E21, Project Swap - Page 6 - BMW Forum

BMW Lover · 09-22-2005, 01:17 AM

man fucking badass i hafta say, great job so far it sounds like! i hope to see some badass pix of that car tearing up roads and making jap boys cry!!!!!!!

DJProfessor · 09-22-2005, 09:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BMW Lover

man fucking badass i hafta say, great job so far it sounds like! i hope to see some badass pix of that car tearing up roads and making jap boys cry!!!!!!!

thanks for the props man, it's great to hear it, it keeps me going when i start to think about all the work i have yet to do on her (and how many more times i need to remove and install the motor).

another update........mount back on my doorstep last night ready to rock. however a new wrinkle showed itself.......it appears that where it sits that the subframe has a part that drops down and this runs almost right down the middle of the mount. i didn't notice this before as i didn't have the motor position locked down 100%.......so in addition to having to angle the top of this motor mount to meet up with the stock BMW mount better, going to need to do a cut on the other side to get the mount to drop down and lock in place. needless to say i will have something that is 100% right and an excellent template to make more from so anyone that wants one of these i can have one made (and i won't do any shady mark ups as i know my machine/fab guy is already going to hook up a killer deal making them in the future for purchase, i will just act as the go between). now if i could only find a driveshaft that bolts right up and a radiator that just drops right in then this would be a complete bolt and go operation

BMW Lover · 09-22-2005, 06:00 PM

lol im on the edge of my seat waiting to read each new post! haha this is rich. awesome man you gotta start with drifting pix tho once you get everything on the DL with it

DJProfessor · 09-23-2005, 10:45 AM

i will give it a shot no doubt.......

i remember when i first picked up this car in GA and this one co-worker showed me a pic of an e21 in the burn out pit getting a bit sideways just roasting the rear......said that i wanted to build this one to do that......it would be nice to take that same pic and send it to him......

alright more good good updates........thanks to some bloak on another e21 site (have this rocking on three boards) i have an answer to my radiator problem. it turns out that the rad i need is an E21 323, not an E30 323......he showed me a pic of his old car (a 323 e21) and it is just like the one on the Kormann racing site in their swap. so that problem is SOLVED!!!!!!!!! and no modding the chassis (which is good thing as martha would say). just need to see if my parts guy can get me one, going over there today after work again...if not i have family that travels to europe quite often and i am sure he can track me one down and send it to me (that and a set of euro bumpers). so i am stoked on that for sure..........also my motor mounts came in so i am most happy about that as well. going to get the driver's side all locked down and then get the final final measurements for the passenger's mount to give back to my fab guy. it looks like he may need to make another mount. cause between the angle that the top needs to have and the step cut he needs to make it may drop it down like half an inch or so. but if i have all the angles and cuts right then just need to get the height right on the replacement and then she is done. i see one problem i may run into....there are a couple of holes on the subframe (for the other motor mount and something else) that are very close to where i may need to drill out the new mounting hole.......so i may need to weld them up to get the strength back to the subframe and to drill out my new holes successfully. when i started this project i wanted to try and complete it with minimum modifications........fast realizing that isn't the case, no matter at this point i want to see this thing thru even if i have to go out and buy a welder and teach myself to weld.

DJProfessor · 09-26-2005, 09:32 AM

alright, so i ran across some fellows that have done this swap over in europe.........and here's further proof that europe gets the good shiz......if i had a front cross member and motor mount arms from an e21 323 and the trans and driveshaft......my e30 swap would be a total bolt and go operation. but for my fellow bmw owners in the states these things may be hard to come by....hence me continuing on my path with my swap. because honestly this way for us US bmw owners will actually be cheaper then trying to run down and have all those parts shipped over here (if you cannot find them over here already). so the swap has sort of a new title......"eta into e21 swap for US bmw owners"

DJProfessor · 10-18-2005, 12:41 PM

page 5 mutha truckers.........

alright, so i was looking at the pictures of the driveshaft and an idea hit me.......what if i took the e21 driveshaft and swapped out the coupler on it?.......that would save me the trouble of having to move the center support bearing mounts. i am worried about it being able to handle the increased HP of the eta setup but this would give me a simple solution to my problem. a simple cut and weld of the driveshaft flange assembly and i could be in business. i am going to test fit this weekend and if the length is correct i am going to go that route.......then my drive line will be about 90% locked down.

i am taking the top measurement for the mount (the new angle i need) and beginning to entertain ideas of how to get the bottom notch measurement done. and also looking into just welding on a plate and calling it a day. thoughts on the plate idea? i am trying to do this swap with no welding so that others can do it easily but it is fast appearing to require a couple of welds to make it happen.