school me.... full m3 car ready to donate parts to an e30

[sanya]

i've been loving e30s for a long time, but vws have been my thing. i am looking to get a 325 in the near future and i stumbled into a great deal for a rolled 98 m3 for a GREAT price.

so, i have the donor car and will start looking for the project car pretty soon.

i just need to know what i can swap from the m3 into the e30?

i'll be selling the wheels and brakes because i will need to run some 16s. interior will be for sale too and the rear bumper and trunk and airbags are still good and will need to sell.

in addition to the motor and transmission, what other parts can be used? driveshaft? axles?
ecu and the m3 wiring? or does it need to be completely rewired into the e30? this car already has a dinan chip.

i also want to swap the complete m3 suspension. is this possible? this car already has h&r coilovers and some aftermarket looking sway bars. can i use all this and swap the 5 lug? what needs to be modified?


i understand that these questions may have been answered before, but i did a quick search and couldn't come up with much. i would really appreciate some answers.

and some pics for ya









h&r coils





supersprint exhaust

[mrsleeve]

Lots of good stuff on that car, I wish I was 5 lug I want your brakes (calipers anyway) an wheels.

[Mossman]

wow JUMP on it.

Yes you can use 96+ m3 control arms, offset control arm bushings, m3 struts and get e30 camber plates made for whatever ID the coil's springs are and use those. usually you'd use e30 springs and perches but the coils change that. Nothing in back is useable. Tranny and driveshaft are useable if back of DS is 4 bolt rather than 6. Get it get it get it!

[sanya]

i will get it. the pics of the car are in my yard :D i just need to pay for it. even if i can't use most of the stuff, i will still be able to part the car out and make a nice profit.

but i would love to use as much of it as possible and stuf it into some lucky 30.

so the rear suspension and 5 lug is not swapable?

[e30s52]

5 lug is allong with the brakes rotors and cailipars. you going to sell that supersprint muffler? how much?

[sanya]

so only the REAR shocks/springs won't swap over from the m3?

i haven't priced everything out yet, but the muffler will most likely be for sale. pm a reasonable offer and i'll look around and see what they usually go for.


do i need anything other than whats on the car to swap the m3 steering rack? or do i just pull everything out of the m3 and bolt it to the e30?

the throttle body is missing along with the intake pipe/maf on this car. do i need to look for m3 pieces only? what other model/motor will work for me?

[etxxz]

you have everything you need in that car for:

steering swap (use e30 OR e36 inner/outer tie rod..i have e36)
S52 swap and run OBDII (see my wiring thread)
-use e36 tranny/shift, driveshaft, wiring, ewsII, TR module, key, engine/tranny mounts etc d:
Exhaust (might need to cut/weld a section but it should all bolt on
Seats & other mist interior things.

Sell me the front spindles, brakes, control arms and coilovers. pm me.
rear shocks idk if you can use.

[sanya]

can i use the shifter assembly out of the m3? it has some short shifter already. feels really nice and solid.

i'll sell you the brakes but i'm keeping the spindles and coilovers and everything else that i need for the e30

[sanya]

also which diff does the m3 have? lsd? what gearing?

[e30s52]

most likly the 3.25lsd. and yes you can use the e36 shifter

[e30s52]

how many miles are on the car?

[etxxz]

can i use the shifter assembly out of the m3? it has some short shifter already. feels really nice and solid.

i'll sell you the brakes but i'm keeping the spindles and coilovers and everything else that i need for the e30

yeah only if you use the e36 tranny in the swap and you have to use the e36 shifter linkage and components for it to lign up properly.

as for the brakes pm me $ i have a deal for spindles about to go through.

[sanya]

not sure on the miles. need to have a key made or hotwire it.

i will be using the m3 tranny since i already have it in the m3. its better than the one that comes in the 325s i hope?

hows the 3.25 gearing? anything a little more aggressive but still practical for daily driving?

since i'll be selling the brakes, will stock m3 brakes get the job done on a e30? maybe just drilled through for the extra cooling?
the rears look to be stock size, but the rotors were upgraded to drilled units.
do 16" wheels clear m3 brakes?


i really appreciate the answers i'm getting so far!!

[e30s52]

they should clear it but im not sher. im going to be running a 3.46 lsd rear end. 3.25 would be more praticle for like free way but im using mine for drifting. it all depends on what you want out of it. what would the car be used for mostly?

[sanya]

a little of everything. i'm gonna daily it a bunch, maybe do some track days and take it to the drag strip every once in a while. i think i can sacrifice a little practicality for a bit more acceleration.

what kind of gas mileage are you e30s52 guys getting?