Rb26 Powered E30 M3

[XKLABA]

Sounds the goods

Though i would get forged or even semi forged ( Mehle ) pistons and ARP rod bolts for that power level, i have forged Wisecos in my 34 and have no cold rattle from them

Stock 26 head bolts are fine also for that power, they are 12mm after all

And balance everything individually just incase you need to replace flywheel or hamonic balancer at some point

And a sump extension, can never have to much oil for a 26, mine is 10.5ltrs

I love this project and can't wait to see vids of it running

[SSM]

Got some more work done on the build. I have also scraped together a order for parts from Eric's Performance Parts in USA. Can't wait to get some parts in the door so I can deliver the engine to the engine specialist.

The parts list that I have ordered is as follow:

-NPR Piston rings

-Competition Clutch 6 puck with springs

-Cometic NISSAN 1989-02 RB26DETT 2.6L Inline 6 87mm Bore 1.3mm top end kit

-ARP Flywheel Bolts Kit

-Nissan NIS-IOK-RB26 Fuel Injector O-Ring Kit

-Nissan 12309-05U00 Crank Pulley Bolt

-ATI Super Damper Nissan RB26DETT R33 & R34 1000hp

-Nissan GTR RB26DETT ARP2000 Head Stud Kit

-ARP 202-6004 Rod Bolt Kit for Nissan RB26

-ARP 102-2201 - Pressure Plate Bolts

-Cometic PRO2017B Street Pro Bottom End Gasket Kit

-Exedy Flywheel 15.8lbs Nissan R32 (NF01)

-Greddy Timing Belt RB26DETT

-Nissan 13074-58S00 Timing Belt Idler Bearing

-Nissan 13070-5L300 Timing Belt Tensioner

-ACL Race rod bearing std clearance

-ACL Race main bearings std clearance

So, to some pictures

Had an incident last year. The trackday tire did hook itself on the front fender and bent it. So I bought a set of fiberglass Sport Evolution fenders that I have had laying around since. I started fitting them this week, and they fitted very well. Just need to lay some new fiberglass on the left one to get it fixed onto the point that is under the low beam light. Also saving 2.4kg pr front fender.

While I was on the loft finding the front fenders I stumbled over my old stock E30M3 S14 gearbox crossmember. And that looks like it would fit the RB25 gearbox mount. The rubber mount will fit right on, so lets hope it might be the right hight for the gearbox as well.

Also received my R32 GTR Mishimoto radiator the other day. Was lucky to get one used from a guy in Norway with two dual fans and a expansion tank. It sits very well in the chassis. Just need to make some good fixing points for it.

Searching Ebay I found this HKS Type R oil cooler and filter relocation kit for RB26. This is the best HKS kit they sell with thermostat in the filter housing. So I can now remove the stock water oil cooler under the intake for good. This kit cost a shit load of money new from HKS, so I was not slow on making the decision for buying this second hand. Gave it a good clean when it arrived. Probably need to make my own hoses, doubt this will bolt right up.

Just trying some different positions for the cooler and the fan. Having the fittings in the bottom of the cooler is suboptimal, but as I said I was just playing with it. Probably will fix it onto the top of the intercooler when I buy that.

Till next time..

[SSM]

Is it a way to mount the RB25 power steering pump in the position where the AC compressor was, and run everything on the same belt. Or will there be wrong RPM's for the power steering pump?

[SSM]

So. Have been working more on the oil pan. I have never ever tried to TIG weld aluminium before, so I had to give it a shot this time and try to learn it. I thought I got it going pretty well. It takes a lot of time compared to welding steel, that's for sure.

To start with I just cut out the oilpan to see if the engine would fit the car in the first place. Then I made some plates of 6mm aluminium and some half moons to close the holes for the driveshafts. After welding that on, The engine was crashing with the bracket for the steering rack.

In and out about 25-30 times I finally got it right with clearance and the engine placed in the middle of the car. Next step now is to start making the brackets for the engine mounts.

I also had to do some custom work on the JUN baffle plate. The sump became a bit smaller when I was finished, so the baffle plate would not fit as it was. So just some small mods and it was good to go.

The sump will be extended to both sides in order to swallow more oil.

I know the welds are not the art kind you usually see, but I like to do as much as I can myself and learn along the way.

Also got some more parts in the post. First to show up was the NISMO lightweight flywheel and the Cometic MLS gasket kit. Hopefully the rest will show up later this week, as well as the Mishimoto intercooler. Looking forward to place the coolers and everything.

Made some threaded aluminium bungs, and using the fixing ears that was already on the baffle plate.

Welded and is now fitting properly.

How it turned out. The dent you see is for the steering rack bracket.

Fitted in the car. Had to cut off a small bit off the bracket after this photo in order to get more clearance. When it was in the centre of the car, it was touching the bracket.

Don't mind the loose aluminium plate. It is just to have some millimeters of clearance to the steering rack.

Mocking up with a laser tool. My car have been crashed on the left side at some point, so I don't think I can use a cross measurement to place the engine. Best I have is the small hole in the front box there.

Probably need to convert to electric powersteeringp pump. I see VW Lupo/Polo and some other small cars have a very descent one.

And some new parts at last.

Till next time...

[SSM]

Got some more work done on the build. I have also scraped together a order for parts from Eric's Performance Parts in USA. Can't wait to get some parts in the door so I can deliver the engine to the engine specialist.

The parts list that I have ordered is as follow:

-NPR Piston rings

-Competition Clutch 6 puck with springs

-Cometic NISSAN 1989-02 RB26DETT 2.6L Inline 6 87mm Bore 1.3mm top end kit

-ARP Flywheel Bolts Kit

-Nissan NIS-IOK-RB26 Fuel Injector O-Ring Kit

-Nissan 12309-05U00 Crank Pulley Bolt

-ATI Super Damper Nissan RB26DETT R33 & R34 1000hp

-Nissan GTR RB26DETT ARP2000 Head Stud Kit

-ARP 202-6004 Rod Bolt Kit for Nissan RB26

-ARP 102-2201 - Pressure Plate Bolts

-Cometic PRO2017B Street Pro Bottom End Gasket Kit

-Exedy Flywheel 15.8lbs Nissan R32 (NF01)

-Greddy Timing Belt RB26DETT

-Nissan 13074-58S00 Timing Belt Idler Bearing

-Nissan 13070-5L300 Timing Belt Tensioner

-ACL Race rod bearing std clearance

-ACL Race main bearings std clearance

So, to some pictures

Had an incident last year. The trackday tire did hook itself on the front fender and bent it. So I bought a set of fiberglass Sport Evolution fenders that I have had laying around since. I started fitting them this week, and they fitted very well. Just need to lay some new fiberglass on the left one to get it fixed onto the point that is under the low beam light. Also saving 2.4kg pr front fender.

While I was on the loft finding the front fenders I stumbled over my old stock E30M3 S14 gearbox crossmember. And that looks like it would fit the RB25 gearbox mount. The rubber mount will fit right on, so lets hope it might be the right hight for the gearbox as well.

Also received my R32 GTR Mishimoto radiator the other day. Was lucky to get one used from a guy in Norway with two dual fans and a expansion tank. It sits very well in the chassis. Just need to make some good fixing points for it.

Searching Ebay I found this HKS Type R oil cooler and filter relocation kit for RB26. This is the best HKS kit they sell with thermostat in the filter housing. So I can now remove the stock water oil cooler under the intake for good. This kit cost a shit load of money new from HKS, so I was not slow on making the decision for buying this second hand. Gave it a good clean when it arrived. Probably need to make my own hoses, doubt this will bolt right up.

Just trying some different positions for the cooler and the fan. Having the fittings in the bottom of the cooler is suboptimal, but as I said I was just playing with it. Probably will fix it onto the top of the intercooler when I buy that.

Till next time..

[SSM]

So. Have been working more on the oil pan. I have never ever tried to TIG weld aluminium before, so I had to give it a shot this time and try to learn it. I thought I got it going pretty well. It takes a lot of time compared to welding steel, that's for sure.

To start with I just cut out the oilpan to see if the engine would fit the car in the first place. Then I made some plates of 6mm aluminium and some half moons to close the holes for the driveshafts. After welding that on, The engine was crashing with the bracket for the steering rack.

In and out about 25-30 times I finally got it right with clearance and the engine placed in the middle of the car. Next step now is to start making the brackets for the engine mounts.

I also had to do some custom work on the JUN baffle plate. The sump became a bit smaller when I was finished, so the baffle plate would not fit as it was. So just some small mods and it was good to go.

The sump will be extended to both sides in order to swallow more oil.

I know the welds are not the art kind you usually see, but I like to do as much as I can myself and learn along the way.

