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From first fire to dyno day
I spent most of 2014 installing the engine and trans, finishing and fine tuning the Megasquirt installation, and a bunch of other miscellaneous tasks to get it ready to turn the key for the first time. Also a million and one other "while I'm there" jobs like LED bulbs for the dash, securing the oversize spare wheel, fixing the hood support, etc., etc.,...
Then it was off to a local dyno shop for tuning with some great results for a first effort.
Installing Engine
Wiring
The part I dislike the most. It's tedious and I suck at it. Wiring errors and "on the job learning" is perhaps the thing that slowed me down the most. And because I suck at it, it's all the more rewarding when I do get it right and stuff works as it should. The first pic is what caused me most grief - it's the VR sensor. I triple checked I had it wired up correctly, comparing dozens of posts online, and I still didn't. Yes, those are crimps for speed of mock up assembly, and yes they were insulated before use.
Megasquirt/TunerStudio would show cranking with the VR sensor polarity reversed, but never get a clean tach signal. I spent days trying to figure out why it would crank but not fire until I ripped it all apart and went back through it for a second time and flipped the polarity for giggles. Et voila. First fire.
I should add that at this point I changed course several times about how to fire the coil(s) and what coil(s) to use. I was originally going to use EDIS and a DIYAutotune four-post coil. See the EDIS and four plug wires in these early pictures.
...then I dropped EDIS and got the MS3X daughter card to fire smart coils directly for a cleaner install (less under the hood) and contemplated the "Yukon" LS coils.
There were no easy/clean ways to mount the Yukon coils with the stock GM bracket, and I don't have access to a shop to create my own, and there were none on the aftermarket that were suitable, so I started looking at coil on plugs with ignitors (aka "smart coils"). The VAG COP of choice seems the be the ones from early to mid VW Golfs and Jettas. Plenty of information out there in the Megasquirt documentation and forums about what to look for and how to wire them up. Be aware though that the part number revisions given in the documentation did not guarantee compatibility with Megasquirt. I burned out several coils before I learned that the only real check was to measure resistance across pins 2 &3... just like the documentation says to do ?
I did find it necessary to trim about 1cm off the lower part of the metal shroud on the coils (trim it back level with bottom of the rubber insulation beneath the metal shroud) to get a good fit on the top of the plugs. They are regular plugs for our cars. Can't remember which type exactly, except they are of the resistor variety with the bulbous tops instead of the threaded posts for connecting to the spark plug wires.
You can see the VAG COPs fitted and wired up in this pic.
So that's where the ignition landed. VR sensor feeding tach to MS, MS firing the VAG COPs directly using the MS3X daughter card. At this point It was time to fire it up.
Air intake
Due to limited room, I had to do some creative doodling about air filtration.
I bought some stubby air horns from a VW shop that are straight with no radius (so they aren't really air horns at all), some angled silicone hose, and a Ram Air filter and base plate. Here is one of the stubbies in situ:
Bolted them all together in the following order (except the thick spacer next to the real air horn - that was not needed):
I ended up with the following contraption:
With the thick spacer removed and all four attached with the actual filter, this is what it ended up like:
The hoses are now firmly secured using stainless t-bolt bands (not shown in the mock ups). I ran the car with no hood for several weeks because I was still spending a lot of time working under there tweaking stuff. When I reinstalled the hood, I found one of the support channels attached to the underside of the hood interfered with the filter when the hood was latched closed, so I had to trim another 2cm off the hose to lower the height of the filter.
Another problem, which I have yet to solve, is that the filter is too high for the strut bar I bought. If I don't fix the issue, look for the strut bar in the classifieds!
Throttle Cable
My first throttle mechanism was bodged together from whatever materials I could find in my garage plus some barrel adjusters from eBay and it was not pretty. It used the cable supplied with the Jenvey ITBs but the cable was incredibly sticky inside the outer sheath which made throttle modulation difficult. I think the first pic shows a piece of old carb linkage being recycled - like I said, it was a case of making do.
