My very slow stroker progress

[shady62]

so i finally got myself photo bucket and think i have figured out how to upload photos to forums, now its high time to show my progress and probably ask a few more questions. heres a few pics of the head now all the work is finished.
it has had full CNC porting and final hand polish, new valve guides, supertech +1mm master valvetrain package. really impressed with the quality of work provided. i hope to get some pictures up of a comparison between standard and machined ports next to each other (i have a spare head in my workshop to compare to)














I have got M47 longnosed crank and S50B30 pistons, going to get Honda B18C conrods, but my next move is to get hold of some camshafts. i have been looking at cat cams but in all honesty i know jack shit about cam tech and was wondering if someone could recommend one of the sets that CatCams supply -

http://www.catcams.co.uk/acatalog/BMW_318iS_E30_136hp____E36_140hp_.html

I need to get the cams fitted so that i can figure out dimensions of the maching that is going to be done to the pistons. the car will be my daily driver and also where I live there are no emissions tests or MOT testing either so there is nothing to worry about with regards to "the man"

going to pick up brand new timing chain,tensioners,sprockets,guides,oil pump, pressure regulator etc from dealership that i ordered in before christmas tomorrow morning. progress has been slow but im enjoying it. living in the Channel Islands is a bit of a pain in the ass as there is no where over here that can do block boring so i am going to have to take the block over to the mainland UK to get the work done. kind of toying with the idea of taking everything (once cams are here) to a machine shop over there and get them to just do the lot in one hit but i dont really know any shops over there, Anyone recommend anywhere thats proven top quality work? further south the better but im happy to travel if it means good quality.

heres a couple of pics of my car too

[Darky]

Nice.

Can't be as slow as mine it's been going for a over a year now.

Cheers Rohan

[shady62]

As a regular on here rohan who do you think could help me with regards to camshaft choice?

[Darky]

Hi

What are you doing for inlet manifold and what is the purpose of engine, road or track?

Cheers

[Warsteiner]

Shady62,

Looking very nice so far.

What modifications have you made to your piston? And is this the US or Euro 3.0L piston?

Also, there is a modification that needs to be made to the small end if you're using a US piston.

Just want you to clarify so you don't run into any issues when building.

As far as cams go..... lots of choices depending on what you're doing with the car like Rohan asked.  Not sure where you live but Dbilas has a great selection as well.



Cheers,
~Ralph

[sh123]

Shady62.

With regards to someone in south to do the engine. My engine is currently with vulcan engineering in kent. He is doing the job lot for me head and block. Should be able to report back in next couple months!!

[shady62]

Thanks sh I will make sure to bear that in mind and look forward to hearing your progress. Warsteiner I'm using European pistons (we're part of the uk) I will be using the car on the roads, no tracks here plus I couldn't bear the thought of binning it and ruining the car after all the blood sweat and tears. So camshafts I would like to be best for getting the most out of it on the roads but with no real regulations over here I can go mad on it and not worry about the legality side of things. Once I have the camshafts then I can progress on the pistons (need to know max lift at tdc etc) not sure about the manifold yet, was pondering that today. A lad I know tagged me in a Facebook post regarding the dbilas itb kit (and the really bad workmanship of it including photos) so I think I'm going to steer clear of that kit. However seeing the amount that matey has opened up the ports has me worried even an aftermarket manifold won't be big enough port wise so bit of unknown territory really. The link I posted has a good selection of camshafts and I've read a lot of good reports on them was looking at 1301415 but uncertain as to whether it's going to make it run like a bag of crap on the roads and be unusable. What do you guys think?

Thanks for the replies lads

[Warsteiner]

Ok good.  So your Euro CH is 31.6mm and you'll run the 138mm rods. So with your stock 1.74mm thickness gasket you'll have to do the math but my guess is you'll only have to shave off about 1.15mm from that piston. Going with the 2.04mm gasket probably 1.45mm off. Also those pistons have deep reliefs for valves so I won't think you'll have an issue there. OH and you don't have to mess with the small end of the rod since your pistons are already 21mm!!

I have the Dbilas ITB's and they are ok. They work and do what they say they do. Are they as nice as lambertius' set up? NO. But they function. So pound for pound I would get his set up over the Dbilas unless you had a smoking' hot deal on a set of Dbilas. Also whichever you decide to go...See if you can maintain the stock airbox and filter. It doesn't pay to try and fabricate anything because there are no gains. Dyno tested and proven on my car. bmwman91 did some testing as well and came up with the same conclusion.

