M42club.com - Home of the BMW E30/E36 318i/iS
DISCUSSION => Swaps, Turbos, Buildups => Topic started by: i8ur911 on April 18, 2013, 08:08:19 PM
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Sooooooooo, I'm building an M42 stroker. Picked up a used M42 in good shape with trans, ecu and harness for $150 :)
Plans are to use M44 crank, stock rods and S52B32 pistons (we have some at work dirt cheap). The head will get new valve guides, seats and better springs. Valve job and slight porting. Cams will be VAC "hot" cams (I'll get lift and duration and post shortly). Not changing valve size.
Question....I suck at math.....what do I have to do to make those pistons work? Warsteiner, your help would be much appreciated.
I'd love to run itb's, but its not in the budget right now. I have an extremely good tuner that will dyno tune the car when finished so that is not an issue.
I am also doing the M20 single mass flywheel conversion using M20 flywheel and starter with M42 clutch kit and M42 flywheel "spacer".
Any advice would be greatly appreciated :)
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I have not done any work with the M44 crank. I know it can work but others on the list might be able to help you a bit more with all the cam sensor and crank sensor locations. I'm not familiar with the M44 locations. I will repost here what I did with my car and transfer it to an M44 crank.... so you can get an idea of what needs to be done. I do suggest that you get someone who knows a good computer calculation program for compression to make sure you're spot on to where you want to be. I did to make absolutely sure I was in the range of my target compression.
No matter what, all need to be decked and pocketed for the valves as well as dished for desired compression.
I think the M44 head gasket will allow for the 86.4mm piston.
Desired Compression Height = Block height - (Stroke/2) - rod length -piston protrusion out of block
Using stock rods and M44 crank:
DCH= 212-(83.5/2) - 140 -.15
DCH= 212-(41.75)-140-.15
DCH=30.1mm
So you can use any piston of your choice as long as you make the CH 30.1mm So if you go with the US 3.2L 31mm/CH 86.4mm piston you only need to shave off .9mm, then dish it and cut the pockets for the valves. Simple!
Just to give you an idea....for my stroker I used 3.0L US pistons and 138mm rods. I spoke with TEP racing when I was considering going with JE pistons and they said that even a 28.15mm CH was ok. NOW that is with a custom piston and stock rods at 140mm on a M47 crank. It all depends on how much meat you have at the top of the piston.
Compression Height of Stock S50 Piston is 32.8mm with Honda 1.8L VTEC B18C (GSR) 138mm rod
Desired Compression Height = Block height - (Stroke/2) - rod length
Desired Compression Height =212mm - (88mm/2) - ((138mm[Honda rod] - .15mm{protruding out of block}))
Desired Compression Height =212mm - 44mm - 137.85mm
Desired Compression Height =*30.15mm
The DCH is a desirable height.
30.15mm = 212mm - (88mm/2) - 138mm -.15mm*
This tells you that your target compression height is 30.15mm and we have enough meat to shave off 2.65mm from the 32.8mm :-P
Rod needs small end bushing to be drilled to fit 22mm S50 pin.
Again.....do all your math first and then buy your parts. Or use what you have and make it work. BUT I would never deck the head to make up any kind of distance when you have so many other variables such as the HG and pistons and rods. Just my .02
I also did the M20 LWF (11 or 12lbs) with M42 ring gear and kept the original M42 starter. It might be a little bit of work but can be done pretty easily.
HTH
Cheers,
~Ralph
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Ralph, what do you think of just boring the block for larger pistons with an 11:1 compression ratio? My power goals are 170hp. Is this possible without stroking the motor? I have found an m44 crank, but in all honesty it scares me when thinking about machine work, not being able to explain it correctly to the machine shop, screwing up the data and having the incorrect clearances machined.....costing lots of extra money. I was hoping to build this whole set up (without itb's) for around $2000-$2500. I can get great deals on parts as I work at Turner Motorsport, but don't want to screw up the machine work. And no, no one at work cares about me building an M42. They thinks its dumb, so no help there :(
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If I remember right you can bore up to 89mm before you have to worry about anything. Ill give it a quick search to see if I can find proof. And that sucks about the guys at your shop.. :( They should help regardless. Shit, I helped my little brother turbo his honda and i definitely didnt approve of that.
