E30 Zone

hi, im a new guty to this site, and to the e30 world!
ive just bought a black mtech 1 and wish to change the engine for an m50 or m52.

i understand this is a common conversiuon, however i am struggling to find any solid information as to what mounts etc to use, gearbox, prop and wiring.

my computer skills are limited as is my knowledge of bmw parts!
ask me any question about vauxhalls and im your man lol.

sorry if people are sick of this question, ive tried the search menu's and have had no joy.

if someone with the brains can help me out, either with a conversion guide or a link to a decent thread id really appreciate it!

as this is my 1st bmw conversion i just want to start on something simple, thank you in advance

nooo buy a 318is and use that.. not a tech1 sport leave it be

jbh wrote:nooo buy a 318is and use that.. not a tech1 sport leave it be

i dont see the word sport anywhere in his post

This is the epic 24v conversion thread in the engine swaps section. Its long but full of information. Bare in mind that there are several different ways to do the conversion though!


http://www.e30zone.net/modules.php?name ... pic&t=6676

The engine mounts will need to be e36 m50 engine arms with either e34 m50 rubber engine mounts or e28 m5 engine mounts (part number 11 81 1 132 793) the e28 m5 mounts are more rigid than the e34 mounts.

HTH.

it is a sport lol, thats alot of help thanks cook318is,

ive also been looking into the 3.5 12v lump out of the e34's but again im not sure what sort of work is involved.
having seen a few pics with these in they look very similar in size etc.it is a bit more in keeping with the old style.

i just want a bit more grunt really.

thanks for your help.

see if you can get a 2.7/2.8 built up.
Otherwise see the thread that Cook showed you and definately go for the m52b28 engine

is the 3.5 a straight fit more or less?
the thing that worries me the most with the m30 is the prop shaft and the engine mounts, ive read/seen a few threads on this and there are alot of different ways.

if i bought an e34 535i can i not just use the engine tranny and prop from this and make some engine mounts?

dirtydog100 wrote:is the 3.5 a straight fit more or less?
the thing that worries me the most with the m30 is the prop shaft and the engine mounts, ive read/seen a few threads on this and there are alot of different ways.

if i bought an e34 535i can i not just use the engine tranny and prop from this and make some engine mounts?

For an M30 you need to read this

http://www.e30zone.net/modules.php?name ... ic&t=98093

Check my sig for the mounts

You ought to keep an M20 in a sport, 2.8 M20 obviously

i agree with bob and dan considering it is actually a sport, build a 2.7/8 m20 instead.

what is good about the 2.7/8 instead then? what power etc? are they hard to find?

to build a 2.8 you can keep the original block use an m52 2.8 crank an m20 b20 rods requires a little machine work but can produce far better power than an m30 with less weight up front and looks original under the bonnet

here's the guide and there's plenty of threads on this as well. with it being a sport this is the way i would go. im currently building a 2.7 for mine
http://www.e30zone.net/e30zonewiki/inde ... ding_a_2.8
heres the guide on the 2.7 which can be done aswell

http://www.e30zone.net/e30zonewiki/inde ... ding_a_2.7

with a sport this is the way it should be done as it wont make it look non original as there is only one way the value will go on these cars..

First of all, whats your budget? £500,1k,2k,5k?

Secondly if its a 'genuine' sport i dont see the problem in doing an engine swap, do what ever swap you want and live with it, then when its time to sell throw the m20 thats been stuck up the shed back in, simple.
Obviously if your doing a swap where the shell needs altering that's a different story

jbh, Im not knocking the M20 2.8 but it does not produce far more power than an M30,even un serviced high milers still kick out 200bhp but i agree it is a heavy old lump of pig iron.

IMO an M30 would suit a tech-1 as its more of a 'period' swap to the car but for driveability,efficiency and power, without a shadow of a doubt i would go for an M52.