The shark bit me

[Tom D]

the M90 is more or less the same as the M30, a late 70's big block 6 cylinder, the german's equivalent to the american small block V8.

back in the early 80's i would frequent mike deitel's shop in southern cal where he was building E21 323's, 330's and 333's. he once invited me along to willow springs raceway to drive a few of his creations. at first the torque was amazing, but it quickly got boring.

this is why i have a 1.8l twin cam with 138hp in my car, it won't pin you to the back of the seat with acceleration, but you can pitch it into a corner faster then most people would ever dare to go.

[Imolarot2]

Don't waste your time with M90. If you want to put a heavy engine in your car then you can buy my spare S38

[benjaminfrankln]

bmw1.jpg

bmw2002a002.jpg

1.8t 2002^^^

h2ointernational_2013_gold_coast_bmw_e30_1point8tee_2.jpg

h2ointernational_2013_gold_coast_bmw_e30_1point8tee.jpg

1.8t e30

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your valve cover and air box came out good. i need to do the same.

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[pofo]

bmw1.jpg

bmw2002a002.jpg

1.8t 2002^^^

h2ointernational_2013_gold_coast_bmw_e30_1point8tee_2.jpg

h2ointernational_2013_gold_coast_bmw_e30_1point8tee.jpg

1.8t e30

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your valve cover and air box came out good. i need to do the same.

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Ok I need to know more about these, What transmissions was used? did they use an adapter plate? What clutch did they use use? Is there a thread on here with the build?

I keep thinking about the vw motor because I have it (free) and it is light and small. It also will put 230 to the wheel with just a tune. I just need to send a ECU out to have the IMMO defeated and then wire it into my car. Sounds easy enough right. I just need to look at the block and see the motor mount positions.

[benjaminfrankln]

http://www.acmeadapters.com/store_engine.php

I believe this is the bell housing adapter people use. Samurai people use it to run TDI with a toyota trans, but most vw 4 cylinder use the same bell housing. The TDI is the same as the ABA, which is the same as the 1.8 bell housing pattern. And i believe there are a huge array of toyota transmissions that bolt with lots of different gear ratios. Some people us a t5 as well i think.

Also there are longitudinal 1.8t in audi a4 and such. You can use a factory quattro trans and block of the front axles. I am not sure what most people are running, but there have been a handful of 1.8t bmw.

[pofo]

That is true the Passat's and Audi's are mounted longitudinal, I wounder if there is more power loss in the awd trans than a rwd trans. I wounder if it can be awd swapped? but I think I want to stick with rwd

[ButteDorFrank]

I just dont like the sound of a n/a 4 and I would like a reliable 250hp and with the m50/52 i have the power I want out of the box. I dont know the engine's for bmw that well yet still learning, but I have a 2.0t tsi from a vw tiguan that is sitting in my garage that need to be swapped into something.

I hear ya, I also don't like the sound or the power of the little m10, an m52 would be nice if you can get a good one for cheap, but as soon as they need maintenance, bmw engines tends to be expensive ... you have a complete vw engine in your garage, I would swap that in ... get a transmission and fabricate your own engine mounts and that would be a cool swap. lots more custom stuff though. or sell that engine to fund another one ...

there's a few purists on here that hates anyone who doesn't think a 4 cyl is the best engine in the world ... I've never heard someone say : shit I should of kept the m10, this m20 sucks, my car was way more fun with the m10 ... never heard someone regret throwing out the m10 and swapping something bigger.

Agreed, but I follow the vague Enzo Ferrari logic:

"Aerodynamics are for those who don't know how to build engines"

I'll deal with my suspension when it can't handle what I'm throwing at it. I'm dealing with brakes now because they already needed to be upgraded.

I would swap a diesel in before a gas powered VW engine, but honestly you haven't heard a proper M10 if you're issue is you don't like the way they sound.

