So I bought an E30.

[CaptainHenreh]

Alright, so UPDATE.

I bought a motor today. 1995 M50 from a 525i. Full harness, and coil packs. No ECU sadly. I should call them back and check. But, an ECU is around 200ish dollars. Tops. Any VANOS M50 ecu should work, but I'll try to match up the year. But this motor looks really good, and I got it for a decent price, and it's front-sump so it will clear the crossmember and antirollbar on the E30.

So, what is left to finish the swap? Here's a pre-emptive list:

• Refresh and reseal the motor I just got. Metal water pump, rear main, valve cover gasket *maybe* check bearings. Metal thermostat housing and new thermostat.
  
• E36 mounting arms. I priced these at pelican, I think they were 80 dollars for the set.
  
• E28 535i Engine Mounts. These mounts, threaded into the second pair of holes on the outer part of the brackets in the E30, make the M50 fit like it was made to go there.
  
• E36 Throttle cable. The E30 one is about 3" too long. 36 dollars.
  
• Some kind of transmission. I have been told the M20 one will work. I dont' know if an old and busted E30 transmission is the best choice for a hi-po motor, but the worst that can happen is it blow up and I'll have to...buy a transmission.
  
• ECU
  
• 'lectric fan.
  
• Flywheel and Clutch.
  
• And, since my motor didn't come with a MAFS, I'll need that too.

Take all that, mix it until well beaten, bake for 20 minutes, or until toothpick stuck in center comes out clean. I make it sound easy, but I'm not kidding myself. This is going to be difficult, no question. But will it be any more difficult than the Supra? I doubt it.