Jesse OBrien

If its all here, its badly organized. Ive spent 4 hours trying to find definitive answers both here and on gm boards but havent been able to get many facts. Im not the type who is afraid to roll up my sleeves and do some research, but you cant find what isnt there. If its all available, i will happily read any relevant threads. Just post a link, ill apologize for not being able to find it and thank you for your help. I took a good loom at a few carb manufacturer sites, and i think ive verified that 87+ iton heads have different center mounting holes for the intake manifold and possibly different valve locations, so a special intake manifold would be required after all.

I knew I wouldn't be able to stay away from s30's for long. I'm back, and waiting for delivery of my shell next weekend. The goal is to have it sputtering around by June 1st on a budget of $2500 (or less). I'm into the shell for $500 (plus a trailer rental for a day and gas, so we'll just say $600), and just picked up an 87 Camaro t5 for $220 and a 92 350ci (TBI) for $240. I'm missing so much that it isn't funny, but I don't want to blow my budget ordering the wrong things. I've already ordered the JTR book, but it hasn't come in yet. I suppose we can start with the basics that I THINK I need, and hopefully I can get a little help with finding the answers. Any comments, feedback, or corrections are more than welcome. Flywheel - I have a 1-piece rear main seal, since it's a 1992 block. What I don't know is whether I'm looking for external balance, what size ring gear, or how many teeth. I'm guessing the ring gear and teeth depends on the transmission (and therefore the starter that I can mount), but this is what I'm tentatively looking at picking up (I like that it's reasonably lightweight and inexpensive): http://www.jegs.com/i/JEGS-Performance-Products/555/601250/10002/-1?parentProductId=1221208 Starter - Since I'm assuming I'll be using components for a 153-tooth flywheel, I'll assume I need a 153-tooth starter as well. I'm not sure if I'm overlooking the actual mounting pattern, since I'm using a 1987 t5 transmission, though. Will this work? http://www.jegs.com/i/JEGS+Performance+Products/555/10065/10002/-1 Throwout bearing - Wasn't included on the transmission. Is this the complete throwout bearing assembly? http://www.jegs.com/i/JEGS+Performance+Products/555/601101/10002/-1 Shift fork and slave cylinder - I can't even find any information. What the heck do I need? Intake manifold - Finding cold, hard facts has proving difficult in the GM community. I've found some sources which state that the TBI heads are a completely different shape than other 350's, but I'm hoping that I can just toss a carb manifold on and start my base tune. Maybe they're just saying that one could purchas an adapter on the tbi manifold to mount a carb? All I want is to pick up a simple carb manifold and 4barrel carb on Craigslist and slop it on top of this engine to get the ball rolling. My hope (and this is obviously wishful thinking) is that I can have the powertrain assembled and ready to run by the time the shell shows up, and I can just toss the JTR mounting kit in and get a driveshaft made up for it. I hope (much more realistically) that you fine folks can help me out, or at least point me in the right direction. Thanks in advance, and it feels really good to be back.

I like that idea. I've also toyed with the idea of just using motorbike mirrors.

I didn't check which ones they were, I just saw them and imagined them in a trash bin. I'm not a fan of louvers, personally. We could make housings that look like whatever you want, but the molds would need to be made by hand (or 3d printed).

I went through almost the same thing when I was selling my s12. The wonderful kid who came down to look at it took it for a test drive and left it idling on my (sloped) cul de sac. He came up to the garage, we chatted for a little bit, and walked back down the driveway to find the car missing. It turned out to be around 30 ft in the woods, propped up against a slim tree. Luckily there wasn't a lot of damage, but it should go without saying that he didn't take the car home, nor did I ever see him again. I ended up selling the car to another guy in the area. Based on the Beetle sitting next to the Z, I'm guessing you know how rust works here in NH. Get a gallon jug of por15 every couple years and rust will be a thing of the past. I might be interested in picking up a spare r180, but let me see how the one that's coming with my new shell looks first. Once I crack the rear cover open, I'll have a better decision for you. As far as the transmissions go, it's a little bit complicated. The throwout bearing is the most critical part for swapping; everything else pretty much swaps fine, even between 510's/trucks/z's. I'm pretty sure I have photos with calipers measuring different components somewhere, but these are the transmissions I was comparing for my l28eT swap back in California: I'll see what I can dig up for facts from then.

