E30 M3 5 lug swap...what can i get away with?

[Chris E30 Cab]

Well I'm finding it quite difficult to find all the parts (from one owner) for the E30 M3 5 lug swap......soooooooooo....I'm considering buying all the parts from BMW AG in F/N condition.

I live on the other side of the globe and all the used parts would run me around US$800-1000 and then shipping would probably be another US$300-800.

If I were to buy the new parts, what can I get by with to make this work. I figure the following will be sufficient but would need a confirmation before I dive into this........

-front strut tubes
-front/rear hubs
-front/rear brakes (rotors, calipers, backing plates)
-brake M/C
-offset control arm bushings
-front sway bar links

I have found the rear trailing arms and hubs in the US, and have found 1 set of brakes (front only). So I could just get these 2nd hand and the rest F/N from BMW.

Any comments appreciated.

Thanks!

[E30-323ti]

Why don't you use E36 parts??

I was in the same boat as you, not M3's to be seen.

[Chris E30 Cab]

because of the front wheel centering issue, and my rims are E30 M3 & E34 offset....furthermore, it's really more of a direct fit and that makes me feel better about it overall knowing the parts were designed for the E30 chassis.

[E30-323ti]

dam purists, make it hard for yourself.

LOL

Good Luck with the parts

[jflower]

don't forget the tie rod lever. it's the piece that bolts to the bottom of the E30 M3 strut tube.

32 21 2 225 349 Left Tie Rod Lever € 97.09
32 21 2 225 350 Right Tie Rod Lever € 97.09

those prices should be right too.

[NickP]

Try and cross reference some part numbers with the e28 (which you could probably find in a junk yard close to you) - I think the calipers are the same - this might help you drop the cost.

[Chris E30 Cab]

LoL yeah I guess I am a bit of a purist.

Thanks for the good info guys, much appreciated!!

[mgold]

I would check with Dave Adams. He probably has a parts list of everything you need.

[Chris E30 Cab]

Just to update since I finished this swap 2 weeks ago....I ended up using
the below parts:

Rear parts from E30 M3:
- rear trailing arms (same as E30 but easier to just change whole thing)
- rear hubs
- rear rotors
- rear calipers, emergency brake assembly
- rear backing plates

**basically all you need for the rear are the hubs, but it's just easier to
get the whole assembly from the trailing arms out**

**I re-used my stock cabriolet rear sway bar**

Front parts from E30 M3:
- front sway bar links
- front struts
- front hubs
- front rotors
- front calipers
- front backing plates
- Mercedes W123 brake master cylinder

**The Mercedes W123 master cylinder is the same size as the E30 M3
(23mm front, 19mm rear) but uses the 10mm fittings like the regular
E30. Also, it is for non-ABS fitment so it has 2 front outlets and 1 rear
outlet**

**I re-used my E30 control arms since they are the same as early E30
M3's, only the later model got aluminum control arms...........anyhow, all
3 are identical for fitment**

**I also re-used my 21mm front sway bar, since it is larger than the E30
M3**

**Lastly, I re-used my existing springs/dampers since I have the later
model front struts, which are the same size as the E30 M3.....51mm**

**New pads were fitted both front & rear, and I had to replace one of the
rear hubs with new bearings**

Everything bolts right up with really no problems at all. If you can find the
parts and need better brakes, this mod is for you

[Nate325ic]

are the strut tubes the same with the except of the sway bar hookup? more precisely can I just get the m3 hub/bearing assembly and put it in a regular e30 strut tube?

[Chris E30 Cab]

nope....gotta use the M3 struts.........check out Freds site, he covers everything quite extensively ..........helped me big time :)

http://www.strictlyeta.net

[JeffG]

Chris-

Once you had all the parts together, about how much wrenching time was involved from start to finish? Just curious.

-Jeff

[sweetride01]

So, basically you have to change the entire suspension and brake setup? :(
I just replaced most of my suspension, I probably spent around 2 grand in parts and labor. Guess I won't be doing the swap anytime soon. :shock:

[Addissimo]

So, basically you have to change the entire suspension and brake setup? :(
I just replaced most of my suspension, I probably spent around 2 grand in parts and labor. Guess I won't be doing the swap anytime soon. :shock:

You only really need to change the brake setup and your strut housings. You can use your old control arms, springs, shocks, sway bars, tie rods etc... In the back, you can get away with new calipers, and rotors- and you just need to press in a new bearing and an m3 hub. If you have mechanical ability, or money to put out to have the hubs changed over, it should be easier & cheaper than finding trailing arms.

-Addis

[Bryson]

hubs new are just over $100/ea IIRC