It worked well enough for a few weeks before two things happened:
- the gas pedal fell off while driving
- the throttle cable snapped
The "evil nubs" had not yet given up so I ordered a new pedal and a Lokar throttle cable kit. No pics of the new cable set up.
First drive
Here it is with a basic Megasquirt tune. There will still any things to complete before it was ready for the road.
Once it was ready, I took it out for it's maiden voyage in the computer age.
Wiring Revisited
The Megasquirt documentation is insistent on proper grounds. Here's what happens if you (inadvertently) get it wrong.
Again, I thought I had done it correctly, but the engine kept cutting out on drives over say 15 minutes. I would be powering along nicely, or just cruise steadily and then silence. RPMs would drop, no power, then nothing. Glide to the side of the road, switch the ignition off, switch the ignition back on again and it would instantly fire back up as if nothing had happened. Megasquirt logging several of these events showed the ECU saw voltage drop from +13.7V to 6V then nothing. Checking the relay/fuse holder and I saw the melted goey mess that used to be a fuse. Resistance was causing significant heat build up. Begin complete re-wire number three!
Hood Support
I broke the passenger side weld on the hood support torsion bar when removing the hood back in 2012, and my friend Kenny finally dusted off his gear for me.
Dyno day
While I had been able to get it to the point where it was drivable, I wanted an expert to take a look and tune it. My goals were twofold:
- ensure a professional tunes it safely so I don't break anything with my basic tune
- "more POWWWWAAAAAARRRRRR!!!!" (in your best Clarkson voice)
Got her all strapped in for her big day.
In the following videos, I am the very nervous looking guy in blue. Having never heard an M10 at full tilt (well, almost) from a few feet away, it was quite the experience for me. We agreed on an upper limit of 6400 RPMs but it sure sounded like it was going to grenade at about 6000. The operator didn't bat an eye though. One of the early dyno runs:
Nearing the end of the day:
The end result was a good 134rwhp (150ish at the crank?) and 129TQ with a really flat curve.
We finished up at about 7pm and the dyno operator, being the consummate salesman, said that there are two issues I need to fix and to "bring it back for another session, there's more in there!" The two issues (O2 sensor reading low, erratic CLT reading) have both since been fixed.
The Future
I tried most of the home brewed methods of getting the stock tach to work with Megasquirt and the COPs and gave up. The tach is now with North Hollywood Speedometers to be fitted with a custom PCB that will be driven directly by Megasquirt's tach output.
There may be forced induction in my future. There, I said it. I committed that thought to paper. It must be, like the EFI build, a "no cut" FI build though. I do not want to gut the front of the car or otherwise change the body work. Yes, that will force compromises, and I am absolutely ok with that. Here's my though process, and a failure on any one step below will cause the whole FI plan to be dropped:
- Move the alternator to the Tii position to make room for an airbox that can be pressurized
- Find an air box that will fit without moving the booster, etc.
- Find a place to mount an intercooler without cutting
- Find a turbo manifold and turbo that fits without cutting
- Run intake tubes everywhere
I am at this point today:
..and waiting for a XPZ962 fan belt to be delivered for Christmas.
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What's the Point?? (what had happened was...)
After getting the exhaust squared away I took to figuring out why the headlights didn't work. Had to again sponge until it became apparent the turn signal column lever was bad.
Drove the car thru summer and into the fall while adding cosmetic items and learning what the Guibo is. Wish I had the photos but you know the story. Thumping in the trans tunnel when shifting (only subtly at first) lead to multiple crawls under the car until through researching I decided to order one and replace it.
Since I liked the look of the euro turn signals and found a pair I replaced them and also found some bottle cap wheels and a Momo steering wheel.
Winter came and the suspension became something I thought I could get sorted so I began gathering the parts to refurbish. Punching out old tired bushings was not easily accomplished with the subframe on the car. I learned the hard way it needed to come off so...
