S38B36 Laguna Touring

[lellis]

Is it possible for an engineering shop to reduce the length via a slitting disc or even do it yourself ?

Mart.

Something definitely could be done, but because it’s the top thread being too long, it means I will lose the caphead to install/remove them. I just don’t want to modify such a component at this stage of the build, so rather wait a week and get new!

[lellis]

New ARP head bolts arrived, installed straight away using oem torque specs.


Over the years of trying to safely store these, they have been knocked about and swapped around so I have no idea on where they were from. Now the shims will have needed to be done anyway as new valves and seats. However the buckets were more important. After checking all bores and buckets diameter, I was happy that all were within spec and not an issue to mix.


With the intermediate head in place (no seals or sealant as it will be removed again). Installed everything ready for PTV clearance checks. Angle gauge made for incrementing.




Now waiting on my cam sprockets to come back from the machine shop. So lets carry on with other tasks.




Foam and glue removed. Picked up some fabric and adhesive, now the black sport headliner material is not available, so I went with alcantara, a bit unsure on how it will look..

[lellis]

RESPRAY UPDATES!!!
Very happy with the progress so far, paint guy sent me some pics of how it is going. I will be popping in to see him next week to discuss seam sealer styles and colour choices of trims.

[lellis]

ITB's: So I restored these individually years ago and wanted to redo some bits.






VAG coil conversion: R8 coils (will get black ones) genuine Bosch plugs and extenders.


Unfortunately the extenders are too short so I have ordered some longer ones to machine down until it works.
Hopefully the black coils will look less garish..


Getrag 260/6 refresh


Many hours of cleaning, new seals, plated hardware and a few coats of aluminium enamel


YouTube video for the process here:

[lellis]

Regarding the car respray progress? It's good. Here are some sneak peaks from the painter.




Less than a week to go before collection, I need to seriously hurry up and get my jobs done in the garage!!

[rix313]

[e30newman]

Great job on the gearbox looks amazing, wish I had the patience!

[lellis]

Great job on the gearbox looks amazing, wish I had the patience!

Thanks! This whole project has been about patience, to be honest, the gearbox is the only thing I didn't actually take apart fully!

[lellis]

The garage was looking tired after years of welding work on the underside, so it was time to have a big sort out and paint!




Slotted cam gears back from the machine shop


With those back i could carry on with the engine build. PTV clearances, hours of taking measurements of valve lift and PTV clearances at different crank angles and cam timing.


Eventually I ended up with this mess. What it shows is that I don't want to advance the exhaust cam too far..


As I had light springs on the front two valves to physically feel the amount of lift before contact, I needed to swap them back over.


Then it was time to rebuild it properly this time, o-rings and flange sealant


After many studs installed, I can now say that the 'long block' is completed!




Even though I have had the engine mocked up before, it looks so much better now as all the hardware is installed

[lellis]

More parts added to the engine which means it is practically ready to go (apart from the sump)




Another big tidy, for good reason.


The car is back!


Now let's get it in the sun.






And back to business, front end off for engine fitting.






Quick check of the exhaust manifold before sending it off for ceramic coating, more on that later.


Many sheets needed, doing it on my own.. No gearbox as it is just going in for the custom wiring harness measure up.


Engine in, now I remember how cool this looked in the unpainted bay, but this is on another level!






Started to organise the front end loom


With the engine harness measured up, engine came back out and now it is time to get it ready to drop in. Need to sort this sump!

[martauto]

Top draw every time mate
Hell of a car
Something I wish I could have done but alas .............................

Mart.

[fixedwheelnut]

"Hubba, hubba"
Top drawer work Liam love it!

[DanThe]

Looks like the sump has a date with an AC/DC tig welder

[lellis]

Looks like the sump has a date with an AC/DC tig welder

Oh it’s going to be love at first sight!

[lellis]

So it has been only a month since the last update, and scrolling through the thread, have I got some updating to do.
I may wander from consecutiveness here, but as there were so many different tasks going on at different times, it will be easier to show sections together.

