Beware of DPI – DeLorean Performance Industries
If you’re a DeLorean owner, you know there aren’t a lot of shops or parts houses to choose from when you need stuff for your DMC. And with so few shops, it’s frustrating when yet another DeLorean business engages in dishonest practices. First, it was Fake DMC in Texas, and now it’s perfectly clear that DPI – DeLorean Performance Industries is trying to scam people too (or, more.) In recent weeks, DPI purchased ads on Google Search (using Google AdWords) where they use the names of GOOD and TRUSTWORTHY DeLorean shops – but he’s using his own web address when you click the ad. Long-time DeLorean owners won’t (or shouldn’t) fall for that misleading tactic, but newer DeLorean owners – or those shopping for a DeLorean – absolutely would fall for it. This is untruthful and disgusting. The good and trustworthy shops being maligned in this case, are DeLorean Parts Northwest / DeLorean Service Northwest, DeLorean Midwest, and DeLoreanGo. DPI is paying for ads using each of their names, but linking to his own website. Click the images below to see the unscrupulous screenshots: DeLorean Performance Industries already had a shady past with their deficiency in customer service and their lack of ‘attention to detail’ that they tout so much. Apparently, they don’t really live up to their motto. Just ask around in the community. Plus the time (that we know of,) that DPI tried to steal money from a DeLorean owner by shorting their order, but wouldn’t issue a refund… that is, until the customer finally got the credit card company to do a chargeback, and suddenly DeLorean Performance Industries responded – by posting the customer’s bank account information on facebook! Yeah – DPI is not to be trusted. Furthermore, with Google AdWords, you can put up or take down ads basically immediately. Yet these double-dealing ads have stuck around for at least two weeks. We sent an email to both email addresses we found on the DPI website, asking for clarification on why they were posting these deceptive ads – telling them we were going to post an article if they didn’t have a good answer – and they never replied. Which means, a) they don’t pay attention to the customer service emails, or b) they don’t have a reasonable excuse for their deceitful actions. What to do now? Have some fun… GO SEARCH for DeLorean Parts Northwest / DeLorean Service Northwest, DeLorean Midwest, and DeLoreanGo on Google – and when you see the “Sponsored” link at the top that shows DPI – CLICK IT! Then do the same search on your mobile device, and click the ad AGAIN… then have your spouse, mom, co-worker, and anyone else nearby do the same… He gets charged more for each click, than for just the visual impression.
Brandon Fayette’s 3D Model DeLorean Parts
Brandon Fayette has taken the time to create these 3D models of DeLorean parts that are hard to find, or are no longer available.
Get “En-light-ened”
by Chris Miles, VIN: 16409 As I’ve been helping more and more DeLorean owners with their cars, I’ve been hearing reports of their cars just dying. They’re either driving on the road and lose power, or they’re unable to re-start the car after a short stop. The first thing people tend to think is that they have a bad battery or alternator, but that isn’t always the case. As a pretty technically-skilled DeLorean owner, I’ve made myself intimately familiar with the instrument cluster and related electrical components. Unlike modern cars, the DeLorean has a finite number of warning lights. The two most important warning lights are the oil pressure light and battery light. The oil pressure light comes on when the engine is running and has low oil pressure – which means you should pull over immediately and shut the car off right away. The battery light is just as important as the oil pressure light. However, many owners never pay attention to whether the battery bulb lights up at all. The bulb is supposed to illuminate – and stay on – when you switch the ignition to position 2, but it will then turn off when you start the engine. (NOTE: if you have a DMC Houston alternator, the light may just flash in position 2.) If the battery light remains on after starting, that indicates you have a charging issue. However, if your battery light does not illuminate at all in ignition position 2, you’re probably going to have an issue with the charging circuit – or – the battery bulb is simply burnt out. I’ve helped a few owners diagnose their battery issues, so I want to stress that you should check your battery light the next time you start your DeLorean. So, what if you don’t see the battery light illuminate in ignition position 2? That means the alternator will not charge the battery. Eventually, the lights and engine will completely drain the battery. Sometimes this happens while you’re driving and there’s not enough power to spark the spark plugs and your engine will just die – but most often, there’s just not enough amps to start the car again. Again, it could just be