The complete repair, rebuild, repaint, and v8 swap of my early model sedan

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  • Will_NZ
    Noobie
    • Sep 2012
    • 18

    #661
    Didnt realise you had a bolt off front end like mine, makes getting the M60 motor/box out in one unit SO much easier!!! :-D

    Comment

    • Jean
      Moderator
      • Aug 2006
      • 18228

      #662
      Jelly!
      Mtech1 v8 build thread - https://www.r3vlimited.com/board/sho...d.php?t=413205



      OEM v8 manual chip or dme - https://www.r3vlimited.com/board/sho....php?p=4938827

      Comment

      • JGood
        R3V OG
        • Jan 2004
        • 7959

        #663
        Got some more work done. First thing I did was pull the manifolds off and fix the leaks. I am hoping, very much so, that this finally fixes my problems with the car stalling, not adjusting fuel trims, running rich, etc...

        The problem was the 3" to 2.5" reducers that I put on the manifolds. I did this under the car, without properly cleaning the metal, in a very limited workspace. The results were this, a jungle of little weld balls. It didn't actually weld, it was just kinda popping and arcing a bit, there was never any penetration.






        So I grinded all that crap down, cleaned it up, and went over the entire area with a couple of layers of big thick beads of weld. Probably not the best way to do it, but it won't be leaking, and it's not visible with the manifolds installed. It would have been much better to cut that whole area out and rejoin the two pieces, but then my hard work to get that down pipe aligned properly would be down the drain and I'd be back to square one. I wasn't about to tackle that again without a lift.




        I cut off the old 3-bolt flanges and ordered a set of v-band clamps from the Boost Depot. They are nice, with male and female interlocking sides.






        I then pulled the trans off the engine to inspect the clutch and flywheel, to make sure my shuddering problem wasn't an issue with the clutch. Although I'm not thrilled with the hot spots on the surfaces after only 5k miles, I don't think it's enough to cause an issue.





        85 325e m60b44 6 speed / 89 535i
        e30 restoration and V8 swap
        24 Hours of Lemons e30 build

        Comment

        • LJ851
          R3V OG
          • Nov 2010
          • 7918

          #664
          Originally posted by JGood


          OMG !!! :o


          New weld looks WAY better, hope it solves your problems.
          Lorin


          Originally posted by slammin.e28
          The M30 is God's engine.

          Comment

          • JGood
            R3V OG
            • Jan 2004
            • 7959

            #665
            Originally posted by LJ851
            OMG !!! :o


            New weld looks WAY better, hope it solves your problems.
            LOL, I know! It was so frustrating. The wire was just popping and cracking, and the more I tried, the higher the piles of crap got. It was almost like I had the gas turned off, a bad ground, a clogged tip, and the settings turned all the way down on the welder. Even then, I'd think it would weld better then that!
            85 325e m60b44 6 speed / 89 535i
            e30 restoration and V8 swap
            24 Hours of Lemons e30 build

            Comment

            • deutschman
              R3V Elite
              • May 2008
              • 5958

              #666
              I'v had to get down and do welds like that as well. Welding up side down in a dark cramped space is a bitch. You most likely already know this, but I found the best way to go about welding exhaust components is to tack them together, remove them, and finish weld them on a bench. Its seams like a bit more work, but if you consider messing your welds up an having to grind them down and re-weld them, its faster.
              Love this car! I cant imagine an e30 with a v8 in it. Must be a blast!
              sigpic
              "The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten."

              Comment

              • JGood
                R3V OG
                • Jan 2004
                • 7959

                #667
                Originally posted by deutschman
                I'v had to get down and do welds like that as well. Welding up side down in a dark cramped space is a bitch. You most likely already know this, but I found the best way to go about welding exhaust components is to tack them together, remove them, and finish weld them on a bench. Its seams like a bit more work, but if you consider messing your welds up an having to grind them down and re-weld them, its faster.
                Love this car! I cant imagine an e30 with a v8 in it. Must be a blast!
                Yep, I eventually came to that realization as well, and did it for the rest of the exhaust (although that leaks everywhere as well, and will be re-done). Problem is, those welds were on the exhaust manifolds. They had to be in place on the engine in the car so that I could weld on the down pipe appropriately. So I tacked it in place, but then couldn't remove the manifolds. In order to remove the exhaust manifolds from the engine, you need to remove the engine from the car. The car was all back together at that point, I didn't want to tear it apart again. Oh well.

