The Journey of Linda and Friends - the M20b31 Lives

[digger]

Cometic screwed up my 86 hg one of the layers was 85mm oops. They did send a replacement though when I provided photo evidence

[paynemw]

Put a Crank Scrapper in there while you are waiting for the Baffle, but smart move. The baffle is by far one of the most cost effective insurance plans for a well built engine. ask me why I say this.

[AWDBOB]

OoOOoooOo prettttyyyyyyy

Looking good brother!

Thanks, man!!!

Cometic screwed up my 86 hg one of the layers was 85mm oops. They did send a replacement though when I provided photo evidence

Imagine being the guy who QC’d that lol

Put a Crank Scrapper in there while you are waiting for the Baffle, but smart move. The baffle is by far one of the most cost effective insurance plans for a well built engine. ask me why I say this.

I have a line out to IR to see what their lead times are on a Teflon scraper! I went ahead and snagged the Advanced Auto Fab weld-in M20 baffle. Seemed like a better version of the VAC piece.

[AWDBOB]

Slight change in suspension plans- upon receiving the KW E30M3 coilovers, I was quickly reminded that it would be counterproductive to put shiny bits on the M3 and should keep the stock suspension setup.

Around the same time, I scored some E30 M3 brakes/hubs. So, Linda is getting the KW V1 E30M3 five lug treatment! The only thing I'm waiting on now are the rear hubs from Schmiedmann, but I'm going to do the front first. I also happen to have a spare set of 5 lug E38 style 5s, so the look of the car will stay the exact same, with the exception of now being able to run the wheels without as much of a spacer.

Need to figure out what pads to run as well and order some front rotors.

Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr
Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr

[paynemw]

Aren't the e30 m3 hubs NLA or something like that? I wonder why more people don't go KW e30M3 for a 5 lug set up. Please educate me! BTW, this is awesome!

[AWDBOB]

Aren't the e30 m3 hubs NLA or something like that? I wonder why more people don't go KW e30M3 for a 5 lug set up. Please educate me! BTW, this is awesome!

So for the front hubs you just order the E28 pieces (31211131298) from FAG, however, you need to swap over the E30 M3 ABS ring onto those hubs (e28 abs ring is 90? tooth, e30 m3 is 48 tooth). For a 5 lug conversion you're not going to have the proper ABS ring from your car already, so you have to purchase it. The E30 M3 ring isn't available on it's own from BMW of course, and is extremely difficult to find used. Only other option for that is to buy a genuine E30M3 front bearing w/ABS ring at $315 a pop.

Rear hubs are nearly impossible to find used as well, so they must be purchased new at $266+ea, and they currently don't have a ship date so they may be going NLA (still worried about that). You can use other hubs to go rear 5 lug, but to use the M3 brakes/rotors, you need the M3 hubs. Hubs are cheaper from across the pond, but have the same "anticipated" ship date.

Which brings me to the next item... brakes. E30M3 calipers/brackets are extremely difficult to find used as well, and can get pricey. I got lucky and got my brake setup from a guy who was upgrading to a BBK. Edit: also forgot to mention E30M3 dust shields. Fronts are available new and maybe one of the rears. ~$100ea +/- some new.

I'm just using Pagid pads with Zimmerman blanks. If I magically start tracking my car (which is extremely unlikely despite my desire), I'll swap out different pads.

So yeah. The KWs are just a small part of the equation! The easiest option would be E30M3 KW setup with e28 hubs, M3 toner rings, and M3 front calipers/brackets, and then just using Z3 or 318Ti hubs/brakes/arms or whatever combo to go five lug out back.

[mjweimer]

These guys seem to have an offering for the E30 M3 front but the note is "bolted on". Not sure what that means but it seems they have the ability to make pretty much any type of reluctor ring....

https://www.reluctorrings.com/cars/bmw

Might be worth an email.



MJ

[AWDBOB]

These guys seem to have an offering for the E30 M3 front but the note is "bolted on". Not sure what that means but it seems they have the ability to make pretty much any type of reluctor ring....

https://www.reluctorrings.com/cars/bmw

Might be worth an email.

