Technical Official N54 Epoxy Discussion

[EPOXY54]

Hey everyone, I wanted to share our product in case you haven't been made aware through Facebook.

What is Epoxy54?​

At its core, Epoxy54 is an epoxy designed to reinforce the aluminum engine block, similar to a block guard, yet easy to apply and budget-friendly.

Why Epoxy54 Works Better​

• Traditional block guards are press-fit into place, and they need a lot of machining. This can be complicated and often leads to cracks over time due to the thermal expansion rate differences between cast and billet aluminum. Additionally, pressing a tight tolerance piece into a roughly machined surface such as the water jacket can cause bore tolerance issues.
• One of the coolest things about Epoxy54 is that it expands and contracts at the same rate as the aluminum in your engine block. This is super important because mismatched expansion rates can cause warping, which leads to bigger problems down the road.

Why It’s Better Than Cement Fillers​

While cement-based are ideal for cast Iron blocks, they come with a major downside: they don’t expand at the same rate as aluminum. This mismatch can create stress points that cause the engine to fail prematurely. Epoxy54 doesn’t have this issue, making it a safer bet for long-term durability.

Easy to Use​

Epoxy54 is super easy to apply—even for beginners. You don’t need a machine shop or specialized tools. It’s DIY-friendly and doesn’t require major modifications to your engine block. You can apply it before or after machining without messing up the engine’s tolerances. See the installation video guide below:

Cost-Effective​

This is one of the best parts about Epoxy54—it’s affordable. No need to pay for expensive machining or specialized installation. Plus, it’s way cheaper than most block guard setups, which require a lot of time and money to install properly.

Real-World Success​

Epoxy54 is currently used in the motor that holds the fastest N54 1/4 mile time at 8.16 seconds and 168 mph. Additionally, we have have had over 200 vehicles install the product in the N54 engine over the past 2 years, with zero reported failures.

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I’d love to hear what you think—has anyone here used Epoxy54 before, or have questions about how it works?

EPOXY54, The Aluminum Block Epoxy Kit

Why Choose Custom Epoxy for Aluminum Engine Blocks? Key Benefits of Our Custom Epoxy Formula: Thermal Compatibility: Engineered with a thermal expansion rate closely matching aluminum for long-term stability. Unlike cement alternatives that expand and shrink during curing, our epoxy is...

epoxy54.com

 

[SlowE93]

Your username is the same as the product you are pushing, yet you recently "discovered" it ??

Please GTFO. Already off to bad start.

Edit: now you changed your post. Gtfo and go back to FuckBook or e90post.

 

[longjonsilva]

Your username is the same as the product you are pushing, yet you recently "discovered" it ??

Please GTFO. Already off to bad start.

Edit: now you changed your post. Gtfo and go back to FuckBook or e90post.

Tough crowd

 

[SlowE93]

Tough crowd

No, just don't be a deceitful prick and all is good. He changed original post which was 100% deceitful.
Now don't tell me you are same guy with a 2nd acct

 

[seb.apprenti]

No, just don't be a deceitful prick and all is good. He changed original post which was 100% deceitful.
Now don't tell me you are same guy with a 2nd acct

hello my friend. I would like to ask you a question about this post. for me it's not very clear because of Google translate I suppose. Is it the technique using epoxy on n54 or the person who created the post that is the problem? personally I find the epoxy technique "possible" and I like to have constructive opinions on the subject... whether these opinions are for or against . .. for the rest, I don't know how this person created the post. respectfully

 

[SlowE93]

hello my friend. I would like to ask you a question about this post. for me it's not very clear because of Google translate I suppose. Is it the technique using epoxy on n54 or the person who created the post that is the problem? personally I find the epoxy technique "possible" and I like to have constructive opinions on the subject... whether these opinions are for or against . .. for the rest, I don't know how this person created the post. respectfully

Hey man, it was an issue with the person who posted it. He first came in and said he wanted to share a product he discovered, like he stumbled across it somewhere. Yet his username is the same as the product he is pushing to sell.
He should be upfront and say he is a vendor vs a random guy that happened to come across said product. He has since changed his post but I saw the intial post and comes across as a scammer/liar to ME.
If not, why change the original post ?

