And it begins...

[rwh11385]

I keep forgetting everyone is running MS like it's going out of style

stick to business, drinking and slutty college chicks.

hmmmmm yeah

seriously though, I'd go with simply what pricee30 suggested, i manifolds and i exhaust and calling it a day. but if someone wants to convince him to spend as much on this as the forgone M50 swap, go ahead.

[rwh11385]

weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=54660

you can get compression up to 9.5:1 if you shave the block & head, without causing timing issues. go stock minimums on the head, and ~.05" on the block. Seems like a small amount, but the combo will work. I'll look for the exact numbers tonight...

or save a lot and just go with this setup

http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=71612&page=4

here the complete list
eta block
eta crank
eta pistons
eta head(ported on intake and exhaust side)
Dual I valve springs
Aftermarket I cam
I intake manifold, TB etc...
I exhaust manifolds
Full 325i motronic 1.3 setup
I only spend about $1200 on it but that included the wideband o2 sensor and some other stuff.
I'm going to throw a MAF on it soon once I get a 325i cat on it.
I'd like to do a dyno run on it sometime. There aren’t any shops here in town that I know of that have a dyno so I'd probably have to go down to Atlanta.

food for thought:

http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showpost.php?p=291763&postcount=31

[Mot]

Im gonna enjoy passing you with my boring plastic motor that I spent less money on :P

[clavinZERO]

Josh, you gonna paint stuff all special-like? Teh crinkle/powder coats?

[Stu]

Shit... 3 years ago junk yard turbos were the cutting edge of e30 technology.

M50 swaps dating back to 11/92!

[nando]

I keep forgetting everyone is running MS like it's going out of style


hmmmmm yeah

seriously though, I'd go with simply what pricee30 suggested, i manifolds and i exhaust and calling it a day. but if someone wants to convince him to spend as much on this as the forgone M50 swap, go ahead.

I didn't say anything about MS, but I forgot you were also a master of EMS and tuning. :p

MS is one of over a dozzen solutions you could use, and many of them are affordable. But you already knew that right? ;)

Stu, wasn't that a factory car? I've heard BMW tested the M50 in the E30 body before the E36 went into production. Apparently it got better fuel mileage and was faster than the E36, so they quashed that idea. ;)

[rwh11385]

MS is one of over a dozzen solutions you could use, and many of them are affordable. But you already knew that right? ;)

Dozzen?

No, never heard of that cool system?

[nando]

Oh god it's the typo police?

[rwh11385]

M50 swaps dating back to 11/92!

And 2.8"i" E30s date back to ~1984-5 (B6), 2.7"i" to 85/86 with C2.

and as the PDF mentioned, another easy approach is just slapping a 731 head on your block and running: http://www.e21bmw.net/graymarket/library/327i.php

http://bimmer.roadfly.com/bmw/forums/e28-lounge/6151178-1.html

retains 9:1 CR. (might want to confirm but makes sense)

I dunno, Chris, is there some new fancy smancey approach to a budget stroker build?? Let's hear it!

1. Super eta pistons + decking to bump CR
2. Eta and dual valve springs/cams for a "stroker"
3. Eta + 323i head

Is there a mystery option that has come up in the last few years?

[nando]

way to sidestep the EMS question. But yeah, there are some other ways, actually. although what josh is doing is just fine. ;)

[rwh11385]

Who cares? I'm much more concerned with GM ECU units now-a-days. ;)

[nando]

If that's a shot at MS, you're just showing your ignorance there - there is nothing inside made by GM, although you can use inexpensive and common external sensors if you wish. And I alluded to there being other solutions - I'd love to trade up to VEMS, for example. But hey, what do I know? I only built my engine, ECU, and tune from scratch and have been daily driving it for over 25000 miles.

[rwh11385]

way to sidestep the EMS question. But yeah, there are some other ways, actually. although what josh is doing is just fine. ;)

what other ways, for a BUDGET build, i.e. no custom pistons. let's hear them

and josh's plan of super eta pistons and i head with a 8:1 CR is just fine?

no, that was not an allusion to MS, it's an allusion to GM ECUs and what some can do - like run gas and E85

[nando]

Yes, because super ETA pistons with an I head results in 8.5:1 compression - exactly the same as a super eta, because the combustion chamber is the same (same head casting, same piston shape, same quench area). 8:1 would be what you'd get with eta pistons and an I head (different chamber/piston shapes, not a great idea). Secondly, if he does any milling to the head or the deck of the block, it's going to increase compression, not that 8.5:1 is significantly lower than a stock I motor. If he really wants power - it's a good envelope to be in for a decent turbo setup in the future. And of course it will be fresh.

The other good option is the 323 head you mentioned, but those are pretty damn hard to find without cracks, and the 885 head is still (slightly) superior. If he happened to have one lying around? sure, that'd be a good way to go. He wouldn't have to do anything, other than refresh the head and port match the intake. But it doesn't sound like that's what he's doing to me.

The alternative setup I was thinking of is the 84mm B28 crank, 130mm E rods, and stock i pistons - this results in good C/R (~9:1 or so) and gobs of torque (because of the low RR). I didn't mention it because josh's plan is just fine, it requires slightly more machine work and costs more.

There are lots of people using E85 with aftermarket ECUs - GM doesn't have a corner on this market at all. Other than flex fuel sensors (which you don't really need), all it really takes is a recalibration of the WBO2 sensor output for the different fuels. It's also easier to switch between them if you're using lambda output instead of AFR, since the WB controller takes care of the hard work (lambda is relative to the stoich ratio of your particular fuel). And finally if VE changes at all between different fuels, table switching is pretty easy - just flick a switch, and BAM! perfect tune. ;)

[uofom3]

heeter why do you care about what the hell josh is doing? It's his money to waste if he so chooses.