M3 PROJECT

Here's a very interesting and fun engine swap. The E30 M3 is well known for it's agility and lack of grunt, when compared to modern day equivalents. What we sought out to do is trade some nimbleness for raw power and torque from larger displacement. For about the same cost as a stroker kit for the S14 2.3, 16v engine, the owner of this car decided he wanted another powerplant engineered by BMW's M-group.

This is where the S38 3.5l 24 valve high-revving six cylinder engine comes into play. Originally found in the E28 M5,it has enough torque down low to spin the tires in any of the lower gears, and a 7000+ rpm redline. Couple this with the relatively light-weight E30 M3, this is a very fun and addictive ride.

The conversion from a 4 to a 6 cylinder means that we had to fabricate engine mount brackets to seat the engine as far back as possible as to not disrupt the balance of the car as best we can. Although the E30 chassis does also come with 6 cylinder engines from the factory, keep in mind that those are M20's, or "small blocks". The larger S38 never did, which means there are no factory parts available to fit the engine.

This engine is so long, that there is about 15mm clearance to the firewall, and about 25mm to the radiator. A super effecient electric fan has been mounted in front of the radiator, as the original clutch fan setup had to be removed for clearance. Also note, this car retains all the creature comforts such as A/C and cruise control.

The fact that all (real) M powerplants use individual throttle-bodies meant that we had to figure out what to do with the vacuum-assisted brake booster, as it was in the way of the large plenum. We simply ended up bolting on a hydrualic-assist setup from the same car the engine came from.

With a few little bolt on mods, this engine's output will exceed the Euro M5's power and torque, bringing it to just over the 300bhp mark. As I mentioned before, fun and addictive to drive! Videos will follow, enjoy the pictures!

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