Hello from across the pond... My 1988 325 Super Eta

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fengshui
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Wed Mar 15, 2006 12:07 am

I've known about this site for some time as I occasionally pick up Total BMW, which is the best BMW magazine in the world (beats the hell out of any US BMW Magazine, although the BMW CCA mag Roundel is OK). My BMW is not much to see right now, but I am slowly building it up. We never got Hartage or Alpina models over here, so there are no high revving 2.7L variants of the E30.

In 1988 BMW was phasing out the eta engine and that last year they used the 885 head with the eta cam and single valve springs along with an especially starved thin intake manifold and soda straw throttle body (all in an effort to keep torque as high as the old etas with smaller ports). The nicest thing about this '88 "Super" eta engine is that it already has Motronic 1.1, and can easily take the "i" cam (already has oil passages for the 7 bearing cam) and valve springs. The intake mani and TB pops right on, and the #173 ECU plugs right in. All I need is 19lb injectors and my low revving super eta becomes a 327i. Unlike some of the high compression piston combos you folks can work with, the 327i I am building will have 8.5:1 compression (stock for super eta). I'd probably go turbo with that, but I already have an Impreza WRX for turbo enjoyment and I'd like to keep the bimmer N/A. For the weekends, I go autocrossing in my fiance's base model Miata.

Anyways, just wanted to share some pics of my soon to be 327i, Super Eta. I also know the full history of the car because it was purchased new in 1988 by my father, but sat for ~6 months before he gave it to me. So all the little bits I am replacing are adding up. I already have urethane motor/tranny mounts, M3 rear sway bar, and soon-to-be-installed M3 springs.

Enough intro, on to the pics:
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And one of my WRX:
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-Chris
oze30
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Wed Mar 15, 2006 12:14 am

Welcome.

I dig the Zender wheels!!
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fengshui
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Wed Mar 15, 2006 12:22 am

Thanks! I bought them shortly after tkaing possession of the car as someone was selling locally. I never realized how rare they were over here as the only other guy who had them on his E30 on my other forum sold them to a VW guy. I dig the old school Turbo look. Tires are 225/50/15 Toyo T1R.

-Chris
oze30
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Wed Mar 15, 2006 12:31 am

think you need to save up and ditch those bumpers! Get some real plastic ( Post face lift) bumpers.. it'll look heaps better!
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jimmybmw
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Wed Mar 15, 2006 12:38 pm

hey, nice setup you have there. super eta's are so rare to find. if you're one of the lucky bastards (like me and you) you can create some fireworks.

but i don't really understand it. you're planning not to increase compression ratio to save the pistons, but you will slam a turbo onto that thing? :mad:
just don't change the pistons and keep using the eta ones. they are strong enough. and just go and shave the head a bit. so your compression comes upon something like 9:1 instead of 8.5:1.

it might also be advisable to use the complete head of a 325i.
if you want to gain real power put in an sharpened cam shaft (ex. schrick) and combine it with a 6 branch. in that case you'll also need to chip your ECU.

this is what my new head looks like.


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anyway, just enjoy what you're building.
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fengshui
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Wed Jun 14, 2006 12:53 am

Update:

My clutch slave or master cylinder went and I had to get the car towed to my mech's. Since the HG and VC were leaking, I figured I'd have my mech perform the 327i conversion with the head off. He sent my stock super Eta head and a 325i damaged head off to get a single one built w/ the combination of best parts, cam and springs. After about 1 month at the machinist's shop, he finally got the head done. It was mildly ported, 3 angle valve job w/ lapping. The problem was that the m20b25 cam and double valve springs from the 2nd bad head we sent (timing belt failure) were no good to go into the rebuilt head so now I have to order a new cam and springs (not enough $ to go schrick right now, getting married in a year). That will add even more time that the car is down at my mechanics as he still has to put the head back on, replace the master/slave clutch cylinders, replace the tach w/ the 7k one, and swap ECUs. Just an update for those curious.

