Hey guys,
I have a couple of questions in mind regarding a project that me and my friends starting soon.
We have purchased an E30 325i and we r planning to transform it to a dedicated track/Auto-X car.
We have a 93 M50 engine, 5spd manual gearbox, and a 3.73 differential.
we will be doing the following in this order:
1. swap the engine, trans., and diff.
2. install the coil-over suspension along with all the replacement solid bushings.
3. strip out the interior and install only two recaro seats and a stearing wheel.

My Questions r......
A. wut i do want to ask is from ur experiance is this work order fine or shall we change an put other things ahead????
B. Wut Coil-Over brand should we use????(really confused btw H&R and KW)

Guys also please share ur opinions and advise, i do really appreciate the help.

Do you realize once you do the engine swap you will probably classed as a Pro ( BMW CCA ) or modified car. So you will be up against some heavily modified cars. You may want to check SCCA rules to see how that combo would be classed

For Auto x there is such a think as to much HP.. Now on a road track like Sebring that set up would be nice.

I am doing a M52 conversion now for a Track car. Since I will only be doing track days and driving schools it doesnt matter how the car is classed. But if you really wanted to do something like Spec e30 racing you need to go to their site and follow their guidelines.

FYI in our Club here in Tampa FL. 2 of the fastest Auto X cars are 318 Ti's. With coil overs, R compounds. Plus one has Cams , Alum flywheel and Dinan chipped. These cars usually beat the M3s in the next class up.

Well, difference is we don't have to follow classes as rigorously as is done in SCCA/BMWCCA. A set of springs here will put you (believe it or not) in the same class with 400whp EVOs and STIs. So we figured it's worth the upgrade....

What do you think of the jobs order?

What do you think of the jobs order?

I would suggest getting the suspension first so you can learn to drive it before you add power to the picture.

We've been driving BMWs for as long as we can remember, so no problems in learning the enhanced car dynamics. The driver is already familiar with track driving, but it's his first time driving a track-prepped BMW.

The twin cam is going to add weight to the front end. So as soon as you do the swap you will need to look at springs and struts. I have read any where from 80 to 125 lbs addition.
So i would say after the swap the coil overs and struts, you will want struts with adjustable rebound. And you may need to play with your spring rates since a E30 kit wont take into account the heavier engine.
I then would do a brake upgrade. I plan to swap over to the 5 lug e36 set up and use M3 brakes.
Then with all that extra HP you will start breaking old worn parts. So the Driveshaft Guilbos will need to be replaced. If you have not replaced the front Ball joints, tie rods etc.. they also may need to be looked at.
Las of all Yes the rear subframe and axle bushings. I put in Ireland engineering ones.
If your planning on gutting the car at least keep the vents in to defog the windshield, and wipers. all the rest can go. You also will save a good deal of weight by pulling out the power windows and side glass and putting in plexi glass.

Thats all i can think of.

Excellent, all that is already into taken account :)

However, I'm having a hard time locating a TRUE coilover kit for the E30. What do you suggest? We're not looking at matching shocks/rear springs. Ofcourse with a true coilover setup in the rear aluminum RSMs are a must since the rear, non load-bearing shock tower would be a load-bearing part.

Gr8 info guys and that just indecate that we r one the right track of work.
but what we would be insterested in also. is the work order of preparing the car, as mentioned before, fine or should we start with suspinsion????? or would somebody suggest doing all the stuff at the same time while swaping the engine and trans. in?????
plus i have another question in mind, since we r putting an M50 in an E30 chasis can we use the M50 solid engine mount or we should use the E30's mount???