Cosmoblau basic stroker build

[bradnic]

Finally got the garage HVAC done with insulation, attic flooring and a 24k BTU split system. Callie the vert is up first then this car - Edgar

[bradnic]

so I didn't get it running yet, but did spent Memorial Day weekend studying stroker builds. Thank goodness for http://e30techarchive.com.
whodwho popped up and confirmed he was still doing the ms2/motronic case thing, so hopefully that will be headed over this month. also went back to IE and picked up their h-beam rods, gasket sets and misc hardware.

while I was at I received this pic..

[bradnic]

trying to get this running over the weekend.. was tempted to just do a top end swap, despite the really low compression ratio. the more I think about it the more it's not worth the effort.

[bradnic]

ForcedFirebird 885 head arrived
thx 2mAn !

picked up a. E30vert for my mom too - just dropped it off today at my mom’s, with timing belt service help from
ForcedFirebird

[bradnic]

Parts car M20 IX motor and tranny have been pulled. Note to self
- scissor lifts make it difficult to pull engine and tranny together.
- pulling the motor and subframe from below is great, but disconnect the steering column u-joints and the clutch slave cylinder before trying to move the motor.

Head still looks new after rebuild - gonna be trading it for a ported and polished head.

Since I only have one lift I will need to finish dismantling the parts car before putting Cosmo under the knife. In the meantime I'll dismantle the motor and get all the bits going into the stroker cleaned up.

will add pics in a bit.

[bradnic]

IE pistons, 272 billet cam and stroker kit arrived. Out of town til Labor Day weekend though grrr.

also looking into a ported head for this car. Need to pull the donor motor first

will be a busy long weekend

[bradnic]

Following this closely. I have an 88 SETA and I keep second guessing myself on whether or not I should go 2.8/9 or just slap the 885 head with a 272 cam on the bottom and be done with it. Not looking to piss the fiance off and just need a little extra oomph something to keep up with my buddies 325i in the mountains.

ATL_E30 the e30zone.net link I posted above provides SETA conversion instructions - you're lucky! just need the double valve springs and cam along with the rest of I bits.

This is probably the easiest route to go as few parts are needed. The parts listed here are the ONLY parts needed.

325i cam 325i fuel injectors, rail, and pressure regulator 325i valve springs 325i intake manifold 325i throttle body with throttle position sensor 325i idle control valve 325i air flow meter 325i intake boot 325i ECU

The "super eta" already has the proper head with all 7 oil journals, it just needs the stiff valve springs to prevent horrible valve float and/or valvetrain damage, and the cam. It also already has the i wiring harness and most of the same electrical components, as well as the dual exhaust. You will also need the various gaskets and head bolts associated with a normal rebuild. The "super eta" has a 6k tachometer, which will read fine until it nears 6k which it will just stop until the revs return to under 6k.

[bradnic]

2mAn interested in john’s port work.. fee lol PMing details? Will drop you a note

[2mAn]

Thats the same thing I plan to do with mine. Should be a fun combo. I have a ported head from WOTtech with new rockers and a 272 cam. Should be a blast

[AWDBOB]

Nice!! I think you’ll be more than happy with your choice in the long run. I had a long post typed out yesterday but the new forum thought it was spam so it never posted.

[bradnic]

Ok had a long talk with my wife... she doesn’t want me putting 160k mile pistons in this 100k mile motor.

So: spoke with Andrew and Jeff at Ireland.. ordered the following
- 2.9L ultimate stroker kit with M52 crank
- Mahle 2.9 85mm piston option
- 272 billet camshaft (shrick equivalent)
- gates water pump and belt kit (early style)

will start the convo with the local machine shop I’ve used in
the past. Jeff told me to make sure the block is not hot tanked to avoid damaging the intermediate shaft bearing.

Plan is to keep stock intake and exhaust manifolds, use M30 AFM and mustang injectors off my convertible, along with the strömung exhaust.

[ATL_E30]

Following this closely. I have an 88 SETA and I keep second guessing myself on whether or not I should go 2.8/9 or just slap the 885 head with a 272 cam on the bottom and be done with it. Not looking to piss the fiance off and just need a little extra oomph something to keep up with my buddies 325i in the mountains.

[bradnic]

AWDBOB I keep second guessing myself.. Suppose I should at least try to source an M52 84mm crank. Then I can go 2.8 ala Betz for your suggestion, or bite the bullet on the IE bits. Maybe the crank alone is worth the effort.

[bradnic]

I just can't imagine being happy with ETA pistons and an 885 head though. I've got to at least put the I pistons in, which I assume will lead to keeping everything else on the bottom end as is. cam swap for sure, chipped ECU, I exhaust, 3.73 LSD. then I'll see where things go from there.

[AWDBOB]

yeah it comes down to goals I suppose. I do already have a full m20 IX motor with a redone 885 head and new stock camshaft.

I can't see a 2.7i with a 6500 rpm deadline not improving things over a vanilla ETA. So is it worth the extra expense for a 2.8 or 2.9 configuration, especially when I will likely keep a stock I exhaust and ECU on this car? What's that going to buy me - 10-20hp maybe over an un-bored 2.7i? I'll upsize injectors and probably move my M30 AFM from Callie over, but that's about it.

So why risk annoying the spouse by spending an unplanned $2k? lol

Totally agree. If you already have a fresh 885 I’d put an IE Billet 272 in it and slap it on your stock bottom end, converting to 1.3 of course. IMO keep it simple and cheap- like you said, it’ll still be a huge improvement over what you have now for minimal cost. Once you pull the bottom end apart things start to add up FAST.