engine and drivetrain Decisions decisions

[KaBar6]

Well, it is time to get "the project" back on track. I have a '76 2002. Needs a motor, transmission, radiator, and electricals for the most part. Car was stolen 15 years ago, and my dad and I have been off and on about putting this back together again, and I finally convinced him to. I have half of the motor in it and it is still bolted to the auto transmission, the thieves couldn't take the whole motor out thanks to the (coolant pump?) which was a bit tricky to get off today

Anyways, I had done some research a few years ago, and forgot about engine swaps and 5 speed conversions and all that good stuff. My question is, what would be my best bang for the buck? I have looked in to the M42, M50, and M40, and am leaning towards a fuel injected setup and also wanting to get in the range of +180hp. The M3 setup is probably out of my price range, but who knows. Which BMW's have the easiest compatibility with the 2002? We are hoping to find a donor car around the Salt Lake area too, so I am hoping that would save some trouble. Does the inline 6 fit? Which BMW would be the best donor car to look for?

Like I mentioned before, I can't recall all the research I did, so if anyone could point me in the right direction to get the ball rolling on this project, that would be much appreciated.

[gwb72tii]

i'll get this going and others can chime in

you'll find some useful info here

http://www.bmw2002faq.com/content/category/3/15/32/

but also, many have swapped the 2002 motor for e30 six cylinder motors and now there are more than a couple swapping over to the M42 motor which i think may be the perfect motor for a 2002.

[xxx]

Not an engine swap but, some people have put fuel injection on their 02s,

Like these two in the engine section of the FAQ That was previously linked to

Megasquirt-> http://www.bmw2002faq.com/content/view/79/32/

EFI from a 318i -> http://www.bmw2002faq.com/content/view/16/32/

The m42 is the one I would pick because it is very modern with dohc, direct injection, 4 valves per cylinder, and its lighter than the m10.

But since you said you are looking for 180+, then I would say an m20 from an e30 325i which has 168hp stock, because the m42 is only around 135 hp and you would have to do a lot more work to get anywhere near 180hp. There was guide for the swap called

"six into two does go" or something like that but I can't find it.

[Pierre]

Do a search on M20. It's a popular and affordable swap.

It's more involved than an S14 but a lot less expensive.

I recommend using the transmission that came in the E30. The only other option is the E21 323i transmission which has a speedo drive. They are very rare and thus very expensive just to get a working speedo. Just use a GPS for your speedo. You will lose your mileage counter on some but I think you can find GPS units that have those on them.

There is a guy that makes motor mounts for the M20 into a 2002.

I have the 6into2 article if you want me to send it to you or you can search for it online. It's out there.

[KaBar6]

Thanks for the replies and suggestions. Maybe 180 is pushing it. Which engine requires the least amount of fabrication work to the body? I don't like the idea of welding anything to the frame. Now, where would I look to buy motors and such? Should I get a donor car and swap everything out from it?

[xxx]

Here Jakeb has engine and trans mounts for $250 if that was the way you wanted to go. And if you search the Faq you'll probably find some threads about m42 swaps and the amount of time,effort, and money.

http://www.bmw2002faq.com/component/option,com_forum/Itemid,57/page,viewtopic/t,346835/highlight,/

I would find a junkyard or maybe someone parting out their car for the parts, or a long shot but maybe someone who is selling a car that was rear ended so the drivetrain is unharmed. If you go to a junkyard they have a list of how much parts cost for all cars so for example, they might say all engines are $300 or something like that.

[KaBar6]

Alright, so if I were to go the 325i route, how much modification would be needed to make it all work? Or, if I got the S14 motor, how much modification would that require? I am in desperate need of 6 cylinders

Anyone have a ballpark idea as to how much all this would cost?

[xxx]

I can't tell you too much in detail because i haven't done it myself but this is my knowledge of the topic

With the 325i, you would need to make engine and transmission mount adapter things, you would have to cut and weld the transmission tunnel, have an exhaust made custom probably, work on the wiring, do some modifications to the drive-shaft, you would need an electric type instrument panel, and you could either put on carbs or upgrade the fuel systemfor fuel injection.

with the s14, the engine should drop in pretty easily with no adapter plates needed, the transmission can be any that fits an m10, a stock 4spd,close ratio 5spd, or e21 3 series 5spd overdrive, and those would need no modification the the trans tunnel, but the 3 series 5spd would need a shortened driveshaft, with an old trans you could use the stock instrument panel but for the 3 series 5spd you would need a longer speedo cable and some wiring work for the reverse lights. and then you'd still need to work on electrics, exhaust, fuel system etc.

http://www.m2bmw.com/ In the knowledge base section of this website it has some info.

There is probably a lot I left out but thats what I could think of

Price is a big decider too, you could get a nice m20 for some hundred dollars, but a nice s14 would be a few thousand dollars.

[KaBar6]

Hmm, I'm thinking of the S14 motor now. I would like to get as little fabrication done as possible. So I guess it is either dropping the M42 motor, or the S14 in without any troubles.

Thanks for all the help everyone.

[KaBar6]

So, if I were to go with the M20 route, which BMW 3 series would I need to look for?

[xxx]

You would need the m20 from a 1984-1991 bmw 3 series.

[KaBar6]

Sorry to be a pain. Which 3 series model would it be from? I'm a newb when it comes to BMW's, and the research on this thing is giving me a headache.

[xxx]

No problem, it would be from a 325i or the 325is, the only difference between the cars is the suspension, there is no difference in the other stuff.