DeLorean Interior Sound Level Test
Most of us don’t think too much about sound levels in the DeLorean because we’re just enjoying driving the car. But we thought it would be interesting to ask the DeLorean community to do a little test and collect some data on interior sound levels. If you feel comfortable doing so safely, we hope you’ll install this decibel app on your smart phone, and get an average reading while driving the car. Step 1: Install the decibel meter (Android | Apple) Step 2: Using the app, get the AVERAGE decibels, using these conditions: Drive at 65mph, on the freeway. Windows are up/closed. Radio is off. Vent fan is set to 0 / off. With the app open and measuring, hold the phone directly above the shifter, at the same height as the A/C vents. Take note the AVERAGE decibels, then fill in the form below (and, if possible, email a screenshot to contact@DeLoreanDirectory.com with the VIN.) DeLorean Interior Sound Levels
Some interesting DeLorean Census data…
The DeLorean Census was started because the existing VIN lists just didn’t have the depth of detail we were looking for about the DeLoreans left in the world. Since mid-2017, the Census has collected hundreds of submissions, primarily from owners, and now it’s time to display some of that data in interesting (although not terribly USEFUL) ways. Over time, as more DeLorean VINs are submitted, whether by owners or just by observers who see them listed for sale on websites or at car shows, this data, and these charts may become useful to the DeLorean community. Useful for how cars are priced when listing them for sale… or for determining a fair price when buying a DeLorean. It may be useful to some owners when working on a restoration, or the data might be useful when someone is writing an article or book on our wonderful DeLorean automobiles. In any case, these charts, and this data, should be at least interesting to owners and fans alike. DeLorean Census Charts
DeLorean Floor Mats – Choices, Choices, Choices…
by Gordon Carpenter – DMC #10987 I’m always motivated to improve the state of my DeLorean when my wife makes comments. After 15+ years of service, the floor mat on her side was not holding its shape, so I decided to replace the set. The grey carpet with the DMC logo stitched in black thread has always been my favorite, but to my surprise it is no longer available. Currently, the DMC logo may only appear on products sanctioned by DMC-Texas. After all of my research, I elected to customize my new floor mats from Lloyds with the letters of my personalized California license plate ‘SEXY 2-DR’ (Sexy 2-door). Here is what I found… Let’s start with the DMC-Texas option… DMC offers very nice floor mats in either grey or black carpet, with a DMC logo. The mats are precision cut to fit the footwells, and come with a ‘nubbed’ backing to ensure they don’t slip around. The DMC logos are NOT embroidered, but rather die cut carpet of contrasting color that has been welded in. The DMC logo is black for the grey mats and white for the black mats. DeLorean Europe is now selling a slightly different version of the DMC logo floor mats. Online, DeLorean Europe still show mats that look like the DMC-Texas mats, however, when I inquired, I was sent a photograph showing a new design floor mat. These new mats differ in the following ways: 1) The DMC logo appears to be a logo patch that has been stitched in place. 2) The mats have a rubberized area, positioned below the driver foot pedals, to minimize the wear from your shoes. 3) the mats have vinyl seam binding stitched all around to finish the mat edge. They appear to be very durable. Custom floor mats with the DMC logo also appear on the PJ Grady website. I was very interested in these, as they appear to be identical to my old mats. Unfortunately, they are out of stock, there is no price shown and new stock has not been scheduled. Of course, there are other sources for DeLorean floor mats without the DMC logo. These sources have a proprietary mat material and already know the shape needed to fit the DeLorean foot well correctly. An example of these floor mat sources are: Lloyds Mats or Auto Accessories Garage. Lloyds will only embroider custom logos if they have copyright permission. Many years ago, the DeLorean Owners Association had permission to use the DMC logo and sold floor mats by Lloyds that looked very similar to those shown on the PJGrady website. To summarize, I prefer floor mats that have an embroidered logo. Embroidered logos remain sharp, they are durable, and embroidery thread colors are more fade resistant than the carpet. Additionally, seam binding around the edge, and anti-slip texture added to the back side of the mat are both very important finishes. In the end, I decided to forgo the DMC logo and customize my new floor mats in a different way. Lloyds Mats embroidered the letters of my personalized license plate ‘SEXY 2-DR’, which expresses my admiration of the DeLorean doors. In case you are wondering, this personalized plate was issued in 1985 by the California DMV, long before life got so ‘word sensitive’ and ‘politically correct’. With Lloyds, you have a choice of 4 different fonts and a wide range of colors for both the carpet and the embroidery thread. And so, for only $30 more on the floor mat order, my Lloyds floor mats are very personalized to VIN 10987. I’m very happy with my ‘SEXY 2-DR’ floor mats. As of April 2019, here are the prices: DMC Store – $149.50 US PJGrady – $ Unknown DeLorean.EU – $98.84 EUR Lloyds Mats – $89.90, Plus $30 To embroider Auto Accessories Garage Hexomats – $54.95
How to Save the DOA
by Dave Tavres The DeLorean Owners Association started in 1983 and helped bring DeLorean owners and clubs together from around the world. The DOA did that successfully for many years. They created and printed several magazines each year, they helped owners find parts – and each other, and they became a source of information for the media, as well as a trustworthy source of information for the DeLorean community. With the mass adoption of the world wide web (the internet,) and computers in general by the mid-1990s, DeLorean clubs started creating their own websites, email lists, and newsletters that quickly expanded their own reach. Fast-forward to today. Just about every DeLorean club in the world now has a Facebook page and/or website, and DeLorean owners can easily share ideas and communicate across the globe through a number of different ways. The DOA served the DeLorean community well for many years, but it needs some drastic changes to stay relevant. I don’t want to see it disappear. Many people that I’ve said that to don’t understand why. Most of the time, other DeLorean owners insist that the DOA is ‘dead on arrival’ and just isn’t needed anymore. And I do mean A LOT of DeLorean owners. My response to that is this – there is no ‘mother-ship’ organization that currently exists to help promote the clubs, the cars, the owners, or the passion that the world has for our cars. Aside from DMCTalk.org and DeLoreanDirectory.com, there’s not really any good, singular source of information about the DeLorean. Plus, the DOA owns a very specific piece of IP (intellectual property) that I personally want to see shared with the public, but they don’t understand how to use it, or share, properly. The ideas below are offered to the community, but specifically to the DeLorean Owners Association as a way to keep the DOA from disappearing, and to attempt to make the DOA useful to the community again. I hope everyone who reads this letter will contact the DOA (and comment below) to let them, and everyone, know your own thoughts – whether you agree with my ideas or not. The role of the DOA The DeLorean Owners Association should be an overarching “mother-ship” that exists, using these directives: The DeLorean Owners Association’s mission is to: How could this be achieved? Why? Because local clubs will always do a better job of outreach and support than a worldwide organization. Memberships The DOA should drastically reduce membership fees, and encourage owners and fans to support, join, and donate to their local DeLorean clubs – instead of an international group. The DOA’s financial needs should be small, so memberships should not be a source of income. How could this be achieved? Why? The DOA should be a helping hand to the clubs. Not the ‘boss’ of the clubs. Also, with owners and fans paying a small amount each year, means more people might join, and could benefit from the information that gets shared. The primary focus of ‘memberships’ needs to be on the local clubs. Magazines Since 1983, the DOA produced around 100 issues of “DeLorean World” magazine. The DOA should continue to create the “DeLorean World Magazine,” but it should no longer be a pre-printed magazine, and it should no longer be a “quarterly” issue. Also, the DOA has a large number of already printed back-issues that could be sold at a greatly reduced price to clear out inventory, raise funds, and be used for other fundraising. How could this be achieved? Why? The single biggest reason is simple and obvious – just about anything printed in a magazine is already old news. The web and social media now share information in the blink of an eye. DWM should become a historical record of the DeLorean community each year, recapping the big and small news of the clubs, the owners, and the history of the car for that year. DOA Websites / Technology A simple website should be created with this content: How could this be achieved? Why? Because having a central point of information – from a (eventually) trusted organization, would be good for the DeLorean community. As of 2019, much of the DOA website is… D.O.A. with “coming soon” text that has been there for years. Events The DOA should no longer be the primary host or organizer of events. Instead, the DeLorean Owners Association would, when feasible, contribute time, resources, and support to any club or organization that puts on an event that expands interest in the DeLorean automobile. How could this be achieved? Why? Because the DOA is no longer big enough to organize events – and – they don’t have the experience to host them properly. DOA events detract and confuse owners and fans more than they help the community. Fundraising Some funds would still be needed to cover basic costs for the DeLorean Owners Association, such as legal and financial filings, website hosting, domain names, annual magazine creation, press releases, etc. How could this be achieved? Why? Because there are costs to operate any nonprofit organization. In Closing… The point of this letter is to drive discussion about the DeLorean Owners Association, to hopefully keep it from disappearing any further, and to keep it from further confounding the DeLorean community. While local clubs and groups are the primary driving force for the DeLorean community, the DOA could still serve a purpose – assuming drastic changes are made in a timely manner, and if the DeLorean community as a whole supports the idea of keeping the DeLorean Owners Association relevant. Again, please contact the DOA to tell them what YOU want them to do. And feel free to share your thoughts and ideas below – but make them useful, thoughtful, and intelligent.
My memories of Arnie Brandon
On March 15, 2019, Arnie Brandon passed away. Arnie created the very first DeLorean car club in the world – the Pacific Northwest DeLorean Club. He started putting the club together in 1982, and formally started it in February 1983 – and he was extremely passionate about the car, and the club, ever since. Like a lot of DeLorean owners and fans, I learned about the DeLorean from Back to the Future in the mid-80s. By the mid-90s, I was living in the Seattle area and found out about the PNDC. Although I didn’t own a DeLorean, I still joined the club, and I was an infrequent visitor to their tech events and other gatherings – but when I did go, it was magical. I only had a DREAM of one day owning and driving a DeLorean. But, even though I was a kid – without a DeLorean – I still remember Arnie Brandon greeting me and talking to me at the events I did attend. Over the years, I was not involved with the club, and didn’t make any other long-lasting connections, but I always remained a fan. It wasn’t until the early 2010s that I had finally saved enough money to start looking in earnest to buy a DeLorean. The first time I found a candidate for purchase, I called Arnie. Even though he likely wouldn’t remember me, he was my only human connection to the car. Amazingly, he did remember me… a non-owner who had only gone to a couple of events 10 years earlier. Arnie was such a nice guy. He was helpful and detailed in our conversations. He cared about the car, but he also cared about me and my experience with trying to buy a car. Arnie wasn’t just nice on that first phone call – he was nice on all of our calls. Even when I just called to touch base, and didn’t have a car in mind to purchase. Several times over the next five years, when I’d find a car I thought might be “the one,” I’d call Arnie and he’d spend more time with me than I expected him to. He answered so many questions. He really helped prepare me for finding a good car. On November 6, 2015, the planets finally aligned. I found DMC #10515, and as I’d done several times before, I called Arnie. His teachings helped me find a good car. Unlike previous calls to him when I found DeLoreans for sale, this time he said it sounded like the right one. Of course, I was elated to have found #10515, and it truly was because of Arnie that I got a good car. In mid-2016 I started putting together DeLorean Talk – an audio show about all things DeLorean. Of course the first person I thought of was Arnie – he was episode number 1. And as always, he was kind and generous with his time. Over the next couple years, I called Arnie to chat about technical things on #10515, but also about the social and political aspects of DeLorean ownership. I talked to him when I joined (and eventually quit) the DeLorean Owners Association board. And, I called him when I started putting together the Orange County DeLorean Club. He was supportive and positive and helpful. He knew the ins-and-outs of the DeLorean community. He also knew A LOT of DeLorean owners, for a lot of years. He’d been around the block lots of times, with lots of people, but I always got the feeling when talking to others about Arnie, that he was well liked. Unlike myself, he didn’t seem to ruffle any feathers. He was a good guy. I’m sincerely thankful for Arnie’s time and mentoring when it came to the DeLorean world. I wish I had taken a photo with him, but I’ll settle for looking at all the great photos out there of him enjoying his DeLorean(s) and the DeLorean community. Dave Tavres
Cold Air Intake Update
by Chris Miles photos by @DeLoreanTech When the DeLorean was built, it included systems that allowed the car to perform well in all operating environments. That includes operating in very cold weather. Since most owners only drive their cars in “nice” weather, an easy improvement can be made that can simplify the car and potentially increase performance. Many modern car enthusiasts upgrade their cars to make them breath better by utilizing cold air intake systems, which allow engines to take in more cool and fresh air. A similar modification can be done to the DeLorean. As designed, the DeLorean has a temperature controlled valve that allows warm air coming off the exhaust manifold to be piped into the engine during cold operation. When the car has warmed up, the valve closes to the hot air, and pipes cold air into the engine. By removing the old warm air valve, and installing a full-time cold air intake tube, you remove the possibility of a stuck valve (which would continuously deliver hot air,) and you streamline the air intake. Head down to your local auto parts store and look for a Spectre Air Duct Hose #8741 (O’Reilly; Advance Auto Parts; AutoZone). It’s a corrugated flex hose that installs in place of the original equipment. You can also get the hose in silver, blue, and red.
Hagerty Vehicle Valuation Report – January 2019
According to Hagerty, as of January 2019, the 1981 DeLorean is worth $31,800. Click the image to open the PDF report.
Nick Sutton’s 40th DeLorean Anniversary
On the 40th anniversary of Nick Sutton‘s employment with DeLorean Motor Company LTD., Nick shares his memories of that day… Forty years ago, on 4th December 1978, I arrived at the facility in Belfast as my first working day for the company as employee number 16. I then lived in Leicestershire in England so I travelled by plane to Belfast arriving at about 9:00 am. I had visited the plant previously for an interview – this was late October, just a few weeks after the ground breaking. I say the facility, although it was a single two story building which was to be named the “Training Building”. Only the top floor was used at that time as Dixon Hollinshead, the master contractor, hadn’t finished the renovation of the ground floor. I worked for Barrie Wills, Director of Purchasing, who joined some weeks earlier. I was introduced to the MD Chuck Bennington with whom I enjoyed an excellent relationship. Also, to Buck Penrose, Director Planning from New York, Brian Tanney, the Comptroller and his team. Walking down to the lobby I met John DeLorean, he introduced himself by name – as if I didn’t know. Security was tight – unless we were travelling to the airport or the local hotel we stayed within the Training building from 8 – 6. My first job was to complete a costing on the car – both the unit cost and capital investment. But I had nothing except two photographs. I was given details of the submission to NIDA – Northern Ireland Development Agency (the local Government Agency looking after the DeLorean project.) This wasn’t much help, as the numbers were too generic and non-specific. Chuck noticed that I was struggling with the costs and decided to help. He gave me a plastic model kit (Airfix in the UK) of a Lotus Esprit and I was to cost each item as I assembled the parts one by one. Each evening we left to check in to the local Hotel – The Conway – that was some experience. Although the hotel was only 400 yards away, it was not unusual to be stopped by the Security forces, usually the Army, who would ask for identification and/or to search the car. Arriving at the Hotel, yet more security. A body search and every item of luggage was opened in a shed some 100 yards from the hotel entrance. The year before, the hotel had been bombed and much of the frontage destroyed. This was my routine until the end of January 1979 when I opened what I thought would be my base in Coventry England. Short lived, because I spent two days a week at Lotus and another one to two days in Belfast. Then working both Saturday and Sunday in Coventry. Great thanks to Nick, and all of the wonderful people who were involved with building the DeLorean Motor Car!
Discovery of Pilot 19
Pilot cars are quite unique to any production run for the automotive industry. They are also never to be seen once a car is in production. These cars are meant to be destroyed and have a short lifespan. What is quite unique about Pilot cars is that one can see the changes, the researched ideas that came to fruition and ideas that were left out. Some ideas in the DeLorean pilot cars may have been changed due to cost reductions like the early seats with lumbar support or the center storage unit. Our production DeLoreans only hint at some of these ideas that were left behind. But with other ideas, maybe it was good that they did change them like the side marker lights flush to the front and rear fascias on these Pilot cars. We can speculate that they were moved more towards the center of the panel for impact reasons. Many other changes, subtle and large were done on these Pilot DeLoreans. For those of you who have been following our DeLorean Pilot car stories featured in DeLorean World Magazine, most are well aware that Pilot cars #20 and #21 have been accounted for and are currently under restorations. To date, we know of only a few in existence and that is why they are so special for the Association to document. Our journey takes us to the county surrounding Temecula, California. For those of you who are not familiar with California, Temecula is between San Diego and Los Angeles. There has been talk here and there about Pilot #19 but for Sascha Skucek, former editor of DeLorean World and past owner of Pilot #21, and myself, this was the last Pilot car that was unaccounted for by our records. We were always curious on what characteristics this Pilot car would have and to my surprise there were a few. It all started when I received an email, being the Chapter 12 director, asking if anyone had an interest in this unique DeLorean. Many have stated in the past to us that they have a unique DeLorean. But once photos were sent, I knew that this was one of the lost Pilot cars. And it was #19. Rewinding back over a year now, I was also fortunate, with the help of Sascha Skucek to uncover Pilot #20. If was only miles away from my residence. To be a part of two Pilot car findings in my vicinity is quite extraordinary. It is like history passing through your fingers understanding how the engineers and designers fine tuned or changed ideas before production. And Pilot #19 was going to be another adventure. Her name was Kathie Carmer. The alleged DeLorean Pilot car has been sitting for over 10 years now. Her late husband, a former pilot, owned the automobile and used to drive it around the airfield. The DeLorean was known in its day by other pilot comrades. As the car went to rest for years, it preserved most of its integrity. As the day came to view the DeLorean, my first big amazement was the interior of this vehicle. The interior was grey. We always assumed that the early production Pilot cars would all have black interiors. Even in the early stages of testing, the Pilot team appeared to assemble a car with an interior other than black. It had ail the signs of a Pilot car. The wrapped leather binnacle, center hideaway compartment behind the window switches and the Renault steering wheel to name a few. The unfortunate missing piece of the interior is the seats. The original seats were gone or maybe not ever there but the big question remains if these seats were actually ever grey and did have the early design of a lumbar support as seen in the Visioneering Prototype. The other distinct feature is the center console area and the unique shaping of its contour. Without a doubt, this was Pilot #19 and it would soon be on its way to a new home in Europe. Front marker lights hugging the bumpers. Unique for Pilot cars. The exterior of this vehicle was painted red. Many people wondered why through Pilot #19, #20 and #21 two of them were painted. The simple fact is that these body panels were never quite finished as we know in DeLorean production models. So the stainless steel did not have that beautiful grain as we know of today. Again, these cars were test vehicles and in the early stages of production nothing was held sacred. The owners that did acquire the Pilot cars painted them for this reason. As I looked around Pilot #19 the obvious signs of the uniqueness of this car were the front and rear quarter panels. The side marker lights were indeed flush with the fascias. Also clearly not seen is the embossed DeLorean letters on the rear fascia. When moving to the front of the car, no DMC logo was present on the grille and the front impact absorber below the fascia was unique in shape. The grooves in the hood of the car are significantly deeper in Pilot cars. One will only tell once the red paint is removed during restoration. Standing back from the vehicle, one can notice the ride height of the Pilot car. It was significantly lower as in all DeLorean Pilot cars. The DeLorean also had low mileage and looking into the engine compartment, it appears that this vehicle was a good candidate for resuscitation. Oddly enough, the wheel rims appeared to have a dark shade of grey on one wheel and a lighter shade on another. These Pilot cars were not out to win beauty contests at the time but used to provide the consumer with a solid production vehicle. It was another great privilege to see a Pilot car and to conclude on the mystery of the whereabouts of #19. The importance of the Associations role was to ensure that this DeLorean would find a good
DeLorean Power Steering – Best Upgrade Yet!
