What a day...what to do...

[kingston]

lolcantturn,

I love the way the E30 handles, absolutely. Proper suspension is FIRST on the cards, before any engine work. That's shock, struts, springs and all bushings. Again, I'm not trying to pass E46 M3s. Just want a bit more pep.

Thanks for the posts, guys!

Long tall eta,
THAT'S a neat idea! And, heck, they're LOCAL!

[FredK]

The S50US/52 swap is pretty easy, and can be done in a fairly affordable fashion. However, as Emre suggested, make sure the suspension is in top shape.

It will make you roughly even with an E46 M3 in a quarter mile.

[george graves]

metric mechanic engine. they have a variety of power plants to choose from ranging i believe to around 300 hp or more. they r pricy but have top notch products w/ waranties.

2900 HiFlo ST Sport Engine 205 HP $6,995
2900 HiFlo ST Rally Engine 215 HP $7,995
3000 HiFlo ST Sport/Rally Engine 255 HP $8,695
3000 HiFlo ST Rally Engine 230 HP $8,695
3200 HiFlo ST Sport Engine 230 HP $8,495

[kingston]

Yep, that's a lot of dough. Realistically, I'm sure I'd be looking at at least $5-6K to do the Sxx swap once all is said and done. Is it worth it to spend substantially more for a Metric Mechanic engine? No fabrication would be necessary, the car's character would be absolutely intact, and (and it's a BIG and,) there's a warranty on the MM stuff, and it's essentially a brand new engine. But, as FredK said, the Sxx swap seems pretty easy and worthwhile!

Thanks FredK and George Graves!

The plus is that' I'm local to these guys... I also know people who know them, which might be helpful.

[george graves]

Is it worth it to spend substantially more for a Metric Mechanic engine?

No. MM is living in the past of catalog tuning, and they were the only game in town. I'm not going to say they don't make a good motor (I've heard good and bad things about them)

Follow the tried and true solutions here. S50 swap or turbo. M30 is good too for low end grunt.

[kingston]

George Graves,

Interesting background on MM. Thanks, I appreciate it!

I keep going back to the thought that if I'm going to do a swap, I might as well upgrade to a newer, more efficient engine. The M30 is still pretty much the same generation as the M20, whereas the M/Sxx stuff is leagues ahead.

I have absolutely NO turbo experience, and my understanding is that, yes, you can get BIG power from them, putting together a workable, reliable system and getting it tuned well also takes BIG money and time.

I've got a lot more research to do. Honestly, until today i was still planning on just doing the 'e' to 'i' top end swap. I already have most of the parts for that... Now that seems like a band-aid solution to me, and I'll want more power pretty quickly...

You guys have given me some stuff to think about. I'm still updating the suspension first. But now I'm seriously looking hard at the Sxx swap!

Thanks for all the input!!

[Nic01101011]

I'll just go ahead and leave this right here.. (turn up your volume)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvzotGQ6Bjk

[kingston]

Hehehehe! Man, that thing sounds mean!

i read through all the threads on the Dederic Motorsports Turbo kit last night. That sounds like an unbelievable deal. The upshot is that I could finish the 'e' to 'i' swap that I've spent time and money on (I like to finish things; it's a closure deal), and make more power with that setup...

Hmmmm...decisions, decisions...

[2slowe30]

e30s are pretty quick for being a 20yrld car. it still knocks 0to60 in about sub 7 seconds i dont think thier that bad dude

[nando]

you have an eta (or seta, whatever - they're both slow). You just need a swap, turbo, or something else.

[CorvallisBMW]

$8K = LS6

you'll be the fastest e30 for 5000mi in any direction.

[z31maniac]

$5-6k huh?

There may be a gentlemen in OKC you should speak with.

[kingston]

2slowE30,

e30s are pretty quick for being a 20yrld car. it still knocks 0to60 in about sub 7 seconds i dont think thier that bad dude

That's funny, given your userid! I don't think my 'e' is ultra-doggy, I just want a bit more ooomph!

Nando,

you have an eta (or seta, whatever - they're both slow). You just need a swap, turbo, or something else.

That's totally my point! The stock SETA just isn't that quick. 325i/is guys made 168hp stock. My car, factory-fresh, made 127hp. I'm thinking I should finish the 'e' to 'i' swap, and then maybe the Dederic Motorsports Turbo kit. Turnkey for $2,700? Not baaaad!

CarvallisBMW,

$8K = LS6. You'll be the fastest e30 for 5000mi in any direction.

Probably true, but I want to stay with BMW power. No real reason, to be honest. I just want to.

Z31maniac,

$5-6k huh? There may be a gentlemen in OKC you should speak with.

Please elaborate! As in, please!!

[2slowe30]

i didn't realize the irony until i re-read my post again. mind u i have a 325i lol

[KirkerBezerker]

Here's the not-so-secret formula for turning the E30 into a go-kart:

Strip out all the non-essentials. Pick up a set of lightweight 15x7" or 15x8" alloys and put some high-quality 225/50-R15 or 225/45-R15 rubber on them. Put on a track-biased suspension, such as the excellent Ground Control kit or just some TMS J-Stock springs and custom-valved Bilstein dampers. Put on some camber plates. Replace the worn out rubber subframe, control arm, trailing arm, and rear shock mount bushings with urethane. Get a proper 4-wheel alignment. Stick on Lee's "Street" front big-brake kit and the E32 750iL master cylinder upgrade. Put on a shorter Z3 steering rack and the steering wheel of your choice (I like the Momo Model 78 myself). Upgrade the seats to some Recaro SRDs.

This, then S5x.

Since your looking to spend around $5k thats what I would do. Im looking to spend about $2k at most, so Im gonna go turbo.