One thing led to another while getting the front end together. Looking up at the oil pan and oil covered steering box had me pouring thru threads using my friend the search function and being subtly hypnotized by all the build threads and Articles on modifications and upgrades.They all led to an evolution that started with front bushing replacement. While looking up at the subframe I notice the oily steering box so...
and the pedal box grunge...
and the oily oil pan...
etc...
well, you can see where this is going. Needless to say project scope creep took hold and fast forward to the most recent change when I decided to go the full Monty tear down for body repairs and paint.
I really liked the paint (original) but due to the PO weak attempts at matching the color at front quarters and a rear end in need of straightening chose to repaint. Here are some of the planned mods after the body work and paint include: big brakes both ends, shortie bumpers, Hella 550's, dual Dellorto 40's, Stahl header, stainless exhaust, Motorsport 300 degree cam with IE head bits, high compression 10.5:1 pistons, 5 speed G245, LSD, urethane bushings, HD struts and shocks, Alpina wheels, new carpet set (ESTY order coming later), 1 piece dash, new rubber window gaskets, new headliner (thanks Steve), deleted side markers and lower trim, under seat trunk mounted battery, low profile under seat subwoofer, kick panel and hidden package deck speakers (from an faq thread) and other stereo bits.
And on it goes...
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Car Mod List
This is a simple list of non-stock components that I have put on the 02, plus those in the future when they happen. I will add photos where/when I can.
Engine:
- Italian Weber 45 DCOEs
- Vintage Cannon 2 piece intake manifold and rod-style linkage
- 8mm spark plug wires
- 123Ignition distributor
- Oil pan baffle and windage tray
- Mechanical fuel pump delete (now electric in trunk)
- Vintage (and kind of small) long tube header of unknown brand or origin
- Condor solid mounts
- IE sidedraft silicone coolant hoses (blue)
- Ebay special 50mm aluminum radiator
- 14" electric fan (mechanical fan delete)
Suspension:
- Unknown brand 80s lowering springs (gold paint, anyone know?)
- Bilsteins strut inserts/shocks all around from the 80s, unknown mileage
- Old fixed camber plates (just an offset for the stock strut hats)
- IE offset roll center spacers
- Boxed and reinforced front control arms
- Black poly bushings in all front suspension points (haven't gone through the rear yet)
- Reinforced motor mounts and front subframe
Brakes:
- Haven't even gotten there yet
Exhaust:
- I guess currently none after the header is technically an answer (sorry neighbors)
Drivetrain:
- AKG chassis-mount short shifter with white DTM style knob (4 speed)
- Condor poly trans mount
Wheels/Tires:
- 14x6 (might be 7, will check) vintage Panasports
Body:
- A few custom small dents in the hood and roof from when the PO was having roof work done on the garage the car was stored in
Interior:
- There isnt any currently haha
- Vintage MOMO Lauda wheel, 11/80, 350mm
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Engine compartment
The engine and transmission are out. The engine is at the shop having both the head and block worked on. We will have to bore out the cylinders and replace with oversized pistons. I couldn't find any pistons off the shelf, so I am having them made, which could take a couple of months. I plan to use that time to repaint the car.
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Quick project update
My new job and moving has slowed progress on the car, but it's still inching closer to completion. If you followed my previous posts, i said the mission of this project was to have an almost original 1969 BMW 2002... but the car has become something else, something that is more custom.
Fuel and Carbs
Final routing fuel and cable routing is being done around the TI air cleaner that I modified for the DCOEs. The fuel regulator impinged on the air cleaner so I moved it to the drivers side, which incidentally makes it easier to adjust. The fuel lines are still being adjusted and experimented with.
Fuel and Carbs
I am fabricating a custom battery tray from a TII tray... but mounts lower and using the original bolt locations.
DiffI switched the diff to a 3.65 LSD, which was made by Dave Varco
Interior
One big setback has been the dash, which was redone by Just Dashes. Unfortunately it didn't line up to the body after it was reworked and I had to send it back... which has delayed finishing the interior for 4-5mo.
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Pulling away
Enjoy the sound and see the acceleration of the rebuilt Alpina motor
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Wanted a 1974 2002tii Motor
Wanted a 1974 2002tii motor complete that is running. Compression test would be a big plus.
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Time to pause and bask in the glory for a moment
So it’s been about 4-1/2yrs since I drug the carcass of this car home.
In that time I’ve replaced the ENTIRE trunk floor (including the tray between the wheel wells, the rear panel, all of the floor pans, both outer rockers, repaired both inner rockers, replaced the drivers frame rail, repaired the pass rail, removed and reattached the nose, replaced the majority of the firewall (including remaking the area around the heater box), swapped both doors, replaced the left A sheet and hinges. Replaced both wing sheets, and on and on. I am still going to replace the roof ( I have a good slick top on hand) as this one has too much seam rust around the sunroof for me to want to keep it. Lots of external rust repair still to do, but the main shell is now strong enough to be driven. All of the suspension has been gone through- new bushing though out, Bilstein sports and IE springs, 5spd trans, new clutch, 3.91 LSD, 292 cam, 38/38 carb, a header and ansa exhaust, fitted a full turbo aero kit and some killer compomotive wheels. The wiring harnesses have all been repaired and rewrapped. All of the lights and switches function as they should.
It’s time to thrash it about for a bit before the weather turns and start back in on bodywork.
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Interior Cleaning
The week before all the rain came to this part of the country I was able to spend a good amount of time cleaning the interior. The goal was to get as much of the mustiness removed as was reasonable and make it comfortable to work inside. Vinegar and lots of elbow grease helped. I experimented with different sponges and brushes but getting into the molded divots in the upholstery was challenging. I pulled the carpet out with the exception of the piece over the transmission tunnel and cleaned it as best as possible which allowed me to get to the fuel line so I could order parts for that part of the job coming up next. I removed an old towel I had sewn over the bottom of the driver's seat as a teenager and found some floor pan repair I had done during that same time period in the passenger's footwell that looks like I used white caulk and silicone. For the most part the interior is now about back to the condition it was in in about 1998 when I parked it for the last time. I'm not done yet but far enough that I can work comfortable inside it and pick away at the rest of the interior needs and work as time goes on after other things.
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Build inspiration
Thought would share a few photos of what has inspired me to rebuild my 02 to be similar to a 70s period racer Alpina look.
When deciding on color of choice to paint my car I knew in my mind that it had to be an original BMW 2002 color that matched the year of the car and as soon as I saw the inka and black combination I just couldn’t get it out of my head!
So that is what I’m going with!
Have attached some photos of an 02 with this same color combination sourced from Stance Works and I have to say is one of my favorites and inspires me to get a wriggle on with mine and get the paint and panel sorted ASAP…
Who else loves this paint combo?
Also interested to hear from others if they have painted theirs this color combo or know of others that have, what black did they use? Was it the 02 Schwarz color or something else? My painter has suggested to either use the factory Schwarz color or even a PPG black which he has used for other cars in the past and highly recommends
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Getting Started
We have decided to do it right and have started disassembling the car in preparation to strip it to bare metal and start over. Thanks to my boys, my friends, and some horse trading with new friends this project is strongly underway.
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More paint stripping, suspension rebuild
Stripping rear of car, suspension/subframe rebuild in progress. Brake kit arrived; mock up in different wheels checking for clearance
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In the Begining
The journey began on a dreary September 2019 weekend. After a few road trips and some negotiation I purchased a strong running 1974 2002tii. Having owned a handful of 60's era Detroit machines I was looking forward to the challenge of a vintage BMW.
The good - Prior owner had sorted out the mechanical well. The car started, ran well, dependable, solid floors & shock towers.