Also got some more parts in the post. First to show up was the NISMO lightweight flywheel and the Cometic MLS gasket kit. Hopefully the rest will show up later this week, as well as the Mishimoto intercooler. Looking forward to place the coolers and everything.

Made some threaded aluminium bungs, and using the fixing ears that was already on the baffle plate.

Welded and is now fitting properly.

How it turned out. The dent you see is for the steering rack bracket.

Fitted in the car. Had to cut off a small bit off the bracket after this photo in order to get more clearance. When it was in the centre of the car, it was touching the bracket.

Don't mind the loose aluminium plate. It is just to have some millimeters of clearance to the steering rack.

Mocking up with a laser tool. My car have been crashed on the left side at some point, so I don't think I can use a cross measurement to place the engine. Best I have is the small hole in the front box there.

Probably need to convert to electric powersteeringp pump. I see VW Lupo/Polo and some other small cars have a very descent one.

And some new parts at last.

Till next time...

[SSM]

Parts parts parts parts Have not done any more work on the car, just got some more parts!

Mishimoto intercooler

Competition Clutch stage 4

Greddy timing belt and Nissan tensioner and pulley

ATI Superdamper 1000hp rating

ACL Race rod- and main bearings. Nippon pistonrings

Some ARP suff. Head studs, rod bolts, flywheel bolts, pressureplate bolts and exhaust header bolts. The main studs was missing. Grrrr

And that pretty much leaves us with this, plus the used stuff that is laying in the garage

[SSM]

Have been working a bit on the car the last days.

Did get the intercooler mounted, and did mock up some other bits and figured out how to do things.

Made some room for the cooler in the front bumper here. Just used the grinder to shave off some plastic.

Had to shave off one of the points that holds the tow hook cover in place, when the tow hook is used.

Made some brackets for the intercooler, and a new lower mount for the radiator. The intercooler brackets is not finished on this picture.

And that leaves us with this. Always wanted a intercooler behind this front.

Bought a new 13 row MOCAL oil cooler. The HKS one did not fit where I wanted it.

And that MOCAL cooler will sit right on top of the intercooler.

New coils did also arrive. These are named Benchmark, and have gotten a lot of good reviews. They will do for my power output anyway.

[SSM]

Well well. Some more parts have arrived. I love Ebay <3

I have been back and forth about how I'm going to build my engine mounts. My first idea was to use the GTR rubber, but placing them in the crossmember did not work. They have a steel plate surrounding the rubber, and them being wide it was hitting the chassis. From my experience that will result in a lot of noise.

After thinking and searching the internet I found a shop in Poland named Silver Project that had these solid looking (and fair priced) polyurethane mounts.

Since I have modded my crossmember to fit E36M3 mounts, I went for them for this build as well.

In 2014 I had Vibra Technics competition mounts for E36M3, and when I pulled them out the bolt was bend and the rubber had given up. And that was after ONE track day. They cost a lot of money as well, so they was not an option.

The Silver Project mounts is made of steel and have two round polyurethane bushings. They are stiff as hell, and I just hope there will be not to much noise in the coupe. But after all, they are E36M3, so I can swap them for what ever E36M3 mounts I want.

Gearbox mount is also bought from the same shop. That one is for the R33 GTS gearbox, and have not arrived yet.

So I have build my own mounts and (finally) placed the engine in the car. I have started to work on the new shifter as well, but I have no photos of that.

A universal throttle cable have arrived, as well as a brake light switch for the Garagistic pedal box bracket. Mine was square, and that one needed a round.

AAAAND, today, the turbo arrived!!!

Anyway, here are some photos:

Silver Project E36M3 engine mounts

Throttle cable kit:

Brake light switch:

Also have been making some brackets here and there. And I like when things is looking like they are bought. So they are being sanded and polished to mirror finish. This there is for the oil cooler on top for the intercooler.

My engine mounts. Made out of steel, and just tossed some paint on them.

And the turbo. Borg Warner 7064 EFR T4 Twin Scroll .92 AR

[SSM]

Got some more things done today, and I got four packages in the mail What turned up today was Silver Project gearbox mount, used Opel Zafira electrical powersteering pump, AN-8 (9.5mm) aluminium tube rolls and a lot of aluminium tubes and silicone hoses for the intercooler.

I know I'm not good at posting pictures of things while it is in progress, and that is simply because I'm working with full focus and dedication. So it does not come to my mind before the product is done.

