most cost effective swap?

[Chriskbmx]

haha and there is some extra power to be made with bolt ons and cams. but turbo is where the m30 shines!. but yeah i feel like the m30 is the bigblock of the m family and who doesn't like a big block?

[Herr Faust Schinken]

Hell yea. Spins through first with ease with rolling into the throttle hard. It definitely gets the e30 moving.

Sweet dude were you able to keep A/C and power steering too?

[chance]

Sweet dude were you able to keep A/C and power steering too?

I deleted AC a while back. You have room for the compressor, but the condenser may or may not fit with a pusher fan on the front of the radiator.

I am planning on running power steering, but havent hooked it up yet.

for about the same cost, I would definitely do a turbo m30 over a s5x.

Now, if I could just get the money to turbo mine....

[Chriskbmx]

i want a turbo m30 e28 so bad!!!

[Herr Faust Schinken]

I deleted AC a while back. You have room for the compressor, but the condenser may or may not fit with a pusher fan on the front of the radiator.

I am planning on running power steering, but havent hooked it up yet.

for about the same cost, I would definitely do a turbo m30 over a s5x.

Now, if I could just get the money to turbo mine....

i live in cali so turbos a no go but i think a metric mechanic 3.8 liter would be fun 300 naturally aspirated horse power would be fun

[chance]

^^^^^ Hell yes it would.

That would be raw awesome power.

[nando]

i live in cali so turbos a no go but i think a metric mechanic 3.8 liter would be fun 300 naturally aspirated horse power would be fun

Would also cost as much or more as an s54 and likely not pass emissions (if it really makes 300+ hp).

[Bimmerguy91]

m30 extremely reliable-not to much extra power over an m20
LS1 not as reliable as m20/m30-way more power and not very expensive, cheap upgrades
m5x reliable- not a whole lot of power in stock form
m60 pricey to build but reliable, good power and still a bmw engine (if that matters to you)


Honestly I would do an s50 swap. Theres lots of possibilities for performance and its very reliable, Plus I like staying straight 6 in e30s when it comes to swaps.

Depends on which M30. The big M30 makes alot more power than the M20. It should be noted that the M30 swap is fairly difficult. The LS1 also is extremely reliable I don't know where you're getting that information. My opinion is that a good swap for the money is an M50/52 or S50/52 because they are fairly inexpensive and with a few different factory bits from different models they are essentially a direct bolt in job. The easiest of all of the swaps mentioned.

[LowR3V'in]

Hi Bimmergy91, it should be noted that the M30 swap is fairly EASY.

Everything is bolt on bmw. Even the m20 engine harness hooks up.
The power steering lines hook up. Is it fairly difficult to bolt in an m20
in a 318i? Maybe for some, but generally it is the easiest and cheapest
engine upgrade.
:hitler:

[Chriskbmx]

yeah nothing hard about an m30 and now that f34r is making mounts everyone is good.

[Kozworth]

I'd say the only cost effective swaps are the m30/m50 solely because you can break even or make money by getting the common cars these engines come in as donors for cheap.

I would not personally swap an m50 if I did not get it for free. For the work and little gains In hp I feel the engine isn't worth paying for. But I am m20 biased, I just like the drive and feel of the e30 with its designed counterpart.

[issabmw]

Honeywell AGT1500.

[Bimmerguy91]

Maybe I heard wrong but I had heard that the m30 was definitely more difficult to fit than a 24v motor.

[N2MYE30]

Ive swapped my M20 that was working just fine for an M50. The process was straight forward and the gains were moderate. I could probably get a few ponies more but im done. The one vintage BMW engines that have impressed me have been boosted. If it were me and had time to mess with it, M20 turbo is what would be my choice. Although, a NA M20 with ITB would be my ideal engine...within reason.

[F34R]

Maybe I heard wrong but I had heard that the m30 was definitely more difficult to fit than a 24v motor.

With proper engine mounts and moved back into the firewall it is like swapping a big m20.

I think the M30 is the best cheap power you can snag. Chain drive, 3.5ltr, and with the big out put drive shaft it is plug in and play.

The pinout for the c101 is also a snap, my 89 pinout needed no changes except for the oil level sensor and tach.

With mild boost I will be making more power than any engines listed above. I invested about 350.00 into the head gasket and reseal everything. That includes hoses and hardware, I am sure most on here will not buy that stuff.

I paid about 400.00 for the engine and transmission. I know I am missing a few things in the 350.00 of replaced stuff. So let's say 900.00 for engine and all new stuff to make it happy.

That is cheaper than an s50 any day of the week. Grated I did all labor and have the skills to make it happen. I will have a proper turbo setup for under 2k

So 3k with odds and ends and me doing all the welding. That is damn good, and cheaper than an s52 swap.