Worlds first vq37 nismo swaped bmw e30

Raheel999 · 02-03-2022, 11:16 PM

hello guys

I want to share my build with you if somone interested in doing a motor swap in any chassis this thread will help a little
so it all started when my bimmer blew coolant hose on m52 engine so i ve decided to just throw all bimmer problems away and start a new swap with something reliable so most fav option doing engine swaps in an e30 is s54 engine from e46 m3 it makes around 330 hp on engine and thats the last good thing about it .
2nd thing i hate about that engine is its the heaviest 6 cylinder you can buy . Iron block around 500lbs with all accessories and also the parts are very expensive for example . Intakes for that motor starts around 500 dollars and goes upto 2500 dollars just for a intake which will give you only 10+ hp and thats it .

.. So i decided not to go that route and find something else . I started searching the best 6 cylinder in the market because of class rules in track racing and auto x .. the rule is if you're engine is under 3.8 litter its a different class . If its over 3.8 its a v8 class ..
so i can choose the engine with maximum cc of 3700 .. so i came o cross a vq37 motor with a accident chassis from rear and guess what it was a nismo 370z 2013 and engine was like a brand new ..

so i ve decided to buy that motor and leave everything else on the wiring guys to do the swap and trust me that was the start of my problems . So i started the swap and sent the car to my friend at auto one performance garage @ on instagram ..this guy can swap anything in any chassis for example now he,s doing a Ls swap in a fisker karma 😂 so you can imagine the madness .. also his most famous work is renault clio with a rear wheel drive conversion with a Ls swap engine on the front and single turbo on it

..so we started with the motor mounts and it was a easy task because of e30 engine bays which can take even a v12 in it ..After that transmission which is very long but it bolts right up on e30 because the shifter hole place up right on where it needed to be ..so not cutting needed for a new shifter .. custom driveshaft and some hammering the firewall because the bellhousing is little big .

. the engine is tall but narrow and small compared to m52 inline six so it saved us lots of engine bay space and you can see in the pictures how much space i have between the radiator and the engine and also the engine is sitting behind the wheels compared to the inline six touching the radiator

the last part ...wiring .. what a nightmare of a wiring nissan made .. lots of small computers and systems inside the cabin which needed to be removed and wiring needs lots of cutting and whatever we tried nothing worked because of immobilizer not letting the car start even after nats delete we did from uprev tuners ... The problem is on these engines ..vvel motor and ecu which runs the 2 motors on each bank .. vvel module controls the throttle on each bank so if your vvel module is not working it will not let the throttles work so you ll start the engine but you cannot rev the motor .. so we took out the vvel ecu from junkyard and swaped it to my car and still not working .. thn we found out that if vvel module is from another car and ecu from other ..it will not work ..you need to take a matching pair from a donor car .. vvel module and ecu should match ... In the end lots of testing with new ecu,s and wiring no luck ..so we ordered a new wiring .... New ecu ..new vvel module from america and sent it to hexagarage which can delete all the extra stuff and make it a standalone wiring and ecu ..so he shipped everything back to midleast and finally the engine started but with some problems .. throttle not working because vvel codes it was throwing i think it was p1090 and p1092 which was vvel motor not working and same problem as before vvel module not working .. in the end we found out the it needs seperate ground wire directly from a battery which gives it full amps and thn vvel will work .. so it started and first time in a year throttle worked and revs upto 7k .. and with a uprev tuning we had to turn off all the extra sensors ..abs ..tcs ...ecs .. airbags .. limp modes etc etc .. in the end engine is sitting 2 inch taller thn the fenders so my hood wont close fully so added some spacers in the hood and works fine . The brake booster is pretty big on e30s so needed to a small one and removed the one from nissan patrol suv clutch booster .. yess this suv comes with a clutch booster and its around 4 inches of diamter... after that took to dyno tune and it made 360hp on engine Its pretty good numbers with shorty intakes and shorty headers and dual 2.5 inch exhaust with a hamman bmw muffler .. driving experiance .. car is really fast like it lifts up the front on wide open throttle and on track and autox no lag on tight corners because of N/A and i ve seen all the turbo cars struggles on autox so am happy with the decission to keep it NA ... Never lost a race to anyone since the swap .. did some runs with srt8 chargers .. 5.0 mustang .. porche 718 spyder .. amg 63 .. list is long .. if you're interested more about this build do follow my id assasin_e30 on instagram

SeeThruHead · 02-03-2022, 11:32 PM

Can you reformat your post with some line breaks/paragraphs.

