Project Evil e30: I've lost my mind.

[TerryBPP]

As you know the turbo took a crap for the second time so I was in the market for a much bigger turbo (.60/.63) and a MegaSquirt system. That would have put me at around 220-240 hp at 15psi. From a 1.8 liter 4cyl, not to bad.

Well, about 3 seconds before I was going to buy a new turbo I just happened to see an add online a bmw website. A guy here in FL was selling a 3.5 liter m30 motor w/ 5 spd trans. I inquired and long story short I'll be picking it up next weekend!!!!

So the new plan is drop the 3.5 into my e30 and throw a Holset HX45w on there with MegaSquirt controling the whole shabang. The NA 3.5 liter puts out around 218 hp with 8:1 compression. The 8:1 compression makes it PERFECT for turbo application. My new hp goal will be around 350hp.

2200 lb car + 350 hp = complete BMW insanity!!MUWAAAAAH HAHAHA

[Jim Richards]

Muhahahahaha is right! Sounds like great fun Terry.

[Jims5543]

You sick bastard!

[Jared at Pelican Parts]

Have you considered an M52? would be a better choice in my opinion and a much more common swap

[widebody911]

Originally posted by Jared Fenton
Have you considered an M52? would be a better choice in my opinion and a much more common swap

And the effort is identical.

[TerryBPP]

I think you mean a m50?

The difference is cost and turbo compliance. Much cheaper motor and with the 8:1 factory compression its big turbo ready.

If I told you what I paid for it you would sh_t a brick.

Here is a good comparison:

http://www.jaredsquires.com/ndp/335i/m30/page2.html

[onewhippedpuppy]

You are a crazy SOB, I love it. Didn't you almost have everything fabbed up?

[wludavid]

My concern is the understeer that would result from such a beast. The M30 weighs 67 more pounds than the M20, and the weight is further forward. People already complain about the understeer characteristics in the 325i/e compared to the 318i/M3.

[wludavid]

Complaining aside, it's an intriguing swap. Will it be cheap enough to enter in the GRM $2006 challenge?

[Jims5543]

Originally posted by wludavid
Complaining aside, it's an intriguing swap. Will it be cheap enough to enter in the GRM $2006 challenge?

Of course it will be.

Do ANY of the cars in the challenge actually cost $2000?

My solution to all the cheating is that the winner must sell the car to GRM for the price of the challenge. The the next years winner gets the previous years car as a prize but must surrender their car to GRM for the following years prize.

That would make the cars actually be worth the $2000.

[wludavid]

Not to threadjack, but I once got into a pretty heated discussion over that issue on their message board. They get pretty defensive about it.

[TerryBPP]

Originally posted by onewhippedpuppy
You are a crazy SOB, I love it. Didn't you almost have everything fabbed up?

The original turbo setup was up and running for about a month. Then my crappy IHI turbo spit out its rear oil seal again. So the plan was to go BIG and Megasquirt. I bought some bigger injectors and the relay and wiring for the MS setup but nothing else. I realized that after a sizeable investment I would only have
a 220 whp unreliable car.

So I started looking for other options.

wludavid My concern is the understeer that would result from such a beast. The M30 weighs 67 more pounds than the M20, and the weight is further forward. People already complain about the understeer characteristics in the 325i/e compared to the 318i/M3.

Remove the A/C off of the m30 and there is the difference. To be honest this will no longer be a auto-x hopefull. So what is 60 lbs in a street car?

wludavid Complaining aside, it's an intriguing swap. Will it be cheap enough to enter in the GRM $2006 challenge?

Probably not. I figure the swap will plus turbo and Megasquirt will put me near $5,000. But for a car that will be the sh_t out of a new M3.....its worth it.

[Jims5543]

There is an MR2 that runs at our Local AX that competes every year in that event and I'll eat my shoe if its worth $2000.

After the 1st year of that joke I stopped paying attention.

[Rick V]

That m30 is bullitproof and fits right into the E30. BMW made a small run of the 335 for,I think the South American market. You can get the manifolds you need from an old 745. That was the low compression turbo version. That thing will be beast! The only problem I see you having is rebuilding the front suspention to hold up the "big 6" I have a friend who did the turbo setup in his E24 it rocked even in that heavy car. ( I wish I still had mine!)
Post lots of pics

[m325ix]

just put a Euro S50B32 motor in it (from the European E36 M3)... put the cams, carbon fiber airbox and the custom ECU (AlphaN system) with good free flow exhaust...

can you say 380HP normally aspirated e30? Yes, it's stupid fast !

[TerryBPP]

Originally posted by SoCal911SC
Those are right about the numbers of my daily driver.

Trust me, you'll have a good time!

Whats your DD these days? A black Audi?

[wludavid]

Originally posted by m325ix
just put a Euro S50B32 motor in it (from the European E36 M3)... put the cams, carbon fiber airbox and the custom ECU (AlphaN system) with good free flow exhaust...

can you say 380HP normally aspirated e30? Yes, it's stupid fast !

Did you buy that car from RRT in Virginia? It looks familiar.

[TerryBPP]

From what I've seen in previous posts he complete built the car as a replica and then had the engine imported recently.

I've seen a few of these replicas.

This guy has a pretty crazy RSR replica too, if I remember correctly.

[wludavid]

Terry, you've got me thinking. And that's BAD.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BMW-E34-m30-535i-New-DOT-R-Engine-5spd-735-E30-325i_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ33615QQitemZ804625 0996QQrdZ1

[TerryBPP]

Linky no worky.