E30 Zone

i am just curios - ya see alot of m30 conversions and i am wondering if people are going to that much effort why the m62 is a less travelled route?
is the m30 that much easier to fit?
coming to the end of my current project i am looking at something to keep me occupied for the next few years and i dont want it to be around the m20 - for me i think i would love to go m62 for several reasons:
-v8 sound (i know its superficial compared to performance but for me it is important.)
-Torque delivery through the rev range from what i have been reading seems to be great.
-Availabilty due to the engine (i think) being in 3 models there is a good chance of picking one up cheap enough and maybe even a relatively low miler?
Weight - if i am right fractionly lighter than m20b25?

i'd love to know peoples thoughts on this
thanks


liam

id guess that as the m62 is a newer engine it would be a lot more expensive to source all the bits youd need.dont the newer engines need the matching ecu and key systems to work?although im not sure on that one

i would say cost e34 535 doner cars complete are 400-800 quid, but a v8 declutted engine in an e30 is on my todo list. they are getting affordable now

* 1996-1998 E39 540i
* 1994-1998 E38 740i/740iL
* 1994-1999 E31 840Ci

they are the years i suppose its new alright but just starting to deptreciate too
is glenn the only person who has done the m62? he did the m5 version though? thats big money
the standard 4.4 v8 in anyt of the above cars would still be amazing in an e30 i think,

nnice to hear someone else contemplting it - where has ur best readin on the conversion been so far ?

glenn did the s62

liam012 wrote:* 1996-1998 E39 540i
* 1994-1998 E38 740i/740iL
* 1994-1999 E31 840Ci

i didnt realise they went back as far as 1994,its not that new then

proberly newer than a cossie when did the 3 door cossie come out 86

Theres one or two in Europe who have done it but I'm unaware of any UK cars with the M62 on baord.
There are a couple of videos on some sites and they sound absolutely beautiful!!

I'd like to know the most economical way of obtaining one of these beasts and the associated gearbox (manual would be cool but maybe an auto better suits the nature of the engine?)
I haven't looked any further afield than online but I guess a complete spares or repair car is the best way forward?

i'd like to see a wrtie up/build report on this installation - in a language I can understand!!!

yes about that,between about 86 and 93 ish.old is good as it means they are simple less electronic engines and are guaranteed to have had several rebuilds since

Yep, more expensive/hard to find a manual box g/box and a more difficult swap compared to the M30 so i've read.

Cracking engine swap if you've got the dosh and the extra time though

fuzzy-
electronics are relativeley easy to over come these days with aftermarket computers/ecu's like ms etc. but i know what u mean

i enquired about the price of a 540i lump, auto box, loom & ecu was 1.8k not bad but have heard there are problems with the bore linings on early ones nicosil

No , not on the m62 i dont think
Nikasil may have been a problem for;
* 1993-1995 E34 540i
* 1992-1994 E32 740i
* 1994-1996 E38 740i
* 1992-1996 E31 840i
* 1993-1995 E34 530i
* 1992-1994 E32 730i
* 1994-1996 E38 730i mostly m60b40 m60b30

Not the 4.4 v8 M62b44 that i am interested in

so what are the problems besides money:
engine mounts - i dont suppose there are any out of the box solutions
exhaust i presume would have to be mucho custom (mmm 2 twin exits..)
sump clearance ?
single vanos (perhaps megasquirt could help out here if i didnt want to run stock ecu)
availabilty of 6 speed box?
prop type?

anything else?

brake servo

Exhaust manifolds - I know Glenn had issues with both sides hitting (or being far too close to) the chassis rails.

because m30's are cheap or free like mine was

Back when I originally looked into doing the S50 conversion, I had the chance to buy a BMW V8 that was fitted to the Morgan Aero 8, complete with 6spd box - not sure what M** number it would of been. Came from a crashed Morgan, which was apparently the press car for its launch, but I dont how true that was.

It didnt have the ECU or exhaust manifolds and was also missing a few other bits, but I could of had it for around 3k.
Seemed cheap at the time, but at the time I didnt really know much about BMW stuff, and I didnt realise how much of a mission it would of been to get the Vanos to work or even the engine started without the ECU.
I turned it down because I wanted to do the S50 conversion and I didnt even know if that would fit in the E30, let alone a V8

If had that chance all over again......

well just got quoted 3500stg + vat for engine and 6 speed manual
this is why we dont see more of these conversions - i have anwered me own question.
there goes that idea - bloody m3 conversion would be cheaper.

liam012 wrote:well just got quoted 3500stg + vat for engine and 6 speed manual
this is why we dont see more of these conversions - i have anwered me own question.
there goes that idea - bloody m3 conversion would be cheaper.

is that for just the bare engine and box or is all ancillaries like rads,ecu,alternator etc included?

liam012 wrote: so what are the problems besides money:
engine mounts - i dont suppose there are any out of the box solutions

Not exactly, you can use Alpina B8 engine mounts click www.e30.de, than click "motoren" on the left, than choose M60, next choose
"Projekttagebuch V8 - 28.08.2004" and scroll down to text "Die ALPINA B8 Motorhalter (siehe Bilder links) aus...". They are not perfect but with offset engine rubber mounts it can be solved.

liam012 wrote: exhaust i presume would have to be mucho custom (mmm 2 twin exits..)

Yes, but it looks that Supersprint manifolds can be used:
http://www.m5board.com/vbulletin/showth ... ghlight=M3
And this car don't have lifted crossmember.

liam012 wrote: sump clearance ?

Not an issue.

liam012 wrote: single vanos (perhaps megasquirt could help out here if i didnt want to run stock ecu)

If it was possible to use S62 with double vanos single shoudn't be a problem.

liam012 wrote: availabilty of 6 speed box?

Yes, you can use g'box from E34 540i. It is the same as M3 Evo E36 (belhousing and gearing is different).

liam012 wrote: prop type?

I don't remembr now but I think that the prop will be one of smaller problems to solve.

liam012 wrote: anything else?

You shoud check the www.e30.de site. It is very usefull.
Jan

M20 bare block and head = 117kg
M62 bare block and heads = 144kg

Thats quite a difference.

Andrew

you are not wrong andrew
i was under the impression that they were far closer
its looking bleek now

Demlotcrew wrote:M20 bare block and head = 117kg
M62 bare block and heads = 144kg
Thats quite a difference.
Andrew

Yes but complete engines:
M40B16 132kg
M20B27 175kg
M52B28 170kg
M50B25 198kg
M60B40 210kg
M30B35 212kg
M102 225kg
S38B36 232kg
S62 239kg
M70B50 250kg
So when you compare M30 and M60 conversions M60 looks a lot better: shorter so it will give beter weight balance, V so lower centre of weight, more power, more torque, etc. A lot disadvances too but I still think that it is worth.
Jan

maybe i could look into the price of an m60 so - still i would need it to be 1000's cheaper as opposed to a fistful of tenners.
would still need that 6 speed to and i got quoted 1250 stg not inc vat for that?

does anyone know what boxes are available that fit the m60 maybe i could go for something like a 2.93 e30 diff with a a higher geared 5 speed as you'd be using half an e30 prop anyway i imagine

food for thought anyway

i wonder what the stock compression is like?

Yaninnya wrote: M60B40 210kg
M30B35 212kg

We were compairing the M20 against the M62.

Plus the M30 bare block and head only weighs 137kg, are you telling me that the inlet/exhaust manifold, power steering pump,alternator/starter weigh 75kg??? I think not!

Did you get these figures from that Americal site which shows some pics of the engines also?

Andrew

i believe derek (bigdek) is trying this conversion....might a different engine from the m62 though, his is 4.0 v8 if i remember right.....is that m62?

he was having a bad time trying to source a manual gearbox for the right price anywhere near him.....shame cos he was quite confident it would go in ok

nickso wrote:i believe derek (bigdek) is trying this conversion....might a different engine from the m62 though, his is 4.0 v8 if i remember right.....is that m62?

he was having a bad time trying to source a manual gearbox for the right price anywhere near him.....shame cos he was quite confident it would go in ok

er after reading all the posts above its clear derek is probably doing an m60b40 swap

Demlotcrew wrote:We were compairing the M20 against the M62.

I know but not just like that only because of potential swap. And previously the most popular option was M30. Thats why I bold the weights of M30 and M60.

Demlotcrew wrote:Plus the M30 bare block and head only weighs 137kg, are you telling me that the inlet/exhaust manifold, power steering pump,alternator/starter weigh 75kg??? I think not!
Did you get these figures from that Americal site which shows some pics of the engines also?

This american site is useless, I don't know where they get these datas. I have them from www.e30.de check it.
Jan