Alpine e30 progress/build thread
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stop making your car faster than mine with lightweight stuff
No!!
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Didn't take any pictures, but got a few things done last night!
Brakes are bled! Turns out I didn't have a container of ATE Type 200 like I thought, but I did have an unopened can of ATE Super Blue so I now have a fresh fill of fancy blue brake fluid. The new larger master cylinder pushes a lot more fluid and feels really nice, though I haven't tried it with the engine running.
I don't have the rebuilt 3.15 LSD yet so I installed the original small case 4.10 open diff and finished the driveshaft and axle installation. This is mostly to facilitate the exhaust fabrication that I am hoping to get started on very soon. The drive-train is basically functional short of torquing the axle flanges and bleeding the clutch, so that's exciting.
Current to-do list for making it to the picnic (22 days remaining):
- Bleed clutch
- Pull headers to lengthen O2 sensor plug wires, reinstall headers
- Fabricate exhaust
- Weld skid plate mounts to chassis and install skid plate
- Finish coolant tank internal hose, mount tank
- Install/wire coolant temp switch for electric fan
- Bleed cooling system
- Fabricate catch can mount, route hoses
- Fabricate intake/filter support
- Reinstall interior pieces
- Reinstall hood/grilles
- Change trans fluid
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in order to get you to the picnic, i've audited your list to only the bare minimum.
- Bleed clutch
- Pull headers to lengthen O2 sensor plug wires, reinstall headers
- Fabricate exhaust
- Weld skid plate mounts to chassis and install skid plate
- Finish coolant tank internal hose, mount tank
- Install/wire coolant temp switch for electric fan
- Bleed cooling system
- Fabricate catch can mount, route hoses
- Fabricate intake/filter support
- Reinstall interior pieces
- Reinstall hood/grilles
- Change trans fluid
I expect you'll show up in a blaze of glory - with open-header flames, fuh-raz no hood style, oil spewing from your cracked oil pan and catch can hoses, and a steaming engine hotter than two mice fornicating in a sock.
but you'll be there.
Dan
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Making it to the picnic is absolutely a badge of honor . I only had a handful of miles on the swapped E30 last year when I took it to the picnic. Driving home from it was some mixed feels though. Strong sense of victory and accomplishment, but knowing deep down inside that my turn with that car was over and it was time to pass the torch. You have picked a great engine swap that not a lot of people have done (compared to the usual X50/X52) so I am really interested to hopefully get a ride in it sometime
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I expect you'll show up in a blaze of glory - with open-header flames, fuh-raz no hood style, oil spewing from your cracked oil pan and catch can hoses, and a steaming engine hotter than two mice fornicating in a sock.
but you'll be there.
If we're going that route I might as well skip bleeding the clutch, just start it in gear and don't stop till I get there!
Making it to the picnic is absolutely a badge of honor . I only had a handful of miles on the swapped E30 last year when I took it to the picnic. Driving home from it was some mixed feels though. Strong sense of victory and accomplishment, but knowing deep down inside that my turn with that car was over and it was time to pass the torch. You have picked a great engine swap that not a lot of people have done (compared to the usual X50/X52) so I am really interested to hopefully get a ride in it sometime
Its a perfect event to aim for! E30's are the focus of the show, it's in the spring so I then have the whole summer to enjoy my car, and it's not so early in the year that I'm are working in -10F weather to get there. Plus, having a deadline I'm motivated to hit means I'm more likely to put in the hours needed to get it done. I'm really excited to get it on the road, I really hope it lives up to my expectations. You are more than welcome to come for a ride once I've got it going!
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More done after work yesterday, forgot pictures again.
- Pulled and re-installed the center console without the spacer that was under the rear mount point on the original console, it fits way better now with no huge gap between the bottom edges and the carpet. Reinstalled the rear console as well.
- Installed a 91C temperature switch (BMW part number 61311364272) in the radiator and completed the fan wiring. The M54 operates around 96F based on what I have found so this should offer good protection if the radiator starts getting heat soaked while idling/etc. I can also manually override from a switch in the console if I am at an autocross/stuck in traffic on a hot day/etc. Eventually I'd like to add a 'fan on' indicator light somewhere, but that can happen after the picnic.
- Pulled the headers to lengthen the O2 sensor harnesses. I've got a pair of junk e36 sensors with much longer wires that I can steal the wire/plug/sheathing from so I only have to make one splice in each wire. Hoping to get that done this weekend so I can reinstall and start on the exhaust.
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Set up the Help Plz! party already! Next Saturday
i'll work on the trans oil, interior, and intake support
I'm thinking the first weekend in June to button everything up if needed! I'm going to see what I get done in the next two weeks, that way if I'm behind it'll be a stressful scramble and I won't want to work on cars for a few months
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Headers pulled, O2 sensor wires lengthened, and everything reinstalled with the wires routed much more cleanly. Upon closer inspection m52 o2 sensor plugs are not the same, though the wire gauge is the same so I used the wire (much higher temp rating for the insulation than anything you can get a a consumer store) and sheathing from those junk sensors to complete the extension.
