Ahmedsinc

Neat wee car, one of the few VWs I'd want to own. I wonder if you're plugging to the wrong market here? I assume you've put this up on VASK? GLWS!

No idea, there's plenty of folk on here that have done E30-M5x swaps, they're not too hard to find either. M50B25 would be a poorer engine choice c/o less torque and being a cast iron block it adds another 60(?) kgs over the all alloy M52. Heavier + less torque seems counter-intuitive to me. I'm not claiming to be an E30 guru, just relaying what other guys round here have been up to. Or pay heed to crunchys comment. He knows a thing or two about FI M40s & M50s. Search the forum dude, there's plenty of kick ass projects on here to draw inspiration from Come to think of it, what were the final numbers from your M4x Crunchy? Somewhere north of 300bhp, wasn't it?

Fixed

You could follow the well published M5x route, M52B28 would deliver the best all round package for the money. Given that you're starting with a 316 you'll need to factor in suspension and brake upgrades if you want it to be safe & legal. Speak to Ray or Brent for a conversion package (engine, ecu, loom & trans), they'll be able to give you a realistic idea on pricing. You'll probably need a custom exhaust fabricated to suit, too. If you used a conservative estimate of say, $2500 for a complete drivetrain package, $500 - $1000 for the exhaust fab, $xxxx for a reasonable suspension upgrade to match the increased weight in the engine bay, cert costs, bigger rubber and probably wheels to put your newfound power to the road, $300 - $1200 for the right diff............................. Even with an M52, the cost could easily break 5 figures. If you were to use an S50B30 you can add at least another 4k to the 2.5k for the 2.8. 1UZ / M60 conversions would easily cost the same by the time the custom engineering is taken into account. And if you plan to pay someone else to do the install it'll be exponentially more costly. I'm not trying to scare you off, but unless you can do nearly all the work yourself you could be better off looking around for a car thats had everything you want already done. For inspiration take a look at Hybrids "Operation : Weapons Grade". All 40+ pages of it, there's some really good info. Granted, his project is quite possibly one of the most comprehensively reworked E30s in NZ, but it'll give you a good idea of whats involved in doing a swap like this properly Happy hunting!

Still has it afaik. Would have to be the ultimate E36 for me, right behind the B8 Alpina. Probably would take THAT much work, would it.........??

Pretty sure that's the first msport E36 wagon I've seen. Pricing's not too bad, shame the wheels aren't genuine though. ZF box and an S50 would make up for it though

At least the badging is honest. 330is indeed!

I'm sorry it doesn't live in your garage anymore, but the guy that bought it must be over the moon! Did you go close to your asking price?

Ha, awesome!

You have a 3l e36??Edit: oh yeah, the M3. Duh

Get in touch with Brent, he's been through this before. Good luck, will be looking forward to the finished product

I did consider just pulling everything across from the 5er to the 3er, but it would take me months to get it all done. The 3er in question is my daily transport, so having it off the road for god only knows how long just isn't an option. Plus the 5 carries a lot of body control modules, steering angle sensors etc etc that will make it too big a job for a noob like me. Crap. Wish I'd known that before I pulled everything out Will be visiting Ray next weekend so I'll have a chat to him on Saturday. Main reason I'm looking to get EWS removed is the e36 I have missed out on EWS by about 3 months, and given my track record with vehicle electronics the more basic I can keep this thing the better! ASC would be cool, but as I'll have a very limited timeframe to physically swap the engine making mods to brake systems and hubs to accommodate E39 sensors pushes it into the too hard basket. That's what I'm thinking, will have to ask silfox very nicely if I can take his car for a little drive to see how it goes. Slightly shorter final drive ratio won't do any harm either! Hell, if I had the money I'd be using an S50B32. That being said, so far this entire project is cost neutral, including picking up an M50B25NV for parts and a few other toys. Mmm, Remus! My aim is for an increase in low range torque and general driveability, any hp gains will just be a happy bonus. It's also going to be my first ever engine swap, so I'm looking to keep it as simple as I can and learn as much as possible in the process. If I find a way to retain the dual Vanos it opens the door to using S50 parts later on, and if I really get carried away I'll have a good look at enlisting Mr Murch to feed it some boost. I also quite like the M54B30, it's a nice smooth engine with a lovely power band. Long term I'm aiming for an M60 or possibly M72 into an E39 estate, but that's gonna be years down the track. Babies & mortgages to sort out first. It might yet end up that I just sell the engine and go back to being a wannabe, but I'd at least like to try BEFORE I fail. Megasquirt would probably be the best option there, will need a whole bunch of dyno time to get it close to the factory finish though. And as I know 3/5ths of feck all about tuning an ECU I suspect the cost would quickly start running away on me.PM me about GT1, I'll share what I know

