Tim and his twin-turbo LS DeLorean

For Tim Moceri, head fabricator at the famed Florida “Salvage to Savage” workshop, this widebody DMC is a childhood dream that became a reality. The gullwing, stainless steel beauty has come a long way from its meager “sports” car beginnings and transformed into a twin-turbo LS-powered head turner. Let’s get you up to speed on the Delorean that broke the internet in this month’s Haltech Heroes.

BACK IN TIME

Tim first fell in love with a Delorean as a kid, “there were no other cars like that, just raw metal with gullwing doors. It was when art took place over insurance and safety.” He always kept his eye out for a project, but it wasn’t until recently that he finally took a chance on a car from California and begin his incredible build.

“I wanted a DeLorean since I was 8. I’m now 38 and decided this is the time so I struck out to find the cheapest one I could find. The day it came all I saw was potential. It was an amazing day!”

Once it was delivered to Florida, Tim found it would need some serious fabrication work. “The roof box structure that holds up the doors was completely rotted, that was probably the biggest challenge besides the engine swap.” But after months of hard work, it was back together as a complete chassis and ready for its new heart.

A NEW HEART

The stock 2.8L V6 was ditched in favor of a 5.3L GM LS. Two Garrett turbos were added with custom exhaust and intake piping all fabbed by Tim and the guys at Salvage to Savage. “Right now this is what I would call stage 1. It makes around 700hp because any more would fold up the stock chassis like a pretzel.”

Behind the impressive V8 powerplant is a Porsche 996 transmission, “A lot of people forget that the Delorean is rear-engined. It works a lot like the Porsche, so using the 996 transmission just made sense and works well.”

It’s all suspended on an Airlift Performance air-ride system, that gives this DMC the aggressive stance and performance needed to handle all 700HP. “I like the air-ride for the comfort and handling, plus it turns a lot of heads when we park and air it all out on the ground.”

IN CONTROL

All of this performance is controlled by a Haltech Nexus R5 VCU, not only handling the engine management but also powering all of the lighting and electronics inside the car.

The PDM function of the VCU eliminated a lot of the pesky fuses and electrical faults that plague many Delorean owners. It also gave him plug-and-play functionality with other Haltech accessories like the iC-7 display.

“These cars are known for bad wiring from the factory, and while I was originally going to install a new harness, I found the Nexus R5 and like the idea of bringing the car into the 21st century.”

Inside we see that iC-7 stuffed into the stock gauge cluster, Tim tells us “the windshield is laid way back and you sit really far back in the car. The stock cluster is really slim and luckily the iC-7 fit perfectly and you can see everything including the little rev-counter at the top. I like it because it’s a nice upgrade over the stock gauges.”

Other interior upgrades include a pair of Status Racing carbon-backed seats with custom red trim and a few switches and touches to keep the retro yet modern feel.

THE WIDE SIDE

To finish the car off, Tim worked with Kyza a world-renowned car designer to build a body kit that would draw inspiration from old IMSA widebody racecars. “I was super grateful for him to fit me in as he did, this guy is backed up over a year, but once I said Delorean he slotted me in just enough time to get ready for SEMA.”

The carbon-fibre widebody kit pushes the wheels out over 4 inches and adds a ton of attitude to the car’s appearance. It was handmade based on Kyza’s renderings by the team at Salvage to Savage, a testament to their impressive work.

Tim tells us that he considers this car in a “Stage 1” setting right now, but future plans include more chassis modifications to allow for more power and better handling. Who knows what other wild upgrades we will see in the future as he continues to build his childhood dream car.

“I want to thank all of the companies and industry friends who reached out to help me get the car completed. Mikey Rolls, Andrew Riviera, PJ Of Turbology, Kyza, Stan Chen, Sema battle of the builders, All my sponsors for their support on the project, Haltech, Garrett turbos, Vibrant Performance, Toyo tires, Aeromotive and Turbosmart.”