The DeLorean's Glove Box Lighting

Let's start with a picture of 2019's glove box, contents, and LED lighting (excuse the dash mat, just trying to preserve a good dash).

Introduction

Like all modern cars DeLoreans have a glove box, which is used to to store almost anything but gloves.  Not  all cars have glove boxes with lighting, but the DeLorean does. Granted this is an area of the car of neither much concern nor usage, however, this area has been known to drain batteries if the connections aren't correct (this light socket gets power even with doors off), or if (the incandescent) light is accidentally left on.  Also following my past LED conversion, it was a candidate location for an LED upgrade -- and it turned out to be a trickier conversion than most other socket/bulbs.

Bulb Type

As I mentioned on the previously written LED conversion blog entry, this is not a common bulb, but it still can be found.  If you are looking for the incandescent replacement, search eBay or Google for a "12V T10 bulb".  The "12V" is important because this bulb type use to be typically used on lower voltage, small flashlights.

If you'd like to replace this bulb with an LED, the similarly search for a "12V T10 LED", and you'll find options. Tip: Don't go with one that has a large bulb-side, or it may not fit.


Blog Recommendation Verification

I was motivated to generate this simple blog entry because I read that other owners had trouble fitting in the glove box LED recommendations that were on my blog.  This made me curious and caused me to a) check my LED solution in the glove box, and b) to test out the bulb that was written as a recommendation.

What I found was:
a) I was using an LED bulb which I sourced at the time, but is no longer available; however, it was working, and the fit was, fine.

b) I purchased the bulb recommended on my blog entry, and tried it out myself. The issues that other owners mentioned, was that this bulb was too long, and it would not fit.  Using that same bulb, it did in fact work out great, but in the process I may have stumbled on the reason others had issues with it.


Glove Box Housing

Ah, the late 70's and early 80's were a different time.  Multiple little parts that today are replaced by one single part, was acceptable back then.  And there in lies a potential issue, the glove box housing is made up of six separate parts, that can actually be assembled in different ways(!).

...and let's start out with that.  Here is a picture of the blog's recommended LED light, with the housing removed from the glove box.

As you can see, there is NO way that lens will attach to the housing. The LED is just too long. ...or is it?
I have purposely incorrectly reassembled the housing incorrectly in the picture above, to demonstrate a point: It will fit fine into the glove box as pictured, and maybe you may have to bend the electrical pins a little, but it certainly works this way.  Except the lens cover will not fit in this configuration.

Here in fact are all the six parts of the housing, with the same bulb...

You can see that the LED bulb's threads are still sticking about the socket, and I did not even have to tighten it very hard, but in this configuration, it still fits and works properly, as seen below.

Re-assembling it back as correctly, and powering it up on the bench...

...shows that the bulb fits, and lights up (very brightly, with this LED).



Glove Box Housing - The Proper Re-Asssembly

Since I had that previous picture, I took the next step and put some re-assembly instructions on it, as follows:

Just remember to reconnect the terminals in the rear, to the two associated connectors.  (Edit: If it doesn't light up upon re-installation, reverse the connectors to the terminals - polarity at the terminals doesn't matter for an incandescent, but it does for LEDs.) When the day comes to replace the bulb, you may be able to do so by removing just the front clear lens, but I even with the incandescent I would just remove the entire assembly shown - it's very simple to repeat once you do it once.


Summary/Conclusion.

So, there you have it, the LED solution for the DeLorean's glove box.  I am at peace that the information that I've previously published is good, as I am now using the same bulb.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As always, if you have a few minutes, be sure to check out the "Best of" postings

Smooth shifting on a 30+ year old car.

Smooth shifting on a 30+ year old car.

I once drove a very low mile hardly driven DeLorean, and I was a bit surprised how it shifted as compared to mine. When I shifted on 2109 for as long as I've had it, it always seemed to mechanically clunk at the linkages and seemed very loose compared to that other DeLorean that I was driving.  I made a mental note to look into that one day.

Fast forward a several years and fellow DeLorean owner Mike (aka: Mike the Lotus Guy, Mike the parrot owner guy, Mike the zany IT guy) last week posts that he just changed the bushings on his DeLorean, and how great it shifts now ("My Elise wishes it shifted so well").  That triggered that mental note I made some time ago, and made me look into this further. Looking at the parts it seemed straight forward enough, and I contacted Mike with a question on access. His response went above and beyond in that he offered me a seven step how-to/tips of how to change the bushings. Very cool, Mike.

So I ordered the parts and waited until the weekend to start it. I completed the job in about half a day (I don't work fast, so factor that), and the results are indeed very rewarding, the car now shift much smoother, much tighter, you can really feel the bushings in the linkages contributing to all this as you shift.  Another good thing about this small project, is that it is a very inexpensive job in terms of parts, and very straight forward for you do-it-yourself types.  

(Sorry, not a lot of pictures here as I usually do, and of the few that I took most were not terribly usable - but again the results here more of an improved feel and performance which is difficult to capture in pics or video.)

Parts Required:

100775: Bushing, Rubber  (Total 4 required) - #8 on diagram below

100776: Bushing, Sleeve  (Total 8 required) - #7 on diagram below

SP10025: 4 M8 x 1.25 nylock nuts, (Optional, to replace the originals.) - #6 on diagram below

At the time of this writing, less than $40 in parts. Interestingly both the sleeves and rubber bushings are listed as "DMC Improved Parts".  The rubber bushings that came out of my car were different, inferior I would even say, that to these new ones.  The sleeves were the same, and as I have a very complete list of work history on 2109, and don't see these ever changed, I may have had original parts. 

