E30 M3 Engine Rebuild Update

"Battery Tender Unnecessary" (carac)
08/04/2014 at 17:23 • Filed to: None

Stopped by Korman on the way to visit a friend. They walked me through everything they've done so far. Saw the pretty new steering rack. They showed me where they've cleaned the head, did a carbon removal (which Eurohaus didn't bother doing), and had painted the airbox and valve cover. Told me that when they talked to Robert at Eurohaus, he mentioned having to take the head off three times (which their engine builder said was one of the wildest things he had ever heard, "do it right, do it once"). Said that if they have to take a head off more than once, they replace the head bolts, just to be on the safe side...and said Eurohaus hadn't bothered with that either. Showed me where the bad valve job had caused damage/excessive wear on one of the cams. They showed me all the new parts, fasteners, cleaned throttle bodies, new valves, etc. The head was reassembled and they were just waiting to get the block back from machining/boring.

They've come a LONG way in the three weeks since I gave the go-ahead. Best case scenario they'll finish in a week or two and I'll let him run it for a week to make sure everything is oil-tight and take her home.

Also saw a 2002 getting a frame-up restoration. It was originally Inca Orange...and someone painted it brown at some point...a bad paint job. They were OBVIOUSLY going to take it back to Inca. Also saw a 850Ci on the lift getting an overhaul. And a 2800CSM in a nice color getting a 3.2 SC conversion.

She's in good hands now.

DISCUSSION (18)

Klaus Schmoll > Battery Tender Unnecessary
08/04/2014 at 17:27

Good to hear! Most people might not understand this, but to car guys this is like seeing that your sick child is getting the best care available.

AM3R > Battery Tender Unnecessary
08/04/2014 at 17:31

Awesome. I can only imagine how excited you are knowing it's almost done and it'll be done RIGHT.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Battery Tender Unnecessary
08/04/2014 at 17:31

Very good news. Sorry it took so long, but glad you found the right place to bring her back.

B_dol > Battery Tender Unnecessary
08/04/2014 at 17:31

Looks like a good place to spend that paycheck! I appreciate the BMW car colors of yesteryear, we need more variety on the road today.

Strolling out to the parking lot its silver/white and black account for 95% of cars. I suppose my Dark Grey Metallic FR-S doesn't help, but I wasn't willing to wait upwards of months (yes, months) for a 'hot lava' orange FR-S.

desertdog5051 > Battery Tender Unnecessary
08/04/2014 at 17:32

Sounds like you found a winner. Feeling confident in a shop sure takes a lot of weight off you. Keep us updated.

Yourcommentisincrediblydumb > Battery Tender Unnecessary
08/04/2014 at 17:37

Awesome news man. Congrats! Not too much longer and you'll actually be able to enjoy your baby!

Bandit > Battery Tender Unnecessary
08/04/2014 at 17:59

Yay! I love the color of that 2800.

cabarne4 > B_dol
08/04/2014 at 18:05

Wait, months long wait for Hot Lava?

I just bought a hot lava orange off the lot a couple days ago. TRD exhaust and intake, 6 speed. And it was left-over stock from 2013, so I got a massive discount to get it off the lot!

B_dol > cabarne4
08/04/2014 at 18:16

Congrats on the car, and good option choices!

I bought my FR-S June 1st, 2012. First day the car was officially on sale in the US... bit of a different story back then trying to find a stick shift at MSRP pricing (most dealers had a wait list).

I hoon, therefore I am > Battery Tender Unnecessary
08/04/2014 at 18:35

Nice to see you're finally getting this mess taken care of mate! Can't wait to see this thing back on the road.

S14 power > Battery Tender Unnecessary
08/04/2014 at 18:37

Good progress. S14's need experienced hands and you have that with Korman. I have a 2.5L S14 full of Motorsport goodies. It was built by a shop that has built E30 M3 race motors since the cars were new. Take nothing for granted when dealing with shops for work on your E30 M3.

Jayhawk Jake > Battery Tender Unnecessary
08/04/2014 at 18:38

So what are you more excited for: working M3 or i8?

rb1971 ARGQF+CayenneTurbo+E9+328GTS+R90S > Battery Tender Unnecessary
08/04/2014 at 18:39

Great news!

Also - mmm, golf. Did you ask what a CSM was? I have an E9 and am pretty familiar with the terminology but that is new to me. Is it just a CS (carb car) with a manual, or an original carb CSL (rare!)?

Battery Tender Unnecessary > Jayhawk Jake
08/04/2014 at 18:49

I was going to say "a toss up" but since the E30 is my "known quantity" I'm fascinated to see what the i8 is like. The little dumb things. I know a guy in the UK that just got his. And he's finding out some interesting stuff, like how you enter a route in the navigation and it will use topography, location, etc. to determine how it manages the charge of the battery pack. For instance, if most of your trip is highway, but ends up in a city, it will use the battery like normal for the best hybrid gas mileage on the highway, but as you get close to the city, it will be regenerating more and using the starter/generator to build the battery back up so your city portion will be as electric-only as possible. It also uses the topography to know when you'll be on a longer decline so regen can be more efficient. I'm kind of trying to avoid "spoilers" so that I get more pleasant surprises.

Battery Tender Unnecessary > rb1971 ARGQF+CayenneTurbo+E9+328GTS+R90S
08/04/2014 at 18:53

I think it's a custom pinstripe to denote the owner is adding BMW "M" parts. Better than trying to pose as a CSL, I think.

cabarne4 > B_dol
08/04/2014 at 19:27

Fair enough. Loving the car so far. Can't believe the gas mileage. Averaging 37 mpg (US)!

Jayhawk Jake > Battery Tender Unnecessary
08/04/2014 at 19:27

That's a really cool feature actually.

SkiFree777 > Battery Tender Unnecessary
08/05/2014 at 21:24

I'm assuming you're talking to Carl? One of my favorite bimmer guys east of the Mississippi.