If I can't have an E30....

[TimKninja]

So, My parents are against me getting an E30 for typical reasons, as in, I was just given an 03 Corolla, I'm still in school, and they don't want to see me waste my money on a "POS" E30. I Told them i NEEDED something to tinker with, So This is my plan on how to buy an e30.

So I see this :http://southcoast.craigslist.org/pts/1349980764.html

and I told my mom I was gonna buy it. I Plan to do Engine restoration for my senior project, I'm gonna have ALOT of questions. I'm going to look for a shell to put this in sooner or later. This is a giant learning experience. The guy I bought it from was a chevy/ford guy, he got into E30's and he says they're one of the most incredible cars out there. He got this one out of a wrecked 88 i/eta(Couldn't remember), with 139k

So Monday i went up there, this is what resulted.














How fucked am I? Is this repairable, what am I gonna need, i have a friend whos a pro at soldering(His leg in pic)

I poured half a quart of oil in, just for the lawls, and it started to leak out iof here as I Turned the engine...What hose am i going to need? I didn't start to relize how much this guy ripped off the engine till now.


Someone bought the distributor off the engine >_<

Took off the valve cover, cleaned it with SOS pads , engine degreaser, and n/c Brake cleaner. Made a slight difference(I'll end up painting it anyways), underneath the valve cover looked perfect, flawless.

Anybody know the Etorx socket im gonna need to get the tranny seperated? I bought a 750lb engine stand at autozone, want to get it on there. Thanks in advanced, don't be afraid to tell me how fudged I am.

[chadthestampede]

How fucked am I? Is this repairable, what am I gonna need, i have a friend whos a pro at soldering(His leg in pic)


I poured half a quart of oil in, just for the lawls, and it started to leak out iof here as I Turned the engine...What hose am i going to need? I didn't start to relize how much this guy ripped off the engine till now.

You're probably going to need the other half of the harness.

Those holes by the oil filter are for the oil cooler.


Not quite sure where you're going with this though. Are you actually going to get a shell or something?

And yeah it's gotta suck being given an 03 corolla.

[ben312]

a 2.5l would be from an i. if u get a late model eta block you can swap the i head on it and u have basicly just bored and stroked the 2.5i to a 2.7i. there is plenty of info on here about this. i would look into it if you are going to build the motor. other wise i would do a full rebuild on this, it looks like it could use it. and ya you will probly need a new wiring harness. or you can try to find an electrical trouble shooting book and try to fix it. i would def do a timing belt and water pump change. also you should by the gasket rebuild kit, bavauto or autozone has them. for $300 it seems alright.... your going to drop alot more than $300 into it before you get a shell, but good luck

[kenika65]

Man the Chevy took a beating..

[E30SPDFRK]

Seems like a cool school project, it's going to be expensive though.

If you need any help or have any questions I'm just over the bridge from you. Feel free to shoot me a pm.

[FredK]

just get an etorx set. there are 3 different sizes holding the trans on if I recall correctly. I know someone that has a complete late model i wiring harness and most of the parts you're missing. I'll ask how much he wants for the crap.

[TexasTerp]

If you're going to be doing a full rebuild as the class project, I would suggest doing it correctly from the start, get the block crank and pistons machined and cleaned, get an "i" 885 cylinder head and have that machined and rebuilt as well. You'll need a 173 ECU and "i" wiring harness. BavAuto has the best gasket sets available imo, their all OEM and cheaper than the dealership. You'll also need the "i" intake manifold and throttle body. I would budget about $1200 for a completely brand new rebuilt engine, that's what mine has priced out to including machining, belts, hoses, gaskets, etc. in the end it'll be worth it! I'm gonna be building my 2.7i over the course of the next year.

a lot of the parts you'll need can be found on here for pretty cheap, the rest I would suggest either BavAuto or TischerBMW (getbmwparts.com) they have the lowest prices I have been able to find, PelicanParts is good for a few things but BavAuto will be cheaper.

You can also refer to RealOEM.com for more information on diagrams, part numbers, etc.

[TimKninja]

There's a shell, near me(325ia, plastic bumpers), guy wants $500 for it, motor is trashed(Forgot to put drain plug back in...wtf, and valve cover has been off since its been sitting), but it'll have all these oil lines, wiring harness and everything else that this motor is missing, might spring for that. There's no rust on it, its pretty solid, but its been sitting for about 10 years now i'd guess (Parking passes on windshield date back to 98 ). Has some parts missing, ill get pics of it.

plan to eventually put it in a shell, wish I could find CFC leftovers, if they existed.

just get an etorx set. there are 3 different sizes holding the trans on if I recall correctly. I know someone that has a complete late model i wiring harness and most of the parts you're missing. I'll ask how much he wants for the crap.

Do you remember the largest size? i remember reading E20 somewhere, harbor freight only sells up to E16, I'll get the whole set anyways.