The bad - Rusty rockers, front fenders and quarter panels, and the general lack of BMW knowledge
After driving the car for a month and accumulating about 500 miles, it was time to get to work.
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EFIing an M10
So this issue of EFIing an old M10 motor comes up repeatedly from time to time and so I thought I could bring my thoughts about this together. I don’t know if there’s already a blog entry or write-up, so… sorry if repeating. Please feel free to add all your info, opinions and experience to make this a helpful content for later readers!
Talking about the reasons for EFI doesn’t make sense here I think. Let the pros-and-cons discussion take place somewhere else.
Fuel supply
(This does not affect tiis with an intact system)
Pump:
What kind of injection ever shall be installed, in any case you will need fuel supply. A 12 Volt electric fuel pump that provides a pressure of 2-3 bar (31-43.5psi) has to go into the car. I guess a lot of pumps will do this since various systems work with pressures in this range. You should find a good 2nd hand pump somewhere, so buying new isn’t the only option. Check for correct voltage, pressure, junction diameters and where to get connectors. Tii pumps have a delivery rate of 120ltr/hr and 1,5-2 bar pressure as the German manual says. These ones have an intake filter.
There are in-tank-pumps also. Use the search function for info about this, I haven’t seen the perfect solution yet. Be aware of the different heights the 2002 tanks have when looking for an in-tank. I prefer an out-of-tank pump because of better access and less fuel mess if to address.
Here are sending units. Left: roundies 46ltr.. 200mm. Middle: squaries 50ltr., 225mm. Right: tourings 51ltr/turbos 70ltr., 290mm.
The other ones are all mounted on the underside of the car as far as I have seen. You may install a tii or other fuel pump at the same spot where tiis have them from factory. Don’t choose an in-trunk-mounting. Some versions of foreign brands will require custom installation by fabricating brackets or clamps. Care for elastic elements to the body for noise reduction. Don’t forget an expansion barrel not too far away from the pump to smooth out flow and pressure impulses. Check if your pump has an integrated filter in the intake, otherwise install an in-line-filter before.
Feed line:
The next step is the feed line. Tiis and -seemingly- all US-squaries have a metal tube leading from the left rear axle mount to the front end of the left frame rail below the battery. 73+ euro automatics have this, too. For tiis this is the feed line from the tank to the filter next to the radiator, for the carbed cars it’s the return line from the carburetor to the tank. The plastic line in the cabin is return for the tiis and feed for the carbureted. Check this one for usability anyway, it will carry some remaining pressure later. In case of doubt: renew. Do not install another plastic line parallel! Fuel pressure lines belong under the car.
Cars that don’t have the metal tube from factory can be equipped with this (tii-) version but do not trust 50-year old material. Buy this new, the risk of losing gas through a leaky tube isn’t worth saving some $. Plan a fine filter at the engine end of the feed line. I relocated mine underneath the battery because there’s not so much heat from the radiator.
Pickup:
The fuel pump sucks gas out of the fuel tank. Tiis have a separate pickup unit including return next to the sending unit for the gauge cluster. In these cases, the sending unit doesn’t have a pickup but just the electric junctions of the sender.
You may now find and install a tii fuel tank with pickup together with sieve and sender. This is a pretty easy and quick solution but wait for it until your tank is empty. If you want to stick to your just freshly refurbished tank you can modify it for the tii pickup:
You may go this route as an option:
Means: Create a custom pickup (don’t forget a sieve) and using the sending unit as return. Remember the different lenghts of the sending units. Let the diameters of pump intake/filter and custom pickup match. Order new gas-resistant rubber hoses of required sizes, clamps etc.
Some squarie tanks should have a welded-in junction some similar to the one shown above, painted black. This one is not longer than its visible part and does not catch the bottom, so: useless.
To get from the inside of the trunk to the underside of the car you will have to drill holes (in a non-tii). Here’s how it is done in a rear differential support from factory:
The smaller tube is for the wires. Sorry for not sandblasting.
