Boxer-4 Turbo into E30

[Motorhole]

Anyone ever considered this?

I was into the Chevy LS1 engined E30 M3. But a Chevy LS1 engine and box is Ԛ£6000! A mint Subaru turbo engine could be had for Ԛ£1000, is even lighter than the Chevy, keeps all its weight close to the ground and far back in the engine bay and is capable of a reliable 360bhp+.

From pics, looks like it would not be hard to get a custom bellhousing or an adaptor plate to make the engine mate to the Getrag 5-speed. However, the engine is quite wide, and sitting low in the engine bay would it interfere with any of the subframe?

Of course there are other lightweight turbo motors that would go in. But the sound of a Subaru boxer is no loss over the M20 straight 6 whereas other 4 cylinders sound flat in comparison. Ideas? Suggestions?

[Gunni]

Try sourcing the LS1 from USA , I belive a crate motor isnԚ´t expensive at all.

[Motorhole]

The Ԛ£6000 is the price for a crate motor, according to the fellow who built the Jargermeister M3. He imported his from the US, and that price doesn't include a wiring loom either. He runs his on an Emerald.

[Wilson325i]

wow!! a scooby flat 4 in a E30??? now there is an idea, has anyone ever done this??

for me this i would do without hesitation, dnt need to worry about engine bay modeing.

i had a chance of an M30 supply and fitted for 1k but was afraid of modeing the bay

but a flat 4??

people will never look at the E30 the same way when i blast off into the horizon.

[Motorhole]

So I'm not completely nuts then?

[Andy335Touring]

i had a chance of an M30 supply and fitted for 1k but was afraid of modeing the bay

You should have snapped his hand off for 1k !

[fuzzy]

to right mate,it cost me Ԛ£2600 just in labour charges to fit my engine.

[Mops]

I had a twin turbo scooby (2 stage sequential twin turbo legacy, not sure whether they sell them in UK), so i know how it all looks, and i was thinking about the same idea..

Main priblem would be the steering linkage. aswell I'm not sure whether it would fit width-wise, even if it did, whether there would be engough space around to, for example, change spark plugs....

Apare form those two problems I think there's nothing more that would stand in the way.

This engine would be the best in terms of weight distribution in E30

Mops.

[Simon]

Not sure about the conversion, but have you tried changing the plugs on a scooby flat four!?

[Wilson325i]

Not sure about the conversion, but have you tried changing the plugs on a scooby flat four!?

how do you mean???? not sure about the converstion?? why not?? is it easy to do the plugs or hard?? please explain a bit more

and here is a twin turbo that just ended on flee-bay

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... %3AIT&rd=1

[Simon]

Not sure about the conversion, but have you tried changing the plugs on a scooby flat four!?

how do you mean???? not sure about the converstion?? why not?? is it easy to do the plugs or hard?? please explain a bit more



http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... %3AIT&rd=1

What I said!

I have no idea how easy/difficult it is 2 put a boxer in an E30!

Also, that the spark plugs are difficult to change on one of these engines, their buried away nicely!

[Wilson325i]

doh !!

my bad!!

[Motorhole]

Yes, I just had a poke around in my engine bay, and the steering linkage could be a problem.

Changing the plugs on a scooby is an arse! Widthwise, it COULD be a tight fit.

But...it is almost the perfect engine-chassis combination really! Would love to make it work.

[Mops]

Ok, let me clear it up for you guys.

I owned/drove twin turbo scooby legacy for 4 years, and let me assure you, spark plugs are NOT difficult to change. All you need is a rachet, spark plug socket and 3" estension.... and about 3" (~ 10cm) clearance on both sides of the engine to do it.

In fact those engines are VERy SMARTLY constructed, and there's usually good access to eveything. Normally all you need to do is to remove air intake/batter on one side and window washer fluid container on the other and you have very goof access to the engine.

If you still mroe space then you have to take out radiaitor and you the engine is on your fingertips.


Worried about clutch job ? you think undooing 4WD system to remove the gearbox will be difficult ??? In sobby no need to ! Cluth job in scooby is BRILLIANT !!!

You remove radiator, undoo gearbox nuts and engine nounts (you leave all hoses/cables/etc attached to the engine, lift the engine amd move it foreward in the engine bay about 30cm (aboiut 10"). That exposes the cluth. Once trained at this it take 2 hours to do the clutch on scooby.

Oh my scooby..... I miss it.....
:*(

[bling_singh]

talking about engine swaps etc. I wanted to swap my e30 1.6i for the e36 2.5i is this a good mod to do, i mean taking the engine from an e36?