Reference above at:  DMCH Web Site

Procedure:

The list that Mike sent me is below (used with his permission), I added my notes as to my experience and a minor optional deviation, prefaced below under "Ozzie:"

So here goes:

Ozzie: Obviously, lift the car for access to bottom. As always use proper safe methods. If you use stands only, at least shove some tires underneath just in case and try not to bump into them as you wiggle your way under car (think of the game "Operation" here).

1. Change the bushing on the shift rod at the transmission. Easiest one. 17 mm wrench on the bolt side, 13 mm wrench on the nut side. Use ratchets; the bolt is long.

Ozzie: I concur, this was a cinch.  My only other recommendation is to ensure that you replace the rod in the same way it came out, so you don't change the working linkage adjustments of your system.

2. Working in the accumulator port, change the two bushings in there. Just a 13 mm ratchet needed here, as the shift rod ends sit on studs in there. Go ahead and tighten up the nut for the rod that goes back to the transmission after changing the bushing.

Ozzie: Ah the accumulator port (access hole), I have mental scars from an accumulator replacement many years back in my garage: car inches above your chest, limited arm leverage to works, fun.  But this was different, the clevis, or "Bellcrank Assembly", where the two link rods rotate from is not entirely visible from below the car, but easily enough accessible by hand and to work it with a ratchet wrench.  As for replacing the bushings at this point, I concur as he wrote. Once you figure out the best way to wrench it, it is very straight forward.  

3. Only barely thread the nut on to the stud that the shift rod going to the shifter assembly sits on. This will allow much greater movement in the next step.

Ozzie: This is where I deviate a little from Mike's suggestion. What he wrote works, but I found it easier to just remove the shifter rod, remove old bushings and leave it disconnected. You'll see why below.

4. In the car, remove the shift knob, undo the two screws holding the shifter cover down. Remove the shifter cover and the shift boot.

Ozzie: Yup to above. And when I looked at what was under there... well, I'm getting ahead.

5. Use a 15 mm socket to remove the bolt for the pivot fork on the shifter assembly. Turn it sideways and you'll be able to pop out the clevis pin for the left/right shift cable.

Ozzie: Yup to above, work slowly here and try not to drop the small parts (clevis, pin, washer) down in to the frame.

6. Remove the four nuts holding the shifter assembly in place. 10 mm.

Ozzie: Yup to above, again.

7. Lift the shifter up, and wiggle it past the hard lines, etc. That will get the shift rod up high enough to undo the bolt & nut to change the bushing.

Ozzie: Mike's notes end there, and you can see why, which is fine. However, this is where I changed it up a little.  What I found under the shifter boot, which I've seen before and knew that someday I would address it, was a lot of dirt and filth attached to the grease on the shifter and nearby areas, like a very dirty visible part of the frame.  So for me, the entire shifter had to come out for a clean up of it, and the area it mounts in. Since I left the linkage loose at the clevis, I pulled the shifter up and completely out, without a problem.

Now with the shifter out, i was able to a) very easily replace the bushing and sleeves, and b) clean off the assembly and apply some lithium grease to the moving parts.

Now all that remains is an added step, since I removed the shifter assembly:

Step 8.

i) Put shifter assembly back in place, guiding its linkage rod back from where it came from.
ii) Reconnect the clevis pin hook up, and then check for shifter for functionality.

iii) Go back under the car and "fish out" the shifter rod by feel, now use the new sleeves and bushing and tighten it up on the clevis pin.

iv) Check a) your work to ensure all it tight under the car, and b) the shifter is traveling to the shift points as required, and if so, then lower the car, and button up the shifter assembly and for a ride.

What I found.

In general, the rubber bushings that DMC now sells are certainly better than what came out of my car. The new rubber bushings have 90 degree flare edge on both ends, the ones that came out of my care only had it on one side.

Sleeves:

Except at the transmission side, all the other bushings sleeves that came out of my car were in very good shape. The sleeves on the tranny side, since it is the most exposed to the elements was pretty beat up.

Rubber bushings:

The bellcrank ones were not too bad really. However the tranny side rubber bushing tore itself part upon removal because it was pretty well aged (again, the one most exposed to the outside).  The big surprise was the shifter's rubber bushing, it was pretty worn and obviously contributed to a lot of sloppy side to side play that I had been driving with. (BTW: Mike also confirms similar findings on his car.) No doubt this was the link that was the sloppiest and mainly caused the mechanical clunking sounds. While the other three get just rotate in place, this one rotates at different angles because of the shift points, so it gets the roughest treatment.  

Picture shows old bushing and sleeves from the shifter rod end as they came out, and the new set installed.

Summary/Conclusion.

Thanks to Mike for posting this quick fix, and for reminding and motivating me to get it done.  This is truly a big bang for the buck job, in the upkeep of these cars.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As always, if you have a few minutes, be sure to check out the "Best of" postings

The 2012 Q2 Update of DeLorean DMC-12 sales on eBay is updated.

The 2012 Q2 Update of DeLorean DMC-12 sales on eBay is updated.  

The data of DeLorean DMC-12s sold on eBay for the last 68 months, up through the June of 2012, is now updated and summarized in graph and table format. 

For the direct link click here.   

I hope you continue to find this information interesting. 

