THE INTRODUCTION
My hope is that this thread helps to answer some questions that people may have about the LS-swap process into an e30. I know this has been documented pretty well, but this was my take on the process. I would be happy to help anyone who has questions. The process was expensive, but hopefully worth the end result.
THE IDEA – SCRAP THE TURBO FOR LS POWER
Late 2022 I decided to embark on a new direction for the e30. The s52 swap was fun while it lasted, but I was in search of more power. I was about 60% into a parts horde for a turbo s52 setup when I had a discussion with a few close friends. After a few hours of back and forth, I was convinced I wanted to stay naturally aspirated with the car. Then began the process of selling the turbo parts and sourcing LS parts with some “upgrades”. The idea was to have a “reliable” N/A build for canyon/track use with the potential in the future to bump the power further (which inevitably will happen).
In January of 2023, the process began of removing the s52 engine, transmission, driveshaft, and differential. The removal was fairly straight forward and took a couple days. At the same time I was working on sourcing an LS1 and T56 and stumbled upon a local shop (a couple hours away) that specialized in providing the whole package.
THE BEGINNING – ADDRESS THE BRAKES AND FUEL
I had a few items to check off my list before the engine and transmission could go into the car. The brakes/booster needed to be addressed along with the stock fuel pump. More power meant bigger brakes were required. Additionally, there was not a chance that the booster was going to fit with the big v8 going into the engine bay.
To fill the void of the large booster, I decided to run the Massive Lee dual master booster-delete setup with remove reservoirs. A Tilton 72-250 balance bar was used with (2) Tilton 76-750 master cylinders, and a 3-chamber Tilton reservoir. The lines were all custom -4AN lines to the new masters as well as the clutch master. Unfortunately, during the process of power bleeding, the Tilton 3-chamber reservoir leaked like crazy and I was informed by Tilton that this setup could only be manually bled. Well, that wasn’t the answer I wanted, so I ended up purchasing 3 individual reservoirs from Tilton and fabricated a custom bracket. This was a much better solution and in hindsight I should have gone this route from the start.
The decision was made to go to Massive Lee for larger brakes and purchase his 300x32 kit for the front and rear of the car. The plan at the time was to run a 15” wheel setup to keep rotational mass down. The kit was very high quality and the parts used were all Wilwood components.
Fortunately, I had also sourced a DW300C fuel pump with an e30 kit along and a Painless 30-amp relay kit prior with future plans to run more fuel. The installation was straightforward, replacing the pump and wiring in the relay kit. The e30 fuel pump wire from the C101 could now be used as a trigger wire without frying the existing fuse/wiring. An awesome video that shows the process is by Bryan Sturman – BMW E30/E36. M52 24V Turbo Drift Build Ep. 15 Fuel Pump Relay DIY.
The plan was to eventually be able to run e85 fuel, so the tank was dropped, and all lines were replaced with e85 compatible hose. I opted to retain the stock fuel tank since the location keeps a great overall balance. Eventually I may add a small reserve tank in the rear since I’m sure the LS will be thirsty, but for now this solution should work.
THE PURCHASE – LET’S MAKE SOME POWER
After some discussion with the owner of a local LS supplier, we decided to source a low mileage LS1/T56 combination. I wanted some easy bolt on upgrades, so we went with the following:
LS1 and Upgrades
-LS1 5.7L
-243/799 Heads
-BTR Stage 3 N/A Cam
-BBK 80mm Throttle Body
-LS6 Intake Manifold
-LS7 Lifter Trays/Bolts
-High Flow Oil Pump
-Oil Filter Relocation Kit with Moroso 22460 Race Filter
-Bosch 36lb injectors (0280155811)
-TSP LS2 Ignition Coils, ICT Billet Bracket, and MSD Ignition Wires
-LS7 Clutch and Flywheel (Steel FW/14061685 Pilot Bearing)
-Moroso 20138 Oil Pan, 24052 Pick Up Tube, 25970 Dip Stick Tube
-LS6 Steam Vent Pipe (12602544) and Plugs (12602540)
-Moroso 71162 Flywheel Dust Cover
THE PICK-UP – LS AND T56 IN OUR POSSESSION
My brother-in-law and I drove picked up the engine, transmission, and Holley parts at the end of January and I spent the next couple weeks getting the heart ready for its new home. The flywheel and clutch were installed and the throw out bearing was shimmed and adjusted. The Sikky headers were also mounted, and they looked awesome! BUT there was a hurdle on the horizon.
