ntaylor90 10 Report post Posted October 22, 2013 (edited) Hello everyone! As promised I said I would start a build thread for my m50 swap into my 318ti. I recently purchased a de-reged 325is that was stickered due to excessive rear quarter panel rust. It had the m50, the manual box, and also full leather interior and m-sport body kit. All in all it was a complete car that i am using for parts! Now I'm relatively new to the whole idea of swapping an engine, but relatively confident and competent with engine knowledge and a toolbox! I started tearing apart the m50, and am replacing every single gasket, includ new valve stem seals, new bearings for crank and cams, head bolts (ARP) and stock HG for now. Future plans are to do a lot of aesthetic work on the 318ti, basically make it look less like the bastard child it is, and then move onto Evo pistons (85mm bore, reducing c/r as told by the incredible crunchy) and have a manifold manufactured and wire a nice dirty big turbo onto it for some fun times! I have taken a few pics so far, and will take many more, so I will do my utmost to post them on here for all to see! I'm very excited about this project, have always wanted to swap an engine, and it's also an awesome learning curve for me! Regards to all, (Don't hate the ti ) Nick Edited October 22, 2013 by flyboynick Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ntaylor90 10 Report post Posted October 22, 2013 The poor old 325is manual for parts Starting to take the front off Up on the jack stands and draining fluids Cylinder head. A bit of carbon buildup on the valves and combustion chamber, but will clean off nicely! Pistons will get a good clean even though I plan on using forged evo pistons in the near future for my Turbo build Starting to get everything off and wiring tied to the side for now Managed to take the block out on a jack with the help of the better half! It's sitting up on a stand, will clean prep and paint it. Really tidy block though I'm pleased with it! That's all I have for now! Much more to come In the near future so stay posted! Nick Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
qube 3570 Report post Posted October 23, 2013 Any pics of the ti? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thorburn 121 Report post Posted October 23, 2013 more details on the evo pistons? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ntaylor90 10 Report post Posted October 23, 2013 QUBE - I will upload some pictures of her soon! Re: the Evo pistons, they fit nicely onto the stock rods (or Eagle rods if you're so inclined ) with same pin size. They are slightly shorter pistons than stock, and with a bore of 85.00mm instead of 84 like on the m50, so they can be used with an m50 bored to 85mm for a slightly bigger bore and slightly lower c/r. This is what I have been told by crunchy and I trust this man above all others when it comes to bmw and forced induction! I'll be running stock pistons with new rings for now, as I will rebore and put the evo pistons in when it comes time to turbo Thanks for the comments! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ntaylor90 10 Report post Posted October 24, 2013 (edited) Look what arrived today!! Head up total gasket set. Waiting on crankcase gasket set, Goetze piston rings, and crankshaft align tool. eBay is awesome! I should also have arrive tomorrow, e46 330i big brakes - thanks to Brent at bmworld! Should fit very snugly behind my 17" wheels Will be purchasing a good set of slotted drilled rotors and ceramic pads from eBay when they arrive! Picked up a drill today, some wire wheel attachments, and engine enamel primer to start priming the cleaned up block, head and sump. Taking out valves tomorrow, and will give them a good clean and get the head cleaned nicely! Will be a good weekend Nick Edited October 24, 2013 by flyboynick 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thorburn 121 Report post Posted October 24, 2013 330i 4 pots? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ntaylor90 10 Report post Posted October 24, 2013 330i 4 pots? Excuse me, derp moment. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
euroriffic 609 Report post Posted October 24, 2013 Looks like your making progress fast on this. Nice work. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ntaylor90 10 Report post Posted October 24, 2013 Looks like your making progress fast on this. Nice work. Thanks. Never undertaken anything like this, but it's really enjoyable, and definitely a great learning curve. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
allan 295 Report post Posted October 24, 2013 Best of luck with your project may the gods of electronic's be kind also the cert guy you have. In the final straight with my E46Ti dropped a M54b25 and manual conversion. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ntaylor90 10 Report post Posted October 26, 2013 Today was a very productive day! Now waiting for the Crank gasket set and piston rings which should arrive by the end of the month! I started off the day getting the valves out. What a f***ing mission! Haha. I ended up using an F-clamp, and a multi-tool spanner thing, compressed the valves, and then used a little extendable magnet to pick off the little retainers! After the first couple it was a bit easier I will definitely need a proper valve compressor to get them back on! (I had a stanley 'universal' one, that wasn't going to work.) There was a bit of carbon deposit on the valves (mainly the exhaust valves, as you can see) so I punctured a can of CRC Carb cleaner and emptied it into a bucket and soaked the valves in for a good half hour - the carbon wiped right off! Felt like I deserved a beer after that, although it only took me about an hour and a half for all 24! Cleaning up the head now, I was pleasantly surprised with the condition also, a wee bit of head gasket residue which will skim right off nicely! Attacked the Oil Sump and front cover with degreaser, hot soapy water, carb cleaner, and a wire brush on a drill to make it nice and shiny Put on 2 coats of primer, and 2 of gloss black. I will wait until it's properly cured (7 days), sand it down with a tiny grit, and make one last coat. I used Duplicolour engine enamel - had good reviews! Tomorrow I might start attacking the block with the wire brush too as that will get the black too. I also received my Calipers yesterday, so I will start cleaning them up too for a paint. Hope everybody has a great long weekend ahead! Drive safe :F Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