Thanks.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you have a few minutes, be sure to check out the "Best of" postings. Thanks.

DMC-12’s Digital Clock: “It’s Alive!”

“It’s Alive!” 
That is what I said, channeling Victor Frankenstein, when my 30 year old DeLorean clock came back to life. I should explain.

If you haven’t seen my older blog about my search and ultimately a solution for a replacement digital center console clock, I’ll summarize it quickly: My car came in great working order from the previous owner, except, and I was told upfront, that the digital clock on the center console did not work.  I knew I was going to have the clock running again, it was only a matter of time (bwahhhah, unintended pun. Ahem.).

So options I investigated were:

• Find an new old OEM working one. Negative. All NOS clocks were long gone.
• Find a used one. Negative. Everyone holds on to their clocks and it’s not like there is something else to replace in that position. BTW: these same clocks are used on the Lotus Elise, but I believe with a  different end connector or wiring configuration.
• Make one. 

Negative. I’m too much of a perfectionist and not enough of an electrical engineer to do a good job.

• Find an alternative. OK, that is the course I pursued.

Alternative pursued: 
1) $5 stick up LCD clock.

Negative, too cheesy.

2) $10 modern-ish low power LCD clock.

No.....just not the right style.

3) Scouring the Internet, I found Dakota Digital offered a digital clock, just about the right size and display, but of course not a direct fit. A few emails and phone calls confirmed that they could build their clock into our removable center panel.   I chose this route and have been very happy with the results now for over two years.

More details here on the Dakota Digital Clock from my previous blog.

..wait, a new Alternative:
So that should end the story, except that  a few weeks ago on the DMCTalk forum, out of the blue, someone from Europe says they are working on a custom clock replacement, and then posted pictures.  Wow, my clock revival OCD kicked in again, and I contacted him for details so I could blog it.  So this is the longest introduction ever, to this new product:  Mr. Maurice Blom’s (most excellent) replacement digital console clock for the DeLorean.

First the Details:
For this alternative clock solution, you will need:

• Your original clock case, doesn't matter if the clock is working , or semi-working, you just need the case anyway as the actual internal digital clock is easily removed, and will be replaced with this option.
• If you don’t have case (with working clock or not), perhaps a “Wanted” posting may produce some candidates. I am sure there are quite a few sitting out there with dead clocks.

Features of Maurice's clock
• Replaces the original Printed Circuit Board (PCB) electronics of original clock, without any permanent modifications to your dash, center console, wiring, with a very modern design.
• Zero power consumption when ignition switch is off (has a long life rechargeable battery built in).
• Remains on time without external power source, car battery can be switched off.
• 12 (original) or 24 hour display formats.
• Display brightness is dimmed when parking/side lights or head/side lights are on as in original clock.
• Setting the time is identical to original clock, to small buttons on front.
• Available with green or blue digits.
• One year warranty.

Having just converted the car to nearly 100% LEDs, and benefiting from their low power dissipation, I was particularly interested in the zero power consumption aspect of it, when the car was off.

Clock arrives
The clock arrived a few weeks after ordering it.  I think it took much longer than typical because most likely a U.S. Homeland Security scan of the package probably generated a flag for further inspection – even though the package did not appear to be opened.

Contents:

1. Clock Module DMC-12 PCB
2. Replacement connector with colored tags
3. Two foam spacers
4. Two replacement push buttons
5. Instructions/installation manual  (well written, with pictures)
(Not included:  A clock case, as discussed above, you reuse your existing one, or obtain one.)


Bench Test
I have a small portable power supply, so I hooked it up on my kitchen table and turned on the power supply to feed the clock power, before installing it. To my absolute surprise, the clock lit up, out of the box, with the correct time.

I have pulled power many times before on the Dakota clock solution that I have been using (and the OEM clock would behave as well), only to have to reset the clock’s time, every time – not a big deal in the big scheme of things, just a minor nuisance.  But this new unit has a built in battery, which runs the clock when there is no power, so thus the time was correct, that is, not blinking 12:00 like the VCRs of days gone by, immediately after being powered.

In practice this means that:

• As the "Features" bullet point above indicates, this unit consumes Zero car battery power when the car is off.
• If you park your car for extended period of time and disconnect the car’s battery, when you reconnect it, the correct time will display on the clock.
• The clock's battery should last for many years, and is a commonly available replacement.

Detailed Pics
Below are some close ups of this new clock. You can see that this is very, very professionally engineered and manufactured.

Here is a side by side with the old clock, with ‘70’s technology LEDs, the front/clock side of the board.

…and the rear of the circuit boards. 

Dave McKeen explained to me that these old clocks operated the LED portion inside a vacuum, inside the glass case (mid to late 70's tech!).  A common failure is that the end seal of this glass case, being...well: glass, is very fragile and many broke, thus disabling the clock. Another common failure point for these old clocks are delaminated circuit boards, which lead to intermittent behavior and ultimately 100% failure.



Installation
Installation was very straight forward.  You basically snap off the cover from your OEM clock housing, cut the end connector off (or you could attempt to pull the pins from the OEM connector, and then pull the old clock out of the case.

You then essentially repeat the process in reverse (adding the provided internal spacers and reset buttons) but you now use the new clock PCB.

The clock module is then put back on the center console, and to complete the installation, you will most likely have to set the clock to your appropriate time zone (mine arrived with East cost time, which is the time zone where I reside).  Then you hook up the wires to the (also provided) new connector, and it’s done.  This all can be done in 10-15 minutes.


How does it look?
After I got through the coolness of the battery backed up time, is when I sat straight and saw that my 30 year old clock case was alive again with a working internal LED clock.  Curiously I never really noticed that the color of the Dakota one is more blue than the OEM green.  This green one actually matches the green illuminated 12V intercessory socket (aka: cigarette lighter) ring.

How cool. It felt like bringing something back from the dead (..well, I imagine, at least), thus the “It’s alive!” comment at the opening.


Price:
The price of the package is, for a display with:
• green digits: 179 Euro.
• blue digits: 199 Euro. (blue digit components are more expensive)
• Click on this link for a EU to USD converter.

These prices are exclusive shipping costs, and vary per the destination from the point of origin in Amsterdam.

There was some initial discussion on the forums that this was too expensive, but you really have to value what has been done here.  This is a custom engineered, modern, reliable, and direct fit replacement for a 30 year old component (and it includes new set pins and a connector), for a limited run car.

If you are looking to replace your clock because it went bad, or is on the way, or is intermittent, this is the perfect replacement.


If you'd like to order one, here is the contact information:
E-mail: mbdesigns@gmx.com
(Maurice Blom)


TIP: 
Would you like to roll with a DeLorean console clock even if you have a greater than 6000+ VIN?  DMC still sells the center/shifter console panels, with an opening for the clock.  In fact, at this writing they do not carry the non-clock version.  So that means that you could just buy a new center/shifter panel (sell your old one), remove the trim and rheostat from your current one and put them on the new one, then add your new clock (remember though, you'll still need at least an OEM clock case). Re-install the center/shifter panel, and viola tracking time like the 80's but with modern reliable LEDs.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As always, if you have a few minutes, be sure to check out the "Best of" postings

DeLoreans Sold on eBay: 2011 EOY Update

The 2011 EOY Update of DeLorean DMC-12 sales on eBay is updated.  

The data of DMC-12s sold for the last 62 months, up through the end of 2011, is now updated and summarized in graph and table format. 

For the direct link click here.   

I hope you continue to find this information interesting. 

Thanks.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you have a few minutes, be sure to check out the "Best of" postings. Thanks.

Going 100% LEDs on your car is a good idea, and more feasible than ever.

As of this month, 2109 is 100% LEDs.

Update (05/18/13):  Here is something I hope you will find handy, a comprehensive list of all the bulbs in our cars, their incandescent and LED substitutes.  Sample and link at the bottom of this posting.

This upgrade was done over time, sections at a time, and the final LEDs were the rear tail light ones that I put in this week. Now, when I state 100% LEDs, I mean every bulb socket in the car now has an LED bulb on it, with one mandatory exception (on the instrument cluster, discussed below), and of course the headlights (...for now).

Edit (09/11/11): A few of you have been kind of enough to send me some corrections to the Superbright part numbers. I've made the corrections below in italics. Thanks.

Below you will find a discussion primarily related to the maximum current draw that the battery will see by the battery, when the car is off and certain lights are turned (or accidentally left) on - and how to dramatically decrease that load with LEDs.  Additionally an LED conversion also assists to remove alternator load once the car is running, as some of those same bulbs and a few others come into play.

Finally in the last section of the write up below you will will find an extensive discussion of all the bulbs used on the car, and at least one example of its LED equivalent.

So onward.

PART I 

Wonder what the max possible battery current draw is, on a parked car?

I sure did and asked on DMCTalk.org what was the current draw when the light switch is clicked ON, at the first setting, for a stock all incandescent bulb-ed DeLorean.  This would be the reference point. 

To summarize, this setting would power and light up:

Tail lamps, Driving Lights: 2

Front Indicators: 2

License plate: 2

Door Lights: 4 (assumes both doors open)

Fender side driving lights: 4

Dome Lights:  2

Cig Lighter, illumination:  1

AC Panel, illumination: 7

Instrument cluster illumination: 5

No takers at the time on that request, but Dave McKeen from DM-Engineering did quickly respond with a calculated value. I added a few other bulbs to that number, to match the list above, and that is what I am basing my estimate on, as a reference.  The value: 6 Amps.

Even on a somewhat beefy 50-60 amp hour battery, that is for sure enough of a battery drain, to prevent a start up in a few hours. Remember that for start up, you need enough juice left for the fuel pump to prime, and for the battery sucking starter to crank the car.

100% LED Comparison

Method to test: Disconnect ground cable from battery. Connect ground cable to one of the multi-meter’s probe, the other probe to the battery. The meter in now in series with the current flow, and setting the meter to read current values, will make it display the resulting current draws. I trickle charged the battery overnight, in order to test with a fully charged battery. 

So with all incandescent bulbs replaced with LEDs, I proceeded to test out the current draw.  My base line readings were 12.62V and with a standby draw measured at 21mA; that is the current draw of the car sitting parked, doors shut, thus no lights on.  That’s a pretty small draw, the only things on at that point are the clock standby power, alarm/keyless receiver, door lock module.

Results?

Now to answer the main question, I clicked the light switch to the first position, and saw the reading go and stay at: 1.25 Amps

Yowza, recall that with incandescent bulbs it was calculated at 6 Amps, so going to LEDs was an 80% reduction in current draw, or 1/5th of the original load, on the battery.

It may actually may be more because this is based on a calculated draw. Oh, and I have some foot well LEDs installed by previous owner, so that's a little draw than a stock car would see.

