Another for the Collection - Mtech 2 Vert S50!!

[KIRIEIW]

Yo! A homie and I are hosting a breakfast meet in Half-moon Bay next Saturday.

9AM at 3-zero cafe. Let me know if you can swing through. Also, got to installing the damn DSSR since the car was in for CSB.

Thanks for the invite man! We'll see if I'm free, the weekends can be busy for me sometimes.


Alright, got the euro grills installed today. Quick 5min job, I ended up installing them as is on the car rather then painting them with some SEM trim paint. I got lucky I guess cause they're not faded in any way/ are perfect match to the other trim pieces I redid on the car. Little hard to make them out in the pic but you guys get the point.

[KIRIEIW]

So haven't updated this in a little while, I finally got around to addressing my small brake fluid leak/seep at the master clutch cylinder. I reallyy didn't want to remove that damn thing again but finally got around to it. Turns out when I installed it not only was the damn feed line not seated in all the way in, but the feed line itself was leaking! Please if you do a 5 speed swap do yourself the favor and just buy a brand new line nipple for $10 bucks. Unfortunately BMW doesn't offer the line in blue anymore, the new lines are grey.

After getting that all sorted out I swapped out the center console. Someone drilled a few holes in the center console for some sort of accessory that wasn't included with the car so I wanted to replace it. Kind of a shame too since the center console was in really good shape besides the holes.

Lastly I looked thru my storage and found some OEM floor mats laying around. I actually found a second set in black.. Man I have a ton of stuff left over still.

[KIRIEIW]

Not much has changed since the last post, but I did install some new wipers today along with the factory 02 sensor bracket that most shops break/ lose over the years. I plan on driving her out to Bimmerfest in May, plan is to get the side skirt repainted in time along with the mirrors and 3rd brake light. Who know's, maybe I'll even have them do the front valance since it has a pretty big paint chip.

Along with all that, I want to replace the head gasket. I'm kinda pissed about it but the head gasket is seeping cooling right under the manifold where the head and block meet. I'm pissed because at this point I shouldn't have been lazy and just removed the engine from the car in the beginning, put it on a stand, and resealed the entire thing. Instead I did things the hard way and worked around stuff, such as doing the oil pan gasket which required removing the subframe. Would have been easy as heck on a stand. I guess in the end it doesn't matter much, the car will still have all the same seals replaced.

Besides that I took her for a cruse around the neighborhood and local hills.

[Codym42]

One of the nicest verts on r3v. Good work!

[KIRIEIW]

So Bimmerfest 2018 is right around the corner and I really want to take this thing on the trip down to LA. I've been pushing off the head gasket issue for quite some time but decided it was now or never if I even had a chance of making it down in the Mtech.

Like I said earlier, it was just seeping coolant ever so slightly externally from the block (no milky oil, ect) and of course leaking oil leak at cylinder 1 also externally, down the block like all M20's usually suffer from. I figured it was time once and for all to fix the leak and tore down the engine today/ removed the cylinder head. I think the cause for it's slow failure was the old coolant in the car, which eventually started to deteriorate the head gasket. I'm sure I could have left it alone for years, but why not fix it.

I was shocked at how clean everything was. Virtually no carbon on the tops of the pistons, and no carbon build up AT ALL on any of the intake valves. I wiped the piston tops with a rag and that was it, clean like new. All the parts come Tuesday next week so the plan is to get everything back together by next weekend.




Separating the manifold from the head

[jeenyus]

I think my head gasket is leaking from the front passenger corner as well... or the cam seal is leaking... hard to tell. How hard would you say this job was? did it fix the issue? the pictures make it look extremely easy, lol

[KIRIEIW]

I think my head gasket is leaking from the front passenger corner as well... or the cam seal is leaking... hard to tell. How hard would you say this job was? did it fix the issue? the pictures make it look extremely easy, lol

It wasn't too bad to be honest, its basically just a timing belt change with extra steps, the extra steps being removing the intake manifold, exhaust bolts, and head bolts. I hate to say it but it's probably your head gasket, they always seem to leak right at the corner of cylinder 1 on the passenger side but if it isn't really bad maybe it would be best to just leave it. Literally all e30's I've seen leak in that spot with no real issues, and even after changing the gasket they seem to leak again a few years/ miles after.


