335i - M30 Swap - Ride Wanted!

[scarlaton]

I've been thinkings long and hard for a while now about how I can make my 325i even faster and I simply cannot decide which route to go down.

-Modify M20 for maximum N/A power

-Fit a super/turbo charger to M20

-Fit a whole M30

-Fit a whole M50

I can't decide. But I'm most tempted by the M30 option...

Is there anyone out there with a 335i that would be kind enough to give me a ride on one that they have? So I can experiance what having that 3.5 lump under your bonnet is like.

I'm from Shoreham in West Sussex, pretty near Brighton. Obviously I'd drive to you, but the nearer the better.

Cheers

James

[Steve-E30]

Friend of mine had a 335i and it was very impressive Ill do that to mine in the near future hopefully , Looked down the lines of supercharger/turbo but think the 335i is the way for me , His has a few other engine mods as well and dont know what tbh but i can ask him if needed but it was "holy shit" feeling as he accelerated

[DRIFTBOY]

I'd happily take you for a drive in mine but it may not be finished for a month or so. If you can wait, I'm in Maidstone, Kent.

Anyway - welcome to the zone!

[scarlaton]

Well I was hoping not to have wait that long. But thanks for the offer and good luck with the engineering.

"Holy shit" is what I'm after.

[maxfield]

Why not go turbo cause then if you get bored you can always turn up the boost but i suppose you could always go with M30 then if youi get bored add a turbo

[ed325i]

add a turbo

Or two

[Andy335Touring]

"Holy shit" is what I'm after.

If you want that fast then see if you can get a ride in Toby's 335 Turbo, from 90 through to 140+ it's fast !

We only went up to about 140 but it easily go's off the end of the speedo(150).

I'd gladly take you out in my 335 but it's a bit far and it's off the road for some upgrades, touch wood it will be back on the road at the end of this month.

[SPADGE]

Hi guys
My 1st post on here
Are there many difficulties in swopping the 325 lump for the 535 one? I am or have been a cossie man for years and have built and modded many cossie powered toys but have decided to have a play with some e30's and see what all the fuss is about.
Cheers Spadge...

[DRIFTBOY]

Hi SPADGE!

Welcome!

The 3.5 conversion isn't the hardest engine swap to do but there is still alot of work involved, it's not a simple job. And it's a flippin' heavy lump!
Changes include propshaft, exhaust, radiator, engine mounts, gearbox and clutch, a bit of wiring etc. Then you have to think about brakes, suspension etc. There are lots of threads on this site detailing this conversion. Hope to get mine on the road soon and find out if it's been worth the bother!

[SPADGE]

Hi SPADGE!

Welcome!

The 3.5 conversion isn't the hardest engine swap to do but there is still alot of work involved, it's not a simple job. And it's a flippin' heavy lump!
Changes include propshaft, exhaust, radiator, engine mounts, gearbox and clutch, a bit of wiring etc. Then you have to think about brakes, suspension etc. There are lots of threads on this site detailing this conversion. Hope to get mine on the road soon and find out if it's been worth the bother!

Hi
Thanks for the reply!
I knew it wouldn't be a simple swop over having looked in the engine bay of both vehicles. I have a complete 535 E34 manual as a donor vehicle so have both the engine and box. As far as the engine mounts are concerned is it a simple matter of bolting the 25 mounts onto the 35 block or is it more involved than that? as for propshaft, radiator etc...which ones exactly do i need to use or do they need to be fabricated?
Thanks again
Spadge....

[Kos]

Why not go turbo cause then if you get bored you can always turn up the boost but i suppose you could always go with M30 then if youi get bored add a turbo

its not that simple

[DRIFTBOY]

