E30 Zone

I'd like a place to keep all of my V8 swap info in case I ever need to reference it again. I figure this is as good a spot as any
Hopefully I'll help some future V8 swappers along the way.

So my car started life as a 91 318is. I bought it for an economical daily but that idea went out the window quickly. I did an m30 swap to it last fall but I cracked the oil pan without knowing it and blew the engine. Picked up a 6 speed out of an e34 540i for $100 and started my swap
I'll be doing a minor shave to the engine bay at the same time, the m30 swp always annoyed me with how messy it looks.


Before:




Progress so far:

m60b40 out of my friends crashed 93 e32


transmission


Dinan lightweight e39 M5 flywheel and new clutch

Moved the ABS to beneath where it was before so I'd have more room for the new booster and so all the brake lines are hidden. Cut off a few brackets too




Power steering delete installed


Hole cut for body wiring


Wires run

ABS plug wires need to be extended to fit the new location

And thats where I'm at now


Waiting for my mounts to get in from Germany and trying to find a V8 booster currently. Once I get them I'll be able to get the engine in for any final adjustments then back out for paint. Shooting to have it running by mid June/early July

You surely have a tight schedule! Keep the pictures coming..

Aren't you worried that the ABS-pump gets full of dirt / other shit when it sits down under?

Theres really nowhere for anything to get inside as it is a closed system, but I will be making a plastic splash shield to keep the electronics away from water and such.


Hopefully this schedule works out for me lol. If anything is going to make it not happen it's going to be the driveshaft shop. They were under 6' of water a few months ago with all the flooding we had and they have been slow ever since.

My mounts arrived today! Hopefully have the engine in by the end of this weekend.

The delete is pretty cool design actually. Just a loop that reuses the stock banjo's.



I drove around with the belt off with the last 2 engines and I had no problems. I am pretty jacked though

nice new M60 thread Byron. im after a bit of info on them mounts..... im going to be cutting my M62 back way into the bulkhead and i was wondering when you get the engine in could you take some pictures of the back of the engine so i can kinda work out if i can mod the mounts enough to accommodate the M62 moving back.

good luck

ben

Sure thing Ben. Although I think the problem with moving the engine back isn't the firewall, but the oil pan to steering rack clearance. I'm going to try to put mine as far back as possible because I'd like to run the acoustics cover still but I'm not spacing the subframe at all.


Tried for a good 3 hours to get the engine in today and it just won't fit. My homemade load leveler can't get enough angle and the engine hits at the radiator support and at the blower at the same time. Don't know if I'll have time to try to get it in again before next weekend, but I'm going to try to lift just the back of the car next time. I took pics but I'm too lazy to upload them. Expect them tomorrow lol.

Yap, the problem isn't the firewall ( http://users.tkk.fi/jhaukile/14-4-2009_konehuone.html ) but the oilpan-steering rack clearance ( http://users.tkk.fi/jhaukile/E30_V8_img ... haalta.jpg ). Though the coolant-pipe requires some space at the firewall if not modified, but you'll see when you test-fit the engine..

Hehe, you need to tilt the engine quite a lot to slip it in there..

Oh right wow I didn't know the old pan was so close to the steering rack. Hmm gets me thinking of moving that slightly back as well.
The mounts you both have, is that position 2 which makes it closest to the steering rack?

Thanks
ben

We've mounts from www.300mm.de

I have "position 2,5" ( i rotated the asymmetrical engine rubbers to get the engine in the middle and bit backward, was leaning to RHS with stock rubber and 300mm.de mounts (to give alternator more clearance)).

I don't see how you'd fit the engine in position 3 in there because in my opinion there isn't enough space.. Would be very interesting to see such "oilpan-clearance" picture of a E30 with V8 in "position 3"

I see no sense in moving the subframe.. It'd be easier to modify oilpan, and the 1" more you get engine back doesn't make so big difference after all.

So on the mounts you have there is a position 3 but you can't use it because of the clearence?
Basicly I'm after taking the engine back very far. Well try to anyway and if it means moding the oil pan then I'll have a go ;) good to try new things
Oh and the bushes you said about jonsku where did you find them mate? They sound like a must.

Thanks
ben

The mounts do have holes both for position 2 and 3. ( http://users.tkk.fi/jhaukile/28-9-2008_konekorvat.html )

I use standard E34 540 engine bushes (they have oil in them and are very expensive). ( http://users.tkk.fi/jhaukile/6-1-2009_sivusta-oik.html )

Wow how much were they jonsku? And what's the difference Apart from being oil filled?

They're something around 75€ / piece, and used as standard so nothing special in them. You can see all the prices at www.bmwfans.info ;)

Sorry for the OT!

i couldn't get my engine in with the gearbox fitted, i tried twice
i ended up putting the gearbox on the floor/in the tunnel,
then put the engine in, then re-fitted the gearbox.
i have around 15mm clearance between the front of the steering rack and the back of the deep part of the sump.
and there's around 10mm clearance in height between the sump/rack.

Pictar time!

Engine all back together and painted


Transmission bolted up and mounts on


Doesn't look good from here :shifty


Sooo close!



and thats as far as I got.

Jonsku, I've been meaning to ask you about the mounts. I have ones for an e32 740i, but they have 2 studs and the centering nub in the bottom. The e30 subframe only has the 2 holes in it, so do I cut off a stud or do I drill extra holes? I looked in your build thread but there were no good pictures of what you did.


