[iliketurtl3s]

Hell yeah!!!!

[Hoper]

Originally Posted by iliketurtl3s

Hell yeah!!!!

Awesome work Gents, that manual box is rather large, that'll be fun when I replace my clutch, I bet it's heavy

[Socket]

Originally Posted by Hoper

Awesome work Gents, that manual box is rather large, that'll be fun when I replace my clutch, I bet it's heavy

2 man lift Hops

[Socket]

Originally Posted by vtl

Was a big weekend, got a lot of stuff done for the single turbo manifold upgrade and manual conversion.

- Remove front end of the vehicle
- Removed engine and transmission as one assembly
- Removed single turbo manifold, test fit new manifold in the car
- Removed automatic transmission
- Replaced oil pan gasket, encountering some snapped bolts by a previous mechanic
- Instaleld spec stage2+ flywheel and clutch
- Replaced valve cover
- Installed manual trasnmission
- Removed seats, trims and carpets to install the clutch hard pipe from the master cylinder to the firewall (very big job)
- Degreased a whole bunch of parts

Nice write up mate

[Socket]

Mod 100 continued

Following on from Vince's excellent summary of days 1 - 3 above , I thought Id continuing on documenting the build, focusing on different aspects of the build and sharing some shots of parts of the car that we don't often get a chance to see. Hopefully this will help someone out one day, when they are trying to figure out how to put a serpentine belt on a N54

One aspect of the job that needs a little more explanation is the removal of the engine.... now I totally expect Vince to chime in here and provide more detail in case peeps are planning a DIY, but just a couple of things.... engine crane (with decent casters) an engine leveler and lifting straps are all a must... two or three 10L catch pans, lots of rags/drop cloths and degreaser is also highly recommended, as all the fluids (oil, coolant, power steering fluid etc) needs to be drained. Lots of degreaser is needed, cause everything needs to be scrubbed and cleaned before being reinstalled....

Don't forget the under trays, exhaust, tail shaft and half the underside of the car also needs to come out, as well as the front end of the car including the radiator support, radiator, headlights, intercooler, alternator, charge pipe etc etc.... Is a good idea to get the air con lines degassed before you start, as breathing in toxic gas is not good for you

Then there is the removal of the coolant pipes, cables, wiring harness (don't forget to disconnect the battery) and its easy to see why this takes the best part of the day. Finally when you are ready to roll the engine out, dont forget to put a jack under the rear end, because the car is likely to tip backwards when the weight of the engine is removed

Its the little things like this that make home engine removals such fun


Pics of engine removal below

Pic 1 - Ok all this needs under here needs to go
Pic 2 - Exhaust removed. Nice shot of downpipe and O2 sensors
Pic 3 - Draining fluids... this is why you need drain pans and a drop cloth
Pic 4 - With the radiator support in it looks almost normal
Pic 5 - With the radiator support removed it looks like a road smash
Pic 6 - Engine hooked up to the hoist
Pic 7 - Fine adjustments need to be made while maneuvering the engine out
Pic 8 - The empty engine bay
Pic 9 - Task complete. Sit back and admire your work

[Socket]

Mod 100 continued

The other major fix we are doing, is the repositioning of the ST we installed last year.

Regular readers will know that the ST install was not without its challenges One of which was the positioning of the Borg Warner 7670 internally waste gated single turbo. The problem was the flange position of the exhaust manifold and the size of the 7670, meant the turbo sat too high and too close to the engine. Because the gap between the turbo and the engine was so small, we couldn't fit a turbo beanie, resulting in heat issues under the bonnet. In addition the turbo sat too high, making contact with the bonnet, which eventually led to me having to create a makeshift power bump (with a claw hammer) to prevent the hood rubbing through the turbo housing. Forward positioning was also a problem, with just enough room to get a 4 to 3 inch silicon elbow it to create a makeshift air intake.

To solve these problems, we basically need to start over with a new exhaust manifold to reposition the 7670 and with it all new down pipes, lines etc
After spending so much money on this ST, the last thing I want to do is sink more dollars into it, but if we can get a turbo beanie on it and lower it to the point where it will clear the bonnet, it will all be worth it in the long run

Pics of the issues with the current set up, below

Pic 1 - Due to being an internal waste gate ST the 7670 is a big unit
Pic 2 - Exhaust manifold being inspected by Vince before install
Pic 3 - Exhaust manifold installed, T4 flange position
Pic 4 - The 7670 is too close to the engine to fit a beanie
Pic 5 - The 7670 is too tall to close the bonnet without contact
Pic 6 - The 7670 is too far forward to fit a stumpy air filter
Pic 7 - Extra heat shielding needed to deal with the heat from the turbo
Pic 8 - Custom air intake required due to lack of space
Pic 9 - Heat from turbo melted the engine cover M3 bonnet vents
Pic 10 - Had to hammer a bump in the bonnet to prevent wear on the ST

[Socket]

Mod 100 continued

So armed with a new exhaust manifold, fabricated and supplied by Duck (thanks mate) ST install 2018 is underway.

After pulling the engine out of the car, we could get a good look at the current set up. First thing we noticed was how much easier it would have been to fit with the engine out (lesson to anyone planning to do this in the future) Second thing we noticed was many of the manifold studs were missing (need longer OEM studs next time). Third thing we noticed was the oil from the leaking valve cover gasket on the down pipe, which explains the smoke that came from that corner of the engine each morning (mystery solved)

Once we had the engine out, we fitted the new exhaust manifold and wheeled the engine back in for a test fitting. We were a bit concerned at first glance that the new mani was not going to work out the way we planned, but once we got the turbo bolted on, it lwas definitely sitting in a better position. Still very close to the fire wall, but a quick mod to that would give us the clearance needed when the engine is moving around under spirited driving conditions

With the test fitting complete, we pulled the engine out again, pretty confident we will get the beanie on and the turbo clear of the bonnet, when we do the install later in the build. Next step will be to fabricate a new down pipe, water and oil lines and pipework to the FMIC... still lots to do, but will report back as we progress

Pics below


Pic 1 - Current ST set up on engine
Pic 2 - Oil leaking onto down pipe from baked valve cover gasket
Pic 3 - New exhaust manifold
Pic 4 - View of exhaust ports, not much room to fit everything in
Pic 5 - New exhaust manifold fitted
Pic 6 - Plenty of room to get a 3" down pipe in there
Pic 7 - Test fitting the 7670
Pic 8 - View under bonnet and clearance to top of turbo
Pics 9 & 10 - New manifold bolted onto engine

[e36mmm]

Ohh its hapenning. cant wait for the end result.. love the thorough write up P.

[kookie]

Socket Hope you degrease vlt driveway

Loving the progress shots.

[Coupes33]

Big job Socks. I hope she all goes together ok.

[terminator335i]

Just catching up on your build thread again mate after some time away and seems like you continue to enlighten all us forum followers on your creation...
Very good and intense write up with thorough description as usual
I think it's time to change the title of your build thread to.... Frankenstein build....

[Socket]

Originally Posted by e36mmm

Ohh its hapenning. cant wait for the end result.. love the thorough write up P.

Thanks E
Have not had much time to do much this week tbh. will get another couple of solid days in over the weekend

[Socket]

Originally Posted by kookie

Socket Hope you degrease vlt driveway

Loving the progress shots.

Originally Posted by Coupes33

Big job Socks. I hope she all goes together ok.

Thanks guys.... have my fingers crossed

[Socket]

Originally Posted by terminator335i

Just catching up on your build thread again mate after some time away and seems like you continue to enlighten all us forum followers on your creation...
Very good and intense write up with thorough description as usual
I think it's time to change the title of your build thread to.... Frankenstein build....

Hahaha Termi... at the moment its dead on the slab mate

[Socket]

2018 winter build cont

Slow progress this week, only managed to get a couple of hours on the tools.
Vince has been chipping away, making the wiring harness and figuring out how the redesign the pipework for the cooling system. (yes the auto and manual electrical and coolant systems are completely different.... good one BMW)
Should make better progress over the weekend with a couple of solid days planned.

Meanwhile Vince got the pedal box installed (still need to hook up the brake line) but its starting to look like a manual from the inside.
Also had to whip off the gear box again to change over the clutch fork etc.
Then Vince modded the Bimmerlife coils to seat properly (genius) and the metal sleeve needs to be removed to allow the bottom half of the coil to flex and bend in the spark plug well. I was amazed these coils work at all, with the size of the gap between the coil and spark plug is when they are not modded.

Pics below

Pic 1 - Manual pedal box fitted
Pic 2 - Measuring up the BL coils
Pics 3 & 4 - Modding BL coils. Note the trimming needed to get these to work
Pic 5 - Modded BL coils ready to install

[Torgus]

Hah!

I was literally just about to post have you modified your coils yet, because you need to!

