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    #31
    I wonder if you could Plastiweld a piece of plastic tube in?

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      #32
      Originally posted by nando View Post
      Yes but the flywheel bolt pattern is different.
      bummer:(

      1989 Coupe build thread: http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=312012
      IG: @mitchlikesbikes

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        #33
        I am VERY interested in this swap. Now that people are actually making great progress with the software and mounting solutions this engine sounds like a winner in an E30.
        1991 325i - "Scambles" The Daily Driven lightly modded.
        1988 Mazda RX-7 TII "Mako" The Free Dorito
        bacon by Jared Laabs, on Flickr

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          #34
          Spend a little time at e90post.com to become more familiar with the mods and tuning that is available for this engine. AA headers, MILV, and tune does great things.

          We are very fortunate on the tuning part to have BimmerLabs.com (Nando), who cracked the EWS, and was integral in the first swap of the N52:



          He knows the electronics on this engine better than anybody, and is well versed with the E30 as most of you know.

          Chris

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            #35
            The manifold clearance looks great. I guess there's no chance the 3 stage will fit right? it's ok - the E30 is a light car, and you don't lose that much torque with the N54 manifold anyway, but you gain potential at higher RPM due to resonance issues beyond 6700rpm with the 3 stage manifold.

            thanks for the plug - it's starting to take shape. Still lots and lots of work to go. :)

            Originally posted by Elysian View Post
            I wonder if you could Plastiweld a piece of plastic tube in?
            no, it goes beyond the length - all the mounting ears are plastic and they have to be moved, etc. I think it would be better to just make a new one.

            I think if you could get a few steel pieces that fit into the pump for making your own pickup tube, you could sell them (I would buy one). I think they would have to be stainless steel though as the bed plate is magnesium (maybe not as they're covered in oil).
            Build thread

            Bimmerlabs

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              #36
              So here is what the oil pickup looks like. I was planning on just machining an end from steel and then welding the M54 pickup to it, but Nando has a good point regarding corrosion. I'm open to suggestions here.....

              I'm thinking the oil pickup tube where it inserts into the oil pump never makes contact with pump because of the meaty o-ring, but I guess that's not guaranteed. A stainless steel nipple that would go into the pump would be less corrosive, but the M54 pickup is not stainless, so welding it together would probably negate the electrolytic interaction. Galvanic corrosion would also come into play where the pickup tube mounts bolt to the engine, but I guess a plastic isolator could be fabricated.

              Another point now that I think of it....Isn't the internal block actually aluminum rather than magnesium....so maybe corrosion concerns are negligible? .....

              To the oil pan: I cut out a section to fit the Arc asylum subframe tube. A little more fitting, and then boxing it in should work. Hopefully there will be a good enough area on the pan where it is flat on the bottom for the pickup to be.

              Well, that's it for now...I've got an m54 pickup tube on the way, and need to think more about how that part is going to work.

              Chris
              Attached Files

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                #37
                Im loving that you are making progress, I think there are many people who want to see you succeed, myself included
                Simon
                Current Cars:
                -1999 996.1 911 4/98 3.8L 6-Speed, 21st Century Beetle

                Make R3V Great Again -2020

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                  #38
                  Yes, the internal block is aluminum - but the bed plate is pure magnesium except the bearing caps.

                  Is the baffle stainless or regular steel?
                  Last edited by nando; 01-14-2018, 10:09 AM.
                  Build thread

                  Bimmerlabs

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                    #39
                    The N52 is sounding really good for a swap candidate!
                    -Nick

                    M42 on VEMS

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                      #40
                      This is what my oil pan looked like before Tyler boxed it in (Tyler photo) and once I had it installed.

                      you can see he extended the oil pickup and fabricated a nice baffle. I looks like Chris is in a good position right now.







                      Last edited by hoveringuy; 01-14-2018, 11:43 AM.

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                        #41
                        Thanks for the support everyone, let's hope it continues to progress smoothly!

                        Nando, the baffle is either stainless or aluminum. I would unbolt it to get a better idea, but that will require new bolts so I'm gonna leave it in place.

                        I did do some research on the engine though, and it said that corrosion inside the engine between the magnesium, aluminum, or steel is not a concern due to the oil not being conductive enough. So that's good news, and will allow me to proceed with the use of the M54 pickup tube and machined end out of steel. My father has an old lathe in the basement, so I'm going to play around a little, and see what I can come up with, but I don't think it will be too complicated. Hopefully I will have some progress by next weekend as I am now waiting for stuff to come in.

                        Chris

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                          #42
                          You could also make an interface fitting out of a polymer to go between a steel pickup tube and the magnesium.
                          -Nick

                          M42 on VEMS

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                            #43
                            Pics:
                            Attached Files

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                              #44
                              So, I'm running into some issues with the oil pickup tube. The M54 one is a bit smaller on the I.d., and considering how important the oil volume and pressure are for this engine, and that I am extending the length of the pickup, I better stay at the same size or slightly bigger for the replacement. So, I can go with a 7/8" tube, which incidentally is almost the same as a 3/4" thinwall conduit. I'll probably mock it up with the conduit, and then switch to the 7/8" tube for quality issues. (not sure how good the steel is on emt nowadays).

                              So I can bend the tube to a 90 with a conduit bender (all I have), and weld/braze the end to the M54 pickup volute, and weld/braze the other end to the machined piece I made to insert into the oil pump. Then I will need to make a couple supports similar to how the oem one is supported. Simple enough....my only concern is that the fabricated piece will be a bit heavier than the plastic Oem one. Although supported, will the fabricated piece's weight crush the o-ring where it inserts into the oil pump over time, and end up leaking? Typically, the end is bolted to the oil pump on earlier engines, but they probably skipped this on the N52 because the plastic oil pickup is much lighter. That's my concern at this point. Any opinions?
                              Attached Files

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                                #45
                                Actually it looks like it would be super easy to turn an aluminum tube that would move the stock plastic pickup back by the main cap spacing. It would plug into the pump just like the pickup does and the pickup tube would plug into it just like it does into the pump.

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