87 535is - getting started

[B C]

This is substantial work though, you are going to be so stoked driving this thing around!  The weather getting nice was definitely a big motivation for me to get my car put back together.

[merl]

Agreed ... I am enjoying every minute of working on the car. So a long road, but enjoyable.

[Brian.]

The weather rocks. I gotta do a vacuum line revamp. But that can wait. This thing's coming along nicely Merl!

[merl]

I don't care what anyone says ... getting the transmission out sucks .... a lot !!

I am going to put it in as one unit ... I will make it work. I am not going to put that transmission on after the motor is in .... Ugghhhhh

[B C]

oh definitely not. It was such a breeze to take the engine and trans out in 1 piece and re-install it as 1 piece. You can sit down and do a proper job replacing seals and things when its out of the car too. the next time I need a clutch I will be removing the engine and trans together again.

[Brian.]

merl said:

I don't care what anyone says ... getting the transmission out sucks .... a lot !!

I am going to put it in as one unit ... I will make it work. I am not going to put that transmission on after the motor is in .... Ugghhhhh

 Drop the front subframe with motor attached to trans= boom.

[merl]

Not enough clearance below the car to pull it off.

[YoungCR]

Yeah you need a 2 post lift for dropping the subframe. Can you pull an M30 and trans out in 1 piece? It was tight doing that with an M20.

[merl]

I think it would have made it ... No radiator / AC condensor or aux fan so that gives a bunch of room in the front.

[B C]

I had to remove the PS pump and radiator to get my engine out, but that was all. 

Have you ever weighed your car?

[Rowleym]

I literally attached my engine hoist to my core support and lifted it right off the subframe/engine combo. Easiest thing I've ever done.

[KaiserRolls]

Rowleym said:

I literally attached my engine hoist to my core support and lifted it right off the subframe/engine combo. Easiest thing I've ever done.

I can't imagine what your daily routine consists of

[merl]

Never weighed it ... Probably a chunk over 3000lbs ... maybe 3200ish ??

[merl]

It's OUT !! Head looks good, using some of the parts in the new head.

[Brian.]

Looks good, your head looks about as clean as mine! I have 209K miles though, haha. I take it you sourced a B35 head?

[merl]

Yep ... it is getting port matched now. 

This head has less than 100,000 on it.

[Jeff]

looking good. what is port matching i have never heard of that?

[Earl]

Jeff said:

looking good. what is port matching i have never heard of that?

It's the long way of saying porting. You smooth out the casting inside to get more flow. You can gasket match so that the ports are as large as the gasket allows, or you can take out more material and just modify the gasket.

[merl]

Correct ... Intake will probably take a bit of gasket to enlarge the ports a bit. The exhaust will be gasket matched.

Newer cars have come a long way and a lot of the joints between the intake manifolds and the head are very close to the same size (matched) but .... back in the day they were not.. so there is one side that is smaller than the other making a ridge ... This ridge between the two is bad. 

Porting = taking material away to create a better/increased flowing port (some of this will be done on my head)

Port matching = matching the ports or holes in the intake manifold and head as well as exhaust header and head (this is the main thing being done on my head)

[Brian.]

Lookin' good!post up port matching pictures!

Also, if your E28's close to stock like mine, with no huge stereo or anything crazy. It'll be around 3,200lbs. I just weighed mine last week!