Firstfives.org

Hi Dudes.
I bought Bert's B-35 head and I need a cam & rocker arms to put it back together.
1) What size cam do I need to make it a lil hotter? Bert said maybe a 280 would be enough w/o going radical. I don't mind a lop though.
Also, what is the reliable name brand recommended? I know it was mentioned before.
2) Should I get a better set of rocker arms & where do I find them?
3) I'm guessing I need the gasket set for the B35, not for the 2.8, right?
4) And, with the updated head, should I get some hi-comp. pistons & how far should I go while maintaining my 2.8 engine?
5) I'm guessing you would recommend me boring out somethin' to match the head, right?
6) What about the intake said? Did I take on too much??
Thanx in advance,,,,Greg

Uh, you're not planning on putting a B35 head on a 2.8 are you? It's got larger combustion chambers and you'll end up with something like 7.5:1 compression. Yeah, it flows better, but you need compression to flow.

Thanx for checkin' in, Mike.
Take a look at my #4 question.
Will you, please, answer all the questions?

Some euro 2.8 and 3.0 engines have a 272 degree cam
So if you still have the old 2.8 head, you might want to to check the cam.
See faq: http://www.firstfives.org/faq/cylinder_ ... ad_faq.htm

I do, Falkenberg. In fact the factory motor is running nicely. I believe it's a US model because of the huge bumpers, though.
I just want to be ready for her when she goes away. Rosallina already has about 175,000 miles on her.
Maybe YOU can answer all my questions?
Thanx,,,,Greg

I remember the cam is a Schrick! Thanx for all your help.

Sorry Greg, I did kind of just get focused on the title. I'll start, but it's gonna get complicated. A B35 head is less important on a 2.8 than a 3.5, it's got less air to try to push thru, so opening things up isn't going to make as much of a difference. Custom pistons, yeah, probably about 9.5:1 as plain old euros used 9.3:1 in E28 528i's. But that's 9.5 with the B35 head. Cam? I'd probably ping Paul Burke, you can find him occasionally on Mye28, he has a/some custom grinds and really seems to know his stuff. I have no shortage of confidence in my knowledge here and I think he forgets more in a day than I know. Short of that I'd go at least 280, at least if you don't need to smog it. You would need to port match the intake to the head, not easy as the shapes are different, not just larger.

At the end of the day, a plain old stock B35 3.5 is probably going to put out as much or more power as a 2.8 tweaked with a B35 head. With a lot less money involved.