1985 318i ideas needed

[rickykline]

hey guys please dont flame.. i have a 85 318i and 2500 bucks to spend on it to get it faster and more reliable.. whats a good way? what the easiest engine swap on this car? would this car ever see 13sec 1/4 times without alot of money?

[rede30]

the motor you have, m10, likes turbo. With that being said upgrade the suspension before you try to make a fast car.

[Erick]

Motor swap.

And no it would never see 13 seconds without a massive amount of money. There's only one M10 I know of running such times and he has put a lot of time and money into the car (including other mods that should come before the power)

[rickykline]

ok i so should i rebuild the m10 or would it be better to just upgrade to a bigger motor? car was free

[Erick]

Keep it... do suspension, brakes, LSD, then hit some autocrosses.

Later on throw in a twin cam in there.

- Erick

[rickykline]

how hard would it be to get this bad boy in there? i want to beat my buddies 13 sec beretta... lol http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BMW-9...ayphotohosting

[Erick]

Not too hard as it's constantly done. There's even a subforum for it. An M50 still wont get you in the 13s.

[volgapower]

there is a thread in engine swap tpoics about such things, if its a E36 engine, swapping it is not difficult... u need to install E34 oilpan and change the legs
(where engine is fixed) detailed overwiev is on www.e30.de

[rickykline]

whats total cost of the swap anyone know?

[Erick]

Depends on how much you come across the parts for. Ranges anywhere from ~$500-$1500. It gets a lot more expensive if you decide to rebuild it in the process or throw in mods already.

But I'm still stuck on why the hell do you want to use a BMW to beat a Beretta in a straight line?

A BMW's use is basically in the corners. If you want straight line speed you're better off with some domestic car.

[rickykline]

well if i can do the m50 swap for cheap i think i can get the car pretty fast.. any one have a link to whats needed for the swap? i dont speak german lol

[Erick]

Like I said, search the forum. There's a whole sub-forum just for swapping that motor!

[rickykline]

the car was free and when i like taking corners i use my street bike

[Erick]

Sell the car and use that + the $2500 on something that'll be better on the straight line.

[chuckybob]

turbo. turbo. turbo. turbo. turbo. turbo. turbo. turbo. turbo. turbo.





there, that aughta swing the poll in the right direction. if you want to be in the 13's, id say the only way to do it for that much is a turbo with a high (4.2+) differential. an engine rebuild first is highly reccomended. youre gonna have to push about 20 psi. dont sweat the suspension, its obvious that you just want to drag race this thing.

cost estimate: 500-2500 depending on where your parts come from. it has been done for as low as 500 and youd need about 250 for the differential on top of that. also, never underestimate the power (and cost) of good tires.