E30 Zone

I know people say you can use a standard 325 linkage on the swap but from doing one allready I know it needs to be shorter. I had a look and an Alpina B6 ETK and it seems they used an E28 M5 aluminim arm and a E23 selector rod. I just wondered if anyone had tried these or what position would the engine be in a standard B6?.

If nobody has tried it I'll give it a go and report back how it worked out.

My 325i linkage went on with no problems, the gearstick doesnt sit in the centre of the hole in the tunnel though, its about 10mm too far forward but works fine.

What gearbox you using?

As far as I know we used a E34 535 box it was in a 318is if that makes a difference but I can't see the floor being to different. We had to chop about 2cm off the back of the arm so we could get the clip in the gearbox. Now the shifter sits really far back enough so we had to bend the hole abit to get 2nd and 4th. I know the answer is to shorten the arm in front of the lever but this was a quick fix to get the gearbox bolted up.

I've ordered the bits anyway so I have it all covered for the weekend my car has to be out of the workshop by Monday morning.

Yeah and ive just got the engine sitting properly in posistion 3 and its even further back, unable to select 2nd and 4th untill i go and bend the floor even more.

It needs at least and inch removing from the linkage arm.

How far back have you guys got the engine? I also used a 325i linkage as Lee and it doesn't sit in the middle but can select all gears. My engine is in position 2.5 (special e30.de mounts) and it required a lot of bulkhead reshaping to get it in but the 325 shifter works.

Do either of you guys have any photo's of your installations?

Charlie

Its as far back as the mounts will allow in posistion 3, and the engine mount rubbers arent bent/stretched anymore (previously they were, they sit upright now). I literally just got in from cutting about 20mm backout of my gear shifter aperture to get 2nd and 4th... Then the gear lever sits to far back so flipping the shaft around makes it sit back in the centre.

Its sitting nice now, so onto the prop. Will try to get pics when its done.

Alpina used a rad fitted into the front slam panel so i don't think they got the engine that far back.. I could be wrong just going off what I've seen on the net



Look forward to some pictures Pazza

Just been out and took a pic of where mine sits, it does sit back but maybe only 10-20mm off centre

Thats with the mounts in position 3

Strange that lines up really nice, I know my stuff came from an E34 so I will see how it goes at the weekend. I guess Paz's gearbox could have come from anything although the ECU was from an E34 and we definatly fitted a 325 linkage. I checked and the shells are the same part number so its not like the hole in the floor is in a different place.

Here's a few of pics of Pazzas swap
as you can see the weather was on our side although the sun was out untill we removed the old motor.

Fook me you guys are mad I thought I'd been brave changing my diff in the snow

It's not nice having to work out on the drive is it?

Good luck with it all

86jay wrote:

Love it

i had sub zero temperatures and heavy frost while doing mine but that's mad! 10/10 for determination!

mine has a E32/4 engine/box, e30.de mounts (drilled for P2.5) and a 325i linkage. no mods needed to the linkage at all.

Well I did most of the conversion last night the engine is in and the standard 325 linkage worked perfectly with a few washers. So I guess the story should be start with a 325 and it's much less of a ball ache.

Its so wierd that your linkage just sits bang in the middle and mine is so far back, same linkage cus you checked the part number against the other shifter.. Ah well. Time to finish em off tomorrow!

Who's using the engine & box from adam in cardiff?

Mine sits near enough in the centre and i'm using a 325 linkage too, no probs selecting either.

leeparkes wrote:Who's using the engine & box from adam in cardiff?

I think that would be me?

PazzaAE86 wrote:

leeparkes wrote:Who's using the engine & box from adam in cardiff?

I think that would be me?

I spoke to him when he had the engine and he wasn't entirely sure what the engine came out of (originally) as he told me that it came out of an already converted e30, are you using the linkage he gave you?

Have you checked to see if youve got an early box, or even a dogleg box.

i cant think why your linkage would be in the wrong place

Got a pic of where the engine sits on the mounts????
Might be able to tell from there

Didnt come with a linkage, and its not a dogleg, normal 5 speed patern... Im guessing the box might be different, but i couldnt find any numbers on the box to check it.

Ive just been trying to determine what engine it actually is, and im pretty sure its an M30B35 after some checking, it has the oil pressure sender on the back of the head present as per the B35. However at some point its had the B34 water housing fitted to the back of the head to allow, i assume M20 coolant pipes to be used as thats what im running and the matrix pipes and expansion tank etc required no modifying to fit.

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do ... g=11&fg=15

That sounds like a E28 M30 engine to me.

I think the e28 B34 heads had a different looking oil pressure sender in them at the back of the head.. I'll check the head tomorrow for the other differences to confirm what it is..

Thats what adam couldnt work out, if its an e28 my mounts wont fit

from what i remember we worked it out to be an e34/32 block with e28 head, if thats the case you could have a e28 box

E34 block should be stamped 34 6K B next to the engine number

does the exhaust manifold look like this

PazzaAE86 wrote:I'll check the head tomorrow for the other differences to confirm what it is..

Take a couple of pics if you can

Lee those are E34 M30 manifolds, same as what I have

Rav335uk wrote:Lee those are E34 M30 manifolds, same as what I have

I know, same as mine too

Havent got a pic of e28 manifolds but if he says 'no, its not like that' it can be narrowed down to what it is

Im sure theres some photos of this engine on here, ill be back

EDIT

Here you go, manifold is one of the log type, what do you think?

http://www.e30zone.net/modules.php?name ... sc&start=0

OK

Here you go, what you think?

http://www.e30zone.net/modules.php?name ... sc&start=0

Looks like a Log mani on that, am I right,pics aren't that good.

paz has a E28 manifold for sure but it cleared the steering shaft better than the E34 ones on mine. You just have to bash fire wall in more on the drivers side of the tunnel for the exhaust to slot in. If we get really keen Paz can have the m5/e23 linkage combo fitted as they are way shorter than the 325 stuff.

I drove mine home from work yesterday all seemed to be working ok I just need to wire up the fan it warms up pretty well with a 325 rad when it's not moving and I still have to swap the pins and sort the heater/ window wires out.

Here he is

Nice rocker cover

Love the rocker cover, very cool There is only so much you can do to the firewall otherwise it starts fouling the brake linkage, I take it that's not happened on yours?

Looking good though chaps

We didn't run into any trouble on the brake linkage.
I just spent a couple of hours tidying up the wireing swapping the pins and earthing the heater. Now it's drivable although my down pipe is tickling the lollypop and upseting me so I'll get on that next weekend.
My engine was meant to be from a Hartge H35 although all I can see different is the ecu is stamped and has a serial number and the rocker cover looks posh. The car it came from has been scraped and I didn't get the reg or the hartge plate so I doubt I can find out for sure what it had done.
I've given it a beating down my favorite test route and I can't decide if it's as fast as my E36 m3 but it goes ok and fired up both tyres going up to 3rd.

86jay wrote:My engine was meant to be from a Hartge H35 although all I can see different is the ecu is stamped and has a serial number and the rocker cover looks posh.

Holy shit

iirc they gave it head work,cam & ECU and apparently it kicked out 240bhp


First dibs when you come to sell it

leeparkes wrote:

86jay wrote:My engine was meant to be from a Hartge H35 although all I can see different is the ecu is stamped and has a serial number and the rocker cover looks posh.

Holy shit

iirc they gave it head work,cam & ECU and apparently it kicked out 240bhp


First dibs when you come to sell it

Thought you were going M5* crap