85 323i - NEED PARTS AND ADVICE! - BMW Forum

brownie_323i_1985 · 01-19-2009, 09:09 PM

I recently bought a 1985 323i. Awesome car.

BUT - i need a bunch of parts (all cosmetic) to get it up to scratch. Also some questions re: upping the power without draining my credit card tooooooo much.

Need front bumper, gear shifter, 2 x front seats (or the name of a good reupholster place), a cap for one of my zender rims (you can see the wheel model at http://www.xrims.com/imgs/dynamic/ma...der_Turbo1.jpg - let me know if anyone is interested in buying as well - 15").

Also, i am looking around at different engine swap opportunities or turbo kits. Any advice on a reasonably cost effective way to get the power up from its existing app. 125kW to around 200-220kW

Any help is GREATLY appreciated, and if you like the rims, will consider sell/trade.

Thanks, I'm new here, so try to be nice and helpful!

Thanks

B

BimmerE39 · 01-19-2009, 11:03 PM

You're basically looking to double your power and I can tell you right now that is not going to be cheap. The M20B23 that came with your car was rated for 110kw in 1985 and it has probably lost some power over the years. I'm thinking if you want to turbo reliably you might need a simple engine rebuild but that's not always necessary. The M20 motor has a lot of parts for it but I don't know of any bolt on turbo kits available. I'm sure you could get a simple system built for your E30 running low boost. I knew a kid who turboed their 318is and blew away an E36 M3 so I know it's possible.

My suggestion for you is find a shop that can build something for you and do it over a long period of time. It's rare to find a car built overnight and it sometimes takes years to make something happen. I go under the philosophy of doing things the right way the first time around and sometimes to do it the right way you need to take your time.

brownie_323i_1985 · 01-19-2009, 11:42 PM

thanks for the advice.

the people i have spoken to re: turbo said pretty much the same thing. run it on low boost and it should hold up ok, but nothing over 9psi (even that would be pushing it).

How successful are M50B25 conversions?

BimmerE39 · 01-19-2009, 11:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brownie_323i_1985

How successful are M50B25 conversions?

There are a few videos on youtube. As long as it's OBD1 the swap should be fairly simple and in this case it can be done. That's anther possible route you can go for better power as well.