most cost effective swap?

[chance]

Sweet dude were you able to keep A/C and power steering too?

I deleted AC a while back. You have room for the compressor, but the condenser may or may not fit with a pusher fan on the front of the radiator.

I am planning on running power steering, but havent hooked it up yet.

for about the same cost, I would definitely do a turbo m30 over a s5x.

Now, if I could just get the money to turbo mine....

[Herr Faust Schinken]

Hell yea. Spins through first with ease with rolling into the throttle hard. It definitely gets the e30 moving.

Sweet dude were you able to keep A/C and power steering too?

[Chriskbmx]

haha and there is some extra power to be made with bolt ons and cams. but turbo is where the m30 shines!. but yeah i feel like the m30 is the bigblock of the m family and who doesn't like a big block?

[chance]

does it pull like a damn train?

Hell yea. Spins through first with ease with rolling into the throttle hard. It definitely gets the e30 moving.

[Herr Faust Schinken]

I just got inside from driving around town in my newly m30 swapped car, and I must agree. This motor rocks.

And I like the fact that its a period correct motor.

does it pull like a damn train?

[chop_suey]

Ya forgot about the sbf 302, but I do like the sound of an M30, I assume best bet would be to just buy an 89^ 535i and use everything from that

[chance]

and i feel like the m30 is just badass in general

I just got inside from driving around town in my newly m30 swapped car, and I must agree. This motor rocks.

And I like the fact that its a period correct motor.

[Chriskbmx]

m30 is the way to go.

Then down the road you can turbo it and be putting down 350-450rwhp.

or 560 if you are Otis!

and i feel like the m30 is just badass in general

[chance]

m30 is the way to go.

Then down the road you can turbo it and be putting down 350-450rwhp.

or 560 if you are Otis!

[Chriskbmx]

if you were to do turbo best bang for buck would be 2.7i, but i would go m30 extremly cheap swap, with insane reliablity and make decent horse power and torque.

[LowR3V'in]

I'm not up on s50 prices lately but an m30 all
you need is motor mount brackets and everything else is bmw bolt on.

Mine cost about 300-400bux and had a friend make the brackets.

For power output vs money turbo obviously ;)
use the 2.5 not the 2.7.

[Nick_S]

I was toying with the idea of swaps for a bit. S5X's seemed out of my price range but M50's are a dime a dozen. With S50 cams and a chip they seem to make decent power for a good bit less. I have no real experience with it though.

[TheTacoMan]

All of those engines can be reliable with the right set up that said, most reliable for the $/hp is probably the s50. Just my 2 cents.

[Exodus_2pt0]

Ls1 is very expensive if you want a manual. For an aluminum block your looking at around 2k, then another 1.5 to 2k for a good t56. Biggest cost is the trans because it can be mated to many engines with conversion bell housings, so they are getting to be slim picking.

It's not on your list, but I am currently up to only $200 into my 5.0/t5 swap and the car is nearly finished. Granted I traded labor for the drivetrain, but that can be had cheap. Great power with a good set of heads and cam, plus reliable if you keep it reasonable.

[chop_suey]

Anyone else