SoCal General Chat

[TheRob]

Need your guys opinion.
Ok so I have a 91 325i with a g260 that I just re-sealed and swapped in but my headgasket just went out on my m20 so I'm going 24v. Now here's where I'm undecided. I have a whole e36 323i with a m52b25 and I believe a getrag 5 speed which neither seem ideal. I also have a complete m52b28 that is my first choice to put in. It was pulled from a junk yard and I have no idea if there is anything wrong with it. This didn't matter much to me because it was cheap and it was getting stroked anyways. For the stroke parts I purchased a complete m54b30 long block and planned on using the whole rotating assembly. Unfortunately I just finished the tear down of the m54 and piston #6 was damaged and the rod was bent.
My questions are

Can I still use the crank and exhaust cam as it still looks good? And can I buy just 1 good piston/rod set to replace the bad one?

Can I use the the m52b25 and stroke that because it only has about 70k miles and I know it's good. Will it be the same power output with m50 manifold, exhaust, cams, tune. It's basically the same engine I believe just choked up. Or should I use the m52.

Which transmission would be preferred the g260 or the e36 getrag tranny?

Also lastly any recommendations for machine shops in sgv?

I've done a lot of research but there seems to be a lot of different opinions on different forums. Any input helps thanks guys!


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Why not part out the 323 and use the money to refresh the m52b28 and run s52 cams and a proper tune along with the M54 rotating assembly (I'm sure you can find one that isn't ruined pretty easily for little money, maybe snag one from pick ur part) and the you basically have an s50ish motor.

Also, whats your budget?

[Rdannyr]

SoCal General Chat

Budget is as cheap ass possible but about 2-3k max.
I thought about parting it but I've heard the b25 is basically the same as the b28 just different stroke, exhaust, intake. If this true I'd rather use that motor simply because all the parts that differentiate it are getting replaced anyways and that motor is low milage and known good. If not I'll for sure do that.

I wonder if the heads are the same [emoji848]


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[TheRob]

Well either way you end with the same basic engine no matter which way you go. As far as I know they all have the same head across the M52/s52 engines. The only upside to parting out the 323 is having extra money around for unexpected problems that come up doing things like this. The little stuff will nickle and dime you to death.

You could always just build the M20??

[TheRob]

What the hell is wrong with people?

[Rdannyr]

Yeah I think you're right about the heads. I'll probably build the b25 since it's the same and fresh but I'll open up the b28 to take a look too. I'm mostly doing the swap for fun and as a learning experience.

I'm sure the m20 will go into something. I'm hopping to find a shell for it. Either turbo or itbs. The m20 is just such a sexy engine to me.

Hopefully I can still use the crank and other Pistons/rods.


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[MrBurgundy]

What the hell is wrong with people?

where did you see that?

One of my clients has a clean, black 540i with an "M" badge.

Bet you that's his car lol. The first time he came into the shop, he mentioned that it wasn't actually an M5 and I was like, I know dude. :rofl

That is a big pet peeve of mine though, especially when you see them on a new 320i and the single, lonely, tailpipe is a dead give away.

[parkerbink]

Is it just me or does it seem like people have completely lost the ability to drive a car without freaking crashing it. I commute through carbon canyon and almost everyday some jackass has managed to crash. Is it really that hard to navigate a road without losing the ability to drive without crashing? I mean its just a two lane road, how hard can it be?

I spent my formative years driving up & down Beverly Glen, Benedict Canyon, Coldwater Canyon and Mulholland. From 16-32, never crashed and did alot of driving under the influence so I am amazed that people can't seem to do it.

What the hell is wrong with people?

Can't stand that. People that know what it means know it's fake, those that don't do not give a shit.

WTF?

[MrBurgundy]

Can't stand that. People that know what it means know it's fake, those that don't do not give a shit.

WTF?

That's the best perspective on that.

[TheRob]

where did you see that?

One of my clients has a clean, black 540i with an "M" badge.

Bet you that's his car lol. The first time he came into the shop, he mentioned that it wasn't actually an M5 and I was like, I know dude. :rofl

That is a big pet peeve of mine though, especially when you see them on a new 320i and the single, lonely, tailpipe is a dead give away.

It was at the Home Depot on Valley View across from Cypress College. It was a really clean car too. Had a nice set of M-parallels on it, paint looked fantastic too. Whoever owns it, takes good care of it.

Parkerbink has it right. I grew up in Daly City and I swear every other car had a badge that didn't belong. Civics and BMW owners seem to be the biggest culprits too.

[MrBurgundy]

DAMN, that's totally him haha. My shop is right down the street from that home depot. That car has 60k on it.

[TheRob]

DAMN, that's totally him haha. My shop is right down the street from that home depot. That car has 60k on it.

Nice, I figured it had low miles too. I work at Cypress across the street, I know the Cypress/ Buena Park area better then I know my home, lol.

[MrBurgundy]

You work at the college?

[TheRob]

Indeed I do. I’m the equipment mechanic for the campus. Been there going on 2 years now. I work on everything from floor scrubbers to Ford Trucks.

[LowR3V'in]

That place used to be the drift spot until they put those speed bumps in idk how many years that's been. an infinite blacktop loop.

[TheRob]

I hate those damn bumps! Especially since dumb dumb campus safety blows out control arm bushings and bump stops because they don't slow down for them...or the curbs...or the poles :roll: