ducatiss 1 Report post Posted January 7, 2006 Has anyone heard of anyone repowering the E30 with the 3 litre Nissan engine from the VL Commadore (RB30?) Seems to me that if possible it would be a good engine to put in given that it makes fairly decent power without a Turbo. Would appreciate comments re this idea. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ducatiss 1 Report post Posted January 7, 2006 lol just did a search on Google and the first reference brought me straight back to bimmersport.co.nz - I think there's a lesson in there somewhere!! Let me rephrase my original post - has anyone actually done an RB20/RB30 Repower, and if so was it worth it/problems encounted etc. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Spargo Report post Posted January 8, 2006 RB25 on the site somewhere. Its larger than an M30 i think, so its going to be a squeeze. May as well just do SR20. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bravo 35 Report post Posted January 8, 2006 I been toying with the RB25 idea, but keep coming back to sr20det for weight advantages. I was going to do a m20b25 conv this year and then sr20det or rb25det in about 18 months, but I've decided to just save for the nissan conv. and skip the other one. Either that or something like m50 turbo. There is a thread I started on the subject in the archives somewhere within the last 4 months. do a search. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
4EVAHI 0 Report post Posted January 8, 2006 Hey dude. I've got the RB25DET in the E30 and to tell you the truth with teething problems and the amount of custom work that needs to be done it is far more worth it to stick with SR20 or smaller engine. The RB20's are easier to do but the 25's just take up far too much room than what is in the engine bay. If you want any info on it just give me a PM but good luck with whatever conversion you go for Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ducatiss 1 Report post Posted January 8, 2006 Yeah thanks for that - one of my main reasons for wanting to but the RB motor in is to preserve (enhance?) the BMW's smoothness as an engine. It was one of the main things that initially attracted me to these 6 Cyl beemers in the first place. Having just been oput in my daughters skyline, the RB engine's character would fit nicely with the Beemer for me - if that makes sense - I guess its pretty subjective. Are there any other common 6Cyl conversions around that ppl have experience with? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
E30-323ti 66 Report post Posted January 8, 2006 I second the motion of sticking to small engines!! Big 6's are a squeeze. But they are so much fun Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bravo 35 Report post Posted January 8, 2006 Hey glen, what have you done re brakes - did you do a 5-stud conv aswell? How would 4-studs handle the 200hp approx of a sr20det? It's still a while off, but that conundrum has been nagging the back of my mind lately. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
4EVAHI 0 Report post Posted January 8, 2006 Yeah thanks for that - one of my main reasons for wanting to but the RB motor in is to preserve (enhance?) the BMW's smoothness as an engine. It was one of the main things that initially attracted me to these 6 Cyl beemers in the first place. Having just been oput in my daughters skyline, the RB engine's character would fit nicely with the Beemer for me - if that makes sense - I guess its pretty subjective. Are there any other common 6Cyl conversions around that ppl have experience with? It's definately a smooth and at times intense ride with the RB's in the beemas. The engines are strong and reliable but the downfall of this is the euro technology and structure of the car is not too well suited with each other. The biggest I would use in an E30 would be the 20DET but even that comes with a few problems but the 25 in my mind, altho unique compared with most other conversions is unpractical and very expensive from other conversions. The RB's are the only straight 6's I know of (other than orginal BMW engines) that are used in E30's but these days the sky is the limit with conversions but off the top of my head am not too sure which other 6's would fit in there let let alone with any ease sorry haha and for sure, the amount of fun had with the big 6's is awesome to say the least Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
E30-323ti 66 Report post Posted January 8, 2006 Hey glen, what have you done re brakes - did you do a 5-stud conv aswell? How would 4-studs handle the 200hp approx of a sr20det? It's still a while off, but that conundrum has been nagging the back of my mind lately. Porsche 996 4pots all round.TT Supra discs front 324x30, E36 M3 rear 312x20. 4lugs will be fine for a SR20DET, the brakes will need to be upgraded abit, not legally required but stock brakes will put a damper on things when they run out!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Munkvy 0 Report post Posted January 9, 2006 isnt E30-323ti an example of another engine? Toyota 1JZ... or you could use either a 2JZ (Rather expensive I would imagine?) or something older like a 7M? The RB30DE, ie non turbo would be physically slightly bigger than the RB25, they normally sit slightly higher when youve done a conversion, but they really dont have that much power, go take a VL Commodore for a drive and see if you could live with it. Other alternatives, the RB20DET engine is very cheap itself, complete from intercooler back to gearbox can be had for $1500 or less. The SR20 isnt exactly a light motor, unless you get the S15 model, which from memory is a bit lighter, but then I guess it depends on your definition of light... Another option if you can live without a 6 cylinder would be either a 3SGTE (MR2/Celica 2L Turbo motor) or CA18DET (S13 Silvia, 1.8L turbo motor), both these engines can be had quite cheap now, but its a matter of finding someone to install them for you! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
conrod 1 Report post Posted January 9, 2006 (edited) I have fitted a few different engines to different cars over the years, some my own, some for customers. Believe me, unless you are capable of doing the work(or most of it) yourself, then keep to the more basic swaps, such as the m52 or M20B25 engines, unless you have very deep pockets. The $1500 you pay for your Mitsubota twin turbo with 8 spd gearbag will pale in comparison the the bill you will get for the custom fabricated mounts,custom sump and pickup, crossmember, exhaust, fuel system,air intake system,cooling system, wiring etc. etc. I'm not suggesting you will be ripped off, a conversion of this nature takes a lot of time($$$) to do properly, not to mention the parts (more$$$$) Andrew will tell how you expensive it can be just to get basic mods done to an existing car with the engine already in place! And E30-323ti sounds like he has done most of the hard stuff himself, but I'm sure he has still sunk quite a few $$$$$ into that project. This is why you will often see unfinished projects for sale, the owner has simply spent all of his money on it, with the end nowhere in sight. This can be a good way to get that conversion of your dreams, just be sure to get someone with a few clues to check it out for you to make sure it has been well done, unfinished projects can generally be had for a fraction of what has been spent, but don't buy a dog- it will end up costing you plenty more to re do what has already been done! Edited January 9, 2006 by conrod Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
E30-323ti 66 Report post Posted January 9, 2006 DIY is the only way if you want to keep the costs down. I would hate to think how much what I have done would cost if you were to pay someone. For me, 75% or the enjoyment comes from designing/building things for the E30, 25% is driving it and finding out what you f*#ked up or what else you need to do. And we won't talk about how much I have spent, I will say it was Just under $8k when it was on the road the first time, and it worked very well. It has had 2 more stints off the road since then for further refinements LOL, and I stopped keeping track of the $$$ as the wife would kill me if she knew Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bravo 35 Report post Posted January 9, 2006 My theoretical budget for a 2r20 or rb 20/25 conversion is in the order of $6k-10k including buying the engine - if you are planning on doing a conversion this the sort of money you need to think about spending especially since you should be doing things like brakes at the same time. Easy to spend even more. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
4EVAHI 0 Report post Posted January 10, 2006 Definately would be the starting point of the funds needed and from there is dependant on the setup you wish to run with any aftermarket parts and it soon adds up and is very easy to go through those sorts of funds too, the majority is in custom work so even better if you know a fabricator Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rolls_on_19 0 Report post Posted January 13, 2006 Have a look at this site. They offer conversion kits for sr20det engines into e30's. You can actually buy just the mounts and driveshafts and sort out the rest yourself. I was gonna go down that road with my E36 but decided not to. http://members.shaw.ca/turbofiero/kfg_speed.htm Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
conrod 1 Report post Posted January 14, 2006 Have a look at this site. They offer conversion kits for sr20det engines into e30's. You can actually buy just the mounts and driveshafts and sort out the rest yourself. I was gonna go down that road with my E36 but decided not to. http://members.shaw.ca/turbofiero/kfg_speed.htm Just read the page on E36/Toyota conversions, well said with a good dash of humour thrown in! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
