wanna do a cam, need help

[bimmerking1357]

i have a 1990 325i, cabrio:D, and im thinking of putting in a schrick cam but this is my first bimmer so i dont really know much. is doin a cam a fairly simple diy job or is it a pain in the ass.

[strad]

I do not believe it's very easy unless you remove the head. Might not even be possible w/o head removal. So yeah, it's pretty involved.

[bimmerking1357]

i dont mind involved work i just wanna know if its somthing i can do with not alot of skill and a few wrenches...

[SpecM]

not alot of skill

in that case, no

RANT: why the hell do noobs come and ask "can I do this, can I do that...", like we know you that well or something. Either you can or you can't, and that's a queston you need to ask yourself. In reality, if you have to ask, then you can't. /RANT

sorry bimmerking, that was not directed at you per se, but noobs in general. Real queston: do YOU think you can remove and rebuild a head?

[learningcurve86]

use a Bentley. I did a head gasket on my eta before I ever changed a flat tire. You just have to be patient and do everything to the 'T'. I started with no tools... and i think by the time I was done I'd maybe spent $250 on tools. (Wrenches, screw drivers, a torque wrench)...

depending on skill it can take a variance of time. My head gasket took me 3 full days... but people with greater skill level say they can do it in a day. Its not exactly a pain in the ass, the manual lays stuff out pretty well, but it is pretty involved. [Lifting a head out by hand can kind of suck though without an engine lift. It may be aluminum, but there is a lot of it there.] I've never done a cam before, but I'd imagine once that if you're up to the task of removing the head, a cam shouldn't be too much harder than that.

[bimmerking1357]

hey its all good i can understand why you would get annoyed by noobs like me and im sorry i just dont know much since this is mt first bimmer and i figured it wouldnt hurt to ask. and yeah i think i could do it my self

1990 cirrisblau-metallic!

[SpecM]

and yeah i think i could do it my self

then you should, and I mean that seriously. You'll need to buy some more tools, the first one being a Bentley service book.

[bimmerking1357]

will do.....k so one more dumb question.....why the bently service book?

[SpecM]

.....why the bently service book?

because it is the best, most detailed, and most informative e30 book ever

btw: Bentley, and in "Bentley Publishers INC", not "Bentley Arnage"

[nando]

M20 heads are really easy to rebuild. Follow the bentley, have the machining done by a pro shop, do the assembly yourself.. it's a great way to learn how to work on motors. Buy a used head so you can take your time building it properly, and then swap them.

also, for a stock motor stick to a 272.

[bimmerking1357]

k thanx for the info....and why the 272 compared to the 284 or the 288 are those just too much or what?

[nando]

because cam choice goes with compression ratio among other things... 8:8:1 really isn't suited to anything more than that.

[bimmerking1357]

k

[vr2jetta]

From looking at my car, I would say no on replacing the cam with the head still on. It "MAY" be possible but if you are installing a cam you would probably want to freshen up the top end anyway. I just put a head on my car and it is my first E30 too, I actually bought it in pieces and had little difficulty putting it all back together. I think I had to ask what 2 parts were. I disassembled the head completely and did some porting work, sent it to the machine shop and reassembled it with no real problems. Of course I have been tearing down and building VW's for 10 years but the BMW is still new to me. In case you dont know, the cam doesnt pop out by unbolting a few caps, you actually have to remove the rockers by driving a rod out, then unbolt the cam end cap and pull it out the front like in a Domestic V8. Its really not that hard but will take some time. It took me about 20 minutes to remove the rocker rods and 10 minutes to remove each valve, installing was about the same. If you are going to be in there anyway it wouldnt be a bad idea to upgrade the valve springs either, considering your doing a cam.

[TrentW]

Agreed. Get yourself a Bentley and some wrenches and go to it.