Michael. 2313 Report post Posted March 19, 2015 Pretty. More pics!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
duvey 245 Report post Posted March 30, 2015 Progressing nicely, despite a number of fairly major roadblocks. Revshift engine and trans mounts arrived from the states last week (finally) Now that the mounts I had been waiting for were here, it was all go. I installed the new engine and gearbox and connected up the new shifter mechanisms. Wired everything up and added fluids. It was at this point I noticed the big crack in the sump leaking oil all over my floor. I should have filled the engine with fluids before I put it in the car but live and learn. I decided to try to start the new engine anyway to check everything else was okay. Connected the battery and turned the ignition on, and sheets of smoke started pouring out from under the main ecu relay in the engine bay. Hooray. I cut back the insulation from the loom to assess the damage. The insulation on one particular wire was completely burned off, and had melted the insulation on several other wires in the loom. I figured there was probably a short somewhere in the loom, and I had the luxury of having another m20 loom sitting in my garage on my removed m20b20, so I went about swapping over the looms. m20b25 loom evicted from its home. m20b20 loom transplanted onto the b25. Oil still leaking from the sump, I again connected the battery and turned the ignition on. This time no smoke. Phew. Cranked the engine over but it wouldn't start. Confirmed I had fuel to the rail. Confirmed the coil was working properly. Did a spark test which showed me the distributor was at fault. Took it all apart and the dizzy cap appeared to be quite worn. Again, I pulled the dizzy cap and HT lead assembly of the b20 and transplanted it all onto the b25. This time I turned the engine over, and it immediately roared to life. The sound of an unmuffled straight 6 giving me much needed motivation. Time to address the sump. I already had the front struts out for various reasons, so it made sense just to drop the front subframe out. A few bolts later... The sump came off the b25 shortly after. The crankcase looked good, with no sludge etc. The culprit, seen above. I pulled the sump off the b20, checked they were the same, then went about cleaning up the b20 sump. All clean, below. I installed the b20 sump with Permatex red rtv after doing a bit of reading. Now just waiting the 24 hours for it to cure before adding oil and checking for any other issues. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jeffbebe 1559 Report post Posted March 30, 2015 Awesome work, Ben. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
e30ftw 410 Report post Posted March 30, 2015 So tidy. I'd reckon solid mounts be abit rough in a daily? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
duvey 245 Report post Posted March 30, 2015 Awesome work, Ben. Thanks Jules! So tidy. I'd reckon solid mounts be abit rough in a daily? Very true. The role of the car has changed somewhat since I started the thread. Definitely no longer a daily. I have the E36 for that. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Michael. 2313 Report post Posted March 30, 2015 Coming together nicely indeed. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
duvey 245 Report post Posted May 2, 2015 The part i've been waiting for for 6 weeks finally arrived today. It is a special part made by revshift that replaced the standard rubber guibo in the driveline. It adapts the 96mm/12mm transmission flange (which came on the new getrag260 I bought) to the 78mm/10mm E30 driveshaft. All bolted up in the car: Put in gearbox fluid and coolant. Bolted up the old exhaust (will get a new one made soon). And started her up. Had to fix an exhaust leak and a coolant leak, but once that was sorted it went for it's first drive. Success! No major issues at all. Much rougher with the poly engine and gearbox mounts, but feels great. Also now has drop hats to bring the front down a bit. Few more things to do (including putting the bonnet back on), but we're pretty much there! Stoked 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
duvey 245 Report post Posted May 4, 2015 (edited) Few more days of running. No big issues. Really pleased with everything. Chilling at home Major increase in power. So much more torque at the low end. It really highlights the flaws of the m20b20. Significant NVH increase with the more solid mounts, but throttle response is fantastic. The whole car feels very solid. Shifter is much better than before, and the ratios of the new gearbox are much better than the Getrag245. Finally got around to working on the odometer. I found out there were several different types of gears available, and that I would have to pull apart the cluster before ordering them to make sure I got the right gears. Wheel off, cluster out. Cluster surgery begins. Gears in situ. Broken teeth seen below. Worked out I needed version 'B' of Garagistic's KM MotoMeter gear replacement kit: http://store.garagistic.com/ocart/KMH-motometer-gears-b Gone ahead and ordered this. In the meantime i'll put the cluster back in the car so it's drivable. Edited May 4, 2015 by duvey 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BM WORLD 1283 Report post Posted May 4, 2015 nice work , its all the little things that count , I just did the odo gears in my 635csi have to see that car sometime when your done 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
duvey 245 Report post Posted May 4, 2015 nice work , its all the little things that count , I just did the odo gears in my 635csi have to see that car sometime when your done Thanks Brent. Nice to meet you on the weekend, and thanks for tracking down those bolts for me. Definitely a nice little DIY, a bit fiddly but it really does all come apart pretty nicely - and like you say, the devil is in the details. Now time to try to find some sport seats! 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
duvey 245 Report post Posted May 8, 2015 Went for a drive out to Muriwai (and around the place a bit) to go for a jog on the beach. Car didn't skip a beat! Its the first time I've had the car in the windies proper, and I couldn't stop smiling. Plenty of power for me, and with the solid engine mounts, you really feel the engine. So glad that I deleted the power steering. It is a great budget option to improve steering rather than replacing the rack with a faster one from a e36/46, and doesn't have the effect of modernising the car (which I am trying to avoid). The steering loads up beautifully in corners, and the feedback is great. Not so heavy at slow speeds that you can't get it to do what you want with a bit of manhandling. It has just transformed the car and created a hugely engaging driving experience, which is really what this whole project was about. Could do with a LSD though.... Anyone have any recommendations on what the best option for sourcing a LSD would be? An e30 with illegitimate M-badges on 18" chromies and a fart cannon exhaust tried to race me on the way home. I did not engage. Have been speaking to DKM Fabrication in Wairau Valley about getting a new exhaust put together. 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
duvey 245 Report post Posted May 19, 2015 Odometer is working again. Garagistic replacement gears in place. Took it down to my bach near Taupo. Nearly 1000kms of running. No issues. Gratuitous engine bay photo. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kulgan 1042 Report post Posted May 19, 2015 I've somehow missed this entire thread but now I'e had a very enjoyable read from beginning to now. Awesome work you've done. It's always nice when a project comes together like that and the end result meets or exceeds the expectations you had from the beginning. Congratulations. Oh, keep the gratuitous engine bay photos coming. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kepes 231 Report post Posted May 20, 2015 Have been following this on and off since the beginning and like Dave said it has really come together well. I love the simple and clean look. Well done! Definitely motivates me to do some work on mine. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
duvey 245 Report post Posted May 22, 2015 (edited) I've somehow missed this entire thread but now I'e had a very enjoyable read from beginning to now. Awesome work you've done. It's always nice when a project comes together like that and the end result meets or exceeds the expectations you had from the beginning. Congratulations. Oh, keep the gratuitous engine bay photos coming. Have been following this on and off since the beginning and like Dave said it has really come together well. I love the simple and clean look. Well done! Definitely motivates me to do some work on mine. Thanks guys. Very rewarding, and a big learning experience for me too. Edited May 22, 2015 by duvey Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
duvey 245 Report post Posted June 12, 2015 Another 800km+ roadtrip. Balmy in Turangi. Need to do the rear end bushings. The rear end feels a bit vague when it loads up in a hard corner. Deliberating on solid/poly/OEM options. Also got it put on a classic insurance policy. Cut my premium by 1/3rd with better cover. Stoked! 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
