S50/S52 swap... is it worth it?

[phreshkid]

I paid Castros 5ooo with the engine and trans included is that a good deal?

Well, are you satisfied? If yes, then no amount of money, no matter how small or great, can compensate for satisfaction that cannot be quenched through money alone.

Therefore, if you are happy with the results and given your lack of mechanical ability/space/time to pull the swap off yourself, I would be very grateful to have Castro's do the swap for me for that price.

Though, there are shops that will do the swap for less, Castro's is known for a no BS approach and gets the job done right the first time. Hell yeah I'd pay for that.

[oldschoolfoolcabrio]

I paid Castros 5ooo with the engine and trans included is that a good deal?

[phreshkid]

Reading this thread is like mining gold out of a septic tank.

More or less but there is some good information in here I think....I can't remember.

[rightcoastbias]

Reading this thread is like mining gold out of a septic tank.

[Wanganstyle]

If you're going the m20 route, then I think we have a good running verified one we could sell you. This would end up being cheaper than the build you're planning.

This would actually be cheaper in the long run than building a m20.........If i was local I would be interested, pm me how much you need out of that thing in case I happen to drive down to socal next week...

OP-

You don't need a built M20, just a 100% one- your e30 has been functioning its entire life till now... one that is functioning as rolled off factory floor would be ideal, then just low pressure turbocharge/supercharge to bolt on easy power. Usually Power goals is the reason for a DOHC or engine swap, if MPG was target it would be Eta engine swap OR 524TD M21 disel swap with veggie conversion for everyone and LOOOOOOONG gearing.

Only if racing demands state does the $$$ justify opening one up of these powerplants. Otherwise leave it 100% standard and change the entire unit if you desire.

perhaps your car would like a M30 transplant, if you like the M20 and just want more the M30 seems the ticket.

Dohc is a bit overboard IMO unless you have the parts sitting in front of you, your m20 is dead, etc etc

I choose to just keep driving the M20, will be re-configuring it slightly to add Turbo.

[Suspence]

If you're going the m20 route, then I think we have a good running verified one we could sell you. This would end up being cheaper than the build you're planning.

I don't need to buy a new one at the moment, I think that I'm just going to try and rebuild my current one. I already have an awesome cooling system and other components that I feel comfortable with. I just need to get this M20 dialed in. I have an I chip and it's an ETA manifold... I have a crappy throttle body so I'm replacing that. I have a good list that will be taken care of next week. I'm also finally installing my other Sparco Evo and hoping to find some bumper trim...

[e30polak]

If you're going the m20 route, then I think we have a good running verified one we could sell you. This would end up being cheaper than the build you're planning.

[Danny]

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.

Agreed. You will not recoup your costs when you decide to sell the motor.

[Brandon12V]

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.

[Suspence]

this makes no sense to me. You're pouring money into a motor you don't want to keep longer than 6 months???

Save the money for what you really want.

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.

[87e30]

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.

-Spencer

this makes no sense to me. You're pouring money into a motor you don't want to keep longer than 6 months???

Save the money for what you really want.

[Suspence]

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.

-Spencer

[brn2ply7]

I personally do not see that as a rediculous price if it is in good running order.

[jaywood]

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 now

[Brandon12V]

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. ;)