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front control arms

Posted: Sat Dec 24, 2011 4:54 pm
by markgE30
wondering if the front control arms from an E36 will bolt straight onto an E30? scrappies up my way have plenty E36 but 0 E30 and i need 1 asap. cheerz Mark

Re: front control arms

Posted: Sat Dec 24, 2011 4:58 pm
by capri_rob
Brand new Lemforder arms are only £50 a side from ECP

IIRC people retro fit E30 arms to E36's because the E36 arms arent as good a design so secondhand E36 ones are probably false economy.

Re: front control arms

Posted: Sat Dec 24, 2011 4:59 pm
by markgE30
then you have to buy the balljoins and bush aswell.its just to get it back on the road the now

Re: front control arms

Posted: Sat Dec 24, 2011 5:00 pm
by capri_rob
The balljoints come with the Lemforder arms but yes you would need new lollipop bushes.

Re: front control arms

Posted: Sat Dec 24, 2011 5:08 pm
by markgE30
sound cheerz.will the e36 fit the now for a quick tempory repair?

Re: front control arms

Posted: Sun Dec 25, 2011 1:49 pm
by balilu91
i have e36 control arms on my e30 because they are the only brand new ones i could find locally.. they fit perfectly fine.. if i recall correctly the only difference is the outer ball joint which moves instead of the solid one on the e30s..

sorry to bump this thread but.. is it possible to change the outer ball joint to the solid one?

Re: front control arms

Posted: Sun Dec 25, 2011 7:50 pm
by cougar
[quote="balilu91"]i have e36 control arms on my e30 because they are the only brand new ones i could find locally.. they fit perfectly fine.. if i recall correctly the only difference is the outer ball joint which moves instead of the solid one on the e30s..

e30 ones move as well, i have pressed out e36 and e30 joints out they both move but they are of different designs, you can get heavy duty e36 ball joints as well from a company called meyle, they all so do an uprated e46 control arm,witch bay u can change the ball joints when they wear out, instead of chucking the hole arm away for the OEM BMW one

Re: front control arms

Posted: Sun Dec 25, 2011 7:56 pm
by Sanchez
markgE30 wrote:sound cheerz.will the e36 fit the now for a quick tempory repair?
You on retroBMW, do you no James in Denny(except he just moved)
He'll have or no of parts for e30.

Re: front control arms

Posted: Mon Dec 26, 2011 1:32 pm
by kilrone
straight forward answer yes you can use the e36 control arm. they are totally interchangeable.