Bringing my dad's car back to its former glory and beyond

[dadsbmw]

Mas. Getting closer here folks. Ordered what I hoped would be the last bunch of parts for the swap... it isnt.

Mounted up the the ICV and oil seperator to the IM. We'll see if this works.


Also started on the trans detent kit. Already had done 5th and reverse before I remembered to take pictures


Moving on to the others... pull the cap, spring, and pin


Press in the insert


Drop in the new pin


and the new spring


hammer the new cap on


Moved on to the rod selector. Old vs new.




Not sure if there's any actual difference between the new and the old (besides that little sponge inside being new), but the new one is guaranteed to work with the Garagistic DSSR. And installed


Pretty quickly after doing this, I realized I'd have to remove it all again to replace the selector rod bushing. Dang. Also have input and output bushings to install tomorrow. As per usual, half the gratification is getting these parts off the shelf.

Moving right along, realized the water pipe that mounts to the block has a hard line going to the throttle body, which the 540 TB doesnt have fittings for coolant lines.


Cut that beast off


Gave er a little weld


Then a little grind


Now just needs a little paint. Also started on installing the accessory tensioner, alternator, and PS pump. Tensioner went on without issue, as I had purchased the entire assembly. Alternator was missing the upper bolt, but had the lower. PS pump didn't have either of the mounting bolts. They're all on order.


Oh one other question... anyone know whats up with this PS pump pulley? It's an aftermarket UUC unit, but it aligns with the AC pulley.


More to come tomorrow.

[e30m3s54turbo]

Nice work on your E30’s.......

[dadsbmw]

Per Sherpaking's request, I decided that while I was cleaning up the IM, I'd remove the TB and see what the mounting looks like




Looking at it when installed, there appears to be a huge gaping hole under the TB inlet, that I'd read was blind and didn't NEED to be covered. The seal on the back side of the TB confirmed that

Went ahead and removed/replaced the selector rod joint seal




Painted and installed the modified water pipe


Realized I had the upper alternator bolt, so I installed that along with the idler pulley, and installed the AC tensioner


She sure is coming together! Just needs the PS pump and belts and the front end will be pretty much finished.
Prepped the X3 brake booster for a coating of black paint, but realized I'd probably want to modify the clevis first


After I cleaned and reassmbled the IM, decided to fit it on the motor to get an idea of the final product






Was concerned the IAC and oil separator might hit something, but they both clear fine




Still have a few things left on the list:

• PCV line- The one I purchased doesnt fit because the VC is OBD1- need to buy a new one
• Dipstick tube- Not 100% on how it mounts. I bought a new o-ring for it to mount in the pan, but it does not see to form any sort of seal. Also feel like I don't have the correct bracket to mount it to the block
• VC grounding strap nut- thought I was going to buy off a guy locally but looks like I'll be including it in a larger order this week. This thing is preventing me from installing the grounding strap, last coil pack, and engine cover! dang!
• Water pump threaded nub- Was going to just put a cap on it, decided to cut it off instead. This way I can choose pusher or puller for my electric fan
• AC- Jesus, what a cluster. Pretty sure I've got the lines figured out, which I thought would be the hardest part. Then realized I may need to convert to R134a, did some research on that, and it's a whole other can of worms! Anyone know if I actually have to convert? Can I just keep it r12 if using the e36 compressor?
• IAT sensor- waiting for the die to come to thread it so I can screw it into the M50 IM
• Brake booster- waiting on that die to come so I can thread it to fit the e30 clevis
• Trans TOB tube, input shaft seal, shift fork, and copper shift pin- all coming in the mail
• TB boot- going to buy a generic 3.5" to 3" for the time being and potentially 3d print an inlet for the IAC valve to connect to.

Those are the big pieces... there are also some smaller questions here and there that I imagine I'll just have to address when I run into them during the swap

[rzerob]

Your info reads your from CA so I was under the impression you were building this car to drive when ever you wanted. And had planned to have it BAR'd and smogged to legally drive it on the road.

