M42 metric mechanic, whose done it?

['e30love']

Hehe, I'll wait for Sam aka Febi Guibo to pop in b/c he's the original owner of the MM motor.

The car I own now was previously Sam's and used to have the MM motor in it. Boy was it a joy to drive!!

Please tell me more

[Febi Guibo]

I'm not on here a lot... but here's my 2 cents

- the MM M42 isn't for everybody. The powerband is narrow, but if you wanna flog your car (and I do) it's... a uniquely intense experience. It takes the dynamics of the 318is and makes it... even more so

- Working with Jim is a life-changing experience. It will change your relationship with cars in general. He's the real deal, a once in a generation type guy and I'm honored to have had a chance to work with him

- it's expensive; there's no way around it... again, it's not for everybody but I'm very very happy.

- the only change I am looking to make is on the intake side. ITBs and custom engine management are in the future... I have some projects stacked up ahead of this, but it's coming. again, it's not power, it's the overall driving dynamics... and if ITBs help get the car into the relatively narrow powerband faster... well, faster works.

hope this helps

fyi: I would encourage anyone who is interested to just call Jim. He's super easy to talk to and can really walk you through what's what. It's worth the dime.

[Febi Guibo]

I'm not on here a lot... but here's my 2 cents

- the MM M42 isn't for everybody. The powerband is narrow, but if you wanna flog your car (and I do) it's... a uniquely intense experience. It takes the dynamics of the 318is and makes it... even more so

- Working with Jim is a life-changing experience. It will change your relationship with cars in general. He's the real deal, a once in a generation type guy and I'm honored to have had a chance to work with him

- it's expensive; there's no way around it... again, it's not for everybody but I'm very very happy.

- the only change I am looking to make is on the intake side. ITBs and custom engine management are in the future... I have some projects stacked up ahead of this, but it's coming. again, it's not power, it's the overall driving dynamics... and if ITBs help get the car into the relatively narrow powerband faster... well, faster works.

hope this helps

fyi: I would encourage anyone who is interested to just call Jim. He's super easy to talk to and can really walk you through what's what. It's worth the dime.

[AndrewBird]

I don't care how much power it makes, $900 for a pair of cams is FUCKING RIDICULOUS.

All there stuff may be top notch, but 5 grand to build a motor that only makes ~200HP is just a waste of money.

[dude8383]

Too each his own man. They wouldn't be in business if people didn't go to them for work.

[hyperE30]

I have one word regarding Metric Mechanic :

drool

:bow::up:.. hell yeah, been saving for one of them baby's to awake my 318i!!

[YeOldeBuggy]

I don't care how much power it makes, $900 for a pair of cams is FUCKING RIDICULOUS.

All there stuff may be top notch, but 5 grand to build a motor that only makes ~200HP is just a waste of money.

Ehhh, 5 grand for a motor that lasts as long as you'll need it is a different story. And 900 for a pair of cams? Please, try 1200 + for a pair of sunbelt cams for an m5x/s5x. You have to pay to play. I've made a journey to Richland myself, I must say the guys there know their shit, and if they build a motor, regrind cams, or shoot the breeze, they do it well. It's value, not cost that is important when considering parts for a car. Cheap, fast, reliable, pick two.

Thad.

[Massimo]

Hay febi do you have a dyno sheet for you car I would live to see the torque curve on your car.

['e30love']

I don't care how much power it makes, $900 for a pair of cams is FUCKING RIDICULOUS.

All there stuff may be top notch, but 5 grand to build a motor that only makes ~200HP is just a waste of money.

I respect your opinion and i agree with that somewhat, but look at it from another angle.
Engine swap on an e30, s50/s52 For example, if you wanted an m3 why didnt you get that?.
Paint a bronzit e30 to a red e30. If you wanted a red e30 why would you buy a bronzit?
Again i respect your opinion an heck yes swap an s motor is sweet, Havent heard of the first person to conplain about it.
Im no purist, i just like the idea of something different, with originality.

[keefy6]

I respect your opinion and i agree with that somewhat, but look at it from another angle.
Engine swap on an e30, s50/s52 For example, if you wanted an m3 why didnt you get that?.
Paint a bronzit e30 to a red e30. If you wanted a red e30 why would you buy a bronzit?
Again i respect your opinion an heck yes swap an s motor is sweet, Havent heard of the first person to conplain about it.
Im no purist, i just like the idea of something different, with originality.

I started a thread on bfc with the subject of what type of swap i was going to do. S38/EURO S14/M30..but IMO it comes down to preference. My driving motivation isn't driven by (no pun intended) high HP alone. This swap has been "done" and also call it superficial, but IMO doesn't really fit the period look of the car, however the numbers can't be argued.

I have a 98528I and have done many upgrades and am pretty happy with it(ss headers/dinan/bored TB etc.) but for me that's done and it's my cruiser. The 318IS is special in its own way to me. So in the end MM has been added to the above list of possibilities for me, however the S14 will probably drop off. MM especially since i've learned of the FI motor that can be built which at first i wasn't even considering turbo.

There are two that i've read that are putting 400 to the wheels. Insanity.

['e30love']

wow thats insane, ive been reading and with some headwork m44,m47 crank, s50 cams, you can get somewhat close to 200whp, im not looking to race the car, i just want to feel response when i hit the pedal. it is my daily driver after all i want it to be smooth and realiable, with that said has anyone done that to m42s? w/o turbo? dailydrive? how is it, reliability? thanks for the input guys, im really learning alot here.

[Goat00]

Has anyone heard of a MM m42 turbo setup in an E30? or just picking up the M42 MM and adding a turbo to it later?

[funcrew]

Turbo-prepped M42 engines are available from MM. These have non-valve-relief interference pistons - not sure if the block is o-ringed or not. I'm sure a quick phone call would clear this up. I hope you have a high-limit credit card or rich sick relatives.

http://metricmechanic.com/prices/pricing-engines.php

[Goat00]

Do I need to send my motor in or do they have these motors ready to be made at their warehouse? I was hoping to have one of these in my car one day, I didn't realize they made forced induction M42s!

[NigelStu]

Ehhh, 5 grand for a motor that lasts as long as you'll need it is a different story. And 900 for a pair of cams? Please, try 1200 + for a pair of sunbelt cams for an m5x/s5x. You have to pay to play. I've made a journey to Richland myself, I must say the guys there know their shit, and if they build a motor, regrind cams, or shoot the breeze, they do it well. It's value, not cost that is important when considering parts for a car. Cheap, fast, reliable, pick two.

Thad.

bringing back an old post - I agree fully with you Thad.

I spent $5500 on my top-notch 1.6L Spec Miata motor, that car makes 121 at the wheels... Which is right where most of the other top power 1.6L Miatas are at on regular pump gas.

I'm starting to look more into a built M42 so I can run in the STL class with my E30 in SCCA (as opposed to STU, where I'd need to go full-build S50/52 or S14 to be competitive). 8k is a bargain to get top-tier power in that class.