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V8 E30 Project


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Trying to make progress battling through the Wisconsin winter.

 

Next on my list was get rid of the donor car so I have more room for the upcoming fab work.

 

Anyway this is the second 540 I am chopping up. The 12" blade made all the difference the second time around. This was less than 2 hours behind the saw.

 

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Front clip is off, B pillar gone, front windshield all the way to the rear glass. I should have it to the scrap yard by Saturday then a quick clean/regroup before I bring in the welder and reinforce the subframe, fab the exhaust manifold, mount the remote brake booster (E34), fab the extended transmission mount, and fab the brackets after I remove the radiator support. In the stock form the you need to drop the motor in from above then bring up the trans from the bottom.

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  • 3 weeks later...
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  • 1 month later...

There is great aftermarket support for LS swapped anything anymore.

 

I would say the M62 swap is harder because of the wiring and lack of information out there compared to the LS.

 

LS is a better swap, but I am very happy with the route I chose at this point.

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  • 3 months later...

Booster is mounted and functional through the brake pedal. This is supposedly the hardest part of the swap, but I think that will be the wiring for me.

 

Just need to finish the exhaust, wire and plumb.

 

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If by "way cooler" you mean more complicated, more expensive, and less powerful then yes.

 

I kid,I kid - very cool swap - way more than I would ever tackle!

 

You hit 2/3 on the head.

 

More complicated and less powerful are true. If this was an LS swap I would be 10k in the hole right now. Because I bought a full running 540i and there is big money in parting them out I am currently break even/up a little on the project.

 

This car is a test to see if I can tackle an S62 or N54 swap next.

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This swap is way cooler than a LS.

 

100%!!! Love it! Same reason why I love Lexus V8, and Yota V12 Swaps in Supras. Have to appreciate the work to keep it in the family.

 

 

 

 

 

You hit 2/3 on the head.

 

More complicated and less powerful are true. If this was an LS swap I would be 10k in the hole right now. Because I bought a full running 540i and there is big money in parting them out I am currently break even/up a little on the project.

 

This car is a test to see if I can tackle an S62 or N54 swap next.

 

 

Agree. People think LS swaps are cheap because a few cheap fucks like me get away with Murder, but I got VERY lucky in finding a car that came with a pile of parts for dirt. Just my Ls1/T56 drop out sells for 5k All day long...and if you start with a truck motor all of the other stuff you need will nickle and dime you to death.

 

Even most of the people I see that post on the "sloppy mechanics" sight have big money builds...5k transmission/converter set ups....built motors......ect.

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Don't get me wrong, the versatility of the LS platform is awesome based on power numbers, fuel economy and availability of the aftermarket. BUT, I will give the nod towards the person that steps outside of the box to keep power trains "in the family".

 

As someone who enjoys all makes, there are particular qualities each manufacturer provides as far as feel, sound, and visual ques. Although it's neat to cross platforms, taking a newer better power plant from the same lineage of car and "updating" it is just neat.

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Much thanks. I don't mind bastardizing a car, but people will actually pay as much for a M60/M62 E30 as they will an LS E30. And the kind of person that wants to drop teens on an E30 prefer the M62 since an LS person would rather spend that kind of money on something else.

 

I just want this thing to be done and drive the wheels off of it. I lucked out on some really rare rims and just picked up a ~$1000 suspension setup for $150. The more I think about it I don't care about resale and just want to enjoy it.

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Also, the motor out of the 4.6 X5 has 350hp so I have my eye out for one of those. Believe it or not its the cheapest way to get another 50hp out of the M62. That and a baby wet shot should make for some fun.
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  • 3 weeks later...

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Down pipes fabbed up. Waiting to do the rest until my hangers come in the mail. It is straight piped with gutted cats. Hoping it isn't too loud. Will add an inline muffler if so. Also need to figure out how to trick the secondary O2 sensors. Either find a way to tap into the original with an inline resistor or buy some of those extended bungs with a small hole so it thinks the cats are there and doing there jobs.

 

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Fitting the radiator and removable radiator support. Thought this was a cool picture.

 

I have some stuff for the wiring in the mail so I will be able to get a start on that once it arrives. Motor is back out to do some work on the remote booster and make the wiring easier.

 

Really thinking about turning this into an autox/track car. Bought a pretty nice suspension setup and they make an adapter for a 4 piston RX7 kit that is pretty cheap.

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  • 1 month later...

Motor is 98% wired. Working on the ECU/EWS now.

 

In the mean time I came across a great deal on some sticky tires. I need to decide what to do with the AC Schnitzers, but for now function wins out over form.

 

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