# e30 + m50b25tu **URL:** \ **Category:** Builds\ **Created:** [April 7, 2010, 5:58pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/e30-m50b25tu/152980 "2010-04-07T17:58:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Axis](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/axis/32/5149_2.png) [@Axis](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Axis)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2010, 5:58pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/e30-m50b25tu/152980/1 "2010-04-07T17:58:48Z")
So, after selling my boosted s30 a few months ago I and not having anything to mess around with, I got the urge to finally swap my e30 after DD’ing it for almost a year and a half. At first I was kind of hoping to get a non vanos m50 but couldn’t find any locally for a non shitty price. I ended up finding a complete 93 vanos car for a REALLY good price nearby so I decided to go for it since I could probably make more money parting it out. ![http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v371/turbociv/PHOT0004-3.jpg](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v371/turbociv/PHOT0004-3.jpg) some people might remember this e30 ![http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs433.snc3/24945_420993435870_503995870_5890071_8035592_n.jpg](http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs433.snc3/24945_420993435870_503995870_5890071_8035592_n.jpg) and the e36, which is in surprisingly good shape mechanically, but the unibody is completely gone. ![http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs453.ash1/24945_420993440870_503995870_5890072_2433201_n.jpg](http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs453.ash1/24945_420993440870_503995870_5890072_2433201_n.jpg) Progress I made after an hour or so, basically got the rad support off and wiring disconnected. Probably could of done it faster but I didn’t realize there were also two spot welds holding the rad support on the frame rails, so that had me scratching my head for a while. ---
**Author:** ![MPD47](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/mpd47/32/7383_2.png) [@MPD47](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/MPD47)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2010, 6:07pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/e30-m50b25tu/152980/2 "2010-04-07T18:07:20Z")
Let me know if you have any questions. But it’s a pretty straight forward swap. ---
**Author:** ![klug](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/klug/32/5222_2.png) [@klug](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/klug)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2010, 6:31pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/e30-m50b25tu/152980/3 "2010-04-07T18:31:09Z")
nice! I should be starting my build shortly as well. ---
**Author:** ![Jam](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/jam/32/7235_2.png) [@Jam](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Jam)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2010, 6:40pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/e30-m50b25tu/152980/4 "2010-04-07T18:40:59Z")
Very cool man, should be quite a ripper! ---
**Author:** ![Coldaccord](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/coldaccord/32/7272_2.png) [@Coldaccord](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Coldaccord)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2010, 11:59pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/e30-m50b25tu/152980/5 "2010-04-07T23:59:11Z")
what trans are you using? what driveshaft and diff? ---
**Author:** ![turbociv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dfb087/32.png) [@turbociv](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/turbociv)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 2:24am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/e30-m50b25tu/152980/6 "2010-04-08T02:24:03Z")
ahhh, there she is. I miss that car like every day.☹ Im glad you didnt beat it into the ground. ---
**Author:** ![95dime](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/95dime/32/7514_2.png) [@95dime](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/95dime)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 4:29am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/e30-m50b25tu/152980/7 "2010-04-08T04:29:55Z")
wow, clean e30. also, hows the interior on the e36 and is it a sedan or coupe? my dads car needs a few things… ---
**Author:** ![Axis](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/axis/32/5149_2.png) [@Axis](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Axis)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 8:16am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/e30-m50b25tu/152980/8 "2010-04-08T08:16:48Z")
> [@turbociv](#): > > ahhh, there she is. I miss that car like every day.☹ Im glad you didnt beat it into the ground. It really took some effort to keep it in good shape, unfortunately the rust that was starting on the doors did grow a bit so I’m probably gonna need to find some clean doors before I plan on respraying it. Also funny thing is, the guy I bought the e36 from was friends with the guy who had the e30 before you so he was able to give me a little history on the car. > [@95dime](#): > > wow, clean e30. also, hows the interior on the e36 and is it a sedan or coupe? my dads car needs a few things… Its a coupe, the interior is good shape except for the door cards and the carpets which someone seemed to have spilled paint on. I’ll be making a part out thread once I’m finished with it. > [@Coldaccord](#): > > what trans are you using? what driveshaft and diff? e36 getrag 260, e36 driveshaft, and an e30 4.10 lsd, which from what I read should work, but I can’t say for sure since I’ve read multiple people saying different things. > [@MPD47](#): > > Let me know if you have any questions. But it’s a pretty straight forward swap. What route did you end up taking in regards to the booster when you did your swap? ---
**Author:** ![TrueBlue](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/trueblue/32/7245_2.png) [@TrueBlue](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/TrueBlue)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 8:35am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/e30-m50b25tu/152980/9 "2010-04-08T08:35:11Z")
Clean car for the swap. In for more pics! ---
**Author:** ![MPD47](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/mpd47/32/7383_2.png) [@MPD47](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/MPD47)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 9:03am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/e30-m50b25tu/152980/10 "2010-04-08T09:03:00Z")
> [@Axis](#): > > What route did you end up taking in regards to the booster when you did your swap? E30iX, which still requires you to shim the motor mount with 2 washers and grind the fins off the end of the plastic intake manifold for it to clear. ---
