320i to 325i

[bmaguy 0]

im looking at puting a 325i engine in my 320i. i hear there the same engines just the 325 is 500cc or so biger. my car is a 5speed . so what will i need eg.. can the same computer loom be used or do i need to put a 325i loom in? and what parts will i need??

thanks

[Guest Andrew]

depends what year your car is etc etc - go read this thread.

http://www.bimmersport.co.nz/forums/index....topic=1074&st=0

[gmccormack 0]

What year is your 320 ?If its an 88 or later the job is a whole lot easier.If its ealier it pays to get the correct box & radiator for the 2.5L engine along with the engine loom & ECU

[bmaguy 0]

ok i did abit of thinking about my car and i think idd be beter off selling it and geting a 325i 5speed how hard are they to find? heheh sadan to!

gus... wanna sell yours hehehe...

ps... if any one's looking for a mod'd up 320i drop me a line "5speed coupe"

[Gus 5]

haha i would ask too much to make it worthwhile for you! im finding that manual 5spd 325's are getting easier to find....nowhere near as rare as they used to be... a lotta conversions been done...or maybe its just my gammy memory

[speakeasy 0]

yea, theres alot more 325 manuals coming up these days, but that doesnt mean there all ones youd actually wana own.....

[Grant 4]

I think that because the auto - manual conversion is so easy, that a lot of the manual 325i's are converted autos (like mine, and Gus's and others on here I bet).

Also, I think that you soon find it hard to get a good E30, they are nearly at the end of their realistic lifecycle (through natural attrition), and the key now is to find one that has been looked after and regularly maintained, otherwise there are a lot of moneypits out there.

Cheers

[Guest Zwilling]

I think that because the auto - manual conversion is so easy, that a lot of the manual 325i's are converted autos (like mine, and Gus's and others on here I bet).

I wouldn't mind doing the conversion, my car is in mint condition, only downside is the auto. Given my lack of mechanical skills, how difficult is this conversion (1990 E30 320)

[Grant 4]

Plenty of people have done it themselves, it is not an overly difficult job, you just have to make sure you have all of the parts you need.

However, I didn't do it myself, I got it converted professionally.

Cheers

[Guest Zwilling]

What parts do you need and how did you source them. Europarts in akld said:

Auto to manual conversion kit $950 + gst

Includes flywheel, pedal box etc

is that reasonable? Edited May 11, 2004 by Zwilling

[bumpstop325 0]

I did mine conversion myself. with alittle advice from my mechcanic in tauranga.

i payed $1100 incl gst. with bmwcc discount. otherwise it would have been 1200 + gst.

in my opinion, it prob the best mod you could ever do.

Zwilling, come along on wednesday and i will have a talk to you about it. i will even help you will the conversion. as i have all the right tools you need.

When downlow gets some monet together iwill be helping him put a manual in his 318.

[Guest Zwilling]

Thanks bumpstop, was gonna put in a showing tomorrow anyway, all the more reason now.

ps: Who watches Top Gear?

[bumpstop325 0]

most ppl here.

it's like church to me

[Grant 4]

ps: Who watches Top Gear?

Its what we do on Sundays

[Grant 4]

I paid $1500.00 all up to have mine converted to 5spd. This was all parts and labour, but included me giving them my auto box (which had been recently reconditioned).

Cheers

[Guest Zwilling]

It is my opinion that attempting to find the minimum speed at which speed cameras don't register the offending car is really neat

Grant, how much of a drivability gain did you get? I just don't feel in touch with the car using an auto. Also, where do you source the parts for the conversion?

Edited May 11, 2004 by Zwilling

[Grant 4]

Grant, how much of a drivability gain did you get? I just don't feel in touch with the car using an auto. Also, where do you source the parts for the conversion?

A massive driveability gain, especially in the wet. The kick down of the auto, especially in the 325i made it occassionally unpredictable.

As far as getting the parts, try and find a donor car to get them off (maybe off a wrecked 5spd E30). Try BMW wreckers.

Good luck.

[Guest Spargo]

Grant i couldn't agree more on the "good E30's are hard to find" line. A while ago, one could pick up an AC Schnizter S3 2.7 for 10.5K with FSH. Now you'd be lucky to find an M-Tec 1 motorsport in dodgy condition for that! Not only are they getting hard to find, owners are getting greedy and asking silly money for their cars. The worst bit is, that there is usually always someone dumb enough to pay the extorsionate fee.

[Grant 4]

Grant i couldn't agree more on the "good E30's are hard to find" line. A while ago, one could pick up an AC Schnizter S3 2.7 for 10.5K with FSH. Now you'd be lucky to find an M-Tec 1 motorsport in dodgy condition for that! Not only are they getting hard to find, owners are getting greedy and asking silly money for their cars. The worst bit is, that there is usually always someone dumb enough to pay the extorsionate fee.

Which is bloody good as it makes nice ones like mine (and others on here too) more "valuable", and not so common.

[Guest Andrew]

The trick is buy a not so mint looking one spend 7000 bucks on it and then you have a mint one.. *ouch*

[Viking 0]

Or buy a mint dead one and M50 it?

[Grant 4]

Or buy a mint dead one and M50 it?

That may cost a little more than $7,000.