E28 - the long slog
Discussion
A bit of pissing around today.
Plugs changed, thermostat changed, waterpump changed. Old drive belts removed, new one on order.
Whipped the cam cover off to have a quick peak inside, and all seems well:
Had to unleash The Persuader Mk3 to get the stubborn pinnion out, but out it came, so the diff case and back cover are now ready for blasting:
Other than that, the garage has been tidied, the various bits and bobs have been sorted and put into boxes, and most of the various fluids I've spilt on the floor have been mopped up. Fnar.
Oh, and I also gave the top engine cover a clean up. Cillit Bang is the daddy.
Special thanks today go to Woodkid for their excellent track Run Boy Run and Innis & Gunn for putting beer into oak barrels before it gets delivered to my mouth.
Plugs changed, thermostat changed, waterpump changed. Old drive belts removed, new one on order.
Whipped the cam cover off to have a quick peak inside, and all seems well:
Had to unleash The Persuader Mk3 to get the stubborn pinnion out, but out it came, so the diff case and back cover are now ready for blasting:
Other than that, the garage has been tidied, the various bits and bobs have been sorted and put into boxes, and most of the various fluids I've spilt on the floor have been mopped up. Fnar.
Oh, and I also gave the top engine cover a clean up. Cillit Bang is the daddy.
Special thanks today go to Woodkid for their excellent track Run Boy Run and Innis & Gunn for putting beer into oak barrels before it gets delivered to my mouth.
So, today's uber-exciting update:
Boom! New drive belt fitted.
Wait! Wait! That's not all...
What you can't see is the brand new oil cap and brand new sump plug. Yep.
Something else I have done today is order a new petrol tank, so hopefully that should be with me shortly.
For no good reason other than I wanted to, I started attacking the (soon to be scrapped) front panel with a strip disc, just to see how effective it was. The answer was very. So with some bare metal on show, I thought I ought to stick some primer on it. And then two coats of Zinnober - just to see. That's currently drying, then it'll get a quick flash of lacquer, and then I'll have a reminder of what colour it's going to be at the end - woohoo.
Oh, and final thought for the evening - I cut away the windscreen seal at the bottom corners, where the metal is rusting. The camera battery gave up at that point, but it's not too bad. Ish. Kinda.
Other final thoughts for the evening include a potentially expensive mistake avoided - I've been intending to fit a 6 speed gearbox (from an E36 M3), but they're getting reasonably thin on the ground, so when I saw an E46 box come up locally at a good price I was pretty much ready to drive over tonight to get it. Excpet a bit of digging showed that to use it with an M52 meant I'd need an E46 M3 flywheel and clutch, and a 325i slave cylinder. Having just bought a new clutch kit I didn't fancy that. Could've been lots of pennies wasted - phew!
Boom! New drive belt fitted.
Wait! Wait! That's not all...
What you can't see is the brand new oil cap and brand new sump plug. Yep.
Something else I have done today is order a new petrol tank, so hopefully that should be with me shortly.
For no good reason other than I wanted to, I started attacking the (soon to be scrapped) front panel with a strip disc, just to see how effective it was. The answer was very. So with some bare metal on show, I thought I ought to stick some primer on it. And then two coats of Zinnober - just to see. That's currently drying, then it'll get a quick flash of lacquer, and then I'll have a reminder of what colour it's going to be at the end - woohoo.
Oh, and final thought for the evening - I cut away the windscreen seal at the bottom corners, where the metal is rusting. The camera battery gave up at that point, but it's not too bad. Ish. Kinda.
Other final thoughts for the evening include a potentially expensive mistake avoided - I've been intending to fit a 6 speed gearbox (from an E36 M3), but they're getting reasonably thin on the ground, so when I saw an E46 box come up locally at a good price I was pretty much ready to drive over tonight to get it. Excpet a bit of digging showed that to use it with an M52 meant I'd need an E46 M3 flywheel and clutch, and a 325i slave cylinder. Having just bought a new clutch kit I didn't fancy that. Could've been lots of pennies wasted - phew!
Siko said:
What a brilliant thread! Top work.
Why thank you!Siko said:
Ps - Are you really Edd China? 
Now wouldn't that be good - this'd be done by now!Siko said:
Pps Interested to hear costs if its not too vulgar to ask?
I've not really gone through it, but a few bits I can remember:Car - £375
Engine - £320
Dampers - £575
Springs - £200
Total projected cost - c.£8-10k
I'm keeping receipts so I can add it all up at the end, and then weep gently...
The two pics I couldn't upload last night:
Driver's side corner of the screen:
Passenger:
Not great, but not too bad (I think).
Had a chat today with Martin Scott of Scott's Performance in Dartford. Making new engine mounts, gearbox linkages and shift mechanisms is a little beyond me. I've known Martin for a while (he used to run a few M3 race cars, amongst others) and he's going to take this on for me. It was always my intention to outsource this bit, but because of his wide range of skills I'm more than happy to take it here.
