To m50 Or Not To M50????? Ineed Your 2 cents and maybe some tricks

[AlpineSixAndSeven]

1) So as the Title states I need help. My choces are to eather sell My 86 325es and put the money to another car OR Buy an e36(i have the moneyto buy the whole car) and pull that motor clean it up and and installing it in my car then scrapping the e36(was rolled but still drives, roof just flatteded in back)

2) It IS an automatic though... i heard rumors that the e30 manual bolts on to the m50 not sure any insite on that will help(want manual but my sister may need to drive is a lil so auto would help there.......) ok if my trans bolts on manual(90%) if it doesn't auto(100% i dont want to buy a transmission, flywheel, and clutch)

3) so far shopping list is
1993 e36 (whole car) $450 to $500(great deal huh? pays to know how to look for deals)
320i Brake booster
e34 525i(m50 powered) oil pan
e28 535i motor mounts
Metal Tubing For custom Strut Bar
3/16-1/4 inch steel for above

4) would an electric fan with lower temp sensors be a good idea?used:

it all comes down to MONEY gahh i saved up for this so i have it. it just is am i going to be broke at the end?

I'm seventeen years old But I Have access to 2 full garages(my Gunn High School and De Anza College i attend both) and 3/4 of most automotive garages tools at home . so i have access to all the tools i need but is there anyting that REQUIRES 2 people for this conversion?

One other thing ... does anyone know the value of these cars with this conversion if 1 look stock under the hood and the interior is near perfect(took 3 days) but has a rattle can paint job but look really good? with BBS Mesh rims(not the bmw one but the meshies that people but on the e30s(might of came with them stock) with Halos, 230,000 mile on body 90k on motor and trans not that after ALL that work i would sell it after that is will gain it's right to stay in the driveway and not on craigslist(but the motor and maybe trans will be on there along with both ecu's i'm in Palo alto, CA i cant ship.)
THX SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Much this Forum has help ALOT THX!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[jnstrcklnd]

I'm sure Gotkraut will have an intellegent response to your dilema.

[gotKRAUT]

the manual swap really isnt that hard if you are installing a M50 anyway cause you have to run the M50 tranny anyway, i say if you have the ability to go for it. M50 FTMFW

heres some helpful links
AKG Motorsport - Specialist in BMW road racing sedans, parts and accessories
Supplier of original* parts guaranteed
Treehouse Racing - Eyeball Arms - Control Arm Bushings

[gotKRAUT]

as far as strut bar the IE one still fits

oh and the clutch fan is the most efficient, just stick with a stock clutch fan

[jnstrcklnd]

...And there you have it.

[BMWJNKY]

There is more work involved when doing the swap on an early car because the coolant expansion tank is on the wrong side and I've heard you need to change the radiator core support to the later one. Yes, the M20 trans will work on the M50 but you will need to build your own transmission brace because the angle the trans sits at is different when bolted to the M50. The IE strut brace works, its what I'm running, you will need to take the main wire harness out of the black plastic box it is in though otherwise the hood won't close. As far as value after the swap its hard to say. There are a lot of variables, how clean is the car overall, is the swap B.A.R. legal, how cleanly was the swap done(does it look factory), miles/mods on the car, miles/mods on the engine, ect. A clean car with a clean swap can go for $6000+. You start going crazy with mods like turbo or SC kit on top of the swap then the sky is the limit with value, its just up to you to fine the right buyer.

This is my M50 swap. Here is the full list of mods and more pics http://www.cardomain.com/ride/844308

[AlpineSixAndSeven]

Originally Posted by BMWJNKY

There is more work involved when doing the swap on an early car because the coolant expansion tank is on the wrong side and I've heard you need to change the radiator core support to the later one. Yes, the M20 trans will work on the M50 but you will need to build your own transmission brace because the angle the trans sits at is different when bolted to the M50. The IE strut brace works, its what I'm running, you will need to take the main wire harness out of the black plastic box it is in though otherwise the hood won't close. As far as value after the swap its hard to say. There are a lot of variables, how clean is the car overall, is the swap B.A.R. legal, how cleanly was the swap done(does it look factory), miles/mods on the car, miles/mods on the engine, ect. A clean car with a clean swap can go for $6000+. You start going crazy with mods like turbo or SC kit on top of the swap then the sky is the limit with value, its just up to you to fine the right buyer.

This is my M50 swap. Here is the full list of mods and more pics http://www.cardomain.com/ride/844308

thanks so much for the advise im gonna do it once i get the car to my place. I watch the vids when you got your car running it looked and sounded really cool and then this e36 popped up and i'm like MY TURN lol and just have to get my parental Units to think they allowed me to do it in reality i'm gonna do it anyway........


i'll think it will be auto because my sister is gonna drive it to and she cant drive manual. ..... all well it will make it a good daily driver and keep me from speeding........... ok well maybe not but at least it will be good for traffic(stuck in it for like 25 to 40 mins twice a week ) but yeah if any of you need e36 parts i'll have the whole car so if i dont use the part i'm gonna sell them REALLY cheap just so it covers labor and shipping(depending on what the part is ) so other ppl get a good deal off this car too

[BMWJNKY]

No problem. You will need most of the coolant hoses, throttle cable, and CC cable off of the E36 along with main wire harness and other related pieces.

If you do go through with the swap I highly recommend the Treehouse Racing harness adapter.

I don't know if that auto trans will work because it is a lot bigger than the auto trans that comes in the E30. The E36 5 speed is a tight fit in the E30 so I don't know if it would be possible to get the E36 auto to work.

[gotKRAUT]

ehh but im yet to see an Early E30 M50 that changed Rad supports....hmmm, i along with your shop forman think its fooey :P haha

we should measure both and find out

[e30dream]

lol...


ANYWAY....


i would love to engine swap. Just dont have the experience or $$$ right now.

[triggrhaapi]

Originally Posted by BMWJNKY

If you do go through with the swap I highly recommend the Treehouse Racing harness adapter.

For $400 I'll wire it myself thank you.

[ldsbeaker]

[h4rdwire]

In process of doing swap also...from a 94 525i...So vanos, + no worries about finding a 525i oil pan :-P.

Yeah that was my thuoghts exactly, about the tranny but someone told me i'd have to make my own rubber washers to increase height on the mounts.

So its going into my '84 325e, i understand the wiring is different. Does anyone have the write up for that ? If at all possible save the few bucks from purchasing the zionsville CD.

[gotKRAUT]

Originally Posted by triggrhaapi

For $400 I'll wire it myself thank you.

its worth it hands down, open box, plug it in, start everything works and no CEL on first try....ya...its worth the $400 hands down

[h4rdwire]

True...and understandable why they charge $400, but if i was in the tight budget that i am ....ill pat myself a $400 tap to read a few books