To start off, please be well aware that ANY engine swap is neither going to be "easy" nor "cheap". If it is, expect it to cost more money and cause headaches in the near future. If using a second hand engine, it should be fully reconditioned and have all wearing parts replaced before it goes into the car.
Of all the options, the M30 (B34 or B35 depending on which you can get your hands on) swap is the easiest and cheapest. Why? Absolutely every step of the swap is a bolt-in job.
Hartge and Alpina both built M30B35 based E30's (Hartge H35 and Alpina B6 3.5) Also, BMW released a limited number of M30B32 fitted E30s in the South African market (333i which was jointly developed by BMW and Alpina). That means that every part you need can be obtained from the said OEM suppliers. A wrecked E28 or early E34 535i or M535i would make an inexpensive donor.
The engines themselves are old technology, single-cam design. This makes working ON the engine much simpler than with more modern engines. Having been designed in an age where many things were "over-engineered" they are extremely tough and resilient. After a rebuild, very basic maintenance will have them running strong almost forever. They also handle forced induction well in their stock form.
The down-side of the older technology is that they won't be as fuel efficient as modern twin-cam engines. No matter how it's tuned, the torque curve will never be as broad as that of a twin-cam engine. Speaking of torque, this thing will pour out bucket-loads of it as soon as you touch the go-pedal.
The power figures of this engine will be less than impressive, but that's not what it's about. It's TORQUE and at the end of the day, it's what matters. Torque is the turning force exerted at the engine flywheel on the drive-train, which is what is actually driving the wheels.
Sources on the internet estimate these stats:
0-100km/h: 6.7 sec
Top speed: 240 km / h
10-13.5 Liter / 100km
If I were to do a swap on an E30 and wanted the least hassle, where every step was just a case of turning a wrench, the M30 is the way I'd go.
Sunday, April 5, 2015
Saturday, April 4, 2015
The Best Car EVER Built
If you could only own 1 car for your entire life, what would it be?
For me, the answer will always be a Manual Touring BMW E30 (With an M30B35). Only a few of these were made for the South African market.
More doors, more awesome!
The practicality of 4-doors is simply unbeatable. This isn't ONLY about carrying passengers. When you do your grocery shopping, it's so much easier to be able to just open the back door, put the items in the foot-well or on the backseat, than to walk around to the boot (trunk to you Americans).
If you have a family, you want the back seat to be easily accessible for mounting and taking out the baby seat, for your passengers to easily and quickly get in and out.
Ample Luggage space!
Fit absolutely anything you want in your car! Do track days? Take your entire tool kit and your spare wheels with you IN your track car.
Need to spend the night on the road? Put the back seats down and stretch yourself out in the trunk. Oh and it will carry your groceries in the back too.
A backseat that works!
Plenty of 2-door sports cars have back seats, it's just that the backseats are strictly meant to be used by people with no legs. If there's no leg room for the rear passenger, why even bother having a rear seat? An E30 can comfortably accommodate 4-5 average sized adults.
Featherweight Handling
It's a wagon that weighs under 3000lbs distributed front-rear at close to 50:50, with the lively character of an FR layout.
6cyl Power & Torque: more VROOM!
NEVER has there been a 4-door production car of any kind, let alone a wagon, with as much interior room, AND as little weight (less than 3000lbs), more powerful engine. There are plenty of other "sports" sedans and wagons you can compare to the E30 that have more powerful engines and do go faster in a straight line. Problem is that every single one of them is heavier and as a result, handles like a brick in comparison.
RWD = More FUN!
Need I explain?
It pains me to no end, that with all the advancements in engineering and technology, not a single car manufacturer has built a car that can tick the same boxes that this car from the 80's does.
If I could get myself a brand new 4-door E30 equivalent, I would in a heartbeat. If anyone makes an E30 replica kit, I'll be the one of the first to pre-order. It's ridiculous that cobra kits are all the craze when you could get a Mazda MX-5, swap a V8 into it and have a better car for less work and less money. Yet, nobody has bothered to make an E30 kit? E30 Tourer's are already rarer than rainbow fairy unicorns. Someone please do before these cars go completely extinct!
For me, the answer will always be a Manual Touring BMW E30 (With an M30B35). Only a few of these were made for the South African market.
More doors, more awesome!
The practicality of 4-doors is simply unbeatable. This isn't ONLY about carrying passengers. When you do your grocery shopping, it's so much easier to be able to just open the back door, put the items in the foot-well or on the backseat, than to walk around to the boot (trunk to you Americans).
If you have a family, you want the back seat to be easily accessible for mounting and taking out the baby seat, for your passengers to easily and quickly get in and out.
Ample Luggage space!
Fit absolutely anything you want in your car! Do track days? Take your entire tool kit and your spare wheels with you IN your track car.
Need to spend the night on the road? Put the back seats down and stretch yourself out in the trunk. Oh and it will carry your groceries in the back too.
A backseat that works!
Plenty of 2-door sports cars have back seats, it's just that the backseats are strictly meant to be used by people with no legs. If there's no leg room for the rear passenger, why even bother having a rear seat? An E30 can comfortably accommodate 4-5 average sized adults.
Featherweight Handling
It's a wagon that weighs under 3000lbs distributed front-rear at close to 50:50, with the lively character of an FR layout.
6cyl Power & Torque: more VROOM!
NEVER has there been a 4-door production car of any kind, let alone a wagon, with as much interior room, AND as little weight (less than 3000lbs), more powerful engine. There are plenty of other "sports" sedans and wagons you can compare to the E30 that have more powerful engines and do go faster in a straight line. Problem is that every single one of them is heavier and as a result, handles like a brick in comparison.
RWD = More FUN!
Need I explain?
It pains me to no end, that with all the advancements in engineering and technology, not a single car manufacturer has built a car that can tick the same boxes that this car from the 80's does.
If I could get myself a brand new 4-door E30 equivalent, I would in a heartbeat. If anyone makes an E30 replica kit, I'll be the one of the first to pre-order. It's ridiculous that cobra kits are all the craze when you could get a Mazda MX-5, swap a V8 into it and have a better car for less work and less money. Yet, nobody has bothered to make an E30 kit? E30 Tourer's are already rarer than rainbow fairy unicorns. Someone please do before these cars go completely extinct!
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