So here’s your route: tank pickup, holes, fuel pump and feed line. Free order of appearance. These can be done without setting the car out of order for a longer time, it will remain driveable. If there are open junctions after installation: plug blind safe as long as not needed.
Now be prepared to install a wideband oxygen sensor. Narrow bands are useless. A location for it may be in the downpipe after the junction of the two lines. After welding in the bung (it’s 18x1,5 at least for Bosch sensors), plug blind. Think about where to run the wires.
Keep in mind that the oxygen sensor will need a controller. So buy a sensor with integrated controller (expensive), an ECU with integrated controller or an extra seperate device. These sometimes have a 3-step output (cold/middle/hot) for exhaust gas temperature for an LED, maybe in the center console.
Well, this is the easier part and you will need it anyway. Now: choosing the EFI. It’s no good to look for a plug-and-play solution what simply doesn’t exist.
A. Yes, there are these 318i L-jets. To swap the entire intake seems easy indeed but:
- the 318i gets air from below and not from the side or above. It’s an updraft. There’s no space for the air flow meter and an airbox except you relocate the battery out of the engine bay. Some people don’t like this, metoo. Many custom holders, brackets etc. will be needed.
- fabricating a throttle linkage will not be done quickly. You’ll have to combine levers and cable roll.
- The RPM signal comes from #1 on the coil/dizzy. I’m not really sure if this signal coming from a dizzy with points is suitable or not. Worst scenario here: replace the camshaft including anti-clockwise dizzy by those ones of the 318i.
- last not least: the E30 intake buddha is a question of taste, of course. But in my opinion the optics of the tii runners have never been topped.
B. This Bosch LH 2.2 for Volvos.
There are some people who have done this swap successfully by using the 318i intake also. This means same part, same issues plus several modifications to the harness and more.
I went with an intake combi of 320i and tii but the required mods are still more. (didn’t get it to run)
C. Aftermarket ECU and EFI systems
These systems have their own universe. They offer the opportunity to take some kind of all-grabbing influence on your engine’s performance. Some are fuel-only, some cover ignition also. By this it should be possible to get a 76 to pass smog. If switching to another camshaft or a 4-valve head the ECU can be adjusted to these mods. Well, there is the learning curve, and it’s long: But however... Maybe you have to pay for a tuning shop.
The prices vary a lot. Think carefully about your engine hardware and if the software will be familiar with it. On the other hand, you don’t need an ECU with full sequential for a 12-cylinder.
Relay board:
You will quite probably need this. A relay board is a device for many aftermarket ECUs. It carries a main relay, a pump relay (even tiis don’t have these) and several fuses. There are omni-fit boards in the market that use high-power transistors instead of relays. I don’t have experience with these but on the pictures they look pretty tiny. Check.
Do NOT run the coil via the main relay! You will not be able to switch off the engine. I chose two small 4-fuse boxes with the same torpedo-style fuses as are in the car for symmetry. Look for space in your engine bay and think about where to locate this board.
Now you can run a 1.5mm2 (do not undersize) wire to the pump colored green/white, that’s original. You could go from the relay board through the cabin under the rear seat through one of the blind plugs for the lower seat belt bolts- if there are no belts. Look for a solid ground spot and run a brown 1,5mm2 wire for the pump to it. The ground wire for the rear defrost should be near. At this stage the car will still be driveable.
Decide: cover the ignition or not? I recommend yes. There is the chance to gain so much better torque at lower RPM that you won’t miss it if experienced once. You may start tuning fuel-only and add the ignition later but don’t buy an ECU not covering the ignition feature.
For this, you will have to have a trigger wheel. I’ve learned that a 36-1 is quite easy to handle since each gap has 5°. Which custom wheel and which sensor (hall or VR) you choose is up to you. Note: your ECU must handle your choice. Here are measurements of the tii crank pulley hub (for easier app'ing a trigger wheel) :
Note that there is a mark on the pressed-on ring that does NOT show TDC!