So everything was removed and stripped for the paint, meaning it was time to start building it all back up, starting with the exterior.




Tailgate glass bonded on




The genuine mtech 2 spoiler went on, really like the look this adds to the rear.


My windscreen was more damaged than I remembered, so Russ from Ultimate Windscreens sourced a new blue tint screen!


The valance was put together, unfortunately even after spending a couple hours trying to get rid of the buckles around the lower section, it still wasn't perfect so the IS lip isn't the best fit..


Then moving onto the interior, the headliner had already been stripped but I had issues with the initial material, the next material never arrived but finally got some so it was time to finally get it sorted.




Unfortunately I don't seem to have pics of the 'finished' product. It was not a fun job, the material had good stretch but maybe the adhesive wasn't the best..


Carpets, always fancied dying them black, so the time came. Vacuum, wet vac and dye! A very satisfying task.






Whilst they were drying I could get the inside ready for the interior. Added the battery cable from the boot and washer pipe from the rear bottle to be used for the front.


The interior could then be put in place


Seats, now using the original to me rear bench, I purchased some not-so clean front seats to (nearly) match. I plan to do something a bit more fun in the future so for now a sport cloth look will suffice.
After a decent wet vac session these were drying in the sun ready to go in

[lellis]

Now to what I find the most fun, engine and bay,
I was waiting on the sump to be finished so engine bay time.
First was the Zircoflex foil, then putting back everything I made up from the full dry mock up I did before it went for paint.


Wheels, now I bought these a long while ago. As soon as they arrived I didn't like them, but kind of just forgot about them until I needed to get the tyres on.
big chunky tyres on 15's. Just a shame they're too dark and too modern..


The last update was about getting the sump welded after I made the pieces to shorten/widen it.


My friend offered to tackle this, which I think he regretted once he started.. But what a job he did, very grateful!


I could then make up a new windage/baffle, hard to see but due to the extra width, I added a baffle gate to hopefully limit the amount of oil sloshing into the area away from the pick up. Also the pick up was shortened by 25mm to accommodate the shortening of the sump.


I decided to do one last valve shim check before ordering replacements.


Now the engine can be fully built up. Rear crank seal on, lightened flywheel and clutch on etc.


What a sight this was!


Then before I got chance to really enjoy it, it was in the car.


Now from here, it was a blur. Not many pictures but a lot of progress.


All of a sudden the car was on a trailer ready to go to my friends car show!

[lellis]

So what just happened? Pretty much all of the last two posts was done in 7 days, from a bare shell to a show ready car.. I set a silly deadline and actually hit it.
Yes it wasn't complete, but I was waiting on a few things to actually attempt an engine start.
After the show I had a few days to reset. But let's see how it went. Well I only got one pic of it parked up in its spot.


In the afternoon the weather improved so I was able to pull the car out and see it in the sunlight!




Then with the car back home, I could finally sit down and enjoy it!


Now with the car not being complete, I didn't want to throw too many unnecessary parts on when they would have had to come off again. Now that my brackets were back from plating I could install those bits meaning I can measure up for the final few hoses!




So what is left? Wiring, fluids and hoses. Insanely close now, crazy to think how far it has come in just the last couple weeks! Here's a pic to show the start of July

[The_Glory]

Very cool result in such a short time!

[lellis]

So, what has gone on for the last couple months? Firstly I treated myself to a month off.
Then back to working on the car!
So it may look like a car but definitely isn't ready yet, time to tick off some jobs I didn't want to do before.. let's start underneath


When jacking it up onto the wheel stands, it put some crazy weight on the rear wheel, good to know how it looks under full load! May rub slightly..

See these ports? That's where I forgot to install the oil drain pipe before getting the engine in the car and manifolds on..


I tried for way too long to get it on without having to remove anything but I soon gave up.


Prop shaft, so I was told an e36 328i front with an e30 rear section would work, I was skeptical.. But for once, something went to plan! Just needs a quick clean up and paint job and it can go in permanently.