slybma 38 Report post Posted October 26, 2013 Making good progress, i've always wanted to do this swap good luck!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ntaylor90 10 Report post Posted October 27, 2013 Had to work this afternoon, but had a good morning! Head looks really nice now, and had the tiniest amount skimmed from the block side. Looks really good! Taped it up and painted all the open bits. Taping was a mission, least favourite part (even more tedious than the valve springs.. Haha!) Looks quite nice I think, and I'm far from a professional!!!! Just like the rest I will wait a week for the paint to cure properly, sand it with a very fine grit, and give her a last coat for a nice even finish! Attacked the valve cover (does anybody know where I can get the little rubber grommets for the bolt seals from? They were US$.50 on turner and pelican parts, but $44 for shipping!!!, if I can find a local supplier that would be awesome). Degreased the inside and will attack the outside with wire brush tomorrow and paint Peace for now! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ntaylor90 10 Report post Posted November 2, 2013 Had a productive morning now that the sun is out!! Started chucking all the valves back in. I managed to tackle the first 12 intake valves over the space of around 2 hours hahaha. What a mission. I purchased a valve spring compressor of trade me, it works quite nicely Will do the other 12 tomorrow, and start thinking of putting it all back together (slowly). Woo! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
*Glenn* 854 Report post Posted November 2, 2013 Do you realise valve stem heights are critical on these engines ? It doesn't look like you have kept the valves in any order so you can put them back in the original position. You now have 24 valves and a six cylinder engine... one hell of a combination to get them back into the original locations. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ntaylor90 10 Report post Posted November 2, 2013 Hey Glenn! Thanks for the comment. When I removed the valves I made a number of dashes in red sharpie on the stem (1-12 dashes depending on their position from the front of the head) and also placed them in a piece of cardboard detailing where each one went as a number, so I put them back in the same places. I didn't know how important that was so I'm glad I did that. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
*Glenn* 854 Report post Posted November 2, 2013 (edited) Hey Glenn! Thanks for the comment. When I removed the valves I made a number of dashes in red sharpie on the stem (1-12 dashes depending on their position from the front of the head) and also placed them in a piece of cardboard detailing where each one went as a number, so I put them back in the same places. I didn't know how important that was so I'm glad I did that. All good then... I just couldn't see any evidence of that. BTW... try and keep you work area a bit tidier... your less likely to hurt you self or damage something. Your photos indicate sh*t everywhere. Not an ideal working area...>>>>constructive criticism Edited November 2, 2013 by *Glenn* Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
yng_750 247 Report post Posted November 2, 2013 work areas should be clean when working on your car. and an absolute bomb site at all other times. thats how i do it anyway haha 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ntaylor90 10 Report post Posted November 2, 2013 Yeah, it's a bit of a mess. It's a tiny carport single garage, there is very little space, and lot of other sh*t down there. I am moving soon also, so don't want to spend hours tidying everything up just to move it all again. I know where everything important is (I think...) haha. I have a friend who put together an m50 into a 328 shell as a track car, he didn't care where the valves came out of and where they went in to, mixed exhaust with intake, and in absolutely no order, all very willy-nilly. His car has been running really well for a while now, a year or so, and he ravages it. Is he just very, very lucky? As I said, I hadn't heard of the significance of the valve lengths before. Thanks 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ntaylor90 10 Report post Posted November 7, 2013 Managed to borrow a piston ring tool, got the piston rings on and put them into a nicely honed block. I ended up honing myself, which was a neat experience. Won't be a perfect job, but it's also just temporary before I move onto other pistons and cometic HG when I start doing turbo gear. All coming together nicely. Quite proud of my work so far considering I have never undertaken anything like this before. A cool and fun learning experience. Buying all fluids and will start thinking about getting everything together before I chuck it in the Ti! Cheers Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
328bema 18 Report post Posted November 7, 2013 You are doing a real great job man, cant wait to see the finished product Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ntaylor90 10 Report post Posted November 7, 2013 Thanks buddy! I've got the bug... Can see me taking this way over the top haha! Love what you're doing with your car too. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thorburn 121 Report post Posted November 8, 2013 I have a friend who put together an m50 into a 328 shell as a track car, he didn't care where the valves came out of and where they went in to, mixed exhaust with intake, and in absolutely no order, all very willy-nilly. His car has been running really well for a while now, a year or so, and he ravages it. Is he just very, very lucky? As I said, I hadn't heard of the significance of the valve lengths before. Thanks Intake and exhaust valves are different sizes. 33mm intake and 30.5mm exhaust at the head. Do you realise valve stem heights are critical on these engines ? It doesn't look like you have kept the valves in any order so you can put them back in the original position. You now have 24 valves and a six cylinder engine... one hell of a combination to get them back into the original locations. What is the reason for this? I'd of thought the height wasn't critical because of the hydraulic lifters. And as far as I can tell they've all been machined to a reasonable tolerance for this. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ntaylor90 10 Report post Posted November 8, 2013 Intake and exhaust valves are different sizes. 33mm intake and 30.5mm exhaust at the head. What is the reason for this? I'd of thought the height wasn't critical because of the hydraulic lifters. And as far as I can tell they've all been machined to a reasonable tolerance for this. Interesting! He must have kept exhaust and intake separate then or they wouldn't have fit... Haha. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
