M30 questions...

[munky30]

A few quick questions if you'd all be so kind...

For an M30 swap into a 325....

What parts of the 325 engine bay do I need to keep? (bottles, tanks, servo's etc etc)

What parts of the 535 do I need to come along with the engine?

What other bits do I need?

I assume the m30 doesnt have a C101 plug so the loom will need a bit of splicing?

[munky30]

Also... will the PAS pump, alternator and their respective brackets from an M20 fit/work on an M30?

[gareth]

hate to say it but.... do a search!!!

in most cases, the C101 will plug in and the engine will run. afaik earlier E30's have different square plugs and later E32/4's have more pins but in most cases it's fine. the only tweaking needed is to get the econometer and unloader relays working.

pas pump from the M30, alternator from either, E30 header tank, E32/4 rad.... it's all covered in recent-ish converson threads (theo325, spadge, me + a few others now)

[gareth]

i've jst spotted that you've got a E28 lump. more work i'm afarid. the downpipes will cout the bulkhead, as will the water elbow on the rear of the lump. the wiring needs fiddling. you do have the lighter flywheel and higher compression though.

searchysearchy time!!!

check out e30.de too

[munky30]

I hate the search on here! It always turns up about 900 pages of stuff thats not relevant in any way

Yep its from an M535i e28.

Is the block is similar to the later ones so things like the water elbow can be swapped?

I was thinking I would go with a full custom exhaust anyway so I guess that can solve the downpipe problem as long as there wont be any issues with the manifold etc?

I think with the PAS pump (buggered on the new engine after an accident) and alternator I'll probably just get new pattern parts instead of bodging on the one from the 325.

Someone earlier posted a list of all the bits needed but the post seems to have vanished. I guess I need new engine mounts (any made specifically for this application or do I need to have custom ones made), a new shorter prop which will need to be custom made?

I know its a pain... all I really want is a list of bits to start rounding up and solutions to known problems fitting it.

[gareth]

a few good posts here for reading!!!!
http://www.e30zone.net/modules.php?name ... de=results



you're gooing to want to use E32/4 dowpipes and manifold probably. not sure if the water elbow can simply be swapped, i suspect not.

engine mounts are custom only

prop is custom or E30 M3.

[march109]

engine mount you can get from some german site www.e30.de They also have a section with info on the 335i swap, if you can't read german use babelfish to translate.

[munky30]

Just been reading through their guide (in english) to the swap..

Not quite as simple as I thought, will need to do some work to the bulkhead but not much. Custom mounts can be done...

Looks like I will spend a while gathering bits and working out how to do it before I throw it all together, but thats probably a good thing with me.

The e30 m3 prop will still need shortening as I understand, and I'll need an e32 oil pan and pump...

[march109]

PM fuzzy he knows a compan that can do custom props for about £100 iirc,

the mounts can also be purchased from e30.de and with the current echange rate work out at £80ish also again iirc.

bulkhead mods - aka sledge hammer application shouldn't be too difficult.

But I'd give yourself alot of time to do the swap. I would read more threads on the zone too.

[munky30]

Yeah I'll definitely be doing this one properly and making sure I know what I'm doing before I do it, not as I do it like I did with the 325 swap... and yes the bulkhead mod was planned to be a sledgehammer job

Probably wont do the actual swap until august ish as I want a working car for the majority of the summer.

[DRIFTBOY]

A club hammer is fine for bulkhead mod, it dents easily where you need to hit it!

Not sure you have to change the whole oil pump, but certainly sump and oil pick up pipe.

M20 pas pump is ok with a bit of fiddling with the brackets, i believe.

You'll need an M30 throttle cable too.
And, of course, the M30 ecu.

Shouldn't have to shorten an M3 prop, but they can be hard to find.
Might be worth keeping the E28 one if you have to go the custom route.

When you do the exhaust, be careful with clearance to the steering coupling, the engine does move and contact can lock the steering in hard left handers - not nice!

