Delorean Tips and Tricks

CyberJoel

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Has anyone scrubbed Delorean forums for tips and tricks on taking care of Stainless "Paint"? How do rock chips look after a while? Does bird crap cause long term problems?

In regards to maintenance; I know you can basically buff out most issues then just rescrub the truck with Steel Wool but I have never found it to look the same unless you do the whole item. (I dont wanna do the whole truck)
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TheLastStarfighter

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Do you get a lot of rock chips? I don't think I have any on my current car. I suspect the SS will resist chipping a lot more than paint will.
 

DMC-81

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Has anyone scrubbed Delorean forums for tips and tricks on taking care of Stainless "Paint"? How do rock chips look after a while? Does bird crap cause long term problems?

In regards to maintenance; I know you can basically buff out most issues then just rescrub the truck with Steel Wool but I have never found it to look the same unless you do the whole item. (I dont wanna do the whole truck)
Hi.
I have a DeLorean and am the President of the DeLorean Club of Florida. I wrote a Stainless Steel maintenance post that was ripped, err.. "used" by the guy that does the "Ride the Lightning" podcast. I'm not a "former" owner as he inaccurately stated.

Here is the washing/maintenance thread (my first post is #27): https://www.cybertruckownersclub.com/forum/threads/washing-cleaning.287/page-2

Here is a body repair thread (my post is #8):
https://www.cybertruckownersclub.co...a-challenge-for-insurers-and-body-shops.1078/

Otherwise:

Q: How do rock chips look after a while?
A: The stainless steel heals itself by its nature of re-oxidizing the passive layer. Any ding or blemish may need to be blended out and if deeper, repaired by someone experienced in stainless steel repairs.

Q: Does bird crap cause long term problems?
A: No, but you want to be careful of some acidic compounds.

Q: Can you buff out most issues then just rescrub the truck with Steel Wool?
A: If the truck has a brushed finish like the DeLorean, then any scratch can be blended out with a special 3M Scotch Brite pad. NO STEEL WOOL. EVER. (the explanation is in the link above)
The truck's tougher SS alloy and/or a different finish would make it more challenging, but it's the same process.

I'll gladly answer any other questions on my experience with maintaining a stainless steel clad car.

Cheers,

(c) Copyright 2021 by DMC-81 ;)
 
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OneLapper

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Lol, not a fan of Ryan, huh? I'm afraid his advice to "clean up" a CT will cause more damage than good.

I think the difference is that the Delorean (BTW my neighbor was a engineer working on a twin turbo Delorean. He drove it back and forth to work for a few weeks. I remember him telling me not to get the stainless greasey)..... I digress.

I think the difference is that the Delorean is "brushed". The stainless steel has a "grain" to it. You can fix a scratch in that finish with a brown or red 3M scouring pad, following the grain of the metal.

I believe the CT will not have a brushed surface. Just raw, unfinished, stainless steel. This finish is sometimes called P&O, or "Pickled and OIled". I know from working with the material this is no buffing out a scratch. It's there. Forever.

You can polish the CT, or you can try to apply your own "grain", but there's no fixing a scratch in the raw finish.

I'm 100% positive there will be an EPIC number of owners (and shops) that damage the finish on their CTs trying to fix a scratch. I've been working on developing a process and making the equipment to apply a brushed finish to a fully assembled CT. I think there will be a need for repairing the damaged surface finish of a CT.

BTW, my Prevost motorcoaches have 11ga stainless steel front bumpers. They get rock pits and need to be polished once a year. The CT nose will definitely get pitted, albeit probably not as much as a bumper, but it will pit.
 
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OneLapper

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Here's a good example of the raw finish on a sheet of stainless steel. It's highly reflective due to the hard surface finish, but still shows any and all flaws

The B4 finish coming out the other side of the machine is probably close to that of the Delorean.

 


OneLapper

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Wouldn't a clear wrap right out of the gate take care of most of the concerns about chips, pits and minor scratches?
In my opinion, yes. A thick clear wrap on the nose would prevent the stone chips.
 

DMC-81

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Lol, not a fan of Ryan, huh? I'm afraid his advice to "clean up" a CT will cause more damage than good.

I think the difference is that the Delorean (BTW my neighbor was a engineer working on a twin turbo Delorean. He drove it back and forth to work for a few weeks. I remember him telling me not to get the stainless greasey)..... I digress.

