The New $2009 Challenge BMW E36

Here is the new member to my challenge car entries. A 1995 318i 4 Door with 220k miles. I picked it up for whopping $750 in running condition . I will be keeping my $2008 Black/Blue Miata and the fiance wants to work on the BMW

I hate green cars but I could not pass it up at this price. The previous owner ran it into the ground with almost no maintenance. The brakes are gone, shocks are OEM original so you can imagine how bouncy the ride is.

Now I need some ideas of directions for power. I pretty much have all the handling and looks figured out in my head but there are just so many ideas for the engine that I can't pick the best one. I'm looking for 250-300 at the wheels. The M42 1.8l can get to that with a turbo , lower compression, and a really good tune, but I'm worried about the reliability of a 220k mile motor. This is my first BMW so I'm not sure what are the required maintenance items on the engine. The next choice is obviously M50/M52 inline 6 swap. I've seen them reach 200hp at the wheels running NA and turbo would make 300 easy. The last choice is V8 power There is alot of people with LS1's but that is way over $2009 so I'm looking at LT1, 5.0, or steal the Wreckracing's Lexus 4.0l motor swap. I'm also open to some crazy idea that may push the build to $2010 (bike motor, jet engine, airboat fan, lol).

I'm trying to stick to under $1000 for the full engine build/swap. Let me know what you think.

Add boost and more boost

el Guapo Mofo wrote: Add boost and more boost

You forgot the nitrous. Reliability Shmiability, you've only gotta drive it a 1/4 mile at a time!

Maybe add some sort of forced induction

EDIT: Super huge turbo with nitrous to spool it

Did anyone mention un berkeley ing godly amounts of boost?

This is going to sound stupid, but I would at least consider a Mopar slant six. It's more similar to the BMW big six than you'd think, and you'd get a lot more displacement cheap. Should be a relatively easy drop-in.

And then un berkeley ing godly amounts of boost.

The Hongs would cut a piece of scrap wood to make an adapter between the air inlet and a leaf blower and build a throttle system that increases leaf blower speed with engine speed.

I vote for the Lexus V8.

Now that i've been seeing them pop up a lot in the local Pic a Part for under $200 for the motor... It makes for a price vs. performance ratio that's kindof hard to ignore.

Put that in, and throw some nitrous at it. Enjoy your 12s. If not faster.

I wish the Lexus V8 was FWD...

I'm going to put nitrous for the drag racing so it doesn't really matter which engine. I didn't mention it because you can't use it for autocross.

John Brown wrote: I wish the Lexus V8 was FWD...

Are you thinking a modern Toronado?

That engine would be awesome in the Bump...

From Bug of Love and Bug Ugly, the eVil twin.

E36 M3!

LS1s fit in there pretty nice

Get a old 350, and a 350 trans. that should be about free

Cam, carb, intake, headers go cheap and reweld to fit in the car, maybe spring for some cheap alum. heads..... Then you may be able to locate a cheap stroker setup.

Trans, put a manual valve body and converter on it.

This will make it great for autox, and drag.

That or something like a 4.3 V6 and turbo the heck outta it.

E36 M3, just reverse some decent shorties on a V8, single big turbo, 8psi, auto, same deal. Even a 5.0 its better cause its Ford BABY! and the C4. Same deal.

Then find some adapters for the wheels, get some old wide 5 15X10's. Cheap drag tires, take off hoosier race rubber.

OH BERKEYLING E36 M3 this is the car to win.............

Don't forget a big front sway, at minimum, and lots of negative front camber.

Thinkkker wrote: OH BERKEYLING E36 M3 this is the car to win.............

But how can he win if I am going to win?

MrJoshua, you are right.

Though this is all contengient of people coming to me as an advisor on a vehicle. Since this has not happened I think you sill have a shot

And I still do not think that I will be getting one together yet..........

I've thought about this approach for an affordable 5 series project.

Ford 5 liter + later heads from an explorer + mega squirt could be a great, fairly compact power plant.

C4 transmissions are pretty light, efficient, and pretty durable.

Use the IRS centersection from a Thunderbird to handle the engine's torque. Just have to figure out the half shafts.

Add power as the car's suspension gets "tuned" to accomodate the new engine's power and weight.

No reason it couldn't work in a 3 series.

Mark

I've been thinking about it myself....but with a turbo 5.3 L33 and the auto for cost reasons: E36 or E34.

Nathan

el Guapo Mofo wrote: The Hongs would cut a piece of scrap wood to make an adapter between the air inlet and a leaf blower and build a throttle system that increases leaf blower speed with engine speed.

I Absolutely Love this leaf blower forced induction Idea. Get a second leaf blower, attach the inlet it to a hole cut in the floor, and you'd also have a sucker car. So it would Suck and Blow.

Two more pointed out the rear and it would act as partial jet propulsion!!!

Tim Baxter wrote: This is going to sound stupid, but I would at least consider a Mopar slant six.

Who in their right mind would run a Slant Six in the 21st century?

Oh, yeah ...

Unfortunately the combination of the heavier E36 chassis and the older M44 is not a shockingly fast combination. It was peppy for the stripped down E30 318is (M42, but same thing), but was just a gas sipper motor in the E36.

Even a modestly boosted M44 isn't going to be lightning quick in an E36...cool project though. Watch out or that E36 suspension will nickle and dime you to death. I'd go with a 350 or 302 personally but I'm sure you'll make this into a sweet $2009 car. Hopefully I'll see you there

I will swap you a Helios Blue 1989 Jetta GLI 16V ;)

Drive the bimyall up, drive HelBoy down. Add N2O and be like Corey!!!

E36 Power: Any FI Chevy V8 with an aluminum block will drop in but the driverside header will cost you the brake booster and if you can't make one yourself... a lot of dough.

Any E36 6cyl will drop in - if you can find an M50 from a 325 and a set of S50 cams with a megasquirt you can make 200+ to the wheels for under $1000.

E36 diet: Lose the seats, heater box, sunroof cassette, all the underdash, clean out the sound deadener with a blowtorch and scraper, gut the bumpers, fab up a cheap exhaust with a small race muffler - the factory one is over 100lbs complete. Hood/trunk hinges, shocks and springs, speakers, wiring... all of it.

Gut the doors, replace glass with poly from Lowes for $40. Use BMW 15" basket weave OE wheels, light and strong.

If you do this right you can be near 200hp/200ftlbs@2300lbs w/o a cage. Also... is it LSD? If not, open the case and weld it... Then replace as many rubber bushings as you can afford with urethane or solid and paint it something cool.

For the drag strip, get stiff rubber blocks and shove them in the rear springs to help it launch.