Vermilion M52 Build

[AustonT]

Hi, I'm a little new around here but i thought this would be a great way to get opinions and advise on my E30 M52 swap.

I'm starting off with a 86' Eta that is in pretty good condition. Has mostly cosmetics upgrades. The car has around 200k on it and the engine pretty tired. Also leaking oil and at nice rate.

Engine originally came out of a 528i but was then swapped in to a 87' 318is a few years ago. I bought the 87' 318is and now plan to swap it into my Eta.

[dude8383]

Looks like a 1991 318is to me!

Your 86 does look pretty though :)

[Atlant]

The 86 looks like a great candidate for the swap. Subscribed

[AustonT]

It didn't always look this pretty. :) I've striped the hood to metal, fixed rust, fixed the brakes, fixed ground problems, stopped leaks in the trunk and had it resprayed over the summer. Swapped out some of the old interior for fresher sports.

Next (After the swap) its GC springs and Bilstens.

[Teaguer]

87' 318is

Looks like a 1991 318is to me!

Maybe its an 89' 318is.

[dude8383]

Maybe its an 89' 318is.

lol.

maybe its an 88 with swapped bumpers... special order from bmw?

[AustonT]

lol.

maybe its an 88 with swapped bumpers... special order from bmw?

I could be wrong? I personally don't care that much about the year. Its a donor car. I will prob stick the M20 in it and resell it.

[Zacm829]

It's a 91 318is, the guys are just giving you a hard time.

The eta looks well loved, should be a huge upgrade with the m52.

[AustonT]

I was out today and noticed how nice it was so i fixed the locking system. For the last few months the rear trunk lock has been giving me problems. It would unlock itself but not the whole car so i would then have to stick my finger in a hole to find the little nub and push it down to unlock the rest of the car. So today i pulled it all out rearranged the lock a little higher and it worked! Shut the trunk do a few more times and it stops, and the trunk wouldn't open even with the key. So i messed around with it for a while got it open hammered in the rod and now it works all the time. Now even the driver side door lock works. That may have worked since the interior door handle replacement when i was messing around in there but i never checked.

[AustonT]

I have a Question, I need to get a E36 power steering rack right? I know you can mod the E30 one but i want a good build.

[drutt23]

Definitely get the E36 rack. It's much more responsive than the E30 one. You'll need to modify the steering knuckle and install spacers in the sub frame for bolting in the rack. You can get all of the items needed to do so through AKG Motorsport. I'd recommend doing sub frame reinforcement as well if you weren't already planning on it. The M52 will put a lot of extra stress on it.

[AustonT]

When i get the rack am I going to need a E30 to E36 Steering Rack Swap Kit

http://www.e30tech.com/forum/showthread.php?t=94377

whats the best way of going about reinforcing it.

[AustonT]

New gaskets to replace during the swap.

[AustonT]

It's a 91 318is, the guys are just giving you a hard time.

The eta looks well loved, should be a huge upgrade with the m52.

Its is a 91 i miss read the title.

I hope it is a good upgrade.

[AustonT]

Okay so been a busy few weeks. This week we managed to pull the M52 out of the other E30 and are now about ready to put it in. We still have to pull the Eta. mess around with the harness and stand around for a while. Well, here are some pics of the pull.