e30 318is into a baby M3. Is it possible?

[Paul G]

The Situation...
So after 1 year of my old e30 318is being owned by a friend, it's found it's way back onto my driveway with a light but expensive looking rear quarter dent and some signs of rust around the wheel arches.
So, I've decided that as I've failed in getting rid of it, I might as well bring it back up to A1 condition.

Bodywork, respray and a good service aside though I was thinking about doing this...

The Plan... Create a Genuine baby M3.

Engine rebuild, tune...etc 150bhp.
E36 M3 steering Rack
E30 M3 Suspension components. ie shocks, springs, arms, hubs, bushes, the f*cking lot.

If my years of swatting up on all things e30 serve me right, there should be no problem in doing this. The e36 M3 rack mod has been done a few times now. As for E30 M3 suspension everything should fit right into place as a direct swap.
The only issue I can see there being is that the wider track created by e30 M3 arms / hubs, would perhaps cause the wheels to foul the body work of the standard e30 shape. But even then I'm sure the M3 arches were only widened from the standard shape for super wide race wheels and weren't really necessary in the road going cars.

Secondly, to make the most of such modifications I'd like to 'CSL' the car.
I'd delete electric windows/mirrors/central-locking. The stereo would be taken out, and in the boot/trunk the spare wheel, tool kit, and carpet would be removed... I'd also relocate the battery to the boot/trunk too.

So what do you think? Has anyone ever done this or anything similar before?
Cost aside, is it possible?

PS. if anyone knows of a good body shop here in the UK capable of recreating the original orange peel look when it come to the body repairs shout up as I have a job for them.

Paul G.

[DesktopDave]

Sounds like an excellent plan.

If you don't have the M3 bits handy, you could do the five-lug swap with offset M3 CABs, 96+ M3 LCAs and a nice Bilstein e36 setup.  Maybe with camber plates on top.  The rear is a direct swap with e36 Compact or Z3 hubs.  Be sure you get the Torsen Diff too and upgrade the rear upper damper mounts.

I'm sure that a nice rattle can of paint would recreate that authentic orange peel texture.  Spray it on from about two feet away.

[Warsteiner]

Wish you would have posted this a week earlier as I just sold a complete E30M3 S14 drivetrain:-( I don't have the suspension parts though. If you need anything else S14 please contact me.

~Ralph

[doitover]

I had a dent taken out of another car I own by a paintless dent repair place. I went into it thinking it would just make it better. It came back so well that I doubt anyone that didn't know it was there could find it. This car was just a couple of years old so the paint probably wasn't has hard as it would be on a 20 year old car but it might be worth a try.

[sheepdog]

The 318IS was considered the baby M3.

Pass on the control arms.
They wear out too fast, and many M3 owners actually swap in the steel ones from the other e30's. As far as I know the geometry on the arms are the same, it's the hubs, brakes and bushings that are different.


Also, I think (and I could be wrong) that the IS have the front springs already.

[deekay]

that's kinda what i've done with mine... didn't execute the plan the same way but it's 5-lug'd, fender-pulled, and ITB'd.

[tony92ic]

I put the complete M3 suspension/brakes in my convertible.

Straight bolt in swap.  No tire fender clearance issues at all.

Actually early M3s came with the steel control arms. They are much better suited to daily driving and 1/10th the cost of the aluminium ones.

If you do the swap use a brake master from an early 750. It's slightly larger and gives great pedal feel. Look up the swap online because you need a specific part number.

I just swapped the entire rear trailing arms rather than mess with pulling and swapping the hubs. Really you should replace the bushings anyways.

If you can't find a complete M3 suspension you could do the 5 lug swap (although the value of it on a road car seems questionable to me), get aftermarket endlinks for an M3 and use your stock swaybar (20mm vs M3 19mm). Have a shop weld on the necessary tabs on the struts. Springs are easier to come by (not the same as the 318is) And the offset control arm bushings are readily available.  That would give you essentially an M3 suspension minus the brakes. Can you get bigger e36 brakes with the front suspension? I don't know much about the 5 lug swap.