I reached out to them before I found my used rings in “the stash”. Compared to the OEM pieces I have, those don’t look correct at all outside of the tooth count. But it sounds like you could simply ship them a pair to get them made!

My brother is going to draw these up and see what it’d cost to get a batch done.

[mjweimer]

Yeah, that whole bolted on thing does not make any sense...I don't see how that would work. Yes - another opportunity for making some much needed parts.


MJ

[AWDBOB]

This journal has become a bit of a life documentation over the years and....I've been busy.... I rented a space (it's not fancy) and bought out Zionsville Autosport's used parts inventory and have been trying to inventory everything and get stuff transferred over and listed. I've been working towards full time car stuff for a while, and this is enough for me to pull off the band aid.

Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr

Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr
Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr
Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr
Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr
Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr
Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr
Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr

[amcp]

holy parts stash.

[AWDBOB]

holy parts stash.

The crazy thing is, that is one floor.... out of three.

Just a few limited slips lol

Untitled by Bobbie Morrone, on Flickr

[ForcedFirebird]

Sweetness, and grats! Some things become a job, others make you feel like you are "stealing money". In 2007, I started dabbling in part time car-build-stuffs, Feb 2011 was the first lease at the current local.

Wish you the best!

On a side note, I am personally/privately/publicly getting multiple reports with m20 and serious detonation issues with stroked and not-so-high static compression numbers. Don't want to be the bearer of bad news, but you might want to re-think those pistons in post #641.

Client in greater Cali is expressing his concern with his m20 being built locally here in FL, because Ross-piston engine is pinging badly at 10:1 and 272 cam. He sent pics of the pistons, and the angular squish band was double the stock size, and had deep relief valve pockets.

To explain this in text, they deepened the valve reliefs and "poked" the reverse dish top to re-increase compression. So, the piston squish band is double the stock height (decreased diameter), and creating a large sharp area of piston crown. On a microscopic level, that top edge of the piston will be glowing white hot aluminum - easily combusting atomized fuel.


TLDR: it's a giant glow plug in a gasoline/petrol engine.

Will see if they will let me post a pic

[AWDBOB]

Sweetness, and grats! Some things become a job, others make you feel like you are "stealing money". In 2007, I started dabbling in part time car-build-stuffs, Feb 2011 was the first lease at the current local.

Wish you the best!

On a side note, I am personally/privately/publicly getting multiple reports with m20 and serious detonation issues with stroked and not-so-high static compression numbers. Don't want to be the bearer of bad news, but you might want to re-think those pistons in post #641.

Client in greater Cali is expressing his concern with his m20 being built locally here in FL, because Ross-piston engine is pinging badly at 10:1 and 272 cam. He sent pics of the pistons, and the angular squish band was double the stock size, and had deep relief valve pockets.

To explain this in text, they deepened the valve reliefs and "poked" the reverse dish top to re-increase compression. So, the piston squish band is double the stock height (decreased diameter), and creating a large sharp area of piston crown. On a microscopic level, that top edge of the piston will be glowing white hot aluminum - easily combusting atomized fuel.


TLDR: it's a giant glow plug in a gasoline/petrol engine.

Will see if they will let me post a pic

Thanks, man! I am beyond excited to start this journey.

And man.... that makes me sad re: the pistons. I had them made by Top End Performance, and he had them done based on the combustion chamber design of the 731 I'm using.

Sadly, I am way too far in at this point to change/redo piston design. If it comes down to it and it pre-detonates, I will just run E85. I'm also running a bigger cam, so that should at least help with dynamic compression.

If it pre-detonates that bad and E85 doesn't fix it, I can always do a thicker MLS and/or a bigger cam. Between you and Digger I am now aware than the piston design is not ideal, but I hope I can mitigate the issues with some of the above ideas provided that it becomes problematic.

[digger]

Maybe I should do a GB with mahle MS slugs for the 89,6 stroke 85 bore to suit 885 replicate exactly OE dome just mod the valve reliefs depth