s50/s52 swap

[trippinlmao]

So now that my m20s gone i need to replace it with something, I'm looking into s50/s52 swaps I'm wondering which one is recommended as far as obd1 and obd2 goes, and also I'm going to pickup a complete m3 and do the swap myself wondering if I'm going to need anything else other then parts are currently on the m3 or my car. would love any info from people who have experience with the swap

[stonea]

S50 is OBD1 and S52 is OBD2. You can convert the S52 but now and days its not really worth it. The only reason people converted the S52 to OBD1 is because it was harder to tune a OBD2 ECU, but now thats not a problem. You will need a e34 oil pan and throttle cable along with e28 M5 motor bushings. Also your choice of brake booster (theres many to chose from). I suggest doing a lot more searching before actually attempting this. Your questions are pretty common knowledge and if theres one thing I learned about r3v is that they won't spoon feed you information. Just search a bit, these swaps have been so many times that with a little bit of research and reading you can basically know how to do with your eyes closed before you even start.

[trippinlmao]

thanks for the help man! i noticed that about r3v also people don't tend to spoon feed you answers they make u work to find them

[dude8383]

It may seem that way but you're actually better off on the long run. You learn a whole lot more by seeing what others have done.

Personally, I'd go for a later model E36 to keep all of the OBD2 stuff. Market Motorwerks does harness conversions and they offer tunes to accommodate your setup.

[2mAn]

Check through the stickies and look at what others have used as far as the components. There are a few that you MUST use (E36 engine arms), but theres others that are up to you. This includes, brake booster setup, engine mounts, transmission, software, even oil pans.

Also, be ready to spend double your budget because when you do this, you'll want to make sure you take care of the "while you're in there" stuff and it adds up.

[Mwishlist]

Finishing my swap now, I'll throw you a bone and give you this thread if you haven't seen it:

http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=266738

It was pretty much my bible for the swap BUT I also went through every thread I could find, googled and spent a bunch of time on RealOEM looking at diagrams and part numbers to understand the routing / wiring etc. It is the little stuff that gets you, preparation is the key!