Project M50 - Stage 1 - Rebuild

[Chris]

As of right now, we're just disassembling the engine. I will keep you updated as far as replacement parts go, so stay tuned.

Here of some pics we've taken over the past couple of days:

http://www.e30tech.com/pictures/m50/001.jpg

http://www.e30tech.com/pictures/m50/002.jpg

http://www.e30tech.com/pictures/m50/003.jpg

http://www.e30tech.com/pictures/m50/004.jpg

http://www.e30tech.com/pictures/m50/015.jpg

http://www.e30tech.com/pictures/m50/016.jpg

http://www.e30tech.com/pictures/m50/017.jpg

http://www.e30tech.com/pictures/m50/018.jpg

http://www.e30tech.com/pictures/m50/019.jpg

http://www.e30tech.com/pictures/m50/020.jpg

http://www.e30tech.com/pictures/m50/005.jpg

http://www.e30tech.com/pictures/m50/006.jpg

http://www.e30tech.com/pictures/m50/008.jpg

http://www.e30tech.com/pictures/m50/009.jpg

http://www.e30tech.com/pictures/m50/010.jpg

http://www.e30tech.com/pictures/m50/011.jpg

http://www.e30tech.com/pictures/m50/012.jpg

http://www.e30tech.com/pictures/m50/013.jpg

[Giga Shadow]

Is dat a hemi?

Rebuilding or just preping for the swap?

[Chris]

Is dat a hemi?

Rebuilding or just preping for the swap?

Right now, just a rebuild.

Stage 2 will be installation, and stage 3 will be turbocharging.

[Giga Shadow]

<---Didn't read the "rebuild" part in thread title. :roll:

So when you going to get your's?

[Nick]

Looking good! What year is that from?

[dk]

you almost look sad

[Chris]

<---Didn't read the "rebuild" part in thread title. :roll:

So when you going to get your's?

Spring...? :smt102


Looking good! What year is that from?

Thanks, a '95 525i.


you almost look sad

That's not me, that's ososinsk on this forum... I think he was just tired from all the work we were doing. We got most of what you see done in 50 minutes! :shock:

[Nick]

I figured as much since it looks like a VANOS head. Will that (the VANOS) give you any problems when you go to turbocharge the engine? Also...the 525i has a different oil-pan than the 325 M50, are the clearances different at the bottom of the engine because of that?

[Chris]

I figured as much since it looks like a VANOS head. Will that (the VANOS) give you any problems when you go to turbocharge the engine?

As far as I know, it shouldn't give us any problems. I do know we would better off using Ultra Megaquirt, but that hasn't been released yet. :(


Also...the 525i has a different oil-pan than the 325, are the clearances different at the bottom of the engine because of that?

Indeed, the bottom clearances are different. The 525i oil pan is needed to clear the E30 subframe.

[iXer]

I can see some very oxidized areas, the engine must've been drained from oil and put outside for the elements to do their thing.. A rebuild will take care of it, don't worry.

/Mattias

[dk]

That's not me, that's ososinsk on this forum... I think he was just tired from all the work we were doing. We got most of what you see done in 50 minutes! :shock:

oh, ok.

man, i need someone to work on cars with again. two heads work so much better than one and things happen quickly, as you mention...

[swartz]

sweet project...im jealious

[Chris]

I can see some very oxidized areas, the engine must've been drained from oil and put outside for the elements to do their thing.. A rebuild will take care of it, don't worry.

/Mattias

It looks like what you said, and that it was laying down on it's intake side. When we drained what was left of the oil, we got what appeared to be chocolate milk, so we're hoping that there are no internal problems.

[bimmerjim®]

id be interested to see what crank and cylnder walls look like.

[Chris]

id be interested to see what crank and cylnder walls look like.

You can kinda see the intake side of the crank in this pic.

http://www.e30tech.com/pictures/m50/008.jpg

We're going to get the head off as soon as we get an inverse torx or whatever socket. :twisted:

[bimmerjim®]

DOH. i didnt see that pic. hah.

well, looks good on the surface, no hot spots. except for maybe #1 crank journal. overall the internals look relitlvly new. did you find any brass lookingg shavings in the oil? that cam looked a bit rough. :lol: did you say the ngine was siting on its side, on the intake manifold side? was the valve cover open to atmophere? like an open valve cover breather hole or something?

any closeups of the valves or vavle spring? :D

[Chris]

DOH. i didnt see that pic. hah.

well, looks good on the surface, no hot spots. except for maybe #1 crank journal. overall the internals look relitlvly new. did you find any brass lookingg shavings in the oil? that cam looked a bit rough. :lol: did you say the ngine was siting on its side, on the intake manifold side? was the valve cover open to atmophere? like an open valve cover breather hole or something?

any closeups of the valves or vavle spring? :D

- I didn't think to look for brass shavings, but I don't remember seeing any in the bucket we drained the oil into.

- The intake cam is nasty, we're going to have to clean that one up.

