M42club.com - Home of the BMW E30/E36 318i/iS

DISCUSSION => General Topics => Topic started by: Febi Guibo on April 30, 2007, 12:15:31 PM

Title: E30 Roving Reporter
Post by: Febi Guibo on April 30, 2007, 12:15:31 PM
So yesterday I got to bop around the 718, went to Rohan's little shop and saw his latest project, his 318is with a minty S14 swap:

(http://ee1394.com/bmw/fotomat/070429/images/DSC_0613.jpg)

(http://ee1394.com/bmw/fotomat/070429/images/DSC_0614.jpg)

(http://ee1394.com/bmw/fotomat/070429/images/DSC_0615.jpg)

(http://ee1394.com/bmw/fotomat/070429/images/DSC_0616.jpg)


Needless to say, he picked up the complete engine with around 65k miles and it SCREAMS. He has an old-style SuperSprint cat-back that sounds so mean --both at idle and high RPMs...

He also did a 5-lug swap and some exterior bits (some interesting, others 'interesting').

(http://ee1394.com/bmw/fotomat/070429/images/DSC_0623.jpg)

(http://ee1394.com/bmw/fotomat/070429/images/DSC_0619.jpg)

(http://ee1394.com/bmw/fotomat/070429/images/DSC_0655.jpg)

Anyway, Rohan's a good man, and a friend to the 4-cyl E30s of all flavors.

So, we spent the day tearing ass around various neighborhoods in queens and terrorizing the livery drivers on the cross island expressway. We stopped by Rohan's brothers place and checked out his highly modified E30 M42:

(http://ee1394.com/bmw/fotomat/070429/images/DSC_0644.jpg)



I know, "Holy Tupperware Batman!" but I will say this right off the bat: The dude does all his own fab work in his own shop, loves the M42 and he's a heck of a nice guy. His workmanship is totally solid...

If you need a good respray done cheap and right (I can see some hands going up now) he's a great resource.

So, more meandering... I have to say, this was the most exciting part of the day; We stopped off at another friend's place by JFK, and this guy swapped out his M42

(http://ee1394.com/bmw/fotomat/070429/images/DSC_0662.jpg)

for a...

(http://ee1394.com/bmw/fotomat/070429/images/DSC_0667.jpg)

I am starting a separate thread on this, but lets just say... I WANT! I NEED! I SHOULD HAVE!

It is such a *neat* looking swap, I dunno... I either need to get a clean rolling 2002 shell.... or hell, twin turbos in an E30... I AM DEFINITELY DOING THIS SOMETIME IN THE FUTURE... I just gotta get the right rollling shell...
Title: E30 Roving Reporter
Post by: mgold on April 30, 2007, 12:30:36 PM
nice looking S14 enginebay.  I'm not a fan of the front end, nor the wing on the blue car
Title: E30 Roving Reporter
Post by: Febi Guibo on April 30, 2007, 12:38:04 PM
Quote from: mgold;24839
nice looking S14 enginebay.  I'm not a fan of the front end, nor the wing on the blue car


wha? I already ordered you one in green!

Seriously, I love these guys to death but this is after all... the 718, so there is definitely some culture shock at first...
Title: E30 Roving Reporter
Post by: sheepdog on April 30, 2007, 01:01:28 PM
Quote from: Febi Guibo;24838

for a...

(http://ee1394.com/bmw/fotomat/070429/images/DSC_0667.jpg)

I am starting a separate thread on this, but lets just say... I WANT! I NEED! I SHOULD HAVE!

It is such a *neat* looking swap, I dunno... I either need to get a clean rolling 2002 shell.... or hell, twin turbos in an E30... I AM DEFINITELY DOING THIS SOMETIME IN THE FUTURE... I just gotta get the right rollling shell...


Awwwww.. It looks so cute!

Talk about low Cg!
Title: E30 Roving Reporter
Post by: Febi Guibo on April 30, 2007, 01:39:42 PM
I know! It's so.... teeeny!! I am completely smitten, seriously... it's like finding a box of kittens.

(fyi: if I seem like I have completely lost my mind, I'm on allergy meds right now)
Title: E30 Roving Reporter
Post by: e9nine on April 30, 2007, 02:20:31 PM
This is a SERIOUS thread! A lot of creativity present. Loving the motor swaps in the m42s. Of course I am more biased towards the s14 swapped car but the other one (13b rotary??) has to handle in a rather "interesting" manner with that engine layout. How much does the thing weigh now? Do you think you could get them to weigh it? If anything at all, the car has to behave differently in the "steering" department.
Title: E30 Roving Reporter
Post by: Febi Guibo on April 30, 2007, 04:05:16 PM
I'm not sure re: the weight but it has to be *light*; also he has a euro fully manual (no ps) E30 steering rack.

