1989 325i- S50 Swap Project

[KIRIEIW]

Engine block off to the machine shop!

[KIRIEIW]

Got my cylinder head back today from the machine shop . He sent me the pic bellow and figured I'd post it here. Also I got off work a bit early today so my Dad and I removed the pistons from the block and properly labeled them in order. I plan to drop the block off at the machine shop tomorrow, when I picked up the head today we talked a bit about the engine build and figured I might as well hot tank the block, so it looks like I'll be dropping the block off tomorrow afternoon. He plan's to hot tank the engine block clean plus giving the cylinder walls a light hone.


Once I get the block back we'll re install the new bearings, cylinder head, and re seal the rest of the engine. Soon after that she'll be living a comfortable life in a 89' 325i coupe.

[KIRIEIW]

What's the plan for the bottom end?

I bought brand new main and rod bearings along with new hardware at work (since the rods/ mains are stretch bolts and can't be reused). I actually just got started on the bottom end, we removed the pistons today after work and I plan on dropping the block off tomorrow to my machine shop.

[ZekeTheSneak]

What's the plan for the bottom end?

[KIRIEIW]

Well good news, machine shop dude is back in town. He texted me today while I was at work saying he just landed into SFO and was going into the shop to work a few hours.. Crazy dude! I told him I'll drop it off tomorrow because I still had the cam's installed.. so after I got off work/ finished dinner I went to town and removed the cams. I'm still looking for a front timing cover so if anyone has one laying around send a PM..

Nothing major but he's going to
-Hot tank the head clean
-Check for cracks/ pressure test the head
-Replace all the valve stem seals
-Give the head a light resurface

[KIRIEIW]

Oh ya I found a pair of front OE BMW mat's in the trash at work the other day, well actually the detailer at work did and he thought of me. He was even nice enough to scrub them clean for me! Not a perfect fit but hey, they were free. They came originally from a Z3 M convertible.


Not a huge fan of the ///M but these are OEM mat's, I guess I'll keep these for a few months till I cough up the money and buy a set of 1 series mats after the winter months are over.



(Don't judge the filthy carpets, I'll have the detailer scrub them once she's running )

[KIRIEIW]

Progress has been rather slow lately compared to my other builds but I'm still pushing on! My machine shop guy has been out of town but returns sometime next week, I plan to drop off the S50 cylinder head for new valve stem seals, pressure testing and a light resurface. Other then that my Dad and me will be installing the new rod bearings at his house (I bought all the new rod bearing bolts/ fasteners already from the BMW dealership aka my work).


Today I decided to tackle installing the last of the 325iS bits.. the leather rear seats and rear premium sound speakers. Thankfully BMW was smart and has a "dotted line" drawn out on the backside of the rear shelf to make this a easy DIY for anyone thinking of upgrading to premium sound speakers. Simply cut along the "dotted line" and screw the new speakers in place. Even better, it has holes already drilled for screwing the new premium sound speakers into the rear shelf. It's almost like they expected people to do this upgrade at some point.

I also got my new wheels in the mail.. plus I have Ground Control Coilovers in the backyard I've been saving for a build.. Stay Tuned.


Pics speak for themselves.

[KIRIEIW]

Also I'm sure someone will ask why I "parted out a 325iS and kept a 325i". This is why the car was listed up as a parts car, under the auto parts section on Craigslist. Yes, the black duck tape is covering up a hole in the roof. You could literally touch the headliner once the tape was removed.

It's a shame though because the car is 100% rust free everywhere else. Even the oil pan gasket was done two years ago with the headgasket and didn't leak a drop of oil!

[KIRIEIW]

Updates.. so I sold the 325iS on Sunday. Nice guy came out from Santa Cruz, CA to come pick the car up. Really chill dude, I think he'll have his fun with the car. I told him to buy a Bentley service manual because it should prove to be super helpful if he plans to keep the car on the road for a while.

Anyways I got everything I wanted off the 325iS before selling it, four parts to be exact. I grabbed the sport seats, the map light mirror and the premium sound speakers plus gave the new owner the option of a Mtech 1 steering wheel or base model 4 spoke wheel.. Surprisingly he liked the 4 spoke more so I got to keep the Mtech 1 wheel!

All in all, the comfort seats were in super good shape that I installed and he was just happy to find a running/ driving 5 speed e30 in the year 2020 for the cheap price of $1100 bucks that I sold it for.



Here's how the 325iS looked when I sold it with comfort seats (except it had a 4 spoke steering wheel because he liked that better then the Mtech 1). I gave him the 4 spoke wheel from this 325i coupe build.









Vacuumed the carpets for the first time in many years on the 325i..











The premium sound speakers from the 325iS. Tweeters already installed in the 325i.










Map Light mirror "installed"

[vasilis m3]

Subscribed!

[jeenyus]

that's awesome! gettin' ol gramps in on the project was probably a great experience.

[KIRIEIW]

Ok guys so got some work done over the weekend. I had my grandfather lend me a hand with this arts & crafts project, I pulled the sport seats from the 325iS (plan to install them in the 325i) and replaced the ripped leather bolsters with some good used replacement OE leather bolsters.

I still need to have my dad weld the broken seat bracket (the typical spot these always break at, causing the seat to lean). My grandpa was able to fix the foam, I was able to hog ring the bolsters back in place and my Dad will weld the broken seat bracket tab. These sport seats are taking the entire family to fix up!





I've done a few seat mat sensor jobs at work on the newer e90's/ e83's, guess the skill's learned from those really started to pay off haha.

[jeenyus]

Lol I wish I had a garage, specifically for the Mtech. Ya.. the neighbors are a hit or miss.. A few will walk over and check in on progress but most I'm sure aren't thrilled seeing all these cars parked out front of my house, sometimes for week's such as the e36 M3 project. I try to do the best I can though and keep at least two in the driveway and two out front of the house. This way at least they're on my side of the street!

I completely understand this. I'm glad you've got a system. I can't do more than 1 out front.

[KIRIEIW]

this should be a good time. Crazy how many cars you have out front. Are you worried about having that many car out front of your house, not locked up? Do your neighbors just love you?

Lol I wish I had a garage, specifically for the Mtech. Ya.. the neighbors are a hit or miss.. A few will walk over and check in on progress but most I'm sure aren't thrilled seeing all these cars parked out front of my house, sometimes for week's such as the e36 M3 project. I try to do the best I can though and keep at least two in the driveway and two out front of the house. This way at least they're on my side of the street!

[jeenyus]

this should be a good time. Crazy how many cars you have out front. Are you worried about having that many car out front of your house, not locked up? Do your neighbors just love you?