WHAT TO DO JUST CANT MAKE MY MIND UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[E3OSAM]

Right i am havin a bit of a problem as i cant decide wot to do, sell my E30 and get a 325 sport or a motorsport cab. Or do an engine transplant to mine something like a S54 or similar. i have spent quite alot on mine and think i might not get one in as good a condition without spending alot of money. i am only 20 so insurance could be a slight problem as well any thoughts welcome cheers

[GingerTim]

What engine has your's got?

[E3OSAM]

M40

[Pal318is]

m42 maybe?? good compromise if you don't want to fork out loads for insurance and is pretty reasonable in the power stakes..

Pal

[GingerTim]

I'd prob mod your one, put the engine you want in it. 325 sport's are alot of money! Then you might end up with a crap one.

[E3OSAM]

yeah thought about a m42 but if i am goin to change the engine i thoght go the whole way. How easy would a M42 be and wot sort of cost etc? cheers

[GingerTim]

Gotta think insurance though. No point having a cool car that you can't drive due to insurance!

[Pal318is]

yeah thought about a m42 but if i am goin to change the engine i thoght go the whole way. How easy would a M42 be and wot sort of cost etc? cheers

Costs should not be too much really, depends how handy you are with some tools no more than £600-700 I would think, including the engine and box.
Engine and box can be picked up for less than £300, open diff with the correct ratio £50-60

You'll need a rear disc set up, clocks and stuff like that, but these can be sourced after you've done the conversion, whatever conversion you decide to do.

Pal

[GingerTim]

Not sure what diff you need but i got a 3,73 diff with drive shaft's, lower arm's, Hub's with disk's pad and caliper's if that's any good to you?

[Pal318is]

He would probably be better off with a 4.10 open diff, if not a 3.91 lsd.

Pal

[seanboy]

Ive got a good engine and box if you want m42 engine that is. Also if interested the suspension setup is available too.

[old_skool]

To put an S50 or S54 in, doing the work yourself would still cost around £5k minimum to be honest, why not put an M50 2.8 and mod that?

[gareth]

there is a lot to be said for the expression "better the devil you know". if you've had the car a while and looked after it then it's a known quantity. it's a sad fact that most E30's are sold due to several problems that the seller won't tell you about and don't want to pay to fix.

in this case, i'd stick to the car you have if you're happy with it and get the engine swapped for something more manly!

E30's are basically german meccano so it's very easy to upgrade to 325i spec (inc brakes and suspension) for very little money, best and cheapest to get a bent / rusty donor and swap bits across. if you want more poke then the world's your oyster. a common conversion nowadays is a 3.5 M30 from a 535i or 735i which gives you around 220bhp and unlike the 'M' engines, it'll cost £200 max for a new one if it goes bang

i suppose a good starting point will be to talk to a few insurance companies and see what the score is. it may be worth tackling the brakes, suspension etc over the next year or so (better to do them before more power is added!) and change the engine afterwards when you have another years NCB.

some insurance companies like adrian flux are cheaper once the car is modified my insurance dropped with brakes / suspension mods and only went up 10% when i dropped the 3.5 in!

[Royalratch]

I wouldn't waste time and money making a fake 318iS when you could probably get a nice genuine one for the sale of your car and a bit on top.

I agree with Gareth in that you know your car too - and it does look pretty nice if that's the one in your avatar.

I have an M40 Touring which I'd like to give more go and am thinking of seeing if an M44 could work (1.9 E36 4-pot) as it's very modern, good on fuel and a little more power and torque than M42.

I wouldn't bother unless you're going to do something drastic. Otherwise save up and get something special. You're 20 - what's the rush!:D

Don't sweat the decision too much - either way you get an awesome ride!:twisted:

[E3OSAM]

cheers for all the help, still still dont know what to do probably goin to keep mine unless something better comes up, i think i will start by changing the back axel to 325 sport one are similar spec i.e brakes diff etc thanks alot to all for there opinions

[Ant]

Go and find a rotten 325i ( plenty about)

swop the entire front and rear subframes over, job jobbed

brakes, susp and running gear all in two big chunks

[bmwe30mtech]

Your in a similar position to me. We both have M40 cars in good nick that we have spent quite a bit on but want faster cars.

I also dont know whether to look for a sport this summer or convert mine. Converting to 325i spec is easy in principle, but in reality a lot of work. I recon buying a 325i sport is the way you should go if you want one and can find a good one.

You insured on your own name? What you paying?

[E3OSAM]

yeah i on my own always have been, its £1200 fully comp wiv 2 years NCD, soon to have 3 (hopefully)

[m-dtech]

to convert to m42 all you need is engine.

your diff is 4.10 already

gearbox is same except for ratio which is only small difference

[bmwe30mtech]

to convert to m42 all you need is engine.

your diff is 4.10 already

gearbox is same except for ratio which is only small difference

And rear disks, and wider front struts.

[m-dtech]

to convert to m42 all you need is engine.

your diff is 4.10 already

gearbox is same except for ratio which is only small difference

And rear disks, and wider front struts.

you dont need those to upgrade the engine.