M52 Swapped E30 Build - SPANNER RASH

[SPANNER RASH]

ah... now i've put the spring pad on, and with the use of a big rubber mallet it all seems to sit nicely - is that waht you found?

Hey zoona, no modification needed for me, I used the rubber spring pad and they pushed on and sit pretty securely now. A big bolt was supplied with them which I couldn't understand. But I determined it was surplus to requirements in this application.

[zoona]

Thanks very much for that... I have another question...

When you fitted the rear spring adjusters, did you have to modify them? Mine dont fit, and the driftworks web page is quite vague about needing to modify them.

Did you just drill a bloody big hole in the middle so the lump on the trailing arm fits into it?

ah... now i've put the spring pad on, and with the use of a big rubber mallet it all seems to sit nicely - is that waht you found?

[zoona]

Hi zoona, really glad you're enjoying the E30 build series. Ah apologies if it wasn't clear enough in the vid, yep the E90 rear hubs press directly into the E30 standard disc brake rear wheel bearing on the trailing arms.

I believe there a discrepancy on some very early E30's where the centre bore of the bearing is smaller. But that's unlikely unless your car is an 83/84.
If this is the case you can get the e90 hubs turned down to suit at any machine shop.

Hope that helps!

Thanks very much for that... I have another question...

When you fitted the rear spring adjusters, did you have to modify them? Mine dont fit, and the driftworks web page is quite vague about needing to modify them.

Did you just drill a bloody big hole in the middle so the lump on the trailing arm fits into it?

[SPANNER RASH]

I got handy with the borescope and decided to do a bit of a strip down on the M52B28 engine that's destined for the E30 build. We're getting rather close to chucking this motor into its new home, but I needed to gain some confidence on whether it'll run or not.

I've been debating whether to bite the bullet and do a full and complete rebuild of this 24v engine for a while, but now we're close to the point of being able to fit it, I'd rather find out its a good engine and run with it to get the E30 as a going concern ASAP.

After whipping the rocker cover and the sump off, I had a good look over the cams, bottom end, intake and exhaust valves, and even down into the cylinders at the top of the pistons. My conclusion is that while varnished and oil-stained, the M52 is actually looking remarkably good and healthy for an engine of this age and probable mileage. Even the plugs seem to point to it running well before it was pulled.

My plan now is to replace consumables and wear items such as the water pump and various seals with new, then give this engine a good cosmetic overhaul so it doesn't look out of place in my recently painted engine bay. Let's hope it runs as well as I think it will.

If you're a bit of an engine buff and have seen anything of note in this video, please do pipe up and let me know. I'm far from an expert when it comes to engines!

[SPANNER RASH]

Hi zoona, really glad you're enjoying the E30 build series. Ah apologies if it wasn't clear enough in the vid, yep the E90 rear hubs press directly into the E30 standard disc brake rear wheel bearing on the trailing arms.

I believe there a discrepancy on some very early E30's where the centre bore of the bearing is smaller. But that's unlikely unless your car is an 83/84.
If this is the case you can get the e90 hubs turned down to suit at any machine shop.

Hope that helps!

[zoona]

Deat Mr Rash,

Loving your videos. They have been a massive help - i've just ordered all the bits i need for the 5 lug front swap following your lead.

I had a question about the rear though... sorry if you have covered it already.
You are using the e90 rear hubs - do they just press stright on to the std e30 trailing arms/knuckles with std e30 bearings?

I saw the video of you putting the bearings in, but couldn't see anything about the hubs.

Thanks

[SPANNER RASH]

Yep I felt like I was on a wild goose chase at first, each time I thought I'd sussed it out I realised there was something else that didn't add up.

Interesting point on the manifold, I'm 50/50 on whether I'll be doing the obligatory M50B25 manifold swap or not. Some people say it makes a world of difference, others don't. Might be something I just have to find out for myself.

Absolutely, the E90 booster is from a whole new era. Very pleased to hear that will translate to improved confidence on the pedal. It's a pretty key part of the drive feel.

[jsta1109]

I ran into the same issue when I did my E90 booster swap on a RHD car, lots of information out there that really only applies to LHD. For RHD there really isn't much to do, I re-made my rear brake line to a proportioning valve and used a t-piece from my standard front lines and made a new m10x1 to m12x1 line. For the clevis pin I did something similar, stacked some washers and reused my standard clevis pin.

One thing I will add is depending on your throttle body, have a look at using an E60 master cylinder reservoir instead of the 2002 one. I believe it will foul on an M50 throttle body but works with an M52 throttle body.

Also, I upgraded from a clio booster and it was absolutely worth it, it's hard to describe but it feels much more modern and safe. I have way more confidence in my brakes.

[SPANNER RASH]

Another E30 build update, this time back working in the garage, lucky as the weather's changed back to rain.

I spent some time figuring out how to do the E90 brake booster swap onto E30, this proved to be quite a bit more complicated than I anticipated due to getting mixed up what was required with the clevis pin.
Turns out on a RHD car you don't need to do any cutting and welding of clevis pins whatsoever. The E90 clevis fork lines up directly with the brake pedal linkage so all that was needed was a longer clevis pin and a little stack of washers.

Despite that lucky break, there were still quite a few aspects to it which were fiddly to solve, and those apply to both LHD and RHD. Hopefully, the information and links in the vid help some people out!

[SPANNER RASH]

We had a rare break in the rain over here in the UK, so I set about dyeing my E30's carpets black.

I'm glad I waited to do this outside, as the stuff I used is very strong and solvent-based, but surprisingly inexpensive for what it is.

The results appear to be excellent, I took my time in prepping the carpet, it had had a proper steam clean previously, but the haircut smartened it up nicely.

I feel as though its an incredible transformation, really satisfied with the result. The only negative I can speak of is there is still a transfer of a fine black dust from the carpet.
Possible that i's because I laid it on a bit too thick. Although the good news is its massively reduced since running the vac over it again. Hopefully, it will stop altogether soon enough.

[SPANNER RASH]

I went all in on mine and had the Corsa EPAS fitted , with a column from power steering solutions , its amazing .

Interesting! I didn't know that was a thing, seems like a clever solution. Does it feel just like hydraulic PAS though?

[cbgb]

There's only one way for the UJs to go on this steering linkage. I'm pretty confident about it, turns totally smooth. :)

I went all in on mine and had the Corsa EPAS fitted , with a column from power steering solutions , its amazing .

[SPANNER RASH]

Turning my attention back to finishing the E30 Build's suspension, I picked up a nice Eibach sway bar kit, coded E2003-320 "Includes Fitting Kit". I'm not sure whether this is a standard thing Eibach do as it's unclear to me whether all kits are the same, but as my 316i came with no rear sway bar installed, having all the parts to fit one from scratch already in the kit felt like a godsend.

I made a guide video showing how to fit E30 front and rear sway bars with hopefully ample detail for those looking to do the same job:

The rear bar actually fitted up a treat after removing one spring, which was a relief as I thought I might have to drop the diff to get that through. The front ARB caused me the most trouble thanks to the poly bushings supplied in the kit being too large. I ended up having to sand the bushings down to make it work which was unexpected.

After all is said and done, I'm pretty happy with the result on this one, can't wait to see how the car handles compared to a stock sport spec E30 in the future, hopefully cornering much flatter.

[SPANNER RASH]

There's only one way for the UJs to go on this steering linkage. I'm pretty confident about it, turns totally smooth. :)

[moatilliatta]

You want the Steering U joints in sync and symmetrical?