So as some of you know I acquired an '02 530i that suffered an unfortunate demise a few months ago with the view of using the M54B30 for an engine swap in my E36 hack. The reasoning behind using the 3 litre as opposed to following the M50B25 turbo path is I prefer the linear torque of an NA motor to turbocharged engines, and I'm aiming for a near factory appearance when the bonnet is raised. So far, the easiest option to get the new motor running in my car is to follow Silver_Fox's lead : M50 manifold & cable throttle, B25NV exhaust cam swapped to inlet side on the B30, and B25NV ECU dyno retuned to accommodate increased fuel requirements, Vanos and DISA delete, M52 / S50 headers. End result is quite impressive given a low budget build but the motor will only really come to life above 3500rpm. Great for a track car that spends its life in the upper ranges of the tacho but possibly not the most comfortable setup for a daily driver. My research so far suggests that it IS possible to delete / disable the likes of ASC, EWS etc from the MS43 DME, but of course those that have done the swap in overseas forums are not saying just HOW they made the necessary changes to the ECU. What I'm aiming for is a way to swap the M54 while making as few changes as possible to the E36. Is there anyone locally (preferably Auckland / North Waikato) that would be willing to share a little of their knowledge? Thanks to a member here I have GT1 / SSS loaded on a suitable laptop but I have no idea how to drive it. I am fully aware that making changes like this is a job that needs to be handed to someone suitably qualified, but I'd still like to gain an understanding of how it's done. Before it's mentioned, yes I am aware the B30 internals will fit the B25 block, and an S50 swap would yield far superior results, a turbo would make more power and torque than the B30 et al, but what I want is an NA M54B30 powered E36. So far I'm not aware of anyone in NZ that has done such a swap. Also it raises the opportunity to pursue developing the engine with S50 bits at a later date. So is there anyone around that might be able to help an idiot out? Thanks

Because dragster? Dunno man, I've been scratching my head over this one for a while

Economy was how I sold the conversion to the missus I'd highly recommend getting it done if you aren't able to do it yourself. V8 + manual + rural lifestyle = perfect excuse

Wikipedia shows the 5hp30 as having a 0.79 5th gear, & the 420G has 6th at 0.83. you'd get away with anything from a 2.93 - 3.45 depending on acceleration vs economy. 3.45 LSD would give a great balance between economy & grunt, but practically I can't see any reason to swap the diff that you have in the car now. Do it. Manual M6x = tits! Would pay to talk to Ray and find out what coding will be required though Economy wise I guess your main gains will come from less parasitic drag through the manual & less weight. I noticed approx 20% improvement after converting my 325i but most of those gains are sacrificed by having too much fun it does make a big difference on long trips though

Bloody hell! $6500 for a poxy auto makes this http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/car-parts-accessories/bmw/gear-boxes/auction-726215408.htm look cheap in comparison! No idea what (if any) programming is needed to make the conversion complete but it'll probably be a mile cheaper than a rebuilt 5HP30. I think Polley has an auto up for grabs for around 600 slides. Ouch!!

Really?? Why.........ahhh, never mind. Some things are just better left unexplained

9.6l from a V8 2 tonne + lump of steel is bloody impressive, no matter which way you look at it. And if it ever bricks itself you'll make a mint selling the wheels & engine

What year is the donor? Hoping to get a 16:9 head unit to replace the jap spec in the mrs 530i

PM'd

Pretty unlikely. Unless its been converted to carbies. Which, given the state of the rest of the car, cannot be entirely ruled out. Stunning

Bit of a long shot, but does anyone know where to find a 3.46 medium case E36 diff? Or a crown & pinion set? Or even just the pinion? Have discovered my plan to use the internals from an E39 unit fails on the fact that the 5er pinion is shorter than the E36 I know I'm grabbing at straws but it's worth asking anyway TIA

Probably worth the risk on an E30 or an E36, but you'd have to be mental to try a stunt like that with an M car! Just a thought, are you a member of the BMWCCNZ? I suspect you'll find a more discerning market that's aware of a cars actual worth as opposed to auction pricing. Probably a bit more likely to have the fiscal liquidity than us amateur plebs too. Could also be worth placing an ad in Classic Car magazine? Have seen a few modern classics in their classifieds. Hang in there, someone will see it for what it's worth sooner or later

Add pricing that suggests recent consumption of a large quantity of B-class drugs and you have the complete package. Wow