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17020 + New owner on a road trip...
#1
Hi, and greetings from a random motel somewhere south of Santa Cruz.

I've just bought my first Delorean, 17020.
Found it it Silicon Valley, California, and purchased it yesterday from a great guy named Dan who had cared for it the past 16 years.

It's done 30k miles, it's what I would call a 'street' car, a bit ratty in places with a few dings and scratches - no concours trailer queen that's for sure - But it's a running and weekly-driven California Car - and that's just what I wanted.

The intended final destination is my home - just outside Guildford in Surrey. UK.
So about 4500 miles to go at this point.

I'm with my girlfriend Jenny, who is key part of this process as she is not just along for the ride, she is the organised one in our outfit. You know, the keeper of passports, tickets, phones, keys; The Dispenser of water, Redbull, crisps, the occasional Snickers and more Redbull; The one that looks up the hotels for the coming night, works out where the next gas station is (9 gallon tank? Really is that the best you could do JZD?) The one that takes the scenic photos from the passenger side window; The one that points out the noises I've been trying to ignore the last 40 miles, and the one that asks 'what's that dripping on the ground' when we have parked at the hotel....

We started the journey by hitting the rugged and twisting Pacific Coast Highway, towards San Diego. Hopefully we will reach LA by Tuesday, where I intend to stop to spend my birthday on the following day. Staying in Pasadena, there may be one or two Deloreans around that area on that day.

If our journey all goes to plan, we will ship the car from Brunswick on the east coast in a couple of weeks.

Having owned the car less than 24 hours, I have every faith that any plans we have are pointless.... And we'll just see where this ends up.

All suggestions welcome.


Jimi.
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#2
Saw this one on eBay a few ago I guess.
Welcome to the forum and congratulation on your purchase!
Have a safe trip back home Smile
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#3
keep watching the temperature gauge…if it starts to climb…stop and find out why?

Some years ago, young Andrew West….. drove his car all the way from the north of America where he bought it ( and where it was snowing), down to Houston in Texas over 2 few week period…..all on his own!

(He has recently bought a pair of them but is having these professionally shipped this time).


Congratulations on your purchase. Smile
Chris Parnham

Ex RHD Auto's etc.etc

Main Car.. Kia E Niro 4+
Toyota Vitz 4X4 1999 (the smallest 4X4 by far!)
Toyota RAV4 EV 1999.
1970 Jago Jeep.

DOC Club Historian 
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#4
Wow, what an adventure keep us posted and good luck with your journey.
Chris
Membership Secretary DOC UK
2021's DeLorean event: http://www.deloreans.co.uk/forum/showthr...p?tid=6056
VIN#15768 Ex VIN#4584
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#5
Wow... You are certainly living my dream. Sound like a blast!

Are you joining the BTTF Guys on the 21st around LA for the back to the future celebrations? I am sure you'll see another Delorean on route...

And if I read that right, are you then driving coast to coast? Which sounds awesome
DOC 116
VIN 6237
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#6
Domi Wrote:Saw this one on eBay a few ago I guess.
Welcome to the forum and congratulation on your purchase!
Have a safe trip back home Smile

Thanks.
Yes, this came up on eBay a couple of weeks back, and the phone number was in the listing.
Called the seller up and within 10 minutes we had a deal.
I had lost out on 3 Deloreans in the previous 6 or 7 months - all right at the last moment, so I wasn't going to let this one go.

Chris P Wrote:keep watching the temperature gauge…if it starts to climb…stop and find out why?

Congratulations on your purchase. Smile

Temp gauge seems good - gets up to the first quarter mark, and stays pretty much there. In traffic, it raises slightly, then the fans kick in. Oil pressure reads good too, and so far the engine starts first time - hot or cold.

I have a couple of engine issues - firstly the idle speed at start-up is about 2500-3000rpm for the first 10 seconds before settling down to 1000. I could live with this, but for the second issue:
Snapped exhaust manifold stud on the left bank means it sounds like an Aircooled VW. It's not loud (yet) but it's a blow you can easily hear.
These two combine to make an embarrassing start-up when you've just had a crowd watch you get in....
Going to have to live with it though, as there's still 4200 miles to reach home.


