Ahmedsinc

Pardon??

I agree! But I'm not necessarily looking for the easy option here. I'm aiming for the satisfaction of building something that cannot be bought, as opposed to a dealership option Budget presently isn't that much of a consideration. I'll be spreading the build over a number of years, this isn't something I plan to churn out within 3 months. What sort of gains would likely result from such an avenue? $3500 is getting pretty close to the cost of an M54 swap, less certing of course Hmm, I'm not planning a short term build, so both questions are difficult to answer. Naturally if the preferred option will cost 30k then I'l ditch the idea completely and just buy an E39 M5 Highest initial cost, but possibly the cheapest long term. Plus developing extra power is comparatively cheap with the LS vs M60, or any other quad cam V8 for that matter.Depending on the cost of say, an S50/54. But then you don't get that V8 rumble with an S5x. Gut feeling tells me that the S5x swap would be ideal in a wagon, not so much a sedan. But then that's just my taste. Bear in mind that at the moment this is a hypothetical exercise. Big dreams come cheap, but I value alternate perspectives Thanks for the input thus far!

Looking for perspective on a few options I have for reworking the trusty old 325i. Firstly, more horsepowers. I currently see it as thus. - supercharging the current M50B25 - M54B30 swap / stroker build - V8 swap - work the M50B25 Supercharging would probably (?) be the quickest and easiest fix. As much as turbocharging would yield better results, I've had my fill of cars with bolt on snails. They were great fun in my younger years but I just can't stomach the hassle of shoving a turbo into an already crammed engine bay. Would a Toyota SC14 even work? Or would the Rootes charger off a Dunnydoor be the better pick? Will supercharging even produce any real gain given it's only being driven by a sub - 200ci engine? The M54 option is initially attractive. However I'd only stand to gain +/- 40hp & 38 ft/lb torque. Given that a complete engine and ECU package is presently around $4k from what I've seen it seems a lot of dough for what is practically only a 20% increase on the stock M50. Finally the V8. My inner bogan wants to follow this route, but which direction to take? M60B44 is the ideal, but with the issues surrounding headers vs. steering column; and the bigger problem of the steering rack fouling the oil pump it does seem like a nearly impossible challenge. I do have the services of an engineer ( yay for inlaws!), but short of dry sumping I'm not sure there's a practical solution at hand. Yes Alpina managed it, but everythings possible with enough money, time and resource available. The Toyota 1UZ is a nice motor, but not torquey enough for my tastes, so no dice there. I've looked into the LS1 swap, and so far this appears to be the pick of the bunch. 335hp & 350 ft/lb of torque kinda beat the hell outta the M60s 280hp & 295 ft/lb. But it does mean taking a step back to a pushrod V8. And taking on a nasty red hue around the collar. The cost of a complete LS with ECU, loom and manual trans is a little frightening, however. Finally there is the option of working the humble M50B25. Short of M3 headers, more aggressive cams, possibly upping the compression & an ECU remap what can I do to really get the little 2.5 humming? S50B30/32 would be nice, but engine availability here is pretty rare. I do enjoy the overall experience of the E36, hence looking into enhancing the performance, as opposed to stepping up to an M3 or M5. Plus I'm looking to build something that makes me smile! K, go!

Will most likely be 3.15. 328i with the ZF box came with 2.93 Would be pretty surprised if it's limited slip if it didn't come out of an m-spec car. Do you have the VIN? Can run it through ETK and confirm

Mmmm. Might not be 'the best' M3. but it's still a million times better than my one!

I was about to ask what your logic is in leaving the motor resting vertically on the flywheel until it dawned on me that you just didn't rotate the photo That's a real tidy lookin M50 you et there - really impressed with how quick you're gettin it done Looking forward to the result

Quote of the day

As in gtstarped? That would explain the M3 going up for sale! Really pleased it's going to another member

Really nice job there man! Now, to see if I can scam a lazy 20k Edit: Swap ya for the worlds most boring Passat wagon and REALLY big IOU??

