Project started - E36 Street drift ( swap M43B18 to M52b28 )

[adisan]

Hey guys, after having the car for 7 years ( E36 318i midnight blue '98 sedan ) i want / started turning it into a street drift car. Now i want to do a swap from my original m43b18 to a m52b28 , so i know i need:

Engine and Gearbox , Wire loom , ECU , Exhaust , half - driveshaft and back end sub assembly ( 318i does not come with disc brakes in the back so i need to put in rear assembly with disc brakes.

Does my diff needs to be converted ??. or do i keep my own diff? its a rather short one.

The engine mounts do i have to cut/weld ? or do they come with some prefab holes ( for screwing 2.8 L one ) ?

IF anything let me know please, i am currently searching for all the parts. ( SPAIN )

Thank you guys

[BimmerBreaker]

I would swap in the full 2.8 drivetrain including differential and rear subframe. The 6 cyl differentials are stronger (medium case vs. small case for the 318). If you intend to drift it then I would reinforce the rear subframe while the rear stuff is out. As far as engine mounts the 2.8 E36 mounts will fit the front subframe you have now. So engine w/ engine mounts and wiring loom, transmission w/ shifter assembly, full driveshaft, rear differential and axles, rear 6 cyl subframe assembly complete w/ hubs and disc brakes would my suggestion

[adisan]

Thanks got it all , you answered actually few questions i had in mind and did not post here. Should i get the m3 e36 diff ??? One big question e39 328i , same m52b28, should gearbox fit in e36 ? Does the loom work for an e36? does the ECU work from the e39? i can manage rest of parts ( rear subframe , reinforcements, etc,etc .... it's rather difficult to find a cheap bumped e36 in spain so i can transplant . It's easyer to find e39's with 2.8L . So yea.... Thank you for before , mby you can answer my last questions . Thank you very much

[E36M3LX]

x2 on everything bimmer breaker said.

e39 gear box will fit e36

yes get the m3 diff if you want LSD or just weld an open medium case

e39 DME will work in e36, just needs a reflash to delete ews(very easy)

I would suggest using ONLY an e36 m52b28 obd2 wiring harness.

[BimmerBreaker]

Thanks got it all , you answered actually few questions i had in mind and did not post here. Should i get the m3 e36 diff ??? One big question e39 328i , same m52b28, should gearbox fit in e36 ? Does the loom work for an e36? does the ECU work from the e39? i can manage rest of parts ( rear subframe , reinforcements, etc,etc .... it's rather difficult to find a cheap bumped e36 in spain so i can transplant . It's easyer to find e39's with 2.8L . So yea.... Thank you for before , mby you can answer my last questions . Thank you very much

The early M3 diffs will work but as you are in Europe the later ones on 3.2L cars are a large case and require additional work/different rear subframe and axles to fit. The medium case is strong enough but if you want the "best" then you could go with the full 3.2 M3 rear.

E39 engine harness is not plug and play, though in a pinch you can make it work I think it'd be easier to source an E36 M52 harness (or US S52 harness)
Any E39 6 cyl trans will fit the E36 M52
DME's are all the same but will need a tune to delete EWS (or sync EWS with your E36). Make sure it's an M52 not the M52TU dual vanos engine

[adisan]

yeah i have seen alot of people talking about needing a tune so you can take out the EWS but that does not matter if it comes from a E39 or a E36 , you will need to take out the EWS(imobilizer?)


So i can get the M52B28 from the E39 with 5speed manual transmission (linkage from e36 ) , then it's better to get ECU and wire loom from E36 , then i just need to get the imobilizer deactivated ...

For the rest yeah , i would get the m3 ones LSD ( medium case ) , full rear subframe , reinforce the back plates before adding new rear subframe , exhaust from the 328i.

Now i got my head clear, Thank you alot guys