The Fastest Delorean In The World

[AdamKontras]

It's time to announce a new project/documentary that I hope everyone will enjoy following. I've tried to contact every owner individually with some luck, but still waiting on quite a few. The mission statements explains it all and I can't wait to spotlight all the owners that have attempted high horse power engine swaps!

FastestDeloreanInTheWorld.com (http://FastestDeloreanInTheWorld.com)

Looking forward to your feedback and mostly? Whomever can tell me what Robert's last name is. 10 years ago he had a beautiful Lotus Swap and was featured on Tamir's site, but I cannot find any other info about him!!

Thanks in advance!

[Michael]

I can certainly understand the logic. If I had a catastrophic failure of the engine or transmission you can bet I would be looking at a engine swap for roughly the same cost.

[AdamKontras]

I can certainly understand the logic. If I had a catastrophic failure of the engine or transmission you can bet I would be looking at a engine swap for roughly the same cost.

Yeah I flirted with the idea for awhile since my brother builds performance engines, but until I was faced with a bill that size it made the choice a lot easier!


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[DMC-81]

Very cool! Good luck Adam! I'll be following the thread.....
:rollin:

[cravings]

http://www.eliseusa.com/rotary.htm

[AdamKontras]

http://www.eliseusa.com/rotary.htm

Awesome, is this your car? It says it was sold... do we have a VIN?

[DMCMW Dave]

Awesome, is this your car? It says it was sold... do we have a VIN?

I don't think that site has changed in close to 10 years.

[sdg3205]

What was the catastrophic failure? How did it happen?

[Andy]

Awesome, is this your car? It says it was sold... do we have a VIN?

The rotary-engined DeLorean is (was?) VIN#01537 .... Is this car still around?

[AdamKontras]

What was the catastrophic failure? How did it happen?

I have an automatic and the governor had apparently been going bad for over a year. So it would often start in the wrong gear but unfortunately I was so busy in 2015 and 2016 I couldn't afford the downtime of having it in a shop. My motto was "if it gets me to the gig, I'll live with it." Of course, that wasn't the wisest choice, but the money I was making offset the money I was losing from the transmission eventually failing. My last gig with the car was 12/10 and I could actually hear metal on metal. As you can see from the video however, I could actually go forward, it simply feels like it's sitting in 3rd gear (the highest gear for an automatic) forever.

Now there is a possibility that I could've taken this to DMC and a few clutch pads and it would've been fine... but since my brother builds performance engines for a living it felt like the appropriate time to jump. We will take everything apart and check it out. We'll be selling the parts (everything else really ran great it only has 21,000 miles I believe) and try and recoup some of the costs of this swap. Gonna be an interesting journey.

[Iznodmad]

Your auto trans problem likely came down to roughly a $300 fix. It is well known the original auto trans computer governor fails. If one replaces the governor, all is well. Driving one that is failing is a death sentence to the trans. Too late now of course.

[AdamKontras]

Your auto trans problem likely came down to roughly a $300 fix. It is well known the original auto trans computer governor fails. If one replaces the governor, all is well. Driving one that is failing is a death sentence to the trans. Too late now of course.

Yeah, had I replaced the governor immediately it would've been $400. I know that now. Run it for a full 18 months? Bye-bye transmission. ;-)

But I had a pretty good 2015/2016. And now this is super-exciting... so YAY.

[cravings]

i have no delorean, so the rotary one is absolutely not mine.

just thought i'd draw your attention to an engine swap you may not have known about.

[AdamKontras]

Alright! Lots of updates:

Spoke with Tamir and he thinks he can get Robert on-board as he's the most legitimate heir to the "Fastest Delorean in the World" throne currently held by Nicholas Roedl. Need some more info and hopefully he's had a dyno read. That lotus engine is extremely powerful and expensive even for 2005.

As well, we now have 4 videos up in the Documentary section of our site (Documentary (http://fastestdeloreanintheworld.com/doc.html)) that should set the scene for how nerve-wracking this entire thing is. Episode 5 will be spotlighting another owner while we gut the Delorean. We're looking to have this complete by the end of February.

And as always - please reply with any info you may have on other engine swaps. Presently trying to find the name of DMCTALK user: wafflemaster as he owns the infamous "World's Fastest Delorean" Buick Grand National that broke down on "Tuned" a few years back. It's being restored and should absolutely be a contender although the quoted 575 HP was shown to be untrue.

Thanks! Hope you guys enjoy the episodes!

[Dangermouse]

What's your definition of "fastest" going to be? Top speed? 0-60? Quarter mile? Track lap?

[AdamKontras]

What's your definition of "fastest" going to be? Top speed? 0-60? Quarter mile? Track lap?

All of that's covered in the "Contenders" and "Guidelines" section of the site (http://fastestdeloreanintheworld.com).

At the moment, since there's only one car that's ever even attempted a 1/4 mile time, it's pretty hard to make that the determiner. Dyno reads + 1/4 mile times are obviously the best determiner but that's asking a LOT of expense on the owner's part and that's why I'm starting this site: to give some incentive for everyone to beef up their cars and get some video of these bad boys! If this gets big enough I'm hoping we can get shops to offer free dynos for exposure as well as track time. This is the verrrrrrrrrrrry start of what I hope will be a lot more interest in determining this.

[cravings]

and you know this one...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYCGKBHSQHo

[Dangermouse]

All of that's covered in the "Contenders" and "Guidelines" section of the site (http://fastestdeloreanintheworld.com).


so, somewhat speculatory then? :hihi2:

[AdamKontras]

so, somewhat speculatory then? :hihi2:

As of the first week of this site? Unfortunately, yes. But if this gets attention and we can get shops to give free dynos for the exposure and even track time, we can make more definites. We have 4 owners who have taken the time and expense of videotaping their dynos, so it's a great start.

I will be personally going to the expense of providing videos of the dynos and 1/4 mile track times to hopefully set the bar.


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[AdamKontras]

I have. I like the flames! Still trying to figure out how to spotlight creative mods like this if they don't get over 300hp. Maybe a section just for modifications to the PRV motor. I know several people have interest in sub-categories beyond "Fastest Delorean".
and you know this one...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYCGKBHSQHo

[mr_maxime]

There is also the rotary delorean http://www.eliseusa.com/rotary.htm

[Andy]

There is also the rotary delorean http://www.eliseusa.com/rotary.htm

Anybody knows what happened with this one? The website says 'sold' (15 years ago!), but the car seems to be 'disappeared' ....

[AdamKontras]

So good news and bad news... my builder just let me know that it was a $15 and 3 hours of work to fix the transmission thanks to some cables that had been melted overtime laying on an exhaust. So every part of this project was unnecessary.

<BLINK. BLINK>


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9QFbHiBoJc

The good part of this is the, well, I will have a perfectly functioning drive train with only 21k miles on it for sale in a bit. So I will try and take that as a positive, but needless to say I'm a little stunned at this development.

Feel free to check out all 5 episodes of our little documentary (http://http://fastestdeloreanintheworld.com/doc.html) if you haven't yet...

[DMCMW Dave]

Your builder might not have seen it with the trans in the car, but any DMC-experienced shop would have caught that after the first test drive. It's not all that unusual, and not at all invisible from under the car. The symptoms were typical of a bad governor and the burnt wiring would have been seen in the process of repairing the governor.

[AdamKontras]

Your builder might not have seen it with the trans in the car, but any DMC-experienced shop would have caught that after the first test drive. It's not all that unusual, and not at all invisible from under the car. The symptoms were typical of a bad governor and the burnt wiring would have been seen in the process of repairing the governor.

It was sent to him because he builds high performance racing motors for a living. Him diagnosing the issue is just icing on the cake. Happy to have more valuable parts to sell!

[Henrik]

So every part of this project was unnecessary.

I hope you are not saying that the only reason you are doing the engine swap is because the tranny didn't shift right. I personally pulled a Stage 1 engine and auto tranny that were both in as-new condition, but none of that mattered knowing what was going in instead.

[AdamKontras]

I hope you are not saying that the only reason you are doing the engine swap is because the tranny didn't shift right. I personally pulled a Stage 1 engine and auto tranny that were both in as-new condition, but none of that mattered knowing what was going in instead.

My transmission issues were absolutely the only reason I was doing this. It's a business for me and as long as the car got to my gigs, I was happy with it. Only once I thought I was staring at a massive bill did I ever consider an engine swap this expensive and toyed with the idea of making the fastest in the world. So yes, knowing it wasn't necessary and the transmission was fine was absolutely was a kick in the head. However - I'm already in! I'm excited and as of January 3rd, it was happening no matter what - so in the end that discovery just made me more money reselling parts.

[Nicholas R]

My transmission issues were absolutely the only reason I was doing this. It's a business for me and as long as the car got to my gigs, I was happy with it. Only once I thought I was staring at a massive bill did I ever consider an engine swap this expensive and toyed with the idea of making the fastest in the world. So yes, knowing it wasn't necessary and the transmission was fine was absolutely was a kick in the head. However - I'm already in! I'm excited and as of January 3rd, it was happening no matter what - so in the end that discovery just made me more money reselling parts.

Do you have a project timeline in mind? I only ask because these builds usually take quite a while and often have a lot of unexpected challenges that push the timeline. With your car being your business, how long are you okay with it being out of commission?

My own car was probably one of the shorter timelines being a little over 4 months from bare-bone engine removal to engine start, but that doesn't include any of the time spent on numerous (necessary) upgrades I've made since (exhaust, intake, cooling system, AC, performance upgrades, transmission upgrades, etc.) which has been years. I did also have about 5 months of planning ahead of time though doing research and locating parts before I ever actually started in on my car. Plus I was fortunate enough to be a full time student able to commit about 80 hours a week to the project.

I'm definitely not saying it's not possible to do on a short timeline, there's just a lot to consider and account for.

Also, to build on what Henrik said, be sure this is really what you want knowing that you could still have a reliable driving car with the standard drivetrain. Once you heavily customize it, you're pretty much stuck with the car, haha. You wont find many shops to work on a standard DeLorean, let alone one that's been heavily modified. Like Henrik, my car was beautiful before the swap. I took a car that was reliable enough for me to drive between Ohio and Florida multiple times, and pulled the engine and transmission. The swap was completely unnecessary, but I was sure it was what I wanted, and totally okay with not being able to take it to a mechanic for repairs from now on. I think Josh S was the same way. Heck, he had already performed one engine swap on his car, then decided to do another!

Either way, best of luck! :thumbup:

[AdamKontras]

Do you have a project timeline in mind? I only ask because these builds usually take quite a while and often have a lot of unexpected challenges that push the timeline. With your car being your business, how long are you okay with it being out of commission?

It's already booked in the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Columbus, Ohio 3/17! My brother is devoting everything to it. I'm flying out in mid-February to help for a few days - we should have it running by then - and then spend several weeks testing/tweaking etc.


My own car was probably one of the shorter timelines being a little over 4 months from bare-bone engine removal to engine start, but that doesn't include any of the time spent on numerous (necessary) upgrades I've made since (exhaust, intake, cooling system, AC, performance upgrades, transmission upgrades, etc.) which has been years. I did also have about 5 months of planning ahead of time though doing research and locating parts before I ever actually started in on my car. Plus I was fortunate enough to be a full time student able to commit about 80 hours a week to the project.

Money certainly solves a lot of these delays - I've given my brother a nearly open wallet. We've bought almost every single part in a 3 week period and he has already completely gutted it and is starting to install the transmission. He should have every part by February 1st. Thankfully, this is what he does for a living. His turnaround times are pretty remarkable if you don't delay with client communications and you're not completely restricted by cost.


I'm definitely not saying it's not possible to do on a short timeline, there's just a lot to consider and account for.

My spreadsheet so far agrees with you. I am beyond stunned at the amount of odds and ends that go into doing this. My brother will send me links of parts to buy and ship to him and it's $279 here, $549 here, $749 here... You sir, know full well how ridiculous it becomes. Thankfully he is a great fabricator and has access to an incredible shop. Saves a bunch of time and inevitably (though it doesn't feel like it right now) money.


Also, to build on what Henrik said, be sure this is really what you want knowing that you could still have a reliable driving car with the standard drivetrain. Once you heavily customize it, you're pretty much stuck with the car, haha. You wont find many shops to work on a standard DeLorean, let alone one that's been heavily modified.

On January 3rd, I spent my first $10,000 and there was no looking back. The original transmission (even working) was never feasible in our minds with a 600hp engine. That's just too much. The porsche transmission we ended up using is rated for 750-800hp which will future-proof anything we might attempt to do later when someone is able to make it theirs even faster. As for working on the car, a huge priority for this project from my perspective was having a car I could work on myself with mostly GM parts that were easily accessible. I did some work on my Delorean (fuel pump, odds and ends) and enjoy it. We're setting this up so I will be able to do the maintenance and work myself. Anything past my low pay-grade I'll have him come out to LA and work on.


Like Henrik, my car was beautiful before the swap. I took a car that was reliable enough for me to drive between Ohio and Florida multiple times, and pulled the engine and transmission. The swap was completely unnecessary, but I was sure it was what I wanted, and totally okay with not being able to take it to a mechanic for repairs from now on. I think Josh S was the same way. Heck, he had already performed one engine swap on his car, then decided to do another!

Either way, best of luck! :thumbup:

I scoured your site SO MUCH before this and it was a great inspiration on how we decided to go forward. You have the highest recorded horsepower by far and your fabrication work is gorgeous. It's clearly a labor of love for you and I can't wait to meet some day and swap stories!

Oh and I meant to ask - have you ever considered trying to record a 1/4 mile time? I think your car is presently out of commission, but I think you'd have a pretty fair chance at eclipsing the Schmucker's 12.66 time.

[Nicholas R]

I scoured your site SO MUCH before this and it was a great inspiration on how we decided to go forward. You have the highest recorded horsepower by far and your fabrication work is gorgeous. It's clearly a labor of love for you and I can't wait to meet some day and swap stories!

Oh and I meant to ask - have you ever considered trying to record a 1/4 mile time? I think your car is presently out of commission, but I think you'd have a pretty fair chance at eclipsing the Schmucker's 12.66 time.

Glad you've enjoyed it!

I haven't run a 1/4 mile on it (on a track at least). Not for any good reason other than that I've just never made my way to a drag strip to do some runs.

Also it's not out of commission, I drive it 1-2 days a week! (though it has seen less road time the last couple months as I've gotten my Opel GT on the road.) I just recently installed a lift so I've been taking the opportunity to clean the undercarriage.
48558

[AdamKontras]

Glad you've enjoyed it!

I haven't run a 1/4 mile on it (on a track at least). Not for any good reason other than that I've just never made my way to a drag strip to do some runs.

Also it's not out of commission, I drive it 1-2 days a week! (though it has seen less road time the last couple months as I've gotten my Opel GT on the road.) I just recently installed a lift so I've been taking the opportunity to clean the undercarriage.
48558

Man that's awesome. What I wouldn't give to have that type of space! And sorry - I thought you were rebuilding your transmission again, but maybe that's Josh. I get your swaps confused every once and awhile...

I'm hoping through this site we're going to get enough exposure that we can pull off some pro-bono 1/4 mile runs and dyno pulls in return for giving the tracks/shops some exposure. Not every day they see a Delorean at the track. ;-)

[Chris Burns]

Nicks LS1 Delorean is pretty freaking fast with 475hp when I drove it two years ago.

I imagine this build will create a really stupid fast car.

Good luck with the build and I am following ya on You Tube!

[AdamKontras]

Episode 6 is up! Thought we'd lay down the guidelines and metrics for declaring "Fastest Delorean in the World". As you'll see, it's pretty much common sense, but it's good to make it clear. Hopefully we can inspire the "Swappers" to get their cars tested and even have a race or two!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_91XZ5XBZwE

Look forward to your thoughts!

[FABombjoy]

IMHO 1/4 mile MPH is a better judge of power than time.

You can have very consistent MPH with varying times. Times are affected by track conditions, tire choice, willingness-to-flog, clutch condition, chassis setup, etc., and generally the fastest times are all about the 60'.

I plan on going to a T&T down the road but will only be looking at MPH. I might dial in 2-step to find the best launching RPM but dont see the benefit of hard launches just to squeak out the best times. Too much risk for too little reward.

[AdamKontras]

IMHO 1/4 mile MPH is a better judge of power than time.

You can have very consistent MPH with varying times. Times are affected by track conditions, tire choice, willingness-to-flog, clutch condition, chassis setup, etc., and generally the fastest times are all about the 60'.

I plan on going to a T&T down the road but will only be looking at MPH. I might dial in 2-step to find the best launching RPM but dont see the benefit of hard launches just to squeak out the best times. Too much risk for too little reward.

So you think the 0-60 speed is a better judge of "Fastest" than Top speed or 1/4 mile time? I would presume you'd have the same "hard launch" issue trying to get to 60mph as fast as possible as you would trying to get to 1/4 mile as soon as possible... We're only talking about a few seconds in each case...

[FABombjoy]

No, I'm talking about the 1/4 mile trap speed.

By 60 I mean the 60-foot time which is what will make or break your 1/4 mile time, or your differential, clutch, pressure plate, driveshafts, etc :D

[AdamKontras]

No, I'm talking about the 1/4 mile trap speed.

