E30 Zone

To all you V8 E30 lovers...................

Have a look at this short video:



Whether you're thinking about doing the swap or are halfway through and need some encouragement, this video should interest you!

This E30 has the M60 and 6 speed manual and is sitting on banded G60 15" steels.

waited 14 weeks for this company to supply me with manifolds and system for my conversion..... got them else where in 4 weeks ....... nice car but poor show imo

That is a shame stbaz.

With your M60/ M62 conversion what steering set-up are you using (pas or non-assisted etc etc)?

Who did your manifolds and system in the end?

Quite bad video to be honest.. Though the V8 sound is always nice to hear, especially from E30!

SuperchargedV8Touring wrote:That is a shame stbaz.

With your M60/ M62 conversion what steering set-up are you using (pas or non-assisted etc etc)?

Who did your manifolds and system in the end?

done by jp exhausts through a member on here as his car was used as a jig due to me being in scotland

im using power steering on mine

i must admit i was the same as Stbaz, it was like getting blood out of a stone trying to get anything out of this company. as soon as i said i was building it myself he didn't really want to know.
shame really i had alot of money to spend lol

What are you building? How's it going or is it all up and running already?!

I'm really happy with GAMA, but I couldn't do my conversion myself anyway! Lack of space, tools and time, never mind experience..............

Were you after manifolds, like Stbaz, or more of a complete conversion?

I am building a supercharged M62b44 and it's still a work in progress and ground to a halt for the winter.

As for gama I asked them for a manifold and pedal box but after chasing them I gave up.
I wish I could give my project to someone to finish haha.

That's exactly the engine choice I've gone for! I'm using the ESS 7psi system for the E39 the engine came from and am using Emerald's K6 ecu and a bit of Devil's Own water methanol injection for engine protection.

Would you be going to Gaydon this August? Mine should be ready for the show and we could compare notes...........

Sounds like a good choice to go for the menthol injection. I don't think mine is going to be ready this august. I keep changing my mind ;)
I'm pretty set on what I want now though.
I'm going to be using the twin screw charger off a V12 jag if it fits. Could you email me over some pics?
Littleoldben@gmail.com

The methanol injection is mainly for intake cooling on my car. It can give an increase in hp, due to the increase in effective octane rating, but I'm not overly fussed about that. Mind you, there's also the added bonus that with the cooler intake temps you can then run higher boost, if you like that sort of thing............

Any idea of the hp or torque you anticipate from your potential set-up?

i think that will be the route ill be going down? where abouts have you put your methanol bottle?
also what engine bushes did you use and did you have clearance issues from the sump and the steering rack?
not sure what sort of power ill be expecting at this stage

My methanol bottle will be in the boot on my Touring. It'll be custom built to fit the well behind one of the wheel arches. Bruce Morris of Devils Own UK is the man to speak to about these kits; he has them fitted to just about everything he drives and he doesn't sell you what you don't need.

Gama have done all the fabrication and fitting, and there hasn't been any clearance issues with their choice of engine mounts/ bushes. I'm not sure which bushes have been used and I haven't fully decided which rack to go for as yet, but the engine clears the standard E30 or E36 pas racks, the only issue will be the angle of the column where it connects to the rack, given the lack of space in the bay with a 90 degree V8. This is partly why the E34 and E39 V8s had steering boxes, even though their bays are wider! E30 and E36 racks don't have the same input shaft/ steering column angles, which doesn't matter so much on straight six conversions, but is a bigger decision with V8 ones especially with proper tubular manifolds!

Power expectations for mine? 450hp and the same in torque please! Perhaps even 500hp if everything is in good shape. If you've researched the various E34 and E39 V8 supercharged conversions you'll have seen the variations in power outputs. ESS are quite conservative and reckon on about 411hp with 7psi on my E39 lump. Another German tuner had just over 6psi on their kit, no intercooler, sports exhaust with cats but still managed 437hp and 475lb/ft. This is why I could be in for 450-500hp with a custom exhaust, no cats, Emerald K6, 7psi ESS Vortech charger and water methanol.

Ahh that's a good place to put the methanol bottle, I might put mine in the boot along with the fuel tank, swirl pot and fuel pumps.
At the moment I'm struggling with getting time to work on mine, and I'm pretty much doing it on myown as all my friends arnt so spanner friendly (but give them a hammer and their well away)

I'm looking for another E34 540i manual because I'm after the 6speed out if it and the gerboxes on their own is like rocking hourse poo.
As for the steering Danthe does a conversion from E30 to E36 rack and does away with the big round damper thing so gives you more room for the exhaust manifold to pass it.

I think I have seen something like this on ebay, would they be Danthe's work? Did you get the pictures I sent?

im not too sure if they are also Danthe's work, ask him on here. he may just have some left to sell?

i did get the pictures thankyou. the exhaust and manifold looks like good work there.

Glad you like the photos, I'll send you more when it's all finished.............

yea thanks for the pictures, ill send you some of mine once i get home early enough, plus iv just found a 6 speed box too which im chuffed about. ill keep you on the update

Update guys???? both projects sound interesting.

