We've only had the car for just over a week - and we've only been able to give the car a couple of hours here and there - around our paid work!
Here's a link to the News page - where you'll be able to access a good few pages of details and photos...
http://www.pjgrady.co.uk//GenericConten ... =News.html
There'll be much more to come over the coming weeks - and I have a further 50 or so web pages to add about other things (torsion bar science, buyers guide, etc).
Hope you enjoy the write up - this truly is a 'one of a kind' car...
Darren
Nice set of pictures there !
Keep up the good work
NickT
Really nice write up guys, thanks for taking the time to document this online.
All the best.
Great pics! Seems like you're progressing quite well despite having the car for a short time! Great work, looking forward to more pics!!
fascinating stuff guys, loved playing 'spot the difference'
When I spoke to Chris on Friday I asked him how he was gonna get the paint off, to which he replied he'd finished doing it!! Jeez, that lad doesnt hang around!! lol :lol:
Seeya soon,
Fascinating information there guys, we're watching history unfold here!
Does the underbody have the early style texture either side of the engine bay and visible fibreglass strands?
Does the frame have a frame number welded on in the usual place or is it too early to even have one?
Cheers,
hope it goes ok for the nec darren looks good
To answer Phils questions...
The frame does have a number 0020. Although the frame itself is not the same as a standard DeLorean. It's obviously handmade - using a thinner material - and is quite different from the design that finally made it into the production cars.
The pontoons do have the textured surfaces - I haven't noticed any loose fibreglass strands - but they may be there.
Chris and I discovered some amazing history on the pilot car phase yesterday - we'll collate it all and post the details on the website over the next few days.
Darren
Hi Darren
With the frame being handmade and the panels, how was the fibreglass tub made or was the mold in place by then ?
Not sure Mike,
It looks like it's been in the moulds - and the car was up and running in the US in September 1980 - so it's possible the moulds could well have been in place at Lotus before they were shipped out to Dunmurry.
Some of the body is obviously handmade - like the wheel arches. They're actually formed from a gate sign (you can just about make out the "PUSH OPEN" wording)!
You can see that some of the parts are the same as production - but because the approvals, etc hadn't been fully granted at that point - most approval marks have been scratched off (most notably the DOT - Department of Transport marking on the rear light cluster).
The bodywork on the car was reused from the earlier pilot cars - and some of the panels are the first panels ever to be pressed out. They say #1, #5, etc on their underside - and we have the Lotus paperwork that details this from the prototype meetings between Lotus and DMC.
Darren
Cheers Darren
Maybe its me but the black body doesnt look quite the same as production on the pics you have posted, particulary at the front end, unless the mould was altered in someway for production cars. I wonder which mold it is sat in that field in Norfolk there ?
Have you seen this mould in person BTW?
Yes - the moulds in Norfolk were one of the sets from the Dunmurry factory.
When the liquidator came in - Lotus were worried about other up and coming car companies obtaining the moulds and copying their VARI technology - so they shipped the moulds back to Hethel.
One set ended up in he garden of a local wheeler dealer - one set was scrapped and I know DMCH have a set too.
I'll take a closer look at the underbody shortly....
Darren
As an interesting side note, I'm going to meet a guy on Fri night who I had a very long chat with at a show in Bishops Stortford that Stu and I attended. He was very informed about the car how it was built/ production methods etc. It turned out he worked for the company that supplied all the fiberglass/resins etc for DMC and Lotus for the pre and production cars, and went into great detail as to why they changed from rough finished pontoons to the smoth gel coat. Anyway I'm gonna meet him on my way home so it may make a bit of a story for the mag and coinsides well with this restoration
Chris
Had a quick look at the under body.
It was definately formed in a mould - but certainly not the same moulds that were used for production.
Can't really tell if the body is VARI like production - but we will be carrying out a frame off restoration after the NEC show - so we'll be able to take a better look.
Darren
hi Darren, i cant stand it i gotta take a look, are you or chris about saturday tony TT