By 60 I mean the 60-foot time which is what will make or break your 1/4 mile time, or your differential, clutch, pressure plate, driveshafts, etc :D

AHHHHH. Now I get it. However you could totally screw up your launch and still get the same top speed at the 1/4 mile no? Just depends on where your power is. That's why the time seems to be a better determiner in the end...

The truth is - this will be a GREAT problem to argue because that means more than one person will have done it. ;). They give you all of those times when you run the 1/4 mile anyway - so we'll see if we find any differences. I have a feeling anyone who can beat 12.66 will have beaten the other metrics too...

[Andy]

Anybody knows what happened with this one? The website says 'sold' (15 years ago!), but the car seems to be 'disappeared' ....

Nobody has an idea? I'm just curious ...

[DMCMW Dave]

Nobody has an idea? I'm just curious ...

Nope, just fell off the edge of the earth. I've been sort-of looking for it for years and never even hear stories about it. My guess? It was sold to someone, broke almost immediately, they owner couldn't figure it out nor find anyone to work on it, and it is rotting away in someone's backyard. I suppose it could have been converted back to stock by now, but it also had a pretty unique Mazda Cosmo dashboard (the whole thing!) in it that would have been fun to convert back.

[AdamKontras]

Nope, just fell off the edge of the earth. I've been sort-of looking for it for years and never even hear stories about it. My guess? It was sold to someone, broke almost immediately, they owner couldn't figure it out nor find anyone to work on it, and it is rotting away in someone's backyard. I suppose it could have been converted back to stock by now, but it also had a pretty unique Mazda Cosmo dashboard (the whole thing!) in it that would have been fun to convert back.

Yeah, I have to believe if it was running at all we'd have heard about it sometime in the past 15 years. Dave is right - it's in someone's garage or backyard as a "project". It'll pop-up one of these years on the boards when the guy needs help making it run!

[Timebender]

Once you heavily customize it, you're pretty much stuck with the car, haha. You wont find many shops to work on a standard DeLorean, let alone one that's been heavily modified.
Amen to that! I bought mine already modified with the Chevy 350 from an early 80's Vette - and it's a good thing I had a lot of practice on my son's 70 Camaro getting it running right, upgrades, etc (it's not hard to work on, and actually it's probably an easier engine to work with than the stock DeLorean engine). Anything I can't do I'm lucky enough the shop near my house has a couple mechanics that build hot rods and restore muscle cars. But it's mostly me that has to do the work, and fortunately I'm pretty mechanically inclined to do so.

[AdamKontras]

Just a little fire...

Whew.

So while cutting the notch out for the transition from automatic to manual, Kenny started a grease fire in under the Delorean. I guarantee you've never seen an adult dive THROUGH a time-machine modded Delorean like this before. Enjoy...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dHOXKAMpjA

[AdamKontras]

Been awhile since I updated you guys - but the engine is now officially swapped! I flew out to Ohio for a pretty intense 3-day weekend to help out and got tons of great footage...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OChHqK3VuOs

[DMC-81]

Holy cow! In 3 days!!:notworthy:

49126

Looking awesome!

[Will F.]

This is going well, but there has to of been a better way to set that transmission, or better adapter so the engine sat back enough to breath. lol Cool build either way. Wish the videos were longer and a bit more detailed. I love watching builds like this

I'm on the fence with my swap. On one hand I have a perfectly running PVR engine. The other I have full drawings to mate an LS to the stock UN1 trans. Or my Favorite a VW 1.8T engine with flipped 5 speed gear box. The 1.8T could easily produce over 300hp and the weight is far less than even the aluminium LS engines.

[AdamKontras]

This is going well, but there has to of been a better way to set that transmission, or better adapter so the engine sat back enough to breath. lol Cool build either way. Wish the videos were longer and a bit more detailed. I love watching builds like this

I'm on the fence with my swap. On one hand I have a perfectly running PVR engine. The other I have full drawings to mate an LS to the stock UN1 trans. Or my Favorite a VW 1.8T engine with flipped 5 speed gear box. The 1.8T could easily produce over 300hp and the weight is far less than even the aluminium LS engines.

I gotta get a pic from the underside to show you guys the line-up of everything. We could've gone back with the transmission about 2 inches, but it would've required shortening the shift linkage somehow and it would've put an EXTREME angle on the axels. It's the issue with switching the transmission. If we weren't attempting 600HP this wouldn't be an issue. If you stick with the stock transmission you should be fine.

Weight wise, just judging from the wheels when we lower the thing we seem to have somehow saved a LOT. I guess that PRV was more of a beast than we realized.

Days 2 and 3 coming up shortly...

[Will F.]

The PVR is a beast! the fuel system is prob equivalent to at least 2 additional cylinders alone. Cant beet the power output of an ls for the weight of it. They are truly remarkable engines.

Will

[Nicholas R]

Weight wise, just judging from the wheels when we lower the thing we seem to have somehow saved a LOT. I guess that PRV was more of a beast than we realized.


The PRV is a surprisingly chunky engine. When I had both engines out of the car, I weighed them both while they were out the LS1 was only about 115lbs heavier. It sounds like a lot, but isnt really when you consider that you're literally doubling (more than doubling in your case) the displacement of the engine. The difference in the power to weight ratio is crazy. You probably also saved weight with the transmission. That automatic transmission weighs so much, especially compared to the (stock) manual. At the end of my swap, The total curb weight of my car had only increased almost exactly 100lbs (as measured with 4 wheel scales). So many people kept assuming it would be like 500lbs... crazy talk. Keep up the good work! :wrenchin:

[AdamKontras]

Day 2 of our 3-day marathon... I have a new appreciation for exhaust pipes now. What beautiful piece of work this was... hope you guys enjoy it as much as I did.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wm3GZyLP3Ss

[AdamKontras]

http://fastestdeloreanintheworld.com/doc.html

We have liftoff!!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nn3HDl6FzeU

[Chris 16409]

This car is awesome. My only question is, how will you get it to comply with CA emissions? The state is awful about modifications.

