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Thread: Let the swap begin... M52 into my '83

  1. #76
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
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    Woodfin, NC
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    1,536
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    (2) '83 320iS, '97 528i
    The bushing bore in the e21 rear trailing arm is 1.057" / 26.85mm dia.
    "The water was not fit to drink. To make it palatable, we had to add whisky. By dilligent effort, I learnt to like it." Sir Winston Churchill

  2. #77
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    monterey, ca.
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    14,486
    My Cars
    e21, e30 m3. e46 330ci
    was that taken with your starrett accubore digital spc + internal dial bore gauge set or just a run of the mill standard internal dial caliper?
    Tom D

    77 e21 - m42
    88 e30m3
    04 330 dinan3
    84 r1000rt
    02 r1150rs
    all of them gray
    14 f800gsa - red headed stepchild!

  3. #78
    Join Date
    Aug 2012
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    Grand Blanc, MI
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    '83 320i & '86 535i
    Thanks Terry.

    I started mocking up the rear today.

    Taking a few measurement:


    Won't be needing that part of the subframe.


    Should have some stuff tacked together tomorrow.

  4. #79
    Join Date
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tom D View Post
    was that taken with your starrett accubore digital spc + internal dial bore gauge set or just a run of the mill standard internal dial caliper?
    Brown & Sharpe 6" dial calipers read through 1.25x reading glasses & good daylight. I fear I'm going to have to swallow my pride & go to 1.5x.
    "The water was not fit to drink. To make it palatable, we had to add whisky. By dilligent effort, I learnt to like it." Sir Winston Churchill

  5. #80
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
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    monterey, ca.
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    e21, e30 m3. e46 330ci
    lol. I can relate!
    Tom D

    77 e21 - m42
    88 e30m3
    04 330 dinan3
    84 r1000rt
    02 r1150rs
    all of them gray
    14 f800gsa - red headed stepchild!

  6. #81
    Join Date
    Aug 2012
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    Grand Blanc, MI
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    '83 320i & '86 535i
    Damn you guys make me feel like in super young. I'm only 27

  7. #82
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
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    downingtown,pa
    Posts
    2,928
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    1978 320i
    Yea we know, younger than our freshman batch of hemorrhoids. You should live so old! Enjoy everyday.

  8. #83
    Join Date
    Aug 2012
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    Grand Blanc, MI
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    '83 320i & '86 535i
    For those waiting on an update, here is what I got to in the last few days.

    The new sub mounted to the old, using the old as an adapter. Just tacked together for now as always gusseting will be once everthing is together.


    You can see how much wider the e36 trailing arms are than the rocker panels of the e21. (the pivot angles are the same.) So I did this:


    Rebuilding the trailing arm. The plan is to rebuild from scratchbuiling it boxed in and x-bracing inside. Also for a rtab bushing the plan is to use the 5/8 shoulder bolt as the pivot and a delrin insert turned on the lathe. All the washers are so I can adjust the toe on the back end. I figured its suppose to be that way since the factory rtab mounts on the e36 the holes are slotted.


    Thats what I have so far. Hopefully done by the end of the week.

    Also gave myself a real deadline... I want to have the car driving by the middle of July because there is a big pro-am drift event in Detroit in the middle of August. So a month of practice and dialing it in.
    Last edited by audioscience10; 05-21-2013 at 07:59 AM.

  9. #84
    Join Date
    Aug 2012
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    Grand Blanc, MI
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    '83 320i & '86 535i
    Quick little update... Didn't really have the time to get into the trailing arms today so I whipped out this little steering extension block. Since its going to be mostly a racecar I just went solid on it.


  10. #85
    Join Date
    Apr 2004
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    Boston
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    My Cars
    1979 323i BMW. 2003 GTI 20 V Turbo
    Looking good!

    If you seem to be very skilled. Would you consider doing an E30 center subframe chop into the e21 subframe for me sometime? I need this done to run the e30 diff. That is after this build....
    "..Horsepower is a measure of work done over time, or the rate at which work is done."




    http://www.cardomain.com/ride/579694/1


  11. #86
    Join Date
    Aug 2012
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    Quote Originally Posted by jjgbmw323 View Post
    Looking good!

    If you seem to be very skilled. Would you consider doing an E30 center subframe chop into the e21 subframe for me sometime? I need this done to run the e30 diff. That is after this build....
    Thanks! Yeah man I'm always down to help. Shoot me a pm with the details.

  12. #87
    Join Date
    Aug 2012
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    Grand Blanc, MI
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    '83 320i & '86 535i
    Went to the junkyard today to try to find another set of rear calipers to run a hydro e-brake. Well I'm gonna have to try another yard another day.
    Even though I didn't find what I was looking for I did score:

    Got these for a song...

  13. #88
    Join Date
    Aug 2012
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    Grand Blanc, MI
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    '83 320i & '86 535i
    Almost done with the passenger side trailing arm. The driver side should go a little quicker.


  14. #89
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Location
    Las Vegas, NV
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    2,613
    My Cars
    83 S50/320i and '03 745i
    Looks great....but how much weight are ya putting on her? hehe that's some solid tank sized, gauge steel you got there sir.....wow
    My build thread M20 than S50 into 320i: http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...0#post23442810

  15. #90
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    Aug 2012
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    Quote Originally Posted by lasvegascop View Post
    Looks great....but how much weight are ya putting on her? hehe that's some solid tank sized, gauge steel you got there sir.....wow
    Shouldn't end up much heavier than the stock trailing arm... This is one place strength is going to superceed weight due to the strain its going to have on it. It's 1/4" sides and 1/8" top and bottom and I'll be adding an inch wide strip overlapping the seam cause I dont trust the butt-weld. Don't worry Ski I'll loose the weight back when I do away with the huge upper control arms in the back since I'm going to run a strut in back like the e21 has instead of the divorced setup that the e36 has.

  16. #91
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    Jul 2010
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    Nice! This thing is gonna be so smooth! And since you're in MI I hope you spray those new pieces at least with por15? Have you ever used that??? Holly crap, whatever you do, don't get it onto your skin! I had a little on my forearm for 3 days! Showers, soap, brush even sand paper wouldn't take that off...and that's on human flexible skin.... Imagine it on the metal?! I personally highly recommend this product and worth the money. If I lived in those snow/salt/wet states I would paint my whole car with this!!!! Hahahaha
    Last edited by lasvegascop; 05-28-2013 at 01:31 PM.
    My build thread M20 than S50 into 320i: http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...0#post23442810

  17. #92
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    Ski I think the plan is just rattle can it until winter then when I put it away pull all this stuff back out to do that stuff.

  18. #93
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    Quote Originally Posted by audioscience10 View Post
    Ski I think the plan is just rattle can it until winter then when I put it away pull all this stuff back out to do that stuff.
    Oh that's easier said then done. After you're done with all the fab work, assembly, disassembly then assembly again, welding, cutting, fitting, hunting for parts(I know you have parts car 3 feet away but still) after all that..... You'll be too tired brother.

    All that is physically and mentally exhausting! Trust me...and I haven't done as much as you have when it comes to fab work...shoot, I got worn out just going thru your couple pages in this thread! Haha

    Do yourself a favor man....and you can quote me on this "do it right the first time" and "always do your best to NOT going back to what was already done"

    Ive been around a few yrs....speaking from experience cause if you don't do it now, you won't do it later and all this beautiful fab work/art will be destroyed by rust in no time.
    Last edited by lasvegascop; 05-28-2013 at 02:50 PM.
    My build thread M20 than S50 into 320i: http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...0#post23442810

  19. #94
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    Aug 2012
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    Quote Originally Posted by lasvegascop View Post

    Oh that's easier said then done. After you're done with all the fab work, assembly, disassembly then assembly again, welding, cutting, fitting, hunting for parts(I know you have parts car 3 feet away but still) after all that..... You'll be too tired brother.

