Rook's Tutorial Page:BYOD Time Machine: Delorean Car Information

BYOD 'BTTF' Time Machine:
Delorean Information.

Last updated: January 29, 2004 2:50 PM (CST)

How To Build Your Own Darn
Time Machine.
==========
Delorean Car Information

Standard Liability Disclaimer: Although I have used these instructions in making my own props,
I accept NO RESPONSIBILITY if you ruin your own components or other parts
using these instructions. These techniques work for me, they might not work for you.
These instructions are worth exactly what you paid for them.

General information:

The car used in the film was the DeLorean, an actual production vehicle designed
by John DeLorean and built by the company he started, the Delorean Motor Company.
The car's most notable feature are it's stainless steel exterior and gullwing doors.
The engine is mounted in the rear of the car and it's also rear wheel drive.
The "trunk" is in the front of the car.
The car was available in both a manual 5 speed and automatic transmission, Standard or turbo engine
and your choice of black or grey interior.

The car(s, there were three of them) used in the first film were a late 1981 model,
with a 5 speed manual transmission and grey interior. There were (I believe) 5 or 6 Deloreans
total used in the making of the BTTF trilogy. The cars were modified and parts were added or
changed depending on the requirements of the filmmakers.

Original automotive parts are still available for the Delorean, but can be quite expensive.

Also, please keep in mind that while those of us in the movie prop building/collecting
community may find this a pretty cool thing to do, my own father recently asked me point blank:

"Why do you want to go and ruin a classic car that they only built for a few years?"
"You'll be losing any value the original car has and it won't appreciate in value either."

He does have a good point. By doing this you will likely NOT be increasing the value of
your personal car in any way. It won't likely make your $15,000 Delorean worth
$50,000 and it certainly won't increase the value of your Honda Civic any either.

Just thought I'd clarify, again, so there's no misunderstandings. ^_^

Old eBay picture.Creator unknown.

Old eBay picture.Creator unknown. Correct grey interior

If you want to buy one today, expect to pay between $10,000 - $15,000 on average for a well used one.
If you want a new one, they ARE available, but expect to pay in the area of $35,000.

Deloreans usually fall into three categories: Those that have been driven regularly, those that have been
sitting (usually for an extended length of time), and those that have been garaged or housed in some sort of
'protected' environment.

Unless the car you get is factory refurbed or 'car museum' owned, there are points of wear that are
common to the vehicle.

Just to warn you, typical 'wear' points on a used Delorean are:

Electric window motors are usually broken.
Speedometer/Odometer not functional.
Air conditioning doesn't work.
Seat wear/cracking.
Door seals/rubber weatherstripping needs replacement.
Door handle (leather) broken or missing.
Cracked windshield.
Fuel system will need attention (fuel filter, flush, new fuel lines, etc.).
Brakes may have seized.
Dents/body damage.
All the usual routine car work (oil, air filter, spark plugs, etc.)
Frame may be rusted. Be VERY WARY of a car with excessive frame rust.
That "cheap" $10,000 Delorean may suddenly cost you another $9,000 to replace the
rusted frame with a stainless steel one. A VERY costly repair!

That last info was supplied by a visitor to my site. He also wrote up a FAQ wich
he's been kind to share. I'll update his name and more when I get a second...
Remember, this IS twenty year old car we're talking about.

Visit DMC on the web at: http://www.delorean.com/

*TECHNICAL TRIVIA: The "hero" car driven by Marty in the movie is a manual transmission.
The car driven by Doc Brown in the mall parking lot, using the RC Car (Futaba brand) remote control,
should have been an AUTOMATIC Transmission. Why? Because you can't drive a manual transmission car
up to 65mph in first gear (which technically it should have been ) without blowing the transmission
or engine. Remember, Doc had the front wheels locked (or so it appeared) and the
rear wheels spun up to 40-50 mph before he released the brakes.

Okay, somebody said that if Doc Brown could come up with a way to turn a Delorean into
a darn Time Machine, he sure as heck ought to be able to use the remote control
to shift gears. Even though we never see evidence of Doc shifting, I conceed the point of logic.

You want to know how Doc Brown Really got the manual transmission car to shift by remote control...

...it was done by a stunt driver in an Einstein Dog suit. See, doesn't that just blow through
all those annoying gear-head rationals? I thought so. ^_^

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The Film 'Back to the Future' is Copyright by Universal Studios. This site is in no way affiliated with the film, actors, or studios in any way.
This site is a non-profit fan created entity, who's sole purpose is to pay homage to the hardware of this film.
All other rights reserved.

How To Build Your Own DarnTime Machine.==========Delorean Car Information

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How To Build Your Own Darn
Time Machine.
==========
Delorean Car Information