valve cap
Passenger side center air duct re-fitted
CO adjusted to proper mix
A/C bearings replaced
K&N air filter
Cooling system air bleeder
Ignition coil
Ignition resistor
110 amp alternator
Headlight switch saver
A/C panel lights always on fix
Ran backup trunk cable

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