technical Stuck on my S54 E46 M3 rebuild

[Sachu]

Howzit

First thanks to all that helped me source my conrod. Now I have many questions. I ran bearings. Bought standard crank from BMW. Motor at the engineers I wanted to go stock but now I'm thinking why not modify stock. What suggestions do you have for :
Performance or stock bearings?
Head should I gas flow, port and I'm not sure if they can do 3 angle seating.

What type of espirated build can I get with more horse and kw? And how? Software welcome. Also what else should I replace OEM of course to ensure my motor is strong. Pipe, seals ,pumps etc.

HELP THANK YOU ALL....

 

[Nikhil]

Leave the head alone unless you plan on going all out with upgraded valves,springs, shrick cams ect. Fyi the stock S54 head flows more than a modded 2J head.

If you want to upgrade I would do the following to the bottom end.

- Je proseal cutring headgasket
- Je forged pistons
- Carillo or fcp lightweight rods
- Bearings you can go ACL or King race
- Arp main bolts
- Ati dampener pulley
- OS giken clutch and lightweight flywheel

 

[Sachu]

Th

Leave the head alone unless you plan on going all out with upgraded valves,springs, shrick cams ect. Fyi the stock S54 head flows more than a modded 2J head.

If you want to upgrade I would do the following to the bottom end.

- Je proseal cutring headgasket
- Je forged pistons
- Carillo or fcp lightweight rods
- Bearings you can go ACL or King race
- Arp main bolts
- Ati dampener pulley
- OS giken clutch and lightweight flywheel

Thank you appreciate the help, one question, someone told me the performance bearing could damage the crank is this true.

Also where do you suggest I source these parts?

 

[Nikhil]

I'm not aware of any issues with them and the S54 specifically. My E46 M ran king race bearings. Your mechanic just needs to ensure that clearences are correct, however you have a brand new crank so standard size bearings will be perfect

You can check

The following places

Turbo and Nos connection
Mr Turbo
Import Parts

You can go Vac Calico bearings, ACL or king race on the S54

 

[individj]

Hi...
how much was the crank from BMW?

 

[evnmopwr]

Hi...
how much was the crank from BMW?

Last time i called them When i needed 1 for the Cursed E46 M3, it was R28000

but few months Later it was Over 30k

 

[shauwn]

Hi...
how much was the crank from BMW?

PRICE OF SECOND HAND POLO

 

[///M Individual]

Last time i called them When i needed 1 for the Cursed E46 M3, it was R28000

but few months Later it was Over 30k

OMG when the guys refer to ///M TAX they really mean it.....

 

[evnmopwr]

OMG when the guys refer to ///M TAX they really mean it.....

Now imagine. A replacement Crate engine is Probably 200k

 

[cato3]

Now imagine. A replacement Crate engine is Probably 200k

i don't think an M3 crank is expensive if you take into consideration what the N series engine parts cost on the f30 316/328 etc , heard those motor parts can make a grown man cry , I can relate to this because I am running a facelift 308iE46 as a daily with the N42 engine and this thing has cost me more in parts than both my M cars , the 4 spark plugs cost more than the 6 of the M3 's. That M tax in many instances is just a myth if you compare to other BMW models parts .

 

[individj]

i think that crank price is ok yes

 

[Steph745]

Wow, not too bad, I was expecting total annihilation.... I think c63/e63 (m156) owners pay in that region for an intake camshaft.

 

[Sachu]

Hi...
how much was the crank from BMW?

About 36k

 

[TurboLlew]

Agreed - that is not an example of M Tax. That is simply part of owning any lower-volume high performance car with parts built to higher tolerances. You will find balancing and type of construction etc factors into that cost. M Tax is when someone sees you coming with an M Car and then wants to charge you more than dealer prices for parts and especially cosmetic items as well. Look at what eg: Rennzsport charges for replica carbon parts vs. what some of the facebook marketplace crew is charging just cos it fits on an M car. It is sometimes 3x what Firi charges probably for the same (if not worse quality) items... THAT is M tax - where you're expected to bend over cos you 'have enough money' since you drive an M...

On to your question: To put it bluntly, if you were looking for one lone conrod a few weeks ago and worrying about that cost, you should not be going down this rabbit hole unless you've suddenly won the lottery. All those parts above are going to add LOTS more cost.

When you start building motors and upgrading components (that may or may not be any more durable since some are designed to offer higher performance over a shorter time frame), you will find R200K for a crate motor seems cheap by comparison... Same goes for building ANY motor, not just an S motor.

 

[Marco-Swanepoel]

Agree