Ok boys...the R3v way or the right way? :)

[AdironRider]

Fuckin A Scotty that sucks. At least the beast is going to roar as soon as that I head goes on youll be money. Ill be back after the 4th for sure if you need a hand.

[parkerbink]

Unlucky. Sorry.

[Bimmerfanatik]

Unlucky. Sorry.

Agreed.

This is the ol' vert's last chance. If the stroker gives me any major trouble, it's getting parked for a long time. I can't afford to be without a car, especially after dumping so much into it.

After the headwork, I'll be at just a hair over $1000 for this engine fiasco. Not a bad deal overall, considering I'll have a rebuilt head, new gaskets from top to bottom, new csb/flex disc, new clutch, pressure plate, pilot bearing, release bearing, water pump, timing belt, valve cover and gasket, etc. I just didn't expect it to all happen at once.

PS - don't remember if I mentioned this, but I flipped the block over and took off the oil pan - looks like the rod on cyl 3 snapped clean off in the middle. Amazing. It even hit the pan from the inside and put a small hole in it. This obviously caused the rocker arm to snap off. Head is getting all new valve guides and anything else it needs. Can't wait...this better be worth it!

[Sean]

The joint at the end of the selector rod that connects to the tranny - I found an aftermarket brass one in one of my cars and threw it in. NO play at all. Amazing.

Head came off of the i motor yesterday - broken rocker arm. I'll be having them go through it in a few days.

Mind elaborating? All my crap is out, and I wanna do somethin! :D

[Bimmerfanatik]

Mind elaborating? All my crap is out, and I wanna do somethin! :D

It's a Bav part - basically it connects the selector rod to the tranny, it's a joint piece. It's the piece the dowel and circlip go on. Bav sells a brass piece (may be part of a shift kit, but I just used the joint) and makes a world of difference. Make sure you at least upgrade to a new stock one, and replace everything else - rear shift carrier bushing, all other bushings.

Old head off yesterday - not that bad a job. Headgasket toasty. Waiting for my head to be finished, needed all 12 valve guides, so they had to order some extra - they were hoping for only the exhaust guides. Oh well, at least everything is done now...

[KangamangusDriver]

Good luck my friend!

Im staying in haverill this week, hit me up if you want to grab a brew!

[Bimmerfanatik]

Old head gasket:


Awaiting the new head:


No mas de fan, no mas de condensor


Head took longer than expected, perfect opportunity to install these:


Cleaning things up in there...



Shiny :)



Cleaned up the manifold, will powdercoat an extra.


So nice...hopefully this is the last time I see this view for a while ;)


Last stop before head mount :)

[MA325is88]

yeah man!!

[FredK]

sweet, hopefully you can fire it up sometime this weekend!

[AdironRider]

Sick man, head looks damn good. Cant wait to see this beast run.

[Bimmerfanatik]

Ahhh.

Finished around 9:30 last night - would have been done around 6 but the exhaust decided to kick my ass. Drove it around a bit, realized that this motor was a hell of a lot more torquey and more powerful than any e's, i's or my chipped i. Stroker motor=goood :)

Anyways. I have the full i harness, I head, tb, airbox, 173 ecu with Jim C chip, Stromung cat-back, i intake manifold, fuel injector rail, etc. Then the bottom end is the stock 200k Super ETA bottom end - I am crossing my fingers that I get to October without it greneding on me and costing me that friggin head (which, by the way, ended up costing $566 for all 12 valve guides, an intake and exhaust valve, a rocker arm, decking - I think .2mm? whatever the minimum is).

New parts:
Boucher Automotive - Rebuilt cylinder head $566
Flying Brick - clutch kit, flex disc, oil pan gasket, other parts $360
Bav - exhaust gaskets, nuts, wrench $70
Engine hoist rental, engine swap $70
Bav Parts - csb, thermostat $53
BMW Peabody - intake manifold gaskets, rocker shaft plugs $30
Bav - flywheel bolts $24
Head gasket, head bolts $23
Bav - 4 exhaust studs, nuts $8
Rear crank seal pressed, Schneller $5
Autozone - 1/4" fuel line $3
Home Depot - 1/4" fuel line connectors $3
Dowels - head alignment $1

TOTAL $1,216

To those of you considering a stroker motor, see my total. That's doing it RIGHT - the only thing I didn't touch was the bottom end internals, everything else was replaced. Also, I had the Super ETA bottom end, so figure a few hundred extra for that if you don't have one already. If your head isn't trashed, you can save a few bucks on that end. However, I have the peace of mind knowing that head is 100%.

PROBLEMS

1. Exhaust manifolds are far from on there "snug." The front manifold beat us up - at least one of the manifold stud holes is stripped, not sure what to do about that. It's damn near impossible to get those on tight while the engine is in the car - shit, it was hard enough even with the engine out of the car, the first time around. So, I've got to see what I can figure out on that.