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87mm is the biggest most go.
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The guys at the shop would. They all just give me shit. I'd rather build it "myself" and be able to tell them to suck it, than ask for their help and always here about it. They're all good guys, but I don't want them staying late all the time for a project that isn't theirs and they're not passionate about.
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Will I see a good power increase with just boring to 86.4mm pistons with 11:1 compression?
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^^^In for this answer as well^^^
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Raising the compression would add more power, but you would have to make sure you had proper size valve reliefs to avoid contact. Also, you would need to retune your timing map for the higher compression to avoid issues.
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Ordered my valve springs from Supertech today. Ordering my cams from VAC tomorrow. Should be dropping off head and M20 single mass flywheel at machine shop next week.
I'm going to build the head first, install it on stock bottom end, DIY port and polish intake manifold (upper and lower), port throttle body a bit and then dyno tune to see what power I can get.
Then I'll save some money and do more research for bottom end. I'd really like to go M44 or even M47 crank with custom pistons, 11:1 compression and megasquirt standalone. I like the idea of dbilas itb's too as there is no additional fab work needed to fit and it is a new kit.
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Thats a nice valvetrain. Curious what numbers you put down!
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Just boring the block for bigger pistons will yield more power. Not sure how much, but it will. Be careful with your cam choice....If you go too aggressive with lift and duration and don't have the ummpf of the bottom end as far as torque, then you will be falling flat on your face. You may have better power up top say around 5K and above, but is that really where your normal daily driving is? Just remember to have a game plan for your end result and make sure it makes sense for air in and air out. I'm not really sure where the line is drawn for what the stock exhaust system can handle.
Wazzu70 is right, you will definitely need to retune. You should actually retune after every change to the engine since the parameters have changed and there is definitely more power to be found.
Yes you will gain HP from bigger pistons and cams, but will the torque be able to keep up as well is the question. Supertech stuff is great. I have their valve springs in my S14. Getting some bottom end work with ITB's and megasquirt is a great idea and then you will start seeing some power gains. Again...the power is in the head, so when you port it, make sure that the changes to the rest of the engine match it because too much porting can also make it worse for you as far as torque is concerned.
Doing the flywheel is the biggest bang for the buck in my opinion without tearing the engine apart. They really do make the M42 come alive a bit.
Everything you do to the engine will in some way benefit you in the long run because you know that you will always be on that power quest!! WE all do it in one way or another. Just have a game plan so that your parts that you're getting now will be used later as your engine develops.
Cheers,
~Ralph
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Ralph, thanks for the input. I've wondered if the 280/274 cams would be too agressive , but knowing that I'm going to build the bottom end really makes me think that these are the correct ones (for the future worse case scenario). I'm also ordering the vw lifters to lighten up the valve train.
I've read about the harmonic balancer being a problem with higher revving engines. I'd like to be able to rev to 7500rpm. Is this possible? If not, how can I make it possible?
What is the limitation on the exhaust side? I'm thinking maybe custom header; 4 into 1??? I just installed a Supersprint catback.
Any other thoughts?
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I think the 269/269 would be a better all around setup. It has nothing to do with the bottom end and everything to do with the usable rev band. The catcams grind (VAC cams) is a really aggressive ramp profile so keep that in mind.
The damper does not seem to be a problem. I4 engines are much softer on
The torsion damper than the long I6 cranks at high RPM.
Supersprint makes a header for the M42, ebay has knockoff copies. The M42 manifold is OK stock, but with better cams a longer tube proper header is nice.