Raheel999 · 02-04-2022, 01:25 AM

[QUOTE=SeeThruHead;4019435]Can you reformat your post with some line breaks/paragraphs.[/QUOTE

Bro am just too lazy 😂 and i never posted any thread so if you can edit it and send me back again i ll post it ...thanks

SeeThruHead · 02-04-2022, 02:17 AM

well, don't be surprised when everyone is too lazy to read it.

Raheel999 · 02-04-2022, 09:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SeeThruHead

well, don't be surprised when everyone is too lazy to read it.

�� Is it better now ?

THE BULL · 02-04-2022, 10:15 AM

Hey Raheel, What_wires here!

Great content. If I may add the only times I've had VVEL issues have been with dead VVEL modules or differences in years which is what I suspect.

With how long Nissan made the wiring on the VHR, too long of a wire harness is a common issue with swaps. Certain electronics can be rewired so they work correctly, dont always have to follow the locations Nissan used however it will require to do some neurosurgery.

Looking at the rack location, its like the VHR was meant for it.
360 is no joke on a VHR even less on that chassis.

JARblue · 02-04-2022, 10:45 AM

( Click to show/hide )

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raheel999

Hello guys. I want to share my build with you. If someone is interested in doing a motor swap in any chassis this thread may help a little.

It all started when my bimmer blew a coolant hose on the M52 engine; I decided to just throw all of the bimmer problems away and start a new swap with something reliable. One of the most popular options for engine swap in an E30 is the S54 engine from E46 m3 It makes around 330 hp but that's about the only good thing about it. The engine is a heavy 6 cylinder, an iron block weighing around 500lbs with all accessories. Parts are expensive, too; intakes can cost $500-2500 dollars for minimal hp gains.

So i decided not to go that route and find something else. I started searching the best 6 cylinder in the market because of class rules in track racing and auto x. The rule is if you're engine is over 3.8L then it is considered a V8 class, so I'm looking for an engine with maximum cc of 3700. I came across a nearly brand new VQ37 motor on a Nismo that had a rear end accident.

I decided to buy that motor and leave everything else on the wiring guys to do the swap, which was the start of my problems. I started the swap and sent the car to my friend at Auto One Performance garage on Instagram. This guy can swap anything in any chassis; he's currently working on LS swap in a Fisker Karma �� and his most famous work is a Renault Clio with a rear wheel drive conversion with a single turbo LS engine.

We started with the motor mounts, which is an easy task because the E30 engine bay can fit a V12. Then we moved to the transmission, which is very long but bolts right up on the E30 because the shifter hole is right where it needed to be without any cutting. It does need a custom driveshaft and some hammering on the firewall since the bellhousing is a little big. The engine is tall but narrow and small compared to M52 inline six so it saved us lots of engine bay space as you can see in the pictures. There is a ton of space between the radiator and the engine plus the engine is now sitting behind the wheels; compare that to the stock inline 6 practically touching the radiator.

The last part was the wiring, which is a a nightmare. Lots of small computers and systems inside the cabin needed to be removed. There is a lot of cutting to be done, and trying to get the car started was a bit paint dur to the immobilizer not letting the car start even after NATS delete in Uprev. The problem on these engines is the VVEL motor and ECU run the motors on each bank. The VVEL module controls the throttle on each bank and if it is not working, your throttle will not work - you can start the car but cannot rev the engine. We found a VVEL module from a junkyard and swapped it into the car with no success. We found out that if the VVEL module and ECU are from different vehicles, it will not work. You need a matching pair of VVEL and ECU from a donor car. In the end lots of testing with new ECUs and wiring with no luck.

Finally we ordered a new wiring harness, a new ECU and matching VVEL module from the US and sent it to Hexagarage for a custom wiring job to delete all the extra stuff. He shipped everything back to the Middle East and finally the engine started ... but with some problems. The throttle was not working due to some VVEL codes (I think p1090 and p1092), which was the same problem as before with the VVEL motor not working. Eventually we discovered it needs a separate ground wire directly from the battery to give it full amps. It then started and for the first time in a year the throttle worked with revs up to 7K. Turned off all the extra sensors with Uprev (ABS, TCS, ECS, airbags, limp modes, etc...). The VQ engine sits 2 inches taller than the fenders so my hood wouldn't close; added some spaces to the hood and now it is fine. The brake booster is pretty big on E30s and we needed a smaller one, so we removed one from a Nissan Patrol SUV clutch booster (yes this SUV has a clutch booster with a 4 inch diameter).

