E30 5.0 in CA? Has Anybody been successful with smog referee?

[corkmoto]

I've been searching to see if it's possible?

It looks like the biggest challenge is getting the drivers side factory exhaust manifold to clear steering shaft.

Has anyone made there own steering shaft yet and moved it over or is it just impossible? I haven't dropped my motor in yet to find out.

Thanks for the feedback guys

[eurotrash]

Build a custom header for the driverside .

[corkmoto]

Custom header

I wish it were that easy.
Building a custom header wouldn't be smog legal in california.

Hopefully I can move steering column over a little bit and put a skinnier steering shaft in and clear the stock manifold.

I'm dropping in a 93 mercury cougar 5.0 HO ( same as 94-95 mustang) motor in my 89 e30 325i

[jalopi]

Can't you just put the stock headers on backwards? Fabbing up the y-pipe isn't exactly easy, but this is what you should end up with (roughly):



Not sure how well it flows, but since you're using the stock manifolds exhaust flow should be the least of your worries ;)

I don't think there's any way of clearing the stock manifolds (or any off-the-shelf manifold) with our cars without modifying them.

[corkmoto]

anybody try u joints and a heim in an e30




That would work but, it wouldn't be smog legal here in CA. That's my issue.

Has anyone tried adding in u joints and a heim to the steering shaft in an e30 like this ? I wonder if there would be enough room?

[decay]

I thought about this for a while. i wanted the same engine, because it was higher-compression and came with a good cam.

IIRC you're gonna need 3 cats for a cougar 5.0; one on the end of each header and a two-into-one, since those cars had a single-exit exhaust. that's what CARB is going to expect to see.

my plan was two passenger-side manifolds with a primary cat hanging off of each one; the driver's side cat points across the front of the engine and routes around the front & passenger side to parallel with the passenger side header. IIRC these cats are 2" in/out.

from there, the CARB-legal secondary cat is two 2" ins, one 2.5" out, which happens to match the rest of my exhaust.

magnaflow's site can show you what california-legal cat options you have for the engine you're swapping in; start there and plan accordingly. i think you're going to have enough leeway as long as you're using stock manifolds and smog-legal cats.

other than that, you have to have all the smog equipment the original engine came with, and with a 5.0, that's not too much; the cats/exhaust are going to be most of the work.

[corkmoto]

I thought about hanging the drivers side factory cat toward the front too but I dunno it the ref will let it slide. You would think it is still doing its job but you are adding distance from the precat to main cat. I have had Hondas bar'd and they were pretty anal in the past. I guess I can always just call or go by and ask. Hopefully I can get a steering shaft fab'd up with a heim and get it to work.

[jalopi]

Wow... fuck Cali's smog requirements...

[decay]

Hopefully I can get a steering shaft fab'd up with a heim and get it to work.

That's the other option... when I was planning it out and looking at pictures of how people had done it, I just didn't have a lot of confidence that the t-bird/cougar manifolds (oriented normally) and any trick done on the steering shaft would work. Maybe you'll prove me wrong.

[corkmoto]

Yeah ca smog sucks. I have had to deal with smog on my rx7 and nowadays it's make it stock or register it out of state. Smog techs won't risk their license for a little cash anymore.

I'll keep you posted on how it goes?

Has anybody tried putting the driver side header in facing toward the rear with the factory steering shaft taken off?

Please supply a pic if any body has one. If not I'll soon find out when I get this motor in.