3.2l m50??

[REVHARD05]

I am planning my m50 swap just inquiring some opinions any will be appricated.Has anyone ever thought about using the s52 rebuild kit and the s50 or s52 crank? i wonder if it would make as much or more as the s52....i know they would need the cams and chip or ecu tunning..... can the m50 be bored out this much?? is there any diffrenece in the head between the m50, m52, s50, and s52.

Do you think the aa turbo kit would be better to produce power than building the engine?

I know if i bild the engine i will pretty much have a new engine. but i dont know if i want a new engine or turbo..i know somone will say that the old engine wont last as long as the rebuilt one w/turbo ....but thats my dellima.......

[DanGillan]

um... you can basically make that work. the details im not positive about. talk to brew, he's basically doing that as we speak. s50 bottom end with a non vanos m50 head with m3 spec cams. basically a non vanos s50, not sure if it would be exactly 3.2l, but still.

[Brew]

um... you can basically make that work. the details im not positive about. talk to brew, he's basically doing that as we speak. s50 bottom end with a non vanos m50 head with m3 spec cams. basically a non vanos s50, not sure if it would be exactly 3.2l, but still.

Yah. 3.0L though.

I think you're better off getting an S52 and converting to OBD1 if you want the displacement.

And the AA turbo kits are pretty much worthless to us e30 guys, as they use bottom mount turbos and all of the piping is made for the e36 chassis. Your best bet would be a supercharger setup-- the new twinscrews from eurosport and AA make plenty of power (350whp out of the box) and basically bolt on in place of the old intake manifold. And the hp and tq curves are almost identical to the S62(e39 m5).

Thats my ultimate goal, anyways.

[Addissimo]

If i had the money, or the desire rather... I'd continue building a 3.2... I want to travel though, so I stopped.

If you start with a non-vanos block, you can bore it to 86.4mm to fit 3.2 pistons. You cant take a vanos block and bore it that much. If you start with a 3.0 block you'll be fine though. People will tell you that you can't fit an obd-2 crankshaft into an obd-1 block.

dont listen to them.

You'd have plenty of fun with a 3.2 I think- if you're considering building one, look into getting the crankshaft lightened, and the complete bottom end ballanced. Together, that machining costs about $600, mated with a lightweight flywheel, you'd have an amazing engine.

shave the head a little bit to increase the cr to 10.8 or 11:1.

When you build the head, you'll want to make sure you have the m3 springs, retainers and lifters. Otherwise you'll bend a valve and be pissed off. Buy new parts here.

Springs run about $180 from pelican parts
retainers $60
Lifters about $600. As far as lifters go- you may want to look into solid lifters from VAC, they're 400 more and you dont have to worry about them exploding with high revs. The downside, you'll have to do periodical valve adjustments.

You'll have to make a decision: 8,500-9,000 redline, or low maintenance engine.

bimmerworld.com claims you can rev up to 9500 with the stock hydraulic lifters usings the sunbelt cams and springs together. I asked them about it, their response referred to the harmonics that the combination created made it possible to rev that high using stock lifters.

If you're interested, I have:

3.0 block
3.2 crankshaft
3.2 connecting rods/pistons/rings with less than 10k miles
2.5 head (same casting as the m3 head, just has different springs)

I have a timing cover and oil filter housing I could throw in as well.

$1,600 shipped, or $1,900 shipped with the head.

If you want to build a 3.2, you wont find a better deal, and you'll basically just need an oil pan, valve cover, propper valve train, a little machining and you'll have a kickass engine for less than most people spend on stock s52 engines.

good luck
-Addis

[REVHARD05]

the 3.0l crank, m3 pistons and valvetrain might be my answer to all my hope and dreams...those fukin twinscrews are a bit pricey...but also are the turbo kits..so...thanks for helping me compare ...i am still open for suggestions also...o yea ... whould any one be able to make a horse power estate on it...... also a noter question i have herd of using the m52 head on the 2.5 bottom end but what about the euro spec s52 what are the diffrences to the american s52???? thanks....eveyone

[Addissimo]

The euro spec engines aren't coded as s52. The 3.2 is the s50b32.

The s50b32 puts out 321hp from the factory. Its a completely different engine from the s52. They're also very expensive, and more expensive to maintain. You'll have to use a hydraulic brake booster because of the multi throttle intake.

Bottom line is you're looking at $8,000 + and you have to figure out the EWS shit.

You could probably squeeze 310-320hp out of a properly built and tuned s52.

I dont know what putting an m52 head on an m50 will do- sounds pretty pointless, but putting an s50 or s52 head will give you some damn good valve train, and with propper tuning put you in the 220-230bhp range (if you shave it to raise the CR)

-Addis

-Addis

[BimmerToad]

M52 heads use the exact same conical valve springs as the M3 heads, and have the later hardened retainers

[Addissimo]

M52 heads use the exact same conical valve springs as the M3 heads

nope

They're just standard valve springs. they arent conical.

The lifters are the same however.

The m44 engine uses the same springs as the m3 engine.

11-34-7-504-268-M9

323/328 springs

11-34-1-403-709-M9

m3 springs

[REVHARD05]

i have been told that the m52 head flows better ...this is why the used the smaller intake manifold on it..

[Addissimo]

i have been told that the m52 head flows better ...this is why the used the smaller intake manifold on it..

The m52 head is the exact same casting as the m50 head, it uses the same diameter valves as well.

The m50 head uses standard valve springs, old style retainers and lifters
The S50 head uses conical valve springs, old style retainers and new, lighter lifters
The m52 head uses standard valve springs, new lighter retainers and lifters
The S52 head uses conical valve springs, new lighter retainers and lifters

They use the smaller intake manifold for obd-2 emissions.

-Addis

[Stu]

The m52 head is the exact same casting as the m50 head, it uses the same diameter valves as well.

The m50 head uses standard valve springs, old style retainers and lifters
The S50 head uses conical valve springs, old style retainers and new, lighter lifters
The m52 head uses standard valve springs, new lighter retainers and lifters
The S52 head uses conical valve springs, new lighter retainers and lifters

They use the smaller intake manifold for obd-2 emissions.

-Addis

Addis, he is partially correct. The OBD-2 castings have slightly different machining on the intake ports, the opening is larger and if you plan to really 'port' the head, you won't need to do as much work.
REVHARD, the intake manifold was changed to improve torque/driveability/off-the-line-punch, at the expense of choking off horsepower in the upper range.

Any properly tuned/installed 3.0/3.2 will make you more than happy I'm pretty sure. I would not want more power without R-compounds, my $.02

[REVHARD05]

[QUOTE=Stu Mc]Addis, he is partially correct. The OBD-2 castings have slightly different machining on the intake ports, the opening is larger and if you plan to really 'port' the head, you won't need to do as much work.
REVHARD, the intake manifold was changed to improve torque/driveability/off-the-line-punch, at the expense of choking off horsepower in the upper range.

this is what i was saying in a smaller sentece:D

so you think the 3.0l crank and the better designed head stuff in the m50 will well ???

[Stu]

[QUOTE=REVHARD05]

Addis, he is partially correct. The OBD-2 castings have slightly different machining on the intake ports, the opening is larger and if you plan to really 'port' the head, you won't need to do as much work.
REVHARD, the intake manifold was changed to improve torque/driveability/off-the-line-punch, at the expense of choking off horsepower in the upper range.

this is what i was saying in a smaller sentece:D

so you think the 3.0l crank and the better designed head stuff in the m50 will well ???

Yea, anything 2.8 or larger w/ the m3 cams/valvetrain will haul ass in an E30, if that's what you mean. :)

[FredK]

If you start with a non-vanos block, you can bore it to 86.4mm to fit 3.2 pistons. You cant take a vanos block and bore it that much. If you start with a 3.0 block you'll be fine though. People will tell you that you can't fit an obd-2 crankshaft into an obd-1 block.

dont listen to them.

What is the issue? I've heard that the timing chain gear on the crank doesn't line up the same on the S52 and the S50 cranks? There has to be a workaround, right? :D

Thanks,
Fred