E30 M3 Steel Bodywork Conversion

[bmwmech1]

I am posting right now so one day I can say that I posted in the MOST EPIC THREAD EVER!!!

Haha, thanks man! Now I just need to get it done, right? It'll only be Epic if I finish it...

Garey

[ACHTUNG]

Haha, thanks man! Now I just need to get it done, right? It'll only be Epic if I finish it...

Garey

I believe in you.

[bmwmech1]

I believe in you.

I did get the exhaust finished up yesterday. I have to finish weld the rear part, but I got all the hangers done and the pipes completely to the rear. I'll take it apart on Sunday and finish weld it all and then send it to the coaters. I took some side shots to show how tight it fits to the underside.











Garey

[oekundar]

Well done my good man...just read this whole thread in 2 days...very impressed, can't wait to see it completed.

[bmwmech1]

Well done my good man...just read this whole thread in 2 days...very impressed, can't wait to see it completed.

Thanks man, I can't wait to complete it either, Lol! A long term project like this definitely tests one's patience... I keep making headway though, so I'm good!:D

Garey

[truekid]

Quite the transformation, huh? And to think the shell was just rusting away in your driveway a year ago, Lol! Thanks man...

Garey

I know, i dont think it could have gone to a better home. Ive shown a few friends your build, and most of them are in disbelief that this was the same car in my driveway. lmfao. Cant wait to see it in person!

[bmwmech1]

I know, i dont think it could have gone to a better home. Ive shown a few friends your build, and most of them are in disbelief that this was the same car in my driveway. lmfao. Cant wait to see it in person!

Haha... yeah I bet there are some dis-believers, thinking back to how it looked when I pulled it out of your driveway! Meh, it was a good chance at a second life for it, lol! It's coming out like I had envisioned it, which makes me happy... considering all the time I've put into it. It'll be a fun car when it's done!

Garey

[MR 325]

That is just perfect.

[Cletonius]

Love the exhaust work Garey; the car is really coming along well. Are you going to use heat shielding on the exhaust at all? Or is that what the jet hot coatng does?

[bmwmech1]

That is just perfect.

Thanks man, it took a fair amount of time, but it did come out as well as I had hoped...

Garey

[bmwmech1]

Love the exhaust work Garey; the car is really coming along well. Are you going to use heat shielding on the exhaust at all? Or is that what the jet hot coatng does?

I am keeping the heat shield between the transmission and the diff in place, as that protects the center bearing and driveshaft and I may have to add additional shielding in other spots. That remains to be determined, but the coating will help also, to some extent. I am having it coated mainly for the protection to the exhaust itself, to keep it nice and corrosion free. Too much work to just paint it and hope for the best. The car won't ever see winter roads and as little wet weather as possible, but I don't want to chance it...

Garey

[evangreen]

Any updates?

[bmwmech1]

Not any really... we had historic flooding around this area last week and that put me behind at the shop, so I've been busy catching up. The shop didn't get flooded, but only a few blocks away did, in epic proportions. It was very bad. I did buy a wrecked E38 from a customer that I needed the transmission from for another customers E38. Along with a bunch of salvageable parts from that car is a low mile M60B44 engine that will find it's way into the project. It'll get some trickery to make it OBDI, which is what I'm currently working on and I've been scouting E39 M5 throttle bodies to sit on top of it, so I'm working on it, just not anything significant. I did pick up an OEM front bumper for it, as well... I'll get some pics of the motor tonight...

Garey

[bmwmech1]

Well, I spent some time tonight working on the M60/62 hybrid and the news is....

It works! Well, statically anyway. I'm not sure how uncharted these waters are, but from the research I've done concerning this specific combination, I don't think it's been done. There's been a lot of talk about it and even a thread on Bfc about it, but everyone has stopped short of swapping the timing gear and heads from the B40 over to the B44, so this may be the first actual completed swap over. It was all a straight bolt together affair, except for the oil separator drain tube and the upper to lower timing cover gaskets. The drain tube has to have a bend put in it to clear the late model oil pump and the B40 head gaskets have the timing cover gasket integral to it, so those will have to be made. Other than that, it was pretty simple, really. Pics...

The heart of the hybrid motor... Timing chain crankshaft gear-double row M60 on left, single row M62 on right


The upside of the architecture of the 2 motors being the same, remove the single row and relace with the double row gear


All of the timing components literally bolt on to the M62 block the same way they do on the M60


M62 block with M60 heads and M60 timing gear


No B.S. B44 casting on the block, lol!


This takes advantage of the best of both motors... larger displacement, double row TC, double valve springs, etc...

Garey

[vivalegreg]

wow. first glance at this and i am just in aw..nice work man! ive been wondering how possible it was to do this the thought has certainly danlgled in my head a few times..v8 e30..myess