Lots of progress
Update for this weekend:
Picked up bracketry from powder coaters:
Engine bay masked off and primered where needed then rubbed back down:
Started to build up engine, stroker crank goes in with the machined oil seal sleeve:
I installed all the timing gear to test the Piston - Valve clearance, when I installed the piston I found it hit the crank counter weights on the down stroke so I had to file the piston skirts down about 4 mm, all 6 will need doing ultimately, I had read that the Mahle piston skirts didnt need this doing but my Mahle ones did...
When I turned the engine over the end result shows that the intake valve edge is very close to the piston relief, I will need to get all the pistons machined here other wise they are OK.
No issue with the exhaust valves:
Hopefully I can get these machined for next weekend and get the bottom end finished and ready to go in. I plan to install the bottom end first then add the head once its in the car. I also hope to the the engine bay colour done next weekend.
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Engine bay turned out better than I could have hoped for:
Made my radiator mounts and mounted into car:
gapped my rings:
I timed the camshaft using a DTI and an adjustable pulley. It was 5 degrees out as I had the block shaved 0.5 mm to regain some compression from the stroker mods.
Balanced my pistons and rods, then built them up:
assembled the bottom end:
Refitted my pedals, cables, and braking assembly:
Started to fit my underseat battery kit :
Progress and Setbacks:
Finished building up the bottom end and mated the gearbox:
craned it in, at first it went in rather easy
eventually it was home; my annoyance was the radiator, because I didnt cut the plenum and tucked the radiator underneath i had the radiator installed during the engine install, believing that once the engine was in you couldnt get the radiator out. Well such was the tightness of the engine fit I damaged the radiator as I installed it. Subsequently once it was in I realised I could still remove/fit the radiator, so I could have done the engine then fit the radiator without damage. Very annoying. It does prove a point though. I can fit and remove my radiator despite not cutting the plenum and despite what all the nay-sayers say. All it would require is removing the water pump and cam pulley etc.
Some fanciful pics:
I fitted my fuel filter, brake bias valve and the battery from boot cable:
The big set back today has been my engine mounts, my earlier trial fit made me think they were OK but I made a fatal error. I trialled the head without the exhaust manifold. Today I realised my manifold hits the steering linkage so the mounts need modification to lean the engine more towards the passenger side and away from the steering box. This will take quite a lot of work next weekend...
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Very Busy this long weekend
First I got a boot box which will be very useful for trips out, also the reason the battery has to go under the seats!
Water pump installed with adequate clearance:
Brake resevoir:
I relocated the horns by mounting them through these outer plenum holes that already exist so no cutting:
Head was installed with proper BMW gasket
Timing belt installed:
Rocker Cover Crackle Painted and Lacquered:
Alternator, covers and rocker cover...
Exhaust Manidold, Coil, And water neck installed. I'm in the process of figuring what type of silicone piping I'm going to have to get to mate all the water circuits:
The hard part is the heater pipes the drivers side pipe has to route behind the cylinder head to the other side and with the carb setup there is VERY little space. You can see I have squeezed a pipe just under the gutter and behind the head that I hope will work. It will rub though... :/ I cannot think of a way around this though other than run a pipe all the way under the gearbox and up the other side... :S
Carb trial fit, expansion tank mounted:
I have a clearance issue with the water neck and carbs. Firstly the blue temp sensor has no chance of fitting so I removed it for now. I will still need a 10mm spacer making for the water neck to move it out as the carb spindle is hitting the thermostat housing. I wasnt expecting this as the manifold was made for an early version of this engine. Obviously the water neck design has changed over the years.
Fitted new fuse box, and roughly replaced the 02 loom. Once I get the M20 loom installed and all the electrics working I will have a go at cleaning up these looms and re-wrapping them, no point until I have finished any splicing and re-routing.
Began work on the ECU today. One of the issues with the E30 ECU is this... It is designed to mount on OUR drivers side of the E30 (European Passenger side).All the cables on the E30 loom run along the bulkhead to the other side (our passenger side) about 3 feet, then along the inner wing. For people doing M20 swaps in LHD 02s they put the ECU in the glove box and route the loom as the E30, along the bulk head. I wanted to keep the glove box mounting in my RHD swap, also there is very little room for chunky loom cabling past my carb setup etc too. So I cut through to the glove box at the end of the inner wing, the problem then is, If I use the original E30 fat loom grommet through the bulkhead I would have 3 feet of chunky pointless loom cable in the engine bay to find space for, (the length which normally runs along the bulkhead in the E30!) This loom is big and unwieldy enough as it is! Plus you can see how little space I have in that area.
I thought it would be better to put all the slack in the passenger footwell/glove box area. So what I did in the below picture was, I have cut the shrink on the loom about 2 feet and pulled the ECU power cable (which needs to be in the engine bay) back, then re-wrapped the loom. I also cut the big grommet and moved that along a good distance so now all the slack will be in the footwell area. I should be able to tie it up out of the way under the dash somewhere. Slightly annoyed I had to cut the grommet but there was no other way to move it.
So thats up to date... Its looking relatively complete but theres still a good way to go....
Battery Set up
ECU installation
Propshaft
Exhaust
Rear Brakes
Bleeding clutch and brakes
Ignition leads and system
coolant hose setup
and a myriad of minor things that escape me
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