I need help from you swappers

[TwoJ's]

First off, this is a post in another thread in OT, but I have changed direction and I figured I would get a much better audience here.

I am going to my senior year getting a mechanical engineering degree and I need to come up with a solid idea for my senior project in the first couple weeks of school (we start the 23rd). As of right now, my fall back plan is a small propane powered turbine engine. It would be a cool project, but I'm not all that excited about it.

I really want to do something e30 related. In ME magazine last month there was an article about how fixing/updating and using older products is actually much more energy efficient than buying new ones. It is a bit of a stretch, but I think I can use this angle to persuade my department head that putting a 24v motor in my car is good for the environment, saves energy, and would work for my senior project. To do this, I would have to actually design and build something. However, the swap is pretty simple and doesn't require too much to be designed or fabricated.
What I was thinking of is making a kit of sorts so other people can do these swaps (my prof. doesn't know how popular they are). I am thinking of building a custom tranny cross brace (not modified), and maybe provide the necessary modifications for the brake booster set up.

I need some ideas for what else could be designed and built for a 24v swap. A cross brace and booster modification is too simple. Custom motor mount arms? Down pipe to match up with stock e30 exhaust? Any ideas you can come up with would be much appreciated as I may actually be able to get this part of the project paid for.

[Farbin Kaiber]

Make a wiring harness adapter, and make the oil pickup tube from the e36 one of your "mods".

[FredK]

Custom solid engine mounts that match the angle of the E36 mount arms to the E30 subframe points properly.

A properly designed tuned exhaust system that creates power, instead of something just randomly slapped together.

A properly designed, tuned intake system that uses a panel air filter.

I dunno. If you can squeeze this in as a project, that'd be awesome.

[TwoJ's]

Make a wiring harness adapter, and make the oil pickup tube from the e36 one of your "mods".

The wiring harness really wouldn't apply to my major. That's more of an EE thing than an ME thing.

Custom solid engine mounts that match the angle of the E36 mount arms to the E30 subframe points properly.

A properly designed tuned exhaust system that creates power, instead of something just randomly slapped together.

A properly designed, tuned intake system that uses a panel air filter.

I dunno. If you can squeeze this in as a project, that'd be awesome.

The engine mounts sound like a good idea. They will need some real design to make, and then some machining/welding as well.

I want to stay away from a complete exhaust system because I will have to pitch this thing to my professor as a kit, which I think I will need to make reasonably priced. To do proper analysis, design and fabrication of a SS exhaust would be too much. I think a downpipe to match up with the e30 exhaust location may suit this project better. The air intake also sounds like a good idea. I like that it is relatively simple to build, yet requires actual analysis to size properly.


Thanks for the ideas guys, keep them coming.

[z31maniac]

I like the intake (possible heat shield as well?) idea, downpipe and engine mounts all sound great.

Especially mounts that would allow you to use the inside mounting holes. The TMS reinforcement kit made using the outside holes nigh impossible. We had to flip the E28 M5 mounts and enlarge the inside holes a bit.

[e30_325es]

Going off FredK's ideas, How about an intake that bolts onto a factory e30 air box? Something that could accept both a 3" and 3.5" maf and that would bolt to the top of the stock box?

And I love the engine mount idea.

[TwoJ's]

If you were doing a swap would you rather have engine mounts to buy, or a transmission crossmember?

[z31maniac]

If you were doing a swap would you rather have engine mounts to buy, or a transmission crossmember?

Since there are engine mounts that "work", I'd rather have a crossmember/shift selector/shift carrier to use a G260 behind the 24v.

The stuff I got from mattdk318i works great.

[FredK]

I like the intake (possible heat shield as well?) idea, downpipe and engine mounts all sound great.

Especially mounts that would allow you to use the inside mounting holes. The TMS reinforcement kit made using the outside holes nigh impossible. We had to flip the E28 M5 mounts and enlarge the inside holes a bit.

Yeah, I had to hog out the lower reinforcement plate, and now I have to use an offset box wrench to tighten the nuts like 30 degrees at a time. Not too convenient!

The solution for the transmission crossmember is ... to use a ZF 320. :razz:

I like the idea to adapt the stock airbox to a MAF. That'd be a product useful to those who swap to a MAF on the M20 as well!

[z31maniac]

Yeah, I had to hog out the lower reinforcement plate, and now I have to use an offset box wrench to tighten the nuts like 30 degrees at a time. Not too convenient!

The solution for the transmission crossmember is ... to use a ZF 320. :razz:

I like the idea to adapt the stock airbox to a MAF. That'd be a product useful to those who swap to a MAF on the M20 as well!

I called TMS and told them they needed to address that in their next run of those kits.

The ZF is so notchy though...........although the G260 does have a pretty short 1st and 2nd with this much power in front of it.

[rThor432]

Go crazy and make a short-runner intake manifold that clears the stock booster.

[318isbmw]

Go crazy and make a short-runner intake manifold that clears the stock booster.

I like this idea, something that hasn't been seen very often. Could almost be made to work with stock e30 airbox and then fit around the booster without losing any flow. Would be something you would be able to test the flow of the stock intake versus the modified one, and would be something applicable because you would be able to avoid doing the booster modifications. Exhaust like fredk said would also be awesome, a nice set of headers that would clear the subframe, but I think that would be more labor and less design personally.

[surebimmer]

Tubular front subframe that will let you run long tube headers. Or better yet. Long tube headers that clear the stock front subframe and look like stock euro headers.

[z31maniac]

^That would be nice.

I like this idea, something that hasn't been seen very often. Could almost be made to work with stock e30 airbox and then fit around the booster without losing any flow. Would be something you would be able to test the flow of the stock intake versus the modified one, and would be something applicable because you would be able to avoid doing the booster modifications. Exhaust like fredk said would also be awesome, a nice set of headers that would clear the subframe, but I think that would be more labor and less design personally.

If they have access to the pricey software needed to test the airflow of the CAD design. Otherwise it's a complete guess.

[rThor432]

Well, the M50 manifolds are extremely well designed from the factory-- at least that is my understanding. A friend of mine has talked for a while about modifying a stock manifold by taking a section out of the runners and bonding it back together. Might bump the power-band up a bit and would be excellent for swapping without messing with the brakes. If you were going to design anything, I'd think that would be a pretty cool and very helpful item.