BMW Series E46 330i Cylinder Head Porting

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4v6
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Re: BMW Series E46 330i Cylinder Head Porting

Post by 4v6 »

Wow Damir, you have been busy!
Thats quite some work to set yourself.

Thats almost a carbon copy of what I've done recently with an Audi 20 valve head, including the writeup, I'm wondering if I should post it up on this forum for far bigger minds than mine to scrutinize?
Tony Warren. GC #96.
DamirGTI
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Re: BMW Series E46 330i Cylinder Head Porting

Post by DamirGTI »

Hi Tony !

Yes .. from "usual" porting job this one turned up to the SF levels !
And it is really , an big job - lot of work .

Why not ? - post up your Audi head project .
This is an race engineering website so we all like project , especially with good write up and pictures :)

Damir
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DamirGTI
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Re: BMW Series E46 330i Cylinder Head Porting

Post by DamirGTI »

Material adding and preparation :

I opted for more rough surface for the epoxy for better adhesion , so i prepared the port throats with my DIY tool :

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... cleaned up the surface with Acetone and blown the particles with air compressed gun .


Epoxy mixed to as accurate as i cod (1:1) on an clean stainless steel plate

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Tools which I was using for epoxy adding/modeling purposes

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Inlet pockets/throats filled , shaped as best as i cod ... cos it was very hard to do modeling with my fingers (tried to wet my finger and do the modeling , but i decided to do it with my tools as to minimize risk of getting the water and air pockets underneath the epoxy ..)

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Covered for safety reasons till the epoxy hardens (72h)

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After it hardens i'll clear the excess epoxy from the areas on which i don't need it with abrasive rolls .

Damir
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TR-Spider
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Re: BMW Series E46 330i Cylinder Head Porting

Post by TR-Spider »

Did you check what heat does to the epoxy?

I would recommend to check how it behaves by putting a probe into an oven at, say, 100°C, or what you expect at the points of application.
Probably its more than 100°C around the valve guides.
It would be a pity if some epoxy parts fall off and endanger all of your hard labour.

Otherwise, well done, I was surprised on how poor the original BMW channels are.

Thomas
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DamirGTI
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Re: BMW Series E46 330i Cylinder Head Porting

Post by DamirGTI »

Yes , i heated it up above 100C during the testing - solid .

It's a Loctite 3479 A&B 2k Metal Set Aluminum HTA : tensile strength 20-90 N/mm2 , - 20C and up to + 190C temp. resistant

I do not need it around the valve seats , i'll be removing the excess epoxy from certain areas .. i need it down the port throat on the sides , not up the valve seat region ...
And i'll do some material adding on the inlet port entry's .. more about that later , i'm not done yet :)

True , myself i expected to be really a good casting being BMW head , but this one looks like it was made so restrictive deliberately on the purpose .. so that it doesn't outflow top of the range M3/5 heads .

Damir
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DamirGTI
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Re: BMW Series E46 330i Cylinder Head Porting

Post by DamirGTI »

Next step - adding the material on the sides of the inlet port entry's , i order to create ovalised shape .

Surface preparing/cleaning :

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Epoxy mixing :

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Ports filled :

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Head positioned at an angle , so that the epoxy doesn't go gown the port throats till the epoxy hardens :

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... once fully dry/harden , cleaning up/reshaping the excess epoxy with abrasive rolls .

Damir
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4v6
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Re: BMW Series E46 330i Cylinder Head Porting

Post by 4v6 »

Hi Damir, I just had a thought that might make your infilling with epoxy a little easier especially if you anticipate doing more of these same heads.

In the past I've successfully experimented with making silicone port molds, and with the current heads I'm working with infilling them is a real prospect, but the aspect that I dislike most when doing that, even on my test ports( im using only cheap plastic bodyfiller to get the shape) is the reshaping operations afterwards and trying to get them all the same as its going to require a lot of work and time.

Combining the two operations of port moulding and epoxy infilling might well solve the problems of reshaping, speeding up the process and removing the worry of epoxy migrating during the setting period.
So what I thought was to make a test port that flows well or as well as you can make it flow, then make a port mould of it in silicone.
You can make further port molds of that test port over the period of about 1 week for as many cylinders as you have as it usually takes 24 hours for a two part component mix of silicone to cure.
In my case I would be adding material into just prior of the short side radius so I'd need 5 moulds for the 5 ports.
After suitably preparing the surface the port moulds could be installed in each port and then the epoxy mixed and simply poured into the void that represents the infilled areas.
Once set, remove the port moulds as per usual and you should have each infilled area exactly as the test ports.
No major reshaping would be necessary.

