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    #46
    M30s seem like a bitch to swap. There is literally no engine space left when you drop it in, and I have heard (WARNING for potential misinformation) that unless you modify the firewall to mount the engine as far back as possible, you kill the weight distribution and ultimately the handling of the car. Turbo M30s would be able to generate 600whp... seen an e30 M3 with a turbo M30. 615whp with no problems.

    People would hate me, but if we're being purists, I'd say the best bang for the buck is an M50. Cheap, reliable, and comes stock with the same amount of power than a stroked e30.

    Thinking outside the box? Blacktop S14 SR20DET... or an RB25DET.

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    Originally posted by Mr. Anderson
    ...one of the most hardcore E30's around. :D

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      #47
      This thread is such a strokefest.

      Easiest swap in terms of cost & power benefits would be the S50. The M5x motors bolt up without a whole lot of hassle, only requireng a few parts to make the conversion. Plenty of shops have done them, and there are commercial components to make the swap even easier.

      -Charlie
      Swing wild, brake later, don't apologize.
      '89 324d, '76 02, '98 318ti, '03 Z4, '07 MCS, '07 F800s - Bonafide BMW elitist prick.
      FYYFF

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        #48
        Easy or not an M50 or S50 swap is alot of time and $$ for 30-70 extra horses.

        The purist side of me is starting to like the M30 swap idea alot better.

        rs4pro3 (Ely) has done this swap before.. where is he.. he would know all about what it takes to do the swap and weight distribution.

        Comment


          #49
          Originally posted by bmwmike
          I bought an entire 535i/5 speed parts car for $400. At this point theres two routes. Throw it in as is, get a cam, chip and some exhaust and you should already have plenty of power and torque for a little E30 (lets say 250 bhp). Even on car-part.com I see the engines and trannys for 600-700 bucks together, so its the cheapest. And the engine is strong.
          Other route would be do what Im doing. Rebuild the engine and get the proper head gasket and head studs, for around $1000-1200. Put the engine in, then gather turbo parts. At this point it depends what parts you get, but you could probably gather everything if you know what your doing for $2000, and then get the car tuned for say another $1000. Or, get TCD's kit for $5000 and itll bolt right on. Either way you can look at 350-400 whp safely which will be ridiculous in an E30. I just think these are good routes because an M50/52 or S50/52 can cost a couple grand alone. And after you bolt them in you still only have 189 hp or 240 with the S motor, but its more spendy. Spend a couple grand and get some decent power though I suppose, but I still couldnt justify spending that money on that motor (I know other people do and it works great, just not me). If you know you'd stay n/a, id actually say the S50 would be the coolest thing to do.
          Agree 100% exactly what I am doing, rebuilding the m30, installing it NA, get it running and broken in, right after that, build and install my turbo kit.
          BMW, The Ultimate Flying Machine.
          sigpic
          2003 BMW e46 325i-sport 1987 BMW 335is Turbo (in the making) 1974 Triumph TR6 (in the making)

          Comment


            #50
            Are you stroking your M30? If so what were you able to stroke it to?

            Comment


              #51
              Originally posted by Ritalin Kid
              Are you stroking your M30? If so what were you able to stroke it to?
              No not stroking it since I am turbocharging it. If you are going naturally aspirated, I would suggest boring the block for some more displacement, get some JE pistons made to suit, shave the head for a bit higher compression, run a cam, chip and a good exhaust and you should have half decent power based on the e34 m30 motor.
              You can also install the 19lb Mustang injectors, do a port and polish install double valve springs and all the other performance head work.

              The e34 535i's are already fairly quick, so in an e30 weighing almost 1000 lbs less than the e34 with the m30 modded, it will be impressive.
              BMW, The Ultimate Flying Machine.
              sigpic
              2003 BMW e46 325i-sport 1987 BMW 335is Turbo (in the making) 1974 Triumph TR6 (in the making)

              Comment


                #52
                You could essentially still stroke the engine with low compression pistons and still turbo charge it right?

                Comment


                  #53
                  With the m30 I noticed no odd effects to the handeling, let's just say I went on a Drive with some S200 guys, the next time I went with them the m30 was dead so i took another car, well the one guy asked where the monster was :twisted: In reguards to engine swaps it all boils down to what you are wanting. With the m30 it was a very tight fit, and I knew it would cuase me hassles if I had to replace anything, so i went ahead and replaced all gaskets, common electrical items that go out, etc... basically just shy of a full rebuild. In total my swap came to around $4,000 Now with M50's S50's you can just drop them in, as replacing things like gaskets etc.. wouldn't require as much work. Right now I'm considering some sort of S5x swap.
                  You have to decide what you value, is it outright power, realiabilty, or the wow factor?
                  85 325e 2.7 ITB'd stroker

                  Comment


                    #54
                    In the future I would like to do a swap that can give me around 400hp-600hp but I would like it to be reliable.

                    BTW.. are you not the same guy that told me that you preferred the M30 swap over the M50?

                    I like th S50/52 but it's so damn expensive for not that much more power and mods cost a lot more as well.

                    Comment


                      #55
                      yes over the m50, but the S50 is a different beast. I realy have not commited either way, I don't think an m30 swap will be in my future again.
                      85 325e 2.7 ITB'd stroker

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                        #56
                        Aww.. come on Ely.. it would be fun.

                        Do you still have your old M30?

                        Comment


                          #57
                          it seems like M30 is a good choice.
                          Manual M30 only or an automatic M30 would do as well with proper transmission swap?

                          How much budget should I build into this swap?
                          2005 BMW 545i 6M
                          2005 Toyota Corolla CE
                          2003 Jaguar X-Type 2.5

                          Comment


                            #58
                            Why the hell would anyone want to go through the trouble of swapping an M30 into an E30 and NOT use a 5 speed would be beyond me but anything is possible with enough $$.

                            Comment


                              #59
                              itd be a huge waste of time/money to stroke the M30, you can get tons of power from it. If you put forged pistons in, you could probably do some insane numbers like 500-600 whp+ obviously with the right stuff backing it up (head work, cam, tuning, tuning, tuning). I dont know of anyone thats tried to push it much farther, but ppl do 20 psi on stock internals and say anything beyond that is a need for forged pistons, 20 psi can get you roughly 400 hp though.. You dont have to modify the firewall, maybe if your really really a hardcore track nazi, you might notice a minor tiny difference, but otherwise people say its the same. Plus you could remove some weight from things to even the 50 lb difference out.. And I guess its all personal preference on the gearbox, but personally I dont see why you'd want the auto?

                              www.rimstrader.com

                              all the parts you need to swap the M30 into your E30 here-> http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/show...ght=m30+mounts

                              99 540i/66 911

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                                #60
                                I still have the m30 block, no head.
                                85 325e 2.7 ITB'd stroker

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