**Author:** ![theblue](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/theblue/32/5074_2.png) [@theblue](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/theblue)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 9:13am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/e30-m50b25tu/152980/11 "2010-04-08T09:13:31Z")
nice, you’re going to love it. I just had three boxes of parts show up for my e30 m50 (which MPD built) ---
**Author:** ![xklibur9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/f0a364/32.png) [@xklibur9](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/xklibur9)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 4:31pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/e30-m50b25tu/152980/12 "2010-04-08T16:31:45Z")
> [@Axis](#): > > e36 getrag 260, e36 driveshaft, and an e30 4.10 lsd, which from what I read should work, but I can’t say for sure since I’ve read multiple people saying different things. The transmission does bolt up to the M50 with the four main bolts. If you use the Getreg 260 with the E36 driveshaft you will have to enlarge the trans. output flange bolts from 16mm (e30 guibo) to 18mm (E36 guibo). ---
**Author:** ![MPD47](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/mpd47/32/7383_2.png) [@MPD47](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/MPD47)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 5:24pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/e30-m50b25tu/152980/13 "2010-04-08T17:24:25Z")
Test fit your e30 driveshaft first. Most of the time it’ll work. ---
**Author:** ![Axis](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/axis/32/5149_2.png) [@Axis](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Axis)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 5:02pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/e30-m50b25tu/152980/14 "2010-04-15T17:02:43Z")
Got the engine and trans out today finally ![http://hphotos-sjc1.fbcdn.net/hs433.snc3/24945_424035590870_503995870_5967468_1950019_n.jpg](http://hphotos-sjc1.fbcdn.net/hs433.snc3/24945_424035590870_503995870_5967468_1950019_n.jpg) and on the stand for some degreasing and gasket replacing ![http://hphotos-sjc1.fbcdn.net/hs413.snc3/24945_424035615870_503995870_5967469_569610_n.jpg](http://hphotos-sjc1.fbcdn.net/hs413.snc3/24945_424035615870_503995870_5967469_569610_n.jpg) seems like the pressure plate and flex joint have seen better days as well ![http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs453.ash1/24945_424035625870_503995870_5967470_1755512_n.jpg](http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs453.ash1/24945_424035625870_503995870_5967470_1755512_n.jpg) ![http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs433.snc3/24945_424035635870_503995870_5967471_1075477_n.jpg](http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs433.snc3/24945_424035635870_503995870_5967471_1075477_n.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![OriginalSterm](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/originalsterm/32/4964_2.png) [@OriginalSterm](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/OriginalSterm)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 5:05pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/e30-m50b25tu/152980/15 "2010-04-15T17:05:32Z")
Condition and plans for the old engine and tranny? ---
**Author:** ![Jam](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/jam/32/7235_2.png) [@Jam](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Jam)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 10:51pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/e30-m50b25tu/152980/16 "2010-04-15T22:51:57Z")
oh man those flex joints… i wonder what the one on dawns car looks like ---
**Author:** ![Axis](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/axis/32/5149_2.png) [@Axis](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Axis)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2010, 7:20pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/e30-m50b25tu/152980/17 "2010-04-27T19:20:02Z")
Just an update. Finished degreasing the engine and fixed the leaking valve cover gasket as well as doing some regular maintence stuff. e28 mounts and the bolts and spacers for the rack swap as well as the booster have come in. Just waiting on the oil pan related parts, e34 linkage, harness adapter, and shifter bushings. I’m also tempted to try out an el cheapo ebay clutch + flywheel combo by f1 racing. Normally I’m not a big fan of buying ebay driveline components but I’ve heard pretty decent things about this one so for $400 I figure why not, especially since the stock flywheel is pretty beastly and heavy and the pressure plate is currently busted. ---
**Author:** ![theblue](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/theblue/32/5074_2.png) [@theblue](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/theblue)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 9:14am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/e30-m50b25tu/152980/18 "2010-04-28T09:14:17Z")
you can get some nice ebay headers for around $1xx also, and now is the time to do them easily. You can then get them modified at the bottom to go to a custom single exhaust and you won’t have any problems clearing the subframe while picking up some power and dropping weight. I plan to do this later on. ---
**Author:** ![Axis](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/axis/32/5149_2.png) [@Axis](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Axis)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2010, 9:41am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/e30-m50b25tu/152980/19 "2010-04-28T09:41:33Z")
> [@theblue](#): > > you can get some nice ebay headers for around $1xx also, and now is the time to do them easily. You can then get them modified at the bottom to go to a custom single exhaust and you won’t have any problems clearing the subframe while picking up some power and dropping weight. > > I plan to do this later on. Already ordered these as well. Couldn’t see a reason not to get them for 90$ shipped. ---
**Author:** ![Axis](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/axis/32/5149_2.png) [@Axis](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Axis)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2010, 12:28pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/e30-m50b25tu/152980/20 "2010-05-09T12:28:25Z")
Finished getting the e34 pan on yesterday. Had me scratching my head for a while since the pan I got didn’t have any sort of baffle in the shallow section like most e34 pans do. Ended up just keeping the e36 windage tray that bolts on to the block. My flywheel and clutch should be coming in sometime this week, so tommorow I’ll be pulling the m20 and powerwashing, sanding, and respraying the engine bay. [Next page](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/e30-m50b25tu/152980.md?page=2)