WTB - DMC-12 With LS Swap

[sdg3205]

Hi Josh,

As far as I know there are two ls swapped deloreans in N/A, one of them being my car. There are a few more as projects scattered over the world, but all standards.
Nothing is impossible, Porsche makes some auto gear boxes that could handle the power of a v8. This would be a new avenue in the Delorean LS swap world, so a lot of r&d work would be required. But once again not impossible.
The thing with engine swaps (especially LS swaps) is there are a lot of people that want one, but do not understand the magnitude of the project. In terms of cost, labour, and the thought that goes into something like this. This kind of explains the tone of this thread.
Feel free to pm me if you are seriously considering this, I can try my best to help.

Josh S. - Is your car for sale at $100k if you're paid to R&D the auto transaxle?

Josh (OP) - my wife had to learn stick for her dream car (MX-5). Any reason yours can't?

[Josh]

Josh S. - Is your car for sale at $100k if you're paid to R&D the auto transaxle?

Josh (OP) - my wife had to learn stick for her dream car (MX-5). Any reason yours can't?

My car is never for sale. Well at least while I am alive.

[Josh]

I convinced my wife by getting her in the car reassuring her on whatever she was doing with the clutch and gaz pedal. She likes it very much now (and she is good). I had to do that since all the cars I own are standard. But I understand it is a personal preference. Another thing I did is take her to the track in a high power rear engine car and told her to accelerate and let go of the accelerator while in gear so she could experience the rear of the car getting in the front. This is more difficult to control in a automatic since you can't disengage the engine from the wheel when the rear end goes wild when not familiar with high powered cars. There is a lot of automatic Mustangs on youtube doing just that. Attachment 46153Attachment 46154Attachment 46155Attachment 46156Attachment 46157Attachment 46158Attachment 46159

Olivier your work is absolutely beautiful. The attention to detail is amazing.

[Dangermouse]

[QUOTE=Shuttleman;205378]I convinced my wife by getting her in the car reassuring her on whatever she was doing with the clutch and gaz pedal. She likes it very much now (and she is good). I had to do that since all the cars I own are standard. But I understand it is a personal preference. Another thing I did is take her to the track in a high power rear engine car and told her to accelerate and let go of the accelerator while in gear so she could experience the rear of the car getting in the front. This is more difficult to control in a automatic since you can't disengage the engine from the wheel when the rear end goes wild when not familiar with high powered cars. There is a lot of automatic Mustangs on youtube doing just that. Attachment 46153Attachment 46154Attachment 46155Attachment 46156Attachment 46157Attachment 46158Attachment 46159[/QUOT

Nice work!!!!

Is this now a running car, or is it still a work in progress?

[Shuttleman]

Thank you Josh! Going with the LS4 was really inovative of you. I appreciate that kind of extra effort you had to go through to do this.

Also thanks to Nick, I would not have done this swap if he did not make his blog which showed that it could fit. His is gearbox coupler is really appreciated too. (And his shaft is what the dreams are made of and I want it but this sentence may sound a little bit gay lol).

[Dangermouse]

Wow, I have to say reading the comments here are quite condescending. I am simply asking if someone here in the forum with the talent would be interested in a project like this. I personally do not have the talent to do a project like this, so I am simply inquiring if anyone is interested for hire to do so. I understand having an AT would be challenging, however I would like for my wife to be able to drive the car as well.

After reading through many of the threads, it is evident there are some members here with crazy good talent. I am VERY impressed by them.

I am a serious car collector and have budgeted up to $100k for a build of this magnitude. Like many of you, I have pined to have a DMC-12 since the mid-80's. I just prefer classic cars which have been restomodded. I am not saying we need to only go with an LS engine, I am open to other options as well.

Josh

Apologies of some comments seem "condescending" - it's just that we get a lot of dreamers who claim when they get their D, the first thing they will do is rip out that "pathetic PRV" and install "engine du jour" based on their Gran Turismo 4 creation assuming that it is a simple drop in replacement.


If you are serious, it sounds like you should contact DMCH and see if this would fit within their "new" delorean program

[Shuttleman]

[QUOTE=Dangermouse;205387]

I convinced my wife by getting her in the car reassuring her on whatever she was doing with the clutch and gaz pedal. She likes it very much now (and she is good). I had to do that since all the cars I own are standard. But I understand it is a personal preference. Another thing I did is take her to the track in a high power rear engine car and told her to accelerate and let go of the accelerator while in gear so she could experience the rear of the car getting in the front. This is more difficult to control in a automatic since you can't disengage the engine from the wheel when the rear end goes wild when not familiar with high powered cars. There is a lot of automatic Mustangs on youtube doing just that. Attachment 46153Attachment 46154Attachment 46155Attachment 46156Attachment 46157Attachment 46158Attachment 46159[/QUOT

Nice work!!!!

Is this now a running car, or is it still a work in progress?

Thanks, I am working on the exhaust now. Tomorrow I'm leaving for 28 days because of my work, so fabrication will resume then. It is also going through a full restoration of the car. Good things takes time, although this saying does not apply to Josh as he can swap an engine overnight.

[DARCOM]

I have been dreaming about a LS motor in my Delorean ever since i saw this at sema.

[at88mph]

I have been dreaming about a LS motor in my Delorean ever since i saw this at sema.

Unfortunately I don't see ANY way a LS series mated to an auto trans will fit into the DeLorean frame period. This is just my opinion bc as many said, if you have enough money....but frame wise, I don't see it. When I was doing my swap back in '01, I wanted to put a LS6 into mine. (Mine was a auto DMC at the time) With the custom bell housing (or even the bellhousing shown above; which I believe is an auto setup) mated to that Porsche transaxle, I don't see all that fitting into the DeLorean engine/trans area.

With my 4.3 mated to the auto, I had to run a short water pump and STILL had to notch the rear fascia just to get it to fit. However, that being said, when the auto trans crapped out on me, and I found the Porsche 915 transaxle, the bell housing size went to roughly 3/4 of an inch!!! PLENTLY of room to drop a LS series engine in there now with the manual 915 but the 4.3 has so far been COMPLETELY bullet proof and....well, if it ain't broke I'm not gonna fix it. I have decent power and no issues whatsoever but when the 4.3 does finally go, I do have a spare LS1 engine that I'll drop in at that time. (recently swapped out my LS1 in the Vette so I have the spare)

So in short, if you're lookin at a LS series engine, manual is the way to go and if you go stock DMC transaxle, your weak point is going to be the input shaft. If you go with a 915 or G50 Porsche trans, you'll be good to go.

Hope this helps

[Josh]

Unfortunately I don't see ANY way a LS series mated to an auto trans will fit into the DeLorean frame period. This is just my opinion bc as many said, if you have enough money....but frame wise, I don't see it. When I was doing my swap back in '01, I wanted to put a LS6 into mine. (Mine was a auto DMC at the time) With the custom bell housing (or even the bellhousing shown above; which I believe is an auto setup) mated to that Porsche transaxle, I don't see all that fitting into the DeLorean engine/trans area.

With my 4.3 mated to the auto, I had to run a short water pump and STILL had to notch the rear fascia just to get it to fit. However, that being said, when the auto trans crapped out on me, and I found the Porsche 915 transaxle, the bell housing size went to roughly 3/4 of an inch!!! PLENTLY of room to drop a LS series engine in there now with the manual 915 but the 4.3 has so far been COMPLETELY bullet proof and....well, if it ain't broke I'm not gonna fix it. I have decent power and no issues whatsoever but when the 4.3 does finally go, I do have a spare LS1 engine that I'll drop in at that time. (recently swapped out my LS1 in the Vette so I have the spare)

So in short, if you're lookin at a LS series engine, manual is the way to go and if you go stock DMC transaxle, your weak point is going to be the input shaft. If you go with a 915 or G50 Porsche trans, you'll be good to go.

Hope this helps

I fail to see how you are any farther ahead with a 915 transaxle compared to a UN1 with an upgraded coupler. For this reason I do not understand why anyone would run a g15 in a delorean.
As for the g50, it would be a similar story to the fitment of an auto. It is a HUGE transmission. and expensive once you rebuild one and convert it to a side shift.