Flake M50 conversion

[flake 0]

hey guys. finally decided it was about time to get my m50 done, its only been like 5 months since i started the conversion. i work full time and over christmas i was quite busy doing overtime so the project got put on hold for a while. abit short notice but i'm hoping to have it running in 10 days from now, i've set myself a goal so lets see what happens.

i brought the car off jimmy in june last year. i flew down to chistchurch and drove home. this is the car just out of kaikoura. 1990 320i e30 on 14" weaves with semi slick tires on the rear, koni's and eibach springs. the drive home was absolutly amazing, the car handled so well.

and no i didn't do skids in the gravel...as i didn't know how.

now the m50. i brought that from brent in papakura. drove up on saturday morning and drove back saturday evening with it on my trailor. 16hours, 4 V's (big), 2 footlong subways and 1 stripclub later i had it back in my garage in wellington.

next step. pull out the old m20b20. took her for one last thrash around the neighbourhood with no bonnet and did a skid in my driveway.

a month later m50 goes in along

progress stopped from then till basically now. so the last week or so i've been hunting through any m50 project forum for any usefull informantion i realize i didn't get my m20 flywheel shimmed before i put the motor and gearbox in as it hits the back of the oil pan. so about 2 hours ago i pulled the motor and removed the gearbox and took a photo. i need your opinion. does this look like a lightned flywheel? i'm definatly no expert, but it looks like it has. and there is a good 25mm clearance between the flywheel and the sump.

i've started on the wiring so fingers crossed it'll fire this weekend and maybe exhaust. now all i need is front seats! i am in desperate need of e30 black leather recaro/msport front seats, only. as i have the rest of the matching interior. honestly who take the front seats and leaves the rest? this was at pickapart like 6hours after the car was put onto the yard. the fronts were taken within the hour of it being out.

anyway all greets/grats/info/flaming/flame/heineken/sella/or advice cause i've done something wrong, is welcome. thanks

now i'm off to the hospital to get the stitches on my hand redone, gearbox crossmembers are sharp. points chart so far e30:10 points - anthony:2 points

Edited April 19, 2010 by flake

[APT 195]

Looking good mate, Wheres the pics of the mtech exterior goodies ?

[Forrest 35]

f**k that guy needs a haircut in pic #5

Good work on cutting your hand again

Good to see you have some motivation back, gimmie a buzz if you need a hand with anything before the weekend

[huff3r 347]

now the m50. i brought that from brent in papakura. drove up on saturday morning and drove back saturday evening with it on my trailor. 16hours, 4 V's (big), 2 footlong subways and 1 stripclub later i had it back in my garage in wellington.

Lol. Good sh*t.

f**k that guy needs a haircut in pic #5

Good work on cutting your hand again

Good to see you have some motivation back, gimmie a buzz if you need a hand with anything before the weekend

What he said. All of it. Am free all weekend AFAIK.

[tibbs.james 1]

make me so happy to see my old E50 with M50 in there !

As Far as I know that flywheel isn't lightened, it came from silver fox from a 2.3 ages and ages ago so im not sure what that means. When i had it skimmed for the clutch over 3 years ago when i did the manual conversion the engineer commented it was quite a light flywheel.

Awwww man I miss that car so much

Want to give it back when its done

[melowpuf 19]

take to the back of the sump with a grinder where it hits.. it hits on the hole surround for tightening the torque converter on the m50 for the auto boxes.. easy 2 minute fix..

And get a bowl haircut

Edited April 19, 2010 by melowpuf

[pureboiracer 0]

Looking good mate, umm take flywheel off a weigh it. also just look around and see if its dangerously close to anywhere, let me know if you need a hand with anything mate.

[Silver Fox 43]

The flywheel is standard BMW issue, came out of a manual 323, an early one. I've just found another the same, from an 84 E28 520i 5 speed with a ZF box, they are lighter than the normal ones, and don't have that extra chunk of metal on the engine side they have, that's why you have so much clearance there. Going to use the new one behind the M54B30.

[Guest Simon*]

You didn't leave your baby in the E30 while you visited the strippers did you?

Good work Anthony! I remember Brams mentioned this project was coming .... eventually

[Nobimmer 694]

And get a bowl haircut

Lol

[_ethrty-Andy_ 2136]

good man getting this written up. does look smaller than the factory one i described to you so yeah just see how close it is to rubbing on the oilpan/block

saw the dude that took the front seats, they were mint condition! same car i got my tech2 kit and LSD etc for peanuts. took the seats but left all the other motorsport stuff lol

+1 for giving you hand/advice if you need it

Edited April 19, 2010 by ethrty320

[melowpuf 19]

What is the motor out of? I thought the E34 sump was the way to go for the e30 conversions? hence my previous post about grinding hole surround where the m20 flywheels rub from my m50 - m20 fywheel conversions.

[*Glenn* 854]

What is the motor out of? I thought the E34 sump was the way to go for the e30 conversions? hence my previous post about grinding hole surround where the m20 flywheels rub from my m50 - m20 fywheel conversions.

I have a feeling that project is doing it the new way Lance

[pureboiracer 0]

^e34 sump is the way to go.... sorry i forgot to add the sarcastic font before.

[melowpuf 19]

I have a feeling that project is doing it the new way Lance

Ah.. I love new ideas.. lets have a bbq and everyone bring your hammers..

Oh and I thought you were being serious e30li with your 5 steps to happiness- it would not have surprised me..

Edited April 20, 2010 by melowpuf

[pureboiracer 0]

na if i was serious step one would have been buy the biggest hammer you can find...

Edited April 20, 2010 by e30li

[Guest Ari Gold]

na if i was serious step one would have been buy the biggest hammer you can find...

Sharpen up mate, you've been here 3 years now, you KNOW that every project has a BFH, you've clearly not seen enough of Gus and Tony posting.

[antil33t 90]

Just to get it back ontopic.

Project is looking good man, I'll keep an eye on this (need ideas for own car)

Which Gearbox are you using? standard G240?

[_ethrty-Andy_ 2136]

hes using a g260 from his old M20

[pureboiracer 0]

g260s work fine...... you can even make the standart mount bolt up if you have a big enough pry bar

[huff3r 347]

g260s work fine...... you can even make the standart mount bolt up if you have a big enough pry bar

lol. Rough as usual ae?

If it looks like it'll fit, grab a pry bar or BFH and make it fit?

[pureboiracer 0]

rough???? it hasnt broken yet......

[flake 0]

wow lucky i didn't put a picture of how i did mine then. crossmember meets BFH in a BFvice, needed a few decent hits but it lined up eventually. rough is good. this is just a temperary fit though, when i get the exhaust welded up i'll make a new crossmember to suit.

so time is running out for it to get running and up to spec. six more days and hopefully i'll be driving it up to auckland. quite a progressive day today: refitted the gearbox and dropped the engine back in. (this has been like the 4th time i've had the engine in and out so i'm getting pretty good at it) driveshaft back in and all tightened up. figured how i'm going to remotly mount my brake resouvior, pictures tomorrow. brake fluid wont do anything to copper tube will it? recharged car battery which has been siting for 5 months and installed a battery to boot kit so i have some more space in my engine bay. hunted through diagrams and labled where all the fuel, coolant and vacuum lines go, as i have forgotten. made inquiries about the themo fan but got scared by the price. $200 trade price for a 14" electric fan from bnt, but it was a proper aussie race one. any ideas on what i can use or do i bite the bullet and get it?

but i got stuck with wiring the starter motor. on the m50 side there is a positve feed to the alternator and two other connections. i think one is for the starter relay (black/green wire) and the other one is the starer ignition (black/yellow wire. this wire is thicker than the other one). now the starter motor has two earths (both connected to each other so basically one earth), a main power feed and another connection.

do i just connect the two m50 side wires to the other connection on the starter, or does one of them need to connect to the smaller earth on the starter?

i want to try get it started by the end of the day tomorrow otherwise have it going on monday. tuesday wednesday get the exhaust done and test drive thrusday friday and fix any hick ups to leave saturday morning. and meanwhile working 7 till 5 during the week.

any advice is always helpful. thanks

i'll have a decent write up tomorrow

Edited April 24, 2010 by flake

[Silver Fox 43]

You should have a positive power feed and the alternator feed on the big 13mm one, the power feed from the relay on the 10mm one, and the 8mm one is the accessory delete wire, not needed I believe, it stops the radio lights etc when you turn the key to start.

[oscar90 0]

Supercheap auto have 14" electric fans, like $80-$90 for one or two for $115...