Return to the BUILD
“It’s time to add the first of the four wheels to your DeLorean model. Follow these instructions and add the completed part to your collection.”
In this issue, we build just one front tire so it will be quick.
Contents
Parts
Materials: The Rim is metal, the Tire is hard rubber, and the rest is plastic.
Magazine
- Drive Time: Model Instructions
- Another Reality: The development of characters Marty and Doc
- The Spielberg Factor: Steven Spielberg’s involvement in the film
- Final Countdown: Andrew Probert recalls his design of the car
- Finding Marty: Casting the role of Marty McFly
- A Time Traveler’s Guide: Emmett ‘Doc’ Brown
Free Gift #1 – Collector’s Binder
Build
The Wheel
Step 1
Push the Rim snugly into the Tire.
The Rim is metal and the Tire is made of flexible rubber with accurate tread detail. The position of the Rim within the Tire will affect how the Hubcap valve stem and lug bolts line up later on, so take note if this concerns you. The real car does not have this concern, so neither do I.
Step 2
Press the Hubcap into the Rim.
The Hubcap goes on the reverse side of the Rim pictured above, and will only fit onto the 3 screws holes in one orientation. The Pin (valve stem) is listed on the parts list above as a separate part, but it should already be attached to the Hubcap. If it is not, try to find it and insert into place as shown:
Attach with three (3) BP screws from the reverse side.
Step 3
Press the Hub into the Washer and then press both into the center of the Hubcap.
A few things here: the Washer did not fit *on* the Hub at all as per the instructions. It just dropped into the hole in the Hubcap behind the Hub and remains loose in there until the mounting of the wheel. Therefore, you may want to skip this step for right now as the Hub/Washer will have to come back out to mount the wheel on the car anyway.
UPDATE March 2019: After Issue 15, I came back and painted the Hubcaps on these wheels to be more accurate to the car’s original wheel color:
Thoughts
And just like that, we have completed Issue 03. This issue was nice and painless. We will not use these parts again until Issue 10, so keep them somewhere safe.
Next Up
Issue 04 – Body: Plutonium Reactor Cover, Mr. Fusion
You didn’t mention priming the wheels???
Because I did not prime them. I wanted to keep as much detail as possible!
What detail would you lose by priming? I was going to strip the the original paint, prime and re-paint using the color you recommended. I thought that was the correct procedure??
Are you not concerned about the paint flaking off, or am I making a simple mod more complicated?
I’m approaching Issue 3, planning to follow your lead on painting…but I wanted to make sure I understood your process.
Priming is not always necessary. If the surface is glossy, porous, or the color change is drastic, yes I would prime. However, this chromed plastic is actually not ‘glossy’, nor that smooth. I figured the paint would stick fine, and it has.
Thanks. This helps. I prefer not to strip as that just adds 2 more steps to the process.
I’ll follow your lead. (If the paint did flake a little, all that would do would be to give it a worn look. )
I figure just sitting in the case, using the Remote from the Power Mod, everything should be okay.
Thanks!
I have Mike Lane’s tire mods. I have Issue 2, and successfully removed the Goodyear logo; but what is your opinion: Apply the transfers per Issue, or all at the same time while on the car?
Totally up to you. Just be careful with them after you apply the lettering, it can be scratched off.
I’m woundering why didnt you like the lettering on the sides o the tires? They look great to me?
It wasn’t accurate to the tires used in the films. Mike’s transfers are.