                Thanks for the compliments! It is a ton of fun to drive.
                85 325e m60b44 6 speed / 89 535i
                e30 restoration and V8 swap
                24 Hours of Lemons e30 build

                Comment

                • Jean
                  Moderator
                  • Aug 2006
                  • 18228

                  #668
                  I can weld better than that!!!! J/K man :) Hope you figure out the shudder problem though!
                  Mtech1 v8 build thread - https://www.r3vlimited.com/board/sho...d.php?t=413205



                  OEM v8 manual chip or dme - https://www.r3vlimited.com/board/sho....php?p=4938827

                  Comment

                  • JGood
                    R3V OG
                    • Jan 2004
                    • 7959

                    #669
                    Originally posted by Jean
                    I can weld better than that!!!! J/K man :) Hope you figure out the shudder problem though!
                    I think it's just a conistent string of bad luck, in the form of bolts coming loose. I had my 4 diff bolts come loose 3 times. I finally got to the point where they remained tight, but I still had a shudder. I replaced the engine mounts (which were new) with poly mounts, and the shuddering went away about 90%. Then when I went to pull the engine, I found that one of the transmission mount bolts was loose, giving the trans cross member a good 1/2" of movement. I had checked the trans mount bolts back when the shuddering first started, but apparently it came loose after that.

                    It's all new hardware, I'm not sure what the deal is...
                    85 325e m60b44 6 speed / 89 535i
                    e30 restoration and V8 swap
                    24 Hours of Lemons e30 build

                    Comment

                    • Jean
                      Moderator
                      • Aug 2006
                      • 18228

                      #670
                      Maybe your car is lost brother of my e34? I have a completely new front/rear suspension, EVERY single bushing I replaced front/back/top/bottom and it still isn't "tight".....
                      Mtech1 v8 build thread - https://www.r3vlimited.com/board/sho...d.php?t=413205



                      OEM v8 manual chip or dme - https://www.r3vlimited.com/board/sho....php?p=4938827

                      Comment

                      • JGood
                        R3V OG
                        • Jan 2004
                        • 7959

                        #671
                        Originally posted by Jean
                        Maybe your car is lost brother of my e34? I have a completely new front/rear suspension, EVERY single bushing I replaced front/back/top/bottom and it still isn't "tight".....
                        Curse of the m60 powered vehicles?
                        85 325e m60b44 6 speed / 89 535i
                        e30 restoration and V8 swap
                        24 Hours of Lemons e30 build

                        Comment

                        • Jean
                          Moderator
                          • Aug 2006
                          • 18228

                          #672
                          Originally posted by JGood
                          Curse of the m60 powered vehicles?
                          Lol!
                          Mtech1 v8 build thread - https://www.r3vlimited.com/board/sho...d.php?t=413205



                          OEM v8 manual chip or dme - https://www.r3vlimited.com/board/sho....php?p=4938827

                          Comment

                          • Garageaholic
                            Freestyle Fabricator
                            • Dec 2005
                            • 5204

                            #673
                            Wow, Justin. Just catching up here. It looks like you are slowly re-building this car. But i'm glad that you're working to get all the tiniest bugs out of this car.

                            Those hot spots on your flywheel. Did you feel that when shifting during clutch engagement? I'm curious if I have that on my flywheel even if I'm not necessarily feeling the shuttering that you're feeling.

                            Good luck with that 2.93. I feel that you'll enjoy that much better than the 3.25, especially on the long roads.
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                            Comment

                            • JGood
                              R3V OG
                              • Jan 2004
                              • 7959

                              #674
                              Originally posted by FrankM E30
                              Wow, Justin. Just catching up here. It looks like you are slowly re-building this car. But i'm glad that you're working to get all the tiniest bugs out of this car.

                              Those hot spots on your flywheel. Did you feel that when shifting during clutch engagement? I'm curious if I have that on my flywheel even if I'm not necessarily feeling the shuttering that you're feeling.

                              Good luck with that 2.93. I feel that you'll enjoy that much better than the 3.25, especially on the long roads.
                              Nope, the clutch felt 100% perfect at all times. It actually felt like a stock clutch, which was surprising. Only problem was the shuddering while letting out the clutch, which I'm now convinced was a combination of various loose drivetrain parts.

                              Can't wait for spring time, we need to do another m60 e30 get together. This time with videos! :evil:
                              85 325e m60b44 6 speed / 89 535i
                              e30 restoration and V8 swap
                              24 Hours of Lemons e30 build

                              Comment

                              • dmoney(AB)
                                E30 Fanatic
                                • Feb 2005
                                • 1372

                                #675
                                this unboltable rad support stuff is awesome.
                                might have to make it my spring project.



                                mtech1/2jzgte/r154/275tire
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