Hope this translates over to where it makes sense to you

 

[marseille]

I'm way behind, however, this AUS guy running 9's in his 335 drag and drive rig goes into fairly interesting detail.

 

[ShocknAwe]

Color me skeptical. If it sounds too good to be true it typically is..

Especially if it was originally marketed though social media.

Sounds like a great way to totally ruin your block.

 

[seb.apprenti]

Hey man, it was an issue with the person who posted it. He first came in and said he wanted to share a product he discovered, like he stumbled across it somewhere. Yet his username is the same as the product he is pushing to sell.
He should be upfront and say he is a vendor vs a random guy that happened to come across said product. He has since changed his post but I saw the intial post and comes across as a scammer/liar to ME.
If not, why change the original post ?

Hope this translates over to where it makes sense to you

ah ok I understand better. now it's very clear... thank you very much for your explanation

 

[seb.apprenti]

Color me skeptical. If it sounds too good to be true it typically is..

Especially if it was originally marketed though social media.

Sounds like a great way to totally ruin your block.

It's true that it seems too good to be true...but this technique seems to work on other engines...so why not on n54. we are starting to see more and more people using epoxy on n54...time will tell if it was a good idea or not

 

[wheela]

It's definately a clever idea, as it conforms to the engine surfaces - no precision machining needed. But I'd like to know what the cured epoxy Modulus of Elasticity is (at operating temp), and what it's thermal conductivity is compared to the aluminum cylinder head and block material.

In my opinion it should be just as stiff or stiffer than the aluminum to provide meaningful support for the cylinders.

With open deck there's direct coolant contact at the top of the cylinders where they meet the head, so direct heat transfer to the coolant. With an aluminum closed deck, there's no direct coolant contact at the top where the deck meets the cylinders, but aluminum is a great thermal conductor, so still good heat transfer from the top of the cylinders to the coolant. With an epoxy closed deck, there's a thick layer of epoxy between the top of the cylinders and the coolant. How well does that epoxy transfer heat from the top of the cylinders to the coolant? Unless it's thermal conductivity is similar to aluminum, you'd likely have poorer heat transfer from the top of the cylinders, potentially creating hot spots at the top of the cylinder walls where the epoxy reinforcement is. Is that a non-issue, or could the extra retained heat be detrimental to the longevity of the cylinders?

People have made huge power with epoxy closed decks, but could they have done it on an open deck? I recently saw a video of a guy with an 850whp n55 with an epoxy closed deck, and he developed cracks at the top of the cylinders between most, if not all of the cylinders. Would that have happened with a metal closed deck? Or for that matter with open deck that retained direct coolant contact at top of the cylinders? I don't know. Do the epoxy closed deck guys know?

 

[SlowE93]

I agree with my associate. I also thought the same thing as far as if those engines/cars could have ran just as hard on open deck or other mods.
So since this is becoming an active topic, let me ask/say a few things.
1. Op posted an epoxy he "discovered" which is a flat out lie.
2. Claims to have proof....

Real-World Success​

If you need proof of how well it works, Epoxy54 is currently used in the motor that holds the fastest N54 1/4 mile time at 8.16 seconds and 168 mph. This is a high-performance engine running in extreme conditions, so you know it’s durable and reliable.

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how is this proof ???? Sorry brah, but you are asking or telling people to take your word for it ???
I have proof you can make money by giving me 1 million dollars. Proof is I said so. Are you in ???
You haven't proven shit ! Run a 168mph trap, tear down the block, record it with no edits, that is PROOF that shit is in the block.
This does not mean it will hold up over time. A pistons, rods, sleeved, motor making the same power, weight reduction, trans, driver, etc will yield the same performance/ trap speed WITHOUT using epoxy.
3. GTFO ! I trust actual machining vs poor mans glue in a engine block. To each their own though.
4. Refer to #2. Pizza places claim their pizzas are made with 100% real cheese. Sure, use 1/2 oz of real cheese and the rest imitation, you can claim it is in fact made with real cheese ! See where this is going ?
Like I said, you haven't proven SHIT. Tear the block down after a run if you want to make those claims.
Then lets see how long it holds up for if it is in fact epoxied only. No sleeves or other cylinder/block reinforcements.
5. Just go back to F.B.

