New to E30, have ?s

#1

Hey everyone,

Been looking for a E30 car for the spec class. Have an abundance of early cars, a few 87-91 325s, and a couple of "is" cars to choose from. I have a couple of questions:

1.Is an auto to 5 speed conversion a pain? What is involved as far as work and costs?

2.On early 325s, what is needed to bump up the HP to 87-91 spec? Is it just the head, or is it more involved.

I’ve found a few candidates but the "is" cars have owners that are very unwilling to budge on a sky-high price.

If an engine needs to be rebuilt, what is the typical cost to build it for track duty, but legal in the class?

Thanks a bunch! If you guys need any Fox Mustang questions answered, you just shoot them my way! :stuck_out_tongue:

#2

Rich:

  1. Robert Patton has done a few conversions and they get it done in a day.

  2. Forget about getting an eta car, unless you have an i motor to swap into it. The eta motor is a 2.7 liter low revving engine so you really don’t want to convert one to i specs.

  3. A legal rebuild will net about 4-6 hp so if the engine is running fine…

And the cost can vary from $2,000 to $5,000 I’d guess.

Keep us up to date on your progress and feel free to ask any questions.

Carter

#3

I spoke to a local shop yesterday who said he does conversions for about $1500 with parts from his stash. Personally, I’d just buy the right car up front as I think it’s less costly and definately less work over the long haul.

Ditto with buying a 325i or 325is vs 325 or 325e and trying to ‘fix’ it into the right car. Those latter two are nice replacement shells if you wreck yours, but other than that it’s more work than it’s worth.

I would not pay a premium for an ‘is’. Other than the air dam and the LSD rear, you’re going to toss the rest of the ‘is’ model goodies anyway. A 325i is what you want, and some do have the LSD already in them (mine came with one). Open your search to 4 doors, as they aren’t as sought after among the enthusiast and kiddie crowds, are the same dimensions, and the rear doors offer a bit of flexibility with hauling cargo and installing the cage.

We are finding these engines are extremely tough, and almost nobody spends money rebuilding them. Good running junkyard motors are only a couple hundred bucks. 150,000 to 200,000 on these is not unusual, nor does it seem to wear them out. Rebuilding the engine is probably one of the bottom things on my build list. When I need that extra 2hp to pass Cobetto I’ll worry about it, but not as a noob.

#4

these engines "wear out" from not changing the timing belt or oil
test the compression and make sure it is ``150 and even across the board, adjust the valves and change the timing belt/ tensioner and h20 pump. The guys above gave you the right advice. 325i w/ LSD is the best candidate. Pre-airbag is even better

#5

Thanks for the info! Keep it coming.

The engine rebuild question was not for horsepower, but more for "what if". I know I can rebuild a 302 for around a grand. Just wondering about the cost.

On the auto to manual conversion, is it just a tranny/clutch, pedals, and a cable? Or is the clutch hydraulic? I’m looking for a manual, but there is a candidate that looks good and it has an auto. I would probably tackle the job myself if possible.

#6

You could ask Damion–he bought a kit that included the tranny, flywheel, clutch, pilot bushing, throwout bearing, pedal box, hard and soft fluid lines into/out of the clutch master cylinder, guibo, driveshaft, center support bearing, and probably 15 small bits I’m not remembering right now.

Working on your back hanging a pedal box is among the crappiest of jobs…Ask me how I know!

Unless you can get all the parts very cheap (free), the savings of buying an auto will be eclipsed by the new/junkyard parts buys. Priced a driveshaft lately?

#7

Hey Rich,
here is an article on the auto-to-5 speed swap and I know there are even more detailed articles out there.
http://www.bmwe30.net/cgi-bin/datacgi/database.cgi?file=articles&report=view&ID=00158&Section=11

cheers,
bruce

#8

ctbimmer wrote:

[quote]Working on your back hanging a pedal box is among the crappiest of jobs…Ask me how I know!
[/quote]
Thisis very uncomfortable and a huge PITA

#9

NasaRegistar is speaking from experience, when it comes to the pre airbag model! My advice is the same a pre 1990 325i. Dont get one that needs any more than a few hundred in body work. I’m speaking from experience on that one.

#10

I guess I’ll just keep on lookin!

So 87-89 325i is what I should be looking for. Manual tranny. I’d prefer a 2 door just for looks. I need to get some experience with these cars, I have been driving Fox Mustangs for my fun cars and have no E30 experience.

I just want to do something differtent than I have done in the past 10 years. Bruce (leggwork) took me for a ride in his E30 M3 and it was quite the experience. My dad used to run BMWs in his days in europe and has allways spoken highly. So, why not.

Anyway, I’ll keep you guys posted when I find one!

#11

Since you’ve been driving a Mustang I’ll advise you that once you get in the E30, the little round thing in front of you is for changing direction. This can actually be done concurrent with large throttle inputs.:wink:

Welcome,
Sasha

#12

Not to mention that the suspension actually works with the car and not against it, and the brakes will stop the car if you ask them.
:laugh:
I tease, because my other option was to buy a Fox chassis Mustang, but prior experience told me this would be far wiser!

#13

Well, I do own 2 that are a bit off the normal pace.

1985 SVO, the turbocharged 2.3 liters of fury, big brakes (4 wheel disk), koni shocks, eibach springs, and a whole lotta boost!

1986 Saleen, racecraft suspension, Monroe formula GP, chassis bracing, 5.0liter with a ProCharger making 9psi. This car is crazy fast but stops like a semi.

They are just too rare to beat up. I wanna save them and build a car for the road course. :laugh:

#14

Hoplessly OT: I drove a SVO, and was impressed back in the day. They were way different than a standard Mustang, which unfortunately means the parts can now be an issue, as I’ve read. Nothing wrong with Mustangs, provided you understand how bad the undercarriage is (and you do, as you’ve fixed yours). As I said, I was considering a Mustang but the build and running costs were just so much higher than the E30. I will miss the sound of the small block Ford though. :blush: