Hey Dave , buy a DeLorean - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: vlad777
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 25, 2017, 08:31:22 am
content: Hey Dave , buy a DeLorean.

author: Halcyon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 25, 2017, 09:06:15 am
content: That's right, DMC has been "rescued" financially (I can't recall who by) but they apparently have enough spare parts on-hand to build "new old stock" models.As crap as they were, I'd love to see more of these on the road. I'd hate to think how much CTP/Insurance would cost though, in a crash, I don't rate your chances.

author: meeder
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 25, 2017, 09:07:41 am
content: Do they also have that crap V6 lump from France in stock?

author: CJay
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 25, 2017, 09:37:37 am
content: There's a scrapyard/mechanic's in my county that's got two, they're 'not for sale' but they do look rather cool.Shame about the POS engine in them but I reckon you could get a decent one in there if you're not too bothered about authenticity under the bonnet

author: Berni
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 25, 2017, 10:04:53 am
content: There is a guy that swapped the engine in one for a twin turbo V6 that makes 500 hp, looks stock otherwise.

author: TheSteve
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 25, 2017, 11:02:48 am
content: Why not keep it authentic - copy DeLorean vin 502 which was a factory twin turbo car.End of the day the stock 130hp motor is still a blast to drive if you have the 5 speed manual transmission.

author: Brumby
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 25, 2017, 11:28:44 am
content: Dave already has a DeLorean.It has had a hover conversion, too.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 25, 2017, 12:20:05 pm
content: One in good nick was sold in Australia a few months back for $45k IIRC. Was in Perth though.Last I checked the price on the new build it would be AU$150k or something once you get it here.I'd rather offer $100k to the guy in Sydney that owns a fully converted time machine version.

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 25, 2017, 06:08:40 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on February 25, 2017, 12:20:05 pmThis is the guy who drove a Toyota till even the scrap yard was hesitant to take it..........I think he would love one though, even if he did have to make a drive in lounge to admire it at home.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 25, 2017, 06:52:22 pm
content: That PRV motor really is a turd, Volvo used it for a number of years in some of the 260 and 760 models and it was notorious for being unreliable, underpowered, thirsty, and it had a weird lumpy idle. The 4 cylinder turbo motors were more powerful, more fuel efficient, more reliable, and easier to work on. Supposedly the V6 was a collaboration between Pugeot, Renault and Volvo but I could never find any Volvo influence in it. Looked like a poorly done amateur engine swap in the cars that had it.DeLoreans are not known for being particularly well performing but then neither were the early Corvettes. That's not really the point though, they're totally cool cars.

author: dave_k
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 25, 2017, 08:53:17 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on February 25, 2017, 12:20:05 pmThat won't make it go any faster stuck in traffic on the M2

author: W2NAP
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 25, 2017, 09:13:30 pm
content: Quote from: dave_k on February 25, 2017, 08:53:17 pmthat is what the hoover car mod is for

author: Benta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 25, 2017, 10:30:49 pm
content: DeLorean:if you like 80s design with absurd features like gull-wing doors that hit the ceiling in underground parking lots or prevent you from getting in/out of the car when someone's parked too close to you, great.But the vehicle hasonegreat, unique selling point: the body is stainless steel! Goodbye rust, farewell body work.Also, most of the mechanical parts are from other mass produced vehicles, making spares cheap and plentiful.All plus points for a collector's car.Alas, the engine is an abomination, probably one of the sh*ttiest ever designed. French engineering and cost-cutting at its worst.

author: Halcyon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 26, 2017, 12:44:30 am
content: Quote from: Benta on February 25, 2017, 10:30:49 pmMaybe if Volvo alone developed the engine and left Peugeot and Renault out of it, it might have been a success.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 26, 2017, 04:45:24 am
content: Quote from: Halcyon on February 26, 2017, 12:44:30 amI suspect it must have had political motivations for selling Volvos in France because I can think of few other reasons for their involvement. If they really wanted a 6 they could have simply extended the B21 or B230 SOHC inline 4 which is a bulletproof engine known for being almost impossible to kill into a straight 6 as they did with the pushrod B18 derived B30.

author: TheSteve
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 26, 2017, 05:21:48 am
content: Quote from: Benta on February 25, 2017, 10:30:49 pmYou've clearly never been that close to a DeLorean. You'd need a crazy low ceiling to hit it - you'd also be hitting your head. You also need less clearance on the side of the DeLorean to open the door then any car with a conventional door - less then 6 inches!(proud owner of VIN 5439 for 9 years)

author: cs.dk
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 26, 2017, 07:59:34 am
content: Quote from: Halcyon on February 26, 2017, 12:44:30 amThe enging isn't that bad - It's not very powerful, but it is fairly strong build.I'm a frequent user of different Citroën forums, and I can't remember someone with a dead engine. The PRV engine is in the XM as a 3,0 liter @ 170 bhp.The 24V version however, was dead from beginning. It was in Citroën XM and Peugeot 605 with 200 bhp. IIRC it was lubrication to the cams that failed on them.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 26, 2017, 11:25:46 am
content: Quote from: SeanB on February 25, 2017, 06:08:40 pmIt was a Holden (Opal) Vectra thank you very much!And the term used by the repair guy was "death trap".I now drive a Toyota Corolla

author: langwadt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 26, 2017, 12:56:26 pm
content: Quote from: meeder on February 25, 2017, 09:07:41 amas far as I've heard they will use a different engine to meet emission standard

author: Towger
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 26, 2017, 06:25:33 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on February 26, 2017, 11:25:46 amWait until the SWMBO wants a Toyota Corolla Verso.

author: meeder
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 26, 2017, 07:05:03 pm
content: Quote from: Towger on February 26, 2017, 06:25:33 pmWith two kids that moment can't be to far away in the futureNothing wrong with a Corolla though, we drove the European hatchback version (called Auris).

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 26, 2017, 07:09:22 pm
content: Quote from: cs.dk on February 26, 2017, 07:59:34 amIt's not so much weak as it is just a poor design. I've only ever dealt with it in Volvos and the main issue was that it was very prone to oil leaks, difficult to work on in place, and hard to get it to idle smoothly. Then it was only 130HP in US-spec emissions compliant form, not much more than the 114HP of the 2.3L I-4 and significantly less than the 162HP 2.3L turbo despite higher fuel consumption. Early versions had a tendency to eat camshafts which come out through the back of the head so you had to pull the heads or the whole motor to replace them. I think the camshaft oiling issue had been fixed by the time DeLorean used them. I'm still not sure why DeLorean chose that specific engine though when other engines more suitable for use in a sports car were available. 130HP is anemic for a car built of relatively heavy stainless steel.

author: Benta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 26, 2017, 08:51:40 pm
content: QuoteI'm with you 100%, it's a p*ss-poor design. The PRV engine was originally designed as a 90 deg V8, but due to the oil crisis two cylinders were chopped off (French cost-cutting style), leaving an unbalanced, vibrating, oscillating, noisy V6. Which was then put into the DeLorean.And frankly: a measly 131...136 HP from 2.8 l displacement is an insult torealEuropean engine designers.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 27, 2017, 01:28:18 am
content: Ah! Now that's something I didn't know, being designed as a V8 explains the weird oddfire design that gave it a lumpy idle. Seems like it only had a few bolts that hold the intake manifold on too, I remember seeing issues with those stripping out. At least it looks right in the DeLorean, like it's supposed to be there. In a Volvo 760 the engine is perched way forward so the oil pan clears the crossmember, there's a big gap in back between the engine and firewall, something like 8 inches. Handy for getting at the bellhousing bolts but not so much for changing belts, water pumps and other common maintenance items that are now mashed up near the radiator. The first time I saw one I thought some idiot did a redneck engine swap with whatever they had on hand.Despite my gripes about the engine, I can still forgive the DeLorean because it's just such a crazy cool car. Totally impractical, doesn't even perform that great, but it looks awesome and it has character. I wish more cars had stainless body panels, especially in areas where salt is used to melt ice on the roads, you hardly see any cars more than about 5 years old in the midwest and northeast because they rot to pieces.

author: VulcanBB18
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: February 27, 2017, 02:07:44 am
content: Well, at least you can get some of the obscure spare parts for them right here in Oz!https://www.jaycar.com.au/flux-capacitor/p/OUTATIMEcheers,

author: Ed.Kloonk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 27, 2017, 02:41:17 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on February 26, 2017, 11:25:46 amOh, what a feeling.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 27, 2017, 05:06:45 am
content: Quote from: VulcanBB18 on February 27, 2017, 02:07:44 amIMHO making a time machine out of a DeLorean is like building a vintage Charger into the General Lee from Dukes of Hazzard, been there, seen that, it's not original. Great car, great movie, but no reason to convert more of the cars to what was in the movie.

