Ahmedsinc 414 Report post Posted November 15, 2013 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! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
aja540i 1903 Report post Posted November 15, 2013 Cheapest option is probably to sell it and buy an M3!! I can understand why one of the other options may be more appealing, i suppose it just depends what you want to get out of it. Good luck either way!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thorburn 120 Report post Posted November 15, 2013 How much do you want to spend all up. I'd say a lot of those options Would see you spending around the 10k mark Best bang for buck would be headers, a cam and a remap. Maybe 3.5K all up. No cert needed. Probably the least amount of time for the car not to be running as well Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
328bema 18 Report post Posted November 15, 2013 Run a turbo on the M50B25 with the usual bits and pieces, achieve 400+HP and enjoy!! ideally if its power your after, and something unique, this would probably be an attractive option for you Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Michael. 2312 Report post Posted November 16, 2013 What is your time frame and budget? These are the most important things to factor in really. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
twisted 45 Report post Posted November 16, 2013 My biased self says go the LS swap. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ahmedsinc 414 Report post Posted November 16, 2013 (edited) Cheapest option is probably to sell it and buy an M3!! I can understand why one of the other options may be more appealing, i suppose it just depends what you want to get out of it. Good luck either way!! 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 How much do you want to spend all up. I'd say a lot of those options Would see you spending around the 10k mark Best bang for buck would be headers, a cam and a remap. Maybe 3.5K all up. No cert needed. Probably the least amount of time for the car not to be running as well 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 Run a turbo on the M50B25 with the usual bits and pieces, achieve 400+HP and enjoy!! ideally if its power your after, and something unique, this would probably be an attractive option for you What is your time frame and budget? These are the most important things to factor in really. 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 My biased self says go the LS swap. 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! Edited November 16, 2013 by Ahmedsinc Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MrE36325i 1 Report post Posted November 23, 2013 Schrick High Performance Camshaft - 252 Degrees - Intake Camshaft $749 Schrick High Performance Camshaft - 244 Degrees -Exhaust Camshaft $ 749.95 US dollars but what the hell 6 cyliders love to sing You know you want to Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ahmedsinc 414 Report post Posted November 23, 2013 Schrick High Performance Camshaft - 252 Degrees - Intake Camshaft $749 Schrick High Performance Camshaft - 244 Degrees -Exhaust Camshaft $ 749.95 US dollars but what the hell 6 cyliders love to sing You know you want to Mmmmmm, Schrick (drool) That would be a hell of a lot of fun. I'd almost be obliged to give that S50B32 crank on Tardme a new home too. Although I gotta admit, the dollars spent on stroking the B25 would be nearly the same as the LSx swap. Which will ultimately yield a $hitload more torque & hp. And satisfy the bogan within Too many options!!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thorburn 120 Report post Posted November 23, 2013 s50b32 crank wont fit in an m50/52 block. You'd need to find a US or South African s52b32 crank (or an m54b30 crank, same part). Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Michael. 2312 Report post Posted November 24, 2013 Perhaps just import an Alpina B8 4.6?? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ahmedsinc 414 Report post Posted November 24, 2013 s50b32 crank wont fit in an m50/52 block. You'd need to find a US or South African s52b32 crank (or an m54b30 crank, same part). Was aware that the M54 crank will slot in, didn't know the S50 is a no-go. Thanks! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ahmedsinc 414 Report post Posted November 24, 2013 Perhaps just import an Alpina B8 4.6?? Sigh, would that I could! Wifey would use my gonads for xmas tree decorations if I ever tried a stunt like that! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
