OBs's M50 conversion

[OBs]

I was up bright and early this morning to get down to Autoquip, I needed to buy a M42 spigot bearing which they didn't have in stock.
So I popped around Eko's to dump all my tools and conversion parts at his... Then drove the 40 miles there and back to our local branch of 'Euro car not so smarts' to pick up the bearing and a few other things, fluids etc.

Supplied me with the wrong bearing good job Tony suggested on taken the M42 gearbox with me

Popped literally around the corner to GSF and got one the right size (apparently they are all the same size, well on mateys computer anyway)

When I eventually got back after cooking the M40 completely it rattled more then ever and I'm surprised it actually made it back it was in the red the whole journey back (as in the temperature gauge)

Anyway... I did take some more pic's of the engine on its way out etc but they are on my camera and the missus has fooked off to some 80's music Woodstock hippie gathering and nabbed me camera

Edit:



The M50 wanting to get in on the action



Firstly we put the rattley waste of oily metal where it belongs, in the bin.





The engine bay was coated in some wax crap so that all had be cleaned off and then the whole bay was digressed and polished to make way for 24v's

After driving the 80 mile round trip last night to get an M20 clutch and fly wheel, Tony set about bolting the box etc to the engine, he had already modified the 'webbing' as required and cleaned it all ready to go, he's a good bloke...
(Thanks again Dave of the random kind for helping me out with said parts)



Next to go on was the Clio servo and a rather tasty Audi Quattro 23mm master cylinder, a rebuilt (well it will be) front sub frame including a E36 steering rack, Ive also added poly-sport arb bushes
and painted the 14mm spacers for the rack the same colour and have new tca's, drop links and M3 eccentric lolly pop bushes etc to go back on.





I take absolute no credit for very much of this, I have tried my best to help but to be totally honest it all fazed me just a tad, Eko me son, my hat is fully off to you Sir

Last but not least 'shot of the day' I'm calling it ''In''



The M50 is happily sat on E28 M5 engine mounts and all bolted up, I'll be up with the crack of Dawn tomorrow, I have no idea who Dawn is but I am in the process of getting a restraining order against her



More pictures tomorrow

[eko]

Nice write Andy
Long day and will be tomorrow too but itll be worth it.
Pick up a M20 Brown temp sender if you can on your way over.
How did you get on with the courtesy car?

[eko]

M50`s in unison

[78gizmo]

Looks like excellent progress. I would have called round if my autobox was still able to drive my touring
Got to nick her indoors car tomorrow to collect my manual box, will try and call in if i have time

[DanThe]

Good progress boys

Those air con pipes look nasty, is it one of those Italian made dealer fit efforts?

[ricey46]

Looking good guys, any more progress??

[Cook318IS]

so is this why you've had no bumper and grills on for a few days looking good so far! good luck with the rest!

[eko]

Dan can you offer any advice on this?
http://www.e30zone.net/modules.php?name ... c&t=108803

[jaffro]

im having a few small probs with the ews aswell. did obs get them bits i posted???

[eko]

im having a few small probs with the ews aswell. did obs get them bits i posted???

No mate,not upto yesterday anyway.
Ended up buying a flywheel off RandomDave and forking out on a new clutch

[jaffro]

you watch they will turn up now. . that ews is a pain up the arse

[JGG1]

Looks quality mate, wish I had more time Saturday, I would have stuck around!

[eko]

Looks quality mate, wish I had more time Saturday, I would have stuck around!

Yeah was a bit of a busy day for us too,didnt get packed up till about 9.30,then again yesterday till gone 10
Nice one for dropping it off too mate

[OBs]

so is this why you've had no bumper and grills on for a few days looking good so far! good luck with the rest!

He he... No thats because I am currently playing with a front valance and was painting my bumpers (started the conversion Saturday!)

Looking good guys, any more progress??

Well funny you say thats Ricey

Sunday: (I was fooked when I got in and couldn't get to the computer...)

Anywho - We got the prop on and bolted up to the M42 gear box, and also got the exhaust hanging on its mountings up to where the manifolds are going to meet the down pipes, Eko staggered the joins to allow enough room for the clamps, before fitting we had to modify the rear valance to allow for the standard 325i twin pipe system.

RandomSteve, Pete, Paul, Dave... Dave thats the one came down from Zummerset to cut and weld up the manifolds, help sort out the down pipes which just need finishing off and he also sorted out which wires go where on the loom side of things which saved us... Well I say us, Tony another 'little' job



Before hand we ''mocked up'' a rather cunning E34 steering coupling combo, just to get the right measurement etc and to give the 'Exhaust team' something to work around



The battery in the boot kit was also fitted and on went the rear strut brace, Tony has finished off the front sub frame which includes new TCA's, drop links, tie bars and M3 eccentric bushes.

