s50 manifolds

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dasparkybad
E30 Zone Newbie
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Joined: Sat Jan 15, 2005 11:00 pm
Location: sheffield

Post Sun Mar 18, 2007 7:22 pm

i am fitting a m52 2.8 engine to my 325 cab and wondered if any of you s50 guys have managed to get the s50 manifolds in the engine bay of the e30 i have them fitted to my m52 but would like any pictures of the modifications necessary to get them in
it looks to me as though only no.6 pipe will need modifying to clear the steering coloumn joint but i may be wrong have not got the engine anywhere near the car yet
by the way i will be using an e36 steering rack
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ian332isport
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Location: West Sussex

Post Sun Mar 18, 2007 10:27 pm

If it aint broke - Modify it...
dasparkybad
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Post Sun Mar 18, 2007 10:32 pm

cheers Ian
jmc330i
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Post Mon Mar 19, 2007 12:48 pm

There is a lot of work to get the S50 manifolds to fit in the E30, believe me :cry:

Mine are 95% finished, but after the hassle Ive had to get them finished (got messed around by the guy doing the work) and the fact Im still not happy with how the No.6 pipe turned out, Ive gone in for the group buy Ian posted above.

You are right that the No.6 pipe needs modding. It hits the bulkhead as well as the steering, but it doesnt stop there. The front section needs modding to clear the subframe/ARB and then the collectors need re-angling to fit the gap between the gearbox and tunnel.
The biggest headache is getting round the steering joint - the main reason Im not happy with my No.6 pipe after 2 or 3 attempts at it.

Using the E36 rack doesnt make it any easier either as the steering joint is about an inch closer to the block compared to with the E30 rack. It just means there is even less room to fit 6 pipes through.

There was talk about the head position being slightly different between S50 and M50/M52, but Im not sure what the outcome of that was.
Either way, I would suggest going for the group buy. It makes more sense than struggling with it yourself.
James
'91 325i Sport
'93 318i touring 16v
jaistanley
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Post Mon Mar 19, 2007 8:43 pm

I agree.. It's a good price when you consider the ball ache of trying to mod it, or have it modded yourself.. Thats why I've left it to Ste and Ian for the manifold for my S50 swap. They are dedicated and methodical in their approach to all things E30; and BTB have been doing good stuff for zoners for years.

Takes the only major sting out of this excellent engine swap.

Jai
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