E30 S52 with OBDI and 5-Lug Conversion

The E30 chassis is a great balance lightweight platform with engine options ranging from the docile 1.8L 101hp engine to the 2.3L 189hp M3.  I own a 1990 325is which is very capable with many bolt-on modifications.  You can see a list of modifications on it page here.  After tracking the car for a few years and trying to have a 'dual-purpose' car, I came to realize there are just too many compromises.  On the street, it rode rough and can't get into many driveways.  On the track, it performed decent, but needed better brakes and more power.  So I decided to build what the factory couldn't provide me...an E30 S52 with M3 5-lug conversion.

We built two cars at Silver Star Auto Service in San Francisco owned by Fred Jackman:
       1988 M3
       1985 318I

After acquiring the engines and transmissions, we decided to add an OBDII to OBDI conversion for increased power.  The larger earlier intake manifolds provide more air flow and the computers are more easily modified for fine tuning the engines.  I also had a requirement for the 5-lug conversion because a bigger engine is no good without bigger brakes.  You can read my full write-up on the E30 5-lug conversion page.   We purchased the Orca cd, the OBDI conversion cd and the Steering rack conversion cd from Zionsville Autosport.  All cds were well worth the price and saved countless hours of headaches.

Before the conversion:

BMW 318i with 287K miles on the chassis                                                                                 

A brief synopsis of the the engine drop-in in the 318i
Pics of the engine transplant into the M3

Current pics: