I have an E 30.

[Nader393]

Going with a MLS gasket from Cometic. Cylinders are bored to 85 mm, so gasket is a hair over 86 mm. Standard thickness.







Here's the difference in porting between stock, mild job from Myster-E, and the latest from a local machine shop that does a lot of M20 engines.

[Nader393]

Speaking of porting, here's the difference in the intake manifolds. I've used this picture before, but since I'm buttoning things up, it's applicable again.





The gasket fitment is more telling:

[Nader393]

And here it is all buttoned up, again. This time, with the fresh, full thickness head using new Supertech valves and Schrick performance springs, Cometic MLS gasket, and reusing the 280/272 cam and HD rockers, mounted on a 2.9L block with Mahle Powerpak 10:1 pistons, but this time without the prior fenestrated throttle body. I'll get back to that in a second.



So, it's pretty damn great. Sounds a little different (I don't know why, maybe I corrected an intake or exhaust leak with this rebuild), and it's definitely faster, significantly, and without the pinging that scared me last time. I gave up some compression, but maybe the headwork improved flow? I dunno, but the car pulls hard especially from 3K and up. Still on a stock chip, will swap in the MarkD chip next. Still considering going to a Megasquirt PnP management system.

So about that throttle body with the hole in it. I think I understand why it's there. I had trouble dialing in a reasonable idle. Between the lumpy cam and the lightweight aluminum flywheel, the engine was prone to stalling. So I turned the set screw that adjusted the throttle plate to get a faster idle, but then the TPS would shut off, thereby deactivating the idle control valve (ICV), so I got the romping idle. Not enough play in the TPS slotted screw holes to clock in the slightly opened throttle plate. So I think that's why someone drilled into the throttle plate. In this case, I did some grinding on the TPS mounting slots to give more adjustment, but then this prevents the switch from shutting off again at full throttle. I still haven't dialed in the fuel pressure regulator with an air-fuel meter in case the mixture is wrong and affecting idle speed. Once I do that, and if I still have a tuning problem, then I may be forced to go with the Megasquirt to compensate.

[Nader393]

Thinking back to my own post from 12/20/2021:

"My options now are:
A. Replace MarkD chip with stock chip for less ignition advance. Not guaranteed to fix detonation. Cost $20.
B. Replace head gasket with a Cometic MLS .120" thick to lower the compression back to 10:1 or less. Cost $300, and hassle of top end redo.
C. Replace head with unshaved spare. Have one laying around. Opportunity to have it built up. Cost $0-1500 and waiting on shop, and hassle of top end redo.
D. Run 100 octane AV-gas from local airport. Cost $4.75/gallon, and recurring hassle.
E. DNO. The "do nothing option." Park it. Cost $0, and ever present anger/depression."

By now I have done everything on this list except for the thicker gasket. Man, I'm glad to be moving on. But I'm also mentally preparing myself for the inevitable $800 expense of the Megasquirt. A drop in the bucket at this point. Keep in mind, this minor crisis involves only one of seven needy cars in my personal fleet, not counting motorcycles. Takes a mental toll, which is exhausting, if you're like me and lay awake at night thinking about all the things you need to do. Not gonna lie, it's those moments that I wonder if I should just sell all my gasoline vehicles and just switch to electric.

[2mAn]

Electric cars are fast in a straight line but that gets old

[Nader393]

Electric cars are fast in a straight line but that gets old

You are quite wrong, my friend. Very low center of gravity, heavy weight on fat tires for grip, and endless electric motor torque to all wheels make it go very fast around corners. My little brother had a model 3, and it was ridiculously fast in every aspect, and rock solid. For objective proof: The Tesla Model 3 was so dominant in autocross, it was bumped up several classes for parity:
https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/ne...-way-top-rung/

Writing is on the wall, our ICE-powered cars are going to be as obsolete as CRT televisions, landline phones, and film cameras. Any of you old enough to remember those relics?

[2mAn]

Writing is on the wall, our ICE-powered cars are going to be as obsolete as CRT televisions, landline phones, and film cameras. Any of you old enough to remember those relics?

I am, and Ive been around long enough to see Vinyl go away and make a huge resurgence. My 10 year old nephew is into buying cassettes, because the physical medium of music thats not digital appeals to him. Notice I didnt say anything about them NOT being able to handle or any of that. I know EVs are good, but they arent for me.

You have an Italian car with a prancing horse emblem. Can an EV bring you the same smile that shifting through those gears and that flat plane crank V8 can?

Performance and enjoyment arent mutually exclusive. The whole "slow-car-fast" gets a new meaning when EVs are capable of 3second 0-60s.

[Nader393]

I am, and Ive been around long enough to see Vinyl go away and make a huge resurgence. My 10 year old nephew is into buying cassettes, because the physical medium of music thats not digital appeals to him. Notice I didnt say anything about them NOT being able to handle or any of that. I know EVs are good, but they arent for me.

You have an Italian car with a prancing horse emblem. Can an EV bring you the same smile that shifting through those gears and that flat plane crank V8 can?

Performance and enjoyment arent mutually exclusive. The whole "slow-car-fast" gets a new meaning when EVs are capable of 3second 0-60s.

You made it sound like EVs are only fast in a straight line, which is what gets boring.

I love the Ferrari as long as everything is going well. But at some point, that engine is going to have to come out just to replace the rubber timing belt. May also have to disassemble the in-tank fuel pumps to make sure the 30 year old rubber in there hasn't disintegrated from the ethanol in the fuel. I may not love the Ferrari as much by then. And speaking of fuel, there will come a time when gas stations become as scarce as photo processing labs. Those of us who still keep ICE cars for fun will have to plan ahead on where to fill up; I'm betting by then it'll be one or two remaining gas stations on the outskirts of town. Kind of like trying to find non-ethanol gasoline today. I've said this before, that if it weren't cost-prohibitive, I'd retrofit all my cars to electric when the time comes (major engine failure or scarcity of fuel and parts). I predict it will be within the next 20-30 years, and I expect to have aged out of the hobby by then.

Funny you bring up vintage audio. Here's my all Pioneer home setup (before I added an 8-track and source switcher to choose between the 4 modes of tape play):



Never got into vinyl, hence no turn table. Unlike film cameras, playing tapes (or records, for that matter) doesn't inconvenience the user to enjoy the product. If I had to take my tapes to a lab to get the recordings developed, then I wouldn't own them. All you'd see here would be my monster Pioneer receiver, the EQ, and that little DAC.

[Nader393]

Hey, my vintage Pioneer stereo system has grown since that last pic. But that's not why I'm here.

I finally took the e30 to the track. Had a rare break in the usually shitty weather here that coincided with an Alfa Club afternoon lapping session at Pacific Raceways International, about 45 minutes outside of Seattle. It's my home track where I race my vintage Alfa and Honda bike. I went in planning to take it relatively easy because I've never pushed the newish engine more than a few moments at a time, and the tires and brake pads aren't the best. Oh, and the transmission has developed that annoying Getrag rattle from worn intermediate shaft bearings. Not sure how much longer it'll last.

The car has always been a bit punishing on public roads, especially around here with the surface torn up by all the endless construction going on. But on the track, the car was excellent, right at home. The stiff suspension was glued to the smooth tarmac, and the feedback was razor sharp. The engine sang, and the very light aluminum flywheel that makes the engine prone to stalling when coming off idle on the streets, resulted in instantaneous throttle blips on the the heel/toe downshifts. The old tires protested loudly though the corners, but on exit, the car felt like it was leaping onto the next straight. Winds out super quick with that 4.10 LSD. It was really great, except for the old and worn street tires with a wear rating of 300. It could also have used more aggressive brake pads, though I never had much brake fade. So even though I short-shifted at 6K, braked early, and didn't allow much slip angle in the turns, I was still really impressed and the car ran great. Next up is fresh sticky tires, and maybe more aggressive pads. Then I've got to go through the transmission.

I took some unimpressive video. Limited to one lap. I wish the audio was better. When I get the rest of the car dialed in, I'll have better footage of dicing with and harassing faster cars.




And here's the fairly unimpressive YouTube video. Wish the audio was better, because the car really sounded nice. I wonder if the corner workers appreciated my rev-blipping heel/toe downshifts in the braking zones, or maybe they're jaded by the modern rev-matching flappy paddle cars they frequently see and hear.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oZXnksoH2k

[2mAn]

Tires will make all the difference in the world... and the pads will help you be more brave with deeper braking points (I know you know these things)

What are you thinking for tires?

[moatilliatta]

What did you do to fix the detonation?

Also that MLS will likely leak with a block surface like that. They need a low RA fresh deck job to not leak.

[Nader393]

Tires will make all the difference in the world... and the pads will help you be more brave with deeper braking points (I know you know these things)

What are you thinking for tires?

Trying to decide between the choices is 205/50-15 with a wear rating of 200. Would a 225/45 fit in front without rubbing?

[2mAn]

Trying to decide between the choices is 205/50-15 with a wear rating of 200. Would a 225/45 fit in front without rubbing?

Personally with an M20 under the hood, Id go with the 205/50 and enjoy the 'loose-ness' I think the 225/45 might depend on a lot of factors and chances are you'll have other issues.

[Nader393]

What did you do to fix the detonation?

Also that MLS will likely leak with a block surface like that. They need a low RA fresh deck job to not leak.

I turned up the fuel pressure a few PSI on my adjustable FPR, and added a quart of VP Octanium booster to a full tank of 92. It worked as expected, no pinging at all. Was mentally prepared to spend $12/gallon on race gas at the track, but didn't need it. I'm pretty sure the MarkD chip I'm using is advancing timing a bit too much. I need a new chip flashed.

As for the MLS gasket, it seems good 5 months later. What is "low RA?". I have a Cometic MLS gasket on my '69 Alfa race car, going on about 10 years, with no issues.

[e30davie]

"RA" is a measure of surface finish roughness. lower the number, smoother it is.

Cool car though. Though I think it might be time for a megasquirt or similar. then changing the igintion timing takes 30seconds. and you can use a variable tps to get some proper tunable accel enrichment.