E30 Zone

Hi all this has proberly been covered but i cant find it, now i am looking to get an e30 again and in the summer converting it to either a 325i turbo or getting a v8, now im weighing up my options, what is needed exactly to run the v8 in the e30 and how much do things add up to? As i said im weighing up my options im sure the 325 lump will be fine for the street and a bit of drifting on track but i love the v8 or turbo.

every angle of this conversion has been covered in this sub forum matey, look for the build threads. you will find pretty much everything you need to know including pictures

the V8 conversion is a good conversion if your good with a spanner and ready to cut weld and brainstorm

i am a mechanic so am good with the spanners and can cut and weld pritty well, just the electrics i am not up to scratch with

well if its just the wiring your worried about i wouldnt let that stop you, its not as bad as you think. with the M62 its alittle bit different and more tricky though.

does everything bolt in as such? or does it need modifying like front subframes etc?

you dont need to mod the subframe but you will need to make some custom engine mounts or buy some E30.de mounts and ditch the lefthand M60/62 mount and cut down the right hand one as the oil ways from the oil filter is incorporated in the mount.

you can get the engine and manual box in with alot of swearing, beer drinking and cut knuckles but with a auto box its alot more tighter as the auto box is the size of a small spaceship

so if i could get the engine and box for under 700 could the rest be done for a further 8-900?

how could i forget the manifolds! id say they are the biggest issue as they need to be basically remade but if your a dab hand at welding then you can do it with lots of time and effort and a possible bad back with taking them on and off and on and off modding them.

haha will i was going to say large but didnt want to offend anyone brave enough to use it

i haven't gone the 20mm sub frame spacer way because i wanted more of a equaled geometry but underneath where the steering rack is under the oil pan lets just say its closer than your pubs are to you man hood

will have to get an e30 first before i do anything lol, am trying to sell my 1jz soarer or swap for one

That would be a wicked start my good friend, then start looking at grabbing a 540i e34 to take everything from. Do those 2 things and you will be on your way to going very fast and looking bloody cool doing it

Will that's a nice bit of clearance, I need to keep a eye on mine as it settles.

if you use a 5 speed box the prop from an e36 328 will bolt straight up just need to change the centre bearing to an e30 1.6 speed box needs a custom prop made.i mounted my brake servo where the glovebox would be and just cut the back out the glovebox so it clips on and hides it.drivers side manifold is the hardest part of the build.needs to be custom no matter which ones you use.wiring for the 4 litre is simple.somebody has already made a wiring printout that tells you which wire goes where.

Yep but be careful because not every M60-M20 wiring will be the same, do abit of research with the wiring diagrams

and you will need an ecu with no ews cant remember the number

As most have said above. Getting the engine in is not bad at all. Simplest way is to use E30.de mounts, maybe slightly more expensive but its a tried and tested setup. It gets the engine low and far back too. I have seen far to many were you can see the back of the block!

Manifolds are a pain, there are lots of threads about them on here. You will have to custom make some manifolds, either cut up stock ones or have some fabricated. Fabricated will be better of course as the standard manifolds are very restrictive.

Wiring, M60B40 takes about 3 wires to actually get running. As willnz has said EWS is fine so long as you have all the parts, ie chip and key. I believe there are a few companies out there that will do EWS removal from the loom/ecu.

Gearbox, with a E34 530 V8 5 Speed you can as said by sparkye30, you can use a propshaft from an E36 328. Its strong and shouldnt break under the power. (A few crafted together props can shaft themselves). You will need to change the center bearing to a E30 item
I would pm Jonsku on here regarding if you use E34 540 V8 6 speed to find out what propshaft to use.

The 5 speed box has its benefits, its believed to be stronger. I certainly have seen less with knackered syncros. Although you simply cant bolt a oem clutch on. The 530 V8 clutch wont be able to handle the extra power of the 4.0 V8. The 5 speed box does bolt in really well, its does become an arse when throwing it all together. However 2020 vision can do a billet flywheel (which transforms the way the v8 responds) and helix can supply a clutch suitable for your needs. Any clutch place can if you give them the details. I have a 5 speed gearbox, I love it, although I do wish I had another gear for the motorway.

I use the 20mm subframe spacers, well worth it, just gives a little more room around and is a god send when you are trying to work on it after its all in. Brings then engine down a touch too.

As willnz stated about the E34 remote mount oil filter, with this simply use your existing fittings and have some longer hoses made for this. It enables it to be located on the inner wing (or wherever you choose) to allow for room to get the coolant pipes to the radiator.



Radiator wise, you can use a E34 item, however you have to chop the chassis rails to fit it. I use a E36 M3 rad, believe same as a Z3 item, and for little money Mishmoto do a really thick alloy one. The e36 rad fits direct onto the oem mounts. I struggled with temperatures whilst drifting so had to open up my front end (still looks stock) and move the coolers (photo below). On road it was fine.

I highly recommend looking at the cooling side if you are using it for drifting/track. These engines run quite hot as standard. If you are drifting I say a must is a oil cooler and also a power-steering cooler. The power-steering gets really hot in these and fluid failure whilst drifting is not nice!



Brake wise, you can go for the servo mounted by the headlight, although to me its seems alot of work. I have seen ones that look good in photos (jonskus) but havent seen one in the flesh the doesnt flex like hell. You can go servo-less, which is great for a out and out track car but on the road I wouldnt sacrifice the ease of a servo system. I have mounted my servo behind the dash, I agree on a stock looking road car is a bit of a lose to give up the glovebox, but its very simple to do and utilizes the stock braking system.

The beauty of the V8 conversion is the fact is a stock motor, so no matter what the weather is/temperature it will always work. They are cheap to replace and compared to a reliably built turbo motor that will have the reliability of the V8, its so much cheaper

Best option is to try and source a manual 540. Gearboxes arent common for sale, when they are they cant be tested and are fucking expensive. If you get a complete car then atleast it can be tested. If you dont mind using the 5 speed box then look for a 530 V8

i have a 6 speed in mines.i used the rear half of a 328 prop and had to get a custom front half made

Useful collection of info here, as i'm in the middle of planning the M60/6 spd route for my 318iS. Or trying to anyway!

Those of you who have done it, what insurance company have you gone with and how much are you paying? Would love to come and see someone's in the flesh.

Sky insurance soon to be Adrian flux

25 yr old
2 years ncb
All modifications declared
£500

Found this post myself really useful.
Debating on weather I wanna go down this route after seeing a fellow friends v8 drift and how it reacted and drove was phoneminal!