    All that is physically and mentally exhausting! Trust me...and I haven't done as much as you have when it comes to fab work...shoot, I got worn out just going thru your couple pages in this thread! Haha

    Do yourself a favor man....and you can quote me on this "do it right the first time" and "always do your best to NOT going back to what was already done"

    Ive been around a few yrs....speaking from experience cause if you don't do it now, you won't do it later and all this beautiful fab work/art will be destroyed by rust in no time.
    Yeah you're right...

    Started on the drivers side today:


    Hopefully get this side to the same point as the other by the end of the day tomorrow.

  20. #95
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    Jul 2012
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    E21 Legion
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    500whp 10.5@133mph
    That is some damn good advice, Ski.

    I can't wait to see how this turns out!! Love the DIY.

  21. #96
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
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    Michigan
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    70 '02 / 85 557e
    How do you plan to adjust toe? Are you going to cut up into the floor to clear that new piece connected to the e36 control arm?

    I am just north of you in Bay City. About to start an s50 into an e21.
    www.classicdaily.net
    1970 m42 swapped 2002
    1985 LS1/T56 Swapped e28 (557e)

    Follow me on Instagram for constant build updates @classicdaily

  22. #97
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    Quote Originally Posted by JakeB View Post
    How do you plan to adjust toe? Are you going to cut up into the floor to clear that new piece connected to the e36 control arm?

    I am just north of you in Bay City. About to start an s50 into an e21.
    I have 3 1/8" thick washers on each side of the trailing arm that I can move from one side to the other to adjust toe (I can always get thinner washers to get finer adjustment.)
    Yeah I'll cut through the floor if I have to. I don't know what I have for clearance now.
    Thats cool man if you ever need a hand or wanna stop in and see something I've done hit me up. I'm starting to wish I would have just went with a motor swap because I'm pretty much learning as I go with the suspension/subframe swap. I'm in uncharted territory.

  23. #98
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    Quote Originally Posted by audioscience10 View Post
    I have 3 1/8" thick washers on each side of the trailing arm that I can move from one side to the other to adjust toe (I can always get thinner washers to get finer adjustment.)
    Yeah I'll cut through the floor if I have to. I don't know what I have for clearance now.
    Thats cool man if you ever need a hand or wanna stop in and see something I've done hit me up. I'm starting to wish I would have just went with a motor swap because I'm pretty much learning as I go with the suspension/subframe swap. I'm in uncharted territory.
    Good idea on the washers. Interested to see how it all ends up.

    Cool cool...we have a crew going to tedfest near Toronto july 5-7th if you were interested in going. It's a pretty great vintage show and only 4-5 hours from home. So far it will be me in my LS1 e28, buddies with turbo m42 e21, m30 e30, Steve from blunttech with his LSx e12, and maybe a guy from MQT with his e28 M5.
    www.classicdaily.net
    1970 m42 swapped 2002
    1985 LS1/T56 Swapped e28 (557e)

    Follow me on Instagram for constant build updates @classicdaily

  24. #99
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    Quote Originally Posted by JakeB View Post

    Good idea on the washers. Interested to see how it all ends up.

    Cool cool...we have a crew going to tedfest near Toronto july 5-7th if you were interested in going. It's a pretty great vintage show and only 4-5 hours from home. So far it will be me in my LS1 e28, buddies with turbo m42 e21, m30 e30, Steve from blunttech with his LSx e12, and maybe a guy from MQT with his e28 M5.
    That'd be sweet. Idk if the e21 will be done by then but maybe if I get the bugs worked out of the e28 535i ratracer I may be able to tag along.

  25. #100
    Join Date
    Aug 2012
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    Grand Blanc, MI
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    '83 320i & '86 535i
    The passenger side trailing arm is done other than a little clean up and paint the driver side should be done tomorrow. Then I'll be on to finishing the subframe adapter.


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