184.7 whp @ 7300rpm - we need to play with the carbs some more so it builds power to 10k rpm

see, from my point of view you are doing it backwards. suspension, handling and brakes are the first thing to address. the stock e21 already can't handle what you throw at it if you drive it hard, adress the suspension and brakes and you'll improve the fun and the speed of the car without even having to touch the power.

just for example, my 1984 volkswagen jetta, 1.6 NA diesel , something like 52 horsepower, 63 mph on the 1/4 mile, and like 23 or 26 seconds, car was so slow and boring, but I threw on some 195's and some coilovers and the thing was like a gokart, felt like I was 3 wheeling while cornering hard,

and to get a m10 at 185hp you spent A LOT of money, all the power to you for doing it though.

i think that blue car borderlines on tasteless!

ah grasshopper, you have lots to learn!

first of all i can tell you're young and are more concern with impressing your friends then putting together a fun car to drive. i know this because you talk about engine sound, slamming, 250hp, six cylinder swaps, 3way adjustable shocks, motosport dams and next it'll be 17x10' wheels with 195 tires.

these cars are momentum machines and are not meant for laying down rubber across the parking lot. also looking cool while parked in front of the high school gets old after a while, 250hp is too much power for an E21, and 195's on 10" is stupid!

instead save some money and buy a set of billie sport shocks and some H&R springs, do a quick refresh/reseal on the engine, rebuild the brake system, get the hardest compound tires you can find in 185, join the bmwcca and sign up for some high performance driver's education. you'll have a ball and learn things that will probably save your life someday. you'll also start looking at your ex-friends sitting outside the burger king with their rockers in the weeds and shake your head at them, partially because you'll realize how foolish they are and partly because you know how much fun they're missing out on!

the first part of your post is all bullshit, but that is typical when you give your opinion, I don't think I'll ever agree with you ... but you actually make sense on the second part of your post. better suspension, better brakes, better tires and the car will be a lot more fun even with the stock engine ...

I'd address the body first, the suspension and all, and keep the m10 if it still runs, until the body is perfect and ready for more power / bigger engine.

That is true the Passat's and Audi's are mounted longitudinal, I wounder if there is more power loss in the awd trans than a rwd trans. I wounder if it can be awd swapped? but I think I want to stick with rwd

if you really think about it, making the e21 awd is so much fabrication, you need to change everything in the front, would be cool but you'd be in for a major major project.

I'd stick with the Idea of making a bit more power, sounding better, having a reliable daily driver that still looks nice and minimizing the length of the project ...
my buddy had a euro s50 in an e30 and it was pretty quick, lot more money than a m50/52 but a bit more power.

it all depends what are your plans ... I find it annoying posting in the e21 section, too many purists and it's always the same negativity by the same people ... I've started looking into the engine swap section or the drifting section, better feedback in those section.

[MortyCrock]

That is true the Passat's and Audi's are mounted longitudinal, I wounder if there is more power loss in the awd trans than a rwd trans. I wounder if it can be awd swapped? but I think I want to stick with rwd

If a semi-old school AWD BMW is what you're looking for, then you might as well just source an 88-91 325ix. comes with an m20 already, and they're fun as hell bone stock. I autoX'd mine for a few years when I lived in SD, and it was amazing. when it was raining, I could still toss the crap out of it when everyone else had to take it easier to keep traction. I love my iX.

But then again, I fell in love with the shark nose on my e28, so now im selling my iX to buy an '82 323i.... but IT (for Tom D) has always been a great car, and i'll definitely miss IT

[320iAman]

That hook is not for towing loads, I seen years ago the official bmw trailer, these cars pull, it like had thick bicycle tires and bmw emblem, a few were sold by 3rd party manufacturer with BMW approvals,, gvw-100- 150 lbs maximum or you'd rip two eye right out , its attached to sheet metal basically, the two hooks in front are used for old bar and chain two trucks, circa 1980.

Jog your brain, some will remember the trailer, size of a grocery cart and with that I close this communication,,lol.

Further, that hook was put on there at the behest of the 3rd party manufacturer of the trailer, who hand made these trailers. Needless to say it was not a big seller,,lol.

