Frank's E30 M60 V8 Swap Build Thread

[JGood]

Nice progress man! Looks like you've been devoting some serious time to this build, considering how far you've come so quickly. You'll definitely be on the road by Spring/Summer!

Hopefully I won't be too far behind :)

[Denny]

wow Frank thats some serious progress man!! good job...

[Garageaholic]

I should have the brake booster completely welded by the end of the week. Next is exhaust manifold downpipes!

Hitting up the Junkyard on saturday to get some more E34/E30 parts. Apparently, the junked C101 I got from the junkyard didn't have all the pins that my 325is utilizes. So I need some spare pins. That among other stuff of course!

[JGood]

I should have the brake booster completely welded by the end of the week. Next is exhaust manifold downpipes!

Hitting up the Junkyard on saturday to get some more E34/E30 parts. Apparently, the junked C101 I got from the junkyard didn't have all the pins that my 325is utilizes. So I need some spare pins. That among other stuff of course!

Just as a thought... you may want to consider cutting off your c101 and splicing in a body side x20 plug. It eliminates one unnecessary failure point. For example, I spent 2 weeks troubleshooting a no-start condition after doing an m50 swap, one of the c101 pins was corroded enough that it wouldn't pass the required current, but it passed a multimeter continuity test. I said screw it, chopped it off, spliced in the x20, and connected the engine directly to that. Cleans up the engine bay a bit, too.

[Garageaholic]

I sold it with the m20 that came with the car... kept the Value of the m20 up by not snipping wires

[JGood]

I sold it with the m20 that came with the car... kept the Value of the m20 up by not snipping wires

Not sure if I follow ya...

I meant splice a body side x20 (an e34/e36 body side engine harness plug) into your existing e30's wiring harness, in place of the c101. This way there is no c101 -> x20 conversion harness, and no c101 in general.

[Garageaholic]

Yes.....good point! Ill consider it.

[Garageaholic]

Updates from yesterday

Finished the exhaust manifold downpipes. 2.5" - added O2 Bung holes. The welds aren't perfect, but they're mine, dammit!








Dry Installed the Expansion tank and modified engine acoustic cover. Look in the first picture how much I need to trim back from the cover...






Finished welding the selector rod, although I'm getting a DSSR from UUC anyway, but just in case.



Here is a picture of the tacked brake booster mount. I tapped the 2 M10 screws to make it easier to install later. More updates on brakes coming soon!



Marked some of the body modifications I must make once the engine is out of the car. I want to have AC, so I'm widening the frame rails slightly to make room for the compressor connections.







My E30.de Type 5 engine mount brackets



C101/X20 wiring ready to be soldered (thanks to JGood for the idea as opposed to making a C101/X20 adapter).



Justin, Here is the check valve you speak of. Unfortunately, I didn't find any at the local junkyard. I don't have the one from my E30 setup as I sold it a while back. Realoem shows it as part 6, P/N 34331161511. It shouldn't be too expensive.

[JGood]

#6 is just the plastic vacuum tube, not the valve. There is no part number listed for the valve on any e32/e34 V8's that use that booster. Hence my issue :)

I'm just going to find an e30 valve and see if that fits. I'm sure it will.

Good progress man!

[Garageaholic]

I know....its all 1 piece....I think thats why its $35.

But nobody in their right mind would pay that, I know

[JGood]

I know....its all 1 piece....I think thats why its $35.

But nobody in their right mind would pay that, I know

I didn't think it was one piece. The dealer price is $11. For a formed plastic tube, that's a normal BMW price... but to include the check valve and plastic connector at the other end, that seems cheap... that's why I thought it was just the tube itself.

[Jonsku]

What is the reason for cutting the frame rail on LHS and why you need to take the cut-out so far back on RHS?

[Garageaholic]

Mounting the compressor and allowing room for the hookups...... The flare outs toward the front of the car are for the use of the 540i wide radiator.

[328ijunkie]

You wont have a problem installing it for the most part. Kink it down with trans drooped. Get diff studs in and get center mount on front driveshaft on the output flange of trans and push DS and trans up into place together. Thats how you have to do it with most of the 6 bolt rears from the factory.

[iamsam]

Why not lose the engine cover altogether? That is what I will be doing, I would rather look at intake runners and valve covers than a vast expanse of plastic.