the one and only e30 s52 engine swap

AsparagusMike

So last weekend I started cracking down on getting the gas tank cleaned up, prepped, and repainted. Was going along just fine and dandy until I noticed this on one of the lines welded to the top of the tank...

After assessing the other parts of the tank like the edges and dents underneath I decided its time for her to retire

So I started searching around and found my self on amazon looking at this aftermarket gas tank made by spectra premium. After reading the 6 positive reviews it had on it I was convinced to give it a try. Tank should be arriving today sometime hopefully.

So while I wait for the tank I turned my attention to the other things needed to get done

new fuel lines bent up...

I also want to throw out there that this copper nickel line is so nice to work with and bends very nicely. Took me about a hour to get the feed and return line all fab'd up.

Sense I don't have the tool to make the special looking flare on the end of the factory fuel lines I just threw a shallow bubble flare on both ends, I suppose its better then leaving it straight...

Pulled the fuel filter housing apart plus some heat shield brackets off the gas tank, very rusty indeed.

I can fix that

Two problems I ran into now... First off the new tank does not come with a new connection pipe on the gas tank and while attempting to remove mine I ended up kinking it. Was just gonna order a new one until I looked it up by part number on the intranet and found that they want close to $170 for a new one (that's almost what I payed for the tank!), and there's no aftermarket options for it.

If anyone has a parts car that still has this pipe on it and can be removed without destroying like I did to mine and is not in need of it please let me know as now I am on the hunt for a replacement without paying an arm and a leg for it..

Also, when removing my axle to diff bolts I rounded the inside Allen head part of two of them. For some reason they changed up the design of the bolt so that now its a socket type bolt instead of allen head and I am unable to find new versions of the Allen type. Does anyone else have these type of bolts laying around or on a parts car that they aren't using anymore? I could just get 2 of the other kind of bolts but then they wouldn't be all the same and I just can't have that, lol. Thanks!

AsparagusMike

Sorry, one correction I need to make... the diff bolts were torx head not socket type or "hex head"

stealthbimmer

Just get all the new type of bolts...they are better and you wont have that problem again if you have to remove them again

Sent from my SM-G930R4 using Tapatalk

B C

I have a couple spare socket head axle screws (laymans terms: bolts that use an allen wrench)

Whatever you do, make sure the axle bolt holes dont grease up the threads when installing them, and do use blue loctite. It is common for axle bolts to back themselves out due to greasy threads

AsparagusMike

Snap said:

I have a couple spare socket head axle screws (laymans terms: bolts that use an allen wrench)

Whatever you do, make sure the axle bolt holes dont grease up the threads when installing them, and do use blue loctite. It is common for axle bolts to back themselves out due to greasy threads

Awesome! Ya no doubt gonna be using clean threads and loc-tite.

Jdesign

I have some of both types if you don't get a hold of any. Cant help you on that tank line though. Cant you just make your own?

AsparagusMike

Jdesign said:

I have some of both types if you don't get a hold of any. Cant help you on that tank line though. Cant you just make your own?

I suppose I could. Only thing I have a question with is what the purpose of its shape is. Why not just have it be straight? Other thing is figuring out how I would make that flare on the end so that the fitting seals when tightened down.

m42b32

You might have a really hard time finding one of those lines, since any that could be removed from a gas tank are likely attached to a good condition tank. If you can figure out what kind of fittings they are, it might not be too hard to make one.

AsparagusMike

Click to choose files Received the tank last night. Overall seems like it is pretty well made. It is made of ni-terne steel (which is pretty much a steel with a plated coating over the top of it to protect it from rust and corrosion, the coating is made of 92% lead 8% tin), I think that's pretty much what all new gas tanks are being made of now. I did notice right away that one of the tabs had bent over, probably from shipping would be my guess. Not to worried about it though as throwing it in a vise and straightening it out would be much easier then having to go through the hassle of sending it back and then get another one sent over. My plan is to paint the tank in por-15 to make it fit in better underneath the car as well as giving it a even better rust protection. As the surface is very smooth, most of the time I would scuff it up with some sand paper or scotch-brite before painting but I think that would be unwise being that it would release the lead content into the air which of course would mean me breathing it and probably dying. Right now I'm gonna try cleaning the tank down with some lacquer thinner and then apply the por-15 on the top side to see how it adheres. I did read somewhere that paint and lead adheres together pretty well so we will see. how that goes.

Few pics of it out of the box...

Things happening in the next week:

Got stainless lines ordered from CSS as well as a bunch of little misc. stuff from fcp. Hoping to see everything next week so I can get the lines installed, then the tank and maybe start on getting the rear axle assembly back in. This means the main goal is finishing up the under body this weekend hopefully.

Stay tuned!

stealthbimmer

Contact amazon and send em the damaged pic. They will likely give you some money back. I had a window a.c. come with a big dent in it. Damage didn't affect the function so I was ok with it, they refunded me like $60 if I remember correctly.

Sent from my SM-G930R4 using Tapatalk

P_Roloff

You could always pick up a lead specific respirator too, that'd probably work if all you're doing is scuffing it up a little. Do it outside so that it doesn't get thrown into the air in the shop/settle on anything and you'll be good.

KaiserRolls

Do you have a link for that tank?

AsparagusMike

stealthbimmer said:

Contact amazon and send em the damaged pic. They will likely give you some money back. I had a window a.c. come with a big dent in it. Damage didn't affect the function so I was ok with it, they refunded me like $60 if I remember correctly.

Sent from my SM-G930R4 using Tapatalk

Just sent out an email to them, we'll see what happens. Thanks for the info!

P_Roloff said:

You could always pick up a lead specific respirator too, that'd probably work if all you're doing is scuffing it up a little. Do it outside so that it doesn't get thrown into the air in the shop/settle on anything and you'll be good.

Gonna look into that. I like the idea of having a ruff surface so that's there an edge for the paint to grab to.

KaiserRolls said:

Do you have a link for that tank?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000C7RZ36/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1#customerReviews

Jdesign

I can tell you from experience you will have a hard time getting por-15 to adhere to a painted or semi smooth surface EVEN after you scuff it. I made the "por" decision to scuff an entire engine bay and used por-15 to paint it and it all flaked off in a few short months. I could have done a "por" job of prepping the surface, as I was inexperienced at the time, but I just want to give you a heads up. It did work great on my rusty truck frame though!

From a Hotrodding site:

"best applied to minor surface rust to get bite. When you completely take out the rust it doesn't seem to adhere as well and it comes off in sheets or flakes." -tech69

KaiserRolls

Paint
Over
Rust

stealthbimmer

I would use truck bed liner if you want it black. Probably the only thing that will hold up all the road debris that gas tanks get exposed to.

m42b32

Thanks for the link on the tank! I'll need one whenever I start working on my sedan since it doesn't have one. Keep us posted with what you end up doing for that connecting pipe at the bottom.

GunMetalGrey

The tank I bought from Advanced Auto either had that crossover pipe already installed, or somehow didn't have one (doubtful)
I'll see if I can find pictures. It was sub $200 to get it to my door.

AsparagusMike

Does anyone have any experience with the UUC sway barbarian sway bars or the IE sway bars? What's the reason for the even larger 25mm front 22mm rear IE sway bar kit? Just trying to rap my head around it all and what would be the best route to go for my intentions with the car.

m42b32

I have a UUC 19mm rear sway bar, it doesn't fit very well. I had to modify multiple brackets, and the sway bar itself rubs the underside of the trunk floor above the diff. After all that, the rear end links are too long to actually use the softer adjustment holes so now I have to make new ones that are shorter. If I were to do it again, I'd probably get the Turner reinforcements and an ST 19mm rear bar.

WIBIMMERS

the one and only e30 s52 engine swap