Cement
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Content Count
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Everything posted by Cement
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Thanks @Dogballs ... not sure if you've given me hope or put me off completely hahaha. Will have a gentle poke and prod and go from there
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I'm swapping from auto to manual as part of my project and I have the BMW clutch hard line to install ... of course every video on the all knowing interweb is for left hand drive where its super easy. Has anybody done the line install on a right hand drive and what was required ? From the looks I need to get the carpet back far enough to route the line from one side of the car to the other ... and for that the dash would have to come out. Please tell me there is this one weird old trick which adds inches over night, loses belly fat and gets that line in there without a ball busting detour to dash town !?
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Just been going through this thread, very nice looking car ... hopefully mine can look as tidy when on the road !!
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Very cool project, nice work !!
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Got the engine leveled out setup a reference 'grid' with the laser to take a bunch of measurements needed to model up the new drysump pan. Was hoping to keep it using a wet sump but expert advice determined there is little room to make something bulletproof. Thats about it lately ... will be many hours on the computer next to model the pan and hopefully get to a workable and easily manufactured solution.
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E46 Engine mounts - M3, polyurethane, other ?
Cement posted a topic in Brakes, Suspension & Steering
I'm about to start making the new mounts for my engine swap project and will be using the BMW mount with a new bracket from there to the engine. I'd like it to not move around too much as clearances are tight in places ... so I'm wondering if people have had any experiences with M3 mounts or polyurethane etc and have a recommendation either way ? Its ultimately a street car so not looking to increase noise and vibration any more than necessary. -
Got the engine / subframe out of the car again so can start fabricating the mounts.
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Got the engine and transmission positioned in the car pretty accurately and have calculated the various driveline angles ... all looks pretty good considering the constraints being worked with. Back into the business end and have almost got the engine mounted to the subframe so I can remove it all together and start working on mounts. Looks like I might be out of gas for the welder unfortunately !!
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The end of the welding on the car body !!! Hooray. The next time the welder comes out it'll be to locate the engine in its final position
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Cleaned and re-packed the CV on the rear section of the drive shaft and got it installed. New centre support bearing is on the way to complete the freshen up there. Got the engine positioned with the stock sump removed to see what we are working with (being able to close the bonnet still that is) for clearance. Its tight on the steering rack ... might be doable in this position with a new windage tray (plus the sump already in design) but I feel like we will need to scrape some mm here and some mm there to get something more workable. In order to fabricate the engine mounts more easily and design the sump properly I will be mounting the engine to the development subframe with a sacrificial welded skeleton. These are the first items (30x5 angle) which will bolt to the engine where the pan came off ... will then weld some larger angle to the subframe bottom and link the two together. Prior to the final welding of the engine to frame it'll be positioned as perfectly as possible.
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I've gone full arts 'n crafts testing out the future sump flange model ... looking good bar a few small tweaks so will be able to start in on the design proper soon. Will still need to accurately measure the dowel locations but can put that on the to-do list for later.
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As per the title I'm looking for a front cross member for an E46. It will be used to fabricate engine mounts on so will be essentially scrapped at the end of the process ... hence does not need to be pretty, but does need to be dimensionally good. Happy to pickup anywhere in Auckland.
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Oil pan removed, onwards we go !! Found a small piece of gasket material in the lower oil pan which looks like it could be from the infamous VQ oil gallery gasket issue ... looks like we'll be taking that detour at some stage !!
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Fuel pump assembly ready to go back in with a Walbro 255lph and dedicated new wiring. Also added in a temp sensor that the Nissan uses which I've connected to the old pump power pins. Its about to get interesting ... engine is up on the stand and oil drained ready to remove the lower oil pan. The approach will be to measure and model the engine where the pan attaches and then install back in the car with trans attached (and subframe reinstalled) but no sump so I can get an idea for the room we have to work with. Then will be able to complete the design of the new wet sump before working on engine mounts and other daunting tasks.
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Visually not too different to the previous but got the shocks in, guard liners painted and installed, calipers on and sensors in place. Currently working on the fuel pump and waiting on a cable gland before I can finish that.
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After a week away with the family we're seeing some solid progress ... more cleaning of parts to go back into the rear end. Installed more of the rear now with just the guard liners, shocks, brakes and sensors to go .... YAY.
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Compared to previous progress things are happening fast now ... final bit of seam welding done in the rear seat, only showing the welds painted with epoxy primer as they don't look great naked Made a custom socket for the subframe mounting studs so I could avoid trying to locate a cheap 30mm crows foot. Worked a treat !! Fuel filler neck, fuel tank and subframe now installed ... will clean the factory wax off the tank which I missed, don't worry
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Cheers, still a long road ahead to get mobile !! Maybe some Nissan emblem bars sticking out of the side of the BMW one Big milestone today, getting the first item reinstalled on the car !!! (even if it was just fuel and brake lines hah)
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Prepped and painted the underside now ... can finally start to get some lines reinstalled and the fuel tank / subframe etc in !!
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Starting to make some visible progress again !! Got the seam sealer on (3M polyurethane) all of the welded areas along with some aerosol rubberised underseal ... should have gone with a more hard core 2k product or just used more seam sealer but oh well. Next up I decided I wanted to water blast the under body and wheel arches before cleaning and painting. I made a dam around the car with some left over PEF rod, timber and a bunch of heavy things so water would be contained and eventually flow out the door. Also adapted the water blaster lance to be a 'sawn off' so it shot straight from the trigger Worked well enough all things considered. FINALLY could get some paint on the underbody and make things look a little tidier !! Two coats of 2k grey for the under body and black for the arches. Its basically full gloss and not satin as it should have been due to rolling it instead of spraying, easy to clean I guess 👍 The 2k paint was a solvent for the rubberised undercoat so didn't roll over it too much ... time will tell if its ultimately a good combination.
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A little more progress over the weekend, the under car welding is now complete !!! Just a little stitch welding behind the spring perches and on the RTA pockets. 2 Coats of epoxy primer on ... just seam sealer and underseal to go then can start the big clean ready for top coats.
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Just a little more preparatory work so I can tidy up the under body properly ... removed the side skirts, front guard liners and the rear brake + fuel lines. The painting is going to be a bit of a drama as if I want to spray it, its looking like I'll have to do that myself and that involves investing in a fed air respirator as the only mobile painter isn't interested. Might try and roll / brush it still to see how annoying it is.
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So it turns out the dry sump would be absolutely perfect ... on a left hand drive Just enough interference with the steering rack input shaft to be a no-go. Will turn the attention back to a custom wet sump. Some progress on the rear end however !! Certifier has been and inspected the welding so now I'm free to get the rear back together. Got supplies to do this consisting of light rust killer, wax & grease remover, 2k epoxy primer, 3M polyurethane seam sealer, paintable underseal and a 2k top coat (grey). Gave everything a final wire wheel and wipe down then applied the epoxy primer with a brush. You can get it to go on pretty nice but turns into a messy and painful job with the brush upside down. Will investigate spraying the underbody when the time comes ... something I didn't want to have to do 😕
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So according to my laser measurements and some emails the engine will fit and actually be able to be dropped a little if I go for a Dailey Engineering dry sump pan which is less than an inch thick. This will also mean I can use the stock cross member and steering rack fitment which would be a massive bonus. I'll start drafting something to Santa now ...
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Sold yesterday sorry mate.
