M30 swap checklist and going rate

[GlassBreaker]

Alright you guys have convinced me that an M30 swap will achieve my goal of a torquey car to break the rear end loose once and while and will be easier than turbocharging a SETA 2.7i hybrid. After hunting through the threads here and searching some other forums I’ve found a 5-series enthusiast willing to part with the following set up:

M30B35 complete from an e34 with 110k miles and had oil in the coolant, assuming headgasket, was from a 5 spd car but transmission is sold for a 5 spd swap

179 ecu and un-cut engine bay harness from the e34

Getrag 260/6 with flywheel and clutch from an ’88 e28 535is that was rear ended with 110k miles

Driveshaft from the same e28 535is

3.25 LSD from e28 535is

Radiator (newer than 110k) from e28 535is

New engine gasket kit including headgasket

All for the picked up price of $1200, which is about a 5 hour drive from where I live.

Does that seem like a fair deal? Anything else from the e28 535is I should ask for to help with the swap?

Thanks.

[Gadea]

First thing that comes to mind missing in your list is the motor mounts. You have a few choices there, but if I'm not mistaken, unless you make them yourself you're looking at a price tag of around $300. Your shopping list seems pretty much complete other than that.

I think the price is a little steep for your swap parts list, mostly based on the fact the engine has a blown head gasket. That has the chance of making you run into other expenses (hopefully not). The mileage on the engine and tranny is not bad though. I guess it depends a lot too if you're doing the work yourself or someone else will do it for you. Anyways, I got my stuff cheaper than that (didn't put it together yet, though!) but maybe I just got lucky/luckier. I am, most definitely, cheap. Not by choice, though.

I don't think the 5 hour drive puts a big dent in your swap budget, unless your time is very, very valuable; so I wouldn't put that into account. I got some of my stuff locally, drove around 5 hrs. (entire trip) for some others, and some stuff I got it shipped to me. I think it would be a good idea buying Frank Macaluso's writeup on the swap subject. You will find general recomendations, stuff to look out for, potential issues, etc. without the hassle of doing the research yourself. Besides that, I would advise you to browse thoroughly the sales ads in this forum as well as mye28.com, and even your local craigslist or eBay if you want to reduce your costs. Even apparently older posts may shield great opportunities. Best of luck!

[ky325es]

wow 1200 is alot

go on car-part.com
you can get everything on there that you need

i got my engine off a friend that does scrapping and he has 2 735i
got my engine for 100 bucks with only 50k miles

im pretty sure if you go on car part you can get it cheaper or do you have a pull a part where you located go there

here are some junk yards near u that have an engine
1988
Engine
BMW 735 (3.4L)-117K,R.GOOD 117,000 A BMW652 $650.98 County Recovery Service, Inc. - Gold Seal, PARTS, ARA-NY, ARAPro USA-PA(Wysox) E-mail 1-570-265-2475/ 1-800-284-8313

1992
Engine
BMW 535 i 6cyl MT RWD [300-70234] 95,000 AA0048 $500 Ace Auto Wrecking USA-NJ(East-Brunswick)732-254-9816
177 miles away from you

[ky325es]

offer him 700 bucks tell him u have a 5 hour drive just to get there and another 5 to get back home thats alot of gas
and also it had a blown headgasket

[GlassBreaker]

Thanks for the responses guys.

Here is the price breakdown I came up with for the transaction:

Engine $300
Transmission $350
ECU $50
Wiring Harness $40
Radiator $50
DIfferential $150
Driveshaft $50
New engine gasket kit w/ head gasket $125
New guibo $80

Comes in at $1195, and having it all in one place increases the value to me.

ky325es: You got a smoking deal. I did the car-part.com thing earlier and couldn't piece it together any cheaper. Thanks for the suggestion though; southern tier NY just doesn't seem to have the junkyards that other places do.

Gadea: Mounts weren't listed since they won't be from a donor car. The options to date seem to be mw044 from Finland, beefy on e30tech from the uk, Good and Tight from here, or of course custom (which is beyond the what I want to do with the previous options available). I've done alot of the research already. george graves and Jean have some excellent resources and documentation on the swap as well as Franks older posts on here.

Seller is taking the head off and documenting the process before I commit with a down payment. Seems to be a stand up guy and a e28 enthusiast who knows what those parts are worth in that community.

Thanks again for the comments.

[ky325es]

there is a 1985 735i 5spd close to my for 750

[chadthestampede]

5-hour drive, eh? I'm assuming it's somewhere in PA?

1200 honestly doesn't seem that bad for everything at once. I say go for it if you're up for the drive. Besides, it's worth it dealing with a stand-up seller because then you know you won't run into any problems with the engine down the road (so to speak)

[CorvallisBMW]

You can re-use your stock driveshaft, no need for the e28 one

You'll also need the radiator hoses from the e28 535i, and the e30 hose that runs from under the thermostat to the expansion tank and heater core (to splice in to the m30 hose that also runs out of the thermostat)

Other than motor mount arms (use stock m20 mounts, btw, rubber or urethane it's your choice) I think you're looking good. Get an 80 degree thermostat and an 82 degree aux fan switch. Also an e34 electric aux fan is a great upgrade over the stock e30 unit.

[george graves]

https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0Ag5wlJUtXyJzcG9vbVdSN1RuSVZwWk1UcFh2Um56RlE&hl=en

I don't claim it's complete - but it might be a good reference. This is how I kept track of it for my swap.

[LowR3V'in]

I paid maybe $400, $500 max on having a turn key install.
Not including oil change - air filter (expensive) and homemade motor mount brackets.

Then again car parts are allot more expensive in the midwest/eastcoast.

[ky325es]

there is a very veryy nice one owner 1988 535i 105k miles for 1500
this car looks brand new inside doctor owned it
but has front damage
engine is like brand new no oil leaks anywhere

[Jean]

If it's 5 speed, and you can get it for like under 1000...it would be worth it. You may then be able to part out the rest to keep the costs down.

[george graves]

I paid maybe $400, $500 max on having a turn key install.

Now you're just bragging. :roll: That ain't happening for the average DIY'er. Naw-mean?

[ky325es]

If it's 5 speed, and you can get it for like under 1000...it would be worth it. You may then be able to part out the rest to keep the costs down.

yeh i ma try to talk to him i only need the transmission
i already have a m30 engine with 50k miles that i got for 100 bucks and i also got a free bentley manual for the engine

[Jean]

If you only need a tranny, pass on it unless you want to deal with parting out the rest.... check on mye28.com for a tranny.