If you have one of these they would be priceless no doubt, seeing it hooked up at any BMW car show automatic 1st place, why ? theres only a few on the planet, get it,,lol


Randy

[pofo]

I'd stick with the Idea of making a bit more power, sounding better, having a reliable daily driver that still looks nice and minimizing the length of the project ...
my buddy had a euro s50 in an e30 and it was pretty quick, lot more money than a m50/52 but a bit more power.

it all depends what are your plans ... I find it annoying posting in the e21 section, too many purists and it's always the same negativity by the same people ... I've started looking into the engine swap section or the drifting section, better feedback in those section.

Ya I am far from a purist and dont think I would ever keep a car as intended from the factory unless I could make a lot of money off it. I will have to poke around over in the drifting section as if I do go to the track it will be more than likely a drifting event with club loose north. I also agree he spent a lot of money to make 180hp and I am sure it's rev happy and fun doing auto-x or what ever else but thats not me. I dont take anything anyone says as god word, I will always do my own thing but I like to pick everyone's mind and get there opinions. Also if I built the motor it will never be as reliable for a daily as the motor is under a lot of stress to make that power n/a. I have a car that makes 500hp and I'm not looking to build an other motor right now. I dont mind the swap as that is custom mostly and I have a lot of metal laying around and a welder. It will be much cheaper to do a swap than a build even if I put cams in the M52. I was thinking of just parting out an e36 and taking what I need and making my money back on the rest. But I am not sure if the E36 or E30 transmission is better for the swap I need to do more research. But the fuel pump came in today and I will know if the motor is still good and runs by the end of the week. I went threw the motor and the OP put new oil in the car, plugs, wires, and cap so once I clean the fuel system out it should fire up.

[Imolarot2]

see, from my point of view you are doing it backwards. suspension, handling and brakes are the first thing to address. the stock e21 already can't handle what you throw at it if you drive it hard, adress the suspension and brakes and you'll improve the fun and the speed of the car without even having to touch the power.

just for example, my 1984 volkswagen jetta, 1.6 NA diesel , something like 52 horsepower, 63 mph on the 1/4 mile, and like 23 or 26 seconds, car was so slow and boring, but I threw on some 195's and some coilovers and the thing was like a gokart, felt like I was 3 wheeling while cornering hard,

and to get a m10 at 185hp you spent A LOT of money, all the power to you for doing it though.

As the phrase goes:

"Opinions are like assholes, everybody has one"

You apparently don't know what I've done to my car. My brakes and suspension have already been rebuilt, in just don't like the brakes I installed. The suspension setup I'm currently running is more than adequate for what I'm using it for.

As for the 185whp M10 (appx 230 crank hp), it's for a vintage 02 racecar so you have to use period technology. Good luck finding my 12k rpm titanium rockers though

[pofo]

I started to take care of some of the rust spots that need to be cut out and replaced. Got most of the trunk done tonight but will finish it up tomorrow and also the front floors.

[benjaminfrankln]

nice work!

[pofo]

Well finished up the truck and it came out not that bad, I may just keep it and extend it when I get the euro rear sheet metal. I also cut out most of the passenger foot well and replaced it.





The passenger side mess. Not to happy with my weld here, need to get thinner material to match the existing metal.






And here is all the rust that I removed

[DavidD123]

Rust repair looks good! Keep it up! My car has very similar rust in the trunk.

[niall]

gee i feel bad now that we recently scrapped an e21 with much less rust than that

[pofo]

gee i feel bad now that we recently scrapped an e21 with much less rust than that

Well an other mans trash is one mans treasure, but I got this car for $600 and the frame is solid but has some rust on the floors and on the back. Now I have an excuse to go euro rear sheet metal like I want. I just need to figure out where I can get an OE Motorsport front bumper, I just dont know how the Ebay plastic one will fit or look.

[misterguitar]

pofo, those extra zip tied connectors on the top of the motor are where a warm start fix that was installed by the dealer. It was a recall item. Many E21's have them. You will know because you will also have an extra relay on the firewall, an extra chunk of cable inserted in the relay wiring, and a thing that looks like a mini UFO connected to the intake support right below the full throttle switch. The little UFO looking thing will have a vacuum hose going to the intake on one end, and a plug going to that additional wiring harness and relay. Mine had one of these too and it sent me on a three month wild goose chase as to what the heck it was because it was not in any of the manuals. It was a kit dealers installed when a 320i came in with a warm start problem. I tried removing mine and viola like magic I had warm starting problems again. lol I'll try to dig up the service bulletin number and pass along any other information I have on it.

[pofo]

pofo, those extra zip tied connectors on the top of the motor are where a warm start fix that was installed by the dealer. It was a recall item. Many E21's have them. You will know because you will also have an extra relay on the firewall, an extra chunk of cable inserted in the relay wiring, and a thing that looks like a mini UFO connected to the intake support right below the full throttle switch. The little UFO looking thing will have a vacuum hose going to the intake on one end, and a plug going to that additional wiring harness and relay. Mine had one of these too and it sent me on a three month wild goose chase as to what the heck it was because it was not in any of the manuals. It was a kit dealers installed when a 320i came in with a warm start problem. I tried removing mine and viola like magic I had warm starting problems again. lol I'll try to dig up the service bulletin number and pass along any other information I have on it.

Awesome I really appreciate the information, I'm just waiting on some fuel pipe and I should find out if this car runs. I'm really hoping it runs because I want to spend them money I have on coils not a motor swap right now

[Mooseontheloose]

How did you repair the rust under the rear tail light and the other rest of it located just inches below that? I went through ecs tuning as I believe you said you could get rear exterior body portions for an e21 but i could be incorrect. Tell me your solution please haha.

[pofo]

On ECS you need the part number and you can find them, they have to order them they dont stock them. But I have only fixed the truck I have yet to fix the body of the car yet. I will be ordering the parts soon maybe around Christmas.


Here is a link to what I will get soon, https://www.ecstuning.com/Search/Sit...74134/ES71559/

[Mooseontheloose]

On ECS you need the part number and you can find them, they have to order them they dont stock them. But I have only fixed the truck I have yet to fix the body of the car yet. I will be ordering the parts soon maybe around Christmas.


Here is a link to what I will get soon, https://www.ecstuning.com/Search/Sit...74134/ES71559/

haha a little confused here, sorry. So to find them on ecs (besides the link you provided me) i have to search by part number. But where is a part number on the rear panel underneath my tailight? My understanding is that this is actually part of the frame/body work. So i guess my question is, does the body panel have a part number, or is the part number for the european sheetmetal and after wording that selected sheet i have to go get it warped elsewhere?

[pofo]

haha a little confused here, sorry. So to find them on ecs (besides the link you provided me) i have to search by part number. But where is a part number on the rear panel underneath my tailight? My understanding is that this is actually part of the frame/body work. So i guess my question is, does the body panel have a part number, or is the part number for the european sheetmetal and after wording that selected sheet i have to go get it warped elsewhere?

You can find any part number here for the US E21 (you can back up and get the euro 323i): http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/part...0-E21-BMW-320i

But yes this is euro euro 323i. Yes this is part of the body I will be cutting/welding it back in to place. I will also need the bottom rear corner sections and extend the the spare tire well a bit to match up.

[pofo]

Well with a crazy December at work I had time to work on the car today. I put in a new intank pump because the one I just got failed and replaced some some of the fuel hose. The car started right up and needed a good rev to blow out all the junk that build up over the years of sitting. It starts every time now with no issue but has a ruff idle so I will be going threw and replacing the vacuum lines and hoping this is my issue.


But I had to make sure everything else worked and the best way I know how


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Also I need to replace the brake on all 4. What pads would you guys recommend for aggressive driving all season. Going into winter I dont want to have to worm up the brakes to work. I plan on upgrading to rear calipers over the factory drums but for now some good pads will do.

[Tom D]

....I plan on upgrading to rear calipers over the factory drums but for now some good pads will do.....

there is no 'upgrade' switching out the rear drums to disc other then disc are self adjusting.