author: Delta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 27, 2017, 07:16:58 am
content: Quote from: Benta on February 26, 2017, 08:51:40 pmIndeed. The Mercedes straight 6 M110 introduced in the early 70s produced a superb 185HP from 2.8L. Great engines.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 27, 2017, 07:18:21 am
content: Quote from: james_s on February 27, 2017, 05:06:45 amReally?Name a car that will turn headseverywhereyou go more than a time machine Delorean.Not a single car in production would come close, nor any historical car.The single first thing I'd if I win lotto is get a time machine Delorean.There is a Delorean for sale in oz, but generally pretty rare.https://www.carsales.com.au/private/details/DeLorean-DMC-12-1981/SSE-AD-3534741/?Cr=0

author: CJay
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 27, 2017, 10:24:09 am
content: Quote from: Delta on February 27, 2017, 07:16:58 amThe straight 6 from the BMW M3 was a little later, early 80s, but made a very respectable 235HP from a shade under 2.5L and is/was a very nice engine to drive. Shame the car would actively try to kill you if you used itThat DeLorean engine is pretty much in line with a lot of American V 'musclecars' which had around 50HP per litre, loads of tuning potential on them of course but it's turd polishing at its finest.I always remember Will Gollop's 1.9L Peugeot 306 rallycross car absolutely thrashing a bunch of highly prepped drag strip musclecars on the strip...

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 27, 2017, 10:34:11 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on February 27, 2017, 07:18:21 amA big fat Rolls Royce, a bright colored Ferrari or Lamborghini sports car will do that. $100k is likely to get you an (older) second hand one. Kids nowadays have no idea about BTTF but they do know their sports cars. The design of the Delorean is more like BTTP (back to the past).

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 27, 2017, 10:42:05 am
content: Quote from: nctnico on February 27, 2017, 10:34:11 amThey'll get a cursory glance, often with a mumble of wanker on their breath. But you won't get a flock of people wanting a photo with it and to see inside.This guy who test drives fancy cars says it's #1 at pulling people:

author: VK5RC
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 27, 2017, 10:54:23 am
content: Re head turning, the 'V8 supercar' race is about to get started on the street circuit in Adelaide, lots of really nice cars out and about, a Maclaren F1 is about town, that really generates a serious crowd. I would wager more than a Delorean.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 27, 2017, 11:03:28 am
content: Quote from: VK5RC on February 27, 2017, 10:54:23 amI'll take that bet.Joe Average would not know what a Maclaren F1 is, other than yet another fancy sports car.Almost everyone knows what the Delorean Time Machine is.And which one are people most likely to post a photo of to Facebook or Twitter?, I'd bet the time machine.

author: CJay
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 27, 2017, 11:05:03 am
content: To get attention and not get 'wanker' in a supercar it has to be either top of the range (think Veyron or McLaren F1) or an absolute classic.I reckon, a DeLorean that's not been 'BTTF'd' would get looks but a full on BTTF DeLorean would draw crowds, as did the replica station wagon that was doing the motorways in the UK in the weeks around the Ghostbusters release.Now, there's a nice Bentley about ten years old in a local showroom for 'only' 23K...

author: Brumby
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 27, 2017, 11:09:10 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on February 27, 2017, 07:18:21 amThe instrument panel looks interesting....

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 27, 2017, 11:14:48 am
content: Quote from: CJay on February 27, 2017, 11:05:03 amYes. That's what I'm talking about BTW, not a stock Delorean.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 27, 2017, 11:19:41 am
content: Quote from: CJay on February 27, 2017, 11:05:03 amI wouldn't mind an ECTO-1, that'd be cool.The problem with the ECTO-1 though is that it's only a car people want to see from the outside, no one would want to take a look inside.But the BTTF Delorean and it's insides are a character in the movie, people want to see the flux capacitor and the time circuits. They want to play with the gull wing doors. They want to sit in it and look at their watch.In fact, name another car were people would just want a close up photo of them sitting inside it?

