M2 questions

[kikass_2002]

hey guys, (and girls)

so i have a few questions for those of you who have done the M2 conversion

1. how much did the whole conversion cost?

2. what year did you use?

3. will i have to chop anything to make it fit?

4. was it worth it?

5. how long did it take?

thanks a bunch!

Dylan

[TMK-001]

1. Budget - how long is a piece of string - many have done it on teh cheap - ie $3000-5000 doing a lot of work themselves, others have rebuilt their entire car when converting to S14.

It all depends on what brake, suspension and other mods you want to do make it handle and stop in accordance to the performance of the S14 motor.

2. What year? Any S14 from an E30 M3 works.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_M3#E30_M3

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_S14

3. What to chop? You have to chop the transmission tunnel to fit the top of the gear box depending on what gear box you end up with and what sort of car you started with. (Anything other than an Auto will require chopping with all gear boxes.)

4. Is it worth it? From all reports it is sensational - I plan on undertaking the build in teh next 12 months I hope - money permitting.

5. How long? A group of BMW Club members did the swap in a weekend... go to whoa... some people have taken a year. A pro will do the conversion in approx 6 weeks I would imagine. But that is not working steady on it the whole time.

There is a few guides available. The one that is talked about most frequently is the Dave Varco's M2 guide from Aardvark Racing in San Diago.

http://www.2002parts.com/html/m2_kit.html

Good luck,

Todd

[NickVyse]

3. What to chop? You have to chop the transmission tunnel to fit the top of the gear box depending on what gear box you end up with and what sort of car you started with. (Anything other than an Auto will require chopping with all gear boxes.)

Sorry Todd - only the getrag 265 from the M3 requires the transmission tunnel to be cut. If you use a 245 from an e21 (the OD gearbox that everyone fits to their 2002) there's no cutting required - sometimes a BFH is needed around the slave cylinder, but that's it, regardless of what 02 you start with. This option requires the fitting of the motronic sensors to the bell-housing though.

Most M2's get a small cut in the inner front panel down by where the battery used to be located in order to fit whatever air filter arrangemet you choose.

Unless your 02 is really immaculate, double whatever you budget for the unseen problems of working on a 30 year-old car and all the 'while you're in there' things that crop up.

Cheers, Nick

[Skippy_the_Bush_Kangaroo]

Even the auto tunnel needs to be cut. My car was running a 245 with no problems but the 265 required cutting. In my case the bfh wasn't sufficient.

By all accounts it is easier to do with a LHD car.

[TMK-001]

Oh yeah, it is only fair that we mention the greatest M2 site in the world as well...

www.m2bmw.com

Check out the gallery for more inspiration than you can poke a stick at! There is some other technical information there also.

[Ian]

1. Cost depends on how much you pay for the S14. Be careful, you can buy a trashed engine for cheap, but a good engine will probably run around $5k including the harness, alternator, ecu, etc. Know your seller. While the S14 is robust if well-maintained, a rebuild will run you $5-6k.

2. Any year S14 (88-91) will work.

3. If you use the 320i O/D 5-speed, the transmission tunnel will not have to be cut. A BFG will make clearance for the slave cylinder. Pete McHenry claims the 320 tranny is good for up to about 240 hp, so I never considered the M3 tranny necessary. Use a 3.90 LSD diff from a 320is, and have the driveshaft shortened to fit.

4. I did this conversion about 11 years ago, and have enjoyed every minute of it. The car was a dual duty (daily driver/track car) for about 6 years, and since then has been retired to weekend and track duty. Starts up every time, passes emissions, and goes like stink.

5. I spent 3 months, working random evenings and weekends in my friend's driveway. You will need to upgrade your brakes and suspension to handle the hp.

Ian

'76 M2

http://homepage.mac.com/iandickerson/M2002/

[madjurgen]

Adding to what Ian has already covered

Decent mileage motors will run you from 3.5-6K for everything. I cannot emphasize this enough: get a motor from a RUNNING car. My motor had been sitting for a couple of years, needless to say it needed a near-full rebuild.

S14s are not for those worried about spending some decent money. Like all M motors they require a high level of preventive maintenence or they will reward you with endless problems. Even on a low mileage motor, plan on spending 2-3K, replacing all wear items (all pumps, gaskets, bearings and timing assembly).

You can get a motor from a '87 car, just be sure to update the valve springs.

Im going with the 265 tranny. I dont think the cutting will be that hard. Although I am still not clear on which driveshaft to use.

I think with big rubber, coilovers and big brakes, it'll definitely be worth it.

[gammenshowa]

Hey Hamik this is right up your alley. where you @?

[NickVyse]

3. If you use the 320i O/D 5-speed, the transmission tunnel will not have to be cut. A BFG will make clearance for the slave cylinder.

Whilst a big fucking gun will do the trick I find a big fucking hammer easier to come by in Europe and does the job as good if not better!

Madjurgen - I'm using a euro 265 close ratio box and a prop from an m3 uncut, bolting straight up to my e21 LSD.

Nick

[Blake]

im starting on year 2 of my conversion :-(

I loose interest and start again tho its cloe to beingdone so im scared to try and start it.