[AdamKontras]

This car is awesome. My only question is, how will you get it to comply with CA emissions? The state is awful about modifications.

The state isn't actually as bad as you think. They see this as a 1981 car. It has to meet a different set of standards because it's 35 years old. We have two mufflers and two catalytic converters - it will honestly run FAR cleaner than the original PRV engine...

[Nicholas R]

The state isn't actually as bad as you think. They see this as a 1981 car. It has to meet a different set of standards because it's 35 years old. We have two mufflers and two catalytic converters - it will honestly run FAR cleaner than the original PRV engine...

This is good to know. I've considered job opportunities on the west coast before but was never sure what would become of my car. Hopefully a rework of the exhaust to include catalytic converters is all that would be required. :thumbup:

[Nicholas R]

http://fastestdeloreanintheworld.com/doc.html

We have liftoff!!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nn3HDl6FzeU

Congratulations!!! This is awesome! You'll never forget the first time you heard it; glad you got it on video!! :thumbup: I cannot wait to see your face when you drive it!!

Hearing it fire up gave me chills! I drove a different car to work today and am thinking I need to run home at lunch and swap cars, haha! :burnout:

[Timebender]

The state isn't actually as bad as you think. They see this as a 1981 car. It has to meet a different set of standards because it's 35 years old. We have two mufflers and two catalytic converters - it will honestly run FAR cleaner than the original PRV engine...

You might want to double check that first. Being it's a 35 year old car or 5 year old car doesn't matter, except they see a 35 year old car having more stringent smog requirements. Add that now a visual inspection is also part of the check - anything that looks off will be an automatic fail. Any car in California from 1975 and earlier is smog exempt. And in certain areas, you don't have to smog based on population (like Potrero, Campo, and other areas where the population is less than 100). But I can't smog my car, which has the 350 from an early 80's Vette. Now granted, it doesn't have any smog equipment on it and is carbed. But I was told simply because it's not the stock engine, it can't be smogged. And thus why I have it registered in South Dakota, and I don't even have to be a resident or have a PO Box there - they just want our money. And it's a lot cheaper to register there as well.

Nick - as long as your family is in Florida or some other state, you can keep your car registered there, probably for a lot less than in California, and never have to worry about having to get a smog check. Ever.

Oh, and from what my local shop told me, they and other shops are getting rid of their older smog test equipment, so now most everything will have to have an OBDII port to even do a smog check.

[Timebender]

This is good to know. I've considered job opportunities on the west coast before but was never sure what would become of my car. Hopefully a rework of the exhaust to include catalytic converters is all that would be required. :thumbup:

Or not- just keep it registered in some other state - either Florida or your home state, and you won't have to make any changes at all. Ever.

[AdamKontras]

You might want to double check that first. Being it's a 35 year old car or 5 year old car doesn't matter, except they see a 35 year old car having more stringent smog requirements. Add that now a visual inspection is also part of the check - anything that looks off will be an automatic fail. Any car in California from 1975 and earlier is smog exempt. And in certain areas, you don't have to smog based on population (like Potrero, Campo, and other areas where the population is less than 100). But I can't smog my car, which has the 350 from an early 80's Vette. Now granted, it doesn't have any smog equipment on it and is carbed. But I was told simply because it's not the stock engine, it can't be smogged. And thus why I have it registered in South Dakota, and I don't even have to be a resident or have a PO Box there - they just want our money. And it's a lot cheaper to register there as well.

Nick - as long as your family is in Florida or some other state, you can keep your car registered there, probably for a lot less than in California, and never have to worry about having to get a smog check. Ever.

Oh, and from what my local shop told me, they and other shops are getting rid of their older smog test equipment, so now most everything will have to have an OBDII port to even do a smog check.

How would you register an antique car, then?

[AdamKontras]

https://www.yourmechanic.com/article/the-guide-to-legal-car-modifications-in-california-by-valerie-mellema

With two mufflers and two catalytic converters I'm not seeing how this could possibly not pass... we've gone pretty above and beyond to follow the laws here. In fact it pissed my brother off because it hurts the horsepower but we knew we had to do it.

And people modify cars and do engine swaps all the time here and still get smog checks. !?!?

[Chris 16409]

California is terrible when it comes to smog check. The car could put out water vapor and they would still fail it because it's not original. Find a shop that doesn't care about the visual. In my opinion if it passes the numbers it should be good, but not in CA.

[Timebender]

How would you register an antique car, then?

I just have my car registered in South Dakota. I guess you could register yours as an antique here in California, but I don't know if it's old enough yet.

[Timebender]

https://www.yourmechanic.com/article/the-guide-to-legal-car-modifications-in-california-by-valerie-mellema

With two mufflers and two catalytic converters I'm not seeing how this could possibly not pass... we've gone pretty above and beyond to follow the laws here. In fact it pissed my brother off because it hurts the horsepower but we knew we had to do it.

And people modify cars and do engine swaps all the time here and still get smog checks. !?!?

Well, not legally. There are shops that will do a smog for a special fee (read LOTS of money), and pass it. But those are becoming less and less. I was going to get a DeLorean previous to the one I have now and put in a TDI, however it still wouldn't have passed since it wasn't original equipment in the car.

[vwdmc16]

https://www.yourmechanic.com/article/the-guide-to-legal-car-modifications-in-california-by-valerie-mellema

With two mufflers and two catalytic converters I'm not seeing how this could possibly not pass... we've gone pretty above and beyond to follow the laws here. In fact it pissed my brother off because it hurts the horsepower but we knew we had to do it.

And people modify cars and do engine swaps all the time here and still get smog checks. !?!?


HA, if you think you will have any chance in being smog legal with this engine as it is, you really have done no homework. I dont see one CARB legal part on the top of that engine. Just to name off some of the infractions Ispotted from that last thumbnail: aftermarket heads, that sexy intake, air ductingx fuel pressure regulator.....

CA. wont pass a stock PRV with tubular headers.

Please do some research and call some smog shops. That said for the right price it can all be overlooked by a shady smog tech, but that will be a biannual issue.

[vwdmc16]

I just have my car registered in South Dakota. I guess you could register yours as an antique here in California, but I don't know if it's old enough yet.



Remember the CHP is also cracking down on people registering vehicles in other states but still live here. That is actually a misdemeanor fine. Now you can register the car as an antique collectible, however it must have collector insurance. And there's a mileage cap that you cannot exceed every year. But yes you do not need to smog in that situation however it is extremely restrictive and I doubt it will work with all the traveling you would do for this vehicle since it is part of your company which travels around.

[Timebender]

Remember the CHP is also cracking down on people registering vehicles in other states but still live here. That is actually a misdemeanor fine. Now you can register the car as an antique collectible, however it must have collector insurance. And there's a mileage cap that you cannot exceed every year. But yes you do not need to smog in that situation however it is extremely restrictive and I doubt it will work with all the traveling you would do for this vehicle since it is part of your company which travels around.

Yeah I don't travel around much and events are every so often, unlike Adam's. Also, to get an antique designation in California, your car has to be at least 39 years old. Even an 81 isn't that old.

[Chris 16409]

Yeah I don't travel around much and events are every so often, unlike Adam's. Also, to get an antique designation in California, your car has to be at least 39 years old. Even an 81 isn't that old.

Do you care to comment on the process to get South Dakota registration? Thanks

[AdamKontras]

Wow I just realized I didn't show you guys the video of the car actually RUNNING and driving....


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCx8DtjiUno

And on the smog stuff... I will be legal since my business depends on it. Just a matter of doing my research as Chris so kindly put it.

:cheers:

[Timebender]

Do you care to comment on the process to get South Dakota registration? Thanks

Sure. At first when I bought the car, it was already registered in SD due to the owner planning on moving there someday, so I was afraid I was not going to be able to get it registered at all - there or here in San Diego.

But first, I had to change the title, as the title didn't match the VIN- there was a 180 in the title, and the VIN was 1BD... so for $15 bucks they changed the title and put it in my name.
Then I asked if I could register it and they said "Sure", and I didn't need to be a resident. I did have to pay sales tax on it (as I had not, anywhere, yet), submitted a form, and within about a month had my new plates and registration tags.
I had asked if I could do that with any of my other cars and they said I could.

If you go to the South Dakota DMV site, go here and get this form:
https://www.state.sd.us/eforms/secure/eforms/E0864V20-SDApplicationForMotorVehicleTitle&Registration.pdf

Fill it out and send to Nancy Coit: [email protected] and she'll let you know what it will cost to title and register the car. Then you send off a check to her attention, and within a few weeks you'll have your title and plates.

Greg

[DMC-81]

Hey Adam, I saw that you had a problem with the new engine (a valve or something?). :(

I hope you are able to get it resolved soon enough. It was sounding really awesome in the clip above.

[AdamKontras]

Hey Adam, I saw that you had a problem with the new engine (a valve or something?). :(

I hope you are able to get it resolved soon enough. It was sounding really awesome in the clip above.

Things have been moving so fast with the documentary I didn't want to keep slamming this thread with videos. Not sure if people would appreciate that. EVVVVVVVVVERYTHING is on the documentary page on http://fastestdeloreanintheworld.com/

Quick update however, we were sold a shoddy rocker arm set and through a ton of favors and late nights getting back to square one only set us back one week. I'm in Ohio now doing a ton of gigs with the car and the 1/4 mile record attempt is still set for this Sunday although rain looks like it may cancel the event. Ugh.

Anyway a ton of great little videos on the site of the car driving... it's been an incredible journey.

[Chris Burns]

Read his blog and watch his video and it pretty much says it all.

http://www.4tvs.com/Journey/2017/entries/J1750-061317.html?i=1

This was a cursed project to start with:8ball:

[Lwanmtr]

Thats too bad...but yeah it was plagued big time.

[Drive Stainless]

Why was it doomed from the beginning? Seems like they were making great progress up to this point.

[Lwanmtr]

Thats what I got from watching the videos...seemed like there was problems all along the way getting it running right, etc..

[sdg3205]

So what happened? He doesn't really touch on the actual problems. Did i see some missing welds on the headers?

Give it to Nick or Josh. They'll figure it out.

[vwdmc16]

Some headers are welded on the inside of the tube to the flange with some weld on the outside is just for more strength but allowing clearance for the head of the fastener. im curious too what the issue is, alot of footage in that clip was pointing at the exhaust while talking about the clutch that was not up to the job.

As a guy who works on custom built, highly strung cars with parts that didnt go together originally, this does not surprise me.

This is why these projects take YEARS, not a couple months, even then they are never really done. Im still waiting to see how he could possibly pass California emissions LEGALLY. Not happening.

Good luck Adam.

[Farrar]

Regardless of project outcome, I sure hope he isn't jobless and $100k in debt. That's a high price to pay for the fastest in the world DeLorean.

[Josh]

I'm pretty sure he just took it to the drag strip yesterday.

I am not sure why that video had a tone of failure, as far as I know the car is operational.

It certainly is not without its problems, but nothing to stop the car from running / driving.

[Farrar]

I'm pretty sure he just took it to the drag strip yesterday.

That's good news!


I am not sure why that video had a tone of failure

Perhaps for the "drama." Gotta keep people watching past the commercial break. ;-)

[Dangermouse]

Perhaps for the "drama." Gotta keep people watching past the commercial break. ;-)

That was my first thought also.

[Lwanmtr]

Guess we'll find out when/if there is another video....hehe

[AdamKontras]

There will be a couple videos up this week explaining the state of things. I've been trying desperately to hide the particulars because of just, how, bad it makes my brother look. As you can imagine after the fake video and compulsive lying, we are not speaking... but I felt if we could just get the record, I would never have to make anything public while fixing stuff up. The story goes on (although some of you so desperately wanted me to fail -LOL- sorry about that) and it'll probably just take more $.

[Farrar]

Perhaps for the "drama." Gotta keep people watching past the commercial break. ;-)


The story goes on (although some of you so desperately wanted me to fail -LOL- sorry about that) and it'll probably just take more $.

:burnout:

[Lwanmtr]

Glad to hear its still going. Was an interesting thing to see..after all since mine is still immobile I must live vicariously through others...lol

[AdamKontras]

http://fastestdeloreanintheworld.com/doc.html

Finally got Episode 34 up that explains what lead to me attempting the race even with all the issues. Race episode will be up Friday.

[Nicholas R]

Every project definitely has it's challenges (though admittedly, some of the challenges you ran into are pretty unusual). When I did my swap 5 years ago, my postings were always positive. I usually made a habit of not posting about a problem unless I already had a solution in place. Even still, my blog and forum posts never captured some of the really tough moments where I didn't know if the project would be successful (and believe me there were many of those times). I chose not to make those times public.

You've been extremely open during this project about both the ups and the downs. I think its pretty unusual for a project like this to be so realistically chronicled showing both the excitement of successes and also the pain of the challenges. For that openness especially, I applaud you. Unfortunately, when some people see the painful moments when the project is down, their choice is to kick the project rather than help it up. You could have just posted videos every time things went right, and everyone's impression of the project would be totally different. If you do decide to compile your videos into one single documentary, I think it will be a great story to tell.

The idea that this project is a failure/cursed/doomed or whatever certainly seems ridiculous to me. The car may have some issues but the fact remains that you guys turned a DeLorean into a 12 second car over the course of a couple months; I'd love to see others try to do better. (seriously, I would love to see others here take projects like this on!! :wrenchin:)

Fingers crossed man! Here's hoping you can drop that .3 seconds!! :burnout:

[Lwanmtr]

Cool. Cant wait to see the next one, hopefully you can hit the magic number, just make sure you give the hamsters lotsa mountain dew and red bull before the race..

I agree that you've done a good job of presenting and documenting the project..though lil longer vids would be nice...hehe.

[Chris Burns]

He gave it another try and allowing time for the clutch to cool off before the race.

Didn't meet his record, but the car is still fast as hell!!:race:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0t8-Wy1kgJ0

[AdamKontras]

Every project definitely has it's challenges (though admittedly, some of the challenges you ran into are pretty unusual). When I did my swap 5 years ago, my postings were always positive. I usually made a habit of not posting about a problem unless I already had a solution in place. Even still, my blog and forum posts never captured some of the really tough moments where I didn't know if the project would be successful (and believe me there were many of those times). I chose not to make those times public.

You've been extremely open during this project about both the ups and the downs. I think its pretty unusual for a project like this to be so realistically chronicled showing both the excitement of successes and also the pain of the challenges. For that openness especially, I applaud you. Unfortunately, when some people see the painful moments when the project is down, their choice is to kick the project rather than help it up. You could have just posted videos every time things went right, and everyone's impression of the project would be totally different. If you do decide to compile your videos into one single documentary, I think it will be a great story to tell.

The idea that this project is a failure/cursed/doomed or whatever certainly seems ridiculous to me. The car may have some issues but the fact remains that you guys turned a DeLorean into a 12 second car over the course of a couple months; I'd love to see others try to do better. (seriously, I would love to see others here take projects like this on!! :wrenchin:)

Fingers crossed man! Here's hoping you can drop that .3 seconds!! :burnout:

It's funny - you probably just explained all of the problems I've had on this board with this community. People assume I'm only showing the best stuff or if it's negative I do it for drama. Didn't occur to me until now because it's something I've done since the late 90s with the The Journey (http://theofficialjourney.com): I always show it all. People assumed during the Videobob issues of 2014 that I was somehow doing something for drama or attention, when in fact that was year 15 of me documenting my life for therapeutic reasons (long story). You show what really happened, not what you want people to think happened. Why? Because when real life kicks your ass, if you were honest throughout? You have a support system. If you hid everything? You're completely alone. I don't show bad shit because it's "drama" or to make a cliffhanger... I'm getting no money from this what would be the motivation? There's inherent drama to trying to beat a record! I don't have to supply my own, and am a little bummed there's been so much stupid drama that was unnecessary. But here we are.

And clearly Mr. R and I do actually know each other and he's always been supportive and I absolutely appreciate that.

[Delorean Industries]

Do I qualify to compete in this with one of our updated chassis? IE It fits a stock car and power train. Factory engine and transmission stuffed in there.

[Lwanmtr]

He gave it another try and allowing time for the clutch to cool off before the race.

Didn't meet his record, but the car is still fast as hell!!:race:

Pretty cool..even if you didnt hit the record....you can always try again

And, hey on that last run it looked like you smoked that Challenger, so thats something :)

[vwdmc16]

I think you do, wanna show us what 500whp beasts you have?







Do I qualify to compete in this with one of our updated chassis? IE It fits a stock car and power train. Factory engine and transmission stuffed in there.

[AdamKontras]

Do I qualify to compete in this with one of our updated chassis? IE It fits a stock car and power train. Factory engine and transmission stuffed in there.

Would love to see what you have! Our only guidelines with the chassis is that it retains the original X-frame, etc. I mean you could put an engine in the front AND the back of the car (it's been done) but would require extreme chassis modification and we felt that was a bit unfair. So I guess it depends on what you mean by "updated". Reinforced? OF COURSE that's fine. Cut up to cram more in? That's where it feels unfair. again - would love to add you to the mix!!! Please contact me!

[Delorean Industries]

Its a stainless version of the factory chassis. We are using a stock transmission case and PRV engine. Looks factory and no space constraint gains are present. Bunch of pictures on our facebook pages.

[AdamKontras]

Its a stainless version of the factory chassis. We are using a stock transmission case and PRV engine. Looks factory and no space constraint gains are present. Bunch of pictures on our facebook pages.

Oh... very cool! But how are you making 500 hp with that? Or was vwdmc16 joking?

[DMCVegas]

If you're trying to reduce the quarter mile time as much as possible, why on earth would you have all those time machine props on/in the car? That's extra weight and aerodynamic drag on the car that's hurting you.

Also, that swap isn't legal in California. Only drivetrain swaps allowed are within original CARB-approved engines among the platform for the car during that specific year it was made. Meaning, only the PRV is allowed for legal road registration.

[AdamKontras]

If you're trying to reduce the quarter mile time as much as possible, why on earth would you have all those time machine props on/in the car? That's extra weight and aerodynamic drag on the car that's hurting you.

I was told that with the present weight I would have no issue getting into the 11s. Unfortunately having an ECU that thinks the car is a 4.3L V6 (it's a 6.2L V8 ) is causing quite a bit of havoc. But yes, the 150 pounds on the back will be removed at the next race if I can't get the ECU issue fixed. I also just like the way it looks on the drag race. And remember, we've only attempted this on two separate days. It's a VERY new development that the issues with the car are deeper than a couple hundred pounds (100lbs= roughly 1/10th of a second). You're all just watching this in real-time, once the documentary comes out, the story will be a very quick moving piece that makes a bit more sense.


Also, that swap isn't legal in California. Only drivetrain swaps allowed are within original CARB-approved engines among the platform for the car during that specific year it was made. Meaning, only the PRV is allowed for legal road registration.

I've spoken with people here in California that disagree. Guess we'll find out during my next smog check in May of 2018! May need to register it in a different state for 2 years to get it to 2020 (when the 39 year antique rule comes into play). But thanks for your concern.

[opethmike]

Why does the ECU think it is a V6???

[DMCVegas]

I'm not just talking about the weight in the back. I mean the props inside, as well as the flux coils and everything else on the outside causing drag. No doubt you've got problems with your ECU that needs to be resolved. Perhaps something here (http://www.jegs.com/p/Chevrolet-Performance/Chevrolet-Performance-LS3-LS376-430-Engine-Controller-Kit/2375875/10002/-1)might be able to help you out with that problem going forward to simplify the process for you.

Good luck with getting the vehicle registered in California. The rules of the state are very clear about engine swaps, emissions controls, and accessories. Even if a complete engine swap results in lower emissions, they don't care. The engine must be of the same spec the vehicle came with, and the exhaust manifolds & catalytic convertors MUST be CARB approved for the application, along with the original emissions equipment (in this case LAMBDA) must remain in place and be functional for said qualifying engine. This may change with DMCH's new drivetrains coming out with retrofit proposals for existing vehicles, but for now, this is the reality. I don't know whom it is that you've spoken with, but we already have members on here who have stated that even with factory drivetrains, they're failing emissions testing on the dual exhaust systems because they're not CARB approved, and can't get cars registered. If someone is promising you the vehicle can be registered, it won't be the legal way.

[vwdmc16]

Oh... very cool! But how are you making 500 hp with that? Or was vwdmc16 joking?


Ive heard Josh has made some significantly overpowered cars, not confirmed personally, but with his top notch Twin Press engine set up at high boost I dont see why he wouldn't build such a beast.

[Nicholas R]

Ive heard Josh has made some significantly overpowered cars, not confirmed personally, but with his top notch Twin Press engine set up at high boost I dont see why he wouldn't build such a beast.

Have performance figures actually been put out for these (dyno results, testing videos, 1/4 mile videos)? I believe that per Adam's website, there needs to be public documentation of the results (preferably video that includes the results). I've been curious how far these have been pushed. It would be awesome to see a PRV push that kind of power!

[vwdmc16]

Have performance figures actually been put out for these (dyno results, testing videos, 1/4 mile videos)? I believe that per Adam's website, there needs to be public documentation of the results (preferably video that includes the results). I've been curious how far these have been pushed. It would be awesome to see a PRV push that kind of power!



If there is any videos, I have not seen them, just word of mouth. DPI is pretty secretive of a lot of his stuff as he does put a lot of time and investment into them, he's not going to give away all his secrets lol.

[DMCVegas]

Don't know what Josh does, but high-output PRV engines are possible. The highest I've ever heard of was over 900 bhp peak on a twin turbo.

http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/car/5221/WM-P88-Peugeot.html

[DMC-81]

Don't know what Josh does, but high-output PRV engines are possible. The highest I've ever heard of was over 900 bhp peak on a twin turbo.

http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/car/5221/WM-P88-Peugeot.html

Agreed. Just search John Lane PRV. Here's a video of a Volvo 240 that he modified ...
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rz_VDwgLemU

I have not doubt about the PRV, but I'd like to see a 500 ft/lb launch using the stock transmission case.

[Nicholas R]

Agreed. Just search John Lane PRV. Here's a video of a Volvo 240 that he modified ...
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rz_VDwgLemU

I have not doubt about the PRV, but I'd like to see a 500 ft/lb launch using the stock transmission case.

I too would like to see that :wink:

[DMCMW Dave]

I too would like to see that :wink:

I thought you had seen that. . . .

[Delorean Industries]

Boost is solenoid controlled. Off the line and through the initial momentum shock she is dialed back heavily. As long as you stay away from 5th you are ok.

[AdamKontras]

Why does the ECU think it is a V6???

Because it's from a 2003 Chevy Savanah that had a 4.3L V6 engine.

:jawdrop:

[AdamKontras]

I thought you had seen that. . . .

BURN. hahahaha :rofl:

[opethmike]

Because it's from a 2003 Chevy Savanah that had a 4.3L V6 engine.

:jawdrop:

...so put the right ECU in....?

[AdamKontras]

...so put the right ECU in....?

In the process, man - this is all new news to me. I also have to time everything correctly considering I do several gigs per month with the car. It's a delicate balance.