E30S52 from a 1985 BMW 318i


Going from 101 hp to 280 hp is quite a jump for this E30. Here are are a few pics:
(I unfortunately lost all of the pics of the detail work involved with fitting on the suspension and modifying parts for the conversion)

Pulling the engine:

After only 3 hours of work, the engine is removed:

I clean and paint the engine bay for the new engine. The left side of the engine compartment has seen 19 years of spilled brake fluid and the paint and insulation is all gone. In addition, I remove all sound deadening material and extra wiring that will not be used with the new engine. I decided to paint the engine bay an aluminum color because it is neutral and the exterior will most likely change color. I am thinnking a nice color of Search and Rescue Orange.


The S52 ready for insertion. Notice the beautiful UUC stage II lightweight flywheel to be used with an E34 M5 clutch. It is only 8.5 lbs compared to the stock 28.5 dual mass flywheel.  The OBDI conversion was done with the engine on the engine stand which is much easier than trying to fit parts when the engine is in the car.  Documentation of that conversion is best seen through the cds bought from Zionsville Autosport.

IT'S IN!! The S52 is finally in the car!! There is still a ton of work to be done, but the engine is finally resting in the car.



Below is a table with the factory weights of each car and engines.  The 318i clearly being the lightest chassis.  It has the lightest engine as well, but didnt have a lot of the bells and whistles of the later models.  I tried to find one without a sunroof, but that is nearly impossible.  I swapped the electrical windows for manual window regulators and have removed most of the interior and electronics.  Eventually, it will be just bare metal with a big engine.  I should be able to get my 318i to around 2300 lbs even with the bigger engine which weighs 154 lbs more. 

We have dynoed the E30M3 at 229 hp at the rear wheels which converts to 276 hp at the crank with 17% loss.  With cams and then right chip, it should put out over 300 hp.  I am looking for around 280 bhp at the crank after the OBDI conversion and other modifications including 540i HFM, 30lb injectors, adjustable fuel pressure regulator, chip, pulleys and exhaust.  This would yield 8.21 lbs/hp and 0 to 60 in well under 5 secondsBy comparison, the 2004 Porsche 911 turbo has 415 hp or 8.39 lbs/hp and does 0 to 6 in 3.98 seconds.  The M5 is about 10 lbs/hp, Z8 is 8.87 and the new M5 will be 8.1 (4050lb/500hp). 



Model

Factory Code

ProductionYears

FactoryBHP

Factory Weight

Minimum Weight

lbs/bhp

Class

Final Drive Ratio

318i

E30

1984

1985

102

2361

2300

22.55

SU

3.64

318i 4-dr

E30

1990

1991

134

2657

2600

19.40

SO

4.10

318i Conv

E30

1990

1991

134

2867

2600

19.40

SO

4.10

318is

E30

1990

1991

134

2602

2600

19.40

SO

4.10

325

E30

1987

1988

121

2765

2750

22.73

SU

2.93

325/325e

E30

1984

1985

121

2770

2750

22.73

SU

2.93

325/325e

E30

1986

1986

121

2770

2750

22.73

SU

2.93

325es

E30

1986

1988

121

2785

2750

22.73

SU

2.93

325i

E30

1987

1988

168

2850

2750

16.37

SO

3.73

325i

E30

1990

1991

168

2811

2750

16.37

SO

3.73

325i

E30

1989

1989

168

2895

2750

16.37

SO

3.73

325i Conv

E30

1987

1990

168

3015

2750

16.37

SO

3.73

325i Conv

E30

1991

1992

168

2988

2750

16.37

SO

3.73

325is

E30

1987

1988

168

2815

2750

16.37

SO

3.73

325is

E30

1989

1991

168

2865

2750

16.37

SO

3.73



Engine Specifications
:
Model Engine Weight Weight Power (bhp)
Torque (ft/lbs)
318i M10 82 kg 181 lbs 102@5500 116@3000
325i M20 117 kg 258 lbs 168@5800 167@4000
E30M3 US
S14 106 kg 235 lbs 192@6750 170@4600
E36M3 US
S52 152 kg 335 lbs 240@6000 225@4250


Links:
E30S52 Main
E30 S52 Build-up
E30S52 BMW 318i page1
E30S52 BMW 318i page2
E30S52 BMW M3 page
5-Lug Conversion
5-Lug Conversion Pics
E30 Suspension
E30 325is page

Ground Control Home Page
Zionsville Autosport Home Page

Speichers.com Home