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    Ford 2.5 Duratec Swap

    Lately I have been toying with the idea of putting a Ford 2.5 Duratec engine into my E30. It is a modern, all aluminum motor, the aftermarket support is incredible, and the conversion to RWD is documented fairly extensively. There was even one forum post of a person who swapped this motor into a 2002.

    Where I live (East TN), Ford stuff is cheap and readily available. Wrecked cars can be had for nothing at all. That isn't the case as much when it comes to BMW's. The way I see it, a M5X/S5X is going to cost the same amount if not more, while making similar amounts of power.

    That being said, what do you all think? Have I lost my mind? I don't think this will be a straightforward swap by any means, but I am curious to see how feasible everyone thinks this is.

    #2
    Originally posted by Muleforceone View Post
    Lately I have been toying with the idea of putting a Ford 2.5 Duratec engine into my E30. It is a modern, all aluminum motor, the aftermarket support is incredible, and the conversion to RWD is documented fairly extensively. There was even one forum post of a person who swapped this motor into a 2002.

    Where I live (East TN), Ford stuff is cheap and readily available. Wrecked cars can be had for nothing at all. That isn't the case as much when it comes to BMW's. The way I see it, a M5X/S5X is going to cost the same amount if not more, while making similar amounts of power.

    That being said, what do you all think? Have I lost my mind? I don't think this will be a straightforward swap by any means, but I am curious to see how feasible everyone thinks this is.
    the #1 advantage to m50 swaps is you can do basically the entire thing with off the shelf parts, so no guesswork about what radiator hoses fit, what mounts work, what oil pan fits, etc etc.

    i tossed around the idea of many swaps but ended up going m50 because i got an engine and 6 speed in a trade deal.

    if you're confident in your ability to wire it up, fabricate engine and trans mounts, have a custom driveshaft made, plumb the cooling system, and do whatever other work it takes to get it in and running then you should do it.

    maybe the ford engine is initially cheaper and has better aftermarket potential, but how much time/money do you realistically think it's going to take to get that engine in the car and running reliably? you could probably do a hack job swap for dirt cheap but you'll always wish you hadn't. to do something like this that no one else has really done before isn't really something i would compare to a simple, well documented m50 swap. apples to oranges.

    1989 Coupe build thread: http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=312012
    IG: @mitchlikesbikes

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      #3
      I know this isn't an apples to apples comparison but I drove my friends (BlueBimma on BFC) 2.3 Ford Turbo, Lima in e36 compact. It was a good setup and he didn't have much money in it overall. He said making the harness was a pita due to the Ford wiring diagrams. It dynod 230wtq and 210whp I believe. He bumped the boost up a little after that but never had it back on the dyno. Fun motor and paired with e30 would be interesting.
      OBD1 S52 E36 Compact
      84 318i M10 Zender

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        #4
        I have always thought about an ecoboosted e30, also. not at all that I would do it, but more how much in it would be.

        my wife has an escape ecoboost, which is a 1.4 turbo. its very very quick and the car weighs a ton. her stepdad's f150 ecoboost is a blast to drive because it will smoke the tires on a whim.

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          #5
          Once a few FM Mustangs get totalled, the 2.3 ecoboost would be pretty sweet in an e30 with 235kW!

          Here in Australia we got a 2.0L ecoboost in RWD in the Ford Falcon, so they are readily available. They only came with a ZF 6 speed auto, but a NC Miata or RX8 transmission would probably fit given they're based on the Mazda MZR engine.

          Here's a pic of the Falcon engine (looks quite similar to the Mustang 2.3L):

          Last edited by lukeADE335i; 01-20-2018, 11:34 PM.
          My e30: OEM+ with M30B35

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            #6
            I have been thinking about a 2.3 from a mustang. Its a very tall motor so I believe it would need to be tilted like most bmw motors and with a focus oil pan and alternator.
            Buying a complete wrecked mustang would make the swap easier because all the little things start to add up in price
            Last edited by super51fan; 02-02-2018, 07:42 PM.

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