- Yeah the intake was most likely on it's side outdoors. So it was exopsed to the elements and I'm sure water was getting in through the exhaust manifold.

- I don't think the valve cover was open. :smt102

- I'll see if I can get you some closeups. The internals are much different than the M20 head, so it's sort of hard to see the valves and springs. I'll see what I can do.

[x628x]

<---Didn't read the "rebuild" part in thread title. :roll:

So when you going to get your's?

Spring...? :smt102


Looking good! What year is that from?

Thanks, a '95 525i.


you almost look sad

That's not me, that's ososinsk on this forum... I think he was just tired from all the work we were doing. We got most of what you see done in 50 minutes! :shock:

i thought he looked stoned. :D

[aphexjesus]

i thought he looked stoned.
Its funny you should say that.....


anyways...does anyone know the official name of those inverted torx looking bolts? They look like they might be removeable with regular sockets, but i am not sure. They are visible in most of the pictures, if you dont know the ones im talking about.

[bimmerjim®]

its hard to tell the size in the pictures, but you should be able to pick up a set of reverse torqx from sears. :wink: thats where i got mine.

[x628x]

how much do M50s go for?

[Chris]

how much do M50s go for?

I guess that all depends on the condition and how many miles are on the engine.

[Chris]

Here's some pic of today's progress. We couldn't take the head off yet because we need that special inverse torx socket. Doug will pick that up soon from sears.

http://www.e30tech.com/pictures/m50/021.jpg

http://www.e30tech.com/pictures/m50/022.jpg

http://www.e30tech.com/pictures/m50/023.jpg

http://www.e30tech.com/pictures/m50/024.jpg

http://www.e30tech.com/pictures/m50/025.jpg

http://www.e30tech.com/pictures/m50/026.jpg

http://www.e30tech.com/pictures/m50/027.jpg

http://www.e30tech.com/pictures/m50/028.jpg

[aaron_silva]

Did you use the BMW tool to remove the cams?

Aaron

[Chris]

Did you use the BMW tool to remove the cams?

Aaron

No, what tool are you talking about?

[aaron_silva]

The BMW cams are hollow and very fragile. You are supposed to use a tool that depresses all of the valve springs, which in turn, removes the forces pushing on the cams. Many people have broken or bent cams by removing them without the tool. www.Pelicanparts.com has a method to remove them with out the tool though.

Aaron

[Chris]

The BMW cams are hollow and very fragile. You are supposed to use a tool that depresses all of the valve springs, which in turn, removes the forces pushing on the cams. Many people have broken or bent cams by removing them without the tool. www.Pelicanparts.com has a method to remove them with out the tool though.

Aaron

Interesting.

Those cams didn't feel hollow.

[Chris]

The BMW cams are hollow and very fragile. You are supposed to use a tool that depresses all of the valve springs, which in turn, removes the forces pushing on the cams. Many people have broken or bent cams by removing them without the tool. www.Pelicanparts.com has a method to remove them with out the tool though.

Aaron

Interesting.

Those cams didn't feel hollow.

Haha, but they are. :oops:

[Nick]

Why....did you break them?

[Chris]

No real update for this weekend.

Ollie and Doug finally got around to purchasing a set of E-Torx sockets. With those they could complete the cylinder head removal.

[Chris]

Why....did you break them?

Nope, and I don't think we bent them either.

[aphexjesus]

The head is now off, but we sorta got kicked out of the garage we are using, so we had to truck everything but the block back up to our house. No pics yet, but there are several large rubbermaid tubs of parts sitting in our foyer.
one of us will post some more pics later on.

[Teaguer]

The head is now off, but we sorta got kicked out of the garage we are using,

Garage ?
That place looked like some sort of boat graveyard .
Kinda creepy . :fruit6

[aphexjesus]

that is exactly what it is. Basically, the story is that its ok for them to store garbage there, but not okay for us to use 3'x3' of the space designated for the club to which we all belong.

<vent>
On a related note for all you Highschool E30 fans. Don't go to Stevens, no one there likes it; ask any student. The administration and faculty are some of the most obtuse, out of touch, self-serving, egotistical, non-english speaking assholes i have ever met. It's barely an engineering school and if it ever got audited, it would lose its accreditation so effin fast, it would be surreal. </vent>

[Chris]

Anyway... :roll: :lol:

The main bearings, gasket set, and water pump have arrived. Try to leave work early if you can...

[Chris]

The engine is now completely stripped. :lol:

http://www.e30tech.com/pictures/m50/029.jpg

http://www.e30tech.com/pictures/m50/030.jpg

http://www.e30tech.com/pictures/m50/031.jpg

http://www.e30tech.com/pictures/m50/032.jpg

http://www.e30tech.com/pictures/m50/033.jpg

http://www.e30tech.com/pictures/m50/034.jpg

http://www.e30tech.com/pictures/m50/035.jpg

http://www.e30tech.com/pictures/m50/036.jpg

http://www.e30tech.com/pictures/m50/037.jpg

http://www.e30tech.com/pictures/m50/038.jpg

[ososinsk]

Awww... stop. we finished the block, so i finished my gallon mini-keg-thing of beer. Oh man it's still in me. G'night...

