VIN #336 Craigslist Find. S38 Swapped Euro E30

[Eric]

Didn't paul Burke say he can fix the head? From an outsiders perspective that is the best choice.

Trying to make a b38 head fit in a b36 is about as logical as me wanting to stuff an s62 in the M3 because the S50 spun some rod bearings...


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[downforce22]

Didn't paul Burke say he can fix the head? From an outsiders perspective that is the best choice.

Trying to make a b38 head fit in a b36 is about as logical as me wanting to stuff an s62 in the M3 because the S50 spun some rod bearings...


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I'm not confident in many shops around to repair aluminum heads. I have heard both things; they are fixable and that they shouldn't be repaired or reused.

Here is an excerpt for this head repair article taken from here http://www.enginebuildermag.com/2005...crack-repairs/

TIG Welding Aluminum
Cracks in aluminum heads are most often repaired by TIG welding (though pinning also works with small accessible cracks). The first step in welding aluminum is preparing the crack. The head must be clean, grease-free and dry before grinding out the crack. The crack must be ground all the way out. Just grinding the surface and welding over a crack will likely be a short-lived temporary fix because the underlying crack is still there and will continue to grow. After grinding, the surface of the metal should be cleaned with a stainless steel wire brush.

When exposed to air, aluminum forms an oxide coating that contaminates the weld and interferes with fusing. A TIG welder prevents the formation of the oxide layer by bathing the weld with a steady supply of inert gas (usually argon). An alternating current is used to alternately heat the metal and burn off any oxide that forms.

Because aluminum can crack when subjected to too much heat in a concentrated area, the head must be preheated in an oven to 450° to 550° F to eliminate thermal stress. The added heat also makes the head easier to weld because aluminum conducts heat away from the weld area rapidly. Keeping the head hot is one of the tricks to successfully welding aluminum, which requires working in an area free from drafts and occasionally reapplying heat to the head.

Welding techniques vary, but the basic idea is to melt the surrounding metal and fill the crack with molten metal and filler rod. An experienced welder can even "recast" a badly damaged area, saving a head that would otherwise be junk. The strongest welds are achieved by using a filler rod that’s the same alloy as the head, or very close to it. Two filler rods that work well are #4043 and #5356 with 5 percent magnesium. The type of electrode that’s used on the welder can also make a difference. Tungsten thorium electrodes work well with aluminum but zirconium tungsten electrodes (which are much more expensive) are considered the best.

After welding, the head must be allowed to cool slowly. This is done by placing the head back in the oven or wrapping it in an insulating blanket. A long slow cool down relieves stress in the metal, which if not relieved could lead to cracking.

The last shop I talked to (in denver) couldn't repair aluminum heads with valves below 38mm in diameter and the b36 has 37 mm intake valves. I'm not sure I trust any local shop to do the procedure above. Now it turns out VAC does remanufacture heads for $999.95. Their core charge is $1700. From the one picture I sent the sales rep who talked to the machinist who has to remove the valve seats to repair the weld, the one tiny crack would take 3-5 hours at $125 an hour.

That puts a remanufactured head at ~$1,600 from VAC not including shipping and if it needs to be milled or something else. (another crack??) Then again you know the head has been repaired but you don't know whether all of the stresses have been removed or if it will happen again.

I'm thinking a BMW head may be worth the extra cash for the peace of mind you get in exchange. I'm still open to other ideas though. Oh yeah and I called and left a message for a number that was supposedly Paul B's but I have yet to hear back. I'll try again.

[Eric]

That looks for standard work for preheating any aluminum project, not specific to a cylinder head. The valve seats would most definitely need to be resurfaced after the repair.

Do you have eric schaube's number? He had some paul B work done and unfortunetly you could probably re-make an entire e34 M5 in the time it takes paul to do something. I hear his health isn't very good, causing long wait times.

Roland has had work done at a shop up in Denver that he says does excellent work. I'll text you their infos.


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[Ramgoat]

...There are always people from different places here which can be frustrating at times

#murica

[scabzzzz]

Fuckkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk

This thread makes me want to throw my computer

[jeffnhiscars]

Not sure how I miss d this thread but I'm enjoying it.

[animal]

spent hours reading this. love it.

keep it up! def looking forward to seeing updates.

[FreedomM3]

I love Colorado. Now I love this thread! I shall come see your progress sometime November when I go to Breck this year!

I love the salmon and the hell of a deal! Good job!

[Alpina]

Didn't paul Burke say he can fix the head? From an outsiders perspective that is the best choice.

Trying to make a b38 head fit in a b36 is about as logical as me wanting to stuff an s62 in the M3 because the S50 spun some rod bearings...


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the B38 head is a DIRECT fit,,, same cams,, same fitment everything,,

benefits.... 50mm runners,,, 6 coils,, and some more

power gain,=== should be more,,

as i have quite good experience with the B38,, i would say ANYDAY a B38 vs B36

but,, is it worth it vs cost

[Eric]

Good to know alpina! But if tom runs just the b38 head and doesn't convert everything above the head to b38 spec, is there an advantage?

Are you saying the camshafts are the same part between b36 & b38?


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[Peterkaczynski]

I love this car great read and super cool find

[Nesset]

I envy your find!

One day...

[downforce22]

Small update today.

I sourced a replacement head for the car. The local machine shop said all of the valves were out of spec and thus unusable. So I had to source new valves for the head. With the rebuild I now will have peace of mind for the top half of the engine. Turns out you can't source a b38 head with a VIN number and they are more expensive plus require a core according to RealOEM.

I also snagged my favorite spoiler for the e30. Its the same one that was on Jason's old car, the 3 piece Kamei. It should even out the black Jimmy Hill spoiler on the front of the car. Really would love to find some kamei/zender wind splits. I may need to lower the rear, its really jacked up as I look at it now. Also will need an exhaust welded up as the e30 exhaust just isnt going to cut it on that s38.

I'll also swap out the fogs for the correct clear early fogs i have in a box and paint the Jimmy Hill flat black. Also wish I would have gotten the BBS side skirts that were for sale locally about a year ago. I'm not use to the non iX e30 side profile with no skirts

[FreedomM3]

The black one is bad!!!!!!

[downforce22]

The new head is in. It came from Germany. Supposedly there are only 7 heads left in Germany (according to my source). After inspection from the machine shop, none of the valves were within acceptable tolerances to be reused.

Its pretty crazy when you realize the cylinder head splits in two pieces and the cam tray is split from the actual cylinder head. The good news is my cam tray is still usable.





Here is an s14 cam tray for reference.



And another of an s38 with it all bolted together.



I am finding out why people are so afraid of engine work on these engines. A head from BMW lists north of $5000 from BMW. I also asked if I could get a B38 head but it sounded like they verify the vehicle vin etc before selling one to you, let alone in the US where the B38 was never officially sold.

BTW intake valves from BMW are $85 each. They are the same as the s14, and s38 engines from the e28s, and s24s including M635csi sold in europe. And exhaust valves are $165 each and fitting the same engines. B38 valves are different (larger and filled with a different metal). I found new valves at fcpeuro.com for a great deal at less than $30 each. Brand are intervalves and I read good things about them online. Here is their site. Anyway, here are two shots of the actual head with new valve train.

https://www.intervalves-technologies.com

Supposedly engine work will commence next week!! :devil: