engine and drivetrain help with my 02!

[nerazzurrri]

i just bought a 75 2002, i want to restore it and swap the engine. the drivers side door has a dent and i dont know if i could get it fixed, im on a budget and i want to know what a good engine swap could be, i also want to do a 5 speed conversion. i am not going to be able to do all the mechanical work myself since i dont know crap and i dont have a garage. can anyone chime in regarding what i should to first to start restoring my 02?

[nerazzurrri]

this is a picture of the car, you can see the drivers side door has some damage to it

[FunElan]

You should save some money up, the things you're suggesting sound costly. As far as the dent, you might try a paintless dent removal company, although it looks like a big dent.

[nerazzurrri]

You should save some money up, the things you're suggesting sound costly. As far as the dent, you might try a paintless dent removal company, although it looks like a big dent.

can you suggest an engine swap? i have a 320i with a 5 speed tranny, could i swap that one out for the 4 speed?

[BarryA]

....can you suggest an engine swap? i have a 320i with a 5 speed tranny, could i swap that one out for the 4 speed?

yourself, don't even THINK about an engine swap that involves a non-original configuration (even a mechanically similiar unit like an E30 318i M10 with Motronic EFI or E21 M10 with K-jet injection) - you'll get into a bunch of issues with the adaptation of engine management harness wiring, adding EFI fuel pumps, additional fuel system plumbing, etc, that will get very expensive very quickly if you're paying a commercial shop to do the work.

Add to the above the reality that you probably won't see a significant performance increase from a stock injected E30 / E21 M10 over a good running, mildly modified carbureted '02 (any improvement will be mainly in cold driveabilty, fuel economy and emissions), and there's really not a whole lot to be gained from plugging in a later version of the M10.

There IS a lot of performance to be gained from an M20 swap (E30/E28 generation baby six), or an S14 (from an E30 M3) but the cost and complexity is orders of magnitude greater - not to beat a dead horse, but you really, REALLY need to spend some time searching the site for info on these topics so you can ask reasonable, intelligent questions..........

You can certainly swap in the 5 speed from the 320 (common upgrade - you'll find LOTS of info in a search of this site), but like any non-original part swap, it does require some modification and adaptation work. If you can't do the work yourself, expect to pay a knowledgable shop somewhere in the area of $800-$1200 for the completed project.

[SkidMarc]

Nice acquisition! I love the color.

You seem fixated on the engine swap. Like Barry said, there are many engine swap options - some more expensive and/or demanding than others. The '02s M10 has a lot of room for performance. Their options should be equally considered.

This is merely a suggestion: assess your goals for the car - both short and long term. Do you really want to learn to wrench your own cars? If so, the '02 is not a bad start. It is reasonably simple and straight-forward to work on and maintenance parts aren't usually pretty reasonable. Be prepared to make an investment in tools and parts. The car "hobby" is not cheap!

If you are not afraid to get your hands dirty, I'd recommend starting with the basics. Have the car checked over by a trained mechanic. I'm sure there are some things besides the door that require attention. Make the car safe and reliable. There are several books and service manuals available. Get them. Review them. Visit other 02 websites. This site is fantastic resource. Hook up with some local '02 owners. There's a lot to learn.

Most of all have fun and enjoy the journey.

Welcome to the club!

Marc

[NMDerek]

just drive it til something breaks or ya get hit in the side and can fix that dent for a 500 dollar deductible!

Have fun looks pretty!

[nerazzurrri]

Nice acquisition! I love the color.

You seem fixated on the engine swap. Like Barry said, there are many engine swap options - some more expensive and/or demanding than others. The '02s M10 has a lot of room for performance. Their options should be equally considered.

This is merely a suggestion: assess your goals for the car - both short and long term. Do you really want to learn to wrench your own cars? If so, the '02 is not a bad start. It is reasonably simple and straight-forward to work on and maintenance parts aren't usually pretty reasonable. Be prepared to make an investment in tools and parts. The car "hobby" is not cheap!

If you are not afraid to get your hands dirty, I'd recommend starting with the basics. Have the car checked over by a trained mechanic. I'm sure there are some things besides the door that require attention. Make the car safe and reliable. There are several books and service manuals available. Get them. Review them. Visit other 02 websites. This site is fantastic resource. Hook up with some local '02 owners. There's a lot to learn.

Most of all have fun and enjoy the journey.

Welcome to the club!

Marc

what can i do performance-wise to boost the hp on my m10?

