What would you do in my situation?

[StereoInstaller1]

Thanks for the oil slick

Bwaaahahahaaahaa!
Luke

[Joey Link]

Thanks for the oil slick :P

Ah man, was it bad? You got to drive the E39 today, we're even :D

you should be able to keep AC on the m30 swap if you go with position #3. I was wanting to keep ac on my m30 swap, but with position 3 the end of the compressor was pressing up tight against the radiator. My car had been hit in the front passenger side corner, and you could see where the frame rail had a bend to it. So on a normal non wrecked e30 you should have enough clearence.

If that's the case I'm going with the M30. Are you positive?

[rs4pro3]

you should be able to keep AC on the m30 swap if you go with position #3. I was wanting to keep ac on my m30 swap, but with position 3 the end of the compressor was pressing up tight against the radiator. My car had been hit in the front passenger side corner, and you could see where the frame rail had a bend to it. So on a normal non wrecked e30 you should have enough clearence.

[Funkmasta]

before the flame-war starts, let me educate all on MY beliefs:

M20, good motor, lots of potential, lasts forever, good power, cheap on all levels.
M30, AWESOME motor, TONS of potential, last forever, awesome power, Maintenance parts are same price as M20, cheap to buy, not stupid-difficult to drop in.
M50, OK power, no huge gain over a chipped M20, relatively expensive for the ROI.
M52, good power once converted to OBD1, but once you have purchased an M52, AND an OBD1 swap, AND an E34 oil pan, you are $2200 deep in the parts receipts. $2200 WILL get you one badass M20 or a torque monster M30, nearly installed.
S50, good choice. Easy install, great power, already OBD1. ticking time-bomb valve retainers.
S52, really the motor to have... If you are getting into the neighborhood of this expense, you might as well go all-out. A tad bit more than the S50 price-wise, but a way bigger smile on your face.

[Funkmasta]

Joey, this is Portland... AC is a luxury, not a necessity. Identify where it really stands on your priority list. On that note, it is a luxury for all 10 days a year when it is needed/desired. :p

I am an M30 BELIEVER, but also have a respect for the M50 fam. If it were mine, I would go S52 or M30B35... or M20td :D

Thanks for the oil slick :P

[Joey Link]

AC is for pussies. Do the M30 swap and bask in the glorious torque that you will have at your disposal. :pimp:

Lol I knew at least one person would take this position :P

Why would I want to give up AC for power when I can have both? :D

[euroshark]

AC is for pussies. Do the M30 swap and bask in the glorious torque that you will have at your disposal. :pimp:

[Joey Link]

you need to do some more homework before you ask anymore questions. youre not going to get away with a solid m52 swap for $2k on a 170k car. im betting with that mileage a lot of regular maintenance stuff will need to be replaced. plus it will depend greatly on the state of the m52 you buy. Also if you cant even change a rear main by yourself youre getting in a bit over your head.

Thanks for the info. I'm well aware of the maintenance I'm going to have to tackle to bring this car up to standards and the cost of those things are not included in the $2k I've budgeted for parts money for the swap. I can change a rear main seal. As I said before, there's no point in changing the RMS if I'm going to be swapping it out anyway, is there? Because I don't *want* to change it myself doesn't mean I can't.

[madjurgen]

you need to do some more homework before you ask anymore questions. youre not going to get away with a solid m52 swap for $2k on a 170k car. im betting with that mileage a lot of regular maintenance stuff will need to be replaced. plus it will depend greatly on the state of the m52 you buy. Also if you cant even change a rear main by yourself youre getting in a bit over your head.

[Joey Link]

So its 2k for either a m30 swap, or needed essentials and hopefully a turbo on the m20...

I think you need more money. And why wouldn't you be doing the clutch+rear main seal yourself? A m30 swap or ustom m20 turbo setup are both EXTREMELY DIY intensive. I wouldn't dream of having either one for less than $5k if I had to pay someonelse to do it

Yeah I don't think I'm going to be able to turbocharge the M20 for $2k, especially if I want it done right. We could (and Mr. Copperwheat has me convinced we WILL) change the rear main seal ourselves, I just didn't want to mess with it if I'm going to swap that setup out anyway. I'm thinking right now the best bet for me would probably be an M52 swap. I'm pretty sure we could do it for $2k.

[smonkbmw]

Is that pretty much the end of the line for M52 mods?

obd1 conversion, cams, pulleys,headers,tuning,HFM,LW flywheel,4.10 diff. is what Jason (eds brother) has in his blue car (with the bmp front) i drove it a week ago, and i can say id get in some massive trouble if my car even gets close to the same power (which it should!). something me and ed have spoke about would be a TwinScrew. as far as we all know there isnt a m/50/52s50/52 swapped e30 with one installed. i dont know about you all but a 4--hp e30 would be ridiculous.

[uofom3]

m50 time.

[Van Westervelt]

the m50 and m52 of the like are good candidates for turbocharging. bimmerforums has had good responses and huge numbers shown. Tom knows more.

[808BMW]

So its 2k for either a m30 swap, or needed essentials and hopefully a turbo on the m20...

I think you need more money. And why wouldn't you be doing the clutch+rear main seal yourself? A m30 swap or ustom m20 turbo setup are both EXTREMELY DIY intensive. I wouldn't dream of having either one for less than $5k if I had to pay someonelse to do it

[golfdmb18]

there should be no reason why you cant keep AC if you do an m30 swap...the AC will still fit