325i E30 Engine Swap.

[beggs]

I am on the line about buying a 1989 325i and doing a nice swap to it. I was just wondering what your guy's opinions were on whats the best engine for my goals? Im looking for a nice 350-400 hp AND reliable. This will be my daily so reliability is a big factor. If that means dropping some hp for it then thats fine. I would like to keep the engine naturally aspirated for now but might look to turbo it in the future. Thanks! Anything Helps

[Cephas]

S54

[beggs]

Why the s54?

[Blake B]

Like yourself, I'm researching a ton and trying to decide what i want out of the car. My 1st question to you would be, why do the swap in the first place? The M20, while it's no rocket, is plent of fun around town and allows the the car to be what it was meant to be: light, quick, nimble and above all else fun.

With a mild bolt-ons you spin tires and stock I have no problems drifting around any corner i toss it into.

However to answer your question, if it's going to be a daily, I would recommend something with torque from 1500-4k as that's where you'll keep it most of the time. So with that: M30 or M60/LSx would be my vote. All three motors can be had cheaply. Manual transmissions might be a struggle for the LS as they're $$$. Also, the V8 swaps are definitely more costly, but appear to be rock solid reliable. But besides Kam, idk anyone else that's had reliablity issues from an M30 (they say it's a 400k mile engine).

I'm personally leaning M30 if i decide not to turbo the M20 I have now.