885 head rebuild (parts advisement)

[D.Martijn]

Hey guys,


I'm currently swapping the AMC head on my BMW E30 to an original 885 head.
I bought a head with the valves and springs but no cam, rockers & rocker shafts. The valves & seats will get a regrind




I already got a new KS camshaft because the old one is worn down. I'm now deciding if I should get new rockers or try and resurface my original BMW ones.


This is the rocker arm that has the most wear out of all the others. There is a substantial groove + some pitting. I'm guessing it's best to replace these with febi's? How do I know if I have the new revised design that supposedly is be better?

I also found a distributor for IE HD rockers, he's selling them for 29€
Febi's would run me 14,5€ (incl hardware)


When I disassembled the head I had some trouble getting the exhaust side rocker shaft out, after finally getting it out it's scratched fairly deep/has some gouges. I'm getting the previous OP did something wrong when assembling the AMC head. the ends are also 0.09-0.1mm bigger when I measured them with my micrometer
So should I get the BMW shafts or Febi's? 54€ vs 34€.. only a small difference in price.


I get that it's better to spend a bit more now but would like some advice.
Thanks.

[325e '87]

Yeomans work. I’m trying to decide if I transport my car 700 miles south to forcefirebird for a head refresh or rebuild it myself. I’d prefer to do it but the thought of having a pro do it and handle the cam/dme chip is really appealing.

Love your car, wish I had a touring to go along with my sedan.

[digger]

you need new rockers. people have used febi with good results from what ive seen. buy from a place that sells lots of parts so you arent getting old stock. i recommend the MM rockers for a performance engine. have the HD rockers stopped having pads fall off yet?

is the shaft mushroomed, im not sure what is 0.1mm bigger at the end? someone may have used a hammer at bash the ends

ive used febi shafts (not recently though) but i did notice with the AMC the rubber D bungs were harder to get in not sure if that was because the shaft length was different or the head was machined slightly different. for the price difference id probably use OE these days

[moatilliatta]

I’d use new genuine. Good to see MM released Theirs. Same rocker ratio?

[digger]

I’d use new genuine. Good to see MM released Theirs. Same rocker ratio?

they are shot peened and inspected stock ones

[D.Martijn]

Yeomans work. I’m trying to decide if I transport my car 700 miles south to forcefirebird for a head refresh or rebuild it myself. I’d prefer to do it but the thought of having a pro do it and handle the cam/dme chip is really appealing.

Love your car, wish I had a touring to go along with my sedan.

you need new rockers. people have used febi with good results from what ive seen. buy from a place that sells lots of parts so you arent getting old stock. i recommend the MM rockers for a performance engine. have the HD rockers stopped having pads fall off yet?

is the shaft mushroomed, im not sure what is 0.1mm bigger at the end? someone may have used a hammer at bash the ends

ive used febi shafts (not recently though) but i did notice with the AMC the rubber D bungs were harder to get in not sure if that was because the shaft length was different or the head was machined slightly different. for the price difference id probably use OE these days

I’d use new genuine. Good to see MM released Theirs. Same rocker ratio?

Thanks for the replies guys!

I figured the rockers are not usable anymore. As far as I could see the eccentric is still good. Although I'll probably also replace it so every contact area is fresh.

This is by no means a performance engine but if I can make it a bit overbuild, I rather do it now then having to break a rocker and do it all over again.

I searched some more online and found a thread on a different forum stating there was a bad batch of IE HD rockers (this was in 2014) so I'm assuming they'll be good. I pulled the trigger and got 12 IE HD rockers from a shop here in Europe that distributes their products.

Yes, the ends are muchroomed, @digger. I'm also planning on going with the BMW rocker shafts only a small bit more.

Thanks for the advice!

[TobyB]

I’d use new genuine. Good to see MM released Theirs. Same rocker ratio?

Last I ordered, and it's been a while, BMW M20 rockers were identical to
Febi, with a roundel added.

Voids included.

t

[Andre3127]

Febi rockers don't feel as good as OEM. Much lighter, and have a cheaper feel. I don't have proof that they aren't as strong, but they don't give the impression of OEM quality.

I have many 325e rockers that I would give you for next to nothing, but I don't think they fit the 885 head.

[sampayne]

I'd try to find a set of used rocker shafts, or go with OEM bmw. I had some issues buying aftermarket shafts where the retainer clip notches were machined incorrectly. That was almost 2 years ago, so that may have been resolved, but you never know if those are still floating around...