BMW E30 M52 Swap Exhaust Pipe [BMConversions Manifolds + Scorpion 325i Muffler] & DIY Cerakote | 049 

BMW E30 M52 Swap Exhaust Pipe [BMConversions Manifolds + Scorpion 325i Muffler] & DIY Cerakote | 049
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In this E30 build episode, I take on what was always anticipated as one of the most challenging parts of the M52 engine swap - the exhaust.
M50 M52 Exhaust Manifold Studs: ebay.us/utiUJ2
M52 M50 Exhaust Gaskets: ebay.us/BU82yv
M50 M52 Lambda Sensors: ebay.us/97mTjN
During the early days of the E30 project, I'd done some reading into what was ahead of me in terms of a custom exhaust. On one hand, it seemed straightforward if using the M52B28's standard exhaust manifolds (headers), why couldn't one simply find an adapter of some kind to connect the headers to a normal E30 325i downpipe?
Well the real complications begin thanks to being in the UK with a right hand drive E30 (RHD). The issue with this BMW being RHD is that the exhaust manifold and downpipes need to pass from the engine bay to beneath the car, past the steering linkage which connects between the steering rack and the steering column.
If you're using a standard BMW E30 steering knuckle, there's absolutely no chance that you can route the exhaust downpipes from an M50 or M52 engine past it. However, there are solutions for this. You could either go for a custom steering linkage, or like me you can make your own using the steering linkage from a Vauxhall Corsa - I did a whole video about that, check it out for all the details.
Luckily for me, I'd foreseen this and done the Corsa steering linkage mod, giving me more room to play with in getting an exhaust to route. Despite that though, the space is still very tight.
Knowing getting a full custom stainless steel exhaust for the car was going to be out of the question due to the sheer cost of such a thing, I realised I was going to have to make most of a pre-existing exhaust work, so I scouted on ebay until a bargain Scorpion E30 325i exhaust system came up, when it did, I snapped it up and put it on the shelf.
When I purchased the M52B28 engine, I'd noticed that one of the two exhaust headers had been modified, chopped and re-welded with shorter runners from the exhaust ports. The quality of this welding wasn't very good, but could potentially be cleaned up if needs be.
It turns out that chopping the rear exhaust header is a necessity when running an M52 engine in an E30 in order to have a fighting chance of clearing the steering column, and as the M52 I'd acquired had previously come from an E30 build, that made sense.
Unfortunately, despite that, the headers were chopped very short. I can't imagine what the exhaust was like for the previous E30 it was fitted in.
After spending a lot of time fitting new exhaust studs while the engine was in situ, and purchasing new exhaust gaskets and lambda oxygen sensors I was ready to start work.
The more I looked at the manifolds, the Scorpion 325i system, and the amount of space I had to work with. The more I realised I'd bitten off more than I could chew, with my limited welding abilities and 0 exhaust-making experience.
It was at that point I reached out to Dan at BMConversions-UK, AKA Danthe from the E30zone forum. To be honest, if you're doing an M50 or M52 swapped E30 and are in the UK, you'll definitely have heard of BMConversions. Dan has been providing customs solutions for E30 engine swaps for years, specialising in parts such as custom PAS lines, and importantly in this case, custom M52 exhausts.
I shipped out my exhaust header (the unmodified one) to him, and he took care of it from there, producing a set of manifolds and down pipes to perfectly route and connect to the 325i system's centre section, without the need to modify it.
In the video, I also went to the effort to Cerakote it so keep it protected and also keep engine bay temperatures down. I went ahead and test-fitted the custom exhaust, and the fit is absolutely perfect. The only issue is the fact the Scorpion back box is massive and the hangers are fouling the spare wheel well, but that's solvable.
I've got to acquire slip joints for all of the connections and refit all the heat shields before I can properly mount the new exhaust.
For more helpful how-to guides and restorations: www.spannerras...
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