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Importing e30 Touring into CA (and do engine swap?)

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    Importing e30 Touring into CA (and do engine swap?)

    (note: I also posted this on bimmerforums, but some related threads suggested I also post here given my plan involves an e30 engine swap).

    The basic plan: I've been having so much fun working on my e36 M3 track car recently, I now have the itch to get an older BMW, tastefully retromod it, and have a one-of-a-kind 3rd car. I'm a bit of a wagon fetishist and have always loved the e30's looks, so I'm pretty settled on an e30 Touring. Does anyone here have experience (or can point me to an up-to-date summary) of the approximate cost and hoops I'd have to jump through to 1) import the car, 2) get it lab tested, and 3) registered in CA. Once it's tagged, I'd spend a couple years doing the full restomod (custom plaid interior, new paint, rebuilt engine) -- I'm envisioning something like a DIY attempt at a Singer 911 or David Brown Mini.

    The master plan: Even cooler, would be doing a higher power engine swap, perhaps something like the S62V8 or even the more modest S52 or S54 I6. I'm also wondering if this might actually make it easier to pass CARB, i.e., I would take the engine with all emissions/exhaust equipment from a more modern US-legal car (e36/e39/e46, etc) and drop that into the e30 Touring. My theory here (perhaps very wrong) is getting a Euro spec e30 to pass CA smog will be very hard (perhaps impossible, I have never seen one in CA). I realize mechanically the swap massively ups the ante. Also, if I went the swap route -- is there are preferred engine (that adds sufficient power but is easiest to fit under hood, get running, minimal custom fabrication, etc)?

    My target budget would be $25-35K (basic plan), maybe up to $50K for master plan with higher-end interior work. Is this reasonable? The alternative is buying a e30 M3, but I've seen a lot of them around lately, and I'd rather build and own a unicorn.

    #2
    Yes it's totally doable. Import the E30 with a full working M20. You will need a CA legal CAT, and possibly some other stuff. Get it legal and road registered.

    Then do the swap just like any other E30.

    DO NOT try to do the swap before the car is fully federalized.
    Drive it hard. Maintain it well.


    Convertible Technical & Discussion
    A Topless Memorandum

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      #3
      Probably cheaper, and healthier to just move away from CA.
      1991 325i MT2 Touring (JDM bro)
      2016 Ford Flex
      2011 Audi A3 - wife's other German car

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        #4
        Originally posted by djjerme View Post
        Probably cheaper, and healthier to just move away from CA.
        Ha! :p Like the old Suncreen song said about Kalifornia... "Leave before it makes you soft."
        Estoguy
        1986 BMW 325, Alpenweiss ~ "Elsa"

        Need a photographer, come visit my site: http://estoguy.wix.com/unique-perspectives

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          #5
          welcome to the forum. there is literally TONS of info here on CARB and BAR referees. tons of info already here about every swap under the sun. not much on the s62, but i have to say that would be the engine of my choice. oh, wait, i actually have one sitting in my garage awaiting its turn at my attention for an e30. the best and most concise info on v8 swaps is by a guy who used to post here a lot named frank macaluso. he published a swap guide that is over an inch thick of 8x10 paper. i think it costs 40 bucks or so and it is an understatement to say its worth every penny and then some. if you search, you can find it on line.

          if this is something you are serious about doing, i suggest you lock yourself in a room for a weekend, and google the shit out of it. take some time to familiarize yourself with all the categories on this forum and click on the ones that interest you. start reading....a lot. then read some more. this approach will go so much better for you than posting "how do i......" threads every 5 minutes in the general section. everything you could possibly think to think of asking has already been covered 300x.

          good luck man. godspeed!


          Originally posted by djjerme View Post
          Probably cheaper, and healthier to just move away from CA.
          lol
          sigpic
          Gigitty Gigitty!!!!

          88 cabrio becoming alpina b6 3.5s transplanted s62
          92 Mtech 2 cabrio alpinweiss 770 code
          88 325ix coupe manual lachsilber/cardinal
          88 325ix coupe manual diamondschwartz/natur
          87 e30 m3 for parts lachsilber/cardinal(serial number 7)
          12 135i M sport cabrio grey/black

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            #6
            Originally posted by djjerme View Post
            probably cheaper, and healthier to just move away from ca.
            lol
            Steve • Toronto
            1991 318is • Brillantrot
            Build Thread

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              #7
              Originally posted by flyboyx View Post

              if this is something you are serious about doing, i suggest you lock yourself in a room for a weekend, and google the shit out of it. take some time to familiarize yourself with all the categories on this forum and click on the ones that interest you. start reading....a lot. then read some more. this approach will go so much better for you than posting "how do i......" threads every 5 minutes in the general section. everything you could possibly think to think of asking has already been covered 300x.
              I give this same advice for anyone looking to do a 32v swap. Doing the research makes the swap much easier when you are actually going through it because you have a much clearer picture about the work you are doing.

              Ok, now off my soapbox. I'm not an expert about importing a touring into CA but I think your best starting chassis would be a 325i. It would probably make it a little simpler since you won't have to convince CARB that the 2.0L is the same as the 2.5L- seems like an easy way to avoid some hassle. I wonder if it would be beneficial to get the car titled in one of the East Coast ports and then shipping the car across country?

              Here's a good place to start your research: http://jalopnik.com/here-are-the-fou...uni-1682067632

              OBDI M62B44/6 swap
              Transaction feedback
              - jpod999

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                #8
                Thanks all for the warm welcome. I've been just clicking through some of the various threads here, and man... I've come to the right place. It's pretty incredible how much as been documented here, and I'll do a more through search before bombarding with additional basic questions.

