Flinchy's E87 Project Thread

[flinchy]

Well, it seems it's the thing to do these days, so i might as well hah, just for those of you that don't visit any of the other forums..

So this is my car, an E87 130i

[IMG]http://sphotos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphoto...87925876_n.jpg[/IMG]

and this is what's going in to it (and why i made this thread, really)

[IMG]

View post on imgur.com

[/IMG]
... well.. it's a lot cleaner, and has a few bits stripped off it, well, most of it now, just getting it onto the stand to take the final pieces and degrease/photograph.

There's an absolute stack of stuff that's getting done to it before, which i'll edit into this post when i can be bothered..

Plan:

Overview:

Basically, have an E87 with an N54 in it, Engine/Gearbox, custom driveshaft into the 130i diff (keep the diff ratio high for maximum tire frying hah).


Realistically, i'll never have the engine out of the car ever again, while still being able to have it on the road for use day to day... so:

Engine: Purchased and in garage

Have not yet worked out what workshop will be doing the work, really no idea.. a few i've contacted have pretty much said 'yeah we can do it' so i'll have to find one really soon.

Also not sure on the installer, have found one agreeable party on the Sunshine Coast, no major award winning rep, but a very VERY solid history of doing literally nothing but swapping engines into cars with sometimes strange combinations every day.. spoken to a few other shops (east coast) who thought it would be fun and were keen at the time... I'd like to have a long chat with rx Auto though, as they know their BMW's..


- Head port + polish, new valves, general recondition... dzenno .. elsewhere on the internet, has shown the N54 head flows HORRIBLY from the factory.. and gains can be had.. Probably bigger exhaust valves, just like he got, will be up to the shop though, they're the experts. New springs, retainers, etc.

- New internals, CP pistons, Carillo rods, Compression ratio ???? stock? higher than stock? lowered (9.5) for major boost? standard head gasket or thicker one? question overall... [unpurchased]

-Gearbox on the way from the UK, 6MT.. The engine started it's life as a step, mual, it's cheaper to go manual, and yes it's no issue. Purchased and in shipment!


Performance Stuff:

-IC, didn't come with one, that's ok, is legal to upgrade from the get go, many many choices [unpurchased]

-Charge Pipe.. the factory one would probably fail way too quickly, plus i want custom intake piping done (proven gains, even over DCI), so a BOV (while not legal...) is so much easier.. definitely a post-swap thing hah [unpurchased]

- -Factory cat-back probably, if the 130i factory one is way too far off the downpipes, for engineering and registration only.. Stock downpipes til it's all installed and on the road [unpurchased?]


Misc:
-HUNDREDS OF SEALS AND GASKETS AND UGH need to be had...
[unpurchased]

- Driveshaft, all models/engine combinations seem to have wildly different lengths, so only sensible choice, cheaper than a new OE one regardless, something nice and strong.
[unpurchased]

- Fuel pump, there's a few options in development now, both HPFP and LPFP


Eventually get a set of stoptechs, i'll probably have to get bigger brakes to engineer the swap all legal like


Questions that Haven't been asked but have probably been thought about:

Why am i doing this?
Because it's fun, and interesting... pretty unique (only one other comparable E8x hatch in the world i know of?).. could be some other S85 swaps or craziness *shrug* lol

Why not just get a 135i?
Many reasons. Less fun for one... i do wish i could get all the cool affordable diffusers/trunk spoilers/cf trunks and fun stuff though.. there's that...

What's the goal?
Reliable, number 1 goal, if it broke soon after it happened, i'd cry. not manly tears, not manly at all...
Big power, nothing set but BIG.

any more questions/comments? go ahead

[BMW86]

Subscribed

[MrBlonde]

Loving those wheels, they really suit the car. Interesting project.

[Knightelf]

Nice, good luck. 1M widebody conversion next?

[dontask]

It'll be the car that I always wanted - I'm impressed!

[flinchy]

Originally Posted by BMW86

Subscribed

it's going to be a medium-pace event as funds and parts trickle in.. i haven't yet locked down a shop to do the engine work, or someone to install, but i've got a few of each that have said they're happy to/capable

i estimate 6-9 months hopefully, i'd like it in before september and the spring/summer car event seasons comes to life..



also, if anyone wants just about any stock part that could possibly be upgraded... let me know and if i haven't taken it off, i'll make it a priority (airbox/intake piping.. even stock turbos, i'll need the catted downpipes for registration though, they have about 50,000km on them)

pre-ic piping is broken, was damaged in transit

Originally Posted by MrBlonde

Loving those wheels, they really suit the car. Interesting project.

thanks, VMR V701's.. if i ever want to upgrade them, i'd like to stick to the same style, or at least stay concave rather than dish wheels

I'm aware it's going to cost a fair ton, but (as far as i can calculate), if i were to put it in now entirely unmodified, no more than it would to get a 135i

I'm pretty sure i have, or know what i need, parts wise, for it to *work*.. we'll see hah... getting the E9x bentley manual soon, to be sure.

