M20B20 Head or Complete M20B25 Engine

[cleanish_e46 161]

In anticipation of a cracked head on my E30 (Currently M20B20), does anyone have a healthy head for sale? 

Alternatively, does anyone have a complete M20B25 for sale that I can swap in? Every cloud... 

I'd appreciate any useful advice on either options, things I should check / what I should reasonably pay etc. Prefer to buy from within this community if possible.

Cheers. 

[E30 325i Rag-Top 2918]

Big price difference between a b20 head and a full b25 swap these days. The 2.5 litre engines are very sought after, being the most powerful factory option, prices are well north of $1k now if you’re lucky enough to find one. You’d probably want to do gaskets and a service before you put it in as well. From the looks your 320i is an L-Jet version so you would need the ECU etc to run the b25 as well.

A b20 head “as is” could probably be found for a couple of hundred, or crack tested and skimmed for a little bit more.

It could just be the head gasket, what makes you think it has cracked the head? Fingers crossed it’s just the gasket that’s gone.

[cleanish_e46 161]

I appreciate that, just exploring options as I was going to swap a B25 in when this one shat itself, just happened sooner than planned. I’ve been lucky enough to find one, literally one, but $2500 with a new gasket set is getting up there for me at the moment, or maybe that’s the going rate now! 

As you say, fingers crossed it’s just a gasket, but I think she’s had a hard life in recent years before I bought her!

[Gaz 1042]

Is an e30 really an e30 if it hasn't been thrashed?