Want to see more current drawn from the battery?

Just for yucks I went further , here are reading with progressive loads in sequential order.

0.02 A : Car parked, no lights on.

0.17 A : Open driver’s door: (LEDs on doors and two interior dome lights)

0.28 A : Above, open other door as well.

0.42 A : Above, plus engine bay light (also an LED)

1.25 A : Above, and light switch clicked on (All interior LEDs including instrument cluster and exterior driving lights)

8.05 A : Above, and headlights on (not testing LED effect now, just seeing battery loads)

>10 A : Above, plus high beam lights (Ha. Blew 10A fuse on multi-meter).

(Remember, this load is 100% drawn from the battery, the car is not yet turned on to allow the alternator to take over, as well as to recharge the battery.)

Practical values to this?

 Well, as i see it, the practical values of LEDs in cars in general, and to 100% LEDs, are:

1. Good way to check and maintain all your light sockets/connections

OK, not truly LED related, but this conversion project will have the benefit that you’ll go through and be able to inspect all your related sockets. I was lucky I only found one socket (front indicator) with some slight corrosion on it (lens was not tight). If you find something like this, depending on the size of the socket, a small file or even a wire brush on a Dremel at low settings would be a good idea.  Inspecting all the sockets like this, at the end of the conversion, all your sockets will be refreshed for continued service life.

2. Longer bulb life

Generally a good LED will be at 50% brightness from new for a very long time; however, this is a function of the type of  LEDs used, how they are packaged, and how they are used. You will not get a very long life out of a very very cheap LED bulb, and especially if you put in less that office room temperatures; there is a reason for the inexpensive ones, those are cranked out in bulk, and generally suffer shorter service lives.  Because I have had good luck for a few years now with thm, I recommend buying from a well established distributor like SuperbrightLEDscom.

Note also that generally the SMD (surface mounted device) LED bulbs that are composed of yellow-ish square chips on a small circuit board, are a higher quality LEDs, are brighter, but more expensive. If you can’t afford to go all SMD LEDs, then consider those at least for high usage applications (e.g., brake lights), or very bright requirement (e.g., engine bay), applications.

3. Larger selection of bulb colors

I’ve seen other owners play with different colors on the doors and the A/C panel and even the instrument cluster, with interesting and novel looks.  Note though, sometimes there is a slight up charge on colors. Also, to get away from the blue-ish white and a 'warmer' white, you'll generally have to move to the SMD LEDs.

4. Brighter light output selection

LEDs by default generate a very narrow dispersed light cone. LED bulb manufacturers compensate for this by putting a cluster of multiple LEDs together in different location (radially, top, sides) on one bulb, to both get more light output and better dispersion.  In my case I put a 19 light LED in the foot wells, and it is very bright at night and …well that’s the next point.  For certain applications, as in the tail lights, I’ve used 39 or 48 bulb LEDs.

5. Much less heat on the housings (applies more to dome lights)

The differences are very great in resulting surface temperatures of an incandescent versus an LED bulb. I measured the dome light in the engine with an LED bulb, and then with the incandescent version. On a 70 degree F day, an IR thermometer on the surfaces showed LED: 81 degrees F, Incandescent: 278 degrees F.   LEDs run much, much cooler.

I prevously documented this with pictures on a previous posting. Posting: "LEDs are cool."  After that little test, it quickly became evident why  I’ve seen pictures of the  engine bay’s plastic housing  deformed from the heat of the bulb. 

6. Better chance to recover from an accidental dome light left on overnight incident.

It happens, we leave an internal car light on overnight, and that one bulb can take a battery down, especially if the battery is not at full capacity or nearing its life.  With LED bulbs, the draw is much less, and you will probably be able to restart overnight on the same conditions.

7. ….and the bling effect:

How about, displaying your car at evening car shows with all the internal, engine bay, and external lights (excluding brake and driving headlights) on?  Surely possible and for several hours, with an LED approach.

PART II

Shopping List

If you are interested in converting some or all of your car’s accessory bulbs to modern LEDs, here is a breakdown of the replacement components, along with some pertinent notes. 

Going 100% will add up quick, and since this was not an urgent or “must” requirement, I wound up purchasing all the items over a few years, and installing them over that time.  The main supplier that I used below is Superbrightleds.com.  They changed part numbers a few years ago, and their website is not the easiest to navigate, but the following information will get you there with a few mouse click contributions on your part. Note that when you see an “X” in the part numbers below, this is replaced with the proper code, when you select on the site, for the color of the LED - they use multiple "X"'s for other options, Oh, one more thing about this vendor, they process and ship orders very promptly.

First Some Related Notes & Hardware

Does you car have any electrical issues with respect to lighting? Or, does your car experience large voltage fluctuations? If yours does, make sure you get that addressed first.  Most of these LEDs can go as low as 10VDC, but if your electrical system is known to go under that, then consider when you put in LEDs that if you have to replace them because your car's electrical system killed them, the replacement costs for some of these can be relatively high. With that said, as I've worked on my car, and have tuned the car to eliminate hunting and experienced the resulting high/low voltage swings in the process, I have yet to burn out any of the LEDs in the process.  So, just saying.

