ProjectVixen

What is this guy doing?

It always happens this way... a friend at work told me about a guy who knew a guy, who knew a guy, who had seen a disassembled DeLorean sitting in an old garage not far from my house. After a lot of phone calls, I got some vague directions on how to find the garage & I went down and talked to the owner. The guy had totally disassembled the car -- every last nut and bolt, even the alternator-- and then left it sit for 10 years. His only explanation as to why was, he "wanted to redo it". I don't know exactly what needed to be redone, as the car only has 1,700 miles on it. His price at first was unreasonable, but I called him every couple of months until he came down to $3k. At that point, I took him up on the offer, packed it up and brought it home -- in 17 boxes. Since then, I've tried to tackle the rebuilding in as public a manner as possible. I created a web site (http://www.ProjectVixen.com), set up a web cam, and post regular updates to the DMC-News mailing list. What I'm trying to do with my site is share the experience in a way that I've never seen attempted before. There are lots of books dealing with the mechanical procedures of restoring an automobile, but few that chronicle what the process is -really- about. What are the frustrations, the joys, the triumphs, and the setbacks? What are the effects that a restoration has on the restorer? That's what I'm trying to share. To date, I've received over 350 emails from folks who are restoring the car 'with me'; urging me on, cheering me up, and helping me out. That's what I enjoy the most -- sharing the experience with others, and making them a part of the restoration. I've reached the homestretch of the project, needing only some small bodywork and interior pieces to complete the car. It's also the final stretch of my wallet. This has cost me around $14,000 and over 1,200 hours of my time so far, and there's miles to go before I sleep. It'll probably be $20k before the end -- much more than a comparable pre-assembled D would have cost. Would I do it again? In a heartbeat! It's a great car, and DMC enthusiasts are great people!