V8 into e30

[fuzzy]

yea,rover v8 old hat now mate really not worth the hassle,ls1 is the only v8 worth anything these days cheap to buy new,secondhand very light,very tunnable,just look at wayne greatrix e30 m3(my fav bmw of all time) in ppc mag theres as link to it on here some were,oh yea ls1 cheap to fix if goes wrong,service,you might need a prograble ecu ect thou or away from the v8 i find that vauxhall red top turbo is the cheapest of all convertions to do,no need for a new ecu £800 or so buys you a complete engine ready to go in ,use omega manual gear box 204bhp 206fbl of torque very tunnable,light im doing one myself to my 318i 2dr, start with a good engine with good fuel econ dont throw hard earned money at an old engine or you my wish you haven't started it, keep it light good luck

but surely a vauxhall engine in an e30 is even worse than using a ford lump?
i have no experience of these engines but im sure it would cost far more than £800 and when buying an old turbo lump you can almost guarantee an engine rebuild as well .
but i agree with the thought that if you are going to go to the trouble and expence of an alien engine transplant then go for the one that offers the most/best power/future tuning potential as a starting point.

[321gazza]

well the escort boys use the red top 16v vauxhall engine cheep,tunable,light ,they use it for rallying,so as for choice of engines,its endless,but i love gm engines,some are tuned by cosworth,some red top heads for a start,but after all its only a means of powering the car,and yes you can pick up a red top for about £800.00 quid all in, bmw engines great to but heavy 6cly so on expensive when they go wrong unless your a mechanic like me but hay why not i am

[maxfield]

540i and a 316i Touring, what a combination that might be

[oze30]

540i and a 316i Touring, what a combination that might be

[Andy335Touring]

540i and a 316i Touring, what a combination that might be

Some one needs to post an engine swap thread with loads of pictures by the sounds of it ??

[maxfield]

We will see... Will probably be the start of next year.

[fuzzy]

540i and a 316i Touring, what a combination that might be

a 316 engine in a big heavy e34? bit of an odd combination imo. i think it would be better the other way with the e34 engine fitted to the touring

[Simon13]

bmw M60 4.0 V8 286bhp and 295lbs out of the box. Would be an utter animal fitted in an E30 much like the e34 M5 conversion. There's lots of bmw parts which can be used for an almost bolt in conversion mechanically. Just brakes(remote servo, i'd have to have one), electrics and exhaust being the headaches - well for me they would!

200bhp E30 is fun car, 300bhp E30's are even more of a handful and real fun if youre a bit of a pilot

[Gortour]

Isnt the old rover v8 based on a yank v8 anyway? from memory it was a buick?

Correct, and Buick got it from...?

Yup, BMW...

It originated as the one BMW used in the likes of the 503 and 507 models. They had problems, particularly with overheating and engine fires, so sold it on to Buick. They in turn played with it and passed it on to Rover.

[m-dtech]

be different mate go for porsche 5.0 v8

its still german !!

[oze30]

bmw M60 4.0 V8 286bhp and 295lbs out of the box. Would be an utter animal fitted in an E30 much like the e34 M5 conversion. There's lots of bmw parts which can be used for an almost bolt in conversion mechanically. Just brakes(remote servo, i'd have to have one), electrics and exhaust being the headaches - well for me they would!

200bhp E30 is fun car, 300bhp E30's are even more of a handful and real fun if youre a bit of a pilot

What performance parts are available for these?

[liam012]

i think a 300bhp 300lbs in any e30 you'd be looking for performance pants not performance parts.
however if you are still itching for more ESS do a superharger jit for about 6000 dollars. brings it to just over 400 bhp not sure of the torque.
I would dearly love to lob in an m60 into an e30 the exhaust has to be a headache though, and a cut and weld and tac and weld and cut and weld exhaust is more than likely gonna cause restrictions in both power and torque. maybe one day there'll be a group buy on such an exhaust... until then...

[Simon13]

bmw M60 4.0 V8 286bhp and 295lbs out of the box. Would be an utter animal fitted in an E30 much like the e34 M5 conversion. There's lots of bmw parts which can be used for an almost bolt in conversion mechanically. Just brakes(remote servo, i'd have to have one), electrics and exhaust being the headaches - well for me they would!

200bhp E30 is fun car, 300bhp E30's are even more of a handful and real fun if youre a bit of a pilot

What performance parts are available for these?

there's not alot to be done to them, cams and headwork would be very expensive way of getting 20bhp. Supercharger kit is the only way for value of money imo

[Yaninnya]

i think a 300bhp 300lbs in any e30 you'd be looking for performance pants not performance parts.