Flasher Unit/Relay: SuperbrightLEDs.COM, CF13GL-02 (Three pin, ground pin on left)

This part, the Hazard/Driving Indicator relay, is a requirement when you convert your front and rear indicator lights (amber ones) to LEDs. The stock relay from the 80’s doesn’t know how to handle the low load requirements of LEDs, so it actually will not make them turn on and off as fed by the turning signal or hazard warning button.  A modern replacement that is compatible with LEDs is required.  You can find these locally at auto parts store, just make sure it states that it is compatible with LEDs; or, you can add it to your shopping  list with Superbrightleds.com (it’s well priced there too).

Approximately : $10-$20 (look for them on eBay as well).
Here is a link to Superbrightleds unit: Flasher Relay for LEDs

Shown in picture above is the stock (left) relay, and the new LED compatible relay (right). Note when shopping around, #31/Ground is on the left, as shown.

Note: It happened to me, and happened to others as well. The connector on the harness where these plug into has become very fragile over time. The connector will most likely break apart, as you try to remove the original flasher unit.  Just make sure you remember or mark the correct pin to wire configuration when you put the new one in, on a damaged socket.  
Note 2: One small advantage to having the socket break up, is that you can now use the flasher units with the ground pin on either side - again, just make sure you are hooking them up correct.

Taillight Circuit boards

The second optional part of this upgrade, is the circuit board panel that hold the tail lamp lights. PJ Grady use to sell (still?) an upgraded, modern board that has over the years received many accolades.  My car came with this upgrade and all information presented here was done on these boards.  I can’t see why stock boards won’t work for this upgrade, but consider modernizing them if you can, older circuit boards especially if exposed to moisture tend to de-laminate internally and this creates random electrical glitches.

Qty: 2 (they are same for both sides).

PJ Grady

Approximately : $???  They aren’t listed anymore on his website.

DMCH: 101488

Approximately : $53 each.  DMCH Part #101488

Dome Light Dimmer

If you change your dome lights, you will loose the dimming feature that the incandescent lights have. This is accomplished by a special relay in the fuse/relay area. However,since it uses 80's technology it is not compatible with today's low power, low resistance, on or off states only, LEDs.  You have the option to just pull the relay (the white one) and have the LED lights either turn on or off as required, or there consider a direct modern replacement to keep the dimming functionality. DM Engineering designed and sells a solid state replacement relay, which works with either incandescent or LEDs.  I am running this module and it works great, it also has a parade feature, where the LEDs can be made to blink on and off.  I wrote a pre-review of it here: "Sneak Preview: Dome Light Module - A Modern Replacement and Upgrade"

Dimmer Module: Module at right, example of solid state circuitry that is inside, of left

Available from: DM Engineering

Approximately : Please contact him through his website, link above.

LED Kits

If you prefer buying in kits, I am aware of a few:

LEDs for DMC kit for doors and domelights.

Approximately : $20

Fender Side Lights in LED: eBay vendor: tcbtexas

Approximately : $20/for the set

If you wish to use a different vendor, or not buy the kits, I’ve listed the individual LED bulbs along with the stock incandescent bulb’s designation, as a reference. Note that there are sometimes multiple designations for the same incandescent bulb type.

Individual Bulb Types

Type: Automotive Bayonet Bulbs

Incandescent designations:  1156, BA15S, 1157, BA15D

One of the most common bulbs for automotive use. It's a bayonet mount, and it comes in either single (1156) or double post (1157) form, the latter (double post)  is only used in one location in our cars, the front blinker/indicator lights.

Tail lamps, Brakes:

Note 1: Ideally you want the brightest bulbs here, since they require the bulb's brightness to transmit through the rd lens, for daylight driving.  The SMD versions that I’ve put on definitely do the job, but again, are the most expensive bulb here; I chose to only go SMD on the brake lights, since those are used the most in both day and night driving.  For the rest of the lights I’ve used the regular multi-LED bulbs and today (in 2011) the prices of a 39 and even a 48 LED cluster bulb version, have very good daylight brightness, and are very reasonable in price.
Note 2: This is a great candidate for an LED replacement. Why? At idle, as in a stop light, take your foot off and then depress the brake pedal and watch the voltage gauge.  The brake lights draw a sufficient amount of power from the electrical system that you can watch the needle twitch when they are illuminated. When I went to LEDs the twitch in the gauge is barely noticeable.

Qty: 4

Incandescent: 1156

LED: SUPERBRIGHTLEDS.COM, 1156-R18-T, Red (These are SMD, and pricey, but they are the higher quality and this is an application that gets a lot of use. See discussion above on quality and usage.)

Approximately : $16/each

Cheaper alternative:  Red, GP Thunder GP1156-39R, eBay seller: premiertek_com

Approximately : $5/for a pair.

Here's a picture of the "GP Thunder" bulbs that I am referencing throughout. They are a very recent purchase, and while these are not the highest quality, they were cheap and are being used in low usage applications (reverse, blinkers), so we'll see how they do over time.  You can use the picture and specifications to try different brands.

Tail lamps, Driving Lights:

Qty: 2

Incandescent: 1156

LED: Red, GP Thunder GP1156-48R, eBay seller: premiertek_com

Approximately : $5/for a pair.

…if you do a lot of night time driving, these may be also a good candidate for the higher quality, more expensive ones identified above, for the brake lights.

Tail lamps, Reverse:

Qty: 2

Incandescent: 1156

LED: White, GP Thunder GP1156-48W, eBay seller: premiertek_com

Approximately : $5/for a pair.

Tail lamps, Indicator:

Qty: 2

Incandescent: 1156

LED:  Amber, GP Thunder GP1156-39A, eBay seller: premiertek_com

Approximately : $5/for a pair.

 Taillight assembly, with all incandescent from several years ago.

 Taillight assembly today, with all LEDs.

Front Indicators:

Qty: 2

Incandescent: 1157

LED: Amber, GP Thunder GP1157-18A, eBay seller: premiertek_com

Approximately : $5/for a pair.

Note: These are also a great candidate for an LED replacement. Why? Check the notes above about the brake lights.

Shown, LEDs installed in front indicator lights.

TYPE: FESTOON BULBS

Incandescent designation:  Festoon bulb, most are L=38mm, I believe the engine bay is L=44mm.

Note 1: Because of their application requirements (low heat and high brightness), I prefer the SMD version of the festoon LED bulbs; however I have provided alternatives below as non SMD verions.

Note 2: These are prime candidate for LED replacements, as the incandescent versions run very, very hot. 

Note 3: These “festoon” type bulbs are not always the exact length required, but the socket can contacts can be easily (and carefully) bent to adjust to the proper fit.

License plate:

Qty: 2

L=38mm

LED: SUPERBRIGHTLEDS.COM, 3610-X4 (I went with SMDs here because I wanted brightness and a more of an original color/warm white).  

Approximately : $3/each

Alternative: DMC SP11305 (or SP11304, not sure, please ask them if/when you order.)

Approximately : $3/each.

Bonnet:

Qty: 1

L=38mm

Alternative LED: SUPERBRIGHTLEDS.COM, 3710-XHP3 (I went with SMDs here because I wanted brightness and a Approximately : $8/each  There is an even brighter version (3710-XHP6), but I am not sure that it will fit (I'll updated here once I know otherwise.)

Alternative LED: SUPERBRIGHTLEDS.COM, 3610-X4: $3/each

Alternative LED: DMC SP11305 (or SP11304, not sure, please ask them if/when you order.)

Approximately : $3/each.

Above is the bonnet light pulled out for a bulb replacement, it comes out easily enough with a little pull on the edges. The picture also shows the difference between "Cool Blue" and "Warm White". The former gives a more modern look, the latter looks more authentic to the original look of an incandescent bulb.

Engine bay:

Qty: 1

L=44 mm

Incandescent: Festoon bulb

LED: SUPERBRIGHTLEDS.COM, 4210-XHP6  (I chose the warm white so “X” was “WW”).

Approximately : $15/each.  These are expensive but much brighter (has 6 SMDs) and higher quality than the alternative. 

Alternative LED: SUPERBRIGHTLEDS.COM, 39101-x6

Approximately : $2/each.

Alternative LED: DMC SP11304 (or SP11305, not sure, please ask them if/when you order.)

Approximately : $3/each.

Dome Lights:

Carefully pry the dome light housing around the edge, to bright it down to access the bulbs.

Qty 2

L=38 mm

LED: SUPERBRIGHTLEDS.COM,  3710-xHP3 ( for Front & Rear):

Approximately : $8/each These are expensive but much brighter and higher quality than the alternative.

Alternative LED: SUPERBRIGHTLEDS.COM, 3911-x6

Approximately : $2/each.

Alternative: DMC SP11304 (or SP11305, not sure, please ask them if/when you order.)

Approximately : $3/each.

TYPE: WEDGE BULBS

Incandescent designations: Wedge base, Miniature Lamp, 168, 194

Door Lights:

Qty: 6  (4 amber and 2 red)

I've not purchased these individually, but if I did, I'd lean towards this:

LED: SUPERBRIGHTLEDS.COM, WLED Miniature Wedge Base Bulbs, WLED-X5, 220 degree beam

Approximately : $3/each

However, others have listed that they've used these wider diameter ones:

LED: SUPERBRIGHTLEDS.COM, T13-X6

Alternative: DMCH LED Door Kit

https://www.delorean.com/store/images/PRODUCT/medium/K111532.jpg
Approximately : $15/set.

I previously posted a how-to on these: Posting: "Let LEDs light your wings."

Above are two pictures of the same door light. It's interesting to note that in BOTH pictures, there are LEDs behind the lens. The picture on top were the LEDs that came with the car, they were probably five years old and cost a lot, the bottom picture is the same lens, now with a modern $3.00 LED inside.  This really shows how the technology has evolved (brighter and cheaper).

Instrument Cluster:

Qty 15 (There are 16, but you do NOT replace the incandescent battery indicator bulb.)

Of the 15,  five are for panel illumination, the rest are gauge indicators, these could be in "Cool White" or "Warm White" or just go crazy with other colors.

LED: SUPERBRIGHTLEDS.COM, WLED Miniature Wedge Base Bulbs, WLED-X5, 220 degree beam

Note 1. The battery indicator bulb MUST remain incandescent or your car will not start – that is the way the car’s electrical system was designed, the bulb is part of the circuit.
Note 2. Others have experimented with colors here, I find that that “cool white” is a little too blue for my preferences with respect to the vintage of the car, so I went with the “warm white” version.   
Note 3. For the panel illumination, you need the LEDs to replicate the very wide light angle that an incandescent bulb has. This is because their sockets are at 90 degrees to the plane of the panel, and the light needs to fill in through the sides.  The 220 degree beam version LEDs, will accomplish this task.

