Use the form on the right to contact us.
You can edit the text in this area, and change where the contact form on the right submits to, by entering edit mode using the modes on the bottom right.
MA
USA
The DeLorean needs routine maintenance and the occasional, more significant refurbishing. Beyond that there are also a number of customizations and upgrades to improve performance, reliability and functionality.
Diagnosing ignition issues led me to replacing the original bulkhead connectors used for the EFI wiring with a single, modern weatherproof one. This included building a new mounting plate with appropriately-sized holes for both the new connector and two of the original connectors.
Read MoreFinally, the DMC is back on the road, even if only for a short test drive around the block.
Read MoreThis post chronicles a series of issues and the subsequent debugging and diagnosing of ignition and tuning while getting the car to idle, but I finally got it going and ready for its first drive.
Read MorePutting back together the interior as I get ready for my first EFI test drive.
Read MoreI swapped out the old radio with a new double-DIN unit with a touch screen and Apple CarPlay compatibility. This was a it tricky, since the center air vents are where the radio needs to be. I relocated them to the knee pad and wound up needing to build a new air distributor to get the radio to fit.
Read MoreAfter letting the engine site for a few days, I tried starting it and was greeted with a loud squeal and a slowly turning motor. The oil pump had failed, and the bearings needed to be replaced.
Read MoreEverything is pretty much done, so it's time to set up the initial MegaSquirt tune with TunerStudio. I also had to hook up some remaining cables, add fluids, fix a coolant leak, drain some bad gas, build some brackets and do a few other bits before I could finally turn the key.
Read MoreAfter waiting too long for a muffler, I decided to build my own using off-the-shelf parts, with minimal welding and no bending, with the end goal being to have as quiet of an exhaust as I could make... within the bounds of every aftermarket part being labeled "performance", that is. It came out pretty good, but I have yet to hear what it sounds like...
Read MoreRe-installing the engine cover, louvers and rear fascia.
Read MoreAdding a ground bus to the DeLorean's electrical system.
Read MoreBefore I could wire up Josh's harness into my car, I needed to understand it, as well as make a few modifications for the automatic transmission and my particular car's electronics. This meant creating a new wiring diagram, after which I could replace the old engine wiring with the new and move closer to getting it started.
Read MoreI'd installed some Dynamat before, but only in easily-accessible areas. With the electronics trays behind the seats removed for the EFI conversion, I had the opportunity to install Dynamat there as well.
Read MoreNow on to the electrical modifications. The spark plugs go in pretty easy, and the coil-on-plug system fits just like the spark plug boots normally would. Before I could go any further than that, I would have to remove the old engine ECUs and related wiring to get ready for the MegaSquirt installation.
Read MoreVacuum routing on the 3.0L engine is simpler than on the 2.8L engine. In part this is because I removed the charcoal canister, so I no longer have a vapor recovery system (although I may add one later). I needed to hook up four things: the climate control vacuum reservoir, the automatic transmission vacuum modulator, the brake booster, and the MegaSquirt MAP sensor.
Read MoreIn order to pull the old ECU wiring, I needed to get under the center arm rest. This isn't particularly hard; it's mostly an issue of finding all the bolts, disconnecting all the wires, and making sure to move the harnesses away from the sides of the armrest before lifting it out.
Read MoreThe door struts are really easy to replace, but I spent a surprising amount of time trying to get the clip into the bottom of the strut in until I finally rotated it to point away from the car. After that the top end went on pretty easy. If not for that bit of trouble, this would have taken just a few minutes.
Read MoreWith the bottom of the engine swapped out and the top of the engine cleaned up, it now had to go into the car. Overall this wasn't too complex, beyond the trick of getting the transmission aligned with its mounts. It went pretty smoothly all told.
Read MoreThe fuel system was fairly easy to install. After relocating the fuel filter to the engine bay, I put the new fuel injectors into the fuel rails and mounted them back on the intake manifold, and installed that back on the engine. I built two new stainless fuel lines with AN-6 connectors to run from the rails to the existing hardlines in the car.
Read MoreRight about the time I needed to figure out all the EFI hardware, Josh on DMCTalk.org just happened to be upgrading his 3.0L engine to an even larger one, and put all of his 3.0L conversion hardware up for sale. I bought everything that would aid in getting my 3.0L engine up and running.
Read MoreIn it's stock location, the DeLorean's fuel filter is not the easiest thing to get to, especially when rusted hardware is involved. I decided to relocate mine to the engine bay to make it easier to access, building new AN-style fuel hoses that would easily interface with my in-progress 3.0L EFI system. This also introduced me to rivnuts, a tool that makes it easy to add blind bolt holes.
Read More