As soon as I pick up my s30 shell, I'll happily give you the louvers that are currently on it. I also have a big roll of carbon fiber, epoxy, and some foam and bondo that work great for making molds. If you're really interested in putting together a decent design, it wouldn't take a lot to make some fender mirror housings (the mirror material and ball joint would have to be purchased separately).

This was really helpful for me, but I'd love to see a follow-up and a 'year-later' review of how it's been treating you.

Sorry to hear about your accident, I hope nobody was injured. I have to admit that the 6cylinder BMW engines are MUCH more satisfying than the 4cylinder engines. Aaaaaaahahahahahahahaha! I can find potential in nearly any vehicle, but the Yaris? I don't see anything. I couldn't go anywhere with it. It is what it is, and I've completely accepted that. Perhaps I'll sell it once I have an s30 finished and on the road, or even upgrade to something a bit better (like a newer Miata, or possibly even a truck/jeep since our winters tend to require 4wd).

Pharoahabq, Thanks for the PM, you really sent some great feedback in it. Sorry I wasn't clear about the rewire, I'd be fabricating a second harness in parallel, not re-using the BMW body wiring. The only BMW wiring I'd be using would be for the ECU/Engine. I'm not sure about the older Datsun electricals, but I'm pretty sure the later models are all positive switching. It isn't entirely relevant though, as I'd be replacing those circuits completely (with a completely new positive lead directly from the battery).

You bring up some good points. Let me do my best to address them. Basically, the answer to all of them is the same: I want it off the road for as little as possible. Starting from a running, driving s30 means i can test the suspension/alignment/body/ancillaries ahead of time. Just because I have another car that I can rely on doesn't mean I want to drive it. It's a fallback vehicle, and a parts vehicle. I don't know how much you know about BMW engines, but they tend to get picky about being removed from the car. From the security system to the additional sensors needed, it's going to take time to get it running properly out of that car. I'm glad you appreciate the plan, I just don't want a car that sits in the garage and spends longer than a weekend off the road. I just started moving into my new apartment, and there's a HUGE garage that might be available to me, with a little persuading. We'll see how that goes, but I'll keep you all up-to-date.

I'm in the planning stages of my next (last?) car, and have decided to make this one my 'magnum opus'. I've had a few fun projects over the past few years, but none has really satisfied me in a meaningful way. '68 Baja Beetle: An AW11 and a pair of s12's: I even went out and bought an over-complicated German car, and swapped some m3 parts and meaty tires on it (I churned through tires WAY too quickly in that): Eventually, I realized that all I want is another s30. My car enthusiast career has come full circle. I spent a bit of money and bought a 2010 Yaris that I can drive while I'm building the theoretical s30, and I'm working on getting my own garage. The Plan Find a running, driving s30 as a start point. Of course, the ideal is that it's rust-free and runs/drives reasonably well. First and foremost, I'd tackle the wiring and modernize each circuit, one at a time. Effectively, I'd have TWO wiring harnesses during this period: the stock harness that I know works, and the modernized harness that's under development. Second, I'd need a better powerplant. The l-series motors aren't terrible, but they don't give me warm fuzzy feelings either. After reading RD's s52 swap thread, and driving around in that m50-powered 325is of mine, I'm pretty effectively sold on the BMW i6 engines. An lsX would make more power and potentially weigh less, a SBC would make more power and cost less, an sr20det would weigh significantly less, etc etc. There are other options out there, and each has merits and flaws. I like the BMW because I can buy a WHOLE running car for $1k, and they're far from uncommon. I had originally been thinking of a 3.5-liter m30, but the m50 is a better motor across the board, and seeing that basic platform installed into an s30 engine bay is extremely encouraging. As long as I find the right YEAR (pre-94), I won't have to deal with the crazy EWS system for the swap. In effect, I'd need an early-90's i6-powered manual BMW. I'd pull that engine and wiring, get it running on an engine stand, replace the required components (water pump, oil pump, clutch, guibo, etc) then get ready for step 3. Step 3 is two-fold. I'd pull the L engine, mock up the M engine, line up the transmission output shaft with the rear diff, and fabricate mounts. I'll need a welder for this, and once I have the major fabrication finished, I'll clean up the engine bay, weld up excess holes, and paint the unibody (rust prevention). From there, it's a relatively straightforward process of measuring and ordering a driveshaft, wiring up the M ecu, adding a proper fuel cell/pump, and making linkages and such for the clutch/throttle/shifter as required. After that's finished, I have much more serious plans, but getting to the point where I have a somewhat modernized 200bhp Zcar that weighs roughly 2000lbs (being hopeful, I don't actually think that's realistic at this point in the build) is the goal. At this point, no suspension, brake, differential, wheel, or other ancillary changes will be made. I'd like to keep this project as focused as humanly possible, and keep it an iterative build rather than a major release. Target Budget: $10,000 all-inclusive - fluids, fabrication materials, tools ... everything. It may sound like a lot, but hitting $10k happens REALLY quickly. Target Delivery Date: April 2013 - I haven't purchased any of this yet. The s30 starting point is the most difficult piece of the pie to source, and I will very likely need to source it from NM or Arizona or a similarly rust-free region, then pay to have it shipped. The e36 can be sourced locally, and even driven ahead of time. I'll be digging through the 'for sale' sections on here and on classic z car, but if anyone knows of an s30 (ideally a 280z, I'd appreciate the r200 rear end and efi fuel pump a lot) for sale that meets my criteria, PM me! I'm finally coming back to zcars, and I'm not messing around this time.

