Do these make the conversion in the rear easier?

[talltorontoguy]

Very old thread... but wondering if anyone can confirm what the right setup is?

REAR:

- Rear E30 M3 Hubs on non-m E30 trailing arms
- non-m E30 1/2 shafts. (pls confirm)
- E30 M3 Rotors
- E30 M3 / Standard E30 wheel bearing (interchangeable)
- E30 M3 Caliper OR E32 Caliper (pls confirm)
- E30 caliper carriers (pls confirm)

* there were some questions in this thread about if the E32 calipers could be used with E30 carriers. If not, what is the correct carrier to use?


FRONT:

- E30 M3 strut tubes, knuckle, etc... complete assembly
- E28 front brakes, caliper and rotor? (pls confirm)
- E30 front brake carrier? E28? (pls confirm)

* there seems to be some confusion on whether E28 brakes will work or not, and if they do, are they M5 E28 brakes or non-m E28 brakes.

GENERAL:

- E32 master cylinder

*I understood that the brake lines are of different size on the M calipers than the non-m. True? Assuming that this requires a re-run of larger brake lines?


Hoping someone can shed some light on this.

Rod

[FredK]

I know only some of the answers, because my 5 lug swap was taken from an M3.

Regular half shafts are fine. The wheel bearings are interchangeable.

No brake line wizardry is required.

E32 MC on a non-M will not require running any new hard lines. The issue is that on the M3 the front hardline is larger than the rear, but on non-M E30s both of the lines are the same size and will plug right into the E32 25mm MC.

[e30matty318]

will this conversion be suitable for my s52 swap, is it going to be strong enough?

[whowhatwhere]

No. Your s52 puts down more horsepower than the swedes can on an m20 with 4 lug. (800+hp).




Yes they will work fine.

[Bennetts22@aol.com]

i might have a source outside of bmw for the m3 bearings. i will check in the morning

[GaryE30]

e30 m3 front calipers share same part number with e28 5-series and e24 6-series calipers. Front carriers need to be e30 m3.

e30 m3 rear calipers share same part number with e32 735i/il. Rear carriers need to be e30 m3.

[Mike]

Great thread. suscribe

[Mtriple]

For those attempting this swap into non-M rear trailing arms, dont forget you will need the M protection/dust plates. Found this out the hard way...

[FredK]

Wow. That certainly IS the hard way, Bob! So you had to pull the hub again to install the backing plate, eh? Well, at least it's an excuse to install minty new backing plates.

34212225444 Protection plate left (E30 M3)
34212225445 Protection plate right (E30 M3)

[golde30]

how about the parking brake assembly?? i got a complete e30 m3 5lug conversion minus the rear brake system (no carriers, calipers, parking brake assembly).

so i need to find me some e30 m3 carriers + e30 m3 or e32 735 calipers + use stock non-m e30 parking brakes??

[Van Westervelt]

how about the parking brake assembly?? i got a complete e30 m3 5lug conversion minus the rear brake system (no carriers, calipers, parking brake assembly).

so i need to find me some e30 m3 carriers + e30 m3 or e32 735 calipers + use stock non-m e30 parking brakes??

Standard 325i/late model e30 emergency brake hardware is all the same as e30 m3 emergency brake hardware.

And yes, our cars have true emergency brakes, not just parking brakes.

[golde30]

cool, i just need to find me some carriers and calipers then and im set.

PS: why are e30 m3 rotors so damn expensive?? i wanted the bmw sport evo ones but they are rediculous. any1 know if the TMS drilled ones are any good?

[atomic]

cool, i just need to find me some carriers and calipers then and im set.

PS: why are e30 m3 rotors so damn expensive?? i wanted the bmw sport evo ones but they are rediculous. any1 know if the TMS drilled ones are any good?

Find you some e32 735 rear calipers and use e36 318ti/non m z3 rear carriers. You will have to modify them to fit over the rotors and mount to the trailing arms. They will need some clearance on the front and back side of the rotors but more importantly you will need to make the arched depth deeper so they will mount up. All in all not very hard to do, just take you time not to take more than needed away. I still have a lot of material left so it is not an issue at all.



EDIT -- This is the route I just had to take when some of my rear brake parts where wrong. It worked like a charm.

e32 rear calipers with e36 318ti/non m z3 rear carriers slightly modified so they will clear the rotors and everything bolts up like it is suppose too...

[golde30]

is this a complete caliper w/ carrier??

[FredK]

yeah, but Bavarian Auto Recycling is kinda spotty for getting parts. They sent me two right brake calipers once, but fortunately they sent a left immediately after I called them.