                Originally posted by mr2peak View Post
                DO NOT try to do the swap before the car is fully federalized.
                Can you elaborate on why? Is it just easier to get CARB to give me the green light in baby steps rather than just leaping the whole way to foreign mutant muscle-wagon?

                Also, at a high level, how much custom fabrication is likely to be involved here. I feel like doing the S62 swap into a Touring (rather than a regular 325i) is like to be going into somewhat more uncharted waters. For example, I could easily order a new cat (and all other emissions equipment) for a 325 sedan from Pelican Parts, but is the length of the midpipe going to be right given the additional length of the wagon... etc.

                Looking forward to engaging more here. If I ever get this project off the ground (still formulating my proposal for the CFO/wife) I'll definitely get a build thread going.... And speaking of cost -- any rough estimates on what a project like this will likely end up costing for both the basic and full-on-master-plan?

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                  #9
                  Cost is impossible to quantify. V8 swaps cost a lot more than i6 because you need more than a couple custom parts. It depends on what you have to pay for the donor engine. An s62/g420 would normally cost around 5 grand. You may find it somewhere much cheaper though. I paid a bit less than the number i mentioned above. I figure another 5 to 8 grand doing all the work myself.

                  As far as putting an 8 cyl engine in a wagon, it is exactly the same as a coupe, cabby, or sedan. No issue there.
                  Last edited by flyboyx; 04-27-2017, 09:37 AM.
                  sigpic
                  Gigitty Gigitty!!!!

                  88 cabrio becoming alpina b6 3.5s transplanted s62
                  92 Mtech 2 cabrio alpinweiss 770 code
                  88 325ix coupe manual lachsilber/cardinal
                  88 325ix coupe manual diamondschwartz/natur
                  87 e30 m3 for parts lachsilber/cardinal(serial number 7)
                  12 135i M sport cabrio grey/black

                  Comment


                    #10
                    I imported an e30 and know of a few BMW specific importers who have some pretty amazing cars for sale at the moment. One has a very low mileage 325iT coming relatively soon.
                    1991 325i 4 dr Euro Spec, 5 Speed, 4.10 LSD, Slicktop

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                      #11
                      Local touring owner to me spent roughly $6k for his lab testing on his touring which took 2 months or so rather than the promised couple weeks.

                      1991 325iS turbo

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                        #12
                        Originally posted by Sail Boat View Post
                        I imported an e30 and know of a few BMW specific importers who have some pretty amazing cars for sale at the moment. One has a very low mileage 325iT coming relatively soon.
                        Could you please share or PM me their info?

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                          #13
                          Originally posted by ak- View Post
                          Local touring owner to me spent roughly $6k for his lab testing on his touring which took 2 months or so rather than the promised couple weeks.
                          This is what concerns me about federalizing the car with stock engine, and then doing it all over again after I do the swap. Adds another $6K in addition to costs of doing whatever needs to be done to get car through CARB the first time. Anyone else have thoughts on the "order of operations" here? Like it is totally crazy to import the thing, registering for off road only use, doing the swap, and then going to CARB?

                          On a totally different note -- I'm drowning in decisions of the many directions to go with a motor if I ever undertake this. I mean -- S50 seems like a straightforward, perhaps ideal "first timer" swap, which could always been SCed later. S62 seems like quite the undertaking. And then if you're going to go throught all the effort of S62, why no just go for broke and drop an S65 or S85 in there!!!??? I don't want to derail my own thread with a discussion of which engine just yet -- I'm still in the "where does one get started" and "what should I expect" here phase.

                          Comment


                            #14
                            S62 is really not any more difficult than an m60 other than the acquisition cost.

                            S65 and s85 are a LOT harder and more expensive swaps. Cooling syst and oil pan just to name two of many examples why.

                            Besides, do you really need more than 400 hp?


                            240 hp in a s badged i6 is a huge get improvement over stock 160. At some point it will get boring through.
                            sigpic
                            Gigitty Gigitty!!!!

                            88 cabrio becoming alpina b6 3.5s transplanted s62
                            92 Mtech 2 cabrio alpinweiss 770 code
                            88 325ix coupe manual lachsilber/cardinal
                            88 325ix coupe manual diamondschwartz/natur
                            87 e30 m3 for parts lachsilber/cardinal(serial number 7)
                            12 135i M sport cabrio grey/black

                            Comment


                              #15
                              I have no personal experience so take this with a grain of salt, but within the last year I saw an instance on either a Facebook group or on /r/e30 where a guy was trying to sell his S52 325iT to an out-of-state buyer because he was having too much difficulty getting the car BARed, that the combo of euro market and swap kept them from wanting to pass it. From what I understand this individual could have payed the big bucks for the lab testing if the cost wasn't an issue, but that you can't just get such a car legal from a simple BAR like you can an appropriately-constructed S50/S52 swap or a stock M20 Touring with all US emissions equipment (from what I have read getting a standard motor swap through BAR does not cost thousands of dollars like the full lab testing, please correct me if I am wrong). This particular swap was completed out-of-state IIRC, not sure if it would be any different or even possible to have a 325iT BARed in stock form and then re-BARed after a swap. I would love for this to be inaccurate, or be an isolated incident at one particular BAR location, trying to learn as much as I can for my own eventual BAR-legal swap.

                              And aren't any of the M6x/S6x really shaky to get through? I only read of one that did it, on here, and it seemed he was lucky to barely pass because the guy chose to look the other way on something that was slightly wrong (and can't legitimately be righted). Sorry to sound cryptic but I hate to spill any beans if eyes are watching, and again please correct me if I am wrong.
                              sigpic
                              1991 325i Sport - Calypsorot Metallic - DAILY DRIVEN

                              WTB in SoCal: 8"/10" Lukebox, leather Sport steering wheel, 60L MotoMeter fuel gauge, Thule/Yakima roof rack

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