Well, there are various ways of doing things, many threads in the 'Engine swaps / forced induction' section are worth a read.
I also started with a manual E34 535i.
The engine mounting brackets either have to be fabricated or can be bought, I got mine from Tino at www.335i.de.
The engine can be fitted in various positions, the further back ones need a bit of hammering to the bulkhead to make room.
Then you can use the front half of the 535i prop (but shortened) with the rear half of the 325i prop. Or an E30 M3 prop if you can find one.
Then the downpipes need a bit of modding (easiest if you have a welder) and can be matched to a standard system or fabricate that too.
I used the E34 radiator although it is a very tight fit, even with the engine in its rear most position, most people seem to use an E28 one. Both need an electric fan on the front.
Cooling hoses need a bit of cutting and joining using bits of E30 and E34 but is quite straight forward.
The E34 engine loom and ecu nearly matches up on the multi-plug (C101) with the E30 body loom, enough to get it running.
Must use the E30 temperature sender in the thermostat housing to get the temp. guage to work.
Use E34 throttle cable.
The inlet manifold gets so close to the servo that alot of people use one from a mk1 Golf GTI or mk2 Golf 1.3.
I'm sure I've forgotten a few bits but that is a basic outline of what needs doing!

Not something you are likely to get done in a weekend!

[SPADGE]

Well, there are various ways of doing things, many threads in the 'Engine swaps / forced induction' section are worth a read.
I also started with a manual E34 535i.
The engine mounting brackets either have to be fabricated or can be bought, I got mine from Tino at www.335i.de.
The engine can be fitted in various positions, the further back ones need a bit of hammering to the bulkhead to make room.
Then you can use the front half of the 535i prop (but shortened) with the rear half of the 325i prop. Or an E30 M3 prop if you can find one.
Then the downpipes need a bit of modding (easiest if you have a welder) and can be matched to a standard system or fabricate that too.
I used the E34 radiator although it is a very tight fit, even with the engine in its rear most position, most people seem to use an E28 one. Both need an electric fan on the front.
Cooling hoses need a bit of cutting and joining using bits of E30 and E34 but is quite straight forward.
The E34 engine loom and ecu nearly matches up on the multi-plug (C101) with the E30 body loom, enough to get it running.
Must use the E30 temperature sender in the thermostat housing to get the temp. guage to work.
Use E34 throttle cable.
The inlet manifold gets so close to the servo that alot of people use one from a mk1 Golf GTI or mk2 Golf 1.3.
I'm sure I've forgotten a few bits but that is a basic outline of what needs doing!

Not something you are likely to get done in a weekend!

Thanks again thats just the sort of info i needed!
Nothing too drastic sounding there and should be able to do 90% of it myself and probably buy the 'furthest rear' engine mounts and take some of the weight backwards as well as give more room for the rad etc..
This plan is all very 'fluid' as i have been known to change things on the spur of the moment and is entirely dependant on me finding a suitable car worthy of the conversion, which is proving difficult as i am currently finding I'm guessing a 325se or Sport would be best due to them having rear discs etc?

[DRIFTBOY]

Like I said though, that's only a rough outline so there is a few other bits to do, but my wine bottle is nearly empty and I'm struggling to remember it all!
Engine positions are normally referred to as pos.1, 2 and 3 - 3 being the furthest back.
The engine mount brackets I bought come with two sets of holes so give you a choice of engine positions (positions 2 and 3).
I converted a 325i, mainly for the rear discs too, although they can be retro-fitted to other models. A Sport is good (mainly because it is likely to have a lsd but they go for much more money. The 'se' is the same as a regular 325i mechanically but has toys such as on-board-computer, headlamp wipers etc. so doesn't make much difference if it's an se or not.
It can be done with a four cylinder car but I think it is a little more involved with wiring and dash clocks etc.
If you are handy with a spanner it isn't too scary.

[scarlaton]

Look what's on ebay at the moment.


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


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

Hmmmm...

[ed325i]

or this http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BMW-M30-535-SPORT ... dZViewItem

[Jeff_200]

I'd be happy to take you out in my 335i if you find yourself in Bristol (home) or Swindon (work) at some point

[gareth]

i'd happily take you out in mine but only for a short spin around "my local driveway" as it's currently MOT, tax and insurance 'less.

i'm in hastings by the way...

once running again (soon!!!!) then i'd take you for a 'proper' spin no worries!

[diamondblacke28]

some guy was selling the turo and manifold from an e34 2.5 diesel.
and said it takes slight ajustment to the mouting holes on the manifold.
and then it fits the m20 lum.

can anyone shed more light on this.

[gareth]

do a search mate... a lot of info on here. ANT is the man to talk to...