that your battery bulb is burnt out (or, when you upgraded the binnacle lights to LEDs, you replaced the incandescent bulb with an LED instead of a new incandescent, and that’s bad – keep reading.) But, it could mean that you need to check your alternator wiring. Most DeLoreans now have a Motorola or some type of GM alternator. Both have a single wire that connects to the battery bulb circuit. The DeLorean battery light wire that connects to the alternator is brown with a yellow stripe. If you have a solid brown wire connected to your alternator, you’ll probably have an issue with charging the battery. The original Ducellier alternators used both the brown and brown/yellow stripe wires. The modern GM style alternators use a Dorman 85854 or 85118 oval connector – in which only one wire connects to the brown/yellow striped wire on DeLorean wiring harness. (see photo for my installation.). Having a functional battery light is also important, because it’s a warning that your water pump may not be spinning, since the alternator belt turns the water pump too. So, if you lose that belt, the alternator quits spinning and the battery light will illuminate – which also means you should immediately pull over and turn the car off, because you may end up overheating. And finally, a note on upgrading the light bulbs in the binnacle to LED. It’s fairly well known that the “battery” bulb must remain incandescent. The battery light circuit is designed to check for the resistance of an incandescent bulb. LED bulbs have less resistance than normal bulbs, so the circuit won’t work properly, and the bulb will not illuminate – which also means you will likely have charging issues. So, when upgrading your binnacle lights to LEDs, DO replace the original battery light bulb with a NEW incandescent bulb. Now you should be “en-light-ened” about this quirk of the DeLorean.
Don’t Be A Lug-Nut
by Chris Miles, VIN: 16409 Some DeLorean owners might be frustrated with the state of their lug nuts. Have you noticed after visiting a tire shop your lug nuts appear to be chewed up, or even worse, the caps are loose or have fallen off? Not everyone knows that the original lug nuts are not solid – they’re ugly nuts that have pretty caps covering them. Over time, those caps become loose and sometimes fall off while driving. Many owners don’t even notice for some time that one or more caps are gone. Some members of the DeLorean community have been looking for alternatives to the original capped lug nuts. Most wheel lug nuts on the market are usually too long and stick out too far, especially for the front wheels of the DeLorean. The DeLorean community has come up with two solid lug nut candidates, also called ‘acorn’ style nuts. Since all DeLorean owners can’t read every message on DMCTalk.org or the numerous DeLorean Facebook groups, I thought I’d share my findings and some details. The Original Equipment (OE) lug nuts are metric 12 (with a 1.5mm pitch), and measure 29mm tall. The reproductions are 30mm tall. The first lug nut replacement option is the Dorman #611-310. It’s almost identical in height to the OE nut, measuring 27 millimeters tall – just a couple millimeters shorter. This lug nut can be used for all four wheels and they look great. Because the front wheels have a shallow depth for the lug nut wells, they appear to fit perfectly, with no noticeable difference from the OE nuts. But, when putting these short nuts on the rear wheels, they seem too short, and seem to disappear into the darkness of the lug nut well. The second lug nut is the Dorman #611-221. This nut is, again, just a couple of millimeters different than the OE nut, measuring 31 millimeters. This taller lug nut can also be used for all four wheels, but sits more flush in the face of the front wheel, making the shiny nuts stand out more than I like. You may not like this look if you prefer the front lug nuts being ‘countersunk’ a little. On the rear wheels, they work great and don’t get ”lost” in the deep lug nut wells. My recommendation is to use eight Dorman #611-310 lug nuts in the front and eight Dorman #611-221 lug nuts in the rear. This offers the perfect visual balance. Both size Dorman lug nuts are available on RockAuto.com, or you can get them at most O’Reilly Auto Parts stores. Check out the DeLorean crossover-parts list for more details, or use the links below: O’Reilly – 310: http://www.deloreandirectory.com/Dorman611-310 O’Reilly – 221: http://www.deloreandirectory.com/Dorman 611-221 RockAuto – 310: https://www.rockauto.com/en/parts/dorman,611310,lug+nut,7676 RockAuto – 221: https://www.rockauto.com/en/parts/dorman,611221,lug+nut,7676
No DeLorean was ever painted at the factory
“There was never, never ever, a DeLorean motor car painted in this factory.” -Joe Murray, Former DeLorean Factory Employee [su_youtube url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Dp2o-xdwos” width=”800″ rel=”no” modestbranding=”yes” playsinline=”yes”]
Why does the fake DMC in Texas think they own OUR DeLorean logo?
The DeLorean Motor Company went out of business in 1982. In 1997, Stephen Wynne spent less than a million to purchase the original remaining DeLorean parts from Sol Shenk. Since then, the fake DMC has claimed ownership of just about everything DeLorean, except our actual cars. But they seem to think they own those too. There are a number of stories from DeLorean owners who have tried to get floor mats, hats, shirts, etc. customized with the DMC logo from the door frame, or the DeLorean emblem from the hood and bumper, just to be told ‘Sorry, we can’t do that. We’ve been told by (the fake) DMC in Texas that we’d have to pay them a license fee to put your logo on this item.’ So, the fake DMC is bullying us, and companies we want to use to make items for us. And no, that’s not an exaggeration. The fake DMC is doing their best to take ownership of everything they DIDN’T create. Why? Only they know for sure, but it’s a pretty good guess that it’s a strategy to make themselves worth more when they sell the business. Yes, that’s the likely plan – to sell the business to some bigger company with deep pockets. Basically, to cash out. The fake DMC knows that there’s not enough money to be made from DeLorean owners. Owners have gotten smarter over the years, and haven’t been as willing to pay the exorbitant prices for the many inferior products the fake DMC sells. And with about 5,000 DeLoreans still in existence, that’s a very small number of customers to make any significant money from. So the likely plan is to sell. And when you want to sell something, you try to make it look as good as possible. Which means, gobble up all of our logos and recognizable emblems for our cars and stop people from making cool stuff. That is, unless you pay the fake DMC for the privilege. In a recent trademark search, the fake DMC somehow took ownership of the hood emblem and bumper logo – “DeLorean” – for their own use, and profit. Which means they get paid when an owner wants a set of embroidered floor mats, or a jacket with the logo to go with your car. It turns out, the fake DMC decided they owned the logo back in 2008. And there’s little to nothing DeLorean owners can do about that now. Except – spread the word. Make sure that other owners know that the fake DMC is systematically trying to take ownership of our cars, simply because they have deep pockets. So the next time you need parts for your DeLorean, support the independent shops – the shops who are there to make money, but who ALSO care about the DeLorean community – check out www.DeLoreanDirectory.com/service for parts and repairs, and www.DeLoreanDirectory.com/parts for an ever-growing list of crossover parts you can buy online and locally that work as well (or better) than what the fake DMC is selling… and often for much less.
DeLorean LED Headlights
by Dave Tavres (DMC #10515) DMC #10515 now has LED headlights… and for A LOT less than you may have heard! I’m a huge fan of Toby Peterson’s Wings-A-Light LED Headlight Kit, but it’s out of my price range at the moment. The biggest reason I like Toby’s LED headlights, as that they LOOK stock (when not turned on.) That is, the GLASS just looks… ‘right.’ There are no weird silver bubbles or yellow squares where the SMD (surface mounted device) LEDs are… Toby’s have the right pattern in the glass and they conceal the LED bulbs perfectly. I’m also sure that with Toby’s background as a Boeing engineer, his system is fantastic. Again though, more than I can afford at the moment. Then Kevin Krinn mentioned this thread on DMCTalk.org to me. Whoever “DeLorean03” is, thanks to them for the tip… the single biggest tip, which is – the glass housings! The 4×6 inch glass pattern looks very much like the “original” glass (that is, the headlights that were on my car when I bought it – which likely were 30+ years old, since my car sat for 27 years.) While I’m not a nutcase about the car being original, I’m a bit crazy about the headlights. Those ‘bubble’ LED headlights just make the iconic front of the DeLorean look… weird. I don’t like it. That’s why I liked these glass housings (listed as “GS Power’s Chrome OEM style 4 x 6 inch Glass Lens H4 HID LED Halogen High Low Beam Headlight Lamp Conversion Replacement Kit (2 pc) | Lights Not Included” – along with the fact that they are just *$20* per pair! Yes… not on sale, not with a coupon… $20. They fit perfectly when I installed them, with no issues at all. The only note I have about the housings, is that they are missing the three ‘nipples’ found on most headlights, which are used by headlight alignment tools. Of course, the glass alone won’t get you headlights. You need to buy LED headlight bulbs. The glass is designed for the “H4″ bulb pattern, which is easily found online. I ordered the “LIGHTENING DARK Super Bright H4 LED Headlight Bulbs,CREE Chips Hi/Low Conversion Kit,6,000K Cool White – 10,000 Lumens, Adjustable Beam” bulbs, which were just $50 for two! Again, they installed and worked perfectly! They are ‘long’, but they fit in the