The Auto Transmission VR6 DeLorean Goes 5-Speed Manual.

[Timeless]

Lots of progress! Have you considered DMOCO shift gate? I know the latest version has larger openings.
Do any vendors offer a reproduction/updated shift boot?

[DeLorean03]

Lots of progress! Have you considered DMOCO shift gate? I know the latest version has larger openings.
Do any vendors offer a reproduction/updated shift boot?

I did consider the shift gate from them or fabricating a gated shifter like the one on the Ferrari 308/328 GTS made popular by the original Magnum P.I. television show. One reason I did not was this shifter is very, very "mechanical". It's not the crazy smooth, super-simple shifter like I have become accustomed to on newer cars like my Honda Fit. This one requires a bit more "finesse" and solid purpose as you shift. That being said, I didn't want to take a chance on damaging the stainless steel shifting rod that I retrieved from DeLorean Industries. My concern is the shifting rod would hit the edges of the gated shifter and wear would occur. Per Casey's advice, it would be better to stick with the leather boot, and I respected that guidance and said "Anything to keep it more simple." which is good as I had a good hour yesterday diagnosing why it would go 1st to 2nd to 3rd no problem, but I could not downshift from 3rd to 2nd (spoiler alert: the cross-gate cable had to be adjusted - the car shifts up and down no problem now).

Let's show some more photos! This documents all the things done while "in there" doing the manual transmission swap:

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Here is the re-routing of the starter hot lead. Originally, this cable was routed through a loop in the cast-iron block, which was fine until we realized the loop had very sharp edges. The concern was the sharp edge would rub the insulation off the hot lead, and since the engine was grounded to the frame, that would have been a major fire hazzard. So now the hot lead goes around the oil pan, safe from any sharp edges. It is mounted with the loop at the end to take out any slack in the cable.

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View of how the hot lead is routed around the oil pan. You can see the aforementioned loop to the bottom right of the black oil pan.

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This picture details the connection to the starter solenoid. The connection was crimped; however, the connection was loose and had a real possibility of coming loose. We tightened the connections, and then added insulating tape around the connections to keep them tight and safe.

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This is the tube that was going to go to the boost gauge. Ultimately we spliced it with a T-connector to the wastegate, intake, and boost gauge.

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The moneyshot: the auto transmission is out and the 5 speed manual transmission is in place. The proper mounts are in place (thanks Josh!!), and so far, absolutely zero leaks on the body of the unit.

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This shows the mounts holding the 5 speed in place. See the two circular holes in the frame? That is how far the auto trans used to be mounted. Now, I can actually service my rear-suspension training arm bolts!

[DeLorean03]

The documentation continues!

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This is an anchoring junction point for the crossgate cable. The part with the cotter pin is the part being showcased. Casey actually made this part by hand as it was unavailable from the vendors. He did a fantastic job!!

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This pictures shows the new parking brake cables installed on the driver's side. This is the first time I have my parking brake in 16 years of ownership this November...!

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This pictures shows the new parking brake cables installed on the passenger's side.

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This pictures shows the new parking brake cables installed on the passenger's side. This line was leaking due to strain of it being zip-tied to another component. All better now! We did the driver's side as well. Might as well do everything in pairs!

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This pictures shows the new brake line installed on the driver's side.

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The gold-colored hexnut here is the pivot nut. There is already one welded to the frame of the car. Casey installed a second one as a backup. Basically, if this fails, you lose all shifting ability; you cannot shift your transmission at all. Bad day.

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The two pictures above showcase the stainless steel line that connects the slave cylinder mounted on the top of the transmission to the master cylinder mounted at the front of the car.

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Pictured are the lower control arms on the front of the suspension. These are solid aluminum with pressed ball joints, and we installed all new polyurthane bushings as a kit from DMC-NW. This is the driver's side.

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Here is the passenger side.

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When upgrading to the new LCAs, we had a new problem: the LCAs were rubbing against the inside of the Wilwood brake rotors. Casey resolved this by shimmying off a tiny bit of the LCAs, allowing for the proper clearance.

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Here is the inside of the LCAs, showcasing the new polyurthane bushings installed and the refurbishment of the sway bar. This is the driver's side.

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This is the passenger side.

[DeLorean03]

Getting near the end of the pictures, but we have a few left!

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Lil' bit of the old and the new. Here, the new leather shifting boot mounted into the center console shifting panel. For those interested, I do have the vast majority of my old transmission parts (interior trim, frame to transmission mounts, etc.). PM me if you're interested in any of those parts.

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Showcased here is the U-joint that connects the steering column to the rack and pinion. The reservoir to the right is the master cylinder for the clutch system.

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In the process of this project, some of my threaded bolts for the aluminum shields got bent and were no longer usable. We swapped those out for the more modern "push pin" connectors to hold the shields in now!

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Getting there....!

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While we are doing all of this, let's swap out those halogens and put in some modern LED headlights!

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Done!

