Has anyone ever fitted an M102 turbo engine to an E30??

[MattLaw]

Has anyone ever fitted an M102 turbo (E23 745i) engine to an E30?? The reason I'm asking is that a friend has an E30 325 which needs the engine and gearbox replacing. On my hunt for engines for him I remembered that somebody else I knew bought a 745i a couple of months back with the turbo engine in. As it turns out he's selling it!

The reason I am asking is because it would probably be an unusual conversion and the 745i can be had for cheap.

What parts would be needed to swap the engine over? And what manual gearbox would fit the car/engine as the 745i currently has an auto?

Here are the pictures of the 745i in question (air filter was removed for turbo inspection):











Can anyone say if this swap is possible or best left in dream land?

Thanks
Matt

[psychochild187]

anythings possible

but wow what a conversion .
it looks like a 3.5 engine with a extra lump(turbo)

see what the tech guys say

[MattLaw]

Yes it would be great if someone could confirm exactly what it is. I don't know for sure if it is an M102 engine, just been told it could be that (not seen the car in the flesh).

Another thing is it's RHD, weren't the M102's all LHD? Was reading a similar thread from a search and one of the problems stated with putting it in an E30 was that the turbo would be in the way of the steering rack on a RHD car, would this be the case here?

[Turbo-Brown]

Would think it would be fine up the front there, the steering column's quite a way further back. Got a turbo right down by the chassis rail on mine in around about that location

[MattLaw]

So I take it this uses an M30 bottom end? If that is the case, what would be needed to fit an M30 engine into an E30? What manual gearbox would be needed?

[Hyperion]

holy crap i didnt know there was a 745i with a TURBO!!...going to google to find out about these things

[E30BeemerLad]

I had asked Pacerpete about these beasts before after seeing a early shape (e12?) 7 series on egay and enquired with him. I'm sure he wouldn't mind me pasting his reply here....

"Alas the early non motronic 745s are a really sad turd, as are the later ones !, but the later cars have a sorted turbo conversion with knock sensors and all sorts of other trickery so are quite tunable and reliable even with serious boost. A good running later car / engine is ?1500 all day long and i could sell one tomorrow but the early turds ,while having a novelty value are worthless. "

[MattLaw]

Is there any way to confirm from the pictures which engine this is?

In any case I'd still like to know what would be needed to fit it into an E30. The engine would be left standard in any case so the tuning potential (or lack of it!) would not matter anyway.

[tim-ix]

So this sounds pretty similar to Toby Unna's M30 turbo then. He's managed to make it all fit in an E30 bay.

[E30BeemerLad]

I can't make out from the pics you have posted, but is that car actually RHD as it looks like it is, I thought the 745 was only for ze germans and therefore left hooker only?

[MattLaw]

Yes it's right hand drive, which is very odd. That engine might have been put in that car for all I know.

It was originally bought by someone three years ago to put in an E30 as a project. He needed money and ended up selling it to sombody I know a couple of months ago. It's now for sale again.

[E30BeemerLad]

the car is listed as a 735 on a car data check, so looks like it has been converted

Manufacturer BMW
Model 735 I AUTO
Body type 4 DOOR SALOON
Colour BLACK
Fuel type PETROL
Date manufactured 31 December 1987
Number of previous owners 5

[MattLaw]

That's what I thought.

So I take it this would fit the same as an M30 engine?

[Gunni]

That engine is a M30B34 E32 non turbo engine , obviously fitted with a garret turbo,
that is no way a 745i engine,

depending on price IԚ´d take that engine, but your just as well off by getting any latter M30 engine and turbo manifold, intercooler, standalone, exhaust and fab that into the E30,

10psi should make 300rwhp I belive ;)

[MattLaw]

That engine is a M30B34 E32 non turbo engine , obviously fitted with a garret turbo,
that is no way a 745i engine

How do you know that?

[MattLaw]

Hmm, I suppose that turbo oil feed is a bit of a giveaway!

[jmc330i]

Not the best pic, but this is a 745i engine...


Turbo is fitted way down below that of the one in the pics above, AFM is mounted differently and it looks like a BMW built engine.
The other looks like a home-brewed affair, although to be fair, if its been built ok, it will definitely make an E30 shift
Even if its been done on a budget, just look at Tobys

Fitting to an E30 should more or less be an M30 conversion, although there could be a few things that need changing on the turbo install.

[Gunni]

That engine is a M30B34 E32 non turbo engine , obviously fitted with a garret turbo,
that is no way a 745i engine

How do you know that?

besides what jmc330i has said, you can see the valve cover and intake manifold are of the latest M30 model, not any of the earlier ones,

the AFM is in the stock 735i location, the intake pipe is wrong , location of turbo and so on,

I canԚ´t even imagine how that works, a blow trough AFM, most of the rubber bits should come popping out under boost,

[MattLaw]

Oh bugger. I guess we should be wary of this engine then.

[stranter]

The 745i on an E23 (not the car pictured, that's an E32) is a 3.5 litre M30 with a turbo. All 745i BMWs were LHD as the steering column could not be put on the right side due to either exhaust issues or turbo issues, I can't remember which.

They never did an E32 745i, you could get 730i (6 cyl), 730i(L) (8 cyl) 735i(L) (6 cyl) 740i(L) (8 cyl) 750i(L) (12 cyl).

That to me looks like someone's butchered an E23 745i and stuck the engine in an E32.

Stewart

[pacerpete]

I own a proper E23 745i , and as stated above the car in question is not a 745 i and is merely a e32 735 with a turbo stuck on it. Having said that if it runs ok and goes alright and is cheap enough it still has a value.

[Andy335Touring]

The proper M106 has been shoved in an E30 before, but as stated LHD only

If you can get that E32 engine cheap it should fit the E30 chassis ?

[Toby_Unna]

what does the exhaust manifold look like? i'd assume it's a cast iron log-type. any marks or identification on it?

the manifold is probably the best indicator of who did the conversion, maybe BBR or Janspeed?

some sort of aftermarket conversion anyway, the engine's quite possibly standard inside.

that should go in an e30 ok, similar layout to mine. probably have to do the downpipe from scratch but that's not too hard.

what price region?

[ant2]

deffo looks like a home made affair, looks to have a flexi downpipe so it wouldnt be too hard to make it fit, my m30 3.5 has flwxi pipes from the manifolds as it hit the steering linkage

[Andyboy]

Bollocks to sticking the engine in a nasty little E30. That's a bad boy in gloss black - it wants polishing up and smoking round in. I bet that could be bought cheap.
It could be a Turbo Technics conversion. Years ago they did a twin turbo 2.8i Scorpio and thery were wicked.

[toby]

Agreed Andyboy! Get your spanners away from that beast and drive it! I love the E32 especially with that engine. It's probably my favourite BMW. I'm just too much of a young-looking short arse to own one.

I loved the E32 Alpina in Total BMW this month - Ԛ£174000 new wasn't it? And the owner was selling it.
Man that guy was anal - but without people like him the car wouldn't exist.

[Shoomakan]

Here in Lebanon all they do to E30's is stick in M30's and M102's. They fit with no problem, come stock at .5 or .6 bar and offer 252 bhp or so. They can handle LOADS of bhp with the stock KKK K27 turbo as well.

I was gonna go along and turbo my M30 with some M102 parts, but the M102 here costs about 1200$ with installation, so I'm just gonna go and buy the M102 and keep the M30 aside in case shit.

[Andy335Touring]

Ahh, the joys of LHD