So. The other RB25/26 E30 build I have seen have had the shifter come up in the center of the stock shifter hole. If the engine had been in that position, which is about 2 3⁄4" more forward, the car would gain even more load on the front axle. So for me it was not an option. That lead to some cutting and some modding of the shifter itself.

I simply cut out to make room for the mechanism, and then I build my own shifter. Parts that is used is the Nissan lower part, a regular bolt and the top of a E39M5 shifter. Meaning I can camoflage the whole Nissan shifter. So I can still use my Sport Evolution gear knob, and the ///M stitched suede boot. Will need to get a custom shift pattern top for the knob, since it have reverse on down right.

The shifter also feels a bit sloppy, so I might get a Ebay short shifter kit and remodel it a bit.

Here is how it turned out:

The new gearbox mount:

Opel Zafira powersteering pump:

A box of pipes and hoses. Will lay out on floor and take picture later, was not time for that today.

Just stared to play a bit with the tubes, to have a quick look. They will be painted matte black after welding.

Looks like it will fit. Cant wait to start on the downpipe....nightmare.

Quick overview

And the two rolls of aluminium tubing for the fuel feed and return lines.

[SSM]

[SSM]

Have done a bit the last week, not much though. In the middle of buying a new appartment and stuff like that. So, have to make that the priority.

The engine is delivered to the engine builder, and just waiting for him to do his magic. Other than that there have arrived some parts.

Nismo thermostat:

AN12 rocker cover breathers:

Oil line and water line with fittings for the turbo

The Wilwood pedals and masters

Custom driveshaft

[SSM]

Okay. Have done a bit since last time. The 6Boost manifold did arrive at last, and this is high quality craftsmanship.

The oilpan is done. Extended the sump and made a kind of baffle inside. I have not welded aluminium before working on this oilpan. But I'm getting to it after all these hours on this oilpan.

First I started cutting off the sides and made the baffle plates.

Then it was to box it in.

Went on with 4pcs AN10. There is some spare, but I want to have some extra in case there will be different catch can solutions in the future.

And the final result after hours of building

I have also buildt the pressure pipe for the intake side.

Then I buildt my catch can. This is just fixed together and tested to fit the car. It needs to be some baffles and filters inside. But the design is done.

Started off with basic aluminium plates. Drilled the holes for the weld bungs

Spot welded

For the breather filters I went with regular 25mm aluminium tubing

Drilled holes and spot welded

Then it was time to spot weld it together. Getting everything in 90 degree angle is important. So I took my time with this.

Edited September 13, 2015 by SSM

[SSM]

I then took the box to test in the car, and I had to modify it a bit in one corner. So I ended up with this as the final result

And this will sit in the car where the stock coolant expansion tank is placed in the M3.

Another story is the engine. I picked it up yesterday from the engine builder and he has put down a lot of high quality man hours.

Since the RB26 suffers from a crap oil system, there is some work that can be done to make it better. One of those things is drill the oil return galleries bigger to match the head gasket. The main problem of the RB26's oil system is that when you push it hard it fills the head with oil. That results in a dry sump, the type of dry sump you don't want. And we all know what will happen then...

So, I got some photos from the builder on the job he did with my block and head. He will send me photos for the rest of the build later.

First he pressure tested and honed the block. Then he put it in the jig to drill the return holes.

The holes for the return galleries can be seen here

Here with the Cometic MLS head gasket

He then started drilling out the galleries

Quick look at the underside of the holes

The same was done to the head

Smoothing the edges to make the oil enter easier.

He then decked the block and mounted the 1.2mm oil restrictor.

Smoothing the edges

And the final result

The oil pump did also get some work done. This is a JUN oil pump, which is supposed to be high quality products. This is not always the fact. Lets take a closer look.

First thing that showed up was this foam piece..... :dontknow:

Edited September 13, 2015 by SSM

[SSM]

The gears was dry. No type of grease or lube on them. That would tear a lot when you are starting the engine for the first time.

Here you can see sharp edges and no smooth machining. This is not good for oil flow.

The same ports after some porting an polishing

Cleaned and ready for assembly

He put on some special grease on the gears

Checked the pressure preload on the spring

Loctite on the bolts

Done and done

As I mentioned I picked up the engine yesterday. I was home late, so I only took some quick photos.

Edited September 13, 2015 by SSM

[SSM]

I have not made that great progress today, since I had to spend some time on Ebay to source some fittings that I have forgotten to order. Damn. I was hoping that I had ordered ALL the fittings.

