S14 swap for 325e worth it?

[OkBranko]

I figure the S14 engine would be an easier swap for me to do than an S50 M50? What engine could I find cheapest. Is the 325e block worth throwing money into at all?

[BS87]

S14 swap into anything is not worth it, unless you are trying ot keep an M3 stock. M/S50 is alot more practicle.

[Ryan Stewart]

No, no, and maybe not.

The S14 is a great engine but it and cheap shouldnt be used in the same time zones. The M50/S50 isnt that complicated of a swap, just wiring and exhaust are the only real customizations. the rest is a parts bin.

Power can be had out of the Eta but it would first take converting it to a 325i and then running cams. It would be easier to start with a 325i and swap cranks.

M50s can be had for 1500 in good shape.

[OkBranko]

Nice, thanks for the info guys. Would it be a better idea to use the matching tranny off the M/S50 engine rather than the stock E30 tranny? and this swap requires an E30 M3 drive shaft?

[Ryan Stewart]

It only requires the M3 driveshaft if you use the M50/S50 tranny because of the larger guibo.

You can keep your transmission you just need to have the carrier customized for the change in angle. I went with the S50 tranny because its a beefier unit and my getrag was getting long in the tooth. Dont let anyone scare you about the ZF box in the E36. Its not as good as the getrag yes but its not the automatic moneyshift people would like you to believe. That is caused by bad tranny mounts. Mine is butter smooth even with the SSK on it.

There is plenty of room for either, the only bad thing is the tranny sits a little higher so it has to come down to remove it from the engine. Not an uncommon pratice in modern cars anyway.

Stock S50 will beat a stock S14 by far, it also has all the niceties of self adjusting valves and timing chains. Very driveable too, my car moves every easy at 1500rpm in 3rd and when cruising on the highway if i actually keep it in the 70s it gets great mileage.

[Avus_325is]

Come on Branko, go for the S50 man. Oh and hit me up on AIM sometime, my buddy is interested in that front lip.

[Ryan Stewart]

Also look here:

http://www.r3vlimited.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=9714

This is one common thread where everyone has brought up the issues they had with the swap.