Swap in Progress

[MR 325]

A long way to go but damn, she's in there! :)

Mark, you're going to love this car.

[markseven]

Update

Matt at TNG just sent these





Next to Matt's firebreathing swap

[markseven]

Went up to TNG this morning to drop off the parts. I was very pleased to see the front of my car in 4X4 mode, confirming that they had removed the M20. I was even more pleased to see that they had cleaned up the engine bay... this sort of thing is priceless. I think a lot of shops will do the bare minimum instead of going the extra mile. Craftsmanship and attention to detail




Old and new


Two FI motors



this turbo is there for position only, it will be replaced with big one



Hope I can sleep tonight...

[markseven]

Looking good Mark!

Hey, what's up with those seats? ;)

Thanks Matt! You guys rock.

The grey interior... what do you have in mind? :D

[MR 325]

Looking good Mark!

Hey, what's up with those seats? ;)

[markseven]

Tomorrow makes a week since I dropped off my car at TNG. I think they've pulled the engine and are waiting on stuff from me in order to move forward. The shop is 60 miles away and closes at 6PM, so I am not able to go there after work.

Quite few parts arrived today, but first I would like to thank Earl (Palantirion) for the OBD I intake manifold and valve cover covers he gave me, and Devon (devonjordan) for the wiring harness. I appreciate the generosity, amigos! This whole adventure has been a blessing from the Lord. The manner in which Earl and I rediscovered that the drivetrain was still for sale, to the seller lending me his cherry picker so I could unload the engine/trans at TNG (they had loaned out their's), to all of the vendors shipping stuff free overnight etc... amazing I am thankful.

I highly recommend rmeuropean.com. Excellent prices, the packaging is awesome, and they drop ship from CA so I got everything within a day or so.

Driveline of Portland is taking my E30 driveshaft as a core even though I ordered a E36 unit! Really nice people, too.

The guys at TNG have been super cool... it's all working out well.

Thank you Jesus


Some of the loot. This may be a once-in-a-lifetime event, so I am "going big" (yes, that's an E30 M3 interior hanging out )



Driveshaft shipping container. It's cool how they send it.



Fresh DS


Lightened flywheel



OEM E36 M3 clutch and pressure plate


New Behr/Hella M42 radiator


Metal thermo housing


Water pump with metal impeller


The guy at rmeuropean recommended the Bosch filter over the OE Mahle (the Bosch is cheaper, too)


E30 M3 wiring covers


Engine and trans mounts



Various S52 sensors





Turner chip


Haven't had one of these in more than 20 years (PB&J)

[markseven]

We has the same body kit. And I actually love your stance on the Rota's.

I just with I had your wing instead of whatever shitty wing is on the car now.

I clicked the link in your sig and saw your car... it looks awesome! The wing aint so bad...

yummy!

Thank you, sir.

[e30slut]

yummy!

[z31maniac]

Thanks man! You made my day... :D

We has the same body kit. And I actually love your stance on the Rota's.

I just with I had your wing instead of whatever shitty wing is on the car now.

[markseven]

I wanted to avoid the SuperSprint replica headers

This was the wrong choice of words; people I trust are running the SS reps. To ellaborate, the main reason I didn't want them was the issues with hitting the collector on speedbumps and the tops of driveways, etc. I've been pretty indicisive, but after seeing the headers in real life, I am stoked!

Chris, (e30Polak) thanks for your helping me decide ;)

[markseven]

I wanted to avoid the SuperSprint replica headers, but at this point I have no choice. The shorty's from bimmerworld are on back order, the turner shorty's will need modification to fit (the bw version may, too) and the turner shorty's made specifically for this swap are expensive at $1K So, SS reps it is.

Today's parts list:

SS rep headers
100' of header wrap + ties
Water pump with metal impeller
Thermostat
Metal thermostat cover
Fuel filter
E28 535i engine mounts
E32 trans mounts
BW air intake boot for (3.5 AFM)
JC Chip

[markseven]

I love your car. And will so even more when the swap is done.

Thanks man! You made my day... :D

[z31maniac]

I love your car. And will so even more when the swap is done.

[markseven]

Pics

Dropped my car off at the shop that's doing the swap and finally downloaded some pics.

At the seller's place, locked and loaded.







Final shot of the M20 in its natural habitat


John parking the S52 in its temporary holding place


As I left her on Saturday




it was bittersweet leaving her. I will truly miss the wonderful exhaust note.

[markseven]

I guess you don't want to listen to me. Ebay headers make plenty of torque, and you can always have the collectors modified by a decent exhaust shop. TMS headers are not worth it, you can get euro headers for cheaper!

Nah man, it's not like that... I am simply weighing the pros/cons. I spoke with Armen, too, and he is pro Super Sprint replicas, so based on both of your feedback, I will prolly go with that :) ... and the price is right ;)