2. Manifold to downpipe bolts seem tight, but there still seems to be some gasses escaping - I used brand new gaskets, but when we pulled them this time around, they looked toasted - I reused them, as they were barely 30 miles old, but wonder if there's something I'm missing. Should I be using any copper gasket sealer or anything on these or the manifold gaskets?

3. As stated above, fitment of the late style coolant overflow tank is less than perfect - and the cruise control device is just sort of wedged in between that and the ABS controller. Not sure if there's any good way to remedy this, or if I'll just have to live with it. Also, the wiring for the level sensor is on the other side of the car - short of extending it, I'm not sure how to remedy this. If there's a way to bypass it so the warning light goes out, let me know.

4. There's a strange rattle that wasn't there before when the car is idling in neutral and the clutch is out. As soon as you push the clutch in, it stops. I followed the clutch and tranny install to the letter, so I can't imagine there being a problem, but it's the only logical explanation. I used all new parts - release bearing, pilot bearing, pressure plate, clutch, flywheel and pressure plate bolts, greased everything as instructed and torqued the flywheel bolts to the proper specs. It scared the hell out of me when I first heard it - thought there was something wrong with my bottom end!

5. Injectors #2 and #3 lost their wiring label, so I'm not sure if I got them on the right injector - is there any way to tell? It seems to be running fine, but I just want to make sure.

Other than the above, the car is running well. It pulls extremely hard from 2k on, and pulls hard in 5th on the highway with no effort. I need to finish the tank of 87 octane in there and see how 93 runs.

All in all, it was a long project that took just a hair over a month and almost $1300. Nearly cost me my relationship (had to share my gf's car, that got to be an inconvenience real quick) and my sanity, but - knock on wood - it seems to be worth it now. Once I get the exhaust squared away I'll feel a lot better. May have to bring that to a shop - I don't have the time, patience or slightest idea how to fix it ;)

Thanks again for the votes of confidence and help from everyone - I never would have made it this far without it.

Pics and updates soon - now I just want to drive it!!

[parkerbink]

Congratulations!!!!

[Sean]

SOn of a bitch, Scott.

You finished yours in between the time I started, and have yet to finish.

That's ok...my bottom end is rebuilt. :)

You make me excited to enjoy my motor! lol Too bad I couldn't pour more money into mine.


That rattling - I get the same thing in my car...or did anyway...and I thought it was my lightweight flywheel. Did you put the spacer in there with the flywheel? I had this spacer that WAS on the IS I parted out, but I never put it in my car. I had no idea it was needed. Does ANYONE know?


Yea, we need pics. NOt sure if you saw my thread yet or not: http://r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=70092

[Bimmerfanatik]

SOn of a bitch, Scott.

You finished yours in between the time I started, and have yet to finish.

That's ok...my bottom end is rebuilt. :)

You make me excited to enjoy my motor! lol Too bad I couldn't pour more money into mine.


That rattling - I get the same thing in my car...or did anyway...and I thought it was my lightweight flywheel. Did you put the spacer in there with the flywheel? I had this spacer that WAS on the IS I parted out, but I never put it in my car. I had no idea it was needed. Does ANYONE know?


Yea, we need pics. NOt sure if you saw my thread yet or not: http://r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=70092

I used that spacer ring - it was on my i, so I transferred it with the flywheel.

Yeah, I'll be doing custom pistons and rods over the winter as well as a prepped block with all the fixin's - hot-tanked, decked, balanced, etc. Most likely sticking with a 2.8 or so, but we'll see. I just want a new bottom end, and may as well upgrade a bit while I do so. That way, the whole engine is new :) I'll be getting the intake manifold powdercoated along with some other parts, to clean things up a bit. Body and paint will be over the winter as well. Then all that's left is a new driveshaft and rebuilt diff.

I'll have to check your thread out - curious to see how you make out with yours!

[Sean]

I used that spacer ring - it was on my i, so I transferred it with the flywheel.

Yeah, I'll be doing custom pistons and rods over the winter as well as a prepped block with all the fixin's - hot-tanked, decked, balanced, etc. Most likely sticking with a 2.8 or so, but we'll see. I just want a new bottom end, and may as well upgrade a bit while I do so. That way, the whole engine is new :) I'll be getting the intake manifold powdercoated along with some other parts, to clean things up a bit. Body and paint will be over the winter as well. Then all that's left is a new driveshaft and rebuilt diff.

I'll have to check your thread out - curious to see how you make out with yours!

I think I'm going to throw that spacer in mine when I put it back together. It goes behind the flywheel, right? (in between the flywheel and the crankshaft)?

I don't THINK that should affect how my clutch was worn?


Custom pistons and rods...eh? you just goin to use the 81mm crank still? Or, go longer stroke, too??