`88 Sedan track car build - here's Siobhan! Made the front page of Jalopnik!

[MR 325]

Sweet!

[kingston]

Thanks man! She WILL be, when I'm all done with her! Going to get the S52 cylinder head back on the block this weekend, and start bolting accessories back on. Can't wait to get more done!!!!

[kingston]

Got a few more parts in for Siobhan...

Two magical letters:

ZF transmission for a late-model E36 M3.

Side view:

90K miles on it, and it's been in storage for the past 6 years...

And a few odds-and-ends:

Head gasket, head bolts, Valve Cover mounting hardware, a new Windshield wiper fluid valve, and Turner Motorsports OBD2-toOBD1 water pipe adapter. Getting closer!

So, I still need to buy a clutch kit for the E28 M5 single-mass flywheel, and a 2.93 LSD, as well as a driveshaft. Plus a new clutch slave cylinder and a new transmission mount (since I have the custom offset one for the G260 on the car now). Still, progress.

Oh, and I've put money down on a BAD ASS set of Recaros LS's. Pics of those when they're paid off and in my hot little hands!

[M42Technik]

I'm in tune to this thread now :)

Can't wait to see those wheels all cleaned up.

[kingston]

I'm in tune to this thread now :)

Can't wait to see those wheels all cleaned up.

Hey, what's up, dude?! Yeah, I need to finish `em up. I have all the centers media-blasted, and the barrels are mostly cleaned up. The wheel with the worst dent still needs to be dealt with, and I am torn between getting the lips redone (at a cost of about $150 per wheel), or just having a set of custom lips made up to make the wheels 15x8. That would cost more like $250 a wheel, but then they'd be perfect! It'd be nice to have slightly wider wheels to handle the increase in power, too...

My sedan is laid up at the moment with a bum rear wheel bearing, and a bad CSB (the welds holding the bracket to the bearing carrier broke!), so I may spend a little time prepping the S52 some more today...

[kingston]

One step closer!!

I scored one heck of a deal on a new LUK clutch kit for my ZF trans/M5 flywheel!

Got an unbelievable deal on this!

Came with the pressure plate, friction plate, throwout bearing, pilot bearing and clutch alignment tool...for $160.25!!

Total lucky score!

Also. my plans have changed again slightly, as in 10 long weeks, my new whip will be here!! That will become my new DD, and Siobhan will be my track monster! Work will continue on Nikita as well, to move her on to a future in Spec E30!

More details soon!!

[kingston]

Also, I FINALLY got around to getting the rear sway bar installed on Siobhan. I bought it like a year and a half ago, and installed the front a long time ago, but the rear bar & assorted hardware have been hanging out on a shelf in my garage.

I've gotten a little (OK, a LOT!) spoiled by being able to go to my friend Bob's house & used the air tools in his heated garage, so Showy and I took a little drive to Bob's...

Here's the new bar (Ireland Engineering 19mm/Spec E30 swaybar) vs. the original coat hanger!

BIG difference!

The sway made the end a lot more playful than she used to be. The flip-side is that I need to be paying a lot more attention when it's wet, because she'll drift at will...

[kingston]

The driveshaft for the ZF transmission arrives tomorrow! Now I need a 2.93 LSD...or maybe a 3.25 since she's not going to be the DD anymore... Hmmm...

[kingston]

Minor update. Today I am getting the bores of the S52 scoped & inspected to see if I should do a light hone & get new piston rings. I'll probably do new main & rod bearings/bolts/caps, too.

Got another great steal. A friend of mine sold me a NEW starter for the S52...for $40! Thanks Joe!!

The H&R Race springs that are on the car now are coming off tonight. They had half a coil cut off when I bought them, and that's always bugged me. I'll be doing the stock springs/4x4 dance for a couple of weeks. I need to decide if I just want new H&R Race springs, or if I want to do the GC coil-over conversion kit. Any thoughts from R3V?

[driftingminor913]

How much power do you plan to put down? And where did you get the M5 flywheel????

[kingston]

Jeremy,

Not looking for crazy numbers at this point, although since I'm now going to have a new DD, and Siobhan will be my track car, it does free things up for me to get a bit crazier. Stock is 240hp. TRM tune will put it around 260. For the track (especially since I'm a novice still), that should be plenty for now. Maybe next year I do cams & stuff... It will basically be a pretty much new stock engine, with a slightly decked head for a touch more compression...

I got the flywheel on R3V or Bimmerforums...sorry, I don't recall which. It came with the pressure plate & friction plate, and while there was still some life in them, I just bought new parts. Once the S52/ZF combo is in the car, I don't want to have to mess with it!

BTW, the E28 M5 flywheel is EXACTLY the same as the E28 533i flywheel. Same part number and everything...

What's going on with your swap? You still going V8??

[kingston]

In other news, the S52 block is at my friend Bob's house. He's going to measure out the bores to see if I can get away with a hone, or if I need to bore the cylinders. Praying that I can get by with a hone!

Here's a breakdown on the parts I know I'll need now.
Hone at a machine shop: $150-ish
Connecting Rod Bolts: $35.52
Rod bearing set, standard: $47.45
Main Bearing Cap Bolt: $88.48
Main Bearing set, standard: $101.22
Piston Ring Set: $220.80
Gasket - Timing Cover, $2.35
Gasket - Water Housing on Throttle Body, $3.37
Crankshaft Seal (48 X 65 X 10), $10.13
Or, $659.32. Plus tax & shipping.

I already have the rear main seal...

Sigh...one of these days!

[IronFreak]

Forward progress.....I approve this build!

[driftingminor913]

Jeremy,

Not looking for crazy numbers at this point, although since I'm now going to have a new DD, and Siobhan will be my track car, it does free things up for me to get a bit crazier. Stock is 240hp. TRM tune will put it around 260. For the track (especially since I'm a novice still), that should be plenty for now. Maybe next year I do cams & stuff... It will basically be a pretty much new stock engine, with a slightly decked head for a touch more compression...

I got the flywheel on R3V or Bimmerforums...sorry, I don't recall which. It came with the pressure plate & friction plate, and while there was still some life in them, I just bought new parts. Once the S52/ZF combo is in the car, I don't want to have to mess with it!

BTW, the E28 M5 flywheel is EXACTLY the same as the E28 533i flywheel. Same part number and everything...

What's going on with your swap? You still going V8??

Yeah still going V8, and it's coming along still need to get a tranny then everything else will be easy to come by, and 260 out of a tuned S52 is setting the bar kinda high with out shrick or sunbelts don't ya think?

[kingston]

Yeah still going V8, and it's coming along still need to get a tranny then everything else will be easy to come by, and 260 out of a tuned S52 is setting the bar kinda high with out shrick or sunbelts don't ya think?

Nope, talked to several reputable people (i.e., people that don't exaggerate their claims) who are running the TRM tune on the 3.2 S motors, and that's what they are getting out of it.

That's CRANK hp, obviously, not at the wheels. Now 260 at the wheels would be sweet!

Willing to say yet WHICH V8 motor you are using, or is it still under wraps? Excited to see what your project is!