[iqraceworks]

Got the rod and piston assemblies put together last night. Set the top ring gap at .022" and the second ring at .023".

I compared the oem piston/rods to the Mahle/Manley assemblies......the Mahle/Manley piston/rods are on average 46 grams lighter than the OEM stuff. That's huge!

[SlowE92]

Originally Posted by iqraceworks

Got the rod and piston assemblies put together last night. Set the top ring gap at .022" and the second ring at .023".

I compared the oem piston/rods to the Mahle/Manley assemblies......the Mahle/Manley piston/rods are on average 46 grams lighter than the OEM stuff. That's huge!

How much did this all cost you? Im curious since I will also probably do an engine rebuild in the near future.

[iqraceworks]

Originally Posted by SlowE92

How much did this all cost you? Im curious since I will also probably do an engine rebuild in the near future.

I found a great deal on the pistons, and rods.

CSP Racing had the Mahle forged pistons on sale right now for around $900....about $200+ less than anyone else I found selling them.

I got the Manley rods from Summit Racing....$780 if I remember right.

So about $1700 give or take. Then you have the bearings, gaskets, head bolts, and miscellaneous stuff like that.....got that from FCP.

I probably could have gone with the cheap China brands like KingTec or Maxspeeding rods and pistons....you can get those for around $1,000-$1,200 a set, but I just couldn't find much information on them, and I knew Manley and Mahle were quality parts, and I wouldn't have to worry about stuff being machined wrong, or out of tolerance. I can't imagine the headache of dealing with those companies if something was out of spec and you needed to exchange parts out.

This whole project isn't really going to be cheap.....but it was either spend the money and do it right and have a fun and reliable engine, or cheap out and throw it back together....and always be nervous that something's going to come apart at any time....and then I'm back to square one.

For a brief moment I though about doing an LS swap because everyone says how "cheap" you can get an LS for, but when you actually start adding everything up, you will dump $12K+ into the adapter hardware, mounts, the Holley Terminator computer setup, and a decently building 500hp LS.......and still be slower than my N54 I've currently got.

[SlowE92]

Originally Posted by iqraceworks

I found a great deal on the pistons, and rods.

CSP Racing had the Mahle forged pistons on sale right now for around $900....about $200+ less than anyone else I found selling them.

I got the Manley rods from Summit Racing....$780 if I remember right.

So about $1700 give or take. Then you have the bearings, gaskets, head bolts, and miscellaneous stuff like that.....got that from FCP.

I probably could have gone with the cheap China brands like KingTec or Maxspeeding rods and pistons....you can get those for around $1,000-$1,200 a set, but I just couldn't find much information on them, and I knew Manley and Mahle were quality parts, and I wouldn't have to worry about stuff being machined wrong, or out of tolerance. I can't imagine the headache of dealing with those companies if something was out of spec and you needed to exchange parts out.

This whole project isn't really going to be cheap.....but it was either spend the money and do it right and have a fun and reliable engine, or cheap out and throw it back together....and always be nervous that something's going to come apart at any time....and then I'm back to square one.

For a brief moment I though about doing an LS swap because everyone says how "cheap" you can get an LS for, but when you actually start adding everything up, you will dump $12K+ into the adapter hardware, mounts, the Holley Terminator computer setup, and a decently building 500hp LS.......and still be slower than my N54 I've currently got.

How do the manley rods stack up against the stock forged ones? I was under the impression that the rods and crank were forged, correct me if im wrong. I was looking at forged pistons because I was told the N54 has cast iron. You're absolutely right about not cheaping out on parts, I bought some 19t's and had them shipped to turbo technics and after about a year they're starting to crap out on me. If you're going to drop 12k on an LS setup, I'd just get the crate motor from Butler, and you can sleep at night knowing you have quality parts.

[iqraceworks]

Yes, the OEM rods are forged. They definitely don't look as beefy as the Manley H-Beam rods. Some people say the OEM rods are fine until you really get up to big power levels....and others will say that the low rpm torque of the twin turbos will tend to bend the OEM rods....so who really knows.

I bought a used N54 for parts a while ago, and it had a bent rod in it after I got it apart....so it definitely can happen. I figured what the hell....do it once, and do it right.

Oh....and the OEM pistons are cast aluminum, not cast iron. And yes, they are the weak point in these motors....than and the right ring gaps that crack the pistons when you run too much boost. Knowing what I know now.....I would never try to push more than 500hpnon the cast pistons.... anything more is just rolling the dice. They just can't handle the boost and heat that comes with 20+psi boost.

But like anything else....there are guys out there making 700+HP on an unopened engine (for how long, who knows). Any time you start getting close to doubling the OEM HP on any motor...stock components are going to start to fail.

[iqraceworks]

Got the rotating assembly all put together....just need to bolt the head on, and get the cams installed. Everything spins over nice and smooth. I went ahead and replaced the steel seals on the cams with the updated teflon/plastic seals.

Kept going back on worth on new OEM head bolts vs. studs.......finally gave up on researching studs, there is so much good/bad/inaccurate/controversial information out there. Figure I'd roll the dice on OEM head bolts, save $500+, and see how it goes.

[iqraceworks]

Well, a little bit of an update. I got the rotating assembly all put together. After going back and forth for weeks....finding all kinds of forums posts about studs, getting info from all kinds of smart guys (engine builders) that have experience with this platform, and hearing everything from "600hp is fine for stock bolts..even 700hp is fine" to ...."you definitely need head studs if you want to keep the head from lifting..a closed deck would be smart too"...and everything in between, I finally decided to roll the dice and just use the new OEM head bolts I had from FCP Euro. This is a play car...not a daily driver. I figure it's a "research project"

So....to give the OEM head bolts the best chance of holding the head on, I did a few different things.

1. I ran a tap down all of the head bolt holes. M11x1.5 for the 11mm main head bolts, and M9x1.25 for the four 9mm bolts on the corners of the head. Got them as clean as I could.

2. I sanded the bottom of the washers with 60grit sandpaper, to keep them from rotating where they seat against the head (ARP recommends to do this with all of their studs). This helps to give a more consistent torque reading.

3. I used ARP Ultra-Torque lube on the bolt threads and top sides of the washers, to make things as slick as possible and reduce the thread friction for that first 30nm (22ft/lbs)...that's the only time torque actually comes into play. After that, it's all angles of rotation.

4. Did the initial 22ft/lbs of torque on all of the bolts to seat and compress the head gasket (Elring OEM MLS gasket), and then backed them all off again, and re-torqued them all to 22ft/lbs. I was able to get quite a bit of extra rotation on the bolts after seating the head gasket the first time.

5. After about 30min, I checked all the bolts again, I was able to get another 1/4 to 1/2 turn on all of the bolts in order to hit that 22ft/lbs mark. (red paint) I'm assuming this was from letting the gasket compress some more.

After that, I went ahead and followed the BMW spec and twisted them all another 90deg (yellow paint), then did the 11mm bolts another 90deg (blue paint), and then finally did all of the bolts an additional 45deg (green paint).

I figure that if it lifts the head at 600hp.....then people can use this as a case study (of what...or what not to do) The block is flat and clean, the head is flat and clean....There was nothing else that could have been done to replicate the factory torque specs or torque sequence. I can't think of a single thing I could have done different to insure it was assembled correctly.

Next step...install the cams...

[iqraceworks]

Got the kiddo put to bed early, and was able to sneak out to the shop to do some more assembly work on the motor. Got the lifters and cams in. Next step is to install the new timing chain and guides, and the new "updated" crank hub. Didn't feel like spending $1k for the pinned or splined crank hub option.

The "updated" BMW crank hub for under $200 sounded like a much more sane option...especially since I'm not going to be making crazy HP, and I'm running an auto trans..not a DCT or manual....which it seems causes the most spun crank hubs.

Pro Tip....if you want a quick and easy way to check and calibrate your torque wrenches, get one of those digital luggage scales and use it to check/calibrate your torque wrench. Plenty of good youtube videos showing step by step process. It's easy.