It's sounding quite good as I read it back to myself, so good in fact I'm going to try it , I hope it works.
Tony Warren. GC #96.
fingers99
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Re: BMW Series E46 330i Cylinder Head Porting

Post by fingers99 »

You might consider Vinamold (from most Glass Reinforced Plastics suppliers) as an alternative to silicone: it's a thermoplastic rubber, re-useable and has much less wait time than silicones. Just melt it in a bowl in an old microwave (it does give off a smell!) and pour.
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DamirGTI
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Re: BMW Series E46 330i Cylinder Head Porting

Post by DamirGTI »

Hi !

Interesting , was thinking to try making molds with the silicone years before .. but up to till now i never tried .
I think there will be at least 2 of this the same heads , after i finish this one , so port mold might do nicely :)

Thing is , i do not have an flowbench :o/ .. i just tape an white thread onto the valve stems and use an air compressor gun to mimic the air travel trough the ports while i'm lifting/lowering the valves and by looking at the white thread movements make decisions which areas are subjected to reshaping i.e. which ones are creating turbulences at various valve lifts .

Rough i know , but that's the only thing i can afford .

Damir
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4v6
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Re: BMW Series E46 330i Cylinder Head Porting

Post by 4v6 »

Hi Damir, I understand your situation, its very much harder to get meaningful results without some form of measuring apparatus.
It would probably be easier if you used a vacuum cleaner air supply as its not so fierce as an airgun driven from a compressor.
Not having any way to compare results with is a nuisance for sure, there has to be a way you could construct even a rudimentary flow test apparatus to aid you although I do understand how hard it can be when funds are so tight that it denies you that opportunity.

Tony.
Tony Warren. GC #96.
Guy Croft
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Re: BMW Series E46 330i Cylinder Head Porting

Post by Guy Croft »

Sorry Damir and Tony, I just have no time at all to write about this at the moment.

I am sorry too Tony - your pm likewise.

Soon maybe but I am drenched with and book commitments and not a little tired too,

G
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DamirGTI
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Re: BMW Series E46 330i Cylinder Head Porting

Post by DamirGTI »

Hi !

Guy , myself i also had to "pause" with the project :o/ ..

I've ordered (and already payed) an pack of various abrasive rolls and rolls attachments (80grt. for inlet , and 120 for exhaust ..) , from one firm which makes industrial abrasive products ..
Just made an order based on they're website product catalog , choose which ones i need for the finishing the head after epoxy adding , however it turned up that they do not have any of the material readily available in stock for packing and shipping ASAP .

So they're making them after placing the order (which i didn't know ..) .. and since today , they haven't yet finished making them and was 7 , or cod well be more days , when i placed an order and payed for the requested material .

Now i have to wait , cos i need them to clear and shape the ports/throats from the excess epoxy .

Damir
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DamirGTI
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Re: BMW Series E46 330i Cylinder Head Porting

Post by DamirGTI »

After hard , time consuming labor work , i declare this head finally finished :

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The head is cleared of the excess epoxy , shaped , cleaned and will be now sent to a machine shop for cutting 3 angle valve seats .
I would rather do the seats by myself , however i do not have tools for doing such job :o/ ...


Much thanks to Mr. Erland Cox and Mr. Guy Croft who kindly "without secrets" shared info during the project steps , and of course my friend for helping me out with the porting tools/equipment - thanks all for making this possible :)

So , i must close this with a feeling kinda sadly , cos i really enjoyed this project .. was hard and tricky job , but rewarding and i'll miss it now for sure when i send it off !

Looking forward to another project , soon i hope :)

Thanks for reading .

Regards
Damir
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4v6
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Re: BMW Series E46 330i Cylinder Head Porting

Post by 4v6 »

You've made a good job of that one Damir considering you're working under less than ideal circumstances.... (aren't we all?)

Do let us know the results of your labours, now all you have to do is find another one to do to keep yourself busy!

Tony.
Tony Warren. GC #96.
DamirGTI
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Re: BMW Series E46 330i Cylinder Head Porting

Post by DamirGTI »

Yes , i tried to do my best with what i had tools wise ... will need to invest in buying tools if it will be more of this projects , to make myself working easier and for more quality/precise end product .

Of course , i'll report back with the results :) .. but roughly , i estimate around 300Hp mark on this one with the valve seats job along with the porting and engine tune up properly .

Will let you/us know !

Regards
Damir
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