Originally Posted by Knightelf

Nice, good luck. 1M widebody conversion next?

ehhh.. they're all too expensive (that i know of) like the prior design one... fitment issues aside, i'd love the ER wide body lol.. if ever, that's a long LONG way away though

the girlfriend tolerates my spending on the car because she's a car fan... but after this it won't be long until home purchase time, plus i have to help her get a nicer (BMW )car (2006 lancer...) in about a year and a half haha.

Originally Posted by dontask

It'll be the car that I always wanted - I'm impressed!

Hanging out with you/all the other 135i owners made me feel like i was missing out not having the N54... and well.. it's a lot more interesting than the N52 in every way (development wise)

I put the blame for this solely on all of you :P... well, and the price of the engine being so good, wouldn't have stomached the $7-8k they go for on ebay.

[JB4-335]

Great project Flinch. Look forward to seeing this come together.

BTW put those upgraded turbos on now while the motor is out.

[flinchy]

Originally Posted by JB4135

Great project Flinch. Look forward to seeing this come together.

BTW put those upgraded turbos on now while the motor is out.

Thanks!

Yeah, i know, big extra expense though so we'll see.. maybe i';ll win the turbos they're giving away on the other forum ... my time frame is long enough i'll be able to see a lot of options hit the floor, Vargas II's vs RB, maybe even some singles that don't suck (not that i really want a far-right power curve lol), ii'd definitely like to get them done before though, save $1000 odd in fitting...



one of my favourite things about this is that unlike many projects i've seen people propose over the years... not one ounce of negativity.. was nervous when i first thought about it at people laughing it off as a pipe dream

i fully accept that it could end up as one, too big to handle/i lose motivation *shrug* we'll see haha.

ED: and the biggest thing i want with this if it all goes through, total transparency... there's that one other hatchback N54 super wide amazingmachine over in europe as we all know... no info, no specs, nothing on what it took, how hard it was, just that it was expensive (far FAR more than mine's projecting). no videos!! nothing! how can you own that and.. nothing... (unless i'm mistaken and just haven't found them.. feel free! haha)

when this is done, it'll pretty much be a rough guide for anyone wanting to do anything like it to a similar BMW in future..

[Nugget]

Great project, and good to see you documenting it for everyone to see.

[DubKasper]

Big task, I admire your guts

[GJA003]

Awesome build i'll just wait until your done before i rip the N46 out of the 120i Goodluck !

[Stuart@BMRAutowerkes]

Goodluck

[sparoz]

Interesting built - you are madder than me. . I would be interested to look at the TD-03s to see how much room there is.

In terms of compression ratio, alpina lowers it for safety. I personally would like to see it increase as it will improve response, but of course, much more dangerous.

[robbieredknapped]

Why not start off using a 116 or a 120i as a base?

[woosh]

I somehow knew last year that you were crazy enough to do this!!!

Originally Posted by robbieredknapped

Why not start off using a 116 or a 120i as a base?

I'll take a stab at this for Riley

a) he already had the 130i before thinking of this project and it seems to have done him well thus far..
b) 130i has some stronger chassis components than a 116, 118 or 120
c) registering a new engine with a massive displacement jump is costly and time consuming. going from a 3l to 3l tt is much easier and a lot of the components are confirmed plug and play thanks to our good friend in europe who has already done this project.

ps: hey Riley... I don't know if you saw it, but there's a race workshop here in Sydney undertaking the same project.

[///Chase]

this should be interesting. in with stu and the popcorn.

[flinchy]

Originally Posted by bmroxm5

Goodluck

Thanks

Note: i'm on the iphone app, sorry for individual responses

[flinchy]

Originally Posted by sparoz

Interesting built - you are madder than me. . I would be interested to look at the TD-03s to see how much room there is.

In terms of compression ratio, alpina lowers it for safety. I personally would like to see it increase as it will improve response, but of course, much more dangerous.

Mad as a hatter, i've had to go from knowing nothing about the n54, to struggling to know enough D:

I thought td03 were stock size? Td04 is what vargas s2 are suppose to be (and i thought RB's?).. Correct me if i'm wrong


I'd lower it for both safety/ease of tuning, and peak power potential (bigger giggle-factor lol).. So much easier to turn everything up as high as it can go and never worry about detonation.. I am worried about how it will feel off boost/low compared to the n52 with it's 10.7.. I know i won't care in the end though lol

Raising it sounds nice for off boost and response, but it a much bigger headache for tuning... Number one goal being reliability, i think i'll stick to 10.2 or lower lol

I'll be wanting e85 an possibly a flex fuel sensor if the jb4 gets the ability to (unless i can afford a proefi an put it in one day haha), as that's likely what i'll use to start with simply for convenience

[flinchy]

Originally Posted by robbieredknapped

Why not start off using a 116 or a 120i as a base?

Also answered below a bit, but,

This is always (wellll for the forseeable future) going to be a street driven car.. Yes it's going to be pretty damn quick, but street.. I want BLACK leather (though front seats in a year or two i'd LOVE some recaros).. i like the m sport features (regardless of the fact i'll grab a bmwp steering wheel and my cover has no rubber on it.. and ssk and new knob blah blah)

until the day i get a new body kit.. (At least a year) Well i find the non m sport hideous lol

Bi xenon's are a need lol.. Though one day i may consider swapping out to adaptive, that's literally at the very bottom of the mod list, and i refuse to have halogens 100% for nope.

Manual, manual manual manual, there aren't many manuals (low 100's aus wide), converting auto to manual trim/pedals etc adds likely $1000+ in parts and labour at a minimum.

Diff ratio, 130i has a nice 3.46, 116i has 3.39 which would be ok, same as the 118i

120i has 3.73 which is too short for the n54 gearbox for my use, more traction issues, more shifts at the 1/4, worse fuel use day to day

I want it black because i like having a black bmw.. It will get a respray (black~ still) due to my colour scheme in 2yrs probably, but.. Yeah 2 years.

I want it 2006 or newer, because i have a 2006, less than 103,000 as that's what my current chassis has, more km = less solid chassis

Sunroof, rear pdc, identical options i'd like..

And the wheels are good for now (9.5 wide rear for decent rubber to the ground),

I just checked carsales.. My car has unfortunate cosmetic damage (effing cat) i wouldn't put it over $25k, it wont go for over 22-23 imo

It's pretty much not going to happen sadly, mostly in part due to my fussiness, but would you guys want to downgrade anything? Haha

Though if someone meets these req's, in a 118i or 116i, doesn't mind the damage, and would like a swap+cash my way ($5k?) i'd think about it.. 5k would get me some mods at least lol

Ed: oh add to that, the fact i should be able to sell the n52 and box for a couple of $k (or use it for another sweet project) and the price difference is negligible, low model 1ers are overpriced in my opinion, the financial step up for what i'd want from a 116/118 is not as large as you think..

[flinchy]

Originally Posted by woosh

I somehow knew last year that you were crazy enough to do this!!!

I'll take a stab at this for Riley

a) he already had the 130i before thinking of this project and it seems to have done him well thus far..
b) 130i has some stronger chassis components than a 116, 118 or 120
c) registering a new engine with a massive displacement jump is costly and time consuming. going from a 3l to 3l tt is much easier and a lot of the components are confirmed plug and play thanks to our good friend in europe who has already done this project.

ps: hey Riley... I don't know if you saw it, but there's a race workshop here in Sydney undertaking the same project.

I was thinking about it for laughs around maybe august..? Then the last meet i was told about a cheap engine for sale, then impulsiveness took over.. Haha


Riley? I'm Brendan >_< (riley used to own this car though?)

A)yeah, in addition to the above.. I have it

B) i dunno exactly.. Different diff ratio, what else? So much is being swapped lol

C) yup, it's legal still, but there's less 'checks' to go from a 3.0 to a 3.0tt

Brendan! Hahaha, what workshop?

[sparoz]

Originally Posted by flinchy

Mad as a hatter, i've had to go from knowing nothing about the n54, to struggling to know enough D:

I thought td03 were stock size? Td04 is what vargas s2 are suppose to be (and i thought RB's?).. Correct me if i'm wrong


I'd lower it for both safety/ease of tuning, and peak power potential (bigger giggle-factor lol).. So much easier to turn everything up as high as it can go and never worry about detonation.. I am worried about how it will feel off boost/low compared to the n52 with it's 10.7.. I know i won't care in the end though lol

Raising it sounds nice for off boost and response, but it a much bigger headache for tuning... Number one goal being reliability, i think i'll stick to 10.2 or lower lol

I'll be wanting e85 an possibly a flex fuel sensor if the jb4 gets the ability to (unless i can afford a proefi an put it in one day haha), as that's likely what i'll use to start with simply for convenience

Vargas has td-03s shells with td-04 internals. So, if you got them laying around, don't mind having a look to see what sort of room I have if I want a special turbo built.

Safety is definitely better to be lower for peak power, and raising it is definitely much more dangerous and harder to tune. The require piece is a new gen spark plug that federal mogul has developed, but at the moment is only given to OEMs and can run 14:1 compression ratio. I tried to get it from them about six months ago for development and they said no to aftermarket for the time being .

[flinchy]

Originally Posted by sparoz

Vargas has td-03s shells with td-04 internals. So, if you got them laying around, don't mind having a look to see what sort of room I have if I want a special turbo built.

Safety is definitely better to be lower for peak power, and raising it is definitely much more dangerous and harder to tune. The require piece is a new gen spark plug that federal mogul has developed, but at the moment is only given to OEMs and can run 14:1 compression ratio. I tried to get it from them about six months ago for development and they said no to aftermarket for the time being .

Ahh yeah true, they take the stock td03 housing and modify it to fit in correct?

It would be awesome if the stage 3's would fit (gtx28's), pity we have a steering rack right there hah

The turbos are still on at the moment, but they won't be for long

Any photos anyone wants of anything about this, can take.

Hmm.. There are plenty of other higher compression ratio cars (hondas for example), so raising it would be ok from a physically possible standpoint

It all depends on what turbos i go, how much boost i want to run.. Lowering the compression too far would just mean less power, just as much as going too high..