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Operation .5 liters per cylinder.

27K views 342 replies 27 participants last post by  dc_wright 
#1 ·
Okay guys, as most of you know I am planning on rebuilding my engine with the rotating assembly from an M54B30. I'm hoping to start with in the next week so I figured it was build thread time.
So far I have the bottom of an M54B30 with the oil pan off sitting in my living room (hells yes for not having a woman in the house) and I'm about to order Bavauto gasket sets for the top and bottom end of my engine.
If any one has a lead on a set of S50B30 camshafts I would certainly appreciate it if you'd point me their way.
I was toying with the idea of a baby turbo, but I'm poor so that'l have to wait.

Here's a few pics of what's happening so far:

Engine Hoists:

Are for pansies.

Here it is opened up:




Stay tuned for sexy updates.
 
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#32 ·
yeah, i seem to think that i saw this on here as well. can't remember where, though. maybe in one of the links on hakkenTT's thread?? :dunno:

i also did some research on the m50/s50 and the head is the same part number, so i would assume that the cams would have the same journal specs and fit, just stick out farther on the exaust side where the vc & timing cover won't match up.

if the timing chain will line up, just grind down the rest of the camshaft nub to fit.

seems to make sense to me...

df
 
#33 ·
I jammed a pair of tongs and a rail road spring clip that I forged out flat through the flex plate and then tied them to the block with a peice of 1" tubular nylon webbing rated at 21KN, so far it's held.
I guess I might try to find some M54B30 cams since they're probably the cheapest option.

Sent from my FroyoEris using Bimmer
 
#35 ·
And I finally got that damn bolt out, had to go to Sears and get a Craftsman breaker bar, tried hitting it with a 4 lbs sledge, didn't work so I put it back on the porch and built the 2X4 frame back, then I put the 10' pipe on the breaker bar and jerked it a couple times and it came loose.
 
#37 ·
Chip, you can take the busted bar back to HF and get another one (or maybe your money back?). I recognize the design of it...got one just like it.

A note about removing stuck fasteners: The way you finally got that bolt out is the right way to loosen almost any stuck fastener. As long as the wrench fits tightly, a quick snap with as much force as you can muster works a lot better than an extended pull.
 
#39 ·
I truly don't miss the days of working on farm equipment needing 3/4" or 1" drive tools. That needed a lot of four letter words.
 
#40 ·
The first time I took the wheels off my e36, I needed a 3/4" impact to get a few of the lugs off. That's normal, right? :eeps:
 
#44 ·
good luck with the truck.


And yes we took a branch and jammed it on the crank LOOL

came right off with 2 people holding the block and 3 people pulling the bar in top of the craftsman half inch ratchet.
 
#49 ·
Chip, are you shopping for mics? I would suggest pawn shops for used. There are tons of them out there these days. The machinist trade took a huge hit when the economy went sour (ask how I know). Stick with Brown and Sharpe, Starrett or Mitutoyo for used ones. The ones Harbor Freight sells are OK, too, believe it or not. I have two sets of those, one set of Starretts and one set of Mitutoyos. The HF Chinese-made ones hold accuracy just as good as the higher priced name-brand ones (didn't use to be that way).
 
#51 · (Edited)
Micrometer or digital caliper? A digital caliper is good for what it's intended for, but you can't get a precise enough measurement on a crank with one. They're usually only good to half a thousandth ( 0.0005"). You need something that will measure to one ten thousandth (0.0001")

These are what you need (if you buy from HF):

http://www.harborfreight.com/3-piece-micrometer-set-66512.html

The listing says it goes to one thousandth, but the pictures shows one ten thousandths graduation (what mine is, the same set).
 
#52 ·
Thanks, Ken, I was hoping I could get away with the HF ones and your vote of confidence makes me feel better about cheaping out :rofl:. I'll probably be making a sizable purchase from them in a couple days because I need a torque wrench and assorted othe goodies.

Sent from my FroyoEris using Bimmer
 
#56 ·
Okay, sorry for not updating this in a while and double sorry for this update not involving the engine so much as general build nonsense, and this seamed better than popping into OT every few days and asking a question and then going back to the boonies where internets are hard to catch.

I recently procured an entire E46 M3 interior because I wanted the front seats (if you know some one looking for other E46 interior bits point them my way).

Here are the seats as they currently sit:





The impressions and stains in the leather are because the towing company took the front right suspension which had been ripped off and put them in the front seats.

Now obviously I can't have gray seats because gray is a stupid color so my options are dying or reupholstering, dying is obviously a good option because of cost and time, but it won't do much much for the impressions. If I decide to reupholster them than I'll be borrowing a sewing machine and buying recycled leather so the cost won't be as bad as it could be, but it will be time consuming. Reupholstering would have the added advantage that if I wanted I could make a two tune interior similar to the Club Sport ti, which I'm in constant debate with myself over whether it's awesome or juvenile.

Here's the club sport ti interior for those of you unfamiliar:


Any feed back and things I haven't considered are welcome.
 
#66 ·
Okay, sorry for not updating this in a while and double sorry for this update not involving the engine so much as general build nonsense, and this seamed better than popping into OT every few days and asking a question and then going back to the boonies where internets are hard to catch.

I recently procured an entire E46 M3 interior because I wanted the front seats (if you know some one looking for other E46 interior bits point them my way).

Here are the seats as they currently sit:





The impressions and stains in the leather are because the towing company took the front right suspension which had been ripped off and put them in the front seats.

Now obviously I can't have gray seats because gray is a stupid color so my options are dying or reupholstering, dying is obviously a good option because of cost and time, but it won't do much much for the impressions. If I decide to reupholster them than I'll be borrowing a sewing machine and buying recycled leather so the cost won't be as bad as it could be, but it will be time consuming. Reupholstering would have the added advantage that if I wanted I could make a two tune interior similar to the Club Sport ti, which I'm in constant debate with myself over whether it's awesome or juvenile.

Here's the club sport ti interior for those of you unfamiliar:


Any feed back and things I haven't considered are welcome.
:confused::hi::bareass:
 
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