'91 318is, 16V swap.

[FunfGan]

What upper spring plates are those?

The camber plates? Ground Control.


Last of the progress today, still need to polish the raw bit on the cover plate.






and concerning the roll cage/ bar, It won't be happening for a few months, so I'm still undecided. Now, I know that the simple physics of it is obvious(cover a heavy metal bar with thin foam, it will still hit you right in the head), but are there any cases of somebody crashing a caged car and being seriously injured/ killed?

[Podge]

My mate clipped a gutter fairly hard when we went out for a slide one day he hit his head on the cage and knocked himself out. Point of this story out of control car and unconscious drive =bad

[FunfGan]

My mate clipped a gutter fairly hard when we went out for a slide one day he hit his head on the cage and knocked himself out. Point of this story out of control car and unconscious drive =bad

well there you have it haha. Any padding? I've talk to a couple drivers who have hit their heads on cages with padding, and said it certainly wasn't pleasant, but not horrible.

[Exodus_2pt0]

Done yet? I want to see videos of this thing going.

I'm torn on what to do with my car. 5.0, lsx5.3, turbo M20...

The 5.0 just seems weak for a V-8 swap, but I haven't heard enough about the performance in an e30 to decide... So hurry up and finish!

[FunfGan]

325ft/lbs stock in a ~2200lbs car? Plenty of power I think :D

[Exodus_2pt0]

You are going to hate driving that thing DD after 2 weeks. That or you are crazy, which I don't mean as an insult. 2,200lbs does not allow for much comfort, not that you are concerned with that.

Seriously, finish it up and shoot some videos. Drift, drag, I want to see it all. *creeper stare*

[FunfGan]

You are going to hate driving that thing DD after 2 weeks. That or you are crazy, which I don't mean as an insult. 2,200lbs does not allow for much comfort, not that you are concerned with that.

Seriously, finish it up and shoot some videos. Drift, drag, I want to see it all. *creeper stare*

I have a habit for trying to build the most pointless car to dd, then doing just that. So yes, I'm slightly crazy.

Trust me, I'll have videos up as soon as she's finish :)

[VinniE30]

The 5.0 just seems weak for a V-8 swap, but I haven't heard enough about the performance in an e30 to decide... So hurry up and finish!

Are you serious?
What kind of crazy e30s have you driven that you think this kind of power in a car as light as an e30 is "weak"?
Just to give you a little idea..
a ~200hp e30 will pull on a stock e36 m3
a ~250hp e30 will pull on a stock e46 m3
a ~300hp e30 will pull on a stock e92 m3
and that's being conservative if anything.

[Exodus_2pt0]

Are you serious?
What kind of crazy e30s have you driven that you think this kind of power in a car as light as an e30 is "weak"?
Just to give you a little idea..
a ~200hp e30 will pull on a stock e36 m3
a ~250hp e30 will pull on a stock e46 m3
a ~300hp e30 will pull on a stock e92 m3
and that's being conservative if anything.

I know perfectly well how great power to weight ratios are. My MKV GLI pulled on a 450+whp GTO, with around 50WHP less.

That being said, I didn't say it was weak... Just that for a V8, the 5.0 is one of the weaker models.

You're reading my comments all wrong...

The 5.0 just seems weak for a V-8 swap, but I haven't heard enough about the performance in an e30 to decide... So hurry up and finish!

I really need to start editing my posts before I post, this is getting old. Proofread... noted

[FunfGan]

Are you serious?
What kind of crazy e30s have you driven that you think this kind of power in a car as light as an e30 is "weak"?
Just to give you a little idea..
a ~200hp e30 will pull on a stock e36 m3
a ~250hp e30 will pull on a stock e46 m3
a ~300hp e30 will pull on a stock e92 m3
and that's being conservative if anything.

Knowing that just makes it even better haha.


And I can see where you're coming from on that. Compared to an m62/ lax motor, its nowhere near as powerful stock. But for me, the ease of installation and price is unmatchable. M62 swaps are, up until a few more recent builds on here, undocumented. And Lsx swaps are expensive as heck, though incredibly well built and engineered. It all comes down to what you're looking for.

[Exodus_2pt0]

And I can see where you're coming from on that. Compared to an m62/ lax motor, its nowhere near as powerful stock. But for me, the ease of installation and price is unmatchable. M62 swaps are, up until a few more recent builds on here, undocumented. And Lsx swaps are expensive as heck, though incredibly well built and engineered. It all comes down to what you're looking for.

The price is why I am considering a 5.0 swap. After spending way to much on the GLI build, I am ready for the lack of car payments the e30 has to offer, as well as going fast and saving thousands.

Only reason I would go with the LS is because I can get a t56 for $600.

[FunfGan]

The price is why I am considering a 5.0 swap. After spending way to much on the GLI build, I am ready for the lack of car payments the e30 has to offer, as well as going fast and saving thousands.

Only reason I would go with the LS is because I can get a t56 for $600.

Heck, you can get a low milage 5.0 drivetrain with accessories and electronics for that price! And definitely, I mean, think about it. Blow up an lsx? Thats gonna cost $$$. Blow up a 302? Go to your local redneck, or junkyard and grab one for a few hundred bucks. Plus, fun and easy to work on, and cheap to make stupid power out of.

Btw, If you have any questions about the swap, feel free to ask on here or pm me.

[JasonC]

One thing with this 302 swap. Is that later on if you want more power, you can always pull it and stroke it to a 347. But i'm not to for sure on the block strength, cause i heard some 302 blocks are weak and need a girdle.

[kts]

well there you have it haha. Any padding? I've talk to a couple drivers who have hit their heads on cages with padding, and said it certainly wasn't pleasant, but not horrible.

Did they hit their head getting in/out of the car? I've done it and it hurts like hell. (With SFI rated padding which is firm and doesnt have much give. The pool noddle stuff is useless, the firm stuff is to help slow your helmeted head from reducing the force that your helmeted head would hit the bar at.) Do that at high speed with a lot more force and you're looking at a cracked skull/death/FAIL/etc.

I don't think I saw you mention, what seat/harness setup are you going with? And who will be designing and welding the cage?

On my phone, but when I get a chance ill look for reports about people dying from no helmet with a cage. Im sure it has happened but most people realize what a poor idea it is and don't do it.

[jaywood]

In for more updates!!