Should I swap?

[KI4UJO]

My goal isn't a track car, but a car that could be tracked and is built to withstand some abuse. I honestly really like the idea of keeping the m20 and turboing it as I think keeping things period correct for show purposes is an interesting notion. I also just stumbled across and extremely rare dinan turbo kit from the early 90s made for m20s and it's got me thinking... Although it's not particularly competitive or likely even ideal turbo charging technology by today's standards, mannnn would it be cool to have a period correct full dinan kit on the og motor that came in the car. Just a thought.. Another reason I'm beginning to lean away from a swap is this is something I hope to accomplish fairly quickly, which can be difficult when hunting for individual parts to complete the build.

If being period correct is an issue, the majority of swaps (outside of an m30, s14 or s38) are out of the question then. You may have answered your own question w/the Dinan turbo kit - running that on modern engine management would satisfy essentially all of your goals.

[varg]

Tracking and show ready are opposing goals imo. Tracking a relatively uncommon car that has a lot of money dumped into restoration and show quality paint is kinda dumb, the hard use with chunks of rubber and rocks bouncing off your car is the opposite of what you want for a squeaky clean show ready car. If you want to track the car, don't bother making it any nicer than a 20' car. If you want to do regular tracking, get a cheap E36 and strip it down to the bare essentials. They're still common, cheap, and have a better chassis to boot.

[GarbageCanE30]

Tracking and show ready are opposing goals imo. Tracking a relatively uncommon car that has a lot of money dumped into restoration and show quality paint is kinda dumb, the hard use with chunks of rubber and rocks bouncing off your car is the opposite of what you want for a squeaky clean show ready car. If you want to track the car, don't bother making it any nicer than a 20' car. If you want to do regular tracking, get a cheap E36 and strip it down to the bare essentials. They're still common, cheap, and have a better chassis to boot.

Yeah I guess I didn't make that clear my apologies, I have no intent on tracking the car, but want it to be a track-worthy preformer with suspension upgrades and other drivetrain upgrades. Not talking about weight saving and throwing a cage in it. Definitely want to be a car that can be enjoyed spiritedly in a street setting

[GarbageCanE30]

whatever it is you need to turbo it.
m20 is sweet.
m30 is nice too. The thing i really like about the m30 is that 100% stock it can handle 500tq all day.
m50 is also nice because the aftermarket for those is huge.

When you say show worthy do u mean like with judges or like impressing parking lot guys?
m30/m20 for sure m50 just looks like a plastic box.

When I say show quality I genuinely mean to take it as far as appearance goes as near to fresh from the dealership as i can. I definitely understand the level of investment that requires and have quotes from several extremely capable shops. Luckily I already have an extremely clean interior in my car but there's an enormous journey ahead of me that I'm prepared to take. Not only have I loved these cars for over a decade, but I also firmly believe excellent examples will soon be regarded in a similar light to 911s of the same era.

[e30austin]

having done at least 25-30 24v conversions in the last decade, i actually am going to vote against that, and say to leave the m20 in the car. you will enjoy the car a lot more, for what it is, than trying to make it something it isn't. a healthy b25 makes lovely noises and is plenty of fun for the car. if you decide you want more power, you can always build a 2.7 liter pretty easily, or if you really want to go crazy, a 2.9 or 3.0 isn't out of the question.

either way, it's your car - go have fun, whatever route you pick.

[E30 Wagen]

The Dinan turbo kit would be baller. On top of that I still think you should do the 81mm stroker because it's simple and effective for how much it costs, probably best if you can source the forged 524 diesel crank. Then you just need to decide what pistons you want, but I think it's better go with the option that utilizes the longer 135mm b25 rods (or upgrade to the lighter s5x, m52, m54 rods). I guess I don't know a lot about turbo m20s and what the best cam upgrade, valve size, etc, would be, though. You say cost isn't an issue, but I bet by the time it's ready to drop in you'd still be below the cost of a proper turn-key s54 swap but have something just as powerful with a unique OG throwback.

[GarbageCanE30]

The Dinan turbo kit would be baller. On top of that I still think you should do the 81mm stroker because it's simple and effective for how much it costs, probably best if you can source the forged 524 diesel crank. Then you just need to decide what pistons you want, but I think it's better go with the option that utilizes the longer 135mm b25 rods (or upgrade to the lighter s5x, m52, m54 rods). I guess I don't know a lot about turbo m20s and what the best cam upgrade, valve size, etc, would be, though. You say cost isn't an issue, but I bet by the time it's ready to drop in you'd still be below the cost of a proper turn-key s54 swap but have something just as powerful with a unique OG throwback.

Ultimately I think I've decided that's what I'm after. The kit comes with modern engine management in the form of a MS2 as well as the original engine management provided by dinan. The Ms already has a tune in place for the b25 tho apparently 2 owners back it was reported to be running rather lean. I will like upgrade/rebuild the dinan turbo (more likely a rebuild to keep it original) as well as the dinan injectors that come along with it. Like you said, I think this may actually be a surprisingly cost effective method, though the extended maintenance worries me just a bit being that if something brakes, it cannot be replaced and will have to be repaired if I wish to keep it in its original state. Either way, I'm sitting here with a completely disassembled m20b25 with low-ish mileage, and all the parts for a total rebuild essentially. Would kinda be a shame to return them all and go a different route at this point. Definitely going to investigate some stroker add ons as well. Thanks again everyone for the suggestions and guidance.

[McGyver]

Here's my take on it, having done an m30 swap, an m5x swap, and currently building a turbo car:

First, the best thing you can do for resale value is reseal the outside of the m20, clean it, and paint it. Unless you have bad compression, don't even open it. Just fix all the leaks and make it pretty. Selling a swapped car can be difficult and you'll never get as much back as you put into it. Any power upgrades (other than a chip tune) will either take $$$ to buy pre-made parts, $$$ to buy equipment to make your own parts, and the time you put into researching/fabricating/building is also worth $$$.

Second, changing things will have unanticipated consequences. Lowering the car may look good and handle better, but you may be disappointed by a harsh ride and other problems. Without rear subframe mods and camber plate, you're going to chew through 60k mile tires in 15k miles. Your ball-joints and bushings may need to be changed more often. Other components will rattle loose or break (maybe a solder joint on your tach? Maybe your exhaust hangers tear all the time?) Now think about modifying the car for a new engine.

Third, once you start power upgrades, you will either loose reliability or spend $$$ to make the modifications work correctly. It's also likely that you will loose creature comforts (AC, working econo gauge, ABS, power steering, temp-controlled aux fan, stock brake booster, etc.) You've also got to remember what you did to make the modifications work. (how did I rewire something? what hose did I use to make the radiator fit?)

Fourth, what legal requirements do you need to deal with? (emissions, safety, etc.)

If you need to tear down the engine (and it looks like you already opened yours up) my suggestion would be to do some sort of stroker than can run off of the stock ECU with a chip. Introducing standalone is a massive project. Going too big with your stoker will mean a shorter engine life. Going crazy with power goals means spending a lot of time trying to prevent things from braking, figuring out what broke, and fixing broken stuff. All of that is time you aren't driving. It's nice to be able to just get in and drive instead of worrying about some half-finished mod.

FYI, here's a thread I started on building MegaSquirt (I'm still not done):
https://www.r3vlimited.com/board/for...ild-and-wiring