1990 325i Touring S50 Swap Thread

[phreshkid]

Yeah I just figured why try to piece 5 cars together when you can start with one donor car and finish with most of the swap from the same car?

It's not a bad idea and it'll save you money in the end.

[nl328i]

Yeah, thats awesome man. I really appreciate the input.

As far as the labour estimate goes, do you think I can expect my shop to do better than 80 hours if they have a good write up?

[phreshkid]

I think my little brother who doesn't even know how to change oil could do it in less than 80 hours.

[BimmerTim]

FYI, if you swap internals, it would be highly advised that the diff is rebuilt properly. ie. checking lash and shimming accordingly.

But, yes, you could theoretically swap the E36 M3 diff internals and input shaft into th E30 case.

[BimmerTim]

Also, 80 hours seems like a lot. I think I had maybe 20 into mine, first time.

I could see them charging 40hrs.

[butters]

I have a ZF and '95 M3 4-bolt driveshaft, no diff yet. I was planning on finding an OBD2 e36 driveshaft and 2.93 eta diff, but now I'm really curious as to how involved swapping the internals of an M3 diff into that of my '91 318i would be, if it's possible.

[phreshkid]

Not possible. The 318is unfortunately has a small case 4.10 diff. You need a medium case diff fond on the 325 e30s

[Kingamr]

Silver label 413 ECU's have EWS. So it will need to be deleted by a chip from TRM for instance.

[giantkeeper]

E30 24v swapped wagon = sick!

[nl328i]

Update

The donor car has been acquired. 1995 m3 with 140k miles, but extremely well cared for. My mechanic was familiar with the car and said it was solid.

One bonus, the donor car had Bosch projectors, perfect to replace the depos in my e36 :)

[willcapture]

any updates so far? love the touring and cant wait to see this done

[nrubenstein]

FYI, you can swap the input shaft on the diff without replacing any internals.

[SwiftE30]

Use the driveshaft that the s50 comes with! Whether it's a 6 bolt rear end or a 4 bolt, doesn't matter. Both will work. If you plan on changing differential rations once in a while, get a 328 driveshaft. If you want to keep the proper LSD that the m3 came with stock assuming it's still in proper mechanical condition, swap the Internals from the m3 LSD into your medium case e30 325i driveshaft. It's a direct swap and I've seen it done twice locally both will success.

That should save you a bit of money if you do decide to go that route.


This is assuming the e36 m3 is a coupe and not a convertible.

EDIT: This is assuming the e36 m3 is a coupe and not a sedan.

This works flawlessly in s52 m3 coupes but since there shouldn't be any difference between driveshaft lengths of the zf310 and the zf320, you should be good to go.

dang! I wish i would have known this before i sold the diff and driveline from my 97 donor car. now im searching for a diff and driveline at the junk yards.

Hi Guys,

It looks like the opportunity has finally presented itself. A well maintained 1995 m3 has recently been wrecked in my province (one of only a couple in the entire province), and it seems like if I am going to do an S50 swap, this is the time to do it.

That being said, I am not mechanically inclined so I will need to have a shop do the work.

honestly, if you got a 95 m3 as your donor, you wont need to convert to obd1 which is a huge plus, and if you can use the driveshaft and internals from the same car, you are pretty much setup super primo for a swap. I would recommend doing a bunch of research, then some more research, and get a grasp on what needs to be done for the swap and just DO IT YOURSELF. It will be way more gratifying and satisfying when you're done. The task of a swap may seem daunting at first, but after each step you take during the swap it becomes less and less of a "daunting task." and it is a shit ton of fun!!!!! anybody agree? :)

[nl328i]

Small update:

I have located a guy who has experience doing swaps and says he can get started on mine in about 2 weeks!! I have the e34 oil pan and accessories in hand, I just need to track down a brake booster and I am set. I am planning on sending the wiring harness out to be converted so it is a plug and play. I told him I am not in a rush as long as I get the car back by the spring.

Unfortunately the donor car's rear passenger wheel was bent in the accident, so I dont have all the parts to do a 5 lug swap, but i'm fine with sticking with the 4 bolt for now, especially since I have ACS type 1s which i like.

SO, the swap begins soon!

Side note: I have an set of e36 sport seats and a set of vaders which are just collecting dust. I plan on putting one of them into the e30 when the swap is done. I am thinking the e36 sport seats because I think they will watch the style of the car better. I am hoping to have them upholstered in a tan leather and do the rear seats to match.

Anyone have a cheap mtech II steering wheel they wanna send my way? haha.

I will post pics as soon as I have any of the progress.

Also, yes or no to putting an M badge on the back when i'm done? I'm moreso thinkign of debadging and having it as a touring sleeper.

One more pre-swap pic for you.

[cale]

Yay! Another 24v M swap in Canada :)

I'm gonna PM you the info for a guy who runs a bmw specific parts business who's done a 24v swap into a touring himself, he can probably help you acquire any additional parts you may need. I imagine stuff is hard to come by there, and staying with Canadian business ftw. I told him he should advertise on here, the types of parts I see as common cause of my contacts with him actually seem to be in demand online and it'd be a huge business to obtain.