Wow, the site suddenly got popular enough that it crashed! Time for me to do some futureproofing and buttoning up my sys admin scripts. Sorry that it was down for a bit.

So much more great info is coming out in this thread! Does anyone have an issue with me adding it all into that post?

I'm looking for a few daily driven s30's to feature this season, so if anyone out there is still dd'ing and isn't opposed to getting some good photos, just email them in to features@drivendaily.org. It'd need to be safe, reliable, and street-legal, but the more quirky and fun it is, the better.

Miles, that's great to know, I didn't know you could just swap the outlet ports. I'll update the writeup tomorrow. Any other tips/suggestions/expertise?

I'm pretty happy with how it came out, and after looking through the s30 forums a bit (it's been awhile since I came on here) I saw the s12 caliper question pop up a few times, just in the past few months.

I spent a long time trying to figure out which Toyota brakes work on the s30 a few years ago, and even after I had them installed, I wasn't quite sure what to believe. There's a lot of conflicting information out there, and too few people confirming which s12 calipers are which, and which ones work best. Finally, I asked Gollum (Nathan to you guys) to try to assemble the facts and put them into one concise article, and we polished it up a bit and published it. The final s30 with Toyota calipers post is hosted here, for those of you who care to look (please confirm/refute anything you're sure of), and we could use some better photos as well if you have some high-resolution shots you don't mind sharing. It wouldn't be too much work for me to put this together into an easy-to-download PDF, if you guys think it'd be worth having and passing around.

Soon he'll be all growed up and middle-aged! Enjoy it!

I hadn't done much research on which l20, but after looking a little deeper, I am looking for the l20b distributor fitment. I'm considering selling the ka24de that I just finished rebuilding and using an sr20de instead. Then I get a fully counterweighted crank right out of the box, and that's a design element I consider to be 100% worthwhile.

Mind measuring the shaft length and diameter?

So far, I've heard a lot of hearsay about putting an l20 distributor on the ka24de, but was wondering if someone had an l20 distributor I could buy (cheaply) or if I could get some measurements. My goal is to get rid of the ka24de ecu altogether, I'm converting to carb and would prefer vacuum advance to mechanical (centrifugal) advance. I'm open to any suggestions you guys might have, but the l20 distributor seems like it might hopefully work. Thanks in advance.

Subscribed. Definitely want to see more like this.

Bringing it back from the dead, I'm definitely interested in seeing whatever documentation you have on the swap, especially the motor mounts.

Good to know. That must explain all the birth defects I've been having lately. A good charcoal filter goes a long way when you're working with stuff you know if nasty, but don't know HOW nasty. I always play it as safe as I have the means to.