Another E30 M30 Swap Thread, this time with an 84 318i

[glnr13]

i don't think you can gain an inch out of the mounting plates, you're going to run out of material to put the holes in for the rear bolts. maybe a 1/4" on the plate and 1/2" where the mounts attach.

also keep in mind your driver side mount is going to hit the dipstick if you move the mounting holes back so you'll have to notch it.


so if you're thinking of sliding it back the new holes should be inline with the original holes. if you go 45° down i think you're going to have the steering rack come into contact with the oil pan. if you go 45° up you're not going to be able to close your hood.

[the imitator]

Heres another example

[the imitator]

well the other mount is self explanatory and there's plenty of room, this is the mount in question, there's plenty of room for redrill here as well, its just locating the new hole correctly.

In this picture the mount is sideways, unless I am misunderstanding something here; all I have to do is find the angle where my 2 fingers are pointing, and simply drill a new hole using that angle.



for an example, if I want to move the mounts back one inch, and the angle of that part of the mount is 45 degrees, all I have to do is move my drilling location 45 degrees by 1 inch.

[marshallnoise]

It looks like garagistic's motor mounts have space to redrill for position 3.5, yes I am banging my firewall a tad more to fit in the new radiator.

Pics or it didn't happen!

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[the imitator]

It looks like garagistic's motor mounts have space to redrill for position 3.5, yes I am banging my firewall a tad more to fit in the new radiator.

[the imitator]

Put in a brass pivot pin from Ireland engineering today. Yippy.

[the imitator]

Final drive ratio is .81. It will be fine with a 3.73, I ran the same combo for awhile.

Thank you sir, should be a decently fun car.
Looking forward in using your turbo manifold in the future, for now it sits shiny on a shelf.

[Good & Tight]

I decided to go with a 3.73 with the g265.. should be interesting, I havent really checked final drive ratio, if anyone can Chime in here that would be awesome!

Final drive ratio is .81. It will be fine with a 3.73, I ran the same combo for awhile.

[the imitator]

I think I may be the guy to do that. Corvallis has done a great job with cooling using the e28 setup, but it would be nice to have an alternative out there using a legitimate aluminum radiator with some beef to it.

I'd love to see it happen, you could guarantee I'd do it.
why not use shiny door hinges so it swings out! HA! ya right...
Ya, Corvallis has done a killer job, the 10'' puller is a great idea, but damn! I wll beat my head on a wall until I can sit in hot weather and not worry.

franks post and other people's photos are what also have me thinking i have pos2. to be honest i don't mind it in pos2 right now, i have pretty easy access to sparkplug #6 and the head isn't butted up against the firewall so there's some room for the coolant hoses back there.

To be honest, it's got to be pretty nice looking being snug too! I love the looks of a late model m30 in these bays because in the 5, and 6 series you can practically fit a body in the engine bay!

[glnr13]

franks post and other people's photos are what also have me thinking i have pos2. to be honest i don't mind it in pos2 right now, i have pretty easy access to sparkplug #6 and the head isn't butted up against the firewall so there's some room for the coolant hoses back there.

[marshallnoise]

Agreed, I think a DIY should be done in the future, no WAY its that hard.

I think I may be the guy to do that. Corvallis has done a great job with cooling using the e28 setup, but it would be nice to have an alternative out there using a legitimate aluminum radiator with some beef to it.

[the imitator]

Agreed, I think a DIY should be done in the future, no WAY its that hard.

As I understand it, the core support has no structural impact on the chassis so there isn't any reason to not make it removable. The odds are of a cop knowing you made it removable are slim anyway. I will be making mine removable for sure.

You did make the right choice on the radiator though. No reason to go through the pain of replacing it when the plastic cracks. Such a lame material to use.



And even though everyone and their mother swears by the e28 radiator and it all clears just fine, I simply hate the idea of having it stuffed in there like that. To me, if I can do a little modding to the core support, it would be worth it to get a 3" thick aluminum radiator in there.

[the imitator]

I would have to make the assumption you may be in 2, franks m30 was in position 2.5 and had a half inch of clearance.

After looking at pictures of position 2 and the e30 m30 swap "roll call" thread I feel confident it will fit, even if it does take effort to get in there.

heres a quote out of his swap PDF
"Actually, I drilled a hole right in between the two holes there and made a position 2
½. No, it doesn’t compromise its strength. I actually have about ½” clearance from the distributor to
the radiator. I’m compromising 50/50 weight distribution by not going all the way back, but it’s not
going to make that much of a difference.
If you decide to go any FURTHER back than position 2, then know that you might have clearance
issues and will need to bang the firewall back like 3-4 inches and in this position, you’d maintain a
more factory weight distribution."

A half inch is a lot of space to make for the m30 haha

I'm running the e28 rad and supposedly position 3. Could be 2 but I ordered position 3 so I'm unsure. I only have 3mm clearance between the radiator and distributor.

[glnr13]

yeah, no joke, the e28 rad is crammed in there.

[marshallnoise]

There was a guy on a separate site that had a few pictures of his removable core support, dont think its legal, but dang would sure make working on an e30 easier.
I went with an e36 m3 unit, its a half inch thicker, and I'm using position 3, it will be a squeeze, possibly a small grind but she should work! Once I go wasted spark, my distributor delete plate will open up tons more room too.

I understand their isnt a NEED for a bigger radiator, but the options are funky.

A. buy a used e28 radiator in unknown condition aside from cosmetic looks, who knows what kind of stop leak/acid water/portland reservoir filthy deposit/green goo shit, that wants to ruin my day.

B. Buy a brand new OEM unit for $150 plus shipping and still have plastic reservoirs.

C. spend an extra 50 bucks for a lifetime warranty and a modern day product.

I feel I did the logical thing.. lol spend that $$$!@#$%^:dot:

As I understand it, the core support has no structural impact on the chassis so there isn't any reason to not make it removable. The odds are of a cop knowing you made it removable are slim anyway. I will be making mine removable for sure.

You did make the right choice on the radiator though. No reason to go through the pain of replacing it when the plastic cracks. Such a lame material to use.

A half inch is a lot of space to make for the m30 haha

I'm running the e28 rad and supposedly position 3. Could be 2 but I ordered position 3 so I'm unsure. I only have 3mm clearance between the radiator and distributor.

And even though everyone and their mother swears by the e28 radiator and it all clears just fine, I simply hate the idea of having it stuffed in there like that. To me, if I can do a little modding to the core support, it would be worth it to get a 3" thick aluminum radiator in there.