After a dyno tune it made 360hp. Pretty good numbers with shorty intakes, shorty headers, and a dual 2.5 inch exhaust with Hamman BMW muffler. As for the driving experience, the car is really fast. It lifts the front on WOT and there is no lag in tight corners on track and autox - I've seen all the turbo cars struggle on autox so I am happy with the decision to keep it NA.

If you're interested more about this build please follow me on Instagram: assasin_e30.

Clean up on Post 1

Didn't want to put words in your mouth so I tried not to add anything

So the E30 already had an M52 swapped in? What E30 model is it?

SeeThruHead · 02-04-2022, 10:50 AM

Thank you.

Awesome build. Complicated computer systems seem to make swaps so much more difficult than they need to be.

DieselKrampus · 02-05-2022, 05:03 PM

S50 with Schrick cams and long tube headers would have been my choice for that chassis. Coming from a 350Z, 370Z, and 4-time E36 owner . Nice build nonetheless, always cool to see outside-the-box type swaps.

Sent from ONEPLUS 6T using Tapatalk

Raheel999 · 02-06-2022, 06:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DieselKrampus

S50 with Schrick cams and long tube headers would have been my choice for that chassis. Coming from a 350Z, 370Z, and 4-time E36 owner . Nice build nonetheless, always cool to see outside-the-box type swaps.

Sent from ONEPLUS 6T using Tapatalk

Thats a great motor also . But even with a cams and all the mods its gonna make 250hp on wheels and thats not enough when you're racing porche and 5.0s on track and thanks bro 🤜

Raheel999 · 02-06-2022, 06:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SeeThruHead

Thank you.

Awesome build. Complicated computer systems seem to make swaps so much more difficult than they need to be.

True bro .. lots of problem with vvel module because it controls the dual throttles so without it this engine won't even run

Raheel999 · 02-06-2022, 06:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by THE BULL

Hey Raheel, What_wires here!

Great content. If I may add the only times I've had VVEL issues have been with dead VVEL modules or differences in years which is what I suspect.

With how long Nissan made the wiring on the VHR, too long of a wire harness is a common issue with swaps. Certain electronics can be rewired so they work correctly, dont always have to follow the locations Nissan used however it will require to do some neurosurgery.

Looking at the rack location, its like the VHR was meant for it.
360 is no joke on a VHR even less on that chassis.

Hahah man how long you've been doing the vq wiring ? You're a pro ... I was the test dummy .. yup the rack fits same as it does on oem e30 engine ..just small brake booster and everything fits like puzzle

DieselKrampus · 02-13-2022, 11:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raheel999

Thats a great motor also . But even with a cams and all the mods its gonna make 250hp on wheels and thats not enough when you're racing porche and 5.0s on track and thanks bro

um what? Not sure where you're getting that number from, but the US spec S50 and S52 made 241hp to the crank, stock. I had a '95 M3 with Schrick cams (can't remember the lift and duration off the top of my head) turner motorsports shorty headers, some mild headwork (port/polish, upgraded valves and springs) Porsche 930 MAF (3.5" vs the M3's 3"), Jim Conforti 3.5" CAI, super sprint midpipe and Scorpion CBE, making about 335-340crank, over 300 at the wheels. 5.0s were no problem, lol. It's an extremely potent motor and the S50 in particular had a pretty violent power hit up top when the cams came on. I never liked my '99 m3 (s52) that much because it felt like a dulled down, tamed version of the earlier design. In a lightweight chassis like the E30 that 330+HP would be more than enough IMO.

Again, not trying to detract anything from your build, just sharing my experiences and opinions. A big displacement, high-revving V6 in an E30 is quite frankly awesome and I bet it'll be an absolute monster to drive!

Sent from ONEPLUS 6T using Tapatalk

THE BULL · 02-14-2022, 10:35 AM

From the recent success we've seen in the VHR field it surpasses almost all 6cyl production engines in terms of WHP.

Not many see 340 WHP on bolt bolted/tuned. I might get flamed for this but only BMWs 3.0+ is the only contender and almost all of them require cams at this level.

Electronics is the biggest hold from this swap becoming the go to and not even for those that are tech savvy.

Many folks can offer these services and if you're interested in rocking the Z speedometer/triple meter I can set y'all up.

Truly underrated swap.

K2e2vin · 02-15-2022, 05:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by THE BULL

Electronics is the biggest hold from this swap becoming the go to and not even for those that are tech savvy.

Biggest understatement right there. Even some standalones can't run the VHR; VVEL and dual DBW causes the biggest roadblocks.

02-03-2022, 11:32 PM	#2 (permalink)
SeeThruHead Track Member Join Date: Jun 2020 Location: Toronto Posts: 716 Drives: Red '18 Sport Manual Rep Power: 23498	Can you reformat your post with some line breaks/paragraphs. Optimiser likes this. __________________ My Build thread STH Build Plan Thread Images too big fix here

02-04-2022, 02:17 AM	#4 (permalink)
SeeThruHead Track Member Join Date: Jun 2020 Location: Toronto Posts: 716 Drives: Red '18 Sport Manual Rep Power: 23498	well, don't be surprised when everyone is too lazy to read it. Rusty, axmea? and Optimiser like this. __________________ My Build thread STH Build Plan Thread Images too big fix here Last edited by SeeThruHead; 02-04-2022 at 02:21 AM.

02-04-2022, 10:15 AM	#6 (permalink)
THE BULL Base Member Join Date: Apr 2021 Location: Florida Posts: 217 Drives: G37S Rep Power: 26848	Hey Raheel, What_wires here! Great content. If I may add the only times I've had VVEL issues have been with dead VVEL modules or differences in years which is what I suspect. With how long Nissan made the wiring on the VHR, too long of a wire harness is a common issue with swaps. Certain electronics can be rewired so they work correctly, dont always have to follow the locations Nissan used however it will require to do some neurosurgery. Looking at the rack location, its like the VHR was meant for it. 360 is no joke on a VHR even less on that chassis. JARblue likes this.

02-04-2022, 10:50 AM	#8 (permalink)
SeeThruHead Track Member Join Date: Jun 2020 Location: Toronto Posts: 716 Drives: Red '18 Sport Manual Rep Power: 23498	Thank you. Awesome build. Complicated computer systems seem to make swaps so much more difficult than they need to be. __________________ My Build thread STH Build Plan Thread Images too big fix here

02-05-2022, 05:03 PM	#9 (permalink)
DieselKrampus Base Member Join Date: Feb 2020 Location: Chadds Ford, PA Posts: 81 Drives: 2010 Nismo370Z MB M6 Rep Power: 3360	S50 with Schrick cams and long tube headers would have been my choice for that chassis. Coming from a 350Z, 370Z, and 4-time E36 owner . Nice build nonetheless, always cool to see outside-the-box type swaps. Sent from ONEPLUS 6T using Tapatalk JARblue likes this. __________________ 2010 *Nismo* 370Z #574 . Z1 Post-MAF Tubes . Drop-in dry filters . Beluga Axleback . Z33 Shift knob

02-04-2022, 01:25 AM	#3 (permalink)
Raheel999 Base Member Join Date: Sep 2019 Location: Saudi arabia Age: 30 Posts: 12 Drives: Bmw e30 with vq37 Rep Power: 6	[QUOTE=SeeThruHead;4019435]Can you reformat your post with some line breaks/paragraphs.[/QUOTE Bro am just too lazy 😂 and i never posted any thread so if you can edit it and send me back again i ll post it ...thanks

02-14-2022, 10:35 AM	#14 (permalink)
THE BULL Base Member Join Date: Apr 2021 Location: Florida Posts: 217 Drives: G37S Rep Power: 26848	From the recent success we've seen in the VHR field it surpasses almost all 6cyl production engines in terms of WHP. Not many see 340 WHP on bolt bolted/tuned. I might get flamed for this but only BMWs 3.0+ is the only contender and almost all of them require cams at this level. Electronics is the biggest hold from this swap becoming the go to and not even for those that are tech savvy. Many folks can offer these services and if you're interested in rocking the Z speedometer/triple meter I can set y'all up. Truly underrated swap. K2e2vin and DieselKrampus like this.

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