M52 - List of Stuff to Replace

[Motorhole]

I now have my M52 donor car. Unfortunately I have nowhere to store the engine and gearbox in the meantime other than in the donor car. Therefore when it comes time to fit into the E30 (which already has an empty engine bay etc), I'm going to want to lift it all out, fit E34 sump & M20 clutch/flywheel etc and drop into the E30 in a weekend.

First question: Is this a reasonable hope?

Second question: I'm going to replace anything that needs replacing on the M52 motor whilst it's in situ in the E36, removing the front for access. To save time during the swap. What should I be replacing? Water pump? Oil pump? Alternator belt? Anything else to think about?

[E30BeemerLad]

I would replace the water pump and the aux belt, probably the thermostat too.

Remove the air con pump too (unless you plan on the having air con).

Have you got a M20 starter motor already?

It is all do-able in a weekend IMO if you are prepared in advance and don't hit any snags along the way.

I assume you have engine mounts ready etc?

[Motorhole]

Cheers Lee, won't be needing aircon. I guess the belt driving the air con pump doesn't drive anything else?

Already have M20 lightened flywheel & starter. Other bits, mounts, sump etc will be collected in due course and all will be piled up ready come swap weekend. Still got more work to do to the E30 yet.

Unrelated question - going through the sticky about fitting options, I'm using the 328i box and prop as I have a 3.15 LSD. What does it mean by fitting the E30 centre bearing backwards, I thought this could only fit one way? I think a normal gearbox cross-member is used? Also, do you know what gear linkages I need to get the shifter in the right place?

[rich318i]

i used the x-member from my M40 box fits lovley and used the linkage from the E36 touring that was the donnor and fits in the middle as it should. not sure about the bearing as i wasnt there when it was fitted. but over a year now and 10k done and everyting is sweet.
i took my A/C pully off but others just leave it on. if you take yours off you'll need sorter bolts or space it with a few washers

all the bits and bobs you'll need come to about £200-250

[Motorhole]

Thanks bud. I'm sure when it comes swap time though I'll be back with more questions!

[rich318i]

what spec is your E30 4 or 6 pot?

oh and you need the cilo servo
E28 engine mounts

[Motorhole]

It was a 1990 318i - M40. Engine mounts are on the shopping list. Floor mounted pedal box is going in so doing away with the servo completely - it is going to be primarily a track car. Already done the full 5-stud conversion with E36 M3 front brakes and 318ti rears, using E36 compact Koni coilovers and the E36 M3 evo front wishbones. Diff is a 3.15 LSD from a Z3M, but with 318ti output flanges to fit the 318ti driveshafts e46 clubsport rack is already sitting in place too with the required steering linkage modifications.

[yung-gun]

Really like the sound of your setup matey, how dificult was it to do the conversion to 5 stud? just a case of wishbones struts and track rods?

[Motorhole]

Really like the sound of your setup matey, how dificult was it to do the conversion to 5 stud? just a case of wishbones struts and track rods?

Thanks bud! Just hoping it won't come to less than the sum of its parts because the sum of its parts was quite a lot

5-stud conversion was easy with the right parts. I have used precisely the following:

E36 Compact Koni coilover set (separate inboard springs & dampers rear)
E36 M3 Evo wishbones
E36 M3 Evo hubs (you need these to get the correct castor. Easy to get from a breaker as on E36, the hub is seperate from the damper, unlike the E30)
E36 M3 brake calipers (I got fresh re-con ones from brakes international. But these don't include the carriers or spring clips. Carriers are from a breaker and spring clips are cheap new from BMW)
E30 M3 Eccentric poly bushes
E36 318ti complete rear trailing arms (will the driveshafts be OK with M52 power? This is one of my concerns. But I don't plan to drag or drift.)
E36 318ti diff output flanges (318ti driveshaft flange is a different shape from the E30 one so won't fit in the E30 diff without changing the flanges. Dead easy job, just lever the old ones out and pop the new ones in.)

These bits all bolt together as if they came from the factory! It is that easy. I have found that the E46 offset wheels I have now (ET47) on 205/55/16 tyres JUST foul the collar of the coilover on the front. 5mm spacer gives you plenty room. These wheels are just cheap ones for rolling the shell around on though, they don't clear the brakes and I will be fiting 8x17 with 225 tyres. An offset of between 27 and 30 SHOULD clear both strut and arches without spacers.

I also have some camber plates on the front, but these are optional. You don't need them to obtain the correct geometry. The rear sits a little high on the E36 compact springs too, but I have an E30 set to go in when I get the chance. The E46 rack is fitted with normal E30 track rods & ends.

Hope that's all clear!

[yung-gun]

I like the sounds of that. Most certainly on the cards!

[DanThe]

Driveshaft CV joints are the same size as E30 (probably same part) and wont give you a problem

[Duke137]

Driveshaft CV joints are the same size as E30 (probably same part) and wont give you a problem unless you destroy them at Santa Pod

[DanThe]

Well apart from that...

[Motorhole]

I like the sounds of that. Most certainly on the cards!

Just have a think about why you're doing it though bud! I did it as I thought that the extra track would be useful for a track car and because I thought the geometry would bring it closer to E30 M3 spec. Plus you get the big brakes. But it takes a lot of time to collect the parts unless you have a big stash of cash sitting around! In total, I must have spent around £1k-£1.2k on parts, buying a little at a time. And the coilovers were 2nd hand unused too, so saved some there. Not driven the car yet so I still don't know if it's all been worth it. Will let you know when I have.

If I were doing my project again though, I would definitely put more thought into staying 4-stud and getting one of the various brake kits available on here. Would've saved quite a bit of cash, plus I wouldn't need 17" wheels.

[age]

e30 driveshafts are stronger that e36 items,
seeing as you have a set from your e30, better to use them ;)