Interchangable Parts

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#1
I drive a e30 318is and am lookin for upgrades that dont cost an arm and a leg. Post with parts you know that fit into or on a e30 318 with the m42 motor. I'd really like to know what parts from an e30 M3 fit, and what (if any) parts from any e36. Parts i hope to use in the future but cant confirm if it will work are mainly suspension parts. In particular, has anyone ever done an e36 hub conversion or any other 5 lug conversion to use bigger brakes or to have better selection in wheels? Also, does anyone have stiffer transmission mounts? I know UUC sells some but the e30 chassis isn't listed because of some holes in some tabs that are too small...... mabye modify them?

Please respond with any and all information.

anyone who autox's or road races or drifts give me a shout!
 

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#3
do you know anything about the parts questions i've posted? what have you done to yours that is from another BMW...... i have a LSD from some other one.
 
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Overland Park, KS
#5
The M3 control arms and bushings work. You can also implant the ENTIRE M3 suspension to get a 5 lug and bigger brakes. Its also told that the 750 booster works to firm up the brakes further.

The M3 rear sway is an upgrade but not the front.

dunno about mounts for the 318, we can use stuff from the 535s. There are factory uprated mounts for the M3 tranny, maybe you can use those.

I also have a diff from a 535is with a stiffer bushing that came on the M coupe diff cover I installed to the diff. That cover has a heat sink for keeping the diff cool.

I also have urethane subframe mounts, cheap but a bitch to install.
 
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#6
Thanks for the info! I actually didn't know what kind of diff i have. i'll check the numbers to see if it came off a 535s. As for using ALL the m3 suspension, what would the changes be? Longer control arms (i hope for more camber)? what changes in the rear ? I would probably only do a hub conversion in the front and mabye a control arm change in the rear cause' swaybars are on the way and coilovers are in the future. Does the e30 m3 have coil on cup suspension in the rear? rather than having the spring in a different place than the strut? Do you also drive a 318?

thanks again for the info
 
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#7
i am upgrading my car as well, cheaply that is, and am quite interested in autox.
yet i dont know about the 318 as much as 325.

very cool pic you have of the drift (my car looks almost exact same way) ...watch out, the smoke looks a bit blue, you would think its the tires but could be an engine thing maybe.
 
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#8
its not engine.... just really sh**ty tires! ;-)

Does anyone know if E30 M3 control arms are longer and what the rear suspension is like?
 
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junglestylz

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#11
Here is a list of stuff that I swapped to my 318 from an E30 M3. Interior, control arms and bushings, springs, swaybars, strut tower brace, and camber plates. Most of these were aftermarket items from the M3, but they were compaible just the same.
 
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#12
may i be so bold to ask how much the control arms and bushings were? also, are they longer? where did you get them? im going to start accumulating parts for my suspension.
 
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#13
Hey, mudflaps are cool! They give the car a rallye-ish look imho. My 318i being busted (new M10 block is not in the plan), I'm now on this same quest with my 325i. The biggest performance upgrade i can do on the 325 is put in a 5spd (4spd Auto now). I do wonder tho, for all you guys with the M20, what intake kit do you use? K&N's website doesn't have a kit, just a replacement filter, which is nice and all but I love hearing the growl of a freed intake. I'm told the M20 has a nice respectable growl. :eek:P So that's my question: where do they sell an M20 intake kit?
 
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#20
cool! i'll look into it (steering rack), are the m3 control arm bushings just the offset ones that you can find at that site bmwbushings.com?
 


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