[SkidMarc]

There are several options and combinations they include (listed in no particular order):

1. Cam - 292 is a popular one ($400)

2. Bigger/Better carbs (sidedrafts) ($250 and up) or a rebuilt/rejetted 32/36 carb might help (low cost at <$100 if done yourself)

3. Higher-compression pistons ($400 and up)

4. Tuned exhaust ($500 and up)

5. Head rebuild/porting/polishing (labor $400 and up)

6. EFI/EDIS conversion (<$1,000) - heck, I got a performance bump just installing a Hot Spark system! $50.

7. Differential & gearing ($400 - I know, it's not the engine)

8. Forced induction (turbo or supercharging w/#6 above) ($750 and up)

The key to any great performing engine is getting all of it working together harmoniously.

The estimates I've given are just guides and do not include labor except where noted. They can vary more or less depending on how creative/resourceful/determined and patient you are in finding deals.

Like I mentioned before, establish in advance what you want out of your car. A spirited daily driver might be setup differenent than a car with dual roles (street/autocross/occasional track) or a sinlge purpose-built car. Set that against your budget and abilities.

There's a lot of info here on this wonderful site. Don't forget to check the "Project Blogs" section for ideas as well. We're all here to help!

Best of luck with your project!

Marc

mdspicer(at)yahoo(dot)com

[BarryA]

[quote name="nerazzurrri ...

what can i do performance-wise to boost the hp on my m10?

come in many "flavors"' date=' with an almost endless number of variations. The one constant is that the more performance you go for, the more $$ you'll have to spend, the more time (and care) you'll have to take on preperation and execution, and the more compromises you'll have to live with.

A site search will find the same basic advice repeated many times - start out by maximizing what you already have (full tune up with replacement of any questionable parts - plug wires, distributor cap, etc), as well as insuring that your brakes, steering and suspension are in the best possible condition.

From there, if you're starting with a dead-stock engine, you'll get a decent initial performance boost at relatively low cost by switching to a Weber 32/36 carb with a low restriction air cleaner, and maybe adding a tii exhaust manifold and lower restriction exhaust system ('02 turbo or similar). Adding a Pertronix electronic ignition system will eliminate issues with point wear, and a hotter coil will improve spark intensity. Past that point, you start to get into expensive internal engine modifications pretty quickly - higher lift / longer duration cam shafts, higher compression pistons, cylinder head modifications for better flow, etc.

If you're tempted to install a 38/38 downdraft Weber (or dual side draft carbs) on a near stock engine, beware of over-carburetion, especially if the engine has fairly high milage - you can spend a LOT of $$ and wind up with worse performance than you would have gotten with much less expensive mods.

[nerazzurrri]

There are several options and combinations they include (listed in no particular order):

1. Cam - 292 is a popular one ($400)

2. Bigger/Better carbs (sidedrafts) ($250 and up) or a rebuilt/rejetted 32/36 carb might help (low cost at <$100 if done yourself)

3. Higher-compression pistons ($400 and up)

4. Tuned exhaust ($500 and up)

5. Head rebuild/porting/polishing (labor $400 and up)

6. EFI/EDIS conversion (<$1,000) - heck, I got a performance bump just installing a Hot Spark system! $50.

7. Differential & gearing ($400 - I know, it's not the engine)

8. Forced induction (turbo or supercharging w/#6 above) ($750 and up)

The key to any great performing engine is getting all of it working together harmoniously.

The estimates I've given are just guides and do not include labor except where noted. They can vary more or less depending on how creative/resourceful/determined and patient you are in finding deals.

Like I mentioned before, establish in advance what you want out of your car. A spirited daily driver might be setup differenent than a car with dual roles (street/autocross/occasional track) or a sinlge purpose-built car. Set that against your budget and abilities.

There's a lot of info here on this wonderful site. Don't forget to check the "Project Blogs" section for ideas as well. We're all here to help!

Best of luck with your project!

Marc

mdspicer(at)yahoo(dot)com

i want to get an exhaust so what would be a good choice? my car is a daily driver but i want to get a little more performance whenever i want to have some fun and step on the gas

[BarryA]

....i want to get an exhaust so what would be a good choice? my car is a daily driver but i want to get a little more performance whenever i want to have some fun and step on the gas

so your choices for bolt-on system are limited, as is are your choices for vendors - there just aren't enough '02's left for muliple big vendors to tool up to produce a variety of systems.

As mentioned above, a factory style head-pipe back 2002 Turbo system is good for an essentially stock car - better flow, and no fitment issues. Ireland Engineering makes a very nice stainless steel system, but it's not cheap.

02 exhaust systems are not complex - any decent muffler shop that builds systems for street rods, etc, should be able to turn out a good basic system at reasonable cost. You shouldn't need a pipe diameter bigger than 2 inches at most, and Dynomax makes a good low restriction muffler that fits in the stock location between the gas tank and spare tire well.