-Chris
Hyperion
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Wed Jun 14, 2006 12:09 pm

looks good mate, those wheels are cool i havent seen any like that before and they are wide!! :) Have done a Bumper tuck yet, cant really tell from the pics. A nice lowering kit will make her look sweet.
HartgeH27
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Wed Jun 14, 2006 2:12 pm

Chris,

Welcome to the Zone !!

Keep the updates coming - the car looks good.

There is always a good source of spares available from the For Sale section and plenty of good advice should you need it.

Enjoy.......................

Iain
Blitz
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Wed Jun 14, 2006 7:11 pm

Classy but again ditch the bumpers
Pal318is
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Thu Jun 15, 2006 1:20 pm

Love the Rims...Very Retro indeed...ANy plans to lower the car??

Pal
Pal

Image[img]http://Image
M42's Run in the Family...The kids sayin 'YNWA'
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fengshui
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Mon Jun 26, 2006 1:44 am

Thanks guys! The car is definitely getting lowered once I get it back from my mechanic. All the parts are in now (brand new 325i cam and double springs). Now the only problem is getting my mechanic to wrench on the car as he is super busy wrenching on Subies (he is primarily an amazing independent Subaru mechanic but has a love for Triumphs and Jaguars, and older BMWs it seems :) ). One I get it back, I plan on dropping it on either M3 or Ireland Engineering Stage 3 race springs depending on how much I have to sink into it. Will update you guys when I get it back in a week or two. Bumpers and new paint TBD.

-Chris
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fengshui
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Tue Oct 31, 2006 11:53 pm

After 7-8 months of being in the shop, the gremlins have finally all decided to leave the car and it is now revving past 2K all the way up to 6500-7000 rpms. The car was a Super Eta (2.7L eta crank/block, 885 head, unique supereta '88 pistons, single valve springs, unique super eta intake mani/TB, ECU, and eta cam) and is now a 327i (double springs, 325i ecu/intake/tb/cam, same bottom end). I take possession of it in the next few days and will post pics and driving impressions soon.

-Chris
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tobias
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Wed Nov 01, 2006 12:00 am

good to see such a nice example
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andyp
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Wed Nov 01, 2006 12:02 am

Hi mate and welcome aboard,
dom-1984-320i
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Wed Nov 01, 2006 12:08 am

soundslike it going to be a swwet ride when finished. welcome to the zone! loving those rims!
pilotskillse30
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Wed Nov 01, 2006 2:32 am

Welcome to the site, glad to see another yank like myself on the zone...i've been a member for quite sometime now and the info you will recieve is TOPPS and the member are great just as long as you don't do some crazy setup to your whip then you'll get bashed buy some of our in-house e30 stylist. I love the car, the e30 325es was my first e30 and hold it in high regards.. have fun maybe we'll catch each other on the turnpike :D
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fengshui
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Sun Apr 15, 2007 3:29 pm

UPDATE: The car is running great with the exception of the engine wanting to overheat and still seeping oil at the main seals. It definitely pulls harder than the stock eta and is a good matchup for a 325is. I am thinking of swapping out the 3.25:1 LSD to a 4.10:1 LSD for better acceleration for autocross. The car is currently in the shop getting a new radiator and thermostat, and since it started life as an eta w/o an oil cooler, I thought it would be time to add one. After I get it back, I need to replace the brake rotors, pads, and lines and then the car will be ready for an autocross season.

Depending on how crazy I want to get with it, I may go the carburetor route w/ triple DCOEs, but ignition distributors from 323i (which we never officially got in the states) that mount to the block instead of in front of the cam are hard to come by. Using that distributor makes it easy to run carbs and I'd match them with a wild cam as well. But ultimately I still need to get married in October and that is where all the big $ are going right now.

-Chris
snoops
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Sun Apr 15, 2007 6:04 pm

nice car mate, proper sleeper
ad318i
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Sun Apr 15, 2007 6:13 pm

looks v good
welcome to the zone
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