If you make custom mounts, be aware the standard servo gets VERY close to the inlet manifold, it's worth grinding the seams off the inlet for a few mm more space.

M20 gear linkages and gearbox cross member fit the M30 gearbox and usually bring the gear stick out where it should be.

If the crank pulley has a section on the front for an air con belt, worth chopping it off for clearance to the radiator.

Good luck!

Martin.

[gareth]

well said that man!

i can also vouch for the scariness of catching the column on the exhaust!!!!! my M3 prop is fine in position 2.5 (e30.de mounts, drilled between P2 and P3) and easily has enough spare adjustment to get to P3.

there are a few errors on the E3.de site too. like the m3 prop needing shortening, the auto ecu and loom being unsuable etc. mine and toby unnas are auto lumps originally and without the auto box connected, they just behave like a manual!

if you have a space problem near the servo, a golf one can be fitted but it's smaller. mine still uses the E30 one but it's tight.

[Andy335Touring]

You might not have servo clearance problems because the E28 inlet manifold is a slightly different shape but you won't know for sure til it's fitted really.

The E28 swap isn't as well documented on here as every one that i know of uses the E34 M30.

Dog leg box ?

You will need the whole oil pump as the pick up pipe is cast into the body of the oil pump.

If you go ahead with the swap i have a spare E34 M30 sump and one or two(?) oil pumps knocking around.

[MJG]

The sump needed then is the one with the smaller bowl portion at the front? I have several sumps/engines/pumps, but I dropped an engine on one (was the shorter e32 item), so will I need to fit another short pump pickup?

IIRC, the pump is technically just the bit that rotates, in which case the rest of the pickup is detachable.

Can't people just remove the servo, bash the bulkhead in a bit, then refit it to get a few mm more clearance?

Does anybody have the definitive answer on the rear water elbow on the e28 head? I have the blanking plates from my e34 engine but wondering if they changed the water passages or something. I guess just smashing the bulkhead again will help.

I am asking as I have had a couple of e28s, and one of them had various m30 engines in it, and I also owned a 318i which I am buying back to fit one of my m30s into. It seems to me that......

Bash fuck out of bulkhead, as much as possible, everywhere.
Make custom exhaust manifold and downpipes that tuck right against the block out of the way of the steering column (will be fitting an e36 rack),
Shorten e30 prop and fit e28 end onto it (not sure if this is necessary)
use m20 shifter linkages on m30 box
swap m40 ecu for m30 ecu and splice wiring into fusebox if necessary (still have the e34 engine loom if I need a round plug instead of square).
Use short fronted sump and oil pickup.

Fit leccy fans on front of rad.

Nail it....

Anything I'm way off with? btw I'm about to read more stuff on this but by the sounds of it I am pretty close already and generally I can figure out the details when I get to them.

[mincedbeef]

I Just finished my 335i cab and used mounts from spooks motorsport. I think they are position 2.5 and i didn't need to do any bashing to the bulkhead also my m3 prop fitted with no issues but i needed to shorten my gear m20 linkage.
My donor car was a 87 735i auto. My wiring plugged in and the car ran and drove fine on a manual gearbox, Just a bit of fiddling getting my rev counter and eco metre going as my cabs a early 1.

Mine took me 2 months of rebuilding, painting, fitting and tidying up with lots of head scratching!
As long as you get all the right bits its not to bad.

[Andy335Touring]

IIRC, the pump is technically just the bit that rotates, in which case the rest of the pickup is detachable.

The pump does split but it's not just the pick up pipe

http://img131.imageshack.us/img131/593/oilpumpij5.jpg

[SPADGE]

On the 2 m30 conversions i have done using the M30 E34 engine and box neither have needed any bulkhead bashing using the .de mounts in P3.
The m20 gear linkage you need is a 325 one as this is the correct length unlike the 320 one which is too long.
I removed the seam on the inlet on both engines and neither were anywhere near to hitting the servo.