Slightly ot: Project e30 has begun

[E34 530]

Well I have converted my friend karl to the dark side (from Nissan) and convinced him to buy an e30, the only problem is that it had a piston knock. Time for a stroker. Picked up this eta engine from Jon K. and will be using the block, rods, etc. for the stroker. He will also be purchasing another i engine and then removal of the existing i engine from the car will begin. While the engine is out of the car he plans to totally repaint the car, probably along the lines of cinnabar or another bright red. This is my first engine I've ever built and I'm confident everything will turn out sweet. Also a good learning experience because I eventually plan on swapping out my 3.0 for a 4.0 next summer and even have some e30 plans of my own.

[winfred]

ok

[E34 530]

The eta engine:


Tranny off:


Itake manifold and valve cover off:


On the engine stand, head removed:

[E34 530]

Oh noes, broken timing beltz!!!!11


The cross hatching (or w/e it's called) in the cylinder walls was surprisingly good looking.



Oil pan and pump removal: (Sorry I look like a slob lol)


Removing the pistons:

[E34 530]

Crank looks decent:


Water pump completely trashed. Look at all the sediment build-up.

[E34 530]

Picture of the car with piston knock for $350 (5 speed)


Well, that's about it for now, waiting for a few specialty tools like the fan clutch tool, crank lock, etc

Any tips or comments are def. welcome...
Not too bad for an 18 year old first time engine builder

[Michael999]

looking good, keep us updated

[Fetch]

Sweet, looks fun

[txp135]

I want one

[Rigmaster]

Just curious, what kind of stroker do you plan to build by combining a 325e/325i engines? You'll need custom pistons to make any kind of decent compression.

MUCH easier to just start with an 88-only 325 or 528e engine, then convert it over to "i" specs with a 325i cam, valve springs, ecu, intake, etc and then you have a 2.7l "i" stroker without any custom or exotic parts.

BTW, you don't need any specialty tools to do the fan clutch- just an el-cheapo 32mm wrench- grind the face of it to be a little thinner than as delivered, and that will work better than any specialty tool you can buy. I've also heard that you can find decent 32mm thin wrenches at most bike shops- they're used on the steering head or something like that. You can also get by without the crank lock tool if you want to.

Anyway, looks like a good project, that $350 car looks clean- especially for that price.....


Bret