24V AWD Swap Knowledge Base

[stonea]

Yeah, now that you say that I feel stupid. I should have thought about it some more, instead of posting right away.

[nando]

I was considering using an auto case with the zf from the E34, it would be easier to make an adapter plate. But in the end i decided using a Getrag 260 made more sense.

[The Dark Side of Will]

I measured these from the bell housing face:

E30 - 9 1/4"
E34 - 11 1/2"
E80 - 12 1/2"

I don't know where the 10 1/4" came from but I measured twice and it's definitely 9 1/4".

I measured that ( http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/show...9&postcount=21 ) and it was under the car, eyeballing to the axle centerline. I didn't think I could have blown an inch, but my eyeball might have been out of calibration that day.

[nando]

Yeah honestly i couldn't remember if i made it up or read it somewhere lol

[Nisse Järnet]

Electrical wiring almost complete with working abs, ecu controlled transfer case, traction control and boost by gear :)

Cranking test:

[nando]

nice! I like the camber plates. :)

haven't made any progress in the last month on mine. Drove the E30 on Saturday and now I'm quite convinced - it needs a quicker steering rack! I need to send my other strut housings out to be modified for that. also, my poor M20 feels really tired. :(

the next step for me is cleaning out the garage and getting rid of the parts I'm not going to need..

[stonea]

Keep us updated on the steering rack! When I went home the other week I drove the Z3 and the e30 definitely needs a quicker rack, and a lighter and more powerful engine, but more importantly a quicker rack. I would just buy a rack and try it myself but between getting the z3 resprayed, new wheels, a new suspension, and slowly buying parts for the engine swap on the ix, my budget is stretched so tight its basically not there.

[nando]

the strut housings have to be machined to use the E46 tie rods (it's the only feasible option). And the subframe needs some slight modifications. There are some concerns about bumpsteer but I think that will be vastly overshadowed by the much quicker steering response. Coming from the E90, the E30 feels like driving a bus.

[Nisse Järnet]

nice! I like the camber plates. :)

haven't made any progress in the last month on mine. Drove the E30 on Saturday and now I'm quite convinced - it needs a quicker steering rack! I need to send my other strut housings out to be modified for that. also, my poor M20 feels really tired. :(

the next step for me is cleaning out the garage and getting rid of the parts I'm not going to need..

Yeah me too :D

Steering rack is in my head all the time :P I can get it shortened but thats pretty expensive..

[LJ851]

the strut housings have to be machined to use the E46 tie rods (it's the only feasible option). And the subframe needs some slight modifications. There are some concerns about bumpsteer but I think that will be vastly overshadowed by the much quicker steering response. Coming from the E90, the E30 feels like driving a bus.

Every E30 needs a quicker rack, not sure why BMW made the steering so slow on our chassis. 2002 and E21 were quicker, E30 was a bus, and then E36 was back to quicker.

[LJ851]

Steering rack is in my head all the time :P I can get it shortened but thats pretty expensive..

Your car is pretty low Nisse, you might be able create an acceptable bumpsteer situation in the limited travel area the suspension lives in...

[nando]

I doubt it will be a big deal. the gains from the quicker steering would be pretty significant. the E46 rack isn't that much wider anyway.

[Nisse Järnet]

Yeah it will be low and stiff I hope so it might not be a big problem :) I'll get the car on the road first though!

Waste gate should flow well by the way :) 60mm..



Brakes!

[The Dark Side of Will]

So, I've been thinking of changing directions and going with an N52B30 instead. I think with cams and headers, 300bhp could be attained, and it's significantly lighter than the S54 - ~150lbs. and even lighter than the M20. they're also about half the cost. the reduced weight would make a pretty nice difference in handling.

Thought about an M50B30 or M52B30 using the aluminum M52 block from a Z3 2.8?
That should be capable of similar power... although probably more expensive to build than an N52 is to buy.

[nando]

It would cost more, and an n52 puts out more power stock than an S52 with a broader torque curve. I put down 224whp completely stock except some dme tweaks.

There's no upside. An aluminum M52 isn't easy to find in the first place...