I am not from CA so I don't have first hand knowledge but the horror stories I have heard about getting that sticker are insane. How do you plan to drive the car without them?

[dadsbmw]

There are counties in CA that don't require smog... I "live" in one of those counties.

[dadsbmw]

More parts arrived this week...


Now I can finish up the transmission! Pulled out the old throw out bearing guide tube to access the input shaft seal. Old tube was looking a bit worn.


I'd watched a youtube video of a couple guys doing the input/output/selector rod joint seals and honestly... they were not particularly skilled. I was determined to do a better job. Drilled a little pilot hole in the seal, threaded in a drywall screw, hammered a flathead screwdriver on the outer edge of the seal in a few points to deform it, and yanked the seal out by the screw. No fuss no muss.


Sans seal


Then installed the new seal by slowly tapping it in with a dead blow hammer


As previously detailed, the old TOB guide tube was a bit marred, so I didn't want to reinstall it... thankfully I had thought ahead in that regard


Pulled out the plastic clutch fork pivot pin and replaced it with a brass pivot pin and new fork retaining spring. I had a pivot break once on a previous car and had to drop the trans to replace it, which I did not want to do again, so this was a definite must in my mind.


Installed a new clutch fork... because apparently I like spending money


and the new throw out bearing (yes I know it's turned incorrectly in this picture)


Next I moved on to the output shaft. Zipped off the nut with my Harbor Freight Earthquake 1/2" drive impact. I bought both the 3/8" and 1/2" a few months ago and man are they game changers!


Pulled off the flange with a generic bearing puller


Unlike the input seal, the output seal was actually in crap condition. Happy I decided to follow through on this one!


This seal was removed by beating on the edges to deform once again, but this time I just leveraged it out with a flat head screwdriver.


Reinstalled with a dead blow hammer and 36mm socket and she was good to go! Hammered the flange back, torqued the nut down to 140 ft/lbs (by myself!), backed the nut back off, and final torqued to 80 ft/lbs. And with that the transmission is fully refreshed! Great success!

Moving down the list, I decided to try the oil dipstick tube again. I have the Arc Asylum pan and crossmember, which seems to be a bit of a rare course of action for an s52 swap, and wasn't 100% sure I had an S52 pan on there. After comparing to a few other potential options on realoem, I decided that I did in fact have a genuine s52 pan and that I should just try harder to get the tube to press into the pan orifice. Threw the new seal on, gave it a twist and a push, and sure enough she popped right in! Now I just need to figure out the correct orientation and how it mounts to the block.


I swear, the hardest part of this project is all the pieces that are missing, that I don't know are missing. Or things like this dipstick, and not knowing how it's installed. When you're replacing a worn component you at least have a reference for how it all goes together, when you're taking it apart. A lot of these pieces I'm just having to use common sense and vague pictures/videos online to figure out. I can tell you right now people aren't making videos about how the dipstick fits in the pan.

Next up on the list was the water pump nub. Pulled it off the motor and clamped in the vice so I could take a cutoff wheel to it. Per other suggestions I'd read, I took my time and regularly dunked it in water to make sure it didn't get too hot.


Reinstalled


I'll be picking up a few parts locally this weekend that will get me to the point that I'll basically be done with the motor... namely a valve cover bolt, IAT sensor, power steering pump mounting bolts, and shifter arm. We're getting close! My brother is coming out on the 6th and will be leaving on the 8th, so the swap will officially begin on November 9th... my birthday!

[dadsbmw]

Picked up a few of the last pieces for the swap today and immediately came home and installed them.

Finally got the correct VC bolt to be able to use the 2nd grounding strap and install the last ignition coil


Also picked up the 3 bolts that mount the PS pump to the OFH/oil pan


Which allowed me to finally install the accessory and A/C belts


I then pulled out the modified OBD2 wiring harness to attach the ignition coil wiring before putting on the engine cover... alas I found it wasn't there! Guess there's another piece I'll have to pick up! Since it was missing I just went ahead and installed the engine cover and took a step back to admire the (for all intents and purposes) finished motor!




