What is the “easiest” engine swap thats most reliable to most HP?

[opethmike]

If you are faced with having to replace a blown PRV and you want more power the "path of least resistance" would be to get the Stage II from DMCH. If you already have a good PRV and want more power, turbos are an option. Any other engine swap either isn't going to get you much and/or will cost you a lot.

I acknowledge that you have commented in this thread.

[Gfrank]

If you are faced with having to replace a blown PRV and you want more power the "path of least resistance" would be to get the Stage II from DMCH. If you already have a good PRV and want more power, turbos are an option. Any other engine swap either isn't going to get you much and/or will cost you a lot.

Granted I’m not done, so can say I’m full of shit if you wish, but I’m calling bs on the last part. My swap will cost less then half a stage 2, and have a min 100hp over one. Granted a lot comes down to personal skill and who you know

[Malevy]

Out of curiosity, as these had not been worked out by 11/16/81:
-Does your engine have the solenoid controlled enrichment via the WUR?
-Does your distributor have a push-pull advance/retard mechanism?

My Legend TT, 1860 does not have any of the custom electronics that were designed to control boost. My install uses vacuum/boost controlled waste gates. Admittedly, I keep the waste gates adjusted so the boost stays pretty low.. It is just not worth the risk to me to damage an engine that I can't get spare parts for.

I think my car may have a modified CPR. The previous owner actually installed a supplemental EFI system on it, but once I got the engine running properly I found it was not needed and removed it. It is possible he was trying to run higher boost levels than I am.

Grady had some of the electronics Legend had made. I don't know which (if any) car it was used on. John or Chris may be able to shed more light on this.

I understand what they were working with at the time and don't mean to sound disparaging. I just wish there was a little more released publicly about the Legend cars because it's historically interesting stuff, even if people find out Legend cars only cross the '1320 at 89MPH.

Meeting Fred a few times, he specifically said he did not want his information published publicly. Honestly, I don't understand it- but it is his prerogative. I imagine it is more of an emotional choice. That said, I have looked at a lot of his document, and did get copies of some of them from another source (through another Legend employee). Some of the documents talk about tricks to control fuel enrichment without any fancy technology. Most of the custom electronics were an effort at boost control and to control knock.

I do agree with you, modern EFI would have made the Legend effort better.

if I did need a new engine at some point and wanted more power that would be the smart time to make the swap.

Why are you planning on needing a new engine? Is there something about this particular car that has you concerned? 2 things will kill a PRV.. Overheating (can sometimes be repaired), and block rot.

I'm sure I'm not alone in asking for the shop name in NJ you're referring to. Thanks

Marc does work on DMCs along with his friend Tom. Message him, I'm sure he'll be glad to help you out.

What Mike said.. Tom and I work on all sorts of cars on a part-time basis, DeLoreans are always in the shop. Lots of custom work too, we did a lot of work on the DMC-24 as well.

https://www.facebook.com/Tom.Garage/

If you are faced with having to replace a blown PRV and you want more power the "path of least resistance" would be to get the Stage II from DMCH. If you already have a good PRV and want more power, turbos are an option. Any other engine swap either isn't going to get you much and/or will cost you a lot.

Agree on "path of least resistance", and would go further to say it would probably help resale value more than a custom swap, but for someone looking to do a swap themselves I think it can be done for just as much or even less than a stage 2. Of course, there are ways of doing a "Stage 2" without buying all of the parts from the company in Houston. Doing it yourself can also be done on a budget.

Granted I’m not done, so can say I’m full of shit if you wish, but I’m calling bs on the last part. My swap will cost less then half a stage 2, and have a min 100hp over one. Granted a lot comes down to personal skill and who you know

What is your swap?

[David T]

For those of you considering an engine swap here is an engine for one! There has been one other known conversion using this engine.
https://sarasota.craigslist.org/pts/...802831857.html

[FABombjoy]

My Legend TT, 1860 does not have any of the custom electronics that were designed to control boost. My install uses vacuum/boost controlled waste gates. Admittedly, I keep the waste gates adjusted so the boost stays pretty low.. It is just not worth the risk to me to damage an engine that I can't get spare parts for.

Understandable. I suspect all of the issues related to legend motors knocking under boost are related to improper spark timing. That's why I'm curious about if the ignition distributor was modified.

It sounds like they got pretty far during testing without really modifying timing, which is crazy since you leave power on the table and induce knock.

I run an timing map that emulates the stock distributor with about -1 degree per lb, but I doubt that's optimal. I'd like the opportunity to schedule dyno time and get a tuned spark map.

[David T]

Don't know what Legend did for timing but the Island kit had the timing reset and the advance was limited. The boost was controlled directly with waste gate actuators hooked up with hoses right to the intake manifold. I would guess Legend was similar because the person who created the Island kit worked at Legend. All of the control was very rudimentary, at the time all they could really do was tinker with the settings. Now, with digital engine management, you can do what it took a whole department of engineers to do. You can have complete control over fuel, timing, and boost and do it safely. That means you do not have to hold the boost back to 5# to be safe under all conditions. You can tailor it so that you can maximize all of your engine parameters without fearing you will cause detonation. Same with the timing. IMHO an Island or BAE turbo kit with EFI can really take advantage of all a turbo can offer and do it safely today. This is turning out to be a great thread.

[opethmike]

Hey Dave, do you like turbos?

[Farrar]

For what it's worth, someone who has driven both a Stage II and my 3.0L said the 3.0L was comparable to the Stage II. The 3.0L swap cost thousands of dollars less, but I did not have to pay labor charges and my exhaust is homemade. Shop labor rates can run $200 in some places. If you do the work yourself, you can come out ahead, but if you get a shop to do it, including custom exhaust, the difference could actually be negligible, or the 3.0L could cost you more than the price of a Stage II.

It comes down to personal preference... which I think is the lesson of this thread. LOL

[mr_maxime]

Not nearly as represented, but does someone who has done one have any input on electric conversions?

[Malevy]

Understandable. I suspect all of the issues related to legend motors knocking under boost are related to improper spark timing. That's why I'm curious about if the ignition distributor was modified.

It sounds like they got pretty far during testing without really modifying timing, which is crazy since you leave power on the table and induce knock.

I don't think Legend left power on the table. Fred claimed they could easily exceed the 300HP target for the "Type S" DeLorean package. Biggest problem was blowing up gear boxes.

Not nearly as represented, but does someone who has done one have any input on electric conversions?

http://www.electricdelorean.com/