Inserting a very important fact here. The pairings of TDC marks of carbed engines and tiis do not match! If you have a carbed engine with a tii pulley hub in TDC the marks on pulley and chain cover will not flush. The difference is about 11 degrees. You'll have to add new marks on your own.
Don't you think all parts are the same in dimensions. I created all my injection action on a spare engine block on the table what was much more comfortable than diving in the engine bay all the time. I also installed a spare flywheel and bell housing to find exact TDC on the tii pulley I wanted to install later in ther car. The marks didn't fit. I don't know if it is about the crankshaft, the chain cover, the bell housing or the flywheel but I decided to align this on the engine in the car and not on a spare.
Now let’s come to the injection style: throttle body injection (TBI) or port injection. The base of the phrase is: where exactly are the injectors located? I’ve been told that both styles could be run with an alpha/n-only ECU but ask yourself if you really want to do that. Most ECUs offer certain additional inputs and it would be a waste not to use them for better performance.
When choosing a TBI unit you should check: number of injectors, flow rate, impedance (resistance) and throttle size. What about: air temp sensor (IAT), fuel pressure regulator, throttle position sensor (TPS) and an idle air control valve (IACV or IAV)? Is it pulse width modulation (PWM) operated or is it a stepper motor? Note that the to-be-chosen ECU must be able to handle all components! My UMC for example can’t deal with a stepper. Where to put a MAP (manifold absolute pressure) junction? Some ECUs have a built-in sensor and are connected by a plastic tube, some have electric input and need a separate sensor adapted to the intake somehow, but do check before.
Compare the questionable TBI units for hardware and think about where to install missing sensors (IAT in the airbox, coolant liquid temp =CLT in a 318i/320i divider, where to put the IAV). Don’t choose a unit without TPS, it’s a mess to adapt these later. Look if a universal engine wire set is available, these seem to be pricey. Otherwise you’ll have to buy all single wires of your color choice or de-knot a 2nd hand harness- what I did. Look for all required connectors and plug housings. Will your stock airbox fit onto the top? These and more questions have to be answered before choosing an ECU.
Some may want to have port injection. I see three routes: 318i buddha intake, 4-throttle intake with injector holes from an aftermarket supplier or 320i injector bridge with custom intake.
The 318i buddha intake has already been addressed.
If going with 4-throttles check if a TPS is included. Other sensors won’t be included, so prove where to get and and how to locate them. What kind of airbox may match? How to connect an idle valve or can a throttle motor be adapted? Does the ECU accept such motors?
The euro 320i with K-jet was offered from 1975 to 1977. In the US seemingly longer. Its intake injector bridges can be set with more modern electric injectors. Well, adding the intake there won’t be much space below:
The black square feed line is hardly visible. It has to be modified and it is really very tight there. The mounting of a TPS to the TB is hard.
You may have a custom intake:
Decide if you want to fire batch, semi- or full sequential. Yeah: do google.
Concerning the ignition: you may stick to the standard dizzy, some may upgrade to coil-on-plugs (COP). There are also twin modules with the ECU running in waste spark mode but then the dizzy has to be replaced by a blind plug. Where and how to install COPs? However: no way without trigger wheel. Check resistance of plugs, wires and coils. Either the modules need integrated drivers or the ECU needs them.
Choosing the ECU is easier at this point. It has to provide all your required inputs and outputs. Raise a list. I chose a pretty small one since it might find a place in the engine bay to avoid drilling a hole for the harness:
The model car has a scale of 1:43.
Be now aware of the mapping. Some have talent to think inside this stuff. My advice is: read, read and read. When finished: continue reading. Talk to as many people as you can find who know about this and like to share their experiences with you. Or: pay the man. These are pricey men.
This is just a short overview. Now feel free to add your thoughts, ideas and corrections. I’ve done the beginning. You’re welcome!!