Placed the IM for good measure

[dadsbmw]

Finishing up some of the last little projects before the upcoming swap on November 10th. Called around this afternoon and located the AC shop that will be doing the coolant evacuation before I pull the motor. When I was young and poor I definitely would have just opened one of the lines and let it all vent... I guess I'm getting all old and responsible now.

Also started on the OBD2 IAT sensor rethread. I had started this project once before but ran into a... snag


Whatever this cheap aftermarket sensor was, it eventually broke into 2 pieces before I could even start threading it. Ended up getting a used BMW sensor this weekend and upon grinding it down to begin threading, I found it's a single solid piece


And threaded it to fit the IM. It took me a bit of searching to find the required thread pitch, so for anyone motivated by this post, it's M12x1.5


And to continuing the threading theme, I started on the x3 brake booster as well. Set it up in my little home made fixture


Cut off the clevis


Ground it vaguely to size, and threaded it to M10x1.5


Not sure if I'll need to go all the way down to the boot, but I guess we'll see when we get there.

Also ordered more parts on the never ending list...

• 318i firewall pieces to hold the wiring harness
• Hood latch cable (mine doesnt work anymore)
• Adapters for the stock M10x1 brake line fittings to fit in the M12x1 master cylinder bores

I still have all the A/C stuff to order, but I'm going to wait and figure that out when the engine is out. I still need to look and see if this car is r12 or if my dad had it converted to r134a

[Sh3rpak!ng]

thanks for the photos of the TB adapter plate!

[dadsbmw]

Moving on.

The swap will officially begin next Sunday, so I'm finishing up some of the smaller items on the do-do list. I'd purchased a PCV hose which runs to the oil separator, but because I have an OBD1 valve cover, I discovered it would not fit. I figured no big deal, and purchased an OBD1 PCV setup only to discover that the OBD1 system didn't have an oil separator at all!


The resulting issue being that the line running between the VC and separator was simply too small with the OBD1 setup, and didn't have an obvious way to attach to the separator. So I decided it was time to bust out the ol 3d printer! My initial idea was to print an adapter that would plug into the OBD1 VC on one side, and the OBD2 PCV hose on the other. Unfortunately the PCV hose isn't flexible enough to reach the VC in the position I had it mounted, so I decided to just use a flexible hose for the last portion. It's not all done yet, but I do have my rough draft adapter printed and it fits like a glove!




Next up on the printing schedule was an ICV adapter for the intake elbow. With the 3.5" TB my plan is to run a 3.5" HFM, however my ECU isn't currently setup for that. So I decided that in the meantime I'd just go stock MAF. This required a 3.5" to 3" 90* bend. Bimmerworld and others sell them, but they're like $70 a piece! I found that Amazon sold basically the same thing for ~$15, and since it was temporary, I figured I'd save a few bucks. The issue though, is that the elbow wouldnt have a port for the ICV. Let's see if we can't take care of that. My rough draft was simply sized to to mimic the Idle Control Valve, which was no problem.


I did realize however, that the curvature of the elbow may pose a sealing problem, so I went about addressing that issue.



Bada bing bada boom! Plan is to cut a IIRC 27mm hole in the elbow and squeeze the adapter with a bit of sealant so it rests between the 2 ledges as pictured below


Lastly, as you may all remember I recently purchased an x3 brake booster to replace the stocker. Upon receiving it however, I found that I'd need a way to route vacuum from the IM, but the interface at the booster was female. So first things first, I gave her a few good coats of engine enamel




Then printed out a male adapter that I can connect a hose to





That beast fits snug! I was planning to use a bit of sealant, but I think i may not even need any.

Still need to trim the OBD1 VC to fit the OBD2 coil harness under the engine cover. Other than that I'm going to wash the Probe to get it looking nice for when I move it out into the street, give the e30 a valve adjustment, do a compression test, and take some running/idling/acceleration videos for when I post the m20, g260, harness, and trans up for sale. Plus I can use the accel and exhaust videos as a before/after to show how she performs after the swap. This week I'll also be getting the freon vacuumed as the last step before the swap. Excitement awaits!

[dadsbmw]

Things have happened

[dadsbmw]

So as was shown last Sunday, the engine, trans, ECU and wiring harness were pulled and sold. Unfortunately with the time change, it's not dark by the time I get home from work, and this is all taking place in the driveway, so no work is being done during the week. I finally had a chance to continue work today. Put the car back up on stands and started with the driveshaft. I wasn't sure of the condition of the driveshaft support bearing, so figured now was as good a time as any to replace it.


The old one was actually in pretty good condition, despite looking quite a mess, but she was replaced regardless. Next up was the guibo… as they're pretty different


I'd done the research but ended up randomly stumbling upon an adapter in the FS section that seemed pretty unique. Attaches to the stock e30 driveshaft


which adapts the bolt pattern to the zf guibo


I guess we'll see how it works. While I was under there I saw that the axle shaft bolts had loosened from the diff and had to tighten them up. Should I be lock tighting these or something? Next I pulled the front suspension, as I'll be modifying the struts to fit shortened Koni's and installing coilovers. I pulled the current components to be sold tomorrow night. Next out was the steering rack, reservoir, and lines


And then the front subframe with control arms


For those keeping track, I just replaced the control arms, so they'll be going back in with the new subframe. And here's how the engine bay looked as I wrapped up for the day.


I will note that I've found a few pockets of rust thus far, and discovered the somewhat shitty repair job from when my dad hit a deer going 80mph about 20 years ago. The new tack welds where they replaced the front clip are all rusting out and basically crap quality. In the moment I considered tearing it down to fix it, but cooler heads prevailed. One day I'll have a larger garage and be getting a full paint job done, so I may as well wait until then.

More updates to come tomorrow

[dadsbmw]

Today was not nearly as productive as I'd hoped... or at least the results weren't as satisfying.

The goal of the day was to put the rear of the car back on the ground.

Started off by changing the fuel filter. Not sure how old the current one is, but seemd like a good idea. I wanted to do the soft fuel lines as well, but after seeing that the several lengths of 6" high pressure fuel hose were ~$75, I figured I'd run them a bit longer.




Next I pulled out the shields and crossmembers to be cleaned. With 29 years of oil and grime built up on them, they'd certainly seen better days.




Can hardly believe it's the same piece!

The coating on these 2 pieces was coming off so I opted to strip and repaint with epoxy






Also went through and retorqued and lock tighted the diff to axle shaft bolts. Set the back end on the ground and finished cleaning the engine bay and started on the trans tunnel. Unfortunately that was it for the weekend, and I wont be able to work on the car itself until next weekend. Thankfully I've now got a few projects I can work on in the garage in preparation for next week. Anyways, the really fun updates are to come.

[dadsbmw]

Wanted to get front end back on the ground, so started modifying the front struts. Clamped the housings in the vice


Cut off the spring mount


Measured an inch and removed it with the grinder


Realigned with to prepare for welding


Welded up


Ground back down


welded the new mounts in place


Gave em a quick coat of paint


Needed to get the front subframe in as well, so stripped the stocker




And built up the Arc Asylum subframe




And installed


While I was messing around in the bay I pulled the master cylinder and ended up starting on the AC system. Replaced a few of the O-rings, drier, and condenser. Unfortunately didn't get a ton of pics...




Great news was that the $50 Rockauto condenser I bought was a direct fit and had everything needed.

Hoping to get a lot more done this coming week during the Thanksgiving vacation.

[jeenyus]

great work on the coilovers!