#4322 mods

[Lukas]

Hello all

Over the years, I've found this forum incredibly useful. Despite being far far away from most owners, I’ve had the chance to meet some wonderful fellow owners, and masters in the DeLorean world – Dave and Julee Swingle and Chris Nicholson to be exact!

At the suggestion of another owner, I’m posting a mods list here for the community. My focus has always been individualizing my car, with minor mods that are entirely reversible should I ever sell.

I’ve left out general maintenance and safety items eg tyres, coolant bottle, oil changes. Even though the car was all-original to start with, I strongly believe it’s not worth keeping critical safety items on the car just for original looks. Don’t worry, all these parts are safely stored away!

This is what I started with:
VIN4322
~2000miles
2 USA owners until about 2010
Imported to Australia in 2010 – never registered as LHD drive cars here must be over 30 years old
Bought by myself in Feb 2012.
Over the past 9 years, pretty much all the usual work done on a low-mileage car – fuel system, cooling, AC, brakes, suspension. Just about to do fuel lines.

Exterior mods:

LED headlights
Clear front turn signals with white/amber LED switchbacks and LED flasher relay.
Bosch aero wipers
LED side marker lights
LED tail lights
LED license plate lights
LED 3rd brake light
Tinted tail light covers
LED rear fog light (cabin switched)
LED 3rd reverse light
LED door and courtesy lights
Hella Supertones run off a relay
Lowered suspension and adjustable shocks from DeLorean Europe

Interior mods:

Ecliptech shift light
Shift light buzzer
LED AC panel bulbs
Replaced 12V socket
Battery cutoff switch in battery compartment
Digital door lock module
Clock with backup battery
Stainless steel shift knob

Engine mods:

Dave Mckeen’s RPM relay, ran relay and fan fail relay
Dave McKeen’s microprocessor controlled idle ECU, with idle microswitch removed, and 100rpm AC bump. Idle set at 900rpm
WOT switch override in cabin
Stainless header bottle
AC zener diode
Ceramic coated dual headers
Dual magnaflow mufflers
K&N air filter
Cold air intake with stovepipe removed
Larger metal throttle body spacer
Ignition timing advanced from 13 to 15 degrees
Higher output alternator
MSD Blaster 2 Coil
GM HEI ignition module

Still to do:

Volvo B28E throttle body plates (no springs) – the DeLorean throttle body plates have a large spring to impede airflow.
Volvo B28E ignition distributor with base timing 10-12 degrees
8.5mm Magnecor wires
New spark plugs
Primary pressure check
New fuel lines

For real-world reference, I’m down to 8.7s for 0-60mph without trying to launch hard. I’m confident of getting this down further once some of the Volvo parts are in.

I’ve put a few pics on my instagram @lukasdmar, rather than posting them here.

I hope the community finds this useful, feel free to ask me any questions.

[Riley88]

If you can figure out the forum lets see some photos of her!

[Ras12]

Nice list. I don't have Instagram but a quick search revealed these pics. I assume this is your baby? If so can you give us more details on the Exhaust and how you made a attached the solid brake light panels? Thanks

[Lukas]

Exhaust pics: I had them made up by a local shop.

6146361464

Tail light panels were also made by a local shop. They used the tail light as a template. It's attached with 3M dual-lock.

[Lukas]

And here are the latest pics:

[Riley88]

Id love to blackout my tail lights but we cant have fun where i live.

[Lukas]

It's been mentioned before on the forums, esp in the UK, but I've managed to source a B28E air mixture unit from a parts Volvo 760 - part# 0 438 120 065. The mixture screw is still covered with the plate.

The B28E unit has a large plate than stock, which should help with some minor hp gains.

Also from the parts car I picked up the B28E CPR and fuel distributor. I'll get a local guy to refurb the CPR. Not sure about using the new fuel distributor yet since it would mean removing the frequency valve.

Looks like these parts are getting harder and harder to find.

[jamesrguk]

Definately worth grabbing the volvo b28e clobber.

In truth a lot of the hp gains in the b28e version also comes from the slightly higher compression ratio. That said when I was running the volvo fuelling with a decent exhaust on a stock b28f engine it did make a noticable difference which was born out on a dyno. I now have a whole b28e engine in mine.

You're quite right though, the b28e parts are becoming increasingly scarce.

J

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

[Lukas]

Thanks for the reply James!

I'm in Australia, so my parts availability is different to both the UK and US. It's been hard to find details over here, but I've seen the Volvos advertised with the B27 and B28 engine. I had to take a gamble, but in the end it turns out we got the "E" versions of those engines.

There was only one at the wreckers nearby, which I also got the ignition distributor off. Could have pulled the heads etc but I don't want to get that far into my engine, since it's only got 7000 miles on it. Which is also why I'm not putting in the entire engine at this stage!

My aim is to replace the stock parts with Volvo parts for the:
CPR
Air mixture unit
Ignition distributor

[MikeWard]

I would suggest fitting the entire set of B28E Volvo fuelling/igntiion parts if you want to get the best benefit out of it - including the fuel distributor which get's rid of the frequency valve/lambda system. Unless there is a legal requirement for you to keep it on the car?

-Fuel Distributor: 0-438-100-035 OR 0-438-100-137
-Control Pressure Regulator: 0-438-140-038
-Air Metering Unit: 0-438-120-065
-Ignition Distributor: 0-237-402-013

With those fitted and a free flow exhaust, you should be able to expect in the region of 148bhp as per the dyno results posted on the DeLorean Club UK forum. This is assuming of course that your fuel pressures are correctly set (5.4 bar when used with a performance/freeflow exhaust), that your CPR is operating to spec, and the fuel mixture is correctly set at 2% CO.

Connecting the vac pipes as per the below also helps;
61826

[Lukas]

Hello Mike

Thanks for the info and the diagram.

I was wanting to keep the frequency valve as I have a cabin switch which sends a full throttle signal to the frequency valve, to richen the mixtures (simulating the WOT switch at the throttle spool).

I have been looking for info on removing the frequency valve but couldn't find much...do you have any links or further information about this? What happens to the stock frequency valve and piping?

I do have the B28E fuel distributor but it'll need to be refurbished.

[MikeWard]

If you use the B28E fuel distributor the frequency valve and piping, and WOT switch are removed from the equation as they are not used, along with the lambda system.

[Lukas]

Over our summer, I finally go around to replacing the starter solenoid. When trying to start the car when hot, I'd get a "click" and that was it. Usually took a few tries to start. Traced this back to the starter solenoid. While I considered replacing the whole starter, I managed to find 2x NOS solenoids, Paris-Rhone part# CEDY-438, on Ebay. Since I have headers, it was easy enough to just remove the solenoid and replace with a new one. Even though it's the same part number, the DeLorean solenoid uses a bullet connector, but the NOS had a spade connector - easy enough to change over without touching the original harness.

Also, finally fitted a B28E Control Pressure Regulator, Bosch part# 0-438-140-038. I had a junkyard one from a Volvo, and exchanged my core with Colin at https://k-jet.biz/ for a rebuilt unit. Interestingly this has a machined lower half, with an adjustment screw. Since Colin sets the pressures on a bench, I didn't touch the adjustment screw. He knows his K-jet stuff - highly recommended if you need a rebuilt fuel distributor or CPR.

As per http://www.deloreaneurotec.uk/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=495, I've left the top port on the CPR open. A quick test drive with vacuum connected to the test port was very sluggish compared to leaving it open. From my research, the -038 CPR has lower cold and warm control pressures.

One day I'll get it on a dyno...

[BABIS]

Over our summer, I finally go around to replacing the starter solenoid. When trying to start the car when hot, I'd get a "click" and that was it. Usually took a few tries to start. Traced this back to the starter solenoid. While I considered replacing the whole starter, I managed to find 2x NOS solenoids, Paris-Rhone part# CEDY-438, on Ebay. Since I have headers, it was easy enough to just remove the solenoid and replace with a new one. Even though it's the same part number, the DeLorean solenoid uses a bullet connector, but the NOS had a spade connector - easy enough to change over without touching the original harness.

Also, finally fitted a B28E Control Pressure Regulator, Bosch part# 0-438-140-038. I had a junkyard one from a Volvo, and exchanged my core with Colin at https://k-jet.biz/ for a rebuilt unit. Interestingly this has a machined lower half, with an adjustment screw. Since Colin sets the pressures on a bench, I didn't touch the adjustment screw. He knows his K-jet stuff - highly recommended if you need a rebuilt fuel distributor or CPR.

As per http://www.deloreaneurotec.uk/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=495, I've left the top port on the CPR open. A quick test drive with vacuum connected to the test port was very sluggish compared to leaving it open. From my research, the -038 CPR has lower cold and warm control pressures.

One day I'll get it on a dyno...

the volvo WUR should be connected to manifold vacuum..

[MikeWard]

As per http://www.deloreaneurotec.uk/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=495, I've left the top port on the CPR open. A quick test drive with vacuum connected to the test port was very sluggish compared to leaving it open. From my research, the -038 CPR has lower cold and warm control pressures.The info in that topic has been superseded, check this topic: http://www.deloreaneurotec.uk/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=5937#p78083



the volvo WUR should be connected to manifold vacuum..Correct.

[Lukas]

Thanks guys, I must have been looking at the old info. Seems easy enough to connect the top port directly to the manifold vacuum.

[David T]

The purpose of connecting the WUR (aka control pressure regulator, aka CPR) to manifold vacuum is so it can sense that the engine is called upon to produce a spurt of power such as during acceleration. During that period the manifold vacuum drops. The WUR senses that and changes the control pressure to deliver a spurt of additional fuel akin to what an accelerator pump on a carburetor does. I can't tell you how to hook up a WUR that is not the stock one for the Delorean but that top port, in a Delorean at least, is supposed to be exposed to atmospheric pressure so it can measure the difference between atmospheric pressure and manifold vacuum. You may have to experiment to get it right or consult the documentation on the particular WUR you are trying to use. Understand that these fuel system parts are specifically tailored to work in certain applications and although they may look alike they are calibrated to operate differently. That is why they have special numbers on them. Somewhere there is a chart that tells you what car each part fits on. In some cases parts can be re-calibrated to work in different cars. In the Service Manual there is a chart that tells you what the WUR is supposed to do when it is cold, during warm-up, and when it gets hot. You need a fuel pressure gauge to watch the control pressure as the WUR warms up.

[Lukas]

Recently noticed my coolant level dropping, and couldn't see a leak on the floor.

Went into the VOD, and this is what I found.

All 4 of the deep valley holes full of coolant and oil. Worst one is the top right, but they all have oil and metal looking particles in then.

VOD was dry 5 years ago, so this is block rot.

Haven't decided what to do yet.