by Gordon Carpenter I just received the best DeLorean upgrade I could imagine for my car, VIN 10987: The new Electric Power Steering system! Those who know me would probably agree, I am an early adopter of new technology and upgrades when discretionary funds are available. My car, VIN 10987, was given a Stage I Exhaust and Stage II Engine upgrade in 2003. My full refurbishment of the DeLorean interior in 2011, included Dynamat for noise reduction, a remodel of the center console to accommodate a double DIN stereo head with GPS and installation of an electrically controlled HVAC by Vintage Air. Upon learning of the power steering upgrade for DeLoreans, I was immediately curious. My wife and I have owned our DeLorean since 1985, and she has avoided driving the car because of the difficulty of turning the car at low speed. This October that all changed! Driving our DeLorean became ‘A-Piece-of-Cake’ with the installation of the recently announced Electric Power Steering upgrade. Developed by EPAS Performance in Florida, making U-turns, 3-point turns and navigating tight parking lots can be easily accomplished with the push of a single finger on the steering wheel. My system was installed in about four hours. My wife and I are very happy with the results! When compared to other upgrades available, the Power Steering System is by far the best upgrade for the money! VIN 10987 was invited to demo the installation of the Electric Power Steering system at the 2018 SEMA, Las Vegas show over the last week of October. Having just completed the 665 mile round trip drive from San Diego to Las Vegas for the DeLorean Weekend, driving there a second time in one month made for an easy comparison. Whether driving at highway speeds or navigating city streets, it is a true pleasure to drive our DeLorean now! Wiggling the DeLorean through the maze of narrow aisles in the SEMA building… my 3 handlers were nervous the whole trip, but it was a piece-of-cake for me at the steering wheel! By far, the power steering system is the best upgrade any DeLorean owner can install in the car! Anyone who drives their DeLorean must deal with making U-turns, 3-point turns or navigating tight parking lots will truly enjoy their car after getting this upgrade! Best of all, the system is adjustable, allowing the driver to adjust the level of steering assist they are comfortable with. Don’t get me wrong, the Stage I & II upgrades to the DeLorean power plant are impressive (can you ever have too much power?) – but this power steering upgrade reignites the “new car feel” of your DeLorean! FAQs Q. How long does it take to install?A. It can be installed in about 4 hours. Q. Can I install it myself?A. Yes, if you’re an accomplished mechanic.. Q. What additional machining or shop work is required to install?A. None, The power steering assembly comes ready to install. You will probably need to realign the steering wheel after installation if top-center of the wheel is slightly off. Q. How much will the whole thing cost me?A. As of November 2018, the EPAS Performance assembly listed for $1,987.52. Installation time may vary some. Labor is about $1,400, bringing a fully installed power steering system to approximately $3400. Q. Will I have leaking fluid problems down the road?A. No. There are no fluids in this system – it’s 100% electrical. Q. Does the Power Steering System make noise?A. No, there is nothing to hear, even when the engine is off and one turns the steering wheel, Nothing! Q. Does the power steering try to return to center after a turn?A. No, the power steering system only responds to changes the driver makes to the steering wheel orientation. Stays right where the driver leaves it. Q. You mentioned the power steering is adjustable… How?A. The system has a potentiometer that allows the driver to increase the power steering assist when needed. I prefer full assist in tight situations like parking lots and 3-point turns. I find the DeLorean only needs 50% assist when driving at highway speeds. Q. Where is the potentiometer located?A. It is located under the knee board to the right of the steering column. If you are left handed, it might make sense to locate it left of the steering column. Q. What happens if the power steering system fails?A. You loose the power assist and your steering wheel goes back to the stock level of effort. Keep in mind that this system has been approved by SEMA.