I also completed the coolant tank internal hose that prevents the radiator from sucking air during cool down. I used a section of 5/16" hose from an e36 radiator expansion tank hose that had the perfect shape and modified a 5/16" barb bulkhead fitting to attach the hose. The hose end sits about 1" from the bottom of the tank, but due to the shape is right against the wall and away from the heater hose return so no air should transfer between the two. Only one company made a 5/16" barb bulkhead fitting with 3/8" NPT threads and the minimum purchase quantity was 25 pieces, so I ordered a generic one from ebay and an aluminum 3/8" NPT plug. I drilled and tapped the plug to the correct thread and then JB welded the bulkhead fitting into the plug.
I put a little bit of silicone grease on the barb so that the hose could spin slightly on it, attached the fitting to the hose, fed the hose through the female port on the expansion tank, and threaded the fitting into place. It fits perfectly! The hose shouldn't see any pressure differential so I'm not worried about it blowing off inside the tank, and if it does it won't cause any problems beyond being annoying.
Updated to-do list for making it to the picnic (17 days remaining):
- Bleed clutch
- Fabricate exhaust
- Weld skid plate mounts to chassis and install skid plate
- Bleed cooling system
- Fabricate catch can mount, route hoses
- Fabricate intake/filter support
- Reinstall interior pieces
- Reinstall hood/grilles
- Change trans fluid
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Updated to-do list for making it to the picnic (17 days remaining):
- Bleed clutch
- Fabricate exhaust
- Weld skid plate mounts to chassis and install skid plate
- Bleed cooling system
- Fabricate catch can mount, route hoses
- Fabricate intake/filter support
- Reinstall interior pieces
- Reinstall hood/grilles
- Change trans fluid
What's your clutch bleeding process?
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What's your clutch bleeding process?
I would imagine it’s identical to bleeding brakes.
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What's your clutch bleeding process?
I have no idea... never done it before. Hopefully something that works
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I would imagine it’s identical to bleeding brakes.
I think it can be done similarly, but the struggle comes from BMW putting the slave bleed valve on the bottom where air doesn't like to go... people try everything from pressure/vacuum bleeding, reverse bleeding, gravity bleeding, removing the slave and compressing it by hand with the bleeder pointed upwards, etc. etc. There are probably as many threads on clutch bleeding as there are for "what oil should I use?"...
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I think it can be done similarly, but the struggle comes from BMW putting the slave bleed valve on the bottom where air doesn't like to go... people try everything from pressure/vacuum bleeding, reverse bleeding, gravity bleeding, removing the slave and compressing it by hand with the bleeder pointed upwards, etc. etc. There are probably as many threads on clutch bleeding as there are for "what oil should I use?"...
I’ve done it a few times and I’ve always just done it like brakes
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I think it can be done similarly, but the struggle comes from BMW putting the slave bleed valve on the bottom where air doesn't like to go... people try everything from pressure/vacuum bleeding, reverse bleeding, gravity bleeding, removing the slave and compressing it by hand with the bleeder pointed upwards, etc. etc. There are probably as many threads on clutch bleeding as there are for "what oil should I use?"...
I got one of those reverse bleeders because the last time I tried bleeding it didn't go so well.
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If you are patient the clutch will usually bleed itself. Fill with fluid and work on other things. Walk past and pump the pedal a few times every 15 minutes. You will see the bubbles rising into the reservoir. Before you get everything else done your clutch will be air free and work perfect. Sounds crazy but I have done it that way on everything from an e24 to e36 including when master, slave, and lines are all brand new.
Good info on the hose to the bottom of the tank. What tank part number did you use?
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This^
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🥳SOLD BMW E24 633CSI - BMW M30B32 🧪SOLD HCH ES9 - 1.3 LDA
👽BMW E30 325IC - Toyota 1JZ-GTE ⏰ HONDA EF9 CIVIC SI - JDM B18C5
☠️BMW E36 318i - Ford 5.0 FE302 🚴♂️ GT-Labomba - 26x2.75 Freeride
🤹♀️SOLD BMW E36/7 Z3 - BMW M54B25 🧓SOLD BMW E10 2002 - BMW M10M05 -
If you are patient the clutch will usually bleed itself. Fill with fluid and work on other things. Walk past and pump the pedal a few times every 15 minutes. You will see the bubbles rising into the reservoir. Before you get everything else done your clutch will be air free and work perfect. Sounds crazy but I have done it that way on everything from an e24 to e36 including when master, slave, and lines are all brand new.
Good info on the hose to the bottom of the tank. What tank part number did you use?
So do you open the bleed screw at all? Or basically just pump the pedal a bunch of times over a day or two?
For the tank, I used a Canton 80-202. It has a 2 quart capacity so should be more than big enough for the M54 and other BMW I6's based on their sizing guidelines.
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Nope, I don't open the bleed screw at all. I suppose you could open it until fluid comes out which might speed up the process.
Excellent I will pick one of those tanks up. I overhauled everything in my cooling system except the tank itself. Thanks for the info.
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