E30 325i shifter linkage with a DSSR. Once again, fits!
So that's an e34 m5 engine, e34 535i gearbox, e30 325i shifter linkage, e36 328i front prop shaft, z3 diff, e36 rear diff cover in an e30..


Custom wiring harness now made!




Going through the bulkhead below the servo, all nice and hidden. (battery live now has a grommet too)


Custom coolant hoses, so I searched and searched to try find some off the shelf hoses for my application, but nothing came close. So it was time to make my own, starting with getting the shape, using 45mm stainless pipe.


Welded up, added ends and vice grip.


Roose Motorsport to the rescue!


They're perfect.




This custom oil filter housing cap is great for adding oil temp and pressure sensors! These are for my Alpina reproduction gauge, more on that soon.


Brake, fuel and clutch lines all now in


Now some photos in the sun










Few more hoses to make, then it is time to start it!!

[fixedwheelnut]

Absolutely love how you made your own mold's for the coolant hoses, top draw work Sir as usual

[lellis]

As always, way behind on this thread! Many updates on their way.
So it is time to go for the first start up, this proved to be probably the most challenging step so far.
First up, coolant pipes. So the upper heater matrix pipe fouled the airbox due to the upsweep, I decided to fabricate a new one which would be angled towards the block.






I then planned to do the valve shims, I measured all the gaps and ordered the required shims, only to be sent the incorrect diameter. This was a day before Guy, my tuning man was coming to wire in the ECU for start up.. Luckily he said he had a ton of spares and told me to leave the job until he arrives..


Working into the night, the oil cooler and piping was next. I went with an e28 m5 cooler has it is larger than the e34. This actually was extremely close to a bolt on solution, all I needed to do was adjust one of the securing tabs to mount to some existing mounting holes.


This HEL Performance adapter allowed me to use AN lines from the original housing, very snazzy.




The morning of 'start up' day.


Now for story time, as that day I didn't really document much as it was a mad rush.
So I did the valve shims, filled up the oil, connected up the starter and tried to jog the engine. Nothing from the starter, removed it, bench tested, nothing.. Now I bench tested this after restoring and it was operating as it should, luckily I had a spare so I threw that on for now.
Guy arrived and started on the wiring, in no time it was ready to go on the key. We connected up the vent gauge temporarily to get oil pressure.
His end worked perfectly, my end, not so.
We were getting no oil pressure, zilch, nada, 60 seconds worth of cranking..

Even though I have a pressure switch and sensor, we decided to remove and check for oil, bone dry at the filter housing.


Now I was worried, all that work done to the engine, rebuilt and modified the oil pump and sump etc..
Tried priming the filter housing, no joy. We called it a day and he left me to figure out what the hell has gone wrong.
I did some research and found some hazy info about the block having a drain port at the filter housing, but I wanted to see oil flow with my own eyes..
I removed the filter housing and cranked the engine, and finally, oil flow!


That was a huge relief, the oil pump was fine. So the oil filter housing was the culprit.
Bit of research later I discovered there is a housing drain valve which allows the oil to drain back into the block to aid with filter changes, I was told this has more than likely failed causing the oil to recirculate back into the block.
On the older m30 engines (which is the same block as the s38) the drain port is plugged. So I decided to do this..
Here is a pic I was sent


Vs mine


But by this time, due to cranking the engine so much without oil, I wanted to lubricate it before any more attempts.
I made up an adapter that threads into the pressure switch port and using a pump I fed oil through the engine until it came through the head.


With the block drain plugged, everything went back together and if by magic, we had oil pressure!


Now it isn't fixed, but it is working and my thinkings say it will not adversely affect the engine performance.
Back to trying to start it, that is another story in itself..

[lellis]

So after oil pressure check, comes fuel pressure.
With a jerry cans worth of Esso's finest, I put the fuel pump fuse back in and attempted a prime.
Obviously that didn't go to plan.


The hard line to fuel rail o-ring was not seated correctly, annoyed I missed this as it looks so obvious now.
When I installed the lines, it was extremely tricky due to space constraints so I decided to remove the complete ITB unit and refit off the car.
The bracket which secures the o-ring was bent allowing it to sit misaligned, I straightened it, new paint and all back together.