[iqraceworks]

Well....the engine is finally in the car! What a relief! Now it's just time to hook up the exhaust, and the 8 million electrical connectors. Hopefully I will get it fired up soon!

[GSB]

Originally Posted by iqraceworks

Well....the engine is finally in the car! What a relief! Now it's just time to hook up the exhaust, and the 8 million electrical connectors. Hopefully I will get it fired up soon!

Excellent work! What a fantastic photo-documentary on the whole process, even the highly decorative cat watching your work. This is all highly informative for others considering this job, or even interested to see it done.

I look forward to hearing your results. I agree that there is so much good/bad/inaccurate/controversial information out there, and I look forward to your compilation of information! Hats off to you!

[iqraceworks]

Originally Posted by GSB

Excellent work! What a fantastic photo-documentary on the whole process, even the highly decorative cat watching your work. This is all highly informative for others considering this job, or even interested to see it done.

I look forward to hearing your results. I agree that there is so much good/bad/inaccurate/controversial information out there, and I look forward to your compilation of information! Hats off to you!

Thanks!! I figured out pretty quick that there is lots of info out there, but it's scattered all over the internet. And with the FB groups now......most of the good info gets washed over in a few days, not like the forums where you can search huge amounts of info over a long period of time.

When this is all done, I'm going to try to put together a "N54 Engine Build Process" type post, with all the info, pictures, and things I've learned along the way. Hopefully it will help others out if they decide to tackle an N54 build.

[GSB]

Originally Posted by iqraceworks

Thanks!! I figured out pretty quick that there is lots of info out there, but it's scattered all over the internet. And with the FB groups now......most of the good info gets washed over in a few days, not like the forums where you can search huge amounts of info over a long period of time.

When this is all done, I'm going to try to put together a "N54 Engine Build Process" type post, with all the info, pictures, and things I've learned along the way. Hopefully it will help others out if they decide to tackle an N54 build.

Awesome! I know it takes a LOT of work to share, but it's much appreciated.

[iqraceworks]

Slow but steady......this is taking way longer than it should! But with servicing all of the fuel injectors I'm helping people out with, and family stuff....free time it at a premium.

It's a bad sign when my daughter has time to sneak into the shop and write stuff all over my car in all the the dirt that's accumulated on it!! As soon as this thing is running again..it's getting washed!!

Got the downpipes, exhaust, and transmission brace all hooked back up...next step it to tackle all of the wiring, cooling lines, and then hopefully get this thing fired up!!

[GSB]

Getting closer!! I know, all too well, how "free time" can be quickly gobbled up by everyone and everything else.
The graffiti is quite telling!
Almost there!

[whyzee125]

That engine looks sexy with the new pistons inside. Great work.

It's a got to be a great feeling after putting it back together and having no regrets. I've never experienced that when wrenching lol jk.

I agree with your call on the head bolts too. While I'm not an engine builder, there's always a certain risk factor of aftermarket stuff that isn't accounted for with the original engine parts. I've heard of broken ringlands, melted pistons, spun bearings and plenty of bent rods but I've never heard of an N54 lifting the head especially at a somewhat sane power level.

This should be really rewarding when it's done!

[iqraceworks]

Well....I finally got her fired up!

[oVeRdOsE.]

wow ! congrats. I really liked the explanation in the vid.

[GSB]

Sweet! Thanks for sharing your journey. I hope it serves you well from now on. That was a LOT of work!

[iqraceworks]

Well....I got the motor all fired up, and it's running great! Those Mahle coated pistons are nice and quite at startup, not like some of the forged pistons I've had in other engines. Nice and smooth at idle, the thing runs awesome! I have about 200 miles on the break-in oil, just putting it through some heat cycles and trying to get the rings seated in good. I think this project can be put to bed.

[Podunk]

so is the whole assembly 46 grams lighter, or is it 46 grams lighter per cylinder? and if per cylinder, what about dynamic balancing the crank to the new weight of the new rotating mass? or was this done and i missed it scrolling through?

[garyg2316]

Hi it's been about 6 months since you fired the motor up! How's it running? We are thinking about the exact same setup (Pistons /Rods).

Thanks!