How To Build Your Own Darn
Time Machine.
==========
Delorean Time Machine External Components
Please Note: 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.
A Reminder note about the pictures in this section...
These images were not created by me. This Delorean Time Machine replica washand built by G. W. II to look like the one in the film. This car was NEVER
used in the making of the films. I'm placing the images here as an archival reference source
and if you so choose you may save the images to your own PC for reference purposes.
If you have images of your own Time Machine project, or tutorials for building any components not detailed,
feel free to Contact me with the information.
You will not be named unless you choose to be so.
The car at the beginning, before all the major body components are installed. The rear louvre
has been removed along with the glass over the engine compartment. The rear window glass in the
passenger compartment has NOT been removed, thus keeping the car driveable in all weather.
Gary Said... This is one half of the master for the Boxes that go at the ends of the Flux Bands.
It was easier to simply vac-form them in halves and then put them together and add the various
detail plates in Aluminum later.
While movie accurate, the lower secton of these jet exhaust's may not be street legal for
driving in all areas due to the fact they partially obstruct the brake lights.
Gary's version is identical to the original in that the lower parts of the vents are removeable.
Contact your own state/local authorities for the legalities in your area.
Gary said... This is the start of the Flux Band Brackets that go around the front and back of
the car. I believe the original used a semi-rigid custom made rubber bracket. However, I don't have
access to that type of stuff, so I'm making mine from Integral Color Cast polyurethane. The original
master was made from MDF and then coated with Petrolium Jelly to make sure the RTV didn't stick.
It also gave the master a really cool texture that mimiced a rubber style part.
This is a test Gary did of the flux band materials. The conduit pipe on the car is rivited to
the metal mesh with a metal band that wraps around the pipe. These metal bands can be seen in the image below.
Gary said... From there we can move to the rear driver's side detailing. This little stuff takes
FOREVER to do... The Coolant Plate is CNC Punched per my ILM Reference pictures. The Red
Drive capacitors are custom made to match the originals since I couldn't even get Close to
finding something stock. Also the little black drum details were custom made from scratch as well.
I still have some touch up painting to do on those...
The black boxes sitting just ahead of the 'reactor' are plastic food containers, or a resin
cast of same, spray painted/tinted resin black.
The red 'cans' also appear to be 3 terminal electrolytic capacitors, similar to the blue ones on the
other side of the car, but are obviously (from Gary's comments) custom made.
Gary said... On the Passengers side things went a little easier... A coat of metallic blue
paint made the capacitors on this side look perfect. The green "bowling pins" are temporary
units until I can have better quality ones made from aluminum. Those little silver boxes? Well,
they were made by pouring polyurethane resin in some mini bread pans I still have two
sub-vents and some wiring that needs to go on this side before I'm done...
The blue 'cans' appear to be large electrolytic capacitors with 2 screw in wire terminals on the top.
Size currently unknown.
Gary said... I finally got the reactor core and rear vents painted properly (I also got
the louvers installed on the rear vents - aren't they pretty...) The reactor is semi-gloss black,
while the vents are a mix of Anodized Bronze, Metallic Black and Semi-Gloss Black. While the part
II and III cars had all black vents, the Part I car had this tarnished metal look. I found that this
paint mix does a pretty nice job of replicating that looks while NOT being such a bright bare metal.
I still have yet to add the side hoses to the vents and I also need to weather them up a little bit
more as well. They are just too clean as they are...
Around the base of the reactor and what appear to be metal
'heat sinks' are screwed or rivited around the base. The yellow reactor cap in this picture is just a
temporary object until a more accurate version can be fabricated or found.
Gary said... A closeup of the Plutonium Reactor. The upper support ring is innaccurate, so I may rebuild
it depending on the time. Still alot to go here, but I should have the actual plutonium rods and
containment vessels done in a few weeks.
As I mentioned earlier, I also mocked up the Turbine vent on top of the reactor core. For being the
wrong type it actually worked pretty well. Also, my temporary loading hatch looks somewhat spiffy as well.
Note I said TEMPORARY... Since the turbine is the wrong size I felt it would be a waste of time and effort
to make an exact replica of the hatch. I manged to find something that looks pretty dang good upon a
cursory inspection, and up close it is actually somewhat funny when you realize what it originally came from...
Kool Aid anyone?
Gary said... I really loved how the vent ducts turned out. I took the plain silver tubing and hit it with a couple
coats of Copper, Metallic Black, and Polished Aluminum spray paint. I then secured them to the rear
vents and towers using PVC endcaps and steel hose clamps.
Somebody else had another tip... Here's a hint to extend the life of your flex tubing (if you're
not planning on having them be functional): Attach them to the Time Vehicle, form them in the shape you
want, remove them (keeping the shape) and fill them with expanding foam (the "Insulation in a Can" stuff
from Home Depot works just great). For whatever reason, those hoses are the part that people are compelled
to crush! This simple mod will save you a lot of hair pulling!
The top of the 'reactor turbine' is comprised of the hub cap from an older
Chrysler vehicle 1968-1970. Typically found on the Dodge Polara.
The top section is a Turbo Vent Ring or Turbine Exhaust Ring from an old
turbojet engine. It's not 100% accurate, but pretty darn close.
The big wiring plugs are based on a real, old item...
These plugs were also used by Doc Brown at the end of the film on the clock tower.
Kinda neat that they'd reuse spare parts over and over like that, huh?
Gary said...
The Wormhole Emitter that goes on top. Made from 2 pieces of PVC pipe and some
sheet styrene. Oh, I also used 8 screws, some putty (Bondo), and paint.
Gary Said... A while back someone asked about being able to lift the rear deck up.
Here is some proof. I designed the rear vents to disassemble just like the movie car.
(The lower sections of the vents that cover part of the taillights are removeable.)
That way I can lift up the deck to get at the engine internals.
Is it water tight?
Oh, totally forgot to answer that one. YES, the conversion is watertight (unlike the
original [film used] cars), but I'd prefer NOT to drive it in the rain.
And I asked... 'Do you have any specific details on what you did to make it water
tight? Things you needed to do so it wouldn't leak?
And Gary said... Its more like what I DIDN'T do. Unlike the original [film used] car,
I DID NOT take out the rear window... If removed, it causes ALL SORTS of havoc since the
electrical systems are IMMEDIATELY below the window area on the rear cargo area.
Someone asked...
I have one question, the boxes on the front fenders are blue on your delorean, and I
believe they're black on the movie car.
And Gary said...
Nope they are a blue gray. Its very hard to nail the color down perfectly. I have multiple
pictures of the screen used car. In some images its a really dark blue gray, and in others it
looks much lighter. I chose to go with a lighter color blue/grey.
And just in case I don't have enough pictures of this great car, here's a few more. ^_^
There has been absolutely NO retouching of these images. All lighting you see actually does
work on the car! The Blue lights on the flux bands are created by Blue EL wire. Yep, the same
stuff they use in those high end replica lightsabers!
Any other tidbits or tips, feel free to let me know!
Thanks,