If I need these parts, which i might, I'm definitely interested!

Man the Chevy took a beating..

We thought as we where pulling the engine out we might have bent the latches, but they where perfectly fine. Thankfully my friends aunt lady let us borrow her suburban, because as we pulled into her driveway his Jeep Grand Cherokee started leaking brake Fluid massively , plus the tranny was slipping. i think we would of died, all three of us and an E30 engine if we had takin his jeep.

If you're going to be doing a full rebuild as the class project, I would suggest doing it correctly from the start, get the block crank and pistons machined and cleaned, get an "i" 885 cylinder head and have that machined and rebuilt as well. You'll need a 173 ECU and "i" wiring harness. BavAuto has the best gasket sets available imo, their all OEM and cheaper than the dealership. You'll also need the "i" intake manifold and throttle body. I would budget about $1200 for a completely brand new rebuilt engine, that's what mine has priced out to including machining, belts, hoses, gaskets, etc. in the end it'll be worth it! I'm gonna be building my 2.7i over the course of the next year.

a lot of the parts you'll need can be found on here for pretty cheap, the rest I would suggest either BavAuto or TischerBMW (getbmwparts.com) they have the lowest prices I have been able to find, PelicanParts is good for a few things but BavAuto will be cheaper.

You can also refer to RealOEM.com for more information on diagrams, part numbers, etc.

I was planning on striping it down to the block, andf rebuliding it replacing everything and cleaning everything on the way.Every gasket, fuel injectors, every hose, line, everything within resonable budget. I Don't think i can afford to machine everything, I only have $1850 in my bank account now. Plus it might be pointless if it never does make it into a car, nobody would want to spend $1500+ on a completly rebuilt engine.

And yeah it's gotta suck being given an 03 corolla.

It does, I saved up all my money for an E30 as a first car and then the corolla was given to me. The Corolla isin't a car, its a transportation appliance. My parents think I'm ungrateful because i want my own old car to work on and have the freedom to do anything I want with it, Not some Grey Corolla with veteran plates on it >_>

[Oz10]

Looks like a good project. If I were at home I'd run out to the garage and find what size those torx sockets are. But I'm sure someone will be able to chime in and let you know what they are. And on mine there were only two sizes not three.

[TimKninja]

Got the tranny off, was a lot easier then I thought. The biggest socket was an E16, i think the next one down is a E12... I bought a Set from harbor freight, along with a breaker bar, I was surprised at how easy the bolts came out with my $8 breaker bar. Harbor Freight is now officially my favorite store.


Ignore that black goo, thats from me.


After I got all the E-Torx Bolts out and the Starter off, I Pryed it apart with a Screwdriver, it poped right off, except for A 10mm bolt I missed, then it was seperated.

it was 11:30, i had to wake up at 5. So i went in and washed up.

Yesterday I started getting the clutch off.Easier then i thought, you need a Hex 5 bit/Socket to remove the bolts. I used a Bit and an electric Impact driver, Didin't feel like going to walmart and buying a Hex set. Pryed right off. The Flywheel was easy too, Just need 2 long Screwdrivers and an 19mm socket, used the impact driver again, easy as hell.

Assorted parts....

Now it was time to get it up on a Stand, I Bought a Duralast 750lb stand from Autozone, doesnt seem to like the weight too much, Seems alittle shaky, i'd reccomend getting a stand elsewhere. Used two of the Original transmission bolts through the transmission holes, Somebody tell me if this is or sint a good idea. I also ran into home Depot at 9:50PM and grabed Galavanized 5/8 by 4 inch long bolts, To go through two holes where the transmission mounted, I Don't recall bolts going through these holes.
Pics:









Getting the engine on the stand was a fucking feet in itself, we used the latter it was sitting on to raise it up, then attached the stand sideways, then after an hour and a half struggling, slowly rasing it up we got the stand upright, this took three people, we called our freind dan at 11:30 at night to help us out. Due to the engine being sideways, all the oil poured out on the fucking floor out the non-exsistant valve cover, i competly forgot in the chaos there was still Oil in the engine. So 3 bags of kitty litter, a broom and a vacuum where in order.








Havn't touched that, valve cover came off to reveal that Cleanliness.

Why is the engine sideways? the P/O decided to cut the exhaust off, blocking it from spinning anymore(You can see that in the pics), So i have too unbolt that, then i can stand it upright. That'll happen tomarrow.

[rThor432]

Man, I wish you would have posted up a want-to-buy ad... I could have saved you a lot of hassle and $$$. I've got a M20 "i" motor with 5k since rebuild with the engine harness and oil cooler for $500 at the shop. Probably could have thrown in a 260 and stuff too..

Have fun though, M20's are good motors to have out of the car and on an engine stand. Fun to play with and they are alright to drive too.

Oh, and for what it's worth, I've got a nice shell that needs a motor and transmission, (and title) if you are want something for nothing to really piss your parents off :).