anyone still doing m30 swaps?

[AWDBOB]

I have an s52 sitting in my garage but it burns too much oil to drop in without at least getting the head rebuilt, and after pricing it out, an m30 swap is still probably going to be cheaper and easier to do. Bear in mind I have to BAR anything as I live in CA and OBD2 leaves a lot more room for error.

Plus I think the sohc engines sound so much better

We all know m30 is your destiny! Buy an e34 535i for a grand, part out a few things you don't need and get a free swap out of it. S52 will pile up in cost. My m30 spreadsheet says you can get it done pretty well for under $2K.

[wworm]

We all know m30 is your destiny! Buy an e34 535i for a grand, part out a few things you don't need and get a free swap out of it. S52 will pile up in cost. My m30 spreadsheet says you can get it done pretty well for under $2K.

Yeah I gotta do it. I really want to find a billy boat exhaust (paging kronus lol) and hack it up to fit once the motors in there....might be picking up a motor tomorrow ! Finding a 535i donor car is too hard to do here (has to be CA car to get the swap smog legal)
Planning on running the g240 since I have it and then searching for a g260/5/6 (I don't remember which)

[AWDBOB]

I know it's easier said that done, but just go for it! The m30 is so simple and your current trans setup will work for now just to get the engine in and running. You could probably part out your S52 and M10 and make back most of the cost of the swap, too.

[glnr13]

Yeah I gotta do it. I really want to find a billy boat exhaust (paging kronus lol) and hack it up to fit once the motors in there....might be picking up a motor tomorrow ! Finding a 535i donor car is too hard to do here (has to be CA car to get the swap smog legal)
Planning on running the g240 since I have it and then searching for a g260/5/6 (I don't remember which)

g260/6 is what you want. after dealing with the g240 and the smaller bell that only allows for an e30m3 cluutch/fw/pp as the largest setup and playing with a couple of different LSD combos i think the g260/6+3.46 is the most well rounded setup. it's virtually straight out of the 635 so feels right. everyone has their own opinions and purposes though.

[wworm]

g260/6 is what you want. after dealing with the g240 and the smaller bell that only allows for an e30m3 cluutch/fw/pp as the largest setup and playing with a couple of different LSD combos i think the g260/6+3.46 is the most well rounded setup. it's virtually straight out of the 635 so feels right. everyone has their own opinions and purposes though.

Solid advice. I'll keep it in mind

The g240/m10 fw/beefier clutch is a temporary plan until I can find the more stout trans at a yard

[glnr13]

Solid advice. I'll keep it in mind

The g240/m10 fw/beefier clutch is a temporary plan until I can find the more stout trans at a yard

try to get a hold of a lightweight fw in all cases. your tachometer/gas pedal will thank you for it but your wallet and gas tank will not haha.

[lukeADE335i]

Solid advice. I'll keep it in mind

The g240/m10 fw/beefier clutch is a temporary plan until I can find the more stout trans at a yard

I swapped a G240 into my car nearly 8 years ago with a similar plan. The gearbox is still fine & the G260/5 I picked up for when the G240 died is gathering dust on a shelf in my shed?! On street tyres, the G240 can last behind the M30 with a bit of mechanical sympathy.

[wworm]

I swapped a G240 into my car nearly 8 years ago with a similar plan. The gearbox is still fine & the G260/5 I picked up for when the G240 died is gathering dust on a shelf in my shed?! On street tyres, the G240 can last behind the M30 with a bit of mechanical sympathy.

You're the one whose given me the confidence to just run what I brung and make it work! I do plan on autoxing the car and maybe going to a drift day or two (I have friends with nissans lol) so the g240 might not last as long as yours, but I'm banking on finding a g260 eventually to replace it.

[LowR3V'in]

thats what i say just run it and keep building or you just be waiting and waiting to build it "right".
i have a friend who's like that he rarely drives his car because he wants to make it perfect,
which is nice, but less time actually enjoying it.

[wworm]

thats what i say just run it and keep building or you just be waiting and waiting to build it "right".
i have a friend who's like that he rarely drives his car because he wants to make it perfect,
which is nice, but less time actually enjoying it.

that's my goal. I've spent to much time hoarding parts so that I can build things right and get it all done quickly but I need to just build with what I have. I'm impatient and wanna work on other things too lol.

[glnr13]

yeah, mechanical empathy is key with that g240 i think. i slammed it into gears in a few autox's and mine was not happy after that.

[wworm]

yeah, mechanical empathy is key with that g240 i think. i slammed it into gears in a few autox's and mine was not happy after that.

Just bought new fluid to hopefully smooth the shifts up, currently a little crunchy when shifting at higher rpms. Any recs on additives/fluid choice?

also been researching how far I can go with a mild m30 build while still keeping it in smog spec. I'm thinking 10:1 compression/284 cam but have heard mixed things about cam specs and smog. Does anyone here have any input?

[glnr13]

i may have used the wrong fluid when i refilled it so I won't give my 2 cents on that one. no comment on the smog thing.

[lukeADE335i]

I run Redline MT90 in mine.

Thankfully where I live we don't have smog tests or annual roadworthy checks.

[george graves]

try to get a hold of a lightweight fw .

I'm running a e28 flywheel lightened to 17 lbs (from 22 or 24 iirc) and it's more then enough. It's a street car. Hence, giving yourself a few extra pounds if you ever drive on a hilly area like I do.

[CorvallisBMW]

I love my M30, whether it was the old NA build or the current M106 turbo setup. The crazy easiness of the swap and the similarity to the stock M20, both in character and mechanics, seal it for me. It doesn't make huge hp but it's infinitely driveable, bulletproof, and always puts a smile on my face. I'd do it again.