M30 Tuning options..

My 635CSI will be arriving in Brisbane in 2 Days time its currently 2 days into its journey up the coast.

I was going to leave it standard originally but old cars tend to be quick here in AUZ, Any k30 corolla or old mazda/Datsun is usually capable off wheeleing up the street off the lights due to a 13b rotary with Bus turbo or a highly tuned SR20 Nissan motor.

All the Holdens have 290kw V8s which is nigh on 450 HP, To me there just ex Vauxhall Asconas/Omegas with about as much quality and this is why i dont own one. Fair enuf you may be able leave to black lines into 3rd or 4th gear but there a budget car for the masses.

1)Has anyone heard of fitting a 24v head off a newer 535 or the like to the m30 engine? How straight forward a job is this.

2)Does anyone run independant throttle bodies and stand alone mgmt on a 635?

Ideally a combiation of the above things set up properly would give a reliable 300 ish horsepower. The other Alternative is to graft a turbo on  as the Kilander-racing brothers did in sweden but not so sure i want to go down this route.

I may do something as in the hot light air here i fear 220hp wont pull me out of bed and theres nothing worse than a car thats all show and no go.An M6 couldnt be found here so Thats out till im more flush

Any tuning Ideas appreciated

Bear in mind the turbo option was only available with left hand drive as the turbo is in the way of the steering gear on rhd.

A supercharger is a possible way forward & will give approx. 35% more power. If your car is the later Highline ('87 on) then it will have 220bhp. They also have a slightly lower compression which will give you a bit of a head start.

As James says, the M88 M5 engine will fit though you'll have to convert to manual if yours is auto. I would imagine they are fairly rare in Oz.

If you want to think a bit more outside the box, how about the 4.0/4.4 litre V8 M60/62? 286bhp & either 290 or 310 lb/ft of torque? More of a hassle to fit but worth the effort, especially with a supercharger!

The 750/850 V12 also fits (E24's ran as test mules for the 8-series) but the V8 is a better option.

You could always do what some of the yanks have done. Take a common large capacity home grown V8 which is cheap & easy to find (& cheap to tune) & drop that in. There's no replacement for displacement!

Thanks for the Advice guys,

I was swaying towards the turbo option but forgot all about it being RHD.. thats pretty much put that out of the question then.

I think il steer clear of engine swaps iv been through all that with Countless stuff at home and you really want the doner car on blocks beside you to do it properly and even then clips and stuff never go back right!

No interest in the v8 transplant eithar, Its not a Bm then, Using about 7.2 litres and an engine cast from rock in 1932 to make a fast car is just cheating out of actually having to engineer something properly in my opinion, The locals dont like to hear it mind!! Those v8s weigh a huge amount up the front so no use on a B road. I had a skyline R31 last so iv sort of got over the urge to leave black lines everywere out of my system for a bit..

Wouldnt i be better off getting some e34 24v 535i pistons dropping them in to the m30. Bolting on the 535i cylinder head after a polish, Have some 6 branch headers knocked up and maybe use individual throttle bodies. 

I have access to Tig welding here so modifying the injection rail wouldnt be to much hastle.

Surely this would be more cost efficient than messing with the SOHC12v head?

To loose the AFM i would also need stand alone mgmt to run the throttle bodies which could be a bit pricey.

What manual gearboxes fitted the e24? id say its not a clean swap eithar! The cars mint and 2 owner so its a shame to go scratching firewalls and gettin grease on the recaros doing full on transplants.

Its hard to know what to do if anything i just want it livlier really..

Sorry to be brutal but maybe you've bought the wrong car?

If 220bhp isn't enough then an M635 would be the answer.

Tuning options for the M30 are fairly limited to head & cam (& exhaust manifold if pre-Highline). You can get an MAF conversion from Splitec in the US but thats around £500+ just on its own & still won't perform miracles.

By the time you've spent a couple of grand on tuning you'll still only have 245 - 265bhp like Alpina.

When all's said and done it isn't a Skyline & never will be. Just enjoy the car for what it is rather than try making it into something it isn't.

A Syline may be faster but it will never be as cool, period.

Hows all,

Point taken on the V8s i was on About the chevy/Ford/Holden Donks rather than the BMW V8 which does use some modern design but even if i wouldnt have the time  to go sourcing/swapping that stuff il just be doing small bit on holidays and heads and stuff is easy and quick.

I only had the skyline to go Sideways in i didnt buy it for its looks or anything. Iv Always admired the 635s, Theres very Few left in Ireland so when i saw them here i had to have one,

I wouldnt agree that its the wrong car Its sort of a Natural progression as my last car was a mint little 1991 325is.

Doesnt sound like i have much Tuning Options on this" an m6 head and appropriate cam gears/coil packs ect  could never be found.

 Australia,s real good for tuning anything, Because the market here was so limited by Government massive tax on anything imported they had to make it them selfs.Its amazing what you can get fabricated, or off the shelf  in the way of turbos,Intercoolers, T bodies, I have a Friend whos be running a Dyno the last 17 years here,

He says it wasnt always his view  but now he reckons if your not spending your money on a turbo when its so easy these days  your just building a dinosaur. he says even a low blow  would give more than treble carbs/T bodies&cam without creating lag.

I may investigate a supercharger option, they can be got real easilly here as a version of the commodore 3.8 v6 or statesman v8 came standard with a belt driven one. space in the engine bay could be a problem but its definatly worth a look, the m30 would prob take 7psi without mods if there AMMeter perimeters would compensate enough air otherwise itd be an emerald ecu or the like.

About this M6 HiABboy, its probaby way out of my league but feel free send me a guide price and any pics you have to : twincamsham@hotmail.com

Cheers

Rory