Project Armo "330i" M-tech 1

[Skarpa]

I'm hoping to get through the engine and tranny swap without a custom drive shaft. I've read from US projects that people use US M3 automatic drive shafts in 6-speed swaps. The Euro E36 automatic drive shaft is the same length even though it has a different part number for some reason. I got a drive shaft from a 325iA. On the pic there's the E30 316 shaft on the fore ground. Middle one is the E36 328i and the shortest is the automatic drive shaft.

The length difference between the 328i and 325iA drive shafts is 140 mm. I'm doubting if the splines will go in far enough because the trannys have only 100 mm difference in length but I'll test and see. Whatever the ds, I'll use a new E30 center bearing. Or at least unused one. It says made in West Germany so it might not be exactly new :


Then I tackled some rust spots again. On the surface panels there were three repair points left; Rust holes in the base of A and C pillars and a strange area of corrosion int the bottom corner of the driver's door frame. Yesterday I finished the door frame and C pillar.






A pillar was still left to do. It's a nasty spot to repair because there is no access to the backside.

[Skarpa]

From words to actions: buyer for M54 cam will be at my house in half an hour ;D (Matuh, for you Finnish guys)

[pazi88]

Wow, I hadn't checked their price as new units. It makes more sense for me to sell the M54 cam and buy new S52 cam than to have it re-ground.

Yeah I just recently noticed that. I will also swap my m54 cam to s52 one and sell the m54 cam in my daily because that's really bargain. Then someone sell me s52/m54b30 crank so I will convert that to high compression m52b30 :D

[Skarpa]

Also the new s52 intake cam from germany Costs roughly 350€ so normally it's even cheaper to buy new cam instead of second hand from us.

Wow, I hadn't checked their price as new units. It makes more sense for me to sell the M54 cam and buy new S52 cam than to have it re-ground.

[pazi88]

Sure I'd be interested. M54 cam can be ground to 260 degree, 10,05 mm profile without modifying the cam trays. (220 degrees from 1mm to 1 mm). S52 intake cam is 252 degree, 10,2 mm so it's roughly equal but of course re-ground cams are always a compromise. The shipping costs from US to Europe are pretty steep, though. Also, there's a risk of needing to pay the customs.

Also the new s52 intake cam from germany Costs roughly 350€ so normally it's even cheaper to buy new cam instead of second hand from us.

[stonea]

I'll look into some shipping options.

[Skarpa]

I don't know if they would be better, but would you be interested in S52 cams?

Sure I'd be interested. M54 cam can be ground to 260 degree, 10,05 mm profile without modifying the cam trays. (220 degrees from 1mm to 1 mm). S52 intake cam is 252 degree, 10,2 mm so it's roughly equal but of course re-ground cams are always a compromise. The shipping costs from US to Europe are pretty steep, though. Also, there's a risk of needing to pay the customs.

[stonea]

- M52B30 intake camshaft and M50nv intake camshaft as exhaust cam. Both ground to 220 degree profile (1mm lift) - Have the cams, not ground yet.

I don't know if they would be better, but would you be interested in S52 cams?

[Skarpa]

I've used my current overall for quite some time and it's starting to develop holes. It didn't really bother me until a large piece of welding spatter found it's way through a hole, burned through my underpants and dug to my balls. That sparked me to get these snazzy British army tank crew overalls:



They were quite a bit cheaper than actual welder's overalls and what's most important, they have the butt flap


EDIT: The overall is too thin for serious welding. It doesn't support burning but weld spatters will go right through it.

PS. My brother just told me that the suspension parts are coated. Accidentally also his parts, which were supposed to be white, are now coated orange but nevermind about that.

[Skarpa]

So you finished building the motor already ? Are you just using stock m54b30 internals?

At the moment I'm focusing on the bodywork and other necessities to have the car running and driving next summer to keep up the motivation. Next summer might be on stock M52B28 depending on my time and finances. The engine is in good running condition. I can then upgrade the engine to 3l. The plan for the engine is:

- Cast-iron sleeved block (Z3 block) shaved down a bit to increase compression - Not bought yet
- Stock M54B30 internals - Yes, have them
- Refurbished M52B28 stock head - Yes, have it
- M52B30 intake camshaft and M50nv intake camshaft as exhaust cam. Both ground to 220 degree profile (1mm lift) - Have the cams, not ground yet.
- Euro S50B30 ITBs - Have them and modified them to fit M52.
- Stock ECU reprogrammed - My ECU has EWS and ABS removed and a slight tune up. Will need reprogramming with the new setup.

[JeLani]

So you finished building the motor already ? Are you just using stock m54b30 internals?

[Skarpa]

The gearbox and the clutch arrived a few days ago. I ended up selecting a 6-speed ZF from E92 330i (GS6-37BZ). Tranny came with all the bits and pieces such as shifter + linkage, transmission mounts and guibo which seems to be in good order.


I measured the length of the gearbox to be 635 mm. A fellow hobbyist measured his S5D 320Z to be 530 mm. So I would need to have the drive shaft shortened about 105 mm. Research on the internet led to roughly the same result. 6-speed Getrag is apparently the same length as 6-speed ZF. In his project BeirBrennerE30 measured the required driveshaft to be 1381 mm whereas the stock E36 328i shaft is 1492 mm. About the same difference.

http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=120381

I will test fit the engine, tranny and differential before having the driveshaft shortened, though.


I will use a dual-mass flywheel since I have a brand new one that came with the engine. The engine also included an unused Luk clutch. 5-speed ZF has the same 10 spline input shaft as the older BMWs. GS6-37BZ has a different, 22 spline shaft. (26x29x-22N). I bought a new Luk clutch for E46 330i. It was cheaper than just the friction plate. When viewed side by side the clutches are almost identical. The hole pattern is the same and the dimensions of the friction plate and the pressure plate are the same with the splines excluded. Release bearing is the same. 330i has the self adjusting pressure plate (SAC). I'm not familiar with the system but I'm under the impression that some special tools are required for installation. I need to read on that a bit. If it seems too complicated, I'll use the 328i pressure plate.




In the evening I glued the remaining pieces of trunk in place.

[Skarpa]

you are one crazy man :D
keep up the great work! :up:

Thanks, will do.


Today I picked up a couple parsels:

Chrome rings for the headlights, looking like they are never used before. My headlight rings are extremely faded and have the plastic stoppers for headlight wipers that I no longer have.


Zinc chromate plated brake calibers and wheel hardware.

I'm actually not quite happy with these. Before taking the parts for plating I checked if the rust is going to be a problem. They said no. Now all the places that had even moderate rust before the process are still rusty. I need to make a reclamation.


Then I have a couple of points for consideration:
1. I just bought a set of TRX 390 bottlecaps just for the hell of it because they were cheap.
2. They do fit in my workplace's new lathe.
3. The ends of the spokes match almost exactly on inner diameter of RC090 barrel
4. I already have one extra barrel.
I wonder where that leads ;)

[abit]

you are one crazy man :D
keep up the great work! :up:

[Skarpa]

I spent an evening at the garage testing my birthday gifts. My brother gave me an A/C condenser with slight transportation damage. Condenser was bought for a large telescopic forklift. I guess it will be enough for a small car. It is quite a lot bigger than the original.


Next question was, will it fit on the nose of E30?




It is pretty much the same size as the opening in the front frame. If there was no hood lock, the condenser would fit inside of the frame. (with some room made for the hoses). Condenser fits fine in front of the frame between the front valance brackets but that doesn't leave enough space for the fan. I quess I need to buy a parallel flow condenser made for E30. Or mount a sucking fan behind the radiator.

The other present was spot on:


It's amazing how much nicer it is to weld with this than with the traditional mask I've been using so far. Especially in confined spaces because there's no need to tilt your head to peek from under the dark glass. So I test-fitted the battery tray in the trunk and welded a fastening screw for that.




I continued welding with the side seams of the rear valance but then I ran out of gas. Either there's a pathetic amount of gas in those disposable bottles or I've had way too high flow. Difficult to know because a flow regulator doesn't fit the disposable bottle. When I couldn't continue welding I shaped the missing piece to complete the battery pocket floor.




Next time I'll be able to glue that in as well as the sidewall of the jack pocket on the other side of the trunk.