Updates; I brought the cylinder head into work and started cleaning the mating surface and stuff. My shop Forman's lending me a hand just to have one other eye when I strait edge the surface/ feeler gauges. I actually don't own a .004" feeler gauge (my set only goes down to .008") so he's supposed to bring in his personal set tomorrow. He's a cool guy, not sure how he still works at a dealer on 2018 model year cars when his passion is M10's M20's and M30's. He was around them when they were still under warranty actually.

[jeenyus]

Thanks for your input.

[Drei Zwanzig]

Awesome build

I just read the whole thread and you have laid down some impressive work. I was very familar with a lot of the stuff you have done as I'm in the middle of a restoration myself. I don't have a build thread here (for now), but you can see my progress on IG (bmw_e30_restomod).. I'm afraid to do the engine stuff, but these threads do help me.. So thank you.

Anyways, I would definitely buy a car from you (even though I live in another part of the world and you are going to keep this), it's really enjoyable when someone go the extra mile to make sure everything is as good or better as when the cars left the factory...

Well done

[KIRIEIW]

I just read the whole thread and you have laid down some impressive work. I was very familar with a lot of the stuff you have done as I'm in the middle of a restoration myself. I don't have a build thread here (for now), but you can see my progress on IG (bmw_e30_restomod).. I'm afraid to do the engine stuff, but these threads do help me.. So thank you.

Anyways, I would definitely buy a car from you (even though I live in another part of the world and you are going to keep this), it's really enjoyable when someone go the extra mile to make sure everything is as good or better as when the cars left the factory...

Well done

Means a lot, thanks for the response :D

[KIRIEIW]

I'm pushing it really close guys this year for the strive to make it to bimmerfest 2018 in the Mtech. I got the new headgasket installed along with new bitch tube O rings, manifold gaskets, few coolant gaskets- including the one on the back side of the cylinder head, and fresh BMW coolant.

I've been a little busy lately since I recently acquired a ZHP from my old neighbor. She bought a new car and was kind enough to literally gift me her old one, the ZHP. I did the oil pan gasket, engine mounts, and a few other things last weekend on it but I'm going to need to get back to business on the Mtech if I have any hope on making it this year in this thing.

I dropped off a few bits of the body kit at the paint shop down the street, I'm hoping I can get them back by next week. Shout out to "Mwishlist" for PM'ing me the link on eBay.gr to the NLA clips I needed for my side skirt. To give you an idea how close I'm cutting it the cars still on jack stands at the moment and I leave for bimmerfest in 7 days- but to make things fair it's only on jacks due to part of the body kit being removed. It's currently running but I haven't had a chance to drive it around the block yet, and I've only put on maybe 150 miles since ownership total. Oh, and bimmerfest 370 miles away from my house. Good luck wish's are welcome :up:

[2mAn]

You'll be fine. You havent been cutting any corners. Do it right and the M20 will treat you right. I really like the updates and your attention to detail.

[Mwishlist]

Came for the update, left with a shout out, nice.

I kind of wish I had just refreshed my old M20 instead of doing the swap. I love the S52, but it's nice to really lean into the M20 and drive it hard.

[mike.bmw]

Nice update! I love getting e-mail updates that you've posted in this thread. It's always something substantial with photos to match.

Good luck getting ready for bimmerfest! I really like that ZHP. I kinda want one of those. Or an E30 touring. Those are at the top of my list at the moment.

[KIRIEIW]

Update! Got all the body parts back from the shop and installed them just in time for Bimmerfest. I also installed a new set of 14" "Doral" tires (14" tires are pretty hard to find now guys..) at work on the white weaves. Basically this whole week I've been driving the Mtech to/ from work everyday to get some miles on the new head gasket and verify everything's ok, which everything seems to be as of now. I actually just arrived at the hotel in Rancho Cucamonga, CA. She took the journey wonderful with no issues thus far!

The show starts tomorrow, but like always I think the drive down with the caravan is always the best part. I did see one thing pretty shocking though, my old 87' coupe. The new owners done a ton of stuff to it since I last sold it to him and he seems to be really loving it. Anyways, pics bellow;








This picture captured about 2/3rd's of the group/ caravan.