Mikan

Sold it. Thanks for the support guys.

I think it might actually just squeak over LVV's 20% power increase threshold? Maths was never my favourite though 🤔 In any event, yes, from my discussion with the certifier last time round a modified driveshaft (which this swap is classed as, despite being a factory driveshaft on e30s) needs hooping. Thanks @Ghost Chip , you've hit the nail on the head.

I expect it will need driveshaft hoops (x2), and several hours of labour in addition to the swap. I got my previous e30 certed for manual swap and m20b20>b25 and that was what they asked for. I think the price is OK, but would feel less OK if I had to raise it to 9.5 or 10k to attempt to recover certification costs, and I don't have the time or the money to do it anyway. It's a 318i sedan that I've had some fun with and is (hopefully!) better than when I got it but its not a rare or even particularly desirable e30 unless you have kids and carseats. I don't want to price it out of its market. It has 181457 on the clock (still ticking) and absolutely no idea on the engine unfortunately.

Thanks! And fair point - particularly coupled with how recent the engine swap is. The truth is I don't have the time or the money any more. As you say it can be quite involved, and it would likely be a non-recoverable cost for me.

Alrighty. One of the little niggles with the m42 swap was the coolent temp sensor in the new engine still being m42 issue - not the brown sensor from the e30 that was necessary to move the needle on the temp gauge any higher than 5ml from cold. It needed a warrant, so while it was in I asked the garage to swap the sensor over - success! They also told me the alternator needed new bearings. I was a bit iffy about it at first, but hearing the horrible noise it was making being turned by hand - over the phone - it got sent away for a rebuild. Only issue for the warrant was a high stop bulb though, so the whole episode was a pricey success. Pretty close to being able to advertise it properly - the relentless rain that has dogged any free time I have had means I haven't been able to take it round to @adro for its photoshoot and then do a proper classified - but it is for sale. Get in touch if you're interested in more details. I'm thinking 8k, or 7k if for some unfathomable reason you'd rather have bottlecaps. It's not going to be certed for the swap, so it will be as-is/where-is. Hopefully the price might give room to cert it if required.

M42 time. Have spent the past few weeks looking sadly out at my empty berm through a rainy window, waiting for a mate of a mate to swap an m42 in to replace the cooked engine. Got it back this week and it's better than ever (*ever = in the last 18 months). Just feels lot more driveable and a lot less laboured really - I haven't wound it up yet but I'm looking forward to the opportunity. Just need to tidy a couple of things up and it'll be ready to sell 😒. Such is life. Do people care about air conditioning do you think? I know I do, but is it worth getting it all hooked up again before selling? My gut feeling is there is no way I could factor it into the purchase price, and a lot of people might not want it anyway?

You could try a magic eraser - they've often worked as a hail Mary play for me.

$2320.

Looks more like santorini imo.

@Rob HB1your time to shine buddy!

Yup. Every time.

Made it a lot further than expected. Also very pleased it cashed up in Wellington rather than Paihia or somewhere while we were on holiday. Lucky really.

As sure as night follows day, an optimistic post on bimmersport is followed by a public disappointment with the car. The engine shuddered to a halt while I was trying to even up a park in the CBD (of course, the CBD), and despite me flattening the battery trying to coax it back, wouldn't catch for me. After we had both cooled off waiting for roadside assist, we did manage to start it again, but there was a horrible clacking noise at idle from somewhere in the head. I have tried to attach an audio clip for anyone who's interested. Fun start to the long weekend! what's this lovely noise.m4a

Momentum on the engine swap really stalled after our summer road trip however. We were planning on taking the prius, but due to the shocks being dangerously cooked and Toyota's OEM parts pipeline being slower than anything I'm yet to experience with BMW, we took the e30. I was harbouring some anxiety about the engine - I mentioned the low pressure light ages ago, and I've never gotten on top of it - have managed some improvement, but if the engine is warmed up, and you're idling at a long red light, that warning will pop up. 2000km later up to and all round the Bay of Islands and I needn't have worried. Was really pleased and pleasantly surpsied with how smoothly it all went. I'd honestly written the m40 off as an engine, but it was fine! The car was absolutely loaded down with luggage too. The Brynderwyn Hills Road was the one place I fancied a bit more power to get past those trucks with a bit less effort and planning, but it would have been much worse in the prius. The only problems on the whole trip was a ball joint that decided to start creaking about halfway up the island, and a fuel issue that was eventually resolved by a filter change. It was a great trip, an awesome part of the country and a bonus adventure that I felt glad to have the e30 for.

