Early stage E30 S52 swap.. Pointers/Tips

[figuare9]

First off, glad to be a part of this site, I've learned a lot from this site, and would like to start a build... But I have some questions.. I'll put this into a FAQ to make it easier to answer, I always like it short and simple. I'm in college, so I can't devote my full time to this, and I have serious plans to do a swap, but I'd like some information first, and I figured that there's ALWAYS someone that knows more than someone else out there, and from the looks of it you guys have experience.

• I have a 1990 325is, first off.. what does IS stand for? is this the better of the 325's?
• Where can I obtain an S52 motor for cheap? I'd like it to be complete from the oil pan up.
• Can I use my current 5 speed transmission and driveshaft with an s52 motor?
• I expect to spend around 5-7 grand for everything, is this about right?
• Bavarian Auto sports has cheap parts, and I've looked into Zionsville for other things, do I need to go anywhere else?
• I'm a beginner... this will be my first motor pull/swap ever.. Is there any tutorials? guides/etc? I've checked here for builds, but they're more or less just progress updates.
• What kind of serious problems may I encounter while doing a swap? Would anything require any custom made work?
• Are there complete swap kits I can get?
• What do people run for exhaust?

• Is it really worth the time/money for the swap, how much horsepower can I expect to get? The s52 motor to my knowledge is 321hp? is this figure right?

I'd really like to do this this winter, I'll be building a two stall garage just for the project, however if i'm not running 300 horse (doesn't have to be whp, can be off the crank) but if i can't beat the horsepower, what other motor can I put in? I'd just like to get a good starting ground here so I can get this started soon if it seems worth my time. Thanks a lot ahead of time for any help, I really appreciate it. I've always wanted a fast car, and ALL of my friends have always had a faster car.. cobalt ss's, corvettes, mustang gt's especially, I finally want to get a fast car built up and run them into the ground.. it's time I step it up a notch or two and leave them at the starting line! :) (excluding the zo6 lol)

[FredK]

I'm in college, so I can't devote my full time to this, and I have serious plans to do a swap, but I'd like some information first, and I figured that there's ALWAYS someone that knows more than someone else out there, and from the looks of it you guys have experience.

Few people devote their full time to a swap project. You're in college. You should have a reasonable amount of free time to get things done. When you get a full time job or have a family, that's when free time is really a precious commodity.

I have a 1990 325is, first off.. what does IS stand for? is this the better of the 325's?

It means you have the sport package. The most obvious of the 'is' upgrades are the sport seats and 4.10 limited slip differential.

Where can I obtain an S52 motor for cheap? I'd like it to be complete from the oil pan up.

Nearly anywhere. Ebay vendors, salvage yards, etc. I think there's a guy near you, bennetts22, he sometimes has them, and is a reputable guy.

Can I use my current 5 speed transmission and driveshaft with an s52 motor?

Yes. You will need to get a special transmission mount, however, as the 5 speed you have (Getrag 260) will get rotated with respect to the engine block.

I expect to spend around 5-7 grand for everything, is this about right?

Yes. You might be able to get things done cheaper. 7K sounds right if you need to go through the entire suspension and replace everything.

Bavarian Auto sports has cheap parts, and I've looked into Zionsville for other things, do I need to go anywhere else?

AutohausAZ has great pricing, as does RMEuropean.

I'm a beginner... this will be my first motor pull/swap ever.. Is there any tutorials? guides/etc? I've checked here for builds, but they're more or less just progress updates.

Everything should make sense once you get the car in the air. It's hard to explain. If I had to give any tips, it is to take things slowly to avoid screwing up any of the panels / rad support, and to get AS MUCH angle on the engine/trans as possible when inserting/extracting it.

What kind of serious problems may I encounter while doing a swap? Would anything require any custom made work?

The exhaust is the only real custom piece.

Are there complete swap kits I can get?

Yes, but they are very expensive for what you get. VERY expensive.

What do people run for exhaust?

Pretty much the sky's the limit here. A popular setup is a set of Ebay Supersprint knockoff headers mated to a custom center section. Some people mate up the stock E30 exhaust to the E36 downpipe.

Is it really worth the time/money for the swap, how much horsepower can I expect to get? The s52 motor to my knowledge is 321hp? is this figure right?

No. The S50B32 (rest-of-world) has 321hp. The S52 has 240 hp, but with some bolt ons (cams, larger injectors, 3.5" HFM), can get to ~240 whp (probably near 280 at the crank, depending on your correction factor).

I'd really like to do this this winter, I'll be building a two stall garage just for the project, however if i'm not running 300 horse (doesn't have to be whp, can be off the crank) but if i can't beat the horsepower, what other motor can I put in? I'd just like to get a good starting ground here so I can get this started soon if it seems worth my time. Thanks a lot ahead of time for any help, I really appreciate it. I've always wanted a fast car, and ALL of my friends have always had a faster car.. cobalt ss's, corvettes, mustang gt's especially, I finally want to get a fast car built up and run them into the ground.. it's time I step it up a notch or two and leave them at the starting line! :) (excluding the zo6 lol)

I think the 300 hp number is merely good for bench racing or posturing at the bar. If you have 280 crank, or 290 crank, it doesn't really make a difference. An S52 E30 is tremendous fun, and is fairly affordable. Your other options, such as an S50B32, get more expensive (closer to $3000 more).

[sharky]

Wow Fred, that was a very nice and informitive post, to OP.. Look at the top of this page in the DOHC stocky and read everything. Take your original budget and double or triple it, Enjoy your M20 and learn how to drive the car quickly, then actually work on making it quick.

[figuare9]

Thanks a lot fred! So what you're saying is that I need an S50b32 motor instead of an s52? and Also... is that strictly a euro motor? or both? is there any differences? what's the hp/torque difference if there is one? Oh, and also, would all of my previous questions have the same answers with an s50b32 motor?

[FredK]

Yes. You can still use your Getrag 260 with the S50B32. It was only available as a rest-of-world engine. Alex of abloriginalparts.com usually has a few in stock here in the States, that he has gone through the legwork of sourcing and importing here.

The S50B32 has 321hp and has a much higher safe maximum engine speed in comparison to the US-only S52B32.

[figuare9]

Okay... Sorry if all of these questions are annoying, but I gotta start somewhere.. :) Also, the s54 motor seems to have a little more horsepower yet, How well do they fit into the e30? money is an issue, but not serious. I anticipated 10k to begin with, the funds are available, but I obviously don't want something that's gunna run for 20 minutes and blow up.. I drive hard, I'm 21 years old, raised in motocross, and grew up hanging onto handlebars.. I drive hard, occasionally do a donut or 10, but I'm always driving fast, and need something reliable, but at the same time, a minimum of 300 horse or so..

EDIT: again.. I just got off the phone with zionsville, and they said they do not have anything, or any kits for an s54 motor, and they only carry kits for us spec'd motors.. Now im at a loss because the s52/s50 they have are 240/260 hp, and that's with the obd1.. So.... where do I go from here? If i do get a euro spec'd beast, does it have to come from accross seas? argh.. where would I get kits from? or at least everything I would need for a succ. swap?

[FredK]

S54 swaps are not as well-documented. Most people that have swapped it in have used aftermarket engine management, at the cost of around $3500 plus tuning and installation costs, ON TOP of the cost of the engine. For a first-time swapper, this is not that realistic of an option.

The Euro engine is available Stateside through abloriginalparts.com, or sometimes, a handful come up for sale. For example, gobuffs is selling one right now. Look down a few posts.

My suggestion to you is, get a ride in a car that has an S52 in it. I assure you, it is not that slow. If you are trying to hang onto a Corvette or Mustang on the straights, you are looking at the wrong car.

[figuare9]

thanks for the advice, however I will say this, the mustang's i was tryin to hang on to are late 90's, like 96-98, and 99's. This 325 stock can stay in front of a cobalt SS til 40, and the cobalt beats the mustangs, however after about 40-45 mph, it looks like i'm not moving when the cobalt hits the powerband in 2nd gear. I really think with a better motor, i'll be right where i wanna be.... ahead of them :) I'm definitely going to ponder this for a while, and think of what I really want done.. I'm extremely mechanically inclined, the work doesn't bother me, but its the lack of experience that im worried about. However I am very patient when it comes to working on things. Last question... what would be cheaper/more reliable... An s52 obd1 motor with a turbo, or an s54 motor? If i ran a turbo it'd be just enough to get me at about the same spec's as an s54.. 320 hp is my goal, how I obtain it I guess doesn't matter much. also would I need to turbo it? or can I build it up otherways... I want to build up a car that's going to last for years.. regular maintenance/wear and tear is obviously going to happen, but what would be best in my situation.

[FredK]

In your situation, an S52 with some bolt-ons will likely be your best option. You can at a later date, add a turbo, as funds allow.

A bone stock S54 is pretty reliable, but there is no data on how reliable one is with a non-stock oiling system.

[whiltebeitel]

thanks for the advice, however I will say this, the mustang's i was tryin to hang on to are late 90's, like 96-98, and 99's. This 325 stock can stay in front of a cobalt SS til 40, and the cobalt beats the mustangs, however after about 40-45 mph, it looks like i'm not moving when the cobalt hits the powerband in 2nd gear. I really think with a better motor, i'll be right where i wanna be.... ahead of them :) I'm definitely going to ponder this for a while, and think of what I really want done.. I'm extremely mechanically inclined, the work doesn't bother me, but its the lack of experience that im worried about. However I am very patient when it comes to working on things. Last question... what would be cheaper/more reliable... An s52 obd1 motor with a turbo, or an s54 motor? If i ran a turbo it'd be just enough to get me at about the same spec's as an s54.. 320 hp is my goal, how I obtain it I guess doesn't matter much. also would I need to turbo it? or can I build it up otherways... I want to build up a car that's going to last for years.. regular maintenance/wear and tear is obviously going to happen, but what would be best in my situation.

If you really want to go fast, garrettvs is selling a 250-page book ($150) on how he and his pops swapped an LS1 in thier e30. They are on here and bimmerforums.com.

[figuare9]

Okay cool, I really think ill start from there.. my first 3 grand is going into the car in the next two weeks, I think i'll get the s52.. you're talking about the euro, or us spec'd? Zionsville said the US spec'd s52 puts out 260 with the obd1, but the euro spec'd s52 is 321 hp.. I'm actually leaning to the US spec'd because i can get everything i need at zionsville.. but I'll DEFINITELY check the site you listed for me.

[balooshinakus]

Do some searcing tbh. A turbo m30 is a cheap option that will make huge horsepower. Or a turbo m52. Or a SBC. Search and figure out what you want to do.

[whiltebeitel]

S52 and S50 are colliqualyl known as the US motors, both put out 240 hp. The S50B32 is the euro motor, the 321 hp engine. Euro motor maintenece parts are hard to come by in the US.

[figuare9]

I've decided US spec'd s52 motor.. I'm going to start working on the car in the next couple weeks.. I watched this video on youtube, and I'm absolutely in love.. I can't wait.. it looks fun.. :)