My hope is that this thread helps to answer some questions that people may have about the LS-swap process into an e30. I know this has been documented pretty well, but this was my take on the process. I would be happy to help anyone who has questions. The process was expensive, but hopefully worth the end result.
THE IDEA – SCRAP THE TURBO FOR LS POWER
Late 2022 I decided to embark on a new direction for the e30. The s52 swap was fun while it lasted, but I was in search of more power. I was about 60% into a parts horde for a turbo s52 setup when I had a discussion with a few close friends. After a few hours of back and forth, I was convinced I wanted to stay naturally aspirated with the car. Then began the process of selling the turbo parts and sourcing LS parts with some “upgrades”. The idea was to have a “reliable” N/A build for canyon/track use with the potential in the future to bump the power further (which inevitably will happen).
In January of 2023, the process began of removing the s52 engine, transmission, driveshaft, and differential. The removal was fairly straight forward and took a couple days. At the same time I was working on sourcing an LS1 and T56 and stumbled upon a local shop (a couple hours away) that specialized in providing the whole package.
THE BEGINNING – ADDRESS THE BRAKES AND FUEL
I had a few items to check off my list before the engine and transmission could go into the car. The brakes/booster needed to be addressed along with the stock fuel pump. More power meant bigger brakes were required. Additionally, there was not a chance that the booster was going to fit with the big v8 going into the engine bay.
To fill the void of the large booster, I decided to run the Massive Lee dual master booster-delete setup with remove reservoirs. A Tilton 72-250 balance bar was used with (2) Tilton 76-750 master cylinders, and a 3-chamber Tilton reservoir. The lines were all custom -4AN lines to the new masters as well as the clutch master. Unfortunately, during the process of power bleeding, the Tilton 3-chamber reservoir leaked like crazy and I was informed by Tilton that this setup could only be manually bled. Well, that wasn’t the answer I wanted, so I ended up purchasing 3 individual reservoirs from Tilton and fabricated a custom bracket. This was a much better solution and in hindsight I should have gone this route from the start.
The decision was made to go to Massive Lee for larger brakes and purchase his 300x32 kit for the front and rear of the car. The plan at the time was to run a 15” wheel setup to keep rotational mass down. The kit was very high quality and the parts used were all Wilwood components.
Fortunately, I had also sourced a DW300C fuel pump with an e30 kit along and a Painless 30-amp relay kit prior with future plans to run more fuel. The installation was straightforward, replacing the pump and wiring in the relay kit. The e30 fuel pump wire from the C101 could now be used as a trigger wire without frying the existing fuse/wiring. An awesome video that shows the process is by Bryan Sturman – BMW E30/E36. M52 24V Turbo Drift Build Ep. 15 Fuel Pump Relay DIY.
The plan was to eventually be able to run e85 fuel, so the tank was dropped, and all lines were replaced with e85 compatible hose. I opted to retain the stock fuel tank since the location keeps a great overall balance. Eventually I may add a small reserve tank in the rear since I’m sure the LS will be thirsty, but for now this solution should work.
THE PURCHASE – LET’S MAKE SOME POWER
After some discussion with the owner of a local LS supplier, we decided to source a low mileage LS1/T56 combination. I wanted some easy bolt on upgrades, so we went with the following:
LS1 and Upgrades
-LS1 5.7L
-243/799 Heads
-BTR Stage 3 N/A Cam
-BBK 80mm Throttle Body
-LS6 Intake Manifold
-LS7 Lifter Trays/Bolts
-High Flow Oil Pump
-Oil Filter Relocation Kit with Moroso 22460 Race Filter
-Bosch 36lb injectors (0280155811)
-TSP LS2 Ignition Coils, ICT Billet Bracket, and MSD Ignition Wires
-LS7 Clutch and Flywheel (Steel FW/14061685 Pilot Bearing)
-Moroso 20138 Oil Pan, 24052 Pick Up Tube, 25970 Dip Stick Tube
-LS6 Steam Vent Pipe (12602544) and Plugs (12602540)
-Moroso 71162 Flywheel Dust Cover
THE PICK-UP – LS AND T56 IN OUR POSSESSION
My brother-in-law and I drove picked up the engine, transmission, and Holley parts at the end of January and I spent the next couple weeks getting the heart ready for its new home. The flywheel and clutch were installed and the throw out bearing was shimmed and adjusted. The Sikky headers were also mounted, and they looked awesome! BUT there was a hurdle on the horizon.
_(edited)_IMG_20200926_170054(2).jpg?width=1920&height=1080&fit=bounds)
Manual swap all the things!
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