Aww stink!

Sounds way too much like hard work! Rip the horrible bloody thing out & stick a proper gearbox back in there, one that needs three pedals Fuel economy will improve too. That should be all the justification you need to convince wifey

I'm only pointing it out 'cos I'm jealous Will be interested to see if stepping up to 225/45/17 from the 205/x/16 you currently have will have a negative impact on fuel economy given the slightly higher rolling resistance. #closetcarnerd

Hang on.... you've done 640km already & the OBC tells you there's at least 300km before the next fill? And you're disappointed?? #firstworldproblems

Nice effort man! Only thing I can mark you down on is she's holding a crescent. -1.5 points.

Interestingly this now appears to be an intermittent fault. Hasn't struggled this week. Would this lend support to my dodgy O2 sensor theory? Or am I off the mark here? Fanks

A quick google search tells me that your only chance will be to find an open small case 3.46 from a pre 09/85 320i. Not altogether impossible, but highly improbable you'll find what you're looking for in a suitable timeframe. (Though recent experience on this forum has proven me wrong! ) Running through a little math, assuming your gearbox is the same as mine (1.00:1 5th gear) using a 4.44 small case diff as fitted to your 318i auto your revs will be around 3800 @ 100kph. As opposed to the 3.15 which leaves revs @ 100kph 2750rpm. Such a short final drive will render first gear utterly useless (though sweet for burnouts), and will make second uncomfortably short for day to day driving. Plus as Glenn says, the small case won't survive a very long time with the higher torque loadings. I went through all this research trying to justify NOT swapping diffs when I did my manual swap. In the end I had to concede to superior logic. Plus, it's waaaaaay easier finding a medium case LSD in NZ than a small case. Have you looked in to transplanting the E36 rear subframe into your compact? I have no idea if it's even possible, but it would be worth investigating given you have a complete donor car to draw parts from. Glenn, is it doable? You're gonna have to make the swap to a medium case at some point, might as well get the painful bit done now rather than later Just my 2c Edit: linky so you can see what to go looking for. If you haven't already found this page http://www.e30zone.net/e30zonewiki/index.php/Differential

Seems to be developing pretty well so far, 'specially if this is your first engine teardown & rebuild. It's not a job for the faint hearted. Little bits of info from the likes of Glenn are handy - folks like him have been around for a fair bit and tend to know what they're on about Same goes for Crunchy, keep in touch with him when ya get to the turbo bit. If you need any convincing, google him & take a gawk at some of the monsters he's unleashed Keep the updates coming, looks like you're having a heap of fun

Pretty sure there's no 'Style 100' either. Some oddball German numerical superstition at play??

Oooo now that would be cool! Will be watching for a new showroom thread shortly

Nice to see a higher mileage car with a reasonably definitive service history, they're pretty hard to find in little old Noo Zild. Looks like you've found a good 'un, had you not pounced there was a chance I could have talked wifey into having a look this weekend Even if machines aren't trustworthy, 4.6l / 100 makes for some bragging rights

I have to say I'm not a fan of airbags in anything besides steering wheels - but that motor is the kitties titties! GLWS, fingers crossed it goes to a buyer that will appreciate all your work man!

Good forecast for this weekend Besides which, if you do the service tomorrow, it'll be a good chance for all the sludge to be picked up by the new oil. Which in turn gives you valid reason to give it another oil change when the sensor arrives P.S - computers are not to be trusted!

F^*k the champagne & doting applause.... just gimme the damn keys!

What does a set of budget aftermarket 18 / 19s with rubber cost these days? 1800-2k? As opposed to say, BBS forged rims in the same sizes for probably 2-3k for rims alone. Old saying rings true, if you want quality it's going to cost.

Not usually a fan of aftermarket rims on 36s but those do look rather sharp! Are they 9.5" on the back? You could use the lips as extra storage space!