headlight buckets just fine. The light output is listed at 6,000K so they are very ‘white’, but that seems to be common when I drive down the road these days and see newer cars with LED headlights. Of course, the ‘white’ light does NOT fit the stock DeLorean – but I don’t care. I’m more interested in ‘seeing’ while driving, rather than what the car looks like while driving. And honestly, only super-purists will be upset that the output of the headlights isn’t stock. Oh, and there’s a slight possibility you’ll need to do a serious headlight adjustment. I didn’t move the adjustment screws during installation, but when I first took the car out that night, the headlights were lighting up the tree-tops on my street. Lastly, I ONLY installed the two ‘low-beam’ headlights. Partly because this was a cheap test, and partly because I just don’t use the high-beams. HOWEVER, you DO need to buy the adapters for the install, or these LED bulbs will run on the ‘high beam’ setting by default. Thanks to Chris Miles for pointing out the fix, and Justin Trabue for the photo of the wiring fix. The DMCTalk thread does talk about a wiring change, but it’s a bit confusing… basically, you need to switch the socket wires to make these bulbs run as low-beams. Another side note… each LED has a heat-sync and a fan… so if your headlights are on while you’re standing there, you can just barely hear the fan through the fascia. So, all-in, it was $70. Not bad for a ‘cheap’ conversion that puts out a LOT more light. I’ve now driven the freeway and side roads several times at night, and other than adjusting them up a bit more, I’m very happy with the outcome. Todd’s installation of the same glass [su_youtube url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgJACoJo1zU” width=”800″ rel=”no” modestbranding=”yes” https=”yes” playsinline=”yes”]
Cooking in your DeLorean: To Tint or Not To Tint
by Gordon Carpenter | VIN 10987 Having owned my DeLorean since 1985, VIN 10987, I have seen the ravages of UV and IR radiation on the DeLorean upholstery, and have experienced how quickly the cabin of our beloved cars can heat up when left in the sun. My wife frequently points out that the sun is ‘most always beating in on her side’ of the car, or that her knees are burning from the heat through the front windshield. My friends, we can do something about this! Window Tinting used to be something only operators of limousines did for the privacy of their clients. Today nearly every new car comes with tinted rear and side windows. Why? Because today’s window tint films offer privacy and protection from both UV and IR radiation. This translates into less UV damage to your car’s upholstery and lower heat accumulation in the cabin when exposed to the sun. The difference with tint is very noticeable! I started my search for automotive window tinting, focusing on Crystalline and Ceramic products. I wanted a product that would make a big difference for the money I was spending. There are six basic types of window tint that I have outlined below. Search the web for specific details and distributors for each the window tint product in your area. There are many factors by which the manufacturers rank their products, so, at the bottom of this article I have included a glossary of terms to help you understand. For me, the key factors are: %TSER: Percent of Total Solar Energy Rejected %VLT: Percent of Visible Light Transmitted %IRR: Percent Infrared Radiation Rejected and of course $$$: Price! Where available, data for more than 70 tint products have been recorded to the “DeLorean Window Tinting” spreadsheet. Within the Crystalline and Ceramic products, nearly every tint option can deliver 96 to 99% UVR blocking, making this an expected baseline objective. For me, the %TSER speaks to the expected performance once the window tint has been installed. This spec. quantifies to the overall capability of the product and is the one ‘factor’ that all manufactures have calculated for comparing tint products. I was looking for a window tint with at least 50% TSER, and a color that is light enough that the California Highway Patrol wouldn’t notice (and demand that it be removed.) The %VLT closely relates to the relative tint color. Obviously, the darker window tints have a lower %VLT. The California Highway Patrol code specifies 88% VLT in CA Vehicle Code 26708 paragraphs C1 & E1. However, paragraphs C2 & E2 of the same code reference the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard where a minimum of 70 %VLT is required. With so many cars on the road today using tinted windows, the standards don’t seem to be enforced as strictly. The 2019 Window Tint Specs chart I’ve created shows you the relative color of the Tint films alongside the technical specs. I visited many auto window tint shops learned that I prefer the Crystalline Series by 3M. If money were no object, I would install CR70 tint to the front windshield and CR50 or CR40 to all side windows of the DeLorean (excluding the rear window.) This will result in a pretty clear front windshield and darker side windows. A second favorable option is the Llumar Stratos Series S70 tint film. And a very close 3rd option is the Llumar Pinnacle Series PS50 tint film. In those cases, I would install either of those tints all the way around for a uniform look – that ‘should not’ be considered too dark when compared to the overall vehicle population on the road today. Selecting a tint film for your car can be intimidating because there are many types of films, and each film has various qualities. The challenge is picking a film that meets all of your objectives. For example: Metalized window tinting blocks solar energy very well and adds to the window’s strength and shatter resistance. However, metalized window tint greatly affects mobile phone operation within the car, unless you install an external antenna. Dyed window tinting is the way to go if you have a tight budget, but the overall performance isn’t as good as Crystalline and Ceramic products. Hybrid window tinting is a combination of Dyed and Metalized film, offering the best of each while minimizing the negatives of each film type. Carbon window tint provides many advantages over other films. The unique matte-finish makes it attractive, while blocking around 40% of IR radiation, which is primarily responsible for heating the interior of your car. Besides keeping the vehicle’s interior cool, it also prevents (or slows down) upholstery fading. Carbon film helps save energy by reducing the need to cool/heating during weather extremes. Carbon film is also durable and doesn’t fade like dyed tinting. Crystalline window tint achieves good rejection of most solar radiation (UV & IR) without making the window dark. This is an excellent choice for cars with very large front windshields like our DeLoreans. Price is likely to be the only negative a factor on this product. Ceramic window tint is a high-performance material. Containing microscopic particles known for their non-conductive properties, Ceramic tint is expensive, but proven to have high total solar energy rejection capability. Wrapping up, the price of window tinting can deter you from installing the very best product available. In San Diego, I got a quote of $1200 to install the 3M Crystalline products, $650 to $400 for several of the Ceramic products, and the lowest bid for installing a Nano-Hybrid Carbon tint on a DeLorean was $375. Installing a tint film in a DeLorean is a very tedious and awkward task. The front window is very large, but access to it is limited by the small cabin and the rear view mirror is an obstacle for ‘freshmen’ installers. The side windows are easier, but still require a fair amount of skill. To my surprise, the curvature of the
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
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: Support DeLorean Clubs, owners, and media around the world; Be an aggregator of information with the primary focus on local DeLorean Clubs; Help expand the love and interest of the DeLorean automobile by supporting DeLorean groups. How could this be achieved? The DeLorean Owners Association should work with all of the Clubs around the world to see how (or if) they can help those clubs achieve their goals for their members, taking direction from the individual clubs, rather than trying to direct the clubs. The DOA would no longer create their own events. Instead, they would only support local clubs with their events, in whatever way they can help. Publish and maintain a collection of public information that will help individuals who own, or want to own a DeLorean to find their local clubs, organizations, and events. 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? Immediately reduce membership dues to $5 per year for online payments, and $10 per year for those paying by check and other non-digital forms of payment. 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? “DeLorean World” magazine (DWM) should be a single issue each year, with new issues distributed in a digital format, via the ‘members only’ section of the DOA website, as well as through digital content services where readers can pay for printed copies using any of the countless “print-on-demand” services, such as MagCloud, Print Pelican, Mimeo, or Amazon CreateSpace – to easily name a few. “Print-on-demand” means readers could go to a website, enter their payment information, and a copy of the magazine would be professionally printed, bound, and directly mailed to them, at minimal cost to the purchaser, and with no cost to the DOA (with the added ability of charging $2-$5 per issue to defer costs.) Professional magazines do cost money to design and layout, so that annual cost would be covered through the suggested $5 annual membership fees, as well as advertising, direct donations, and other retail sales of the DOA, as needed. 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: A master list of all DeLorean Clubs around the world, with links to their websites and social media,