Project ET-001, Update
This is an update to an earlier project, the ET-001. At this point everything except the block and a few pistons, with connecting rods still attached, has met its recycling maker. The block and remaining parts have received a proper bath which removed all remnants of oil and coolant, but they did not come out as perfect and shiny as I expected them to. In case you still have not figured out what this is going to be, well, it will not be going into a Miata or anything REALLY cool like that.
This engine, with about 80,000 miles on it, was removed from the car after the radiator went to crap and the engine overheated, which on BMWs takes about three seconds, if you’re lucky. The engine actually ran after the radiator was replaced, but not well.
Background:
The owner could not diagnose if it was just the head gaskets that went bad or if there was more damage. Rather than ripping apart the motor while it was still inside the engine bay, hoping and praying that the cylinder heads were not warped, it was overall simpler to just replace the whole damn thing… and that’s how I ended up with this engine.
Right side sanded, left still has imprint of the head gasket on it
The owner of the car made the right choice. Upon taking apart the engine we found the tops of the pistons to be damaged, some rings broken and some cylinder walls scratched up, surprisingly; there was no way in hell that the block would have held compression. I was actually quite surprised at extend of the damage caused by overheating.
The Wife Situation:
So now I’m finally doing a project that I have been thinking about for years; I’m turning the engine block into a coffee table!! Well, at least that was the thought until I mentioned it to my wife. After several colorful discussions regarding my little project both sides ended up compromising a little bit and reaching an agreement. I feel like I should really be the one receiving the Nobel Prize for diplomacy instead of Barack. The engine block table will end up in our living room, but it will serve as an end-table instead of a coffee table, which is actually a good thing. A proper coffee table would require that attractive feet and glass support be attached, whereas as the end-table application all it needs is for some surfaces to be evened out and the end facing the glass to be polished.. The rest of the block will just get a good cleaning, resulting in a less complicated project that will still serve as a talking point for the living room. Win-win.
Problems:
I am having some issues however; there is a lot of oxidation that did not come off in the parts cleaner. I can’t really get to it with a sander or sand paper as it is deep in the crevasses. Someone has suggested Mother’s Wool Chrome polish stuff (or something like that, fiberglass wool soaked in polish) and/or try a buffing compound meant for 1200 and above. I have not tried those yet, and I am still open to suggestions.
Pics were taken with my BlackBerry, sorry about the quality.
I bet this engine block must weight 300-400 lbs. Wondering if it will dent your living hardwood floor from its weight, or worse, permanently imprinted onto carpet. Did your wife bring up this issue during your colorful discussion?
Michael, the block is aluminum and therefore very light, it weights between 50-55lbs. The box with all the parts I took off the engine was much heavier, probably at 130lbs-150lbs. I figure that the whole engine with coolant and oil would weight over 200lbs.
I have hardwood floors and I plan for nothing more than rubber feet glued to the bottom.
Kamil- You need to find a sand blaster. Aluminum looks good post blasting. We have a small one at work, but I think your block would be too big. I know there are some that just blast out the end of a hose. Maybe you could rent one from HD and setup a make shift plastic tarp booth.
Bob