Haha, weeellllll overdue. Okydoke. I got Jon to manual convert it, with parts from Nick Weitz at Weitz Industries. There were a couple of issues with both the box and the diff that came out of the donor car, and Nick went above and beyond to replace the parts. Really made me realise how little margin must be in used parts when a vendor has to source a replacement diff (that just happens to be the highly sought after race series ratio) at his expense. It's tough out there for an honest bloke, and I can't give Nick enough credit for putting his customers first. I also got Jon to put a towbar on. Part of the use case for the e30 was that it could do things our other car couldn't, and the mark 2 prius is explicitly forbidden by the owners manual from towing. The old m40 put in a great shift over summer hauling trailerloads up to the dump. Certainly more pleasant to back a trailer in than the e39 touring was! I had been collecting parts for an m42 swap at some unspecified point. Got a good deal on a low kms engine that had had some attention to the head and then been pulled shortly afterward. I also got an ecu with ews removed, and got a harness adapter made by Greshm Performance (like this one).

The pfl ones are pretty tricky to get. You can get lenses new (or repro) relatively easy, but the housings etc are rare if your car never had them. I would have happily (well...) paid 300 a couple of years ago when I was looking. They are different between the pre-85 and later pfl e30s too, helpfully enough.

Sold thanks! I have for sale a full interior sport seat and door card seat for an E30 coupe. I believe these seats were originally fitted to the 318iS. I think the cloth is called uberkaro but someone please set me right if that's incorrect. As pictured - generally good condition but a couple of rough spots - light wear on the drivers' seat bolsters, small cigarette scorch mark on the rear base. The passenger seat is missing some plastic trim from around the rails. Would improve even more with a shampoo, but I'll leave that to the buyer so I don't ruin the nap or bleach them or some other disaster. Located Wellington. Asking 1200 but genuinely struggling to tread the line between 'what are they worth' and 'what seems reasonable'. If there's no interest I'll $1-reserve them. Thanks CJ

Sharp price I reckon, a lot for the money. GLWS.

Man these are nice wheels! GLWS

Just haven't got round to installing one yet! Had to wait 6 weeks for brackets through the dealer and then the bushes I had didn't fit them - by then I was out of time. Some more photos from @adro - backing up his hotlaps with pool photography duties.

Got it out on the track at Manfield yesterday - a lot of fun with the Constructors/MG car club. Very happy with the new suspension and wheel/tyre situation. I do wish I'd got the rear swaybar sorted in time, and I could hear a new clunk on the drive home, but had a very enjoyable day with great company. Photo: Jarod Carruthers

Track ready!

Thanks! In the seldom-seen 15" size too. On that note, if anyone needs re003s for their basketweaves (or other 15x7 e30 wheels), there are now eight of them left in the country. Bridgestone had to beg mine off a Tony's in Gisborne.

A looming track day and diminishing self-control led to some browsing (and ultimately buying) over at Demon Tweeks. Tried not to do too much soul searching but there are quite a few opinions on e30 suspension combos and the forums are a bit of a rabbit hole. In the end I went for a shock that I have found very driveable in the past and a spring that would give me the height I wanted while being solid for daily use (if useless for anything more). Bilstein b4 and eibach pro-kit. Pretty happy with the ride, although I haven't really been able to drive it because of a comically bad vacuum leak. Will be even better once I get time to install a 325i swaybar I've been waiting on brackets for. Also excited to bolt up some acs wheels that I bought before lockdown 2.0 but have only just managed to get shipped down. Hoping for fine weather this weekend!

Hi Geoff! Circled the hose in question - picture stolen from @Bimmerboi