I think the difference is that the Delorean is "brushed". The stainless steel has a "grain" to it. You can fix a scratch in that finish with a brown or red 3M scouring pad, following the grain of the metal.

`snip`
Thanks for the added insight. That's cool that your neighbor worked on presumably the Legend Industries Twin Turbo that was to come out in 1983. Oh, what might have been...

One correction, the preferred color of the 3M Scotch Brite pad for the DeLorean's brushed finish is Gray, (i.e. 80 grit). They sell these separately or in a kit at the various DMC locations around the US.
If you need a different level of grit for your work, then you can choose a different color.

I don't listen to Ryan's podcast, and my only gripe is that he just lifted and used my comments verbatim without even asking or advising me, and he misrepresented me. Had he asked, I would have gladly said yes, and helped him enhance the content, as long as I knew the context of how it would be used.

I agree that a process needs to be worked out for whatever finish the CT will have, to be able to repair scratches and blend the finish to the rest of the truck. I'm sure that Tesla will work this out, and there will be added business for those that can replicate the process and /or create custom finishes.
 

OneLapper

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Thanks for the added insight. That's cool that your neighbor worked on presumably the Legend Industries Twin Turbo that was to come out in 1983. Oh, what might have been...
Not to hijack this thread (sorry OP). My neighbor worked for AEG, a tool maker, in Germany and spoke fluent German. A huge car nut. He was also an outstanding fabricator, welder, etc. as well as having a degree in mechanical engineering. I was a teenager at the time and it was the first time I had seen a Delorean up close. We live in the north east corner of Connecticut and, at the time, the main highway was Route 52 (now Interstate 395). The road was very lightly traveled and the guys would do their high speed runs, come back to the house, go back out, etc etc.

I don't know what exactly they were doing, but I do remember that I never saw it run very well. Nonetheless, I was thrilled to just be able to "hang out" around them and the car.
 

DMC-81

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Not to hijack this thread (sorry OP). My neighbor worked for AEG, a tool maker, in Germany and spoke fluent German. A huge car nut. He was also an outstanding fabricator, welder, etc. as well as having a degree in mechanical engineering. I was a teenager at the time and it was the first time I had seen a Delorean up close. We live in the north east corner of Connecticut and, at the time, the main highway was Route 52 (now Interstate 395). The road was very lightly traveled and the guys would do their high speed runs, come back to the house, go back out, etc etc.

I don't know what exactly they were doing, but I do remember that I never saw it run very well. Nonetheless, I was thrilled to just be able to "hang out" around them and the car.
Cool. That must have been awesome to witness. As for the fate of the twin turbo, currently a few DeLorean vendors offer the package. 40 years on, they got it dialed in.
 


Cyberman

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Hi.
I have a DeLorean and am the President of the DeLorean Club of Florida. I wrote a Stainless Steel maintenance post that was ripped, err.. "used" by the guy that does the "Ride the Lightning" podcast. I'm not a "former" owner as he inaccurately stated.

Here is the washing/maintenance thread (my first post is #27): https://www.cybertruckownersclub.com/forum/threads/washing-cleaning.287/page-2

Here is a body repair thread (my post is #8):
https://www.cybertruckownersclub.co...a-challenge-for-insurers-and-body-shops.1078/

Otherwise:

Q: How do rock chips look after a while?
A: The stainless steel heals itself by its nature of re-oxidizing the passive layer. Any ding or blemish may need to be blended out and if deeper, repaired by someone experienced in stainless steel repairs.

Q: Does bird crap cause long term problems?
A: No, but you want to be careful of some acidic compounds.

Q: Can you buff out most issues then just rescrub the truck with Steel Wool?
A: If the truck has a brushed finish like the DeLorean, then any scratch can be blended out with a special 3M Scotch Brite pad. NO STEEL WOOL. EVER. (the explanation is in the link above)
The truck's tougher SS alloy and/or a different finish would make it more challenging, but it's the same process.

I'll gladly answer any other questions on my experience with maintaining a stainless steel clad car.

Cheers,

(c) Copyright 2021 by DMC-81 ;)
Thanks for the awesome info. By the way, I bet your DMC and Cybertruck are going to look badass sitting side by side in your driveway!
 

DMC-81

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Thanks for the awesome info. By the way, I bet your DMC and Cybertruck are going to look badass sitting side by side in your driveway!
You're welcome. Thanks, I can't wait to see these 2 vehicles side by side (or one towing the other).
 
 




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