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Advice please regarding Panel Fit & Gaps. - Printable Version

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Advice please regarding Panel Fit & Gaps. - UD1S - 23 Aug 2007

Dear All,

I'm new to the forum and possibly interested in a car.

Can someone please advise me if they think the panel fit and gaps in the pictures of the car below, look normal for a Delorean? I know there's some scrapes to the wheel arch, but the wing to door alingment dosen't look right?

Also, were the later model's chassis painted in a black epoxy as opposed to grey?

Any help and advice will be greatly appreciated!

Kind regards to everyone,

Andrew
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- Phil Peters - 23 Aug 2007

I couldn't see any pictures Andrew :?:

I believe the chassis on some '83 model cars were given a black undercoating by the liquidators (Consolidated International) after the factory shut. The chassis underneath will still be grey.

Is the one you're looking at an '83 car?

- UD1S - 23 Aug 2007

Hi Phil,

Yes it's an 83 car, but not one of the last ones.

Thanks for the reply.

Andrew

- bozzzydmc - 23 Aug 2007

It doesnt look too bad to me, im sure some alignment and 'tweaking' with the front wing could make this look better

- Phil Peters - 23 Aug 2007

Ah, I can see the pictures now!

On the lower picture, the area just below the door lock looks like a little piece of the outer rubber door seal is sticking out a little too far. You should just be able to peel this off and re-glue it Big Grin The panel fit itself looks fine to me.

- Rich H - 23 Aug 2007

Panel fit looks fine to me too Smile

- steve.s - 24 Aug 2007

hi

i would say the panel fit is ok.

you have to accept with a D that the panels are not always spot on.

mine is an earlier Vin (with a 'nobbly' body tub) and the panels are not that much different, even though these were said to be worse.

its a quirk of the car that i like anyway otherwise i'd be buying a new nissan etc!.

the front and rear bumpers look like they have been painted recently.

incidentally my vin 1621 should have (i think) the smooth tub........i would guess that maybe they had the older ones left over?, or was mine reused from a 'black car'. waht do you think Phil....shame the tubs were not numbered.

- steve.s - 24 Aug 2007

Sorry but also have a good look at pics of the chassis.

the coating could have been done afterwards, and you want to know of any thing under it.

i'm sure if you ask pj grady they may know someone to take a look, or do a history check.

mine has an inch hole through which i've got to plate, near the fuel tank.

not trying to scare you but just to be carefull when sending many $$$ abroad.

i did and am happy with mine as i knew the condition

- Phil Peters - 24 Aug 2007

steve.s Wrote:incidentally my vin 1621 should have (i think) the smooth tub........i would guess that maybe they had the older ones left over?, or was mine reused from a 'black car'. waht do you think Phil....shame the tubs were not numbered.

I know of cars in the VIN# 13XX range that have the 'textured' underbody like yours Steve but I can't recall what the cut-off point was for the textured underbodies. I'm sure Chris N or Darren can chime in on this as early underbodies are one of their "specials subjects".

On one of the “black car” underbodies I've seen there are very visible strands of fibreglass all over the underbody (notably in the boot area and along the base of the underbody where the jacking points are located), as well as the texture near the quarter panels. They do look quite different from underbodies of cars built even just a few months later.

- Tourettes Tony - 24 Aug 2007

At the end of the day if you want to follow the crowd buy a Subaru or Evo,if not buy a De then at least you can get a return for your money, so really all you do is drive it then get your money back if you arnt happy, and theres not many other cars with that going for them :wink: TT

- UD1S - 24 Aug 2007

Guys,

Thank you for your valuable input and time -

The person selling the car has mentioned that the later car's chassis were black, but hasn't said if his was actually one of them. He has however confirmed that he had redone his with 3M rubberised coating. I'm not sure if this is a good thing or a bad one.. I guess recoating could cover up things, or was he genuinely using it as a preservative to tidy up the appearance? I did ask if he's got any pictures of the chassis before carrying out the recoating, but he doesn't have any... I guess most enthusiasts would decide to take a few "before & after" snaps just for the sake of things, and as he's not done this, I'm thinking I should pass on it?

I did however do a Carfax report and all has come up clean.

Happy Bank Holiday to all,

Andrew
DOC 379

- Guinney1971 - 24 Aug 2007

whereabouts in the US is the car located? The Carfax report should also tell you where it's been as well in its life.

If its always lived in the 'drier' states of the US then the frame *should* be ok. I was always told that cars from Montana and Illinois should be avoided - or at least very carefully inspected - as the road salt they use in the winter is particularly 'corrosive'.

My car had been all over the place according to Carfax, including Kansas, Texas, Virginia and California.

I've been meaning to take a wire brush and some epoxy to Flopsy's rusty bits for years, but tbh, taking into account that she's out and about in all weathers and often lives outside, the rust on the chassis hasnt got that much worse in the 5 years I've had her. I will try and get it done this winter tho :roll:

BTW, are you based in the UK? You dont say where you are. Depending what sort of thing your're looking for, there's a couple of very nice cars for sale in the UK club at the moment.

Regards,

- steve.s - 24 Aug 2007

hi

this could start a new debate...

as far as i thought all cars left with epoxy coated, ie from GKN.

i cannot really see why they would add to this as the original has certainly lasted well.
how many early eighties cars would survive this good?
many rebuilds don't involve too much chassis work.

maybe consolidated thought the epoxy was not good enough?.

the other option would be to get one of the US enthusiasts to take a look but you risk loosing the car. you could check with dmc and grady to see if they have serviced it?.

- PJ Grady (Europe) - 25 Aug 2007

Andrew,

If you send me through the VIN number I will run a check to see if it's been through Grady's.

Generally the black paint thing shouldn't be a huge worry if the rest of the car is of a pretty good standard. It's normally more of a problem where a car has obviously been left to deteriorate - and someone had the idea of trying to hide the problem rather than spend money to correct it.
If the engine and interior are good - I'd be less worried about the black paint on the frame. The fact that the owner used some decent 3M rubberised paint rather than black Hammerite is also encouraging.

The panel fit looks OK - it can be improved - but from what the pictures show - it looks OK. If this car is in the US right now - I'd say it shouldn't be selling for much more than $15k - maybe $18k at a stretch.

Darren

- Phil Peters - 25 Aug 2007

steve.s Wrote:hi

this could start a new debate...

as far as i thought all cars left with epoxy coated, ie from GKN.

Yep, you're right Steve. The story I've been told (and I can't confirm or deny it, it's just what I've been told) is that because some of the cars which were re-vinned as '83 cars sat around at the docks for so long before they were eventually sold, some of the fixings etc developed a slight coat of rust or tarnish and the decision was taken by Consolidated to undercoat them, presumably to hide these rusty bits. Underneath the black coating, the frame will still be epoxied like all the others.

I agree, the GKN epoxy coating seems to have lasted very well, especially on DeLoreans which have been in the UK all their life. Clearly the GKN boys down the road from us in Bilston did a decent job! :wink: