ISSUE 21

 Return to the BUILD


“In this issue you will add details to the top of the engine, then fix it to the rest of the engine assembly by following these step-by-step instructions.”

Yet another issue of engine components! This time we are adding the cylinder head covers, related bits, and the A/C compressor.

Contents


Parts

Materials: All of the pieces in this issue are made of plastic.

Magazine

  • Drive Time: Model Instructions
  • Production Diary: Completing The Film Early
  • A Time Traveler’s Guide: The Honeymooners

Build


Assembling The Engine

In case you didn’t see it back in Issue 19, I had painted all the visible screw heads in this issue with Tamiya XF-56 Metallic Grey in advance.

Step 1a

Place the Right Cylinder Head Cover onto the right side of the Engine Top from the last issue.

There is a peg between the screw holes to align this part the correct way:

Step 1b

Turn it over and tighten into place with two (2) FP screws:

Step 2

Place the Control Pressure Regulator over the holes at the front of the Left Cylinder Head Cover and secure with two (2) AP screws:

Step 3

The Oil Filler Cap on the real car is black, so I masked off the lower section of this piece and gave it a quick shot of Tamiya XF-1 Flat Black paint:

Place the Oil Filler Cap onto the raised area of the Left Cylinder Head Cover and secure with one (1) AP screw.

According to the instructions, the longer pin on the Oil Filler Cap should face the Control Pressure Regulator:

Step 4

I wanted a little color on the A/C Compressor Connector, so I painted the large end with some Model Master Acrylic 4672 Brass paint:

Insert the two posts of the A/C Compressor Connector into the holes of A/C Compressor Front and secure with one (1) AP screw:

Step 5

Fit a A/C Compressor Bracket behind the tabs of the A/C Compressor Front as shown and attach with two (2) AP screws:

Step 6

Place the other A/C Compressor Bracket behind the tabs of the A/C Compressor Rear and secure with two (2) AP screws:

Step 7a

Take the A/C Compressor Front from Step 5 and place the A/C Compressor Bracket over the Left Cylinder Head Cover. Secure the top with one (1) AP screw:

The instructions incorrectly said the A/C Compressor Rear piece, but correctly showed the A/C Compressor Front part. Also, I recommend leaving the screws a little loose in this and the next three steps until everything is aligned in place:

Step 7b

Secure the bottom with one (1) more AP screw:

Step 8a

Place the A/C Compressor Rear from Step 6 over the central post of the A/C Compressor Front and secure to the Left Cylinder Head Cover with one (1) AP screw:

Again, the instructions incorrectly said the A/C Compressor Front piece, but correctly showed the A/C Compressor Rear part:

Step 8b

Secure the lower part with one (1) more AP screw.

Once all of these pieces were aligned, I tightened up all four (4) screws:

Steps 9a-9b

Place the assembly onto the left side of the Engine Top.

Like on the other side, there was a peg between the screw holes to align this correctly:

Step 9b

Secure these parts together from below with two (2) FP screws:

Steps 10a-10b

Place the entire assembly onto the engine lower section from Issue 18 and secure with two (2) DM screws in the holes shown.

This is your friendly reminder to try using 3-in-One Oil on all screws going into metal:

Step 11

Take the Pipe and place it over the pin on the rear of the Oil Filler Cap:

Thanks to Mike Lane and his Decal Set III, I had the proper decal for the A/C Compressor. It was as simple as peel and stick!

Thoughts


This issue had a lot of steps, but added the top to the engine! I know I could have gone crazy with detailing this engine with all sorts of paint and weathering, but to be honest, it will be rarely seen. I just wanted to add a little color to spruce it up a bit.

Next Up


 Issue 22 – Engine: Thermostat Housing, Throttle Control, Mixture Unit, Fuel Distributor/Hoses

7 thoughts on “ISSUE 21”

  1. I do wanna go crazy with detailing the engine. Do you know where I can get good reference photos? Haven’t benn too lucky on my Google searches.

    1. Go to the DeLorean Motor Company’s website. You’ll find photos of almost all of their parts, down to the screws.

  2. For Step 10a-b, when you put together the two big pieces of the engine, the DM screws were not long enough for me, no matter I screwed them all the way down and the two pieces were correctly on each other, the screws just didn’t want to hold. I had to replace them with 2 HM screws I had in spare from previous issues: they have the same thread diameter, the same head type, etc., just much longer. These are now really holding my engine together, I can securely lift the entire device at any point and they stay in one piece.

    Fun fact: the engine weighs exactly 299 grams at this stage.

  3. Quick note… the instructions are correct when referring to the A/C compressor front and rear. Front is towards the pulley. Rear is where the refrigerant hoses attach.

    Keep up the amazing work! I love this website!

    1. Thanks! Yeah, the text names of the AC parts were incorrect in my instructions, but the images were correct. Perhaps I need to clarify that more?

  4. For anyone who is sourcing these issues from other markets. I was able to get this one from Russia and it’s marked as issue #27 rather than #21. Otherwise it’s identical.

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