Just my thoughts
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When dealing with cam choice you have to look at all aspects of the engine. Where is the most time spent in the rev range, what kind of power are you trying to achieve etc... Having said that, too big of a lift and too long of a duration on an otherwise stock motor is not a good a idea. The car will fall on its face in the low end range and probably scream up top in a very small rpm range. Cams do have an effect on bleeding off compression so the bottom end choice with cam choice is kind of important. You can have a high static compression and put big cams in and bring down the dynamic compression considerably. It all needs to be worked out before you build the engine :)
I have seen M42's run 7500rpm all day long on the stock balancer. I don't like internet myths....
I really don't know what the limitations are on the stock exhaust. I would say that the headers are probably good for a reasonable HP gain without choking off the engine. See if MM changes their headers when they do their 2.1L strokers. I'm thinking the choke point is after the header and possibly even after the cat.
Cheers,
~Ralph
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Ordered my cams finally. Decided to go a little less aggressive on Ralph's advice; 279/274. Should be here in a week or 2.
Cleaned the manifolds today and start porting. Will try to post pics as I go. Flywheel and head will be dropped off next Friday at machine shop.
Anyone have a good source for the VW lifters? I was quoted $71ea and Pelican Parts' website says they are NLA (??).
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I picked them up at autohausaz.com for $11.86 per
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Thanks mabeer. Ordered mine today.
Anyone familiar with megasquirt? Trying to decide between megasquirt 1 and megasquirt 2?
Want to do Millers MAF conversion, but they don't offer the WAR chip for our cars :(
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I'm using VEMS on my car (www.vems.hu). Its still a work in progress, but I was able to get the car up an running fine. I chose to rewire the whole engine, but that is not required.
For megasquirt, get MSII at least, but overall Im not excited about their products.
Only go the standalone route if you enjoy wiring and tinkering. If you like truly plug and play, just get a chip tune through Barrie at Midnight Tuning. This route has MUCH less headaches.
If you have any specific questions, post them up and I will do my best to answer from my experiences.
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Wazzu, I'm not an electrical guy by any means and won't pretend to be :)
Talk to me more about your source for chip tuning...????
I have a truly amazing tuner, Brentuning, that I've always worked with (he actually helps major tuning companies...Cobb....create tunes and figure out problems when they can't). I've been emailing him regarding the build and he says the stock Motronic will only take it so far...especially with a MAF conversion (and potentially itb's). I'm also kind of dumbfounded at why Miller has been "unable" to create a WAR chip for our cars.
On a side note, has anyone done the GSX 750 itb conversion? These itb's seem to be readily available for dirt cheap ($300).
Thanks for all the help guys! Wouldn't as confident without M42Club.
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Also just ordered 19lb injectors :) from Fleebay.....rebuilt for only $40
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You can use 48 gram lifters if you do the S50 cam tray modification. :)
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When I weighed my 33mm S50 lifters they came in at 44gms each. :D
Cheers,
~Ralph
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When I weighed my 33mm S50 lifters they came in at 44gms each. :D
Thanks for the weight, I was curious how much the the 33mm lifters weighed in comparison to the VW, ect.
Wazzu, I'm not an electrical guy by any means and won't pretend to be :)
Talk to me more about your source for chip tuning...????
I have a truly amazing tuner, Brentuning, that I've always worked with (he actually helps major tuning companies...Cobb....create tunes and figure out problems when they can't). I've been emailing him regarding the build and he says the stock Motronic will only take it so far...especially with a MAF conversion (and potentially itb's). I'm also kind of dumbfounded at why Miller has been "unable" to create a WAR chip for our cars.
On a side note, has anyone done the GSX 750 itb conversion? These itb's seem to be readily available for dirt cheap ($300).
Thanks for all the help guys! Wouldn't as confident without M42Club.
My source for the chip tuning is not secret. Midnight Tuning is on the board regularly and he is very helpful (I have not used him personally). I would talk to him if you are interested in this route.
If you know a tuner you want to use, its always best to ask what system they prefer and go with that. Your friend is correct in that the motronic can only do so much. The question is, how much more do you need it to do?
I dont think Miller sees a market for the M42 to support. They are capable of making the product if they wanted to.
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Just scored an M44 crankshaft and M44 rods for $100 shipped :)
Looks like I'm going stroker. I'll grab the S52 pistons we have at work and put those in my pile to go to the machine shop :)
I will have to contact Midnight tuner about a possible chip. Either that or MSII.
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Ralph, do you have Euro S50 lifters or US S50?
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wazzu70, I stayed with US S50/S52 33mm lifters due to the fact that I kept the M42 cams and had them reground. The Euro Lifters are shim over bucket not hydraulic which would mean a completely different set of cams. However, changing from just the stock 35mm to 33mm is a huge weight savings all the way around from buckets, springs, seats, retainers, keepers and don't forget the 6mm valves.
Cheers,
~Ralph
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Gotcha, that is a pretty significant weight savings! The factory lifters are over 70gr in the early M42!
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Ive done the gsr-r itb set up. Tuning with tunerpro/ostrich 2.0
Not bad so far. Still need to do some dyno fine tuning for ignition advance. Also going to redesign my fg plenum after i pick up my air/oil separator and a smaller k&n filter
Check out this very long build thread lol
http://maxbimmer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=149345 (http://maxbimmer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=149345)
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Got my m44 crank today. Looks like its in great shape. Along with those came m44 con rods. I also received another package with 4 rebuilt Bosch 19lb injectors :)
Time to start dropping stuff off at the machine shop.
Also ported and polished the runners on the upper intake manifold. I'll tackle the lower manifold this weekend as well as the throttle body.
Time to start thinking harder about engine management.....lots of good options.
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More parts today! Cat cams 279/274. Also received my VW lifters and Supertech spring kit.
Can't wait to get this built.
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So much awesome!
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Flywheel was dropped at machine shop (R&L Engines) today thanks to my wife.....shameless plugs :)
Clutch purchased. I should be installing this next weekend. Anything else I should replace at that time? Shifter bushings, etc?
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If you have not done it, replace the TOB and the plastic pivot pin and retainer on the clutch lever arm. Delrin shifter bushings are nice too :)
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Yeah clutch kit comes with TOB. I'm thinking I'll replace the pilot bearing as well. Good call on the other items too. Rather do it once....I feel like I'm restoring this car :)
I've replaced just about every bushing on the car, EVERY piece of the suspension, all brakes, Alpina 17" reps, interior was done before I got it and now the M42 build. All she'll need is paint and other minor touches :)
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Need advice. I'm at a sticking point.
I either build the bottom end with the M44 crank, custom 87mm piston, etc OR finish the head and buy Dbilas ITB's.
Both options will cost roughly the same amount. More power with the stroker motor, but better throttle response and cool sound from ITB's????
I think I'm going with a MAF conversion after all too as Jim Conforti is helping with the software :)
Thoughts?
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IMO build the bottom end now, then add ITB down the road. A MAF conversion will help a lot with the throttle response anyway.
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I agree with wazzu70....do the bottom end and it's done. Top end parts are easy to put on later.
And how did you get Jim to help you with this? Is he bored these days to be working on a M42 project?
Cheers,
~Ralph
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Ralph, I work kinda know him through work so he is just burning a program that I'll be able to tune using software that we have. He's more or less doing me a favor....he's not in the game anymore, but helping out :)
I really want to do the bottom end, bit REALLY want ITB's. Sent Dbilas an email today asking if they could hook me up with a decent deal. We'll see.
Some parts are already at machine shop but they are VERY behind so I have time to decide.
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Jim is a smart guy! hahaha I used "his" collaboration effort with Cyntex for the S14 Alpha N. It worked but Jim wanted to use a different TPS to make it right. You're in good hands.