[dk]

man, those m50 heads sure are some quality engineering.

doesn't look like they could have made the valve angling a degree wider... best combustion chamber shape you could want as well as straightest possible path through the head results from that... result: nice-flowing AND detonation-resistant.

stop posting this crap, you're making me want to swap :P

[swartz]

chris are u doing any of the wrenching???

[Chris]

stop posting this crap, you're making me want to swap :P

Do it! :lol:


chris are u doing any of the wrenching???

Yeah, it's the three of us.

[Chris]

So there's no real update for today.

All we did was clean some surface rust inside the block.

We're still waiting on some parts, so it may take a few days before things get rolling.

[aaron_silva]

Those pics look familiar...accept I am on my way back up. 8)

http://www.we-todd-did-racing.com/wetoddimage.wtdr/wNDU1NDQwNnM0MTNkZmQzMXk1NDE%3D.jpg
http://www.we-todd-did-racing.com/wetoddimage.wtdr/wNTU5OTIxNnM0MTNkZmQzMXk1NDE%3D.jpg


Aaron

[Chris]

Nice Aaron.

Did you replace those silver plugs in the side of the block?

[aaron_silva]

Ley might have been replaced. I bought the bottom end rebuilt (~$1200 job). New rings, balanced crank, bearings, honed... I am doing all of the gaskets and seals. I am going to send the head off to get checked out, maybe a little flow work and a valve job. You have a little advantage over me because I bought the engine torn apart. Now it is up to me to find where everything goes. :P

Looking forward to seeing how yours turns out!

Aaron

[aaron_silva]

Sorry...did you mean the freeze plugs? Yes, those were replaced.

Aaron

[Chris]

Looking forward to seeing how yours turns out!

Aaron

Same here. Are you using the Bentley as a reference?

I find this (http://rust.mine.nu/bmw/) site to be helpful.


Do you have any turbo plans for it?

[aaron_silva]

Living in California kind of limits my turbo options. I have decided on doing to minor bolt-on's such as pullies, S52 exhaust manifolds, intake, fan delete, and some sort of dyno tuned engine software. I have been looking into getting a cam (swapping the intake cam to the exhaust side and getting a new intake cam) but I have yet to find a good price on one. Cheapest yet was $670. I dont feel like throwing much money in it as it is only an M50.

Aaron

[aaron_silva]

And yeah, I purchase a bentley. Havent used it much accept for some torque specs.

Aaron

[Chris]

And yeah, I purchase a bentley. Havent used it much accept for some torque specs.

Aaron

That's funny. That's the same reason we got one.

[Chris]

Update:

We're going to be on two weeks of downtime, so there won't be updates for a bit. :(

[318driver]

any updates??

[Chris]

You'll have to ask Ollie and Doug. :smt102

[aaron_silva]

Get off your lazy ass and do some work!!!! 8)

Aaron

[Turbo_Dude]

You said earlier that swapping the intake cam to the exhaust and getting a new intake. That being said does the mean that the exhaust has less duration than the intake and it thats the case for turboing you could just switch the cams around and bam instant turbo cam setup. :P But for na I would just go with two oe intake cams because you will pry gain some power for very little cost. By the way I live in northern Illinois and does anybody know if there are any bmw junkyards around me within like 50 or so mi of chicago

[e30cabrio]

Living in California kind of limits my turbo options. I have decided on doing to minor bolt-on's such as pullies, S52 exhaust manifolds, intake, fan delete, and some sort of dyno tuned engine software. I have been looking into getting a cam (swapping the intake cam to the exhaust side and getting a new intake cam) but I have yet to find a good price on one. Cheapest yet was $670. I dont feel like throwing much money in it as it is only an M50.

Aaron

eff that, what's so hard about having a turbo in california besides emmissions and risk of having your car towed if cops notice your caR? :wink:

[white_rabbit]

Living in California kind of limits my turbo options. I have decided on doing to minor bolt-on's such as pullies, S52 exhaust manifolds, intake, fan delete, and some sort of dyno tuned engine software. I have been looking into getting a cam (swapping the intake cam to the exhaust side and getting a new intake cam) but I have yet to find a good price on one. Cheapest yet was $670. I dont feel like throwing much money in it as it is only an M50.

Aaron

eff that, what's so hard about having a turbo in california besides emmissions and risk of having your car towed if cops notice your caR? :wink:

im curious about what he meant by turbo in california as well. but why would cops tow a car for being turboed e30cabrio?

[Daniel325i]

this thread kinda touches the topic... goes a little into CARB certification and why you will have a hard time passing smog in california with a turbo.

http://www.e30tech.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3061&highlight=ca+turbo