aluminum m5x?

[DanThe]

I have an M52 alloy block in a track car I built using M54B30 bottom end, 89.6 crank. Its going fine with no problems, I weighed both an M50 iron and M52 alloy bare blocks and the difference was 20kg which is nice in corners :D
This is a late 99 block which was the last year they were made and used steel liners, the early blocks had a nikasil coating on the bores, no steel!

[291153]

NICE bit of weight saving there. Are you going to put some m3 cams into it

[FredK]

Fred, I did some searching on the BF track forum and found the issues you speak of. Perhaps 89.6 stroke doesn't do well in the aluminum block in a competition environment; I wonder if crank/rod angles are a factor. Then again these blocks are so rare that it'd be difficult to find consistent info on the topic of block twist...could have been caused by other issues.

Cool. Yeah, it's really difficult to find these blocks! Way back in the day when you guys were running the 2.9L M52, I wanted to try to find the same block and run it bone-stock at 2.8L. I didn't really find any engines, and the ones that I did often were overheated (probably due to the original owner having an M5x cooling system failure).

I guess competition engines go pop all the time, because they're being run at high engine speeds, and usually with a compression bump that isn't nearly as friendly to non-ideal operating parameters. Block prep and rotating gear prep is probably another factor.

DanThe, that block looks MINT. Soooo clean!

[Adrian_Visser]

Just to let everybody know there is on FS on craigslist in Oregon right now complete m52 tu for $600, check out the PNW regional section.

[hoveringuy]

M54...

M54...

M54...

:mrgreen:

[Drew325is]

I'm loving my alloy block!

Here's a pic of my M52B28 during the 24v swap:


The guts:


Finished product:


And here's a thread comparing the M52 alloy block to an M20:

http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=99913

[Wh33lhop]

Awesome. No idea you could save so much weight off the front of the car from a DOHC swap. Anyone for an OBDI M52 alloy block with S52 internals? DROOL.

I got my (stock) car weighed at the dump before the swap--2900lbs with me in it. I'm going back after the M50 swap is done to see how much I added.

[CO318is]

Do you have corner weights with the M52 in there? I imagine that car is an absolute blast to drive.

[Drew325is]

Awesome. No idea you could save so much weight off the front of the car from a DOHC swap. Anyone for an OBDI M52 alloy block with S52 internals? DROOL.

I got my (stock) car weighed at the dump before the swap--2900lbs with me in it. I'm going back after the M50 swap is done to see how much I added.

Apparently an M52B28 with a S5x crank makes a nice 2.9L-ish stroker...but I'm pretty sure full internals would be a big swap requiring sleeving of the block - thus loosing some of the weight savings.

I'd really like some S52 cams for the M52.

Do you have corner weights with the M52 in there? I imagine that car is an absolute blast to drive.

Unfortunately I haven't been on corner scales since swapping the M52 in...but it's on the list of things to do. And yeah...loving driving the car - but as is always the case, more power would be welcome.

[erik325i]

Anyone for an OBDI M52 alloy block with S52 internals?

It's not as simple as boring the block to s52 specs. You'd need to re-sleeve it.
As Drew said though, you could stroke it to 2.9L.

Erik

[DanThe]

Cool. Yeah, it's really difficult to find these blocks! Way back in the day when you guys were running the 2.9L M52, I wanted to try to find the same block and run it bone-stock at 2.8L. I didn't really find any engines, and the ones that I did often were overheated (probably due to the original owner having an M5x cooling system failure).

I guess competition engines go pop all the time, because they're being run at high engine speeds, and usually with a compression bump that isn't nearly as friendly to non-ideal operating parameters. Block prep and rotating gear prep is probably another factor.

DanThe, that block looks MINT. Soooo clean!

Generally overheated alloy M52's are scrap, thats how I rate them anyway, heads warp, bolts pull and even the blocks can distort between the liners.

The block in the pic came from an E36 that had been sat in a scrap yard for over 6 months, at least 2 of those months it had been covered with snow with no bonnet on! The outside is pretty grotty but the inside is perfect.
The car had been seized by local authorities due to no road tax and sent for destruction. Some really nice cars are getting binned at the moment!

Set of cams in it and the engine will be sorted

[genocide98]

Man all these aluminum m52's make me wish I had a job/money to swap out my ragged old m10 :( and it's not like these things are getting any easier to find... lol

Hopefully I can work it out before this old beastie blows up for good.

[NufnSus]

Old thread, but after searching high and low, this seems like the most appropriate place to ask w/o starting a new thread (just yet);

I've got an unknown condition Alloy M52B28 on the stand; The intention is a full overhaul of the head, assuming no signs of previous overheating issues/ cracks.

By chance I've now come across someone selling a M54B30 crankshaft + pistons, and since I've always flirted with the idea of a M5x 'stroker' I figured it'd be a good chance to take the leap.

While I can find a few documented M50 & M52 3.0ltr stroker setups, none of those use the M52 alloy block.
So I'm wondering if the supposedly weaker alloy block would pose any unique issues when coupled with the larger M54B30 crank?
And would I need to address the M54's harmonic damper issues if I reuse the crankshaft in the M52, given I intend to use the setup mostly for tracking, i.e. it'll see some revs?


*Edit: I'm a fool... there's an alloy M52 stroker setup thread right here - really well documented project thread actually, and definitely worth the full read for anyone interested in the topic