I have the Dbilas on my car. Simple set up. My car is not tuned yet but will be shortly. I'm going MAP right now but am switching to Alpha N since the tuning is a bit easier at first. Then I'll probably do a blend.
Good luck with everything. Keep us posted.
Cheers,
~Ralph
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No big news lately. Machine shop is painfully slow. I did install a wideband AFR gauge today though....for tuning purposes. Hopefully I'll get the head back from the machine shop THIS YEAR :(
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Should have the head back at the end of next week. Contacted dbilas for itb's....trying to get that sorted. Still unsure on EMS????? Thought I could tune a Conforti chip, but JC has fallen off the face of the earth again. Annoyed :(
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Car got a new look this weekend :)
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What color is that? Inka?
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I agree with building the bottom end now. Cars coming along great!
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Color is an attempt at Lime Rock Fire Orange on the e92 Lime Rock M3. Looks pretty badass. Definitely need a kicking motor to go with it now though.
Dropped the Dbilas idea as they have really sucked to deal with :(
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Flywheel is in hand. Lightened, resurfaced and balanced to clutch kit. Cost me about $400. Sounds like a lot, but the workmanship is second to none. Will post pics ASAP. Dbilas is also back in the game. Finally got back to me with good news and a better deal. Things are finally coming together. :)
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Sounds great! Did you get your head back? I'm waiting on mine still :(. Hopefully some updates soon. Sorry to jump in on your thread, our concurrent builds make me feel a sort of kinship. I look forward to your updates, gives me some motivation.
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I look forward to both your updates. Give me motivation to finally get my car finished and running! My engine is not nearly as cool though.
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Head should :fingers crossed: be in my hands in the next few weeks. I can't wait to get this thing together, but have a feeling it won't be finished/installed until first part of next year :(
I'll keep updating as there are changes. I'll also post a pic of the flywheel :)
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M20 "lightweight flywheel" completed today. First impression......disappointment. Everyone says this is a "must do" on M42 cars, so maybe my expectations were sky high. I notice VERY LITTLE difference. Now I've only driven the car 40 miles, but I just thought the engine would rev up quicker. We'll see if my opinion changes as time goes, but right now I wish I invested the money elsewhere :(
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i had been curious about this. glad i didnt do it haha. im sure you have better clutch holding power tho. where exactly does your engine stand? just lightweight flywheel now?
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M20 "lightweight flywheel" completed today. First impression......disappointment. Everyone says this is a "must do" on M42 cars, so maybe my expectations were sky high. I notice VERY LITTLE difference. Now I've only driven the car 40 miles, but I just thought the engine would rev up quicker. We'll see if my opinion changes as time goes, but right now I wish I invested the money elsewhere :(
I did a similar flywheel conversion and shaved a few pounds off my drivetrain. I will agree it's not a significant difference, unlike swapping for a lightweight wheel/tire package for example. On the downside running the A/C might give you trouble and you end up with excess gear box noise (I have to hold the clutch in at drive through windows), on the upside the car doesn't coast like a Lincoln Town Car and shifting gears is a little more predictable. I think it's important to swap for an electric fan if you are installing a lightweight flywheel to get the optimal effect. This is somewhat theory but the RPM will drop a lot faster between shifts with the lighter flywheel, if your fan clutch is engaged then the RPM will occasionally drop even faster. By removing the drag on the front and back of the engine it should be more responsive to throttle input and more precise when shifting gears.
All thing considered, I wouldn't suggest a flywheel conversion unless you absolutely need to replace one or more of the clutch components.
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You guys went from a stock M42 clutch/FW to a lightened M20 setup and did NOT notice a difference?! I must be sensitive or something lol. I noticed a big difference in peppiness (as well as obnoxious tranny rattle at idle and while engine braking particularly in 5th gear).