As far as cams go.....That is a tricky one. I don't like Schrick cams because they are either on or off. What I mean by that is you're not on the cam and then all of a sudden you get this kick when the cam comes on. It's very raw-like and not refined. I don't like that. I like the more linear approach which is smoother. On my S14 I moved away from Schricks and went with Dbilas regrinds. Those cams are deceivingly fast. When you drive it, you won't think it's pulling because they are more linear. People that have been in my car think it won't stop pulling and the power keeps building. Schricks.. it's not there until it's there and then you feel it. Just my .02 on the matter.

So I have no experience with Cat cams. I'm sure they're great.  I would ask people how they compare to other manufacturers. Ask for dyno sheets. Call the company direct and see what they tell you as far as a recommendation. If I were to put other cams in my stroker now I would go for Dbilas 284/280 or the 280/272 set up. I would even consider a pair of 280's. So many different views on offsetting cams. Another quick note on that from experience... Everyone usually does 284/276 Schricks in the S14. If you look at the data sheets they are almost identical all the way through other than 11.5mm and 11.3mm lifts. So the choice should be 284/284. I run a 302* 12.16mm and 296* 11.5mm in the M3 track car.

My M42 cams are custom regrinds that my buddy did for me knowing the final engine parameters and how I would be driving it. They are only 250* with 10.3mm lift but they keep a consistent torque band all the way through and are great for daily driving.

The great thing is you have so many options available which in turn makes it difficult. Talk to your builder and your tuner and then the cam companies. You will have an answer after you to speak to all of them. I hope...lol

HTH...
Cheers,
~Ralph

[shady62]

Thanks Ralph,  I was really hoping to find someone like you on here with a wealth of knowledge/experience such as yours. Do you live in UK? By the time this build is over I have a funny feeling I'll owe you a beer or 6. That's good on the airbox side of things I like the standard look of things and as we all know Mr BMW put a lot of time and effort into it. I'm currently awaiting correspondence from a firm to supply me with a DTA fast S40 ecu + loom following a recommendation from someone over here. I would love to get that ecu fitted and working before fitting the finished motor (although getting ahead of myself a little) I feel it would be settling to know it's all fitted and working correctly before all the big hardware changes of a stroked motor. Although seemingly counter productive it would give me piece of mind.

Another little question for you... I am looking into skunk2 Honda conrods but one of the nippers in my workshop has a spare set of standard Honda conrods there. Do you think the weight saved is worth shelling out on high spec conrods or do you think the standard Honda rods will do almost as well with a new set of bearings fitted? I don't my shelling out a few hundred on a new set but if the difference is negligible then it would be more cost efficient just to replace the bearings on the standard set.

Cheers mate
Joe

[Warsteiner]

Sorry Joe.... I'm in New Jersey across the pond. But if and when I visit, I'll make sure I put the word out prior to coming

I'm not familiar with the skunk 2 rods.  I know that the Honda 1.8L VTEC B18C (GSR) 138mm rods are the ones that fit perfectly. That's the research that I came up with. I bought my rods for about $350 for a set of 4. I'm sure you can find a set cheap.

Keep us updated!

Cheers,
~Ralph

[shady62]

Thanks Ralph was just wondering if the weight saving is really worth it. Just bought a set of adapter pipes to fit the e46 clubsport rack I've fitted too  .

Will keep you updated.
Joe

[shady62]

Little update

Cams are on order as of yesterday from cat cams.

Now next thing main bearings. Any recommendations? I'm not planning on revving the shit out of it or thrashing it too hard, standard bmw bearings alright and up to the job?

[Darky]

Everybody generally orders m50 bearings for the m42 that way you get the 360 degree oiling grove.
There are a few places that do m42 bearings that have 360 degree oiling grove. But only the serious racing motor parts suppliers!

[wazzu70]

All the replacement M42 bearing sets have 360* thrust bearings FYI.

The catcams 269* cams seem to do well for people. There are some people on here that have run them. Its what I would run if I could afford it

[shady62]

Ok I'll make sure they have 360 deg grooves. I've gone for the 1301414 on the link, 268/267deg not sure what the difference is but will see how it goes.