I want to dress up the engine, but have not decided on the looks yet. I'm leaning towards black wrinkle like the S50. Regardless, the old paint needed to go. So I went on with some paint remover.

Mounted the fittings on the turbo

In order to get a nice line for the water return from the turbo, I decided to thread the top line from the radiator. I will put in AN6 adaptor here.

Cut it off...

Drilled out

Thread

And done

I buildt the engine mounts way before I got the manifold, and they needed to be modified.

Like this, I also reinforced that one on the uderside to be sure.

To do that I used my new ESAB Caddy C200i MIG welder. Just bought this baby couple of moths ago, and I can't understand how I managed to work on this car without my own welder before.

Here is a little instruction on how it works. First off you measure the material you are welding. In this case we have 4mm stainless steel.

Then you just select 4mm on the machine

Weld for a few seconds on some equal steel

And the machine have set itself for the optimal setting for that weld. Easy!

And done!

I bought ARP manifold studs for this, so I removed the stock ones today and mounted the ARP one. I think this actually made quite a difference in the looks as well.

Old ones...

ARP mounted with the manifold

Some random overview shots (before ARP)

[SSM]

Could not resist. So I went out for another hour or so in the garage tonight.

It is in. There was not much room for the manifold. Guess this was just luck!!

[SSM]

Did get some more things sorted. Have sand blasted the things that is going to be paintet, got hold of some parts for the exhaust, aluminium bits to weld on the turbo and gold heat foil.

[SSM]

So, what have we done today? Yes, I have welded some more aluminium.

This time on that shitty expensive turbo.

Started off by removing the compressor housing

Then I masked it up with aluminium tape

Cut it of with a hacksaw

Drove over to my workplace and made it ready for welding

Spot welded

Work in progress

Done welding

Used this weld as a reference for how much heat I should work with. So this needed to be match portet a bit.

Ported and cleaned

I then sanded the pipes and finished off with some steel wool. Afer that I cleaned the hell out of it!

Final product

And I had to test it in the car before bedtime!

Also bolted up the oil cooler. Did not have more left of the clear bolts, so I had to use an anodized one. This bothers me, so I have to buy some more bolts so they can all be the same.

[SSM]

Ok, so, time for update again! As sad as it is, I'm moving to another place this weekend. And the car will continue to stay where it is for now. That leaves me with about 2.5 hour drive to get to it. So there will be less progress here from Saturday and on.

I just have to use the weekends to get shit done before the winter kicks in and it is getting to cold to do anything. So this is the reason why I have kicked in an extra gear these few weeks. Staying in the garage from 3pm to 11pm.

Getting more and more things done here, and I'm starting to see an end to this. I have engineered a lot of custom parts for this build, that is things I have never done. I have always done things that other people do, but this time it was my turn to invent the wheel.

I'm the type of person that want to help other people find information on the web. If you want to build a proper RB26 swapped E30, I want you to find the answer to all your questions here. But I assume most people toss the idea away once they see all the work it require.

What have I done since last time? I have build the intecooler pipe from turbo > Intercooler, cleaned the sandblasted parts for sand and dirt, finished the oil catch can, assembled the first half of the intake manifold and made the plug to the speedometer sensor on the gearbox.

So, let's start with the intercooler pipe. I'm actually not happy with how it turned out, but it will do the job for now.

To get this finish on the pipe I used steel wool.

For the gearbox I just made this really quick. Tapped the hole, put in Loctite and high temp RTV silicone for sealing.

The catch can is another story. I had no clue on how these was supposed to look inside, and no one could ever give me a proper answer to how I should build it eater. But I understood that the hot oil / vent needed to hit a flat surface before exiting the can. To get that effect I spot welded a plate inside the can, and there was also needed stainless steel wool as a "filter" for the steam or what I shall call it.

So I opened the can and spot welded the plate.

I then continued to seam weld the can

Stainless steel wool that I bought on the grocery store

Stuffed in the can

Aaaand DONE! About 5 working hours to make this can.

All the parts that is sandblasted and washed.

Assembly of the spacer between the throttle bodies and the head. I do not know what I should call this part. Carburettor maybe. On this part there is a vacuum rail and a water rail.

Scraped and cleaned the old silicone gasket

I use this RTV silicone for the job

Assembled

The NISMO thermostat was installed together with the thermostat housing.

Painted the bracket for the throttle and throttle linkage black

I just put some parts on the engine to see how it might look. I like this a lot!