Chris Williams Wrote:Wow, what an adventure keep us posted and good luck with your journey.
Chris

Thanks, it's an adventure for sure. I will try and update our progress daily. So far we are just 2 days into this trip, and learnt so much already.

3 key points so far:

1. The Pacific Coast Highway is like no other road I've ever driven. A Once-in-a-lifetime drive.
2. The Pacific Coast Highway is not suitable if you have height issues.
3. Turns out I suffer with Vertigo. I'm not doing that again.


Stuart Rees Wrote:Wow... You are certainly living my dream. Sound like a blast!

Are you joining the BTTF Guys on the 21st around LA for the back to the future celebrations? I am sure you'll see another Delorean on route...

And if I read that right, are you then driving coast to coast? Which sounds awesome

Yes, the plan is to drive from the West Coast to the East Coast.
Something like: Los Angeles - San Diego - Tucson - El Paso - Houston - New Orleans - Talahasse - Jacksonville.

We are not in LA yet, woken up this morning just outside Santa Barbara, and will be in LA hopefully by this evening.
Joining the BTTF celebrations on the 21st is the central point of this trip - this is a pivotal date that only happens once.... (And it's my birthday). When I first thought of doing this trip for this date a couple of years ago, I thought it would be fun to turn up at the Puente Mall (Twin Pines BTTF location) and see who else showed up in a Delorean that day. I never thought it would become an event on the scale that it now has.
I don't know what to expect when we get there.

I'll get some photos and post them here though.

Lastly, gratuitous Delorean selfie along the Pacific Coast Highway yesterday:
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#7
What a great trip, in part the actual trip but being at the twin pines mall and it being your birthday as well! It will be one to remember Big Grin
Chris
Membership Secretary DOC UK
2021's DeLorean event: http://www.deloreans.co.uk/forum/showthr...p?tid=6056
VIN#15768 Ex VIN#4584
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#8
Sounds great, but I'd recommend popping into a garage and getting that students sorted.
Coast to coast is along way. And a blowing exhaust makes an engine slightly less efficient. What you spend on the students you'll probably save on gas. Plus it'll be alot less annoying and if you get the right garage you may be able to have a poke about underneath, see if anything is loose needs urgent attention.
Just my thoughts.
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#9
Students. .... :lol: .
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#10
Sounds like the trip of a lifetime.

(not sure how up on DeLoreans you are, so apologies if the following is basic stuff)

When you are in LA, you could swing by DMC-CA in Huntington Beach and have them look at your stud(ent)s. They will also give it a check over and, no doubt, extensive to-do list

I would also suggest checking your tyres. They don't look like original Goodyear NCTs but it is possible they were installed in 1999 whith th ownership change and 16 years in the California sun won't have done them any favours. Check the date code on the tyre for accurate age.

And lastly, join dmctalk.org and post this trip there, also. It has numerous owners along your route who could provide assistance if needed. In a breakdown situation, there will always be someone in your timezone Smile
Dermot
ex-Dunmurryite
vin 2743
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#11
To be honest I'm not sure I'd start a job like exhaust studs mid-trip - and what an epic trip, by the way - when I did this on mine it opened a large can of worms that culminated in lifting the engine out Shock

I'd be tempted to put up with it until you get home!!
Richard Hanlon
Derbyshire
DOC 393

1981 DMC-12 VIN 06126
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#12
Interesting point Rich, but I guess you could say that about any job on a D.
And if you were nearly finished or in the middle of nowhere I'd maybe agree. But they are just starting out and, as DM points out, are probably in the best place in the world to sort issues for the trip .
For a trip of a lifetime I'd hate 1000's and 1000's of miles with some thing annoying me that has to be done any way.
Any how your choice, let us know what you do.
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#13
what an epic story, one that needs writing up with lots of pictures
for the Club Magazine - could be spread out over a couple of issues
too Smile

Have a great time, especially tomorrow - and happy birthday - it'll be
one you'll never forget!!
Claire Wright  - Club Treasurer
Jul 1981 DeLorean - Flopsy #2292 
Aug 1989 Cavalier 1.6L - Guinney
Apr 2021 Mokka-e Launch Edition - Evie
#170
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#14
88mph Wrote:Sounds great, but I'd recommend popping into a garage and getting that students sorted.
You make it sound so easy!