author: BrianHG
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 27, 2017, 11:22:08 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on February 27, 2017, 07:18:21 amJust for you: 6/49 style lottery #s: (6 picks out from 1-49)Seed = 54999Results:A> 12 16 23 24 38 39B> 2 11 14 20 42 43C> 5 6 30 45 46 49D> 10 25 27 29 32 44 <<< Pick this one line ......E> 1 7 26 31 33 41F> 4 9 15 28 35 47G> 13 17 18 19 34 37H> 3 8 21 22 36 40

author: CJay
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 27, 2017, 11:53:12 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on February 27, 2017, 11:19:41 amKITT but probably only if David Hasselhoff wasn't in it...Chitty Chitty Bang bang.And pretty much any car from The Avengers that had Joanna Lumley in it. (though that may just be me and would be conditional on her being in it too)

author: Towger
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 27, 2017, 02:15:42 pm
content: If you want to turn heads, just repair the Sinclair C5.https://youtu.be/xS6q27VOTOk?t=33m16sQuote from: meeder on February 26, 2017, 07:05:03 pmGetting 3 child seats in the back is the trick. It limits the possibilities when it comes to malemenopausemidlife cars :-)

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 27, 2017, 04:18:30 pm
content: Personally I don't want to turn heads, I mean the last thing I want to do is draw a crowd everywhere I go. I like the look of a stock DeLorean, they're totally unique looking cars. To each their own, but I've never been a fan of cosmetic modifications to classic cars, and I would feel like a total dork driving around in a fake time machine.

author: TheSteve
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 27, 2017, 05:14:33 pm
content: Quote from: Brumby on February 27, 2017, 11:09:10 amThe speedometer has been customized.You can't even get to 88 MPH in a stock DeLorean - the speedo doesn't go that high due to stupid US regulations at the time.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 27, 2017, 07:00:41 pm
content: Yeah that 80MPH speedometer law was ridiculous, I forget the name of the woman who came up with that law but I saw something a few years ago where she said she still believed it saved lives. Never made any sense to me at all though, I mean my friend had a car with one of those back in our younger years and on the back roads we would amuse ourselves by burying the needle and then letting off the gas and seeing how long it took to come down off the peg. If anything it encouraged speeding. Also looks stupid to have the needle all the way over to 3 o'clock just cruising on the freeway.We had other ridiculous laws for a while that mandated gigantic bumpers even on little sports cars, and for a while all bumpers had to be at a certain height which effectively outlawed some of the fancy adjustable suspension systems on european cars, and our headlamp laws were for decades stuck in the 1950s mandating crappy mechanically aligned sealed beam lamps while the rest of the world had vastly superior E-code headlamps.

author: Benta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 27, 2017, 07:01:53 pm
content: QuoteI realize that today it's "America First", but thereareother countries and markets on this planet.This car is in Queensland, Australia.I find it more interesting that it's able to rev at 1200 rpm with no battery voltage. Must have a special flux capacitor.

author: TheSteve
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 27, 2017, 07:05:25 pm
content: Quote from: Benta on February 27, 2017, 07:01:53 pmMy reply has nothing to do with location. The DeLorean was really only produced for the US market(and a few for Canada). You will notice the car is left hand drive as nearly every DeLorean made was. It is a US imported car - so it had a US speedo. Back then no factory DeLorean speedo went higher. The metric version of the speedo went to 130 kph.Also the tach often jumps up when you shut the engine off.

author: TheSteve
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 27, 2017, 07:10:17 pm
content: Quote from: james_s on February 27, 2017, 07:00:41 pmThe headlight/bumper laws are why a stock DeLorean looks so high in the front. They had to install longer springs to pass safety requirements in the US.

author: Benta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 27, 2017, 07:20:22 pm
content: QuoteWith a top speed of a little under 200 km/h, that statement makes absolutely no sense and is plain wrong.Here is an unfortunately very bad picture of the cockpit, but zooming/looking closer it's obvious that the speedo goes to 220 km/h.https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8d/Delorean.jpg

author: TheSteve
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 27, 2017, 07:50:20 pm
content: Quote from: Benta on February 27, 2017, 07:20:22 pmIn the early 80's the US mandated speedo's only go to 80 MPH - irregardless of the vehicles top speed. As a result DeLorean only made a speedo that went to 80 MPH. When they made a metric version of it they didn't want to change mechanism, only the face - so it went to 130 kph. The DeLorean was only made for two markets, the US and Canada. They did make a very limited number in right hand drive before they went out of business.Over the years there have been many aftermarket speedo kits made to update the factory ones as 80 MPH is silly.

author: Benta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 27, 2017, 09:24:14 pm
content: I stand corrected. I though the car was offered in Europe as well, having seen a couple here, and given that it was built in N. Ireland.

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 27, 2017, 09:59:06 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on February 27, 2017, 10:42:05 amReally? Let's see what happens when you put a Ferrari, Lamborghini and a Delorean on the Champs-Élysées in Paris: