Want to do something to it. Should I just swap an S50 into it and call it a day, or boost the crap out of the stock motor, and watch everything grenade… or something else? Just want to check the options out there.
If it doesn’t have A/C I won’t cry, that’s what the Audi is for. This is pretty much going to be tracked a bunch, but will remain a handy back-up car when the Audi dies.
FYI, it has full suspension and a cage in it already. The rear probably will need replacement anyway.
s50 or s52 will get you 240hp, obdI s52 cab get you ~270 at the crank… motor/zf trans/harness accessories will cost you in the $2500-3500 range for either.
m50’s cost ~$500 with accessories and harness. getrag trans is probably 250, zf trans is 400 or so.
then boost the fuck out of it, blunttech.com has been a favorite for m50 turbo kits, turbociv may be doing kits too I’m not sure (I called him when I was moving my business back here but never heard back).
euro s50b30 is a fairly straightforward swap getting you 286hp.
euro s50b32 is a fairly straightforward swap, witha 6 sp, and will get you 321hp.
both swaps have been done a ton, motors are available stateside in the $5k range with everything.
s54, there are probably a handful of swaps out there now (5-10 in the US/Canada).
we were going to start looking into those next but decided to just become a retail dealer instead.
s54’s can be found in the 5k range, and will get you 333hp. but the swap is new and not documented easily like others
id say ls1 but you dont need to because your not looking for that much power. having said that my vote is a m50 or s50, boost one or none, and heaters all day. done deal, thats my plan. dont need a ton of power to have fun
heh. race classification is the only reason m20’s go back in these cars. otherwise when an m20 comes out, for the cost of the rebuild m50 goes in. timing chain instead of belt, 24 valves instead of 12, hydraulic lifters, 20 more hp, etc
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s5x m3’s are only worth ~$13 range, that price is outrageous. e30m3’s are definitely becoming collector’s cars, but only with the s14.
I promised myself I’d go s54 in an e30m3 when my business is up and running to make up for selling my euro s50b30 touring, but I may just buy an e30m3 with a blown motor and go 2.5 s14
Try and get a parts car for w/e swap you want to do. Makes things really easy in terms of making sure you have everything you need, and you can make some of your money back.
V8 awesomeness from the 540i. I’m putting an e30 together with one right now, I moved fairly close to you in North Jersey, should have it done early next month if all goes to plan. Entire swap + purchase price of the car will be under $5k. Only non factory BMW part involved is a custom wiring adapter I’m making, and motor mounts I ordered from overseas. So repairs are pretty straight forward.
