My M30-Swapped Alpine Coupe

[lukeADE335i]

The best diff depends what you want out of the car - I've run a 3.73, 3.46 and 3.25 LSD in mine and found the 3.73 the most fun, and first gear was still useable.

The 3.25 is also excellent as it feels like what BMW would have built had they built an M30 powered e30. Either way an LSD is definitely the way to go whatever ratio - makes the car much more drivable.

Great looking car OP! I have to admit I have a soft spot for Alpine cars.

Massive Brakes recaro adaptors are also a good option for fitting your new seats to the e30 seat rails. They make the seats sit low to help with helmets seeing as you're doing the odd track day.

[glnr13]

I agree, 3.73 feels too short, 4.10 must feel really short. I like 3.46 a lot, feels the most balanced, great for canyons.

[Jean]

I loved 3.46 I had in my m30b35 swapped car. I did try 3.73 and 3.25 as well, but 3.46 imho was best. I can't even imagine having 4.10 with it LOL , 3.73 was too short but fun for city driving !

[rzerob]

Garagistic just started selling the brackets that adapt the Recaro seat to the E30 rails.

https://store.garagistic.com/Garagistic-E30-BMW-Recaro-Seat-Adapter?search=recaro&description=true

[iso_hi]

About a month ago I bought these Recaro's for $350 locally. I need brackets to fit them onto the E30 sliders and one of them is missing a headrest. They are two different models but for the price I don't mind. Both are black cloth.

[iso_hi]

What diff do you have in it now. I always put 3.25lsd in m30 swaps. Still is fast in a straight line and it’s great for highway. And the gearing of the transmission it was originally matched to a 3.25 in the car it came from


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Still has the 4.10. It’s on my list to do soon. I’ll look for a 3.25 I appreciate the suggestion. I actually like the short gears around town but it’s not fun on the highway.

[rbmwiv]

What diff do you have in it now. I always put 3.25lsd in m30 swaps. Still is fast in a straight line and it’s great for highway. And the gearing of the transmission it was originally matched to a 3.25 in the car it came from


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[iso_hi]

What's up guys. I've only done a couple of build threads for two of the five E30's I've owned but have never kept up with them. I'll try to be consistent with this one.

My brother's girlfriend purchased a project M30-swapped coupe in the North Bay for $1600. The swap was complete and the car ran but it wasn't (and still isn't) BAR'd. Aside from the swap, the only other good thing it had going on was a super clean dash with zero cracks. It has a 4.10 open diff so it's not ideal for the highway. The car needed exterior and interior work for sure. I wish I had photos of it when we got it.

I found a video she made when we bought the car. I'm the guy who test drove it later in the vid: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZyCAZzLwWc

She owned the car for a year and during that time she had my dad respray it in Alpine white (og paint), installed BC coils, and swapped in a black leather comfort interior. It was still missing a lot. She commutes between LA and the Bay so she never learned to drive manual and the car just sat so she gave me the opportunity to buy it. I sold my project coupe (which was driven across the country by a member of this forum recently) and finally I had a decent E30 to start a build I'll try and keep forever.

I've owned the car for almost a year now and decided to post my progress with the car here. Most recently I redid the cooling system (radiator/water pump/thermostat/etc) after getting stranded in Oakland on my way to meet up with a fellow member to check out his BAR'd build. I've also recently purchased some Recaro's and three-piece wheels. I'm waiting for Spring to install.

This car is being built to be driven hard and occasionally tracked so I don't think it will ever be perfect and I do not mind. Here are some photo's I shot today.

Hector
















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