Mine is still a work in progress, but we're nearly there...... How's your project going Driftben?

Custom driveshafts should be ready next week.
Wiring up the Emerald K6 to the M62B44 and E30 loom is starting this weekend.
Finalising the custom servo/ master cylinder set-up will also be getting done shortly.
Apart from tweaks to the tail pipes the exhaust is all done.

I was at Gaydon with it, here are some photos of my project from before the Festival and also on the day itself.

http://s1189.photobucket.com/albums/z432/E30V8/

The engine bay is spotless and the engine itself is clean as a whistle, with some powder coated parts to finish it off. I have a more suitable front valance from an a/c equipped E30 which will give me more airflow to the custom rad without losing the factory look.

Looking forward to hearing her start for the first time..............

Oooof, that supercharger is mahooosive!!!!! Also like stabilizer behind the rear seat, build is looking super cool!!

Cheers for the positive feedback! The 'charger is a big one and you can't exactly hide it away either......

I am pleased with the rear brace too, it's a great bit of fabrication by Gama.

At Gaydon a fair few people thought it was a turbo at first! Which it is, in a way, just being belt driven instead of exhaust driven...

Are you considering a V8 in your Touring?

good bit of progress there fella, my prop shaft is currently being shortened and iv just got my powder coated rocker covers back (wasnt too successful). wiring is next and then manifolds which im not looking forward to.
iv built a gearbox mount so the 6speed box is all in place now.


i have a twin screw charger which im trying to fit on somewhere, but until i have everything in place i cant fit it.
im still designing the fuel system and im looking for a pedal box too. ill try and get some pictures up

iv got too many jobs started i think because im still yet to design the front brakes

This is exactly what stuffing a V8 into an E30 is all about! What we all need is a magic wand which gets us straight to the end product, which we can then enjoy driving! All this fabrication and problem solving has to be done, but it never is as simple as it sounds.....

Well done for doing so much all by yourself, unlike me, and I'm very interested in seeing your twin screw 'charger fitted. It'll be a different animal to my centrifugally charged M62!

Catch you later, best of luck with it all.

SuperchargedV8Touring wrote:Cheers for the positive feedback! The 'charger is a big one and you can't exactly hide it away either......

I am pleased with the rear brace too, it's a great bit of fabrication by Gama.

At Gaydon a fair few people thought it was a turbo at first! Which it is, in a way, just being belt driven instead of exhaust driven...

Are you considering a V8 in your Touring?

Would love to but can`t make that commitment at the moment, but at least I know where to go for a few pointers when I decide to!!

No worries, I'll gladly help you when you're ready! Also, Driftben would have plenty of knowledge as he has done a lot of it himself.

Just seen this vid on youtube...


The wheels....................super sexy.............. how wide??

That's great! I remember the guy doing the video. How did you find it?

The wheels are not as wide as you might be thinking.

They're originally 5.5J x 15 MINI wheels, banded to 7.5J at the front and 8.5J at the rear.

205/50/15 and 225/50/15 tyres, which are about as wide as I can get without rolling the arches etc.

There are other choices for steels to band, but the Mini ones are usually quite cheap........

i have a set of those on my drift E30 which im selling, they do look like the business i must admit.



as for the M60 i have almost finished the fuelling so i shall take some pics of that tonight, once thats done i shall pop the finished loom on and start the bugger.

They look great in white on your car! Very racy and lightweight looking. What sizes have you gone for? Looks similar to mine.....

well a slight update on the build (sorry to take over you thread matey )
i have welded 2 AN-6 nipples on the ends of the fuel rail so i can use AN6 hose and replace the fuel reg for a adjustable motorsport unit.





iv pulled out all the injectors as well because they are really filthy, so i am soaking them in petrol and im going to clean them lightly with a tooth brush. will i bugger them by doing this?

I don't know if you will bugger them by doing that. Did the engine run well before taking it out? Can you get someone to put them through an actual injector cleaning/ testing rig? I think they're quite tough really, so using a toothbrush and petrol shouldn't do anything bad to them.

Don't worry about the thread either, I don't mind who takes it over!

yea the M60 ran ok but when i took the fuel rail off, one of the injectors come out with it and it was shockingly dirty so i pulled them all out for a clean and a change of 'O' rings.

i pulled the wiring loom and fuse box out tonight ready for re-routing through the wing and putting the fuse box inside the cab making more room for a fuel regulator in the engine bay... pics to follow.

hows your project going matey?

I became a father two weeks ago, so the amount of time I can, or want to, devote to the E30 has been reduced, but for the best reason possible!

It's not far off completion, as I believe the Emerald ECU to be wired up now and the remainder of the custom made parts have been or will be fitted shortly. Basically, it should be ready to go, as soon as a custom intake pipe has been made up to go from the supercharger to the throttle body.

I'll look forward to seeing your pictures and I'll see what I can send you in return.......

ahh congrats mate, now you have 2 babys to look after haha
im taking picks as i go, all i have to do is finish off the fueling, pedal box and brakes and then the prop shaft. should be all good after that i hope