He also mentioned that he did no firewall cutting etc. but the engine could be moved back quite a bit if he chopped out the tranny tunnel a bit.
Title: E30 Roving Reporter
Post by: thumper3ld on April 30, 2007, 09:18:41 PM
Ahhh, gotta love west indians, around here (the 718), alot of them will throw a rotary in anything. Sorry i missed you guys, had family over from the flip land. Hopefully we can all hook up this weekend but i think my cuz is working so we may have to count him out. Nice job on the pics.
Title: E30 Roving Reporter
Post by: Febi Guibo on May 01, 2007, 12:19:35 AM
Quote from: thumper3ld;24891
Hopefully we can all hook up this weekend but i think my cuz is working so we may have to count him out.


Where's roy work? I'm always up for hitting the drive-thru. kidding! we need to get pics of his incredibly clean alpine white car.

Just so everybody's clear, I would say the (slim) majority of us 718ers run very stockish* cars.

Having said that, I could spend a lifetime sneaking around at night repainting everyone's door trim black...


*'stockish' is my PC term for 'tasteful' --I am a fuddy duddy, it's true.

There has to be another colony of M42s in the area... 201/203 peeps stand up and be counted!
Title: E30 Roving Reporter
Post by: Tonyb on May 01, 2007, 12:41:56 AM
I love the s14 swap! We have alot in common by the way, red paint and the strut brace! (I'm only waiving one hand, cause I'm drinking an MGD)
Title: E30 Roving Reporter
Post by: dude8383 on May 01, 2007, 10:36:40 AM
I am completely for sneaking about to paint the trim!!

Quote from: Febi Guibo;24904
Where's roy work? I'm always up for hitting the drive-thru. kidding! we need to get pics of his incredibly clean alpine white car.

Just so everybody's clear, I would say the (slim) majority of us 718ers run very stockish* cars.

Having said that, I could spend a lifetime sneaking around at night repainting everyone's door trim black...


*'stockish' is my PC term for 'tasteful' --I am a fuddy duddy, it's true.

There has to be another colony of M42s in the area... 201/203 peeps stand up and be counted!
Title: E30 Roving Reporter
Post by: thumper3ld on May 01, 2007, 10:46:39 AM
You guys do that and Im going to write in clear tape on your brake lights "dick head" so that whenever you guys brake, the siloette of the tape will let everyone behind you know, what you guys truly are.:p

Any ways, was that your car i saw lastweek or 2 weeks ago behind the compusa on queens blvd.
Title: E30 Roving Reporter
Post by: D. Clay on May 01, 2007, 11:52:47 AM
I'm impressed! I love the rotary. It's so easy to work with. A friend of mine had a GT3 Mazda RX2. The rotary was bullet-proof and sounded like 1 liter chain saw.
I am still a 50's custom car fan and like the single headlight S14 engined 318is.
Title: E30 Roving Reporter
Post by: Alpine003 on May 01, 2007, 01:19:03 PM
I appreciate the cars although my taste is a bit different in the visual sense.

Does your friend with the rotary have any hard data like dyno sheets, track slips, etc? I'm very curious as that would seem like a high rpm track monster to me.

BTW, is that a mtech1 rear wing molded into the rear trunk deck on the red car?
Title: E30 Roving Reporter
Post by: Febi Guibo on May 01, 2007, 01:26:31 PM
the molded trunklid is, I think... an iS lip... it's a bit too small...
Title: E30 Roving Reporter
Post by: sheepdog on May 01, 2007, 09:02:09 PM
Quote from: Febi Guibo;24861
I'm not sure re: the weight but it has to be *light*

Figure 100 pounds less, but they also removed a lot of accessories, so probably another 100+ pounds (guestimating)
You can get pretty good power N/A from them and they love to rev. Would make for a fun e30.

2350 pound car, 140 torque, 8k rev limit and 195hp at the wheels = one hell of a fun car.
Title: E30 Roving Reporter
Post by: gearheadE30 on May 02, 2007, 07:22:20 AM
The rotary looks awesome and would bea helluva car to drive, but I neve have heard one with a great engine note. Much rather have the s14, even though I'm not sure about the body. Definitely unique though. Wish I had the skill it takes to do anything like either of those cars ;)

Now all the rotary needs is a couple of turbos and it'll be great!!
Title: E30 Roving Reporter
Post by: sheepdog on May 02, 2007, 11:33:57 PM
Quote from: gearheadE30;25005
The rotary looks awesome and would bea helluva car to drive, but I neve have heard one with a great engine note. Much rather have the s14, even though I'm not sure about the body. Definitely unique though. Wish I had the skill it takes to do anything like either of those cars ;)

Now all the rotary needs is a couple of turbos and it'll be great!!


3 rotors sound good or so I hear.
Title: E30 Roving Reporter
Post by: thumper3ld on May 03, 2007, 08:11:31 AM
Man, I dont think any worked rotary sounds good. When i used to go to atco raceway, those things would be earpiercing. Having a string of muscle cars run down the track after the rotaries was actually relieving to the ears.
Title: E30 Roving Reporter
Post by: 318is91 on May 03, 2007, 08:39:55 AM
lol rotaries scream!!! lol i love that scream and the idle is awesome with a little porting lol goes from muscle car throb too all out scream :) (used too own a rx7 with a strait pipe could you tell? lol)