[135]

Originally Posted by Socket

Then Vince modded the Bimmerlife coils to seat properly (genius) and the metal sleeve needs to be removed to allow the bottom half of the coil to flex and bend in the spark plug well. I was amazed these coils work at all, with the size of the gap between the coil and spark plug is when they are not modded.

What/how did you have to modify?
I think I can see some scrape marks on the lower part of the red cap. Or is it a split that was cut in the rubber?

[Torgus]

Originally Posted by 135

What/how did you have to modify?
I think I can see some scrape marks on the lower part of the red cap. Or is it a split that was cut in the rubber?

You have to cut the red nubs off as well as cut the metal so the rubber can flex and actually sit on the plug. You can google write ups.

It's amazing these worked better than stock with ZERO metal to metal contact. Large air gap for the spark to jump.

[Socket]

Originally Posted by 135

What/how did you have to modify?
I think I can see some scrape marks on the lower part of the red cap. Or is it a split that was cut in the rubber?

Originally Posted by Torgus

You have to cut the red nubs off as well as cut the metal so the rubber can flex and actually sit on the plug. You can google write ups.

It's amazing these worked better than stock with ZERO metal to metal contact. Large air gap for the spark to jump.

Ill ask Vince to post up a description of what he did.
I was busy inside the car removing the front and rear consoles again

[Socket]

2018 winter build cont

Day 4 and a bit

Ok time to get serious and get the engine back into the car so we can fab up the new downpipe for the 7670

First job is to give the engine bay a good clean

Next it's time to get the engine back in and bolted up
This turned out to be a bit more difficult then we thought, because the engine had slipped and rotated, so was no longer level from right to left.

Nic (InQ) dropped by to check out the build and provide moral support (nice one Nic)

Once we figured out what the problem was, we dropped the engine onto a pallet and reconnected all the lift points. Then the engine was nice and level and just slid into place, no problems

Pic 1 & 2 - Engine bay before and after
Pic 3 & 4 - Engine bay before and after II
Pic 5 - Re slinging the engine to make it level
Pic 6 - Engine back in and ready for part II

[Socket]

2018 winter build cont

Day 4 and a bit part II

Next task is to fabricate up a new down pipe

Vince is getting pretty good at knocking these out, using a combination of Vbands, flanges and 45 degree stainless 3" elbows, a band saw and a welding kit

Is a slow and laborious process of fitting, measuring, fitting, welding, fitting, cutting etc etc until the downpipe snakes around the manifold, steering column and other obstacles between the turbo and the exhaust pipe

Vince got about it half done before we had to pull up stumps for the day
But is no rush, because we are waiting on parts that we need before we can do much more

Should get the downpipe finished tomorrow and off to the welders for finishing up and ceramic coating next week

Pic 1 - Old downpipe and Y pipe to connect to exhaust (will reuse this)
Pic 2 - Looking down into gap on drivers side.... heaps of room
Pic 3 - Fabricating in progress
Pic 4 - Check out the quality work
Pic 5 - Test fitting
Pic 6 - Yep looks like it'll fit
Pic 7 - Looking down on turbo from drivers side - nice
Pic 8 - Hmmm needs to get past the steering column
Pic 9 & 10 - View of down pipe from under car - just a few things to avoid lel

[Socket]

2018 winter build cont

Day 5

Today's goal is to finish the fabrication of the down pipe
Because I wanted to reuse the Y pipe to the exhaust, it made this fab job just that little bit harder

After getting the exhaust back in and the Y pipe positioned far enough to the right, it was time to build the down pipe slice by slice...

Vince did the whole job solo and a bloody tough job it was too, lifting the engine up and down to get enough space to work, using a paint pen in the dark to mark where the segments fit together, welding and deburring.... no wonder custom DPs are expensive ....

11 individually cut sections, two flanges and numerous test fittings later, mission complete

Vince is an absolute genius

So its off to the welders for finishing off and ceramic coating

Hopefully the rest of the parts we need will show up this week, and the down pipe is back from ceramic coating soon ...

Pics below

Pic 1 - Exhaust back on
Pic 2 - Engine back in and bolted down
Pic 3 - Not much room
Pic 4 - This is the end of the Y pipe that DP has to join to
Pic 5 - That's a long way to get these two to join up
Pic 6 - DP sections joined together with masking tape
Pic 7 - Almost there
Pic 8 & 9 -The finished product
Pic 10 - I'm very happy with how the DP turned out