Castro Motorsport: Bar Legal S50 E30 M3

[TeckniX]

way sexy.... anymore info on the bushings and M swap?

[e30polak]

Love that RD strut bar!

Ya, we have a spare one if you're interested!

Really nice ride !!

Just wonder why you didn`t get a S50B32 or B30 euro spec?

It all came down to working within Alex's goals for the project, while also staying within his budget. A low mileage s50b32 would have been a minimum of $4,500. Then you have to compromise the brake system, due to the size of the intake plenum on the Euro motor. Lastly, the availability and cost of parts for us in the US, make a Euro s50 much less desirable.

IMO with the prices of S54s these days, the s50b32 isn't worth the effort.

so you threw out the fantastic S14 . . just to install a boring US-Spec S50?? . . why? . .

God I love responding to purists! Let me get the list going (most of this was covered in the initial post, but I'll repeat it)

1. Alex wanted a lot more power then the s14 had to offer.

2. Alex wanted a low maintenance, reliable engine. The US s50/2 are pretty bullet proof, especially when compared to the high cost, high maintenance s14.

3. The cost of building the s14 to Alex's power goals, would've meant a full 2.5L stroker with aggressive cams, DTM airbox, rally header, and standalone = $10K +. That's alot of money to spend on a motor that will have roughly the same power as a bolt-on and tuned s50/2, but with a much less useable powerband for the streets.

4. Alex preferred the sound and behavior of a variable valve timed inline six, then the peaky nature of the buzzy s14.

All in all, I love the s14 motor for what it is, but it's only fun in a gutted e30 m3 track car, or in a 2002!

[MrZog]

so you threw out the fantastic S14 . . just to install a boring US-Spec S50?? . . why? . .

[FRANK_NL]

Really nice ride !!

Just wonder why you didn`t get a S50B32 or B30 euro spec?

[softg]

mmmm, video?

[Dabi]

OOh Baby, that is SEXY!!

[mike-81-240d]

Sex

[Jesus Christ]

Love that RD strut bar!

[e30polak]

Unfortunately I don't have anymore pics of the new motor installation, and some other bits, but here are some finished product pics!

[e30polak]

Out with the old!








Hey where did the motor go? :p





Suspension work and reinforcements:




Poly rear subframe bushings













Poly rear trailing arm bushings







Rear sway bar and reinforcements

Sway bar tab BEFORE:



Sway bar tab AFTER:





Sway bar mounting surface BEFORE:







Sway bar mounting surface AFTER:

(Nut permanently welded, to prevent the usual issue with larger sway bars)











New bar, with mounts, links and bushings







Poly steering coupler and e36 steering rack

[e30polak]

So almost a year ago, Chris Castro received a call from our customer Alex, wanting to swap in an s50 or s52 into his '88 M3, which had been sitting in storage for 7 years. As usual we were up for the task, seeing that we had done a dozen 24 valve e30 swaps prior to taking on this project. Chris Castro spoke with Alex a few more times to iron out all the details of the project and his budget. Next, we scheduled a date to head up to Santa Barbara, meet with Alex in person, and tow his car back to the shop. :

Alex had purchased this car out of high school and enjoyed it for almost 3 years before having an overheating incident, which put the car out of commission. Knowing full well that the E30 M3 was getting harder to find due to its rarity, Alex made the smart decision to store the car at a relatives’ until he could put it back on the road. After looking at the cost of an s14 rebuild, Alex decided to go a different route. He wanted more power then what the M3’s original had to offer, along with a more reliable motor, with low cost maintenance. Well he definitely made the right choice, as the s50 and s52 motors are pretty bullet proof and offer a nice power-band for the lighter E30 chassis. :werd:

When Chris and I met up with Alex, and pulled the car out of his aunt’s garage, we saw yet another M3 in need of a rescue! The original s14 was missing some parts after Alex's brother took it apart in an attempt to fix it. The motor had seized and was in need of a full rebuild. All the bushings and brake lines were in need of replacement. The paint was a bit dull and needed a polish. Needless to say this car was the perfect candidate for the project Alex had in mind!

So the car made it's way down to our shop in North Hollywood, for an Extreme Makeover – Castro style! :woowoo:

Specs on the car:

Motor -
Low mileage, s50b30 engine swap from a '95 M3
Castro Motorsport Short Ram intake + Airbox
s52 tubular exhaust manifolds
Custom dual 2.25" mandrel bent exhaust built by Castro Motorsport
Custom dyno tune for the listed modifications

Drivetrain-
Matching ZF310 5 speed transmission
2.93:1 LSD
F1 Racing Stage 1 clutch
F1 Racing lightweight flywheel
Ralco short shifter

Suspension & Steering-
Custom coil-overs - 650# (F) / 800# (R)
Koni top adjustable shocks front and rear
Ground Control Camber-Caster plates
Ireland Engineering 22mm front/ 19mm rear swaybars
Ireland Engineering polyurethane rear trailing arm bushings
Ireland Engineering polyurethane rear sub-frame bushings - race compound
Racing Dynamics front strut brace
95 M3 Steering Rack
Ireland Engineering polyurethane steering coupler

New OE M3 offset control arm bushings
New OE M3 sway bar links - front & rear

Wheels & Tires-
Staggered offset 17x8.5 BBS CH: et38 front with 20mm spacer, et15 rear no spacer
235/40/17 Federal 595RS
Brakes-
Factory brakes
New Pagid pads
New Brembo blank rotors
Ireland Engineering stainless steel braided brake lines
Ate Superblue performance brake fluid


On to the pics: (sorry for the poor quality)

How she came