[DML] Re: RV: Need Tech Info.

[William T Wilson <fluffy@xxxx>]

On Wed, 28 Apr 1999, Daniel Delmastro Luriaud wrote:

> I'm interested to buy my D. soon (5 speed) and I need to know few
> technical aspects of the car, and these are: Exist any "oficial" or
> "legal" version of the Turbo DMC 12?, May be some "Twin Turbo"

There were factory prototypes of a twin turbo setup for the DeLorean which
was, like almost everything else about the car, way ahead of its time. 
It included computer-controlled boost (common on modern cars, not so much
in the early 1980s) and probably produced well in excess of 200 HP. 
Unfortunately, this model of DeLorean was scheduled for 1984 year
production and was never built, except as prototypes. Steve Wynne at DMC
Houston has one. This is called the "Legend" turbo.

You can get an aftermarket turbo upgrade setup called the "Island" turbo.
It is made by Eleanor Rogers at Turbo Manifold in... Ohio? The 2nd
dmcnews.com 'zine' has lots of information on this. It is modeled after
the Legend turbo kit, but is less advanced. Unlike the prototypes, it has
no boost controller (AFAIK) and no intercoolers. There was some musings
on the list about intercooling the Island kit (or adapting them to a
totally different turbo engine) a couple months ago, and one of the list
members made some preliminary (and quite good) drawings, but nothing ever
came of it.

The Island kit comes (or used to) in two versions, one with catalytic
converters and one without. The one without may no longer be available, I
don't know for sure. The one with converters passes emissions and the one
without doesn't, usually. These versions run fairly low boost pressure of
about 6-7 lbs and have a correspondingly low increase in HP. It used to
be said that the Island kit made just about exactly 200 HP, but the
current conventional wisdom is that it's probably somewhat less than that
- maybe 170 or 180 HP. It is still an improvement over the stock 130+HP
and moves the powerband up in the RPM range, which also helps. I believe
the Island kit costs about $3000-$4000. It's supposedly a pretty
straightforward bolt-on conversion, but I've never installed one myself.

> could be better?. May be I will need better brake system, it is
> possible to fit an ABS to the D.?. Thanks a lot in advance and receive

The DeLorean brakes are adequate for normal street driving, and there
aren't many people who race DeLoreans, so brake upgrades are few and far
between. I haven't found any, and as usual, the first guy that does
something like this gets to do all the work for everybody else. ;)

Note that this does not mean they don't exist, but simply that I haven't
found them on the web or on the smattering of brake-related shops I've
talked to.

The brakes of choice, at least for me, are Porsche, and I think your
eventual choice in brake upgrades would depend on what else you're
upgrading. If you change out the wheels too (which can be done) then you
may find enough space in there for big 14" vented rotors; rotors are more
or less all the same (in that they are round and bolt on in the middle) 
and a good machine shop can attach just about any rotor to just about any
braking assembly, as long as it will physically fit in the wheel. If you
want to keep the stock wheels, the size of the front wheels is the
limiting factor, since front brakes are more important.

You'll need new calipers too; get calipers from the same sort of car you
got the rotors off of, so it all fits nicely, and have your speed shop of
choice attach it. Take lots of measurements so everything fits, and be
prepared to spend a lot. Your new calipers will probably demand new
cylinders too, but, to be honest, that's the easy part. :} Just be sure
you don't kill yourself getting everything straightened out since your
cylinders must all be properly sized. Choice of good calipers from a
high-performance car will also supply you with a wide variety of
performance brake pads.

I could recommend ultimategarage.com as a place to start if you're serious
about serious brakes. Their stuff is pricey, but they would probably be
willing to do most of this custom work.

As for ABS, I would stay away from it. Although ABS is a fairly valuable
safety feature, it is extremely difficult to add to a car as an
aftermarket upgrade. Note that ABS doesn't really reduce your stopping
distance, but instead simply reduces the risk of losing control of the
car in a skid.


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