And as for the coolant pipe, I work at a welding shop

I use 540 mounts and i've driller additional holes to subframe. I had to use 5mm spacers between engine mounts and bushes, otherwise the oilpan would hit the subframe. There's a list of different BMW engine mounts suitable with V8 somewhere in the 'net but didn't find it yet.

E30SPDFRK wrote:

and thats as far as I got.

Dude, take intake manifold with all the bits off the engine, also PS pump, alternator, trigger wheel, water pump etc. Otherwise the engine isn't going in there.. And tilt it even more ;)

Have a look at Will/ Dee/ kerries builds for some bespoke mount options, both leave all suspension in the same place.
I had to cut the front section of the engine bay to get the main pulley past to drop the engine in one go, which worked out well at the end as I needed this space for a large electric fan.
Good luck, The brakes, exhausts are the hardest part of the build.

Sorry for OT but had to comment on this one

kerrie wrote:I had to cut the front section of the engine bay to get the main pulley past to drop the engine in one go

Ummm.. why on earth you didn't unbolt the main pulley and then bolt it back on when the engine sits in the 'bay. There're only 9 bolts in it..

this is my next project i have planned e30 m60 so i'm following this closely and a few other build threads , everyone seems to put the engine in from teh top and keep thinking would it not be easier to unbolt the crossmember/rack , bolt the engine to it then lift the shell over it all ? or am a missing sumthing here ?

also with the auto box which prop do u plan to use ?

a plan on using the 5 speed box prob of a 530i/730i , a know the e30 m3 prop can be used but is there an alternative ? as finding an e30 m3 prop might be tricky

EDIT: just noticed it was WILLNZ that mentioned using the autobox

willnz wrote:You might find if you use 740 mounts that the motor hits the bonnet at the front. From what I understand, that is why people use the spacer between the crossmember and the chassis legs, to drop the motor. I havnt used this spacer.

I tried the 740 mounts in mine but they lifted the engine too far up. I converted to uprated e30 mounts now I have about 10mm clearance to the underside of the bonnet from the centre cover of the motor. My sump also clears the steering rack using these e30 mounts by no more than 10mm vertically.

My e30 crossmember has the 2nd hole for the locating lug on the mounts.

What mounts are you using? I don't have the ground clearance for the subframe spacers

Jonsku wrote:I use 540 mounts and i've driller additional holes to subframe. I had to use 5mm spacers between engine mounts and bushes, otherwise the oilpan would hit the subframe. There's a list of different BMW engine mounts suitable with V8 somewhere in the 'net but didn't find it yet.

Dude, take intake manifold with all the bits off the engine, also PS pump, alternator, trigger wheel, water pump etc. Otherwise the engine isn't going in there.. And tilt it even more ;)

RealOEM is showing the 540 mounts to be the same as the 740 mounts. a spacer to clear the subframe isnt a problem for me, it's just that I'd like to keep it as low as possible.

I really don't want to have to take the intake off, that will take me even longer and make me have to buy even more gaskets lol.
I'm going to try to lift the back of the car about a foot or two to counteract the angle I can't get out of my leveler. It was seriously about an inch from going in the way I had it.

jay4thecruise wrote:this is my next project i have planned e30 m60 so i'm following this closely and a few other build threads , everyone seems to put the engine in from teh top and keep thinking would it not be easier to unbolt the crossmember/rack , bolt the engine to it then lift the shell over it all ? or am a missing sumthing here ?

also with the auto box which prop do u plan to use ?

a plan on using the 5 speed box prob of a 530i/730i , a know the e30 m3 prop can be used but is there an alternative ? as finding an e30 m3 prop might be tricky

EDIT: just noticed it was WILLNZ that mentioned using the autobox

The heads on the engine are wider than the frame rails on the e30, therefor making it impossible to go from the bottom

Theres a couple of driveshafts you can use for the 5 speed swap. Pretty much anything that fits an m30 e30 will work. Aka: 87 325e's, e36 328's, e30 M3's etc.

Long story! it ended up being stuck half in and half out, so couldn't get the pulley off!
also had the longer auto box hitting the ground!

Will, I have had extreme whipping on my Prop apparently due to the torque of the M60 and the e30 universal joint is before the centre bearing, So I am currently going to use a E36 rear section and modify the front again, The E36 has the Centre bearing before the UJ.
Thoughts? I call them school fees!

kerrie wrote:Will, I have had extreme whipping on my Prop apparently due to the torque of the M60 and the e30 universal joint is before the centre bearing, So I am currently going to use a E36 rear section and modify the front again, The E36 has the Centre bearing before the UJ.

You sure the prop is aligned properly? Surely it'll shake a bit when all of M60 torque goes through it but should't twist too much..

w00t!



As you can see, I decided car modification was the easiest way to get it in. Raising the back of the car did nothing. My other options were to remove the intake (too much time) or remove the transmission (too much of a bitch). I'm going to modify the piece I cut out so it bolts in, that way if I ever feel the need to pull it out again I'll be able to get it all out in one piece.

I was planning on pulling the engine again to paint the engine bay, but it was such a pain in the ass to get it in there that I'm just going to cover it up and paint around it lol.

Yeah... about the wiring lol.

All the wires on my harness are different colors from the ones listed in the e30.de writeup. I guess it's because my harness is from an auto, but I'm not sure why that would matter. Time to do some searching.