Opinions on Removing M50 Engine / Re-installing S50 w/ or w/o Tranny Attached in E30

[luckysnafu]

I've swapped an M52 (with a G240 tranny) into two different e30's and recently an S52 (ZF tranny) into my newly acquired sedan and each time I've installed/removed the engine with the transmission attached. I can vouch that the HF foldable shop cranes (I have the 2-ton version) will get the engine/tranny high enough to clear the front of the car, assuming your car is NOT at the stock ride height.

Some tricks I've learned from doing this:
- Use a load leveler if you have access to one
- If you don't have a load leveler, like me, lift ONLY from the front engine lift point. This will angle the engine/tranny nicely to slip it into the engine bay. Once you get the tranny into the tunnel, get under the car and guide/jack it into place while the engine falls onto the engine mounts.
- Remove the A/C compressor and the power steering pump, they most likely will cause problems clearing the front of the car.
- Let air out of the front tires to get the front end as low as possible

Good luck! It's really not that bad once you get the hang of it.

[IMSARS69]

Opinions on Removing M50 Engine / Re-installing S50 With or Without Transmission Attached in E30...


Looking for experienced opinions of best choice for pulling an M50 engine with or without the 260 series transmission attached from an E30 325is. Do not presently know what the hoist's horizontal reach will be. How far back would one need the hook to reach in order to pull both comfortably, related to say which spark plug hole, ex: a level horizontal reach of about 30 inches will get one to the #4 spark plug hole.

Will be re-installing an S50 engine to be mated to same transmission. Anything of note different about the two, such as weight, etc. that would matter?

FWIW I've r'n'r'd the tranny three times pretty much by myself so getting the two unbolted is second mature while in the car. Also, shouldn't make any difference AFAIK, but the shifter has been modded so that it's mounted solid to the tunnel, not the OEM 'shifting arm' which has been chopped up to be used as the shifter pivot bolted to the tunnel.

No lift. If removed together I presume it may have to be placed at an appropriate height on jack stands during the extraction to allow tail of transmission to drop at some angle, but maybe not... comments? Anyone care to suggest how much clearance is needed, from say the rocker panels, or other reference point. Max. reach vs lift of hoist will come into play, and right now that is an unknown.

If hoist reach is limited then I presume pulling the combination could be problematic, right?

Has anyone used the Harbor Freight 1 Ton Foldable Shop Crane, specifically their Item #69445 or #93840, not their #69512, with success in this instance or similar. Not interested in issues related to fit and finish or assembly of these as I've read all the pros and cons related to those, only if their reach and lift are capable and whether or not with or without the tranny attached.

Anything in the way of tips and tricks would be appreciated.

TIA...