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DISCUSSION => General Topics => Topic started by: dubie04 on March 16, 2021, 10:55:08 AM

Title: M42 Skid Plate for early model E30 (1985)
Post by: dubie04 on March 16, 2021, 10:55:08 AM

Hey Everyone, this is my first post ever.

Anyways, I bought a 1985 318i project off a guy who had an M42 swapped in. I recently installed some coil overs and my car is sitting real low. I wanna protect the oil pan and install a skid plate but worried about the fit. Looking up skid plates for M42 is simple enough but I want to make sure these fit on the body of an early model E30. It looks like the early body E30's had different radiator core supports but not sure if so different it won't mount a skid plate. Looking at mine there's a little bit of a lip on the back side I can drill and screw nuts onto. Otherwise I'm drilling into the middle of core support with no access to screw the nuts onto.

Question: Will an M42 skid plate work on an early body E30 radiator core support? Has anyone done so?

I appreciate any and all feedback!

Title: Re: M42 Skid Plate for early model E30 (1985)
Post by: bmwman91 on March 16, 2021, 11:38:41 PM

Looking through RealOEM, there seems to be an old version of the OEM skid plate which is NOT compatible with the later version.

Old PN 51-71-1-929-451, from 09/84 - 08/87
New PN 51-71-1-971-001, from 09/87 forward

So, I guess if you can track down the 451 part, it may fit. I found a photo of it online. It is distinctly different than the later style ones, so at least you should be able to identify the right one if you can find one.
(http://www.e30tuner.com/assist/oldskid.jpg)

Here's the newer one:
(http://www.e30tuner.com/assist/newskid.jpg)