Because them engines are newer than the e30 ones, and how hard is it to swap them over?
Also with wiring and everything and transmisson etc. I tried searching on this forum but i came up with confusing things!

i know i have to a rear disc, axle conversion as wel.. Does the e30 325i box bolt onto a e36 325i engine? and wiring etc. I dnt no all the little little things about bmw's yet i love this site and soon i hope i will know lots.

Just swapped my 200sx for a MINT STUNNING dolphin grey 316i coupe, too which i want to engine swap.

Any answers would be great help.

[Dan318-is]

search m50 conversion

or look in the engine swap threads its not that hard to do

[dlatch33]

Novel idea
think a nissan skyline engine would be even better though

[Motorhole]

For outright power, yes. But a boxer-4 would be better for building a balanced car. Spot on for weight distribution and overall low kerb weight. RB26 is an ace engine, but weighs a fecking tonne, being an iron block, and all the weight would be over the front axle. Then would also have trouble keeping a cramped engine bay cool whilst running twin turbos.

Just isn't made for the E30...like I say, boxer-4 E30 could be the perfect match of ultimate driver's car chassis and lightweight, well balanced, awesome sounding power. I would just like to know how to get it to work!

I am also tempted however just to get an Impreza and remove the front drive

[fuzzy]

how about a cosworth conversion?

[Mops]

For outright power, yes. But a boxer-4 would be better for building a balanced car. Spot on for weight distribution and overall low kerb weight. RB26 is an ace engine, but weighs a fecking tonne, being an iron block, and all the weight would be over the front axle. Then would also have trouble keeping a cramped engine bay cool whilst running twin turbos.

Just isn't made for the E30...like I say, boxer-4 E30 could be the perfect match of ultimate driver's car chassis and lightweight, well balanced, awesome sounding power. I would just like to know how to get it to work!

I am also tempted however just to get an Impreza and remove the front drive

subarus suck if you disable front drive train (or rear for that matter).

[Mops]

how about a cosworth conversion?

all tho great engine, it's pretty rate and therefore expensive. aswell replacment parts are expensive. Subaru engine would be great cos theyre are plenty of them they have been manufactured since mid/late 80's and they are still being actively produced. you can get stuff like factory forged pistons and crankshafts... all within the price of the engine. (JDM STI v3)

I just have another thought.... steering will be difficult.... ej20 has a turbo right where the settering rack is....

um.....

then again... use twin turbo exhaust mainfold (turbos on both sides of the engine), block the one that goes in the way of steering rack.... um.... they actuallt *might* be doable....

how would i go about making custom bellhousing ??? (subaru transmissions suck, and will die quickly when powering 1 axle only, so gertag has to be adapted).

Mops.

[Doels]

Flat 4 Subaru boxer in an E30, now thats a conversion that I would like to see. However, I still maintain that a BMW must be kept a BMW.
I have been thinking about slamming the Scooby engine in a VW Beetle. Wonder whether it will work though?

[Andy_magic]

You could always find a binned Subaru SVX and use the motor from that. I think they are 3 litre flat 6 with forced induction.

[Motorhole]

The VW conversion is already quite popular. You can buy bellhousings and engine mounts for the flat-4 to mount up with the VW transaxle. needles to say, they go like stink!

Don't think mating a boxer to a BMW Getrag 'box would be too hard. Could probably get away with using the Subaru bellhousing with an adaptor plate. One of the issues of Practical Performance Car Magazine had an article on mating different engines & boxes...

Its just the damn steering linkage! Engine may even be low enough to clear the brake servo. Plus dimensions on each side of the engine bay....

How come Impreza's suck when just driving two wheels??

[Motorhole]

Dammnit! Some american 'dudes' know of a company in Boston that did a Mitsubishi Evo transplant. Also very light and reliable. However, apparantly much easier to fit! hmmmm....doesn't have the boxer sound though

[Andy_magic]

As the americans say: There's no replacment for a bit of displacement.

Get get a V8 or V12 BMW lump in there, I know it's been done but its a class mod.

[dlatch33]

Full rebuild on a cossie engine can be done cheaper than u think
Ԛ£1500 all in

try and rebuild other turbo motors for that money

the flat 4 engine idea would be different but they are not the best for tuning also i think you will have a nightmare with the steering rack

[Motorhole]

hmmm....Cosworth YB....reliability

[fuzzy]

put together properly and maintained with good quality parts, the cosworth engine is solid. its also cheap to tune up. Ԛ£200 takes you from standard 204bhp to stage 1 and 270bhp another Ԛ£500-Ԛ£600 takes you to 330bhp.subarus are much dearer for the after market tune ups. it cost my mate over a grand to get to the cossie stage 1 mark on his subaru. the cossie engine is a relatively simple engine where as jap cars tend to have a lot more complicated electronics, which usually means more to go wrong! in the end though any engine conversion of this sort is going to be expensive and youve always got to be prepared for problems, but good luck with whatever you do