88mph Wrote:?..and if you get the right garage you may be able to have a poke about underneath, see if anything is loose needs urgent attention.
Just my thoughts.
Now that scares the crap out of me. Have you ever gone to 'just fix that something' only to end up with your car in pieces and no end in sight? Yeah, Not fun when you are at home, even less so 4500 miles from home.
No doubt there are plenty of things that want attention, Only the stuff that falls off gets immediate attention on this trip....


Rich Hanlon Wrote:To be honest I'm not sure I'd start a job like exhaust studs mid-trip
This.

Rich Hanlon Wrote:I'd be tempted to put up with it until you get home!!
SO tempted. But driving a D that sounds like a Beetle is somewhat depressing!

Dangermouse Wrote:Sounds like the trip of a lifetime.

(not sure how up on DeLoreans you are, so apologies if the following is basic stuff)

When you are in LA, you could swing by DMC-CA in Huntington Beach and have them look at your stud(ent)s. They will also give it a check over and, no doubt, extensive to-do list

I would also suggest checking your tyres. They don't look like original Goodyear NCTs but it is possible they were installed in 1999 whith th ownership change and 16 years in the California sun won't have done them any favours. Check the date code on the tyre for accurate age.

And lastly, join dmctalk.org and post this trip there, also. It has numerous owners along your route who could provide assistance if needed. In a breakdown situation, there will always be someone in your timezone Smile

Thanks - I just called DMC in Huntington, and they can take a look at it. Suggested around $1000 and a day to complete, providing no issues encountered. Thinking of running it by there on Friday after the BTTF celebrations. Just worried in case it turns into an engine out / replacement heads job.

Tyres? Previous owner fitted new tyres for me 3 days before I picked it up. He made every effort to make sure the car was ready for the trip (apart from exhaust stud, obviously, but I knew this). I got lucky with this seller. I couldn't have asked for better.

DMCtalk? I joined a few months ago, but was then removed a week later before I made my first post. Some sort of control-freak piloting that one, exchanged an email or two, but nothing doing, so I guess I wasn't welcome in that exclusive club. :?:

88mph Wrote:For a trip of a lifetime I'd hate 1000's and 1000's of miles with some thing annoying me that has to be done any way.
Any how your choice, let us know what you do.
You are 100% spot on - its the 1000s of miles with something niggling me that is the issue. It doesn't *need* to be done, but something in me (vanity, most likely) wants it sorted NOW!
As you rightly said, I'm in the best part of the world to have it sorted, it's kind of silly not to. It just bothers me incase more issues develop during repair.

Guinney1971 Wrote:what an epic story, one that needs writing up with lots of pictures
for the Club Magazine - could be spread out over a couple of issues
too Smile

Have a great time, especially tomorrow - and happy birthday - it'll be
one you'll never forget!!
Thankyou, I have been, and will continue to take many more pictures along the route. There is no plan, other than to try and make it to Miami before our flights home on the 5th of November.

I'm looking forward to tomorrow (today now, in the UK) with no idea what to expect. Still can't make up my mind where I should be - Thursday is easy - it's all happening in Fillmore, which is going to be a recreation of Hill Valley. But tomorrow (today), the 21st, do we take the trip to Universal, or head over to the Puente Hills Mall??

Regardless, as soon as I have decent Wi-Fi, I'll get some pics of the events posted here.

Thanks for the Birthday wishes...

Jimi.
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#15
Quote:Some sort of control-freak piloting that one, exchanged an email or two, but nothing doing, so I guess I wasn't welcome in that exclusive club.
I would not look on it like that, they the same as ourselves and probably every other forum in the world all dogged by spamers touting all kinds of porn/adverts/and some real nasty stuff. I think DMCTalk like to confirm your an actual person before letting you on, rather than some robot/spam thing. However most owners/enthusiasts tend to look at all the forums worldwide anyway!
Either way have a great day, How cool it is to be your birthday on BTTF day and where it happened! I'm not the biggest BTTF fan but it is a good day to be a DeLorean owner. Big Grin
Chris
Membership Secretary DOC UK
2021's DeLorean event: http://www.deloreans.co.uk/forum/showthr...p?tid=6056
VIN#15768 Ex VIN#4584
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