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I've done the S52 and it was great! After a few years, I moved up to the S50B32 and it looks and feels like a whole new car from the S52. I guess that is close to the S54 swap. If I were starting from scratch, then go S54 or the exotic S50B32. It looks great under the hood and pulls like a bitch all the way up the power band. BTW, i would consider a 6 speed when going with the S54 or S50b32.
Ive also got some great rare parts on the forums.. Nice euro headlight washer set, alpina vent display, etc..Comment
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Also, I agree with some of the post, cost do add up quick... Estimate and then add 30 to 40% for other crap that you find or needs while motor out, etc...Comment
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How much did you guys get your s50/2 for?
Is one with 102k miles, good running for $1.7k a fair price?Comment
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Paid $1500 for a 10/95 S50. Spent $300 for head rebuild,plus complete engine gaskets..bottom untouched. Luv it!NASA
BMWCCA member
PCA member 25yrs
1991 318IS slick top
1997 M3 sedan
2001 325CI DD
“whoever turns the wheel the least, wins"Comment
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That's a good estimate. Fuck I must have spent $200 just on random stupid hardware pieces I thought I already had.
100k is a fair bit of miles, I paid $1600 for my s52 with supposedly 85k but who know what it really has tbh. It came pretty bare bones, no intake, no acc, stewart wp, eurosport pullies, no fly, obviously no trans, wrong oil pan etc.
'89 Alpine S52 with goodiesComment
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I only read the first page of this thread, but Suspense, I'd like to give you a little input since I was in your situation back in December. Take it with a grain of salt b/c my 24v knowledge is 2nd hand aside from repairing a few m54's that came into the shop I used to work at.
First off, $2500 is a standard deal. Zionsville Autosport is about 20min away from me. They do these swaps regularly and would charge me the same price for labor or possibly a little cheaper(given I were to buy some parts from them). Take into consideration that these swaps are their profession and they make income off of it. This 'guy' is not doing you any favors with that ballpark price.
I opted not to do the 24v swap. If I went back and chose again I would do the 24v swap instead of rebuilding my m20. Keep in mind, though, I do 90% of the work on my car. There's a lot to be said about the m20 motor and I love it's simplistic design. They're so easy to work on, maintain, and rebuild. However, they are outdated don't leave a lot of room for power improvement without forced induction. I'm sure 9 guys out of 10 in this thread would prefer 300 NA hp as opposed to 300 boosted hp. It's just more reliable with less hoses, pipes and all the other misc. bullshit that goes along with a turbo or sc. That being said and from what I read, I think you are one of those 9 guys. With your power goals, you will never reach that given you keep the m20 NA. EVER. Maybe crank hp but you'd probably be setting a record and would go down in history. Given you built that m20, it would be the most highstrung m20 and i doubt it would ever become streetable.
Thus far, I've only rebuilt the top end, adding some goodies along the way, and replaced accessory parts such as:
waterpump, timing belt, & tensioner, intake, gaskets, cooling fan, etc.
I have close to $1700 in my motor and I'm not even close to being done. It's drivable and if I had to estimate, I'm probably in the range of 170-175whp given the pulls I did against a e46 330i. I'm not even half way done with my motor. I bought a spare short block that's completely stripped for a $100. By the time I'm done with the short block, it'll have close to 2k(parts only) into it and still probably won't be past s52 territory. Plus I'll have lots of fun tuning to do. I would turn back and swap in a 24v, but I'm already in too deep. Maybe the next e30 I own will get one, but this Alpine is staying true to it's heritage.
Do take into mind that you COULD have another running m20 to get you by for around 4-600 bucks, but you dont have the garage or time to do it yourself.
s50/52 parts are more expensive but not by a massive amount. They're pretty easy to maintain if you're a DIY guy or know one. The guys I know running swaps would never turn back and feel it's 100% worth the wait if you can save your money. I'd have to agree after riding in a s52'd 4 door and an m52/S-cammed 2 door.
I would suggest doing the bare minimum to keep that m20 running until you have enough money saved for the s50/2 and then ask a buddy with a tool-filled garage for help doing the swap. Read so many archive threads and builds that your head wants to explode! It's been done so many times and there are so many guys on here who document it that there shouldn't be any major hiccup you'll run into. Just keep that buddy around that can give you a 2nd opinion and has plentiful knowledge. You can do it man! Take the leap. Would you rather look back on it and know you had the chance to do it yourself but chose to pay someone? You only live once. Take the time to get your hands dirty while you're young. You'll respect yourself more for it. I swear, nothing is more gratifying until you make that homeade tool or part that works flawlessly. You'll see what I mean. ;)
Originally posted by Ryan...Comment
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It's an s52. Comes with everything pretty much except the trans.
Looks like I gotta keep searching...$1.7 seems a little high to me nowComment
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I personally do not see that as a rediculous price if it is in good running order.89 325i parts car
90 325i in progress
ground control 400f 700r-koni adjustables-koni adjustable sways-reinforced control arms-ground control camber plates-e36 cabrio shock mounts-4.10 lsd-5 speed swap in the works
--tryng to join the schwarz army one day at a time--sigpicComment
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I haven't had a chance to really read through this thread yet, I've been pretty busy with work. I'll go through it very soon, I see some awesome write ups and I can't wait to see what everyone said.
At this moment though, I am re building my M20 for now. Don't have enough to get a S52, this M20 will hopefully last me another 6-9 months and then maybe for my 20th birthday I can get a new car or swap. We shall see!
If anyone is curious, I'm doing heavy duty rocker arms, new cam, I manifold, I throttle body and a few other small things. After the build i'll let you guys know how it goes.
-SpencerComment
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I don't have a choice, this motor is on it's last legs due to the fact that the rocker arms are bad. I can't just save up for an s50 and hope that this engine will last.
I do a commute back and forth to work and it's about a 20-30 minute drive, each day the engine gets worse and worse. I'll do one last fix on this M20 and then see how long it lasts me, if by then I have the money for an S50 I'll do the swap, but who knows I may want a new car by then. This just has to get me by, not performance wise but reliability.Comment
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How do you know the rocker arms are about to break...? Just replace the rockers with stock and do a headgasket/timing belt job. Save your money.
Originally posted by Ryan...Comment
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