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That looks much better! If you're interested in performing this nearly plug-and-play modification, all you need:

Glass casings (order 2 pairs): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...qBfQ3Rh7Ip9Fs8

Hikari LED Headlights (order 2 pairs): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...1hUWmxLCwfiTSE

Wiring Harnesses (Nearly plug and play): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...uHdxMnaLxVHbFM

For the low beams, it is completely plug and play. Absolutely zero modifications needed. For the high beams, we took the wiring harness bought off of Amazon, took the wire responsible for turning on the low beams, spliced it with the wire responsible for activating the high beams, and then introduced the modified Amazon wiring harness to the car's wiring harness (ZERO modifications done to the car's original wiring harness). That way, when the high beams are activated, the LEDs that were unused in the glass casing for the high beams were activated as well! Why let the "low beam " LEDs within the high beam glass casing go to waste?

Here's the final product at night (low beams only):

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Sorry, I did not take a picture with the high beams engaged. These were long days, and logical decisions tend to be the first to go once exhaustion kicks in ; ).

[DeLorean03]

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After nearly 16 years, I figured it was time to swap out the DMC badge on the grille.

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Above is the copper pipe that goes up the intake and to the boost gauge mounted in the driver's right kneepad.

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Boost gauge installed!

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And here is the car coming home. Casey lives two hours from me, and I could not find anyone to give me a ride, so I had to bring it back via auto transport trailer. Funny thing: I had to use a 10 foot box truck as U-Haul does not rent out their pickups with the auto transport trailer anymore. Their explanation: too many people were jackknifing the pickups to the auto transport trailer and ripping the bumpers off the pickups. I did not have to pay any extra for the box truck, so I did not mind.

And that's pretty much that. I am continuing to tune the car and get everything dialed in - things settling in and small adjustments being made as new parts "get comfortable." I took the car out yesterday for about an hour, and man, what a difference it is with having a manual transmission. It is so quick and fun to drive. Absolutely no regrets doing this, and Casey as usual is an automotive genius when it comes to doing this kind of work. There were many "trying times" not documented here - particularly when the bellhousing and the flywheel were hitting each other (fixed by doing some grinding of the bellhousing). Given that I currently do not have pictures for such situations to help "paint the picture", I did not go "into the weeds" with this thread.

Next, I want to have the car professionally tuned and placed on a dyno. I know Henrik's VR6 DeLorean with manual transmission threw down some truly impressive numbers. I plan to be a bit more conservative and see if we can get 325 wheel HP. Honestly, right now, the car is silly quick. You place your foot on that accelerator, and it moves with a purpose. Not going to deny, it sure is fun to do on a highway for cruising pleasure or if someone keeps trying to stay on your rear quarter panels. There's no issue pulling away from someone with this setup, and I am very pleased with the build quality and setup of this engine/transmission combination.

[Timeless]

Fantastic updates and photos! Great work. Any here consider theses LED headlights? https://www.hivizleds.com/product/4x...headlight#gf_1

I'm familiar with them as they are used company wide on our products. They work well, lifetime warranty, and cost less than JW Speaker lights.

[DeLorean03]

Fantastic updates and photos! Great work. Any here consider theses LED headlights? https://www.hivizleds.com/product/4x...headlight#gf_1

I'm familiar with them as they are used company wide on our products. They work well, lifetime warranty, and cost less than JW Speaker lights.

Thanks! Appreciate the kind words.

I am unfamiliar with those headlights. I'm sure they'll work with no need to introduce anything between the car's wiring harness and the units themselves. Try them in your low beams and see how they work.

Personally, I like the "original look" of the halgoen glass cases with the LEDs hidden in plain sight, but hey, different strokes for different folks!

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[Timeless]

I agree, I like keeping the original look with a lens as close to that as possible. I'm sure there are more toned down/subtle LED housings out there.

[DMC-81]

While we are doing all of this, let's swap out those halogens and put in some modern LED headlights!

20190413_121251.jpg

Done!

20190413_110919.jpg

That looks much better! If you're interested in performing this nearly plug-and-play modification, all you need:

Glass casings (order 2 pairs): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...qBfQ3Rh7Ip9Fs8

Hikari LED Headlights (order 2 pairs): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...1hUWmxLCwfiTSE

Wiring Harnesses (Nearly plug and play): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...uHdxMnaLxVHbFM

For the low beams, it is completely plug and play. Absolutely zero modifications needed. For the high beams, we took the wiring harness bought off of Amazon, took the wire responsible for turning on the low beams, spliced it with the wire responsible for activating the high beams, and then introduced the modified Amazon wiring harness to the car's wiring harness (ZERO modifications done to the car's original wiring harness). That way, when the high beams are activated, the LEDs that were unused in the glass casing for the high beams were activated as well! Why let the "low beam " LEDs within the high beam glass casing go to waste?

Here's the final product at night (low beams only):

20190416_215100.jpg

Sorry, I did not take a picture with the high beams engaged. These were long days, and logical decisions tend to be the first to go once exhaustion kicks in ; ).

Very nice! I have been waiting for LED headlight technology to arrive at this point ( glass casing, stock look, no halos, zero modification to the car's wiring harness or headlight buckets.)

How did the install go and in particular, how did they fit in the buckets?

[DeLorean03]

Very nice! I have been waiting for LED headlight technology to arrive at this point ( glass casing, stock look, no halos, zero modification to the car's wiring harness or headlight buckets.)

How did the install go and in particular, how did they fit in the buckets?

The install was pretty straightforward, save for the steps I provided in the earlier posts. As far as fitting in the buckets, it is a tight fit, but it worked out with zero modifications required on the car wiring harness or any part of the body of the car. Well worth it, and it was only about $150 for everything!