M50 fires up (AT LAST).

Post Mon Sep 18, 2006 10:04 pm

Well, after more than a year of cursing, sweating, bleeding, crying, praying for more overtime for the money, threatening to burn the bloody thing because everything that could go wrong DID go wrong..........I turned the key to see if the engine would crank over, and the damned thing promptly tried to burst into life

.
Instead of the expected bottom falling out of my world, imagine if you will, the look on my face as my expression alternated between great joy and trying to stop the world falling out of my bottom

Yes friends, I am not too proud to openly admit that I nearly shit myself

(always wondered if I'd ever get to use that emoticon!!!).
After a swift smoke to calm the shaking, I gave it another go and lo & behold, even with open headers, she idled quite nicely (although the cat still hasn't forgiven me for disturbing his deep slumbers with what must have sounded like Armageddon in surround sound

)

All I've got to do now is
1. fabricate & fit the exhaust,
2. set the tracking (E36 rack),
3. bleed the power steering & cooling,
4. fit the gear linkage,
5. fit the prop,
7. get it MOT'd,
8. argue with the insurers,
9. wait for DVLA to get their shit together (been nearly a fortnight waiting for the V5 back),

....then it's ready for the 'Pod'.

Keep your fingers crossed for me fellas.

It's about time things started to go right

Iain S.

Post Mon Sep 18, 2006 10:11 pm

is it the 2.5 m50? as e36 m3 cam shafts fit in an m50 2.5

Post Mon Sep 18, 2006 10:16 pm

M50 2.5 with vanos & EWS from a 95' 5 series.
Don't the M3 cams only go into a non-vanos engine?

I'll get it settled in and then think about a BBTB and remap/chip before anything else.
Besides, I've got to start saving the pennies for a different diff first.

Iain S

Post Mon Sep 18, 2006 10:36 pm

Had some 'suit' from the council round not long after firing mine up with no exhaust

My ears are still ringing now

Post Mon Sep 18, 2006 10:48 pm

Sooty wrote:M50 2.5 with vanos & EWS from a 95' 5 series.
Don't the M3 cams only go into a non-vanos engine?

I'll get it settled in and then think about a BBTB and remap/chip before anything else.
Besides, I've got to start saving the pennies for a different diff first.

Iain S

I think only the cams from the USA model M3 fit - and they used M50 heads anyway. I'd be interested to know if 'proper' M3 cams fit an M50.

There's nothing like getting an engine going - especially one that's been stood for a few yars and looks like shit. A couple of years ago Pacerpete bought the roughest, most terminally rotten 635CSi you've ever seen - it had no passenger side floorpan. I mean, nothing.

I went round his house and whilst he took the 'Pacerpete half hour' to return (about 2 hours 12 minutes) I added the battery off my 325i Touring, fired some fuel into it and got it going after a 10 year slumber. It required a shot of Easy Start to get it interested in running again. Sounded the bollocks as well.

Post Mon Sep 18, 2006 10:50 pm

BTW Sooty - what happened to the red 325i you had off me?

Post Mon Sep 18, 2006 10:50 pm

Sooty wrote:Well, after more than a year of cursing, sweating, bleeding, crying, praying for more overtime for the money, threatening to burn the bloody thing because everything that could go wrong DID go wrong..........I turned the key to see if the engine would crank over, and the damned thing promptly tried to burst into life .
Instead of the expected bottom falling out of my world, imagine if you will, the look on my face as my expression alternated between great joy and trying to stop the world falling out of my bottom
Yes friends, I am not too proud to openly admit that I nearly shit myself (always wondered if I'd ever get to use that emoticon!!!).
After a swift smoke to calm the shaking, I gave it another go and lo & behold, even with open headers, she idled quite nicely (although the cat still hasn't forgiven me for disturbing his deep slumbers with what must have sounded like Armageddon in surround sound )

All I've got to do now is
1. fabricate & fit the exhaust,
2. set the tracking (E36 rack),
3. bleed the power steering & cooling,
4. fit the gear linkage,
5. fit the prop,
7. get it MOT'd,
8. argue with the insurers,
9. wait for DVLA to get their shit together (been nearly a fortnight waiting for the V5 back),

....then it's ready for the 'Pod'.

Keep your fingers crossed for me fellas.

It's about time things started to go right

Iain S.

Well done mate

Hopefully ill be firing mine up this week too

Post Mon Sep 18, 2006 11:06 pm

Well done Ian, I wondered where you been hiding!

Fitted those skirts yet

Mark.

Post Mon Sep 18, 2006 11:12 pm

BTW Sooty - what happened to the red 325i you had off me?

Hi Andyboy. Long time - no speak

How's things m8

Had to frag the red one because it would've cost me an arm & a leg to get it through the test

.
Shame really that I did'nt have the resources.

At least some of her parts still live on in the cab.

Fitted those skirts yet

Ayooop Fozzy

Still haven't got round to getting the broken bit fixed yet.
Funny though, I was talking about them to a local bodyshop today & I'm taking them round in't morning to see what they can do.
I'm hoping they can do something without bending me over for it otherwise the fibreglass comes out & that's a recipe for disaster where I'm concerned. I could end up with something resembling a Salvador Dali stuck to the side of the cab

Post Tue Sep 19, 2006 8:51 am

LOL!

I have the attempt I made at home still in fibreglass but I tried to pull a fast one and copy the other side, it's 60% right but not as good as I hoped! I also found out what a PITA using that stuff is!

Get some pics up too, I wanna see that clean engine bay!

Take care, Mark.

Post Tue Sep 19, 2006 8:56 pm

Pics may be all I can get by Saturday now.

After a fair bit of trial & error, I finally managed to sort the gear linkage late this morning. It took me longer than I had allowed but I thought fitting the prop would'nt take too long so I could get some time back (M3 - straight fit) & then I could get stuck into the exhaust.

WRONG
After an hour of head scratching & cursing, it turns out that the SUPPOSED M3 prop supplied by a knowledgeable mate

is, in actual fact, from a 328i, has a different centre bearing & consequently won't bloody fit

It's taken me the rest of the day to swap the centre bearings from the E30 & the E36 props to try & make something that looks as if it might work. I've still got some fettling to do on it but I should know by midday tomorrow if it's going to work.

That leaves me just 2 1/2 days to get the exhaust fabricated & everything else sorted.
Without the luxury of a garage and light & having to be careful of the noise because of the neighbours (shift workers), I'm keeping everything crossed that nothing else goes wrong.