 

[SlowE93]

Color me skeptical. If it sounds too good to be true it typically is..

Especially if it was originally marketed though social media.

Sounds like a great way to totally ruin your block.

What this jackass said





























My bad , hi homie !

 

[whyzee125]

Tough crowd

You joined the exact same day as this post was made. Sus.

 

[langsbr]

@EPOXY54, is there a benefit into installing the cylinder head while the epoxy is curing? Surely the block has some distortion while being torqued. Would it not be better to have the epoxy cure in that final state than just sitting open?

 

[rev210]

Although the original post didn't start this topic off well....

The use of metal specific block fill is an old and well proven strategy for block strengthening. There are applications for cast iron and alluminium and it's been used on drag engines where the water galleries are completepy filled and you are chasing the last bit of block rigidity.
To freak you out even more , we ran around with cast iron blocks back 30 years ago half filled with a form of concrete, like your driveway is made of.

The alluminium specific epoxy is used on a lot of other engines both for closed and open deck, so it's not revolutionary at all. Despite what the original title might have implied.

Some motors aren't always suitable due to the cooling system and jacket layout.
It appears the N54 water jacket and gallery layout suits the approach.

Done with care, make sure the galleries are absolutely cleaned and ensuring the right material is used , no reason why it won't add some strength particularly on the open deck top. It will add significant strength but, in some cases the failure point in the block can be unrelated, I think the N54 can sometimes crack between cylinders?

There might be a need to accept potential cooling system maintenence frequency. You can't really tell what might be going on in terms of creating small cavitations, turbulence and hot spots that weren't there. These aren't going to necessarily show up as higher temps but the pump and coolant might not last as long.

 

[Hydra Performance]

Don't want to rain on anyone's parade, but based on my previous experience with block-filling there is always a chance of filler erosion/delamination clogging the radiator and causing all kinds of grief. Just my .02..

 

[pbondar]

Don't want to rain on anyone's parade, but based on my previous experience with block-filling there is always a chance of filler erosion/delamination clogging the radiator and causing all kinds of grief. Just my .02..

Interesting point…as an outside observer

 

[wheela]

Don't want to rain on anyone's parade, but based on my previous experience with block-filling there is always a chance of filler erosion/delamination clogging the radiator and causing all kinds of grief. Just my .02..

Good point. By adding a huge mass of epoxy into the core of your your engine you're introducing added risk of all kinds of new unknown potential failure modes that weren't there previously for a questionable benefit.

Actually, which failure mode is this addressing? I'm definitely not an expert, but the n5x block failures I've seen since I've been on the forums (with exception of one case where a cylinder hydrolocked and blew out a chunk of wall on cyl#1) were cracks forming in the thin area between cylinders. I already mentioned an n55 with epoxy closed deck who formed cracks between almost all of his cylinders - I'll dig up a link when I get a chance.

Edit: link to n55 with epoxy closed deck with cracks between cylinders:

@langsbr Good thought about cylinder warping during head torquing. Do we even know for sure why bmw closes the decks on b58 and s-series motors? It's obviously stiffer than open deck at the top of the cylinders, but does bmw think that closed deck is necessary to contain the marginally more power those engines make? Or perhaps the added stiffness from the closed deck makes the manufacturing process easier by limiting the need to address cylinder warping after torquing the heads down in the factory? Again, I'm not an expert and don't know the answer.

Before I'd throw an epoxy closed deck in, I'd want a clear understanding of what specific problem it's solving, how effectively it solves them, and what new risks are created so I can consider if any added risks are worth any added benefit it may yield. I don't see any of that information in this thread. What I do see is somebody marketing aluminum block epoxy (which @rev210 pointed out has already been around for a long time) for a use condition with entirely different functional requirements than filling cracks in the exterior of the block.

 

[ShocknAwe]

If it ain't broke don't fix it. I'd need a LOT of proof I really need to close my deck before making that kind of modification, and then I'd use solid inserts in a compatible metal.

Don't give your coolant system forever chemicals and micro plastics.