Not Another Cheap V8 Swap... (Pic Heavy)

[z28]

Is that harness plug and play to make everything work including the stock gauges?

That twindisk clutch is the one i should of gone with instead of the ls7 clutch i have.

[E30Whore]

Is that harness plug and play to make everythong work including stock gauges?

That clutch twindisk clutch is the one i should of go e with instead of the ls7 clutch.

It does! The harness is made up of BMW connectors on one end and GM LS connectors on the other. It literally just simply clips into the appropriate spot with no cutting/splicing allowing your OE dash to function as normal.

This was probably one of the single best investments I made during the life of this build.

[z28]

I just noticed that my post is all jacked up hahaha, i guess thats what happens when you are half asleep.

That harness is definitely a good investment for sure, im gonna have to add it to the list.

[E30Whore]

Not Another Cheap V8 Swap...

I met E30_Dad on Facebook, he refurbishes gauge clusters and rebuilds them. I almost attempted to do this myself before I saw his work. I was sold! Diego (E30_dad) does amazing work and even though it's not cheap, I am a firm believer in the details so I shipped him my cluster. Turnaround time was about ten days and well.....check it out for yourself. The work speaks for itself!

Spec's on Refurbished Gauge Cluster:

-Replaced Batteries
-Replaced Gears
-Replaced SI Board
-Painted ///M Red Needles
-Custom RPM Bar
-///M Decal
-LED Lighting Upgrade
-High Polished Lens Cover
-LED Shift Light
-Painted Background

Price: $739 Delivered

[ATTACH]106579[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]106580[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]106581[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]106582[/ATTACH]

SWAP METER: $14,386

[E30Whore]

Not Another Cheap V8 Swap...

Alrighty guys..... I got carried away on the interior. Still waiting for more go fast and suspension parts when I ordered these from a local performance shop. Whats impressive is that it all arrived inside of about three days.

Not much mechanically has been done lately however, now that the rust holes were repaired, figured id throw the carpet back in. Once I get the transmission fitted then I'll get the interior together.

Not pictured:
-Refreshed carpet
-Planted Seat Brackets $250
-NRG Quick Release Hub V3 $150
-NRG Shorty Hub $150

BMW ZHP 6spd Knob $89

[ATTACH]106590[/ATTACH]

Renown Tri-Stitch Suede Sport Wheel $280

[ATTACH]106591[/ATTACH]

Audi RS5 Replica Sport Seats w/ White Stitching (Leather Option) $1,699

[ATTACH]106592[/ATTACH]

With parts starting to arrive daily at this point, i'm starting to get a little overwhelmed and anxious at the same time...

SWAP METER: $17,004

[90e30ls]

Looks awesome, can't wait to see what the lights look like when it's installed.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[White325is]

holy shit. 739.00 for that gauge cluster?

[E30Whore]

holy shit. 739.00 for that gauge cluster?

Yeah it was awful, When I sent it off my quote was only $375 then, My lens was cracked, teeth missing on gears, SI board wasn't repairable and needed a new one (which is why certain functions didn't work before). Every update I got was bad news and before I knew it, my bill was up to $550. I had him ad the LED shift light (converting my oil level bar) which was another $125.

I wasn't happy about the price but to be candid, now that its money spent, I a m happy with the product!

[E30Whore]

Not Another Cheap V8 Swap... (Pic Heavy)

Here is how the cluster looks illuminated. These pictures are from the guy who refurbished my unit and my unit is what's actually pictured. I took it from his Instagram page





Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[90e30ls]

Alrighty guys..... I got carried away on the interior. Still waiting for more go fast and suspension parts when I ordered these from a local performance shop. Whats impressive is that it all arrived inside of about three days.

Not much mechanically has been done lately however, now that the rust holes were repaired, figured id throw the carpet back in. Once I get the transmission fitted then I'll get the interior together.

Not pictured:
-Refreshed carpet
-Planted Seat Brackets $250
-NRG Quick Release Hub V3 $150
-NRG Shorty Hub $150

BMW ZHP 6spd Knob $89

[ATTACH]106590[/ATTACH]

Renown Tri-Stitch Suede Sport Wheel $280

[ATTACH]106591[/ATTACH]

Audi RS5 Replica Sport Seats w/ White Stitching (Leather Option) $1,699

[ATTACH]106592[/ATTACH]

With parts starting to arrive daily at this point, i'm starting to get a little overwhelmed and anxious at the same time...

SWAP METER: $17,004

Want a better pic of that shift knob!

[E30Whore]

Not Another Cheap V8 Swap...

want a better pic of that shift knob!

[ATTACH]106616[/ATTACH]

[90e30ls]

[ATTACH]106616[/ATTACH]

Does the 6speed on the knob match the t56 gearing? That's awesome if it does.

[E30Whore]

Does the 6speed on the knob match the t56 gearing? That's awesome if it does.

I had to replace the pattern that came on it with one purchased on eBay for like $6 bucks. The BMW ZHP knob shows reverse at top left. T56 is top right.

[90e30ls]

I had to replace the pattern that came on it with one purchased on eBay for like $6 bucks. The BMW ZHP knob shows reverse at top left. T56 is top right.

Ok that's cool....I was wondering how you got around that

[E30Whore]

Not Another Cheap V8 Swap...

Parts are still flowing in from Mr. UPS and Mr. FEDEX on a daily basis.

I heard Ground Control was some of the best stuff you can buy for the money. Is it true? I don't know yet but it sure does look good. When I spoke to Jay at Ground Control, I explained in detail what I was doing, the weight of the car and the motor going in it. They were very knowledgeable and experienced with swap cars. Jay knew right off what setup I needed. He said that I will have no problem outrunning a e46 or e92 ///M3 on any track or back road. The customer service SOLD me when dealing with these guys. I highly recommend Ground Control for your swap. Keep in mind the price will vary greatly depending on options.

I went ahead and replaced the wheel hub assemblies too since the original ones were rusted and pretty worn out. Since I replaced/upgraded everything else, figured why not. I am trying to spare myself "Future failures" with any weak points. I scored this set from Turner Motorsports.

So while I'm at it with the suspension, placed a order with ECS Tuning and purchased the E30 Suspension Replacement kit. With less than a 100k miles on my E30, some of this stuff wasn't all that bad however, since I was so deep into suspension, I felt the kit added reliability to my new project.

Stoptech lines and pads where a easy choice, reliable history and cheap MSRP made for a no brainer here...

Axles..... This was a tough one. I went with CATuned due to lack of options. To be candid, I see some guys running stock axles for high HP cars but its also a weak point. When looking to put power down, the axle will be stressed. This is why I decided to replace the axles now and hope to avoid any drama later. To me this makes sense but my tech felt I should wait till they break before fixing. To me that sounds like a waste of money and risking safety for no reason. I'll be sure to report back on how these hold up. They sure do look good though.

Custom Ground Control Race Kit w/ specific spring rates to account for the weight biases $2,709

[ATTACH]106646[/ATTACH]

ECS Suspension Overhaul Kit $499



Turner Motorsports Wheel Hub Assemblies $310

[ATTACH]106648[/ATTACH]

Stoptech Stainless Lines and Pads $175

[ATTACH]106649[/ATTACH]

CATuned Chromoly Axles $599

[ATTACH]106650[/ATTACH]

By this point, i'm officially over my pre-paint/body budget. I was hoping to have this done minus paint/body for 20k. Yes, I'll admit I went a little overboard in some areas however, the build is important to me as I plan to keep this car forever. The integrity of the build takes priority... With that said, i'm not happy about breaking budget but we're to far to slow down now..

SWAP METER: $21,296