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Efi progress
Been a while since my last post, been slow going for a bit through the winter and broke my wrist mid January. Anyway back to work on the efi swap. I turned some plugs on my lathe to plug up unused ports on the m20b25 throttle body. Got my ecu and am starting to build the harness. I made a harness with rope so I can pull it out and measure/ build it on the bench rather than fight it in the car. Got the relay box almost done now just waiting for some pins for my connectors of the correct gauge for the wire I’m using. I have completed my wiring spreadsheets and have all the wire I need. Still have to order some raychem DR-25 and SCL shrink tubing. Ran my positive battery cable today, and made a bracket for my relay box. Got too late to finish welding and grinding but I’ll do that later this week and get some paint on it.
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Update as of March 29, 2021
So as of this point the headliner is out and almost all of the dynamat is off the floor. I just got my 10 tooth/slat grill in today for the car. So that puts me at 4 NLA/unobtainable parts acquired for the car. Those parts being the two spoke steering wheel, swan neck mirror, embossed belt line trim and 10 slat grill. Hopefully by the 3rd of April the dynamat will all be out and the floor will be all set with POR15 applied.
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Droppppppppped.
M10 is out!! Thank you all for the list of data I’ve read to make this easy. ?
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Back home
So the car is now home at my garage and I am chuffed to bits
I'm going to work rear forward and I've started fitting up the rear lights and brightwork today.
Just need some new enamel badges and to cut the plugs for the rear lights and crimp on some spade connectors to get the pre-facelift lights to work!
Then it's onto fuelling and the battery
So glad I kept the trim connecting the rear lights
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Sooo....Where Was I? (2019/2020 Catch Up)
Welp, almost 2 years since my last blog post. High-level overview of what's happened since then:
2019:
Bought a property to build a new house (and more importantly, a bigger garage)
Pulled the motor back out (couldn't get the 5-speed trans in no matter how much I cursed at it)
Reinstalled motor/trans
Fab'd a new trans mount
Installed IE gas pedal
Completely re-wired engine bay and fuse box
Built battery holder and installed AntiGravity Lithium Battery in stock location
Installed a fuel cell
Installed a Tanks Inc fuel pump
Installed aftermarket gas cap (3D printed an adapter)
2020:
Ran new fuel lines
Installed adjustable FPR (3-60 psi range, good for carb and efi)
R&R'd intake and exhaust manifolds so I could replace SEVEN leaky freeze plugs (somehow messed that up while building the motor)
Reinstalled dash
Finished wiring
Got car running
New house finished/sold old house/moved (I don't recommend doing this during a pandemic)
Drove car to new place
Pulled car out to do insulation/drywall in new garage
Drove car back in
2019 was a much more productive year than 2020
Picture time!
RHD Lightweight Flywheel
Engine/Trans going back in
Patching floorboard
Home made 5 speed mount
IE gas pedal
AntiGravity Lithium Battery
Fusebox/wiring
Fuel Cell Install
Fuel Lines
Garage Done (But still messy)
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Road Worthy and Drivable
Well after a few months I'm calling the engine bay about done, Wiring seems happy, plumbing has ben revised a few times for little things like sensor placement. CandelaMFG did a great job on their portion.
This was much harder than it looks to make so it fits
As Fugly as these Heatshields look they work incredibly, another builder told me to be sure an keep them, I'm shocked at how ell they work
Interior next
How's it go?
the "G" sensor in the GoPro shifts because it's pulling so hard, that's why the picture jerks up and down
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Starting the teardown.
Started getting the interior stripped from the car today, and getting an idea of what I will keep and what will be discarded.
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Oil Catch Can Installed
I was having some hard times with oil accumulation on the crankcase ventilation filter which resulted in oil dripping down the side of the engine block. Patrick O'Neil of Midnight Motorsport hooked me up with a custom fab'd catch can. Ah yeah! Here is a video of my drive to his shop in West Seattle for the install.
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