Of the remaining 10, you will need to get 1 Blue, 1 Amber, 3 Green, 5 Red

LED: SUPERBRIGHTLEDS.COM, WLED Miniature Wedge Base Bulbs, WLED-X1, 90 degree beam
Approximately : $3/each
Note: You don't need a high angle beam for the indicators, since they mostly need the light from the LED to project straight ahead.

Here is a shot of my dash some years ago, with all incandescent bulbs.

This is what it looks like today, with all "white warm" LEDs. It is brighter and sharper with LEDs, but not too bright. I think the 220 degree beam angle really did the trick. I think that in the picture below, though, the LEDs looks more blue-ish than they really are. 

TYPE: Small Bayonet A7

Incandescent designation: 3898

AC Panel, illumination:

Qty 7

LED:  SUPERBRIGHTLEDS.COM, BA7s-X, color: “cool white”, 100 degree beam. Others have experimented with good results with red ones for the indicator (bottom three) lights.

Approximately : $1/each

Shown above, the AC panel, one of the indicator bulbs pulled out for reference.

TYPE: Small Bayonet A9

Incandescent designation: BA9, 1819, 1829

Fender side driving lights

Qty: 4 ( front: 2, amber; rear: 2, red)

LED: SUPERBRIGHTLEDS.COM, BA9S-x4-x-12V (Specify R for Red, A for Amber)

Approximately : $2/each

TYPE: WEDGE BULBS, Minis

Incandescent designations: Automotive Miniature Bulb, 17, 18, 37, 70, 73, 79, 85, 86

Light switch:

Qty 1

LED:  SUPERBRIGHTLEDS.COM, 74-X, color: “cool white”, 100 degree beam.

Approximately : $1/each

Hazard switch:

Qty 1

LED:  SUPERBRIGHTLEDS.COM, 74-X, color: “red”, 100 degree beam.

Approximately : $1/each

Cig Lighter:

Qty 1

LED: Superbright: 74-X  I went with green, 100 degree, not much illumination here, perhaps I'd go with white next time, or a more powerful bulb (as long as it is the same size).

Approximately : $1/each

TYPE: ODDBALL BULB

Incandescent: T10, threaded  (Edit 06/24/2013: To be more specific, if you are looking for this bulb in an incandescent version search the internet or eBay for "T10 flashlight bulb 12v".)

Glove box

Qty 1

EDIT: Sorry folks, either this bulb changed from when I bought it because now this is exclusively for 9V applications.  See below for updated recommendations.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

LED:  E10-WHP, an oddball not easy to find, has a screw in E10 type socket. Found in “other” section at SUPERBRIGHTLEDS.COM (http://www.superbrightleds.com/cgi-bin/store/commerce.cgi?product=OTHER )

Approximately : $10/each

The "oddball" a threaded T10 LED bulb.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Alternative:
Cory W. has identified a possible better and more inexpensive solution here: Alternative source for E10 LED

Also, I am finding that these are very popular in the scale model railroad applications. If you search ebay for "E10 LED" you will find many hits for this LED bulb, and even in different colors.  Just watch the volume above the threaded base, you don't want to exceed what is shown in the picture above.

Update July 20th, 2013:
I went into a lot more detail on a new blog entry, on the glove box and LEDs recommended above, details are here: The DeLorean's Glove Box and Lighting

In closing...

I’ve done to the best of my recollection and research, on my own time, to describe as accurately as possible the best fit choices, so don’t be upset if I may have made a mistake along the way and caused you to order something incorrectly. Please assume full responsibility on your order of LED bulbs, your best bet is to pull  out the replacement candidate first, and compare them against the picture on the website of your choosing. Doing so, you may also wish to experiment with bigger, brighter, different color, LED bulbs than specified above, just make sure that check the diameter and length for proper fit into the socket(s).

Hope this has been of value and is a future useful reference.  I must say that as a result of running all LEDs, I was very pleased with an 80% reduction to the battery, on a the first light switch press, as well as to see a minimal draw at the voltage gauge, while running at idle from the current draw of incandescent brake lights and signal indicators.

Good luck with your LED conversion.

Update, 1 month later:

So I've had 100% LEDs for over a month now, and driving every weekend with this mod.  I love that the volt gauge barely moves now when I apply brakes, and when my Son was down from college, he was very surprised at how bright the brake lights were in LEDs.

There are two things though that I should note:
The amber LED bulb cluster, make the rear turn signals a reddish-orange.  I think that white LED bulbs may have been better, yet they look great in front.
The new LED compatible flasher relay (as above, sourced from SuperBrightLEDs) makes the hazard and blinking function work perfectly with all LEDs, but note that it is much quieter than the stock unit (which will not make your LEDs blink). If you're playing the radio loud, or just revving the engine high, the click-click sound is not as prominent as on the original.


Update, 22 months later:
All still running well. Prices have come down even further, but the SMD type bulbs are still the better buy, so get those if you can.

As promised above, here is a comprehensive PDF document that lists of all the bulbs in our cars and their incandescent and LED substitutes.  Sample and link below. Enjoy.

Link to: DMC-12 Incandescent and LED Bulb Reference document

Update: July 2013

A fellow DeLorean owner, Alex A. (Vin 6575) just published a related blog, in which he shows a similar LED conversion on his car. Others have also done LED bulb conversions on their car, but I encourage you to visit his site, as he has a lot of installation pictures as very good references.

"Upgrading to LED Lights And Dealing With A Taillight Circuit Board Issue"

 

==================================================
If you have a few minutes, be sure to check out the "Best of" postings of this site. Thanks.