1988 325is swap attempt

[Stvstr]

I dropped the 5.0 into the 325 in October, and it fit reasonably well.


I had to slot the left side mount because the trans was pointed off center. That rotated the motor forward on the drivers side which gave me slightly more clearance at the heater hoses.


Because I live in a cool climate (and I'm cheap) I thought I'd try the e30 radiator as per the e30V8 manual. I removed the A/C condensor from the auxilliary fan bracket and re-installed it.


I'm trying it without power steering, so to get the belt tensioner to work I moved it to the power steering bracket by drilling a couple of holes and spacing it forward by one washer thickness. A 57" belt seems to fit and puts the tensioner within the correct range.

I spent six weeks learning how to weld by modifying a shorty header into a tri-y that tucks between the steering linkage and the block. My welding never got past the amateur stage and looks like crap, but it doesn't leak. Anyone who valus good welding, look away:


I was quite happy it needed to be covered with exhaust wrap to keep heat away from my fuel hoses and steering linkage.


I now realize I should have combined cylinders 5/7 and 6/8, so I may weld up another once I see how this works.

[Stvstr]

You'll likely have some binding and premature wear. You may not feel it right off the bat, but it will likely happen over time.

Thanks! I had no idea that was a problem, I appreciate the heads-up.

[Stvstr]

Will the headers actually clear with that steering link? Anyone actually test fit?

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If fits with my tri-y header that I made by modifying a shorty header.

[JGood]

I'm not clear on how the u-joints should be oriented. Will they bind or fail the way they are now?

You'll likely have some binding and premature wear. You may not feel it right off the bat, but it will likely happen over time.

[omarquez510]

Will the headers actually clear with that steering link? Anyone actually test fit?

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk

[Stvstr]

Subbed for an awesome 5.0 swap.
Also, you gotta turn one of the steering Ujoints 90 degrees.

I'm not clear on how the u-joints should be oriented. Will they bind or fail the way they are now?

[MattAvino]

Subbed for an awesome 5.0 swap.
Also, you gotta turn one of the steering Ujoints 90 degrees.

[Stvstr]

Continuing on in the sequence of my swap, I spent July through October dealing with the details , mostly following the e30V8 manual. The heater hoses were a pain but ended up with enough clearance to work. I also installed the Massive booster delete.

Because my car started as an auto, I got as new pedal box assembly with master cylinder at a wrecker and hooked it up. I didn't like the idea of using the wilwood pedal/master/slave combo, so stuck with the e30 stuff so it looks more original.

Also used the e30 throttle pedal to keep the interior looking more stock. I modified the throttle assembly to accept the 5.0 throttle cable:

It's not perfect as the cable is a bit too short and will probably have to refine this in the future. Works fine now, but don't totally trust it won't bind or wear quickly because of the tight bends.

In order to get the BMW temp sensor into the adapter recommended by e30V8, I re-threaded the brass adapter by forcing a 14mm bolt into it. Working it back and forth with a bit of grease made for a cheap tap and it allows the temp sensor to thread in normally.


Because I intended to have rear-facing exhaust, I needed more steering linkage clearance near the firewall. I combined the upper part of an e46 steering shaft with the e30 shaft to end up with a shaft that comes apart in the middle, so you can remove it without dropping the rack. I don't recommend this solution as it won't collapse in a collision like the stock designs do, but safety wasn't the main goal of this project.


I wanted to drop the motor and trans into the car as one unit, so I cut out the core support only above the radiator. Looking at the structure of the car, it seems as though that bit of sheetmetal is not a major structural component, so I'm hoping it won't compromise the car's rigidity. Before I cut it I bolted brackets across the cut lines so it would bolt back into place accurately. It gave me plenty of clearance to install the motor/trans combo with a load leveller on the engine hoist and saved me from the hassle of installing the trans from below.

[e30_302]

Rock on. Take your time and do it right the first time.

[Stvstr]

I've always loved the e30's as well as various japanese sports cars, and have owned a 325iC, 2 miatas, and a celica. I now have a supercharged '94 miata and an '88 325is, but in November 2012 I bought some American torque:

I loved the 5.0 torque and sound, and was surprised how much I liked the T5 shifting with the aftermarket short shifter, considering my benchmark is a Miata shifter. But the chassis and interior was so disappointing I got tired of it by March 2013. So I looked at Monster Miata swaps and the RX7 swaps on Norotors.com, and while doing that stumbled onto E30V8.com, and started making plans and gathering parts last April. I bought a one owner 88 325is auto at the same time:


It's in great shape with 244000 km and even with the auto was a nice car. So hopefully I won't ruin it by doing this:


I drove the 325 until July 2013 while I pulled the drivetrain out of the Mustang and sold what was left to a dragracer. While still driving the 325 I got the e30v8 swap parts and started prepping the 5.0 for the swap. The first minor problem I had was the oilpan wouldn't seat all of the way on the gasket - it sat about 1/4" below on one side, even after bending the oil pickup to fit. It took me awhile to discover it was the dipstick tube, so cut it and the dipstick down to fit and then all was fine. My lack of experience with wrenching and swaps hit me pretty early in this process, but hopefully I will learn as it moves on.

Then I read the e30v8 manual and didn't like the wilwood clutch setup detailed in the manual, so after some research bought an e30 manual pedal box and master cylinder at an autowrecker and fabbed up a slave bracket:


The slave in the picture is the Nissan one reccomended in a few build threads. It's inlet and bleeder are hard to reach once installed, so I have since replaced it with an 80's Nissan truck slave (Dorman CS37498) with a 3/4" bore and a rear facing inlet and bleeder.

In July I parked the 325 in the garage and started pulling out the M20 and wondered if I would be ruining a nice car. Also, I carefully measured the ride height to see if it would sit lower with the new motor, as I don't have any easy way to measure the weight of the car before and after swapping.