My new project (318--> m52 )

[kevine30]

Hello guys! So I recently picked up this beauty after looking for a few months I found this 1991 bmw 318is. Looked in a 300-400 mile range of where I live and lowered it down to a few e30s, this one seemed the best bang for the buck. I really want to do an m52 swap and I have some questions regarding the process!! Questions will be at the bottom of the post
Within the past two weeks so far I have done
-new alignment
- new oil change
-new Valve cover gasket( I was amazed how overdue it was... leaking beyond anything i could imagine
-new dynomax muffler and tips.
few problems
-odometer stopped working
-Small crack in the dash
-Tac is slowly starting to die.
The clear coat is starting to fade, and paint in some areas like the hood is gone.
So here is on the waiting list
- Repainting in the next week or two. Keeping the red.. cause i love it!
-rolling the fenders to get rid of the tire rub.
-new lowering springs, as the previous owner cut stock springs. Rides like ass ( would do coils but... $$)
-m52 swap
So, I've been reading up on the m52 engines, from what I've read the dual vanos is preferred. but that an m50 swap is usually a lot more simple. for someone with little experience should i sacrifice the difference and go with an m50? also what is a good price to pay for an m52 engine without anything? And whats a good price with everything included? If i purchase one without anything I'm going to need the wiring harness, alternator, exhaust manifold, throttle body, intake.. and some other things. Sorry for all the questions but any information would really be helpful guys. So I guess what I'm asking is what how much spending am I looking at it if i decide to do this in my garage over the course of the summer.

http://imgur.com/a/IujOQ

Pic directs to imgur.. hopefully they work! Thanks guys!

[Nick_S]

I really hate to be "that guy" and say this. But seriously search and do some research. There are soooo many threads and opinions out there. The M52 is OBD2 which is generally regarded as slightly more difficult to integrate the OBD2 or swap to OBD1 so you'll want to read up on that. Cost will vary greatly. You could find yourself a wrecked manual E36, buy the whole car, take what you need and part it out while possibly making a profit. Or you can buy a scrap yard motor and rebuild. There are really any number of different ways to go about it.

Here's a few good reads to get you going.

http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=147862

http://www.e30dohc.com/wiki/index.php?title=DOHC_Swap_Basics

And search build threads and read them. Then read them over again. I PM'ed alot of people with question. Most of us are more than happy to lend some advice.
No two swaps are the same but the basics behind them are similar.

[Poeman446]

If it were me, I would not upgrade to the M50. Its a lot of work for not a lot of power gain. Sure they are regarded as better motors than the M20 or M42, and they are, but I would focus on other things first. I went with an S52 because my bro totaled his M3, and I got the stuff I needed for pretty cheap. Plus its an extra 80 hp as compared to 40 or less with the M50. Research. Don't post broad stuff like this again until you search. Your question has been covered a ton on this forum and others. If you have anything a little more specific, ask away. This is an AMAZING resource of information, and a great community to be a part of. Read through the entire process of swapping before you decide that you want to take it on. Check the 24v sticky threads up top.

[ParsedOut]

I have to agree with Nick_S.

Based on your post you're still quite "new" to the 24v engine and what it takes to swap one. For example the M52 is not dual vanos. Read, read and read some more...then you can be educated enough to start gathering parts and putting it all together in a build thread.

[Nick_S]

I will say it is a bit overwhelming at first. There is SO MUCH info on these swaps and often is conflicting or varies model to model so that is why it is important to read read read! I did research for about 3 months before I started mine. Reading build threads, book marking pages, asking other members. It has truthfully been a very easy process albeit time consuming for me as it's my first swap but it's really pretty straight forward and with the wealth of knowledge on this forum alone, it's not hard to find what you're looking for.

[kevine30]

Alrighty guys! I'll start reading up some more, thanks for the help and the link.

[ForcedFirebird]

For example the M52 is not dual vanos.

Not ALL are. m52tu from 97-2000 had dual vanos and disa. ;)