We now had fuel pressure, time to go for start up.
If everything else I have dealt with wasn't enough, the engine decided to throw one last curveball and quite a significant one at that.
Fuel vapour was exhausting out the intake.. I initially thought injector timing, but you could actually feel the air being pushing out of the intake..
Now after a phone call to my wiring man, he asked 'are the cams timed the wrong way round?' Initially, I thought no? How could they be? I spent weeks getting the timing right, no one has questioned it so far either?
After more conversation I explained how I dialed in the overlap at TDC etc, showed him a pic and he saw the issue. I had timing it EXACTLY on the opposite stroke, so the overlap at TDC was the inlet closing and the exhaust opening, meaning the engine was running backwards..
I used this graph below to time the cams, but may have got the intake and exhaust the wrong way round..


Here shows my cams at TDC


And how they should be at TDC..


Luckily as I had already checked for PTV clearances, I knew there was no damage to the engine, only my ego.. It is my first engine build after all and I am not a mechanic!

So with my tail between my legs, I got on with setting it correctly, by rotating the crank 360deg I could set the overlap.
With that done, it was again time to attempt for start up.
After a bit of coughing and spluttering, I checked the timing with an ignition light and it was within the ballpark, so whilst on the phone to Guy, laptop in hand, he advised me on some adjustments to make to the injectors and I guess the next picture explains what happened next,,


I don't know how to add videos on here, so I have linked my YouTube video of the first start up below

[lellis]

Now with it started, I could now work on getting up to temp and driving (feels crazy to type that)
The prop shaft had been test fitted, so a lick of paint and new CSB, it was on.


More fancy Zircoflex Foil went on


Exhaust time! (or so I thought)
img]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/549 ... 132a_c.jpg[/img]

After test fitting the system and modifying to suit, unfortunately during the final weld process the manifold warped so it required a quick chop and twist to align the exhaust.




Coolant in, time to attempt to run it up to temp. But here comes another issue..
There was no charging from the alternator, no battery light on the dash either. Suggesting the exciter circuit.


I checked all the wiring and it was ok, so removed the alternator for further investigation.
I stripped it down, checked the stator, rotor, diodes and regulator, all ok. But when bench testing, I could not get the alternator to excite and start charging.
I quickly purchased a new to me spare, bench tested all ok. So removed the stator/diode pack and swapped it into the original.


Whilst all this was going on, I kept on the wiring work and started on the front end loom.
Now with the fuse box relocation and rerouting the loom through the wing, this required a lot of extending, splicing and removing unneeded wires.
I started by getting all the wire colours for each plugs from the wiring diagrams on the zone wiki (god bless e30zone Wiki).
With my car not having an OBC, AC or headlight washers etc, this was extremely simple, just needed 12 wires overall.


Using the above info, I labelled all the pig tails I had (I cut the loom off about 6 years ago..)




Then got to work on extending them all, this was much more time consuming than I expected but after a few evenings work I had it all wrapped up and ready to go.








And it all worked! Had no fog lights at first, but that was due to no bulbs installed..


Do have an issue with the hazards not working (indicators do), I think it may be due to removing the old alarm system, I am not getting power to the switch, so more investigation required there.

Here is the video of the wiring process

[lellis]

With it running well, time to drive it (up and down my driveway)
Set up the cluster and wheel.


Quick tester throttle cable bracket made up


Bled the clutch, pain to do on your own without any proper equipment..
Then it was ready to move, once again no idea how to add videos so here is me showing the result


Clutch feels great, nothing seems amiss with the car yet!

[lellis]

Now to finish off with some of the most recent update pictures










Time for the final bits before the MOT..

[Tzantushka]

I would love to see the MOT tester's reaction when they open the bonnet or get this thing on the hoist.

[lellis]

I would love to see the MOT tester's reaction when they open the bonnet or get this thing on the hoist.

Hopefully they will be happy with it all, should be pretty simple