M60B44 swap...few questions

[strang3majik]

I'm in the process of gathering everything to do an m60 swap in my e30. I've been doing a ton of research, and JGood has helped me out quite a bit, but I don't want to bug just him...lol (Sorry about that Justin).

I picked up a 160k m62b44 and 6 speed from an e39 with hopes of doing an obd1 conversion and dropping it in, but, upon dropping the oil pan to replace the gasket, I found bits of timing chain guides in the bottom, so...guess its time to replace and potentially upgrade.


What I'm wondering is, is buying a replacement m62 single chain replacement set for $550 a good way to go, or should I go junkyard scrounging and try to find all the pieces for a double chain swap? Will the m62 single chain timing gears bolt to the m60b40 heads?

I'd love to do the double chain swap, but, the thought of pulling apart an m60 in the junkyard isn't high on my list of things I want to do, and its quite expensive to buy that stuff new. But mostly, that crank bolt being pulled in a junkyard just doesn't sound like a good time.


Next is head gaskets. Since I'm planning on swapping the m60b40 heads on to the m62 block, do I buy m62 head gaskets to fit the bore properly? Or should I buy m60 head gaskets? I'd like to do the head gaskets regardless since I didn't get a chance to compression test it, so, once again, kind of a while you're in there, might as well upgrade.

I already have all the supporting parts, such as engine mount arms, modified exhaust manifolds, modified trans mount brace, 6 spd driveshaft, wilwood manual brake pedal setup, remote mount oil filter housing (m62 came with it), etc...

just waiting on the engine itself, really. I've even contemplated finding a strong running m60b40 and just dropping that it, but I'd rather get the most out of it all at once and not pull it down the road for more power.

Opinions are welcome.

Sorry for the novel. Thanks guys!

[The Dark Side of Will]

https://www.car-parts.com

Maybe you can score a deal on a whole M60 engine.

[JGood]

If you're trying to do this on a budget, I'd just do the mods to make it OBD-I and replace the guides. No need for a double chain conversion. It's just a nice bonus 'requirement' to the m60b44 swap.

If you're set on m60b44, where are you getting your m60 heads? Why not buy a complete m60, then you have everything you need. They aren't that expensive, in the grand scheme of the project.

You need to use the head gaskets that match the block. The pistons actually come up through the head gasket. If you tried to use m60 head gaskets on an m62, well, all of the things would break.

[strang3majik]

Its not so much I'm wanting to do it on a budget, just not wanting to spend large amounts where its not completely neccessary. Like buying every piece of the dual row timing setup from FCP or Pelican, haha. And that's what I've been thinking. Reading on the forums I've seen a lot of people say the single chain isn't all bad as long as the tensioner is in good shape, which most people neglect.

As for the heads, there is an engine in the junkyard locally that I plan on pulling them from, but the issue is that particular engine threw a rod, so there really isn't a point in buying a bad engine at the same cost as a good engine. Plus, if it threw a rod, who knows the condition of the timing equipment. The heads I plan on having gone over regardless.

And gotcha on the head gaskets, thank you for that info. Does make sense as the 4.4 has a larger bore.

Either way, I'm still torn on what to do. Part of me wants to buy a running m60 5/740 with a bad trans and use that engine then build the m62 on the side to get my car back on the road.

The other half says, be patient, and finish the hybrid. Lol.

And thank you for the link, Dark Side. I checked it out and only one engine was near me with unknown mileage and unknown if it even ran for $450 with a 90 day warranty. I'll definitely keep a check on it though if something pops up local.

[The Dark Side of Will]

Sounds like you're canvassing U-pull-it yards; they tend not to use car-parts.com
I guess the high turnover of their inventory makes a lot more work for them to list and sell parts.

If you're confident enough in the engine with the tossed rod to buy the heads from it, I don't see why you wouldn't get the timing drive from the same engine. I don't see why you wouldn't get the whole engine either.

Aside from the tensioner, the single chain drive has the u-shaped guide that wears out, while the dual chain has the idler sprocket instead, which does not wear out.

[JGood]

Aside from the tensioner, the single chain drive has the u-shaped guide that wears out, while the dual chain has the idler sprocket instead, which does not wear out.

But the double chain setup does use two additional guides in place of the u-guide, which wear in the same way as the rest of the guides. In either setup, you're still best served by a ~10 year/100k mile service life.