[oze30]

Hmm.. 4.0 V8 and blown! drooool

[crazymonk]

Hi Will, I've used the Rover V8 a few times, not in a bmw mind, and you're right that they are cheap to get and cheap for parts, they are also very light for a V8, but you may have trouble tuning them as the design of the cyclinder head is, well, pretty rubbish, so to get over the 250bhp mark, or anywhere near 300bhp, then your going to have to be looking at quite expensive parts, or a larger bore of 5ltr or more. TVR used them for ages, and you can get good power out of them, but it's quite costly and they drink fuel for a pass time in standard form, and for a tuned one making near 300bhp in 5ltr form, you will be looking at single figure per gallon figures if drive like anything but a granny, as you will be getting about 15 to 18 mpg in standard form, probably more in something as light as an E30 though. Also you want to look at reliablilty, they are generally very good, but the blocks can go pourous, the cylinders are prone to cracking, and they can blow head gaskets. If they are in standard tune then they are normally pretty reliable. It depends what your looking for really. An american V8 like a chevy or ford small block will give more power, and be easier to tune, but there is the weight to think of, as most have iron blocks, but are very reliable, also remember that as the market for muscle cars is increasing these engines are starting to get more expensive to get, ebay.com usually has loads though. Parts are really easy to ship from the US. If your not going for all out power, but want want something thats gives plenty or torque rather than bhp, sounds great, is easy to look after, and cheap to get and get pars for, go for the rover V8. If your going for a really high power engine, don't go for a rover V8. Have you looked at other V8, like bmw's v8, these could be a good option. I also very much doubt that a 325i could beat a rover v8 powered e30, the v8 throws out a lot more torque than a 325i. Top end may be similar but a rover v8 still has more bhp, especially the bosch injection 4.6ltr version.
I hope it all goes well anyway.

[Morat]

Someone I know has a TVR Tuscan race engine, the older one based on the Rover. Its a total beast, but with a Holley carb THROWING fuel down its throat it could bankrupt you on fuel alone...

[fowler]

that is true why don't use a 350 chevvy crate engine and box on MS it will go like stink

[dips346]

that is true why don't use a 350 chevvy crate engine and box on MS it will go like stink

whats the price of that and power ?

[Aubs]

Yeah, thats right man. Chevvy LS1 - 350hp out of the crate, around £2.5 -3K imported from states + much lighter than a rover v8 & cheaper to tune.

[fowler]

Yeah, thats right man. Chevvy LS1 - 350hp out of the crate, around £2.5 -3K imported from states + much lighter than a rover v8 & cheaper to tune.

yep thats about right.
if you are really mad like me i would have to strap two turbo's to it
and really try and hit 1200 bhp markyou will need prob a C5 rear axle assembly

[Gravy]

I still got my M60 lurking in the garage, I don't think it is a particularly cheap conversion, I have spent £800 on mine so far (including buying the engine) and stripping and rebuilding it myself.
In my experience, it is worth having the heads off and changing the stem seals if you buy a standalone M60 engine as they are old smokers if not looked after properly (they are cheap cars now and chances are the owners haven't always spent good money on them come service time).
If it came out of a mint car and you can test the engine before you buy then thats obviously the best solution.
But don't scrimp on the engine if you have the chance to renew the seals and gaskets, it will be a ballache to change bits once installed in the car as it only just fits!

I did a bit of research on exhausts, probably would cost just slightly north of £1000 for a proper job, i.e. get the most out of the engine, no point installing the engine if you are going to put on a homemade system that robs the unit of its power and torque imo.

Also, gearboxes are £400-£1000 depending on where you source and if you choose 5sp or 6sp. Unless you want an auto???? Even so, they break quite often and they cost £800 - £1000ish to fix!

I want to do the conversion still, but the aim is to pop it into an E28 now, although if the right E30 came up I'd re-consider!

[Karan]

I still got my M60 lurking in the garage, I don't think it is a particularly cheap conversion, I have spent £800 on mine so far (including buying the engine) and stripping and rebuilding it myself.
In my experience, it is worth having the heads off and changing the stem seals if you buy a standalone M60 engine as they are old smokers if not looked after properly (they are cheap cars now and chances are the owners haven't always spent good money on them come service time).
If it came out of a mint car and you can test the engine before you buy then thats obviously the best solution.
But don't scrimp on the engine if you have the chance to renew the seals and gaskets, it will be a ballache to change bits once installed in the car as it only just fits!

I did a bit of research on exhausts, probably would cost just slightly north of £1000 for a proper job, i.e. get the most out of the engine, no point installing the engine if you are going to put on a homemade system that robs the unit of its power and torque imo.

Also, gearboxes are £400-£1000 depending on where you source and if you choose 5sp or 6sp. Unless you want an auto???? Even so, they break quite often and they cost £800 - £1000ish to fix!

I want to do the conversion still, but the aim is to pop it into an E28 now, although if the right E30 came up I'd re-consider!

1000 for an exhaust and manifold custom..... i dont think so try double that

[Trise30rally]

I have come acroos a sd1 v8 for £50 and was thinking of putting it in my e30 fun car (just for sprints,hill climbs maybee track days...)

What kind of power do you think adding a carb, inlet manifold and cam would get me??

All these bits would have me a tuned engine for about £700........

Does anyone know of a build thread of fitting a rover v8 to an e30??

[Gravy]

I still got my M60 lurking in the garage, I don't think it is a particularly cheap conversion, I have spent £800 on mine so far (including buying the engine) and stripping and rebuilding it myself.
In my experience, it is worth having the heads off and changing the stem seals if you buy a standalone M60 engine as they are old smokers if not looked after properly (they are cheap cars now and chances are the owners haven't always spent good money on them come service time).
If it came out of a mint car and you can test the engine before you buy then thats obviously the best solution.
But don't scrimp on the engine if you have the chance to renew the seals and gaskets, it will be a ballache to change bits once installed in the car as it only just fits!

I did a bit of research on exhausts, probably would cost just slightly north of £1000 for a proper job, i.e. get the most out of the engine, no point installing the engine if you are going to put on a homemade system that robs the unit of its power and torque imo.

Also, gearboxes are £400-£1000 depending on where you source and if you choose 5sp or 6sp. Unless you want an auto???? Even so, they break quite often and they cost £800 - £1000ish to fix!

I want to do the conversion still, but the aim is to pop it into an E28 now, although if the right E30 came up I'd re-consider!

1000 for an exhaust and manifold custom..... i dont think so try double that

I guess you're right, and after all you would know!!!! But I based my figures on a certain well known BMW specialist using my car as a guinea pig for a commercial system where we would split the costs.
I guess retail you would be looking £1500-£2000

[StuBeeDoo]

Correct, and Buick got it from...?
Yup, BMW...
It originated as the one BMW used in the likes of the 503 and 507 models.

Well, well, well! That's today's lesson then.

[alistairolsen]

bmw M60 4.0 V8 286bhp and 295lbs out of the box. Would be an utter animal fitted in an E30 much like the e34 M5 conversion. There's lots of bmw parts which can be used for an almost bolt in conversion mechanically. Just brakes(remote servo, i'd have to have one), electrics and exhaust being the headaches - well for me they would!

200bhp E30 is fun car, 300bhp E30's are even more of a handful and real fun if youre a bit of a pilot

how "bolt in" is this conversion? Does the V8 bolt up to the stadard 3 series box, or does the box the v8s attatched to in the donor fit the 3 series tunnel?

Engine mounts, available, or custom fab?

[Morat]

Is that an M60 or M62? sounds very much like the figures for the 4.4 M62 there...

[Gibson]

Rover v8 is an awesome engine too shove in something agricultural like a capri because its an easy swap and nice and light for a v8 (even the FI is easy too plum into a capri....)

but i think the e30 doesnt suit the big argricultural rover v8.... i like the lexus idea thats genius

[toughyls1]

ric 325i

toughyV8 has a great rover v8 in his but the problem is its not faster than a 325i

he admitted it would prob get beat by a healthy 325. so whats the point in putting it in?

when i met you ric i had only just got the engine running and it was rough, the timing was way out, and my inlet was sucking air, so ignore what i told you, how does a 14.6 quarter at 94 mph sound cos thats what it done all with an old 3.5sd1 lump, and an open diff with kingpin remoulds. yes there not that powerful compared to amrican v8s but then there only over half the size, ive ran rovers in my bmw and my kitten drag car and i loved them mostly because engines are cheap as chips i never pay more than £100 for a complete one, and you can rape the shit out of them and they just keep on going. thats my 10pence worth any way

[driftmonkey]

anyone fitted a m62 in an e30?

[stonesie]

Glenn did the S62 (E39 M5 V8 ) conversion.... if youve got a spare evening this is a good read

http://www.e30zone.net/modules.php?name ... pic&t=2882

[oze30]

Ive got an M60B40 in my touring.

[Gravy]

Ive got an M60B40 in my touring.

Is it a runner? have you any vids????

[oze30]

its a runner, but needs a proper exhaust. No vids as yet, but there were a few people at the last Aces with cameras so if you ask them..

Both Kos and I had a fang at it, as I've never heard the car driven by in anger. Sounds wicked, but bloody loud!!