Total engine noob, be nice

[Ali//325i]

Okay so i have pretty much every reasonably size part ready for my m30 swap except the trans, but i want to take apart my motor and do a rebuild because I have a lot of extra time and the e30 runs well enough that the swap isnt a necessity, so....

While taking apart the motor I want to make sure I label every piece correctly so that when the parts go to the machine shop they can easily identify everything and so can I. So here are my questions:

1) What is the cylinder order? I don't want to just pick a starting point like the front of the motor and number 1-6 becuase if the machine shops uses firing order or something I don't want things to get mixed up. So which method is used to number the pistons, firing order, location in relation to the front/back of the motor, or is there a better method?

2) I have a full gasket kit top and bottom end gasket kit and I wanted to get new piston rings, crank bearings, valves, retainers, and springs. is there anything else, outside of new pistons, rods, and crank that I should pick up? I am also sending the cam out to be reground but it will be tame enough that i dont need the oversized eccentries.

3) I was also thinking about decking the block to up the CR on the motor just slightly. Obviously I would consult the machine shop on their recommendation but does anyone have an idea of a safe amount? i was thinking under 3mm but wasn't sure what is reasonable for these motors.

4) I am also taking ideas for paint scheme for the motor. i was thinking either beige to match the top on my cabby or alpine white to match the exterior. any other ideas :)

Thanks for any and all help, sorry for the noob questions. This is my first swap!

-Ali

[yert315]

1.) mark the pistons in order of the cylinder. Front to back = 1-6. mark them with a punch, not a sharpie :p

2.) water pump?

3.) it's a bit risky and 3mm is a ridiculous amount. Machine shops will mill the head in thousands. Also, when you do this, cam timing will be off a bit and you would need an adjustable cam gear. Obviously you're not going the cheap way, so why try to up the compression the cheap way? I would suggest just getting the head milled to straightness and be done with it.

4.) white will show you all your oil leaks. Do orange or teal!

[Zacm829]

I would suggest against white too! It is so hard to keep it nice a clean, choose a darker color you will be happier.

[Ali//325i]

trey, how do you mark them with a punch and not ruin the piston? I am just going to sharpie the top of the piston, throw them each in individual baggies, sharpie the number on there and be done with it. if they fuck that up, they suck hah.

I am going to call a local machine shop up here that did jordans motor and see what they recommend. I dont think milling a couple extra thousandths of a mm off the top of the block/head will really be all that dangerous. IF the pistons are fucked for any reason I am going to just get a custom set made. 11:1 or higher depending on how the job thing goes.

I kinda want to paint the block the same color as my convertible top. I think that would be so cool. lol.

I can't wait to toss my stupid powersteering crap, my AC and all the other non-essential crap. I am even thinking about making a custom windshield resevoir tank like john for 666fab did.

I also wanna build an exhaust manifold, but I think i'll wait till i get the damn thing running haha.

-Ali

[SpecM]

paint the block orange like an old school Chevy

[Danny]

Fuck you, OP.

[Ali//325i]

Fuck you, OP.

lol uh...did i do something wrong? hah

-Ali

[Danny]

No.

[Doughnut]

Fuck you, OP.

lol uh...did i do something wrong? hah

-Ali

No.

Um? thread failure?

[yert315]

i thought you meant marking the rods and caps. Yes, mark the top of the pistons with a sharpie. I worded it wrong in my last post.

And I would only recommend shaving the head for straightness.

I am going to call a local machine shop up here that did jordans motor and see what they recommend. I dont think milling a couple extra thousandths of a mm off the top of the block/head will really be all that dangerous. IF the pistons are fucked for any reason I am going to just get a custom set made. 11:1 or higher depending on how the job thing goes.

if your pistons get fucked up, your head is probably the cause of it, which means it will be done too. Think it through before you make any decisions. I believe s38 pistons yield higher compression. Don't quote me on this though.