S50B32 Euro M Powered 240

[katokid]

So 5 weeks ago I bought myself an early Christmas present. Had it bolted into the floor the following weekend and just needed a sparky to wire it, my brother suggested his brother in law so I approached him and he was happy to do the job as long as I wasn't in a rush, which I wasn't as I had plenty of other things to do.

 

Eventually I had done all these things (more rust repairs) and was really ready to use the hoist this weekend and as luck would have it Mr. Sparky turned up and had it wired pretty quickly. Spec's called for a 30 amp circuit which seemed like overkill and was....... a load test revealed it was only pulling 7!

 

Anyway, very excited to get the Z on the hoist finally. Will make life much easier for the Z and servicing other cars.

 

 

Had a bit of inspiration last night after putting the car on the hoist for the first time........the engine and gearbox was sitting on the test stand next to it and I realised that it would be pretty cool to be able to load the whole lot from underneath by wheeling it under the car and dropping the body on the hoist over it.

 

So this morning after an early coffee I decided that the engine test stand had done its duty as a test stand as the next time this engine runs will be when its ready drive in the car. I put the Z crossmember and mounts on the engine and raised it up 30cm to give me enough height to get under the car on the hoist and do up the transmission crossmember. I used the lower control arm holes in the crossmember for the extensions and just made a cradle to sit under the back of the trans at the back.

 

 

 

 

Pretty chuffed with the way it worked out, it took all of 5 minutes to drop the body over the engine and do up the 6 bolts to secure it in place. I'm hoping that this will also work with the exhaust headers in place as well so that in the future if I ever need to pull the engine or gearbox I will be able to do it this way.

 

It sure was good to see the engine back in its place again, gave a real sense of progress to see it there. I will be asking the engineers to come and inspect this ASAP. Looking forward to this with some trepidation!

 

 

I needed to check a couple of things that have been niggling away at the back of my mind. I had never actually confirmed bonnet clearance for the engine....it looked like it would be OK but it was time to confirm so I pulled the old bonnet out and dropped it on......the throttle lever which the accelerator cable attaches to is the highest part of the engine and it just cleared as did the rocker cover at the front of the engine....phew!

[katokid]

Wiring time!

In the last pic above you can see how the standard engine wiring harness is housed in a big ugly plastic box, which in the M3 engine bay hangs from the firewall and sits over the back of the cylinder head. The box doesn't look out of place in the M3 engine bay as there are plenty of other plastic trims and covers but its wrong in the Z bay. I want to keep the engine bay as clean as possible without going to the extent of completely hiding all the wiring, in addition the +ve and -ve cables to the battery are on the wrong side and the other issue is that the plastic box sits right where my bonnet catch bracket is......so time to redo the harness.

I need to bring the battery cables across to the correct side, route the main harness down and behind the cylinder head so it cant be seen and then bring the main ECU plug, relays and the plug that normally connects the engine harness to the body harness inside the cabin. These also need to be easily unplugged for engine removal.

 

 

On the M3 the ECU, relays and harness plugs are all in waterproof compartments in the engine bay and understandably so as there is probably 120 wires all up, this results in a very thick harness that I need to bring through a grommet into the cabin and the transmission tunnel is the best place to do it. After lots of research on the interwebs and 3 trips to pick a part I found a good grommet which came from a 2002 BMW 535. The shape and OD is big enough to get the bulky plugs and relays through and the ID is just the right size for the harness.

 

 

 

I still need to do a final tidy up of the harness and add some split conduit but it all sits well and will look OK when its all done. Once the airbox is in place the only thing you will see in the engine bay is the battery cables running across to the battery in the approximate position of the last photo.

 

 

 

 

 

The next thing will be to mount the ECU, relays and all the EWS security bits on an aluminium panel above the passenger foot well.

 

[frank280zx]

sweet!!! that is all i can say

[Perfect240z]

Lookin good!

[katokid]

Its been a long time since Ive updated this thread. I promised Ron (RTZ) that I would keep this thread up to date and Ive been negligent of this responsibility....so here goes:

 

I cut up some 3mm alloy sheet to make a mounting board for the ECU, EWS bits and relays. Used the fan mounting points on the RHS and there is a single 5mm captive nut on the firewall (no idea what its used for) for the other side.

Drilled and tapped two holes to mount the ECU and cut the original plastic relay mounts from the M3 fuse box and riveted that to the plate. The relays now just clip on. Its tight for space and the fuse box and the speed simulator will need to be mounted on the side kick panel.

Still need to make all the connections from the ignition switch and the EWS box to the 12 pin connector but that can wait.

 

 

Edited November 15, 2013 by katokid

[katokid]

Well, happy to report I now have a complete driveline from engine to wheels, meaning my tailshaft and CV shafts are done.

Tailshaft was shortened by Knox Driveshafts. Jeff, works from his backyard, very reasonably priced, knowledgeable and used to rally Z's many years ago. Tailshaft uses the standard rubber BMW guibo joint at the front and the BMW CV joint at the rear using an adapter to mate with the R200 pinion flange.

 

 

I'm keen to make the driveline as bullet proof as possible so I wanted to go with CV's for the driveshafts.

After reading about people having issues with the Z31 turbo shafts being a smidge too long and causing handling issues and damage I mocked mine up in the car and found I only had 2 - 3 mm of clearance which wasn't enough in my book. I considered Wolf Creek but didn't like some of the reports and wasn't prepared to pay for the SW Motorsport version so when a member here advertised some R32 Skyline shafts that had been shortened and resplined I took the plunge. They aren't perfect and took some time to find circlips that will hopefully do the job but they are 35mm shorter than the standard Z31 turbo shafts and then I had Rob Crichton http://www.viczcar.com/forum/index.php/topic,1861.0.html make up some 25mm wide adapters. I now have a minimum of 10-12mm of clearance at all suspension travel points. Grease and new boots and they ready to rock.

 

 

 

 

I'm taking no credit for the fuel system here, this was all Mike's (NZeder) doing, Ive just copied his great ideas! Thanks again Mike.

I'm (we) are using a BA/BF Falcon wagon fuel module which incorporates the fuel pump, swirl pot and fuel level sender all in one unit and will hopefully provide quiet and reliable fuel delivery without the noise and fuel smells associated with some external installations. I have already installed a high volume/pressure Walbro in this module earlier in my thread.

First off you need to give the top of the tank a bit of a haircut and then fabricate a flat section that will be welded in to mount the module on. I ended up using 5mm plate for the horizontal piece and 3mm for the small vertical piece, 5mm is overkill but I wanted to ensure that the module sealed well and 3mm may have distorted when the module was tightened down or when it was welded into place on the tank. Stud holes were drilled and tapped then a plug weld in the bottom to ensure no leaks.

 

 

 

[katokid]

The module has a steel reinforcing ring that sits over the top to spread the load when you tighten it down and in the original Ford installation the seal has a ridge which fits into a grove in the tank to ensure sealing, I couldn't replicate this so I bought some 3mm Nitrile rubber from Purple Pig and fabricated my own but it does rely totally on the steel reinforcing ring to spread the load for a good seal....we shall see... I may have to make a stronger reinforcing ring as I fear it wont provide the even tension on the seal.
 

 

 

 

 

The tank has a good dent in the bottom side which I need to fix and in addition I need to close over the original sender hole and pick up pipe so Ive decided to farm this out to "experts", Mossy has recommended http://www.melwideautoradiators.com.au/radiators-aircon-heaters-fuel-tanks/fuel-tank-repair/ for this so I'm going to take the tank to them and see what they say.

[katokid]

Ive done a fair bit of research on the BMW forums and its pretty clear that dual pipes front to back are the way to go to retain the unique exhaust note that the M3 engines have. A large single system would be cheaper, lighter and probably make the same power but they sound pox and drone badly.....so say the forums...and its telling that all the aftermarket systems are dual pipes.

As the car needs to be engineered it also needs to meet noise limits ...96DB I think is the number so making an exhaust that is legal and sounds good is going to be a challenge. I'm going to need to maximize the size and volume of the resonator and rear muffler as I want to stick with straight through design if possible. I made a cardboard mock up of the resonator to confirm the maximum size that will fit in the tunnel and maintain the best ground clearance. I'm going to use 2.25 inch stainless for the pipes. I'm comfortable with making the exhaust system but would prefer to have someone else make the resonator and rear muffler if possible, I reckon I could make my own but the time it would take is the killer.

 

 

 

 

On to the topic of fuel and brake hardlines. A pet peeve of mine is cars that people have put huge amounts of time and money into and their fuel system looks like a last minute and poorly executed add on, dogy P clamps self tapered into the floor and cable ties don't cut it for me.  It can be difficult to get an outcome that looks good and is properly safe.

Because the BMW engine is offset to the drivers side I have no room in the tunnel where the fuel and brake lines ran originally and also the exhaust is on the wrong side so I have to move them to the other side. I also need to run bigger fuel 3/8 supply line and 5/16 return lines.

I want to use factory type pipe clips but I also don't want to drill holes and have bolt heads or rivets etc in the side of the tunnel either so I went to pick a part and spent ages crawling under cars in the mud looking for something that will work. Ended up with clips from a mid 90's Pajero, it has four slots but I only need three, two for fuel and one for brake. On one side it has 2 x 5/16 slots and the other has a brake pipe slot and one other, using a drill it it was pretty easy to enlarge the outer 5/16 slot to 3/8 and they all clip in really well and are well retained.

I made a base from 5mm x 20mm strap, drilled and taped the center hole for the M6 bolt and then drilled two larger holes which will be used to place a small weld to attach the base to the tunnel, this way you will see no welds once the clip is bolted down.

Ive got my bundy tube and bender so that's next.

 

 

 

 

 

Pipework in the tunnel is done. 3/8 fuel supply on the bottom, 5/16 fuel return in the middle and 3/16 rear brake line on the top. Took some time to get it looking straight and very happy with the clips/brackets which worked perfectly. 3/8 required a good quality bender which my brother already had. 5/16 was easier and an elcheapo bender did the job, the 3/16 just needs fingers!

Its only steel bundy tube but Ive seen a picture on another forum where the guy has had his lines powder coated black...looks grouse against the body colour underneath the car so I'm going that way.

 

 

 

 

 

Got the accelerator pedal finished today. Couldn't believe how long it took ......... the BMW cable enters the firewall on an angle so took some time and lots of measuring to ensure the hole  in the firewall was in the right place and that the pedal was in the right place. Used an ED Falcoon accelerator pedal with the top cut off and adapted to suit the BMW cable end, added some additional holes so I can fine tune the feel and travel but don't think I will need to as I replicated the BMW pedal ratios and it feels spot on. I had to add some additional reinforcement as the whole firewall was flexing way to much. I need to get a new cable though as the one that came with the engine was just ripped out and they damaged the outer...$65 for a genuine cable incl freight from Schmiedmann in Europe so not too scary.

Sat in the car and changed gears and made brrrm brrm noises as I pushed the new third pedal for a few minutes just to keep the motivation up!

 

 

 

 

[katokid]

So, took my fuel tank to Melwide Radiators as there was plenty of rust and scale inside after sitting with no fuel in it for nearly 20 years also had  a decent dent in the bottom and I needed the original fuel sender and pipes covered over.

They quoted $400 to cut the tank in half, media blast inside and out, tin the whole of the inside so it wont rust again, weld it all back together weld in the plate for the fuel module and cover over the original sender and pipe holes.

They cut the tank on the top side of the original flange where the factory joins the two halves so the welds aren't seen from underneath the car. In the first photo below you can see the welds, not the greatest looking but he pressure tests and guarantees no leaks. He did a good job on the lead filling and covering of the original sender and pipes.

Reasonably happy with the outcome given the hours they put in, only thing I would do differently is pick it up as soon as its finished because in the week I left it sitting there the acid they use to tin the inside had put surface rust on all of the media blasted outside! Managed to get it inside my blasting cabinet and give it a clean up then gave it a coat of etch primer straight away.

Couple of little dings that will get a wipe of bog before it gets properly painted.

 

 

 

 

So I need to get some clearance for my dual exhaust where it goes under the diff crossmember.....

1. Take two perfectly good crossmembers.
2. Attack with cut off saw.
3. Weld in 5mm plate and brace on back side.
4. Hey presto plenty of exhaust room.

 

 

 

 

Ive mocked up a couple of versions of the rear muffler as I just cant bring myself to like the stacked twin pipes ala 432 style. After speaking with Mick from Devonport I'm going to go with a muffler the same size as the Reinhard rear muffler with twin 2 1/4 inlet and the pipes merging inside to a single 3" outlet  with a down-turned tip.

 

 

 

 

Given the amount of brake, fuel and oil lines I need to run I lashed out and bought an Eastwood flaring tool. A very nice piece of kit and brilliant to use.

Because I have rotated the control valve on the top of the WRX steering rack 180 degrees I had to make new hardlines  to the cylinder. I wish bending was as easy as flaring!

 

 

 

 

A box of stuff arrived from Summit which included my Russell EFI adapters http://www.russellperformance.com/mc/adapt_fit/fuel-efi.shtml . After reading a few comments about the ones without the screw on end caps coming off I thought this the safer way.

One problem I didn't anticipate when trying to fit them to the BA/BF Falcon fuel module was the lack of space between where the tube comes up out of the module and does a 90 degree turn and the collar which the adapter end cap screws down on to. The "head" of the screw on end caps is 5mm thick which is plenty so I took 2mm thickness off this and it gave enough room to fit the end cap over the tube.

Had to do this on two of the tubes, middle one was OK so all good now.

 

 

 

 

[katokid]

At least the clutch line was cheap. Two sections made up by Better Brakes in Bayswater......one from the master cylinder under the dash then behind the heater box to a firewall fitting which uses the original hole where the choke cables went through. Second part goes from the firewall down to the slave cylinder.

 

 

 

 

 

BMW power-steering systems are renowned for overheating if the cars are tracked, most punters install a proper power-steering cooler in place of the typical loop of pipe (like most cars) that normally serves as the cooler. Under-driven pulleys are also an option but don't really fix the issue. Either way I couldn't use the original BMW loop of pipe due to a lack of space so a proper (albeit small) cooler was going to be needed. The original BMW loop cooler sits in front of the rack on the cross member and this logically is the best place for a proper cooler.

