2002 m42 swap

[slampson]

You all have been extremely helpful in the past, I thought I'd throw this out to your kindness.  

I have a 1970 2002, all stock.  I recently bought a 1996 318ti for next to nothing that had been hit by a drunk driver... all mechanicals working very well.  I bought this to swap as much as I can into the 2002 to make a quicker, more reliable vehicle for my daughter.  Can someone(s) tell me:

 

1. Is this a good candidate for motor swap?

2. Can I also swap the transmission?

3. Differential?

4. If yes to any of these what will I need to make it go smoothly? Who sells conversion parts for this swap?... motor mounts, transmission mounts, etc.

5. Is there a wiring harness adapter made for this swap?

6. Am I an idiot to start this swap?  What I don't want to happen is end up with a halfway swapped, wires hanging out, undrivable, wounded sweetheart stuck in the parking lot.

 

I realize this is a lot to ask.  I very much appreciate any and all help/advice/wisdom/warning/encouragement.

 

Thank you,

 

Jefferson

[johnsboyd]

I almost did that swap. I was just getting started fitting the engine and I found it was going to take a bit of fabricating on the subframe and engine mounts to fit it. Doable. Not sure about the transmission in a standard, I have an automatic and the driveline tunnel is wider so I had clearance. I imagine you would have to modify the DL tunnel in a std. but not sure.. I ended up putting in a tii motor, 320i 5 speed and LSD. The shop I worked at had a customer that needed a m42 so my boss traded me. I was happy since I could get the car on the road faster!

Threre are a lot of things to sort out for a swap like that.  It could be fun, but a ton of work. People have done it. 

I probably would not do a swap like that because you probably would not recoup your investment if you ever wanted to sell it as opposed to putting the same cost into your stock driver. Not knowing what condition it is it’s hard to say. If its on the nicer rust free side I would be less likely than if it was a rats nest! Haha. But I know it’s not all about money. Good luck!

 

[TobyB]

1- not really, as the manifold on the e36 is huge compared to the 318i E30.  If you want to use E36 style,

get the latest (97-98) M44, since it has a MAF and OBD2, makes a bit more power, and is easier to tune and troubleshoot.

2- not really, the tunnel is too narrow.  I'm not sure if a hammer would be enough

3- no, the case is different,  It's an E30 diff.

 

'M42' in the search bubble above will get you a few good build threads.  It's been done a lot,

and the people who do it really like it.  But it's not for everyone....

 

t

[AceAndrew]

29 minutes ago, TobyB said:

 

'M42' in the search bubble above will get you a few good build threads.  It's been done a lot,

and the people who do it really like it.  But it's not for everyone....

 

t

 

This.   Many people have gone down this route.  Many of whom have documented their journey.  All of your questions have been answered in great detail.

 

Best of luck.  I love hotrodding 2002's and encourage anyone wanting to do so!

[slampson]

Perfect. Thank you.

[kbmb02]

Last night I drove home a 2002 with a performance-built M10 ... so quick and responsive, lots of fun, and it just seems 'right' for the car. To re-state the obvious, whether to modernize, swap, etc is all about opinion, taste, etc; keep choice-supportive bias in mind when reading what others suggest. (Remember: The guy/girl who put a Chevy V8 in his Porsche 914 in the 1990's loves it, and will tell you to do the same.)

 

Whatever you do, have fun ... and teach your daughter safe and responsible driving skills. -KB

[Teelinger]

Here's a link to a vendor that sells an installation kit for the m42:

http://www.classicdaily.net/product/2002-m42-mounts/

 

Also does this swap all the time and provides install instructions.

 

James

[Preyupy]

A "Quicker, more reliable" vehicle for your daughter?  You are going to swap a carburetor and a set of points for a complete EFI system that has to be grafted into a 48 year old car along with all of the fabrication work needed to actually mount the engine and transmission in the chassis?  Custom "1-0ff" cars for people that can't work on it themselves is not the recipe for reliable transportation.  Sounds like a nice 1985 Honda CRX Si would be a better choice.