Engine Dilemma

[Morpheus]

Well, I have received a bit of news that I am not too excited to report. It seems my crankshaft is below the minimum acceptable tolerances, and oversized main bearings are not available.


So, this means I must purchase a new crankshaft... $1230 on DMCH's site.
Add this to:


Heads that are warped; new ones are $1500 ea. on DMCH's site, $3000 total.
Pistons and liners that are excessively worn; $250 ea. from DPI, $1500 total. ($440 ea. from DMCH, in case you were wondering.)


Add all that up, and you are talking $5730. To repair my existing motor. And that's IF the parts are actually available from DMCH. Mind you, that's not including seals, gaskets, piston rings, fuel lines, and all the other miscellaneous expenses involved. For that much money, I wanted to find out how much I would spend on a new motor.


Ever curious, I called up Josh @ DPI (the only vendor to my knowledge that will even sell a crate motor), and inquired about a crate motor. Needless to say, the price absolutely floored me.

No offense to Josh or the other vendors, but since when did this little POS 30 year old motor's value SOAR to upwards of $9000? Better yet, why do DMCH and their affiliates not sell crate motors unless you purchase a full Stage 2 setup?


That got me to thinking. Is originality and "resale" value worth spending this much money to replace the engine?

I'm not so sure anymore.

Nicholas' success with his LS1 engine really sparked my interest. The idea of taking a widely available, extremely powerful motor and putting it in this car for less than $9000 is very enticing to me.

I'm open to any and all ideas and opinions at this point...

[Chris Burns]

Normally I'm for originality, but it sounds like a motor swap may be in your future.

[John U]

I also try to keep my car original (except for items where there is a better alternative, ie headlight switch, etc). If I needed to replace the engine however, I would definitely consider an LS1 upgrade!!!!

[OverlandMan]

Man I feel for you. Sounds like you're at a crossroads here. I can see why you'd want to evaluate and exhaust all paths before making a decision.

I'd probably throw in looking for a donor car w/ a known good drivetrain. I'd think you could get one for less than $9k and make a little on the side over time parting it back out... at least the stuff you don't need.

[DeLorean937]

I'm kinda in the same boat after tearing down the engine for the last out of the 3 we had got a while ago. I found a low mileage engine from a Volvo Bertone for $800. Tore it down and is in perfect shape. I replaced the pieces from the DMC block over to the Volvo and all is well. Runs perfect, just have to dial in the mixture. Give me ring and we can talk it over if you want. I might be in Orlando next week for a meeting for work if all falls in correctly, so maybe i'll pop over and say hello!

[SamHill]

I'm kinda in the same boat after tearing down the engine for the last out of the 3 we had got a while ago. I found a low mileage engine from a Volvo Bertone for $800. Tore it down and is in perfect shape. I replaced the pieces from the DMC block over to the Volvo and all is well. Runs perfect, just have to dial in the mixture. Give me ring and we can talk it over if you want. I might be in Orlando next week for a meeting for work if all falls in correctly, so maybe i'll pop over and say hello!

This is the credited response, although you can guess what I'd say about getting rid of that little "mixture" problem.

[sdg3205]

Brandon,

How many miles are on your engine? What symptoms led you to realize this news?

Personally, I'd spend some time looking for a donor PRV. There was a complete engine on eBay last month that sold for $255! It belonged to Mike in Ontario IIRC and was in perfect working order minus some exterior components. PRV's are out there and would be the easiest replacement route, possibly the cheapest. I'd scour the scrap yards and do some homework. How about a Renault Alpine twin turbo PRV? These things exist and I've learned if you look hard enough you can find almost anything.

On the other hand if this presents you with the opportunity to put in your dream engine I say go for it. I'd (personally) exhaust the PRV route first.

[Mark D]

Out of curiosity, what lead to the engine issues that you're currently facing? Did you have an overheating issue or was it simply due to age and miles?

At some point we may all be faced with a similar choice... It is pretty crazy that the cost to rebuild the original PRV is basically half of what a good running condition car is worth. Have you considered buying a donor project car and swapping in the PRV from that car? Or using it as a source to scavenge parts like your crankshaft or heads?

Also, you could try car-part.com and search for parts. It's a listing of all the salvage yard inventory across the country.

EDIT:

Did a quick search...not much luck. There's one DeLorean engine listed as core only, and a couple of jokesters who apparently have too much time on their hands.

[Chris Burns]

Nick (LS-1 DMC owner) is moving to Orlando here soon. He may be able to help you out Brandon.

[sdg3205]

There is a parts car with an engine on eBay as we speak.