gretchen72

Have you ever seen how f'ing ugly Nissan Silvia's are??

Nice! You know, I really think people would cane me for the SR20 suggestion...

13B, yes, now we're talking! Maybe not BMW, but German designed. Mind you so is the 4 stroke and the diesel, so, pretty much anything qualifies by that rationale... There are lots of options out there. I'm still waiting for the suggestion of a 6, and considering BMW built a prototype 6 cylinder powered 02...

right hand drive remember - so possible to build a tubular manifold round the steering box and columb, but difficult. The sr20 however has the exhaust ports on the other side, so will have lots more room and should be able to keep the stock RHD steering box set-up. The exhaust is always a problem on RHD BMWs for steering and brake master cylinder location too. It's all too tight in there for the 2002 box. Rack & pinion is a pretty common conversion. I might even go power steering???

V8 you reckon? Why not an LS2? 6.0L in a 2002... This is crazy talk. I'm amazed no one has mentioned 6's though..?

I've driven an M42 powered e30, it's a great engine. With a turbo it would be a contender to the SR20DET, but only just, and for 4 times the money...

If only BMW was so well supported in the aftermarket area.

Thanks guys! Excellent feedback! Re: Compliance. To be truly legal in NSW Australia any of the mods (including the M10) would have to be engineered. You can blag the M10 engineering, but an insurance company won't touch you if you give full disclosure without and engineering stamp. As for the the M42 or S14 there is no option but to get an engineer to sign off as the steering has to change to rack & pinion for both, as it does for the SR20. Re: S14 The M3 was never sold in Oz due to being only LHD and our laws are quite strict about LHD cars, so, e30 M3's are RARE. Everywhere you turn there are e36, 46 & 92 M3's, but no e30. Unless I import an engine, s14 is almost impossible. Re: M42 This one is the most interesting as far as staying BMW. A full build with a turbo and the M42 could produce SR20 power. Re: purists I can understand their POV. That's why Gretchen is more than likely going to end up N Powered. The numbers don't match so it's not a great resto if you want to go concourse, might as well make it what I want then... Re: GO the SR20 You see, some people will appreciate it!

Great! 1st reply approves! The goals are: reliable, quick, hot. nothing is set in stone, but a lot of parts have been acquired now, so there are options to go a few different ways. As for all the ancillary things that need to be done for an SR20, this applies to everything that is not period BMW, so, it's an expected cost and has been budgeted. Just for background, the touring was never sold in Australia, every one here is a private import. No one seems to know how many are here, but from the research I've done the numbers are less than 10. The touring is a very rare sight around here. I have only ever seen one other in Sydney...

Hi all, This is my first post and maybe it's controversial? I have a 1972 2002 touring (Gretchen) which is currently in a state of disassembly. I had her dipped a few years ago to stop the rust, and then she was covered in lanolin and put into storage. Anyway, the project is about to start again and now some large decisions need to be made. Engine conversion. Gretchen was in a sad state when I found her. Huge body damage and a different engine block. While the damage can be fixed, the numbers on the block can't be. This was good and bad. While it meant Gretchen could never be restored to a 'matching numbers' concourse level, it did mean that an engine swap was an option. The dilemma is, which engine? The options are: 1. BMW M10 that came with the car - full re-build and mildly tuned. pros - fits, easy, stock cons - low power, thirsty, expensive, nothing special 2. BMW M10 from a Tii - full re-build and mildly tuned. pros - fits, BMW period awesomeness cons - rare (but not impossible to find), expensive, thirsty 3. BMW M42 - partial re-build and mildly tuned. pros - fuel injected, modern, 5 speed conversion easy cons - major mods to fit 4. BMW s14 - full re-build. pros - BMW total awesomeness, killer gearbox cons - super rare, EXPENSIVE!!, major mods to fit, thirsty 5. NISSAN SR20DET - partial re-build and mildly tuned. pros - cheap!, 5 speed conversion easy, HUGE power, the engine is the 'right' way around for RHD. i.e. the exhaust is on the passenger side. cons - not BMW, major mods to fit (same as s14 and m42), not BMW... So, what's the general thought on the above? You know where I'm headed with this, so, don't hold back. Adam