StanceWorks » Tech » Engine and Drivetrain

[fLat_cAp]

hi, i'm new here so excuse if this is in the wrong spot.( please relocate if possible ) i have a 316 e30 and thinking of raising the engine in order to get LOW. has anyone here done this before or have any comments on the matter? i'm currently -60mm from stock on 15", now the back sits oh so right but the front still has the horrendous arch/wheel gap that make me shudder every time i see it. i'm willin to cut the springs but the problem lies with my sump, sooo raise the motor???

any help will do, cheers tommy.x

[TheNeek]

People use washers, hockey pucks, etc. I even created a nolt to raise my motor a half inch in my e21. And I did say nolt on purpose.

[610EURO]

i machined some nice aluminum spacers to raise my engine. 24v pan = lower then m20 pan. just throw some washers in there. raise it a hakf inch or so. its a good solid number without bieng drastic.

[fLat_cAp]

orr cheers fellas, i'll be givin it a good look at tommo, get it sussed out. is a half inch the maximum sensible lift?

an theneek, a nolt?? nut/bolt combo thingy ???

[Sterling_Archer]

thinking about doing this myself. anyone have any problems with the oil pickup or some other problem that may arise when doing this mod? lemme know.

anyone try to raise the whole subframe????????? LOL. I'd like to see it all raised to where the engine would lightly kiss the underside of the hood.

if i win the lotto, i'm going to have the first body-dropped/channeled e30 FTW.

[610EURO]

the subframe is bolted to the frame, so unless you find a way to raise the frame railsm your not moving the subframe up

[5kwattson]

when i did my m50 i made solid motor/trans mounts myself it just happened to work out well i made them taller than the e28 535i mounts i am on IE3's down a coil in the front and i have smashed my lip bashed it a ton and (knock on wood) yet to hit the pan even slightly (RIP 190D) she was taken out due to sump+low dip and no warning sign.

but yeah you can raise is to gain more clearance the only issue i have with mine is im pretty sure the angle is eating up my guibo a lil quicker now than stock height of the motor

[DutchM3S50]

www.e30.de is a german site... they sell things to do that!

maybe paste in translate.google

[TheNeek]

Originally Posted by 610EURO

the subframe is bolted to the frame, so unless you find a way to raise the frame railsm your not moving the subframe up

Not true: My friend did this to his E21 subframe. It's pure genius as he actually lifted the pivot point for the control arms at the same time. Got a whole inch out of it. But he lifted the portion that doesn't have the motor mounts on it so he really just did it to gain clearance on the subframe for stuff in the road

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum....php?t=1253615

[CHIF8008]

I raised my m20 pan so that it sits higher than the front sub frame. I just put washers between the motor mounts.Now I have a skid plate that not only protects the pan, but the sub ftame itself, the steering rack, and the sway bar. I Have had no ill effects.

[Psyka]

Originally Posted by CHIF8008

I raised my m20 pan so that it sits higher than the front sub frame. I just put washers between the motor mounts.Now I have a skid plate that not only protects the pan, but the sub ftame itself, the steering rack, and the sway bar. I Have had no ill effects.

No Probleme with the drive shaft ?! How mutch cm did you went up ?!

[CHIF8008]

Nope. Although my tranny mounts may be a bit shorter as they are custom made, but I have maybe 2 washers on each motor mount. No driveline vibrations. I have been running like this for a lil over a year now

[Rob&co]

this is a must!

[martin318isE30]

Im going to try this on my 318 nd ill post some befor and after pictures.

[ecuastyle84]

Originally Posted by martin318isE30

Im going to try this on my 318 nd ill post some befor and after pictures.

I'm interested in this as well

[Buck6687]

take into account your transmission mounts, you will need to rasie that too.

[CHIF8008]

i have already explained this in another thread. pictures #1, 3 and 4 are all wrong

#2 is the only illustration that is correct.

i have the m20 in my e30 so it did not need to go up very much to clear the sub-frame. the 4 bangers would have to greatly raise it to clear and would be wrong to do so. a few washers are okay but will not clear the m42 and such motor's pan. you will need a custom pan to get a 4 banger low safely




or swap a m20. if you want MPG's then get the M20b27. i can get 38 mpg and at min 25 everywhere i go. just gotta know how to control your foot

[Adam.]

I just used washers on the mounts Lifted the sump to the same height as the subframe on an M40! (same sump as M42)

[1988montecarloss]

just got a 318is and plan on lowering it and was wondering about how much i would have to raise the motor for the pan to clear, or is there another pan i could swap on there for more clearance? and can the pan be swapped without having to pull the motor? the car needs oil pan gaskets too and i was wondering if i could change those out with the motor in the car? or at least only slightly raised instead of having to pull the whole thing out

and if i cant put a pan with more clearance on there would a nice skidplate protect it adequately?

[1988montecarloss]

Originally Posted by Adam.

I just used washers on the mounts Lifted the sump to the same height as the subframe on an M40! (same sump as M42)

any drivetrain vibrations?

[Adam.]

Nope still drives fine I'm planning on M52 swaping it in the near future or selling it and getting an E34 so I wasn't too worried about vibrations or w.e

[chriskbmx]

with an m42 car you will also run into the issue of your intake hitting the hood, you could run hood spacers or something of the like. im going to raise my engine over my winter break. i have been thinking in my head recently if i raise the engine and trans say 20 to 25mil(around and inch) and install 12mm riser subframe kit jacked the rear subframe up to help drive line alighnment. now i have thought of a few cons
1. for this to work properly im thinking you would have to raise the center support bearing the same 12mm to keep drive shaft alighnment to the back
2. shifter clearance with raising the trans
3. drive shaft tunnel clearance.
4. hood clearance.
now to fix problum 1 im thinking just notch it, weld a new piece of steel in and re-thread it. very easy
2nd problem not as easy to fix, but im actually thinking that won't be an issue, but was just an idea i had run through my head, same with issue 3.
4 is easy to fix. depending on how high i raise the engine i can 1. just cut the under side bracing out, or just knock a dent in it. the car is very ratty and beat how it is so i am not worried that much lol

[davelarge]

Has anyone decided the best way to raise the E30 engine and gearbox?

I've got a 318is with the m42 which if I remember correctly has the lowest sump out of all the E30 blocks, I would like to bring my front arch gap down an inch or 2 but my oil pan is only about 2.5" above the ground as it is.

[Average_Jerk]

stop posting the same response in every thread

[davelarge]

Just trying to increase the chances of getting an answer and I found two threads about the same thing, what's up with that?