The ecu is sat at home where the battery used to be, this will later get a fancy cover and an M3 backing plate to carry on from the M40 wiring cover



Slight, well major snag with the Donner car
1. Not carrying a card to say what sort of organs it had up for grabs.
2. Being fitted with EWS means I cant go out and play

All the radiator is plumbed in and the Omega Air con fan is all bolted up, my camera has eaten the batteries so I couldn't take any pictures, Ive got loads of '80's throw back' pictures though



I thinks thats about it?

Jaffro as Tony said it hasn't shown up... Damn the Royal Mail and EWS.

I'll post some more pictures of the progress tomorrow

[eko]

Andy it wouldnt be a `conversion` if it all went to plan
Weve still made good progress though,2.5 days to get 95% of it done,thats some going to be honest
Itll be worth the effort!

[jaffro]

hi mate just a quick question which way round do the heater matrix pipes go.

[eko]

hi mate just a quick question which way round do the heater matrix pipes go.

The onr from the back of the head goes to the bottom,one from under the inlet to the top

[jaffro]

cheers mate

[jaffro]

did you manage to get round the ews ?? ive managed to get my rad in today a even running a viscous fan

[eko]

Not got it going yet,not even tried since the other day.
RandomDave is meant to be popping over tonight with his Red label ECU and his knowledge to try and get it running.
Problem is its been pissing down here since this morning and doesnt look like its going to ease off for some time yet
Oh what id give to have a garage

[jaffro]

i have a garage but it wont fit my car in lol. i hope you manage to get it running later. im still after a mani . glad i got a viscous fan in there though

[eko]

Ive read about fitting the viscous but have never tried personally.
Is yours just the exhaust manifold to complete then?

[jaffro]

yeh thats all im short viscous fits pretty well i used a 635csi rad a standard viscous and there half a inch left between fan a rad

[eko]

viscous fits pretty well i used a 635csi rad a standard viscous and there half a inch left between fan a rad

Hope you went for the M5 engine mountings?

[jaffro]

viscous fits pretty well i used a 635csi rad a standard viscous and there half a inch left between fan a rad

Hope you went for the M5 engine mountings?

sure did they was part of the package

[jaffro]

did u have any luck getting it running??

[randomdave325]

it runs!!

[OBs]

it runs!!

It does

Cheers Dave

[CHRISP]

Well done Andy good news, hope to see it at next meet

[OBs]

Well done Andy good news, hope to see it at next meet

Cheers Chris

Well It ran only on Carb cleaner when Dave came down and on a different ECU from either one of their cars ...

Tony's been pulling his hair out over it for the few weeks its taken, we popped over to get a fuel rail from the breakers today, got a red label ECU yesterday and we've just been out 'playing' and fitted the new rail now (in the p1ssing rain, again)

And................ Low and behold...

Its alive !!

What a great feeling, just a few things to finish off and Ill be able to road test it

OBs

[Jon_Bmw]

Sweet man. Well done to you and Tony.

Enjoy some more MPG as well after the running in phase

[DanThe]

Its alive !!

What a great feeling, just a few things to finish off and Ill be able to road test it

OBs

Got there in the end then!

[OBs]

Got there in the end then!

Yea , Its was a complete ass

The Red label worked without any hassle and we didn't have to alter the loom at all...

The E34 that the engine came out of was fitted with about 5 fuel hoses and a gay after market pressure reg, this turned out to be the fuel problem, in hindsight it obvious why it was fitted now

But in between dodging all the sh!tty weather and locating the ECU etc it finely got done

[eko]

As Andy said we finally got it running under its own steam
The fuel regulator had a 3rd fuel pipe connection actually coming out of the regulator which should obviouly have been a breather pipe to the manifold.
Looks like someone modified it when they fitted the aftermarket one.
Anyway picked up a replacement fuel rail and fitted it and fired up first time.

Enjoy it Andy

[Brianmoooore]

The fuel regulator had a 3rd fuel pipe connection actually coming out of the regulator which should obviously have been a breather pipe to the manifold.

Small pipe from the pressure regulator to the inlet manifold isn't a vent, it's the manifold pressure sensing pipe.
The fuel pressure needs to be constant across the injectors, whatever the position of the throttle, so the pressure regulator needs to know the pressure in the inlet manifold (where one end of the injectors are), so as to be able to adjust the fuel pressure to suit.