E30 Zone

Hi guys.

Thought it was about time I put up a few details and pics of my S50 conversion - possibly the longest conversion going

Car : E30 1991 325i Sport, Brilliant Red, full Mtech 2 kit and totally standard.

Chassis : E30 M3 Grp N Bilstein suspension. 50/30 drop (I think). 280x25mm M3 front brakes, 280x10mm rears (more brake upgrades in the pipeline). 15x7" style 2 wheels, plus 16x8" and 17x8" BBS.
E36 rack conversion.

Engine : S50B30, E34 M50 sump and oil pick up pipe, E36 M3 5spd box, E30 M3 prop, Z3M Roadster LSD (3.15).

Interior : Standard 325i Sport/Mtech interior.

The car shortly after I bought it.....


The car shortly after the clutch bearing failed.....


And after a bit of penny saving....

No way the S50 inlet plenum and E30 brake servo will fit together....


Smaller VW Mk1 Golf GTi servo to be used.....


Along with a small mod to the S50 plenum.....



VW servo and modded plenum fitted.....

M20 oil cooler used with Goodridge hoses and Turner Motorsport Oil cooler fittings....



Oil return from S50 plenum fitted to modded m50 dipstick (not the finished item).....


S50 exhaust manifolds modded and almost finished (have decided to go with BTB manifold).....


E36 M3 aftermarket exhaust rear section (modded to fit the E30)....




Just need to sort out the exhaust centre section (which will be done when the BTB manifolds arrive), an electric cooling fan, a new radiator (S50 item) as I used my planned rad in my touring and a diff. Then it will be driveable and ready for MOT. The suspension change and possible respray will happen when I know there are no running problems with the engine.

Cheers

Well the manifolds are here








Well worth the wait, the quality is superb. Not fitted them yet, might have to wait a week or two due to work

excellent work

keep it up

i think a side exit exhaust would work well with the x-pipe angle

come mate you've been doing this since i joined this forum!

Jhonno wrote:i think a side exit exhaust would work well with the x-pipe angle

I was thinking that when I took the pics, might be a bit loud though

Simon13 wrote:come mate you've been doing this since i joined this forum!

Tell me about it But good things come to those who wait and all that

Nice one! Look at those welds

jmc330i wrote:Well the manifolds are here



Well worth the wait, the quality is superb. Not fitted them yet, might have to wait a week or two due to work

how much is something like that?

£1300

hi,goodluck with project,is there much in swapping the oil pick up? when pleneum is modded the brake servo stays in orininal spot ya?for wiring did you need the key and barrel and immobi;iser from donor engine?or just wire it like the m50?

brian325i wrote:hi,goodluck with project,is there much in swapping the oil pick up? when pleneum is modded the brake servo stays in orininal spot ya?for wiring did you need the key and barrel and immobi;iser from donor engine?or just wire it like the m50?

Pickup pipe is relatively easy. Servo needs to made smaller (Golf 1.3 MkII item) and moved across at least 45mm to avoid modifications to the plenum, although there are other ways to do it if so inclined. If it's an early 3.0ltr S50 then there is no EWS setup to worry about, otherwise for later EWS equipped cars you will need the EWS module, transponder and key from the donor M3. If any of this EWS kit is missing or unmatched then steer clear of the engine as it will cost £Â£Ã‚£'s to sort out missing EWS bits.

Plenty of threads on here that cover almost every detail of this swap.

How's this going now James - is it running yet?

brian325i wrote:is there much in swapping the oil pick up?

As Dameon said really, just a bit fiddly to get at one of the nuts IIRC.

when pleneum is modded the brake servo stays in orininal spot ya?

Yes, but modding the plenum isnt easy. I did all this work 2 maybe 3 years ago now, so the idea of moving the servo wasnt even born - wish Id thought of it, would of made my life much easier
I originally modded my plenum (cut a big hole in it ) to try and fit it around the E30 servo, but there is no way of them both fitting, so I went off in search of a smaller servo. If I was to do the work again, I would move the servo.

The EWS issue is as Dameon said, you need all the bits. Mine is a late 3.0ltr so has EWS, but I would say the early 3.0ltrs without EWS will wire up similar to the M50/M52.


Hows things going Dameon? My car is getting there, still slowly, but its getting there.
Manifolds fitted up nicely, just needed a bit of tweaking to line up one of the flanges (I guess it pulled slightly after welding). Cheers for all you did about the manifolds BTW
Still trying to do the exhaust at the moment, but I just dont have enough time - and when I do like today, its chucking it down

Just a few odd jobs left to do - I need an M3 diff (but been thinking about a Z3 or E28 diff with a Quaife ATB), need to change the bottom rad hose, get a leccy fan and tidy up the wiring but thats about it really. All the other bits I want to do can wait until its MOTd and been driven a few times

^^ Nice one!

I'm running the Z3 M coupe 3.15, it's just right IMO. I have run the 3.91 and 3.64 also. The 3.64 is almost bearable but a little to short on a run. The 3.91 is just pure comedy

Apart from that it's now done, a couple of small jobs here and there but for the most part it's finished. Overall I'm very happy with the way it's turned out. It ran a 15.01 sec 1/4 mile at the pod with traction being a bit of an issue towards the end, my wanky gearchanges didn't help either!

Next job is to sort out the handling and braking but that's a whole different story.

old_skool_2002 wrote: I'm running the Z3 M coupe 3.15, it's just right IMO. I have run the 3.91 and 3.64 also. The 3.64 is almost bearable but a little to short on a run. The 3.91 is just pure comedy

Mine currently has the 4.27 diff from my touring
Its obviously only there to keep the car mobile while the work is being done and will be changed, but its going to be a right laugh driving it up the road on its first test run

Although the E30 M3 diff has always been an option, Ive wanted to run either a 3.15 or 2.93 ratio and have been looking out for an E28 2.93, but not had much luck. All this talk of Z3 diffs has me interested, but Im confused which have the clutch type LSD and which have the torsen type - Im guessing its the 2.8 Z3 diff I want to have a clutch LSD, but how many of those are LSDs??


The pod sounds fun, bit of a trek for me but this car will need some abuse when its finished

James, I would actually run the 2.93 (or lower) ratio diff if possible. The engine is so torquey that it would make driving more of a pleasure and would give even more comfortable cruising. IMO.

Regarding the diff type, I'm not sure what Z3 diff is what concerning torsen type etc. I certainly wouldn't want a higher ratio than 3.15 personally. The 4.27 you have in there now would be pure comedy! Didn't I read on a recent post that a 2.93 Z3 LSD is available from the Z3 2.8? Sounds the perfect diff for this conversion.

Thanks lads,ill be putting the s50 (from 1995 m3) into my iS which already has the m50b25.So mounts etc and box ,prop etc i already have done and i can swap the sump and oil pickup from my m50..I'll be getting the full car thats crashed so i have all ews etc ,its just what to do with them,when i start ill sort my own thread and stop invading yours james,

so do you reckon its better to drill 2 holes and move servo over instead of cutting pleneum to fit?
What stage is yours at now?

any recent pics???

ps manifolds can only be described as sexual ha ha

old_skool_2002 wrote:Didn't I read on a recent post that a 2.93 Z3 LSD is available from the Z3 2.8? Sounds the perfect diff for this conversion.

I must of read the same thread and Ive already been checking the ETK, a 2.93 LSD for the 2.8 Z3 was indeed an option. I dont know how hard one would be to find though.

brian325i wrote:Thanks lads,ill be putting the s50 (from 1995 m3) into my iS which already has the m50b25.

Should turn out fairly easy in that case. The M3 will most likely have EWS, but you will be using the M3 loom so that wont be an issue - just leave the engine loom all attached to the engine as you remove it from the car. I think the bits of EWS loom etc are all under the dash and connected to the body loom.

so do you reckon its better to drill 2 holes and move servo over instead of cutting pleneum to fit?

Ive not moved the servo, but cutting and welding the plenum isnt easy. You need to be an ace with a TIG welder as its cast ally so not easy to weld at all.

cheers james,the engine is bought now so no going back lol,
im gonna leave my brakes as they are in the m50 and cut the pleneum to suit,my brother is a foreman in a stainless fabrication shop so to say he's a good welder is an understatement,he'll sort it for me i just need to cut and tack it etc

will post pics as soon as i begin to take my m50 out.any recent pics of yours? why have you your wiring out of its casing?just to lengthen it?(saw pics on other thread i presume its your car,red e30 with s50)

I have a 2.93 open? Any good to you?

Sorry for the lack of updates guys, Ive not been well since before Xmas and working on the car was put on hold for a little bit.

Still, just one little update until I can sort things out ...... it runs properly - click me

Cheers

Cooooool....

Glad to see it's all running dude.

I shall begin work on mine again presently, lack of funds (been unemployed since the manifolds arrived !!!!!) have meant it's been on hold but I have some work coming in now.

Need to get the uprated bolts in and then I have everything I need to get the engine at least sat in the bay and wired up. Yey.

I think the recent sunshine is going to get a few of us working on our cars again...

Jai

jaistanley wrote:Cooooool....

Glad to see it's all running dude.

Thanks mate. It drives too but only got the handbrake to stop it at the moment Have had a quick run up the road though, with the 4.27 diff and funky side exit exhausts

I think the recent sunshine is going to get a few of us working on our cars again...

Bring it on

Just thought I'd add that a possible replacement for the brake booster is the hydraulic booster from an old E28. Of course it requires that your car is equipped with a servo steering pump.

The old UK E28´s have the remote servo,
I´ve used that in a LHD E30 and it worked well , came from Fritz Bitz, but then broke and wasn´t able to rebuild.
suzuki swift is a booster that works with the S50 engines, it probably works with the M54´s

Wow its been a long time since Ive up dated this thread - its take me about 15mins to find it!

Still, one massive update today..........

The car passed its MOT with flying colours today, so its all legal

I know its taken far, far, far too long, but the wait was most definitely worth it - the biggest grin factor ever. I just hope it all holds together now

A big thank you to those that have helped or chipped in with info

Pics will follow when I get my PC/internet sorted properly.

Cheers

about bloody time james !

Tell me about it mate. How many conversions you done in the same time?


Not really had chance to drive it yet, and I wont till Sunday or Monday - got to put in some long hours in at work to pay for it

I thought the mk1 gti servo was no good, from what i've read on the m50 conversion posts?

Emm3 wrote:I thought the mk1 gti servo was no good, from what i've read on the m50 conversion posts?

It worked fine on mine, and the standard E30 master cylinder bolts straight up (no spacer needed).
I only had to change mine for a Mk2 servo because Im now using the Audi master cylinder and that wont fit the Mk1 GTi servo.

Well done James.

Was it worth the 5? years? I bet it was!

Cheers mate.

Yeah, its well worth it
Ive got a few little niggles to sort out, but the fun factor is immense

I just need to get used to driving it now, and try to keep my license clean
Hmm, track day me thinks

Blimey James, I had forgotten all about this. Well done for getting it sorted, must be great fun