I fabricated a bracket from 3mm plate that is welded to the lower front edge of the cross member and the cooler sits on top of that using rubber isolators top and bottom of the mounts. In the photos the bracket is just tacked for now and I need to get some nice stainless domed Allen head bolts and nylocks to finish it off.

 

 

 

The cooler is the largest I could practically fit in the available space....Harmonic Balancer  sits very close at the top of the inlet and outlet hoses which required the cooler to be offset slightly for clearance.  Lines are braided teflon -6 from the pump to rack and then to the the cooler with a -8 hose tail and rubber hose back to the reservoir.

 

 

 

 

 

M3's come standard with a pretty substantial engine oil cooler and there is a thermostat built into the oil filter housing where the cooler lines originate. The M3 oil filter housings and coolers  are a popular add on for anyone modifying a lower spec M50/S50 series engine as they are a bolt on. The original M3 cooler is the same width as the radiator which it sits under but its only about 70mm high so its wide but narrow and again I couldn't use it as the front of the Z is just too small.

In front of the radiator was the only option for me. There are three holes arranged in a triangular pattern on the front of the radiator support cross-member which lined up well with the Earls cooler I had chosen so like the PS cooler I used some 3mm plate to fabricate brackets and made the same rubber insulators as the PS cooler. Still need to add a lower bracket and  the -10 hoses.

 

 

 

Plumbing at the back of the car is nearly finished....new brake lines on both sides and new T piece from the front line.

I'm using a Russell inline fuel filter where the braided line from the tank meets the hard line going forward. The filter is small and light weight but I didn't want to leave it just hanging off the hardline so I made a bracket to support it. The clamp will be insulated with some 3mm nitrile rubber to protect the filter. Second hard line is the return from the pressure reg and will connect with braided line to the tank.

 

 

 

 

Time to run the engine oil cooler lines....

The factory oil cooler lines use a unique O ring set up which cant easily be modified, plus the factory cooler and lines wont fit anyway so Ive used an adapter made by VAC Motorsport that allows -10 AN lines to be plumbed from the factory oil filter housing.

 

 

 

 

 

Getting the cooler lines through the radiator support was a bit of a mission. Had to keep the lines from rubbing on the inner guard, rad support and have the right angle for them to join the cooler so I made a bracket which bolts to the lower radiator attachment hole and used an overly expensive "billet" double hose clamp (which worked perfectly).

 

 

 

 

[katokid]

I'm slowly working away on all the little things before I disassemble the shell and send it to off for final paint.....getting closer.... just the exhaust as the last major piece.

The BMW shifter has an inner and outer seal. The inner seals on the base of the shifter fulcrum and the outer seals on the gear lever and to the body by means of a recessed flange in the boot. No bolts or screws....the boot just pulls through the tunnel and seals very tightly on the recessed groove. Fortunately the original hole in the Z tunnel is exactly the right width for the correct diameter of the round hole that the boot requires so I just had to add a bit at the front and the rear.

 

 

 

 

[PLATA]

You are very talented, lots of detail on this built, amazing Z creation   

[RTz]

You are building my perfect S30, David.

When you're done it'll retain all the wonderful sounds and feel of the original, while having the response, drivability, and NA simplicity of original, yet turn 12 second 1/4 mile times, rev to the moon, get better fuel economy, and not gain a single pound of weight. Pure tactile and aural bliss combined with supercar performance. Can't think of a more intoxicating Z experience than this one.

[duragg]

I should have never opened this thread....    Nice work friend.

Tom

[katokid]

You are building my perfect S30, David.

 

When you're done it'll retain all the wonderful sounds and feel of the original, while having the response, drivability, and NA simplicity of original, yet turn 12 second 1/4 mile times, rev to the moon, get better fuel economy, and not gain a single pound of weight. Pure tactile and aural bliss combined with supercar performance. Can't think of a more intoxicating Z experience than this one.

 

Ron, thanks for the kind words.

 

You've summed up much better than I could the way I feel about this project. I was so tempted to go with a more powerful engine (RB, JZ, LS) but so glad I stayed true to the NA in line six heritage of the early Z's.

 

I just hope it runs true to your predictions and my aspirations!

 

Thanks again for the inspiration and help.

[tube80z]

David,

 

I don't say this to many people but your build is inspiring.  It's really nice to see someone take the time to do it right rather than just good enough to run.  

 

best,

Cary

[thedarkie]

Been a while, how's this going?

[Nelsonian]

Yes, Update needed please.

[Josh280z]

I've read all this, I want to see more.

[docaam]

Subscribing and cant wait for more details. It perfection at its best