M54 Cylinder Head Bolt Stud Thread repair. No special tools. Aluminum block m52

I had to come up with a quicker and easier way to make these blocks reliable.

[@m47d]

Great vid, Perfect solution for a problem that shouldnt exist in the first place :)

[@elijaah81]

Great info! Always stoked to see vid uploads

[@ethansimon6216]

I’m definitely gonna be hitting you up next month to rent that

[@hendersonequipment]

Nice marketable fixture

[@HossmanHitZ]

Emailed about kit!

[@BaileynBeta]

Fantastic setup!

[@tjs_welding_and_fabrication]

Awesome tech.

[@arifm.1315]

great fix, i'm wondering if a magdrill would work for the rest of us? Please let us know how much power this would hold? Thoughts on an M12? I would think the 9/16 is better off in the aluminum, but is bolt stretch an issue?

[@D6motorsports]

Same concept you have to do to gm northstar v8 blocks.

[@TheJoshhanger]

Is there any chance you still have the tool for rent?

[@gotrice503]

Emailed you sir

[@allencallahan]

hey man im trying to go your route with the vq head studs, if it isnt those ez loks what thread size sert would it be? thank you

[@spankranchgarage]

That is up to you. The EZ loks are 9/16th-12 on the outside

[@Swervod]

I recently bought the vq main studs and the appear too long when bottomed out into the sleeve with the 7mm recess any information about this or maybe there’s some way to shorten them?

[@ethansimon6216]

They are head studs not bolts they well stick out a little but should not interfere with the cams at all if so pull them out clean the threads and or tap and rethread

[@spankranchgarage]

I have noticed they are a little long but they work just fine and dont interfere with anything.

[@rallipaita]

did you have to change engine mount to get the bottom mount to fit? also great tutorial, i got to do this eventually

[@elijaah81]

Yah the Rally Road bottom mount turbo mount works nicely. Easily fits my intake setup with a 45 degree coupler off the turbo

[@Demon-ng4sz]

@@elijaah81in e39?

[@elijaah81]

@Demon-ng4sz currently on an E46 setup. But i used to have an E39 and the formula is about the same. In fact if i remember right my E39 had more clearance in the engine bay. Not by much tho

[@Demon-ng4sz]

@@elijaah81 Ok thanks

[@spankranchgarage]

@@Demon-ng4sz I built a custom motor mount arm. I am able to keep AC with a 2.5" discharge and a 4" intake tube with the borg warner 366. Ill make a video about the E39 when I re-assemble it. Its a tight setup but it works great.

[@Jimmyjimjim]

"There's no way to screw it up". Someone will just make a better idiot.

[@GEARHEADdezign]

Not gonna lie, I'm a little nervous about my first aluminum block engine. 😬

[@spankranchgarage]

Love how light they are and how quickly they shed heat.... but yeah the threads...

[@GEARHEADdezign]

@@spankranchgarage yeah, it'll definitely be worth it. My L33 is also more compression, better heads and more liters than the iron LR4 coming out.

[@mennovanleeuwen]

Can this be done with the block still in the car? (M52 in a e36 compact)

[@spankranchgarage]

Yes it can

[@mennovanleeuwen]

@@spankranchgarage will those timeserts stick over time? I keep reading that BMW advises against the use of theme. And do the threads only wear out on engines that have overheated?

[@spankranchgarage]

@@mennovanleeuwen These aren't actually "timeserts" that is a separate product that is swaged into place after installation. Slightly different but pull strength wise I would think they would be very comparable. The load is spread over a ~14mm hole while it was a 10mm hole initially. I am running these in a turbo car currently with no problems. I don't expect any long term problems. As for which threads tear out and which don't, I would assume overheating is a contributing factor but some of these seem to pull out for no obvious reason.

[@mennovanleeuwen]

@@spankranchgarage great. Thank you for the clear answer and the insightful video. Do you sell these kits by any chance (you mentioned borrowing, but I am in Europe)

[@Lowspirit_aaron]

Alright where do we buy this fixture?!

[@spankranchgarage]

You can buy or rent one. Reach out to [e-mail]

[@isaacnichols795]

@@spankranchgaragewon’t let me click on it. I need this asap tho 😂

[@Kiceczek]

hey, i'm Interested to buy this kit, already sended to you a email!

[@brookemcquale5096]

Well, since you sought fit to ignore my request to rent your kit I did a bit of investigation of my own. Using 1" of Corian countertop. I made a similar template, drilled the appropriate size holes and, voila! I managed to go through the whole process without a hitch. It's easy enough to set the depth of any of the drill, tap, or inserts as long as you're patient. All it cost me was the cost of the price of the EZ-Loks. I would have gladly rented your kit, but, you saw fit to ignore my request, leaving me to believe you're full of shit.

[@spankranchgarage]

Im glad you came up with a solution! If there's a will there's a way. Sorry we couldn't connect, I did email you back. Glad you got the inserts in, that's all that matters!