So, all I need to do is finish off stripping the fuel and brake lines out, get a new in-tank lift pump ordered and various other odds and sods, and then hopefully it should be off in the next fortnight or so.
Oh, and I also still need a gearbox. If anyone knows of an E36 M3 6 speed in good condition and for a good price, I'm all ears.
Driver's side corner of the screen:
Passenger:
Not great, but not too bad (I think).
Had a chat today with Martin Scott of Scott's Performance in Dartford. Making new engine mounts, gearbox linkages and shift mechanisms is a little beyond me. I've known Martin for a while (he used to run a few M3 race cars, amongst others) and he's going to take this on for me. It was always my intention to outsource this bit, but because of his wide range of skills I'm more than happy to take it here.
So, all I need to do is finish off stripping the fuel and brake lines out, get a new in-tank lift pump ordered and various other odds and sods, and then hopefully it should be off in the next fortnight or so.
Oh, and I also still need a gearbox. If anyone knows of an E36 M3 6 speed in good condition and for a good price, I'm all ears.
The latest haul of parts is in (with more to follow).
A new fuel tank - this is from ECP rather than BMW, but looks to be ok from a cursory inspection:
A plug for the sump, to fit where the M50 had an oil level sensor:
A Renault Clio II brake servo - needed to clear the inlet manifold, apparently. Will need modifying slightly first:
Some wheels (and I've got a fifth already) - I had some of these before, but sold them on and regretted it, so I've bought some more. Hopefully get these off for a refurb shortly:
There's a rumour that you're meant to put rubber on them at some point, too. We shall see...
I also bought a gearbox cross member, new rubber mounts and bolts/washers etc. Was cheaper to get a new cross member from the dealer than a second hand one from eGay:
It'll need powdercoating, I think. I'm also wondering if I should get the outside of the fuel tank done too.
Anyway, I needed a new cross member because I've got a new gearbox. I got a bit trigger happy on eGay and hit Buy-It-Now before I realised where it was, and how much the shipping would be. So, yesterday morning I had a nice little jaunt down to Salisbury (from Herts, via Mayfair) and collected an E36 M3 Evo 6 speed box:
The eagle-eyed amongst you will notice that it's missing the linkage. That's because it is. However, one is winging its way to me, and should be here by the end of the week. Obviously I've not checked how close it is to fitting. I stronly suspect the answer is "not very", and the linkage will need cutting down so as not to come up between the rear seats. But hey, where's the fun in easy?
The reason I'm set on the 6 speed box is so that I can run a short diff. The M535i LSD I bought is a 3.07 ratio, which isn't much different to the standard 328i version. And that's boring.
To alleviate that potential boredom, a box arrived with this in it:
I'll admit that when it arrived I couldn't actually remember what ratio it was. I knew it was shorter, but not exactly what. Luckily it still had the tag on it - no so luckily, it's covered in rust. A quick swipe with the grinder and you may just be able to see the numbers (squint a bit, ignore the dolphins and it should all come clear):
For the benefit of those who are hard of hearing, it says 3.64. So that's nice. I think it has come from an E24, but in all honesty I can't remember. Whatever it is, once I've stripped it down it should become apparent whether it will work as a CWP donor.
So, although no work has happened, that's where we are for now. By the end of this week the new heater blower motor should have been released from customs (coming from the US), the gearbox linkage should have landed (it'll need some bits refreshed, that much is certain) and I should have an M50 inlet manifold and BBTB to go on the engine. I'm also planning to drop off a box of bits to the powdercoaters for a spruce up, and all being well, I might even get the spanners out over the weekend - I know!
A new fuel tank - this is from ECP rather than BMW, but looks to be ok from a cursory inspection:
A plug for the sump, to fit where the M50 had an oil level sensor:
A Renault Clio II brake servo - needed to clear the inlet manifold, apparently. Will need modifying slightly first:
Some wheels (and I've got a fifth already) - I had some of these before, but sold them on and regretted it, so I've bought some more. Hopefully get these off for a refurb shortly:
There's a rumour that you're meant to put rubber on them at some point, too. We shall see...
I also bought a gearbox cross member, new rubber mounts and bolts/washers etc. Was cheaper to get a new cross member from the dealer than a second hand one from eGay:
It'll need powdercoating, I think. I'm also wondering if I should get the outside of the fuel tank done too.
Anyway, I needed a new cross member because I've got a new gearbox. I got a bit trigger happy on eGay and hit Buy-It-Now before I realised where it was, and how much the shipping would be. So, yesterday morning I had a nice little jaunt down to Salisbury (from Herts, via Mayfair) and collected an E36 M3 Evo 6 speed box:
The eagle-eyed amongst you will notice that it's missing the linkage. That's because it is. However, one is winging its way to me, and should be here by the end of the week. Obviously I've not checked how close it is to fitting. I stronly suspect the answer is "not very", and the linkage will need cutting down so as not to come up between the rear seats. But hey, where's the fun in easy?
The reason I'm set on the 6 speed box is so that I can run a short diff. The M535i LSD I bought is a 3.07 ratio, which isn't much different to the standard 328i version. And that's boring.
To alleviate that potential boredom, a box arrived with this in it:
I'll admit that when it arrived I couldn't actually remember what ratio it was. I knew it was shorter, but not exactly what. Luckily it still had the tag on it - no so luckily, it's covered in rust. A quick swipe with the grinder and you may just be able to see the numbers (squint a bit, ignore the dolphins and it should all come clear):
For the benefit of those who are hard of hearing, it says 3.64. So that's nice. I think it has come from an E24, but in all honesty I can't remember. Whatever it is, once I've stripped it down it should become apparent whether it will work as a CWP donor.
So, although no work has happened, that's where we are for now. By the end of this week the new heater blower motor should have been released from customs (coming from the US), the gearbox linkage should have landed (it'll need some bits refreshed, that much is certain) and I should have an M50 inlet manifold and BBTB to go on the engine. I'm also planning to drop off a box of bits to the powdercoaters for a spruce up, and all being well, I might even get the spanners out over the weekend - I know!
A little update from today - nothing majorly exciting I'm afraid.
Diff parts are back from being blasted:
Blower motor has arrived:
Gear linkage has arrived:
And is fitted:
Which means I can confirm that gearbox contains 6 forward gears, and one reverse.
Clio servo has been rubbed down ready for painting - shown here next to E28 version for scale:
And here you can see the difference in clevis length, which will need adjusting for it to work:
3.64 diff has been stripped down:
This one definitely isn't a slipper:
Next job is to paint the servo, the gearbox bracket and the fuel tank with POR15 (and stonchip on the tank), followed by removing the old tank, lines and pump over the weekend. Also need to finish pulling the front subframe out and taking the steering box off so that I can give it a quick refurb.
Onwards!
Diff parts are back from being blasted:
Blower motor has arrived:
Gear linkage has arrived:
And is fitted:
Which means I can confirm that gearbox contains 6 forward gears, and one reverse.
Clio servo has been rubbed down ready for painting - shown here next to E28 version for scale:
And here you can see the difference in clevis length, which will need adjusting for it to work:
3.64 diff has been stripped down:
This one definitely isn't a slipper:
Next job is to paint the servo, the gearbox bracket and the fuel tank with POR15 (and stonchip on the tank), followed by removing the old tank, lines and pump over the weekend. Also need to finish pulling the front subframe out and taking the steering box off so that I can give it a quick refurb.
Onwards!
V8mate said:
Is that little servo going to have enough oomph? Are you altering the braking system from stock at the business end?
It's the one other people who have done M5x conversions have used, but I've not tried it myself yet. If it's no good, I'll find something else. The brakes are E34 540i at the front, E34 535i at the back. I'm also going to be fitting some performance pads that have good initial response (although I'm yet to decide which/order any).Huntsman said:
Why has that blower motor not got the fans on? The Behr one I bought from ebay.com came complete with fans.
Yes, it would appear that getting one with blades on is a better move. However, I'm sure it'll be the work of a moment to swap them over** It won't
Edited by Output Flange on Wednesday 20th February 18:31
No, in the standard location on the N/S.
On a RHD E28 there's a linkage from the pedals that goes across the cabin side of the bulkhead and operates the servo. I guess it was a quick way to develop the RHD version, but it ain't pretty, and that linkage needs to be kept lubricated. The clutch master cylinder is on the OS, with a hydraulic line going across the bulkhead in the engine bay to the slave cylinder.
On a RHD E28 there's a linkage from the pedals that goes across the cabin side of the bulkhead and operates the servo. I guess it was a quick way to develop the RHD version, but it ain't pretty, and that linkage needs to be kept lubricated. The clutch master cylinder is on the OS, with a hydraulic line going across the bulkhead in the engine bay to the slave cylinder.
Little bit of painting today.
Bottom half of the fuel tank has had a coat of POR-15:
Diff case has had primer and a coat of satin black:
The Clio servo has had a tidy up, too.
Going to leave the tank to dry overnight, then tomorrow night I'll do the top half. The bottom will get a decent coat of stonechip afterwards.
M50 manifold is here:
And I've done a quick test-fit to check that the wheels will clear the brakes - and they will, just:
Bottom half of the fuel tank has had a coat of POR-15:
Diff case has had primer and a coat of satin black:
The Clio servo has had a tidy up, too.
Going to leave the tank to dry overnight, then tomorrow night I'll do the top half. The bottom will get a decent coat of stonechip afterwards.
M50 manifold is here:
And I've done a quick test-fit to check that the wheels will clear the brakes - and they will, just:
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