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You guys went from a stock M42 clutch/FW to a lightened M20 setup and did NOT notice a difference?! I must be sensitive or something lol. I noticed a big difference in peppiness (as well as obnoxious tranny rattle at idle and while engine braking particularly in 5th gear).
No, I think the other guys are crazy :) I definitely noticed a huge difference in revs with a little throttle blip. Heel-toe is much easier, ect.
When you just stomp on the pedal you won't feel much difference, but actually driving the car you will notice a huge difference during gear changes.
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Didn't drive the car today. Oddly after conversion, my windows and mirrors don't work???? Someone mentioned something about the different M20 starter????
I finally ponied up today and ordered my Dbilas kit! I'm running Alpha-N as well because I want to run the itb's "open". Can't wait for these to get here. I know these will help give me the snappy throttle response I'm looking for.
The head should be done in another week or 2. With ordering the Dbilas kit I'm going to hold off on the bottom end until this time next year. I'll install the refreshed head, Cat cams, Supertech springs, lightweight lifters, 19lb injectors and itb's first. Once tuned it should add a nice punch. One of the guys i work with is very familiar with Alpha-N too. Can't wait to start taking some photos of progress :)
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It will be intersesing to see how much the stock pistone need pocketing for the new cams (assuming your keeping the stock piston) It looks like an extra 2mm based on the cam spec.
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Im jealous of your Dbilas!
I think the cams are made for factory pistons. Of course, always measure before starting the engine!!
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You guys went from a stock M42 clutch/FW to a lightened M20 setup and did NOT notice a difference?! I must be sensitive or something lol. I noticed a big difference in peppiness (as well as obnoxious tranny rattle at idle and while engine braking particularly in 5th gear).
When I did my M42 hot rod, I used a flywheel from a 2002 tii (and clutch) lightened it further and cut it down to accept the M42 ring gear. I needed to use the "323" throw out bearing.
WOW what a difference. In fact it was so light (and tough) that the car wanted to die most times when coming down to idle on its own.
WHICH M20 flywheel do you use in your concept? Clutch? Bearing?
Jenn
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Im jealous of your Dbilas!
I think the cams are made for factory pistons. Of course, always measure before starting the engine!!
You are correct sir. No additional pocketing necessary. Already confirmed with machine shop too :)
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You guys went from a stock M42 clutch/FW to a lightened M20 setup and did NOT notice a difference?! I must be sensitive or something lol. I noticed a big difference in peppiness (as well as obnoxious tranny rattle at idle and while engine braking particularly in 5th gear).
When I did my M42 hot rod, I used a flywheel from a 2002 tii (and clutch) lightened it further and cut it down to accept the M42 ring gear. I needed to use the "323" throw out bearing.
WOW what a difference. In fact it was so light (and tough) that the car wanted to die most times when coming down to idle on its own.
WHICH M20 flywheel do you use in your concept? Clutch? Bearing?
Jenn
I used a standard single mass M20 flywheel (resurfaced and lightened), M20 clutch, M20 TOB, M42 flywheel "spacer" and M20 starter.
NO NOISE AT ALL YET :knock on wood:
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19lb injectors
You should consider the stock ones over 19# ones as stockers are 21# injectors. There is a lot of hearsay on the web, but the stock M42 injectors are 21# and I have OEM data from both Bosch and the spec sheet for the 13-button OBC coding plug that agree. Per Metric Mechanic, the stock 21# injectors are good for a max of ~190bHP, and that's running a harsh duty cycle. They have me using 24# units for the "205bHP" engine that they built for me.
The injectors that I am running are EV1 style bodies with the EV6 style outlet (4 small holes). They are Bosch PN 0 280 150 461. These should provide you plenty of head-room while still allowing for pretty good PWM resolution at lower flow rates.
(http://www.e30tuner.com/assist/24inj01.jpg)
(http://www.e30tuner.com/assist/24inj02.jpg)
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Thanks for the info. I always thought M42's used 17lb injectors. I'm hoping to still be in the 160whp range with this set up so I'd rather have "a little more injector" than not enough. I'll have to think about sticking with the stockers.
Thanks!
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For 160whp, you will probably want to beef up the injectors. Stockers can do it, but they will probably have a limited lifetime since you will need to run 90%+ duty cycles at high load. I'd consider the 24# ones.
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Im jealous of your Dbilas!
I think the cams are made for factory pistons. Of course, always measure before starting the engine!!
You are correct sir. No additional pocketing necessary. Already confirmed with machine shop too :)
Ah awesome thanks guys. I had always eyed up these cams but held off thinking it would involve all sorts of piston machining. That will make your build that little bit easier !
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Ah awesome thanks guys. I had always eyed up these cams but held off thinking it would involve all sorts of piston machining. That will make your build that little bit easier !
We should all get these cams :) Its my next upgrade planned....but I need to get the engine up snd running as-is now first!
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Not engine related, but I bought some GC coilovers today. Couldn't get happy with my H&R set up. Also bought a Z3 1.9 rack and a set of smoked front turn lenses.
Engine update - machine shop says I'll have the head next week. Hopefully the Dbilas kit will show up then too :)
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Z3 rack is installed. First impression.....holy shit! This should be the first upgrade to any e30. The steering feel is amazing. Heavier than the standard e30 rack and VERY direct.....point and go :)
Also installed my GC coils with KMAC camber plates. Really nice drop without cutting strut towers, adjusted all the way down in front and almost all the way in the rear.
Need to install my new sump armor skid plate soon.
Dbilas throttle bodies are FINALLY in route......long story......short story is they suck. I'm hoping the product is MUCH better than the people.
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Glad to see things coming along!
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I agree, steering rack is a great upgrade. I'm using one from a 2005 330i and I love the responsiveness!
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Guess what arrived today........ :)
Pics to come tomorrow
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throttle bodies? :) this is an awesome thread
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:)
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:)
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Man, you're easy to hate :) I'm really enjoying your build.
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Man, you're easy to hate :) I'm really enjoying your build.
That's how I feel about you and your engine thread. ;D
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Man, you're easy to hate :) I'm really enjoying your build.
LOL.......thanks :)
I'm not a very patient person and this is taking way too long for me.......makes it even harder to look at these every day.
Hopefully I'll be sharing more pics soon. Head is ready to be picked up. Time to start acquiring assembly pieces :)
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Updates???
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Bought headers
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eBay headers....needed different valve spring retainers which is what held up head assembly....almost done with that stuff....car is in storage now anyway :(
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awesome thread so far! This makes me want the itbs so bad now. hopefully your build will give some more respect to the 318 over at turner (keeps fingers crossed :-\)
any ways what kind of ebay headers did you get any pics / link to product? also are you a turner sales rep would love to have u as my rep ;)
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Yes, I do work at Turner....I run the sales dept there.
The headers are the black ceramic coated ones if you search "M42 header".
I also just got 2 more cosmetic pieces in yesterday. I bought Rieger sideskirts and a Kopi ACS rear apron. Bought both parts from Abrahams Motorsport....good guys there. ...recommended.
Ill try to get more pics. Also got a phone call today that the head is finally done at the machine shop!
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I am patiently waiting for this to all come together :) its going to be awesome!
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Just got the head back from the machine shop. Looks great! Finally almost all the pieces. Still debating on bottom end. I have the complete rotating assembly from a M44 that could easily be used.
Options, options, options..... :)
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Do it once........do it right. LOL
Go for the M47 bottom end with 86mm pistons.
Hope that helps....hahahahaha
Cheers,
~Ralph
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Do it once........do it right. LOL
Go for the M47 bottom end with 86mm pistons.
Hope that helps....hahahahaha
Cheers,
~Ralph
:) thanks Ralph.
Still trying to somewhat replicate a S42. Just picked up the latest BMW Car magazine. Great article on an E36 320i Super Touring running the original S42. Badass car!
We'll see what happens :)
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Update with photos! Cylinder head looks good BUT, the coolant tube at the rear of the head is badly corroded and in need of repair. Bringing in to work and seeing if one of the guys from our race team can help. We'll see how it goes, but I'll be working on port matching intake and exhaust ports if all goes well.
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The intake manifolds need a lot of work to match the port size. If you can take the intake valves back out and look through the valve openings you can see it pretty easily. On my DISA manifold, I measured 4+ mm smaller opening on the manifold than the port on the head. The E30 manifold I did a while back was almost that bad also. I will prob just remove the guide bosses on my head and do a quick clean up on the ports and then open up the choke on the manifold on my engine.
BTW if you go M47 crank, I have a nice set (of 6) 135mm S52 rods I need to sell. And S52 pistons also. They're just too short to work on a build with an M44 crank.
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The intake manifolds need a lot of work to match the port size. If you can take the intake valves back out and look through the valve openings you can see it pretty easily. On my DISA manifold, I measured 4+ mm smaller opening on the manifold than the port on the head. The E30 manifold I did a while back was almost that bad also. I will prob just remove the guide bosses on my head and do a quick clean up on the ports and then open up the choke on the manifold on my engine.
The machine shop did what they call a "pocket port" which addresses what you mention. I just ordered my intake and exhaust manifold gasket today so I can get started on the porting. Also ordered some other misc items that I'll need for the install.
Talked to our GT car chief today and he said he can fix the water tube no problem...... much relief there :)
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How does the rest of the shop feel about your build now?
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LOL..... they're interested to see it come to life. I still get shit on and teased but they are impressed with all the work that has gone in to this. I think they'll be surprised when it's finished.
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Looking good!!
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Good progress man! Interesting info about the (bad) matching of the stock manifold to the head. Sounds like many of us may have a new project to work on haha!
Any good info about the S42 engine in that BMW Car mag article?
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Progress...... majority of accessories are removed, no more a/c, intake and exhaust manifold removed...... pics to come
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Really nice thread man. I am interested why you went m44 2.0l instead of n47 2.1l
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Cost :)
M44 crank is near free in the US, N47 is like gold!
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We NEED updates and pics!!!! 8) 8)
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I have lots and lots of pics that I've taken. Haven't updated this thread in a while because this forum doesn't work on my tapatalk app for some reason lately. All the pics are on my phone which makes it easy to add them to the site via tapatalk :-(
The new head is installed with new cams and newly powdercoated valve cover. Lots and lots of other stuff done as well like removing all A/C components. I test fitted the ITB's the other night.....looks really good :-)
I'll try and email the pics from my phone, so I can load them this weekend.
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Does anyone have a link to an Alpha N control box install? The instructions from Dbilas really aren't great and I convinced one of the techs at work to wire it for me :-)
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ITB's.....
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pics are in reverse order...sorry
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More...
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again....
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more.... :)
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yup.....
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last one....for now.....
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nice work, starting to come together now. Maybe i missed it but what itbs are those? The Dbilas race?
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nice work, starting to come together now. Maybe i missed it but what itbs are those? The Dbilas race?
Yes, Dbilas. Interesting to find recently that the stock fuel rail does NOT just bolt up. Thinking I'll have top make a custom fuel rail. Other than that, everything else looks "ok". We'll see what happens this week..... :-)
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Compression Height of Stock S50 Piston is 32.8mm with Honda 1.8L VTEC B18C (GSR) 138mm rod
Excuse me, maybe it's a stupid question... If you use honda rods, do you use honda bearings?
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You should be able to use the BMW bearings since the big end is the same diameter as the BMW rods.
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Nick is probably right but I used the Honda bearings.
Cheers,
~Ralph
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Thank you! 8)