Newman's 1986 BMW 326rb build thread.

not ATM. i would like to say 2500 lbs… but i don’t think i am going to be gutting the car.

point: It seems the car weighs about 2750 lbs

point: The RB is assumably heavier than the BMW I6 it is replacing, however, i am hoping that Rb26 - AC - PS - twin turbos and cast manifolds = stock BMW engine weight.

point: I have been told there is 200 lbs of sound deadening. this will be removed

point: There will be some minor things removed for weight savings. If i had the car, i could tell you more. It will be a bare bones engine bay, that’s for sure.

Any reason for this other than to be unique? Aren’t there easier or cheaper motors to stuff in there with good potential?

the e30 was wat was available and rwd and cheap, pretty sure thats the reason, he had the motor, just needed something to throw it in

How do you just “have” an RB26?

I believe he traded his built rb26?

I really can’t see you driving a bmw, newman.

Whats next… an audi build up?

VW R26 :tup:

wow read the whole thread before you post…
it’s andres old stroker 3 series right?
mpd bought it now isn’t using it??
newman and don took his old built rb from his 240 and put it into someone else’s skyline,
removing the “old” rb that has a few mods…
newman now has an rb and cashish & decides to throw the rb into something light rwd and locally available now…
very very easy to understand…
christ people!!

Except you are completely wrong.

Want to try another Fastback rb26? lol I have one and if its the right price i could sell it. Its rolling ready for a swap.

if that is the reason then why not an LS(somthing) swap?

i just want to do it. that’s why. there doesn’t need to be a good reason.

i am not mocking your, reason. because my project that i am working on is hard to justify(AWD+CRX=me having fun). But i would “think” that making an AWD running gear non-AWD would be a waste. because you are then tooo limited on gear selection and what is your rear end of choice.(car speaking)

+1 It’s not the black stroker car that was sold on here.

come again?

among other things, the skyline center differential is remarkably complex. It utilizes hydraulic pressure generated by a rear dif mounted pump to control the torque split, governed by a computer and wheel speed sensors. Granted, I could use a center spool, but i just don’t want to.

AWD is an added concern I just don’t feel like dealing with. This means locating 325ix front suspension parts (if they are even available for e30s) then i’d need to perfectly match the rear dif to the front dif. It’s just alot of hassle.

my mistake i assumed it was andres after someone mentioned a turbo s54 should have been motor of choice, regardless if your not a moron you could still deceipher he meant skyline motor in e30.

why buy roundstock for the plugs when you can just make it?

1.225" Round 6061 Aluminum cut from 4" square of Billet 6061 Aluminum on a wire EDM.

I understand the complexity of this swap. and the engineering that needs to take place. but if all that looking to be accomplished is putting a RB motor in a BMW. Then i cannot wait to see it done.

But here are a group of question/ concern i could ponder at the moment. In no order.

can the chassis handle the (jewels) or watts ?

weight distribution

handling

braking

gearing

pedal set up

gear selector position

tire selection

wow, that is a nice hook up right there.

can the chassis handle the (jewels) or watts ? I asked mike about this, he seems to think that 500WHP will be within an acceptable chassis tolerance

weight distribution I am replacing an iron L6 with an iron L6, the rb26 trans weighs much more than the bmw unit. This will mover the CG back slightly. The plan is to install the engine as close as possible to the firewall

handling i’m not building a track car. it’s a street car, more or less for cruising and going fast straight. i would probably expect to see some cheaper coilovers to produce that “slammed” look. I have two cars that handle well. If i want to get hairy, i’ll take out the elise.

braking apparently, the chassis comes with a big brake kit installed. I have no idea if the prop valve has been replaced. Again, as long is it stops reasonably, I’m ok with this.

gearing Gearing. Stock for now. Some sort of lsd in the future. as for final drive ratio, unsure at the moment.

pedal set up Stock

gear selector position If i need to modify the shifter trim, i will. As i said earlier, i will try and position the motor towards the rear as much as i can.

tire selection whatever i decide to slap onto the cheap rotas i buy.

Remeber, I am NOT making a track/handling car. It’s a novelty thing. It’s cool. It’s fun to build. It’s fast, etc.

This is going to be hot :tup:

But I would have loved to see that motor in an FBOD :frowning: