[B58gushesh]

So I have a 2018 M140i with roughly 75,000km on it. Catless downpipes, masata charge pipe, intake and a remap. What would I (more like the shop I’m gonna pay) need to remove to make swapping it into a e30 coupe chassis? Ideally I want to use as much as possible, including the Zf8hp box that it came with. I am already in the process of buying a f82 m4comp diff, so the open diff can stay in the f20. Besides engine mounts and fab work on the e30, what exactly do I need to take off and keep from the f20?

•I would like to keep the same key fob and wireless start
•is the I-drive essential?
•is there something glaringly obvious that I’m missing that wouldn’t make this project possible?

[Llarry]

I would suggest asking this question in the General BMW Discussion forum up the page.

[ezaircon4jc]

Modern cars are basically computers on wheels. I imagine you would need to swap the entire electrical system and modules as the electronics of modern cars are so intertwined. Unless you're just making a track car, and then all you would probably need is the engine, trans and their associated computers.

[billnchristy]

The "easiest" way would be to use a standalone ECU and not have to integrate everything from the donor into the e30.

[B58gushesh]

Originally Posted by billnchristy

The "easiest" way would be to use a standalone ECU and not have to integrate everything from the donor into the e30.

Would the factory ECU not work best with the engine and box it’s already programmed for? I don’t mean to sound like an idiot but if I used the original ECU, wouldn’t it think it’s still in the same car? Like it’s already mapped to run that exact b58 and ZF combo.

[CTinline-six]

Honestly your best bet would be to find a much simpler engine to swap with less computer control and modules for the E30 chassis. There have been a lot of S52/S54 swaps into those cars which is a significant bump in power, more aftermarket support, and less complexity.

It's one thing if you can do all the programming yourself, but if you expect a shop to do it, finding one willing to commit to that type of project will be difficult, especially if you expect them to provide an estimate that doesn't include a blank check.

[billnchristy]

Originally Posted by B58gushesh

Would the factory ECU not work best with the engine and box it’s already programmed for? I don’t mean to sound like an idiot but if I used the original ECU, wouldn’t it think it’s still in the same car? Like it’s already mapped to run that exact b58 and ZF combo.

My thought was it wouldn't need to be tied to the various other computers if it was standalone managed.

A good tuner would be able to make it sing with any ECU, I would reason that the engine/trans management is the least of your worries compared to the 15 or so other computers that rely on inputs to make everything work on a modern car.