Thinking of a 302 swap....

[cracker red]

Not as "exotic" as an LS swap, but a 302 and T5 can be had for around $1500 with the right parts to make around 300hp/300tq at the wheels.

Figure that a T56 for an LS swap usually hovers around that range, and the motor is about twice as much, and you see where I'm going. LSX subframe is $1000+, headers are either $$$$ or time....and a 1k car rapidly becomes a 10K money pit from which there is little hope of return.

Since I can't seem to find a reasonably priced m50 or 52 swap, I'm seriously looking at doing something like this...


www.e36v8.com has some pretty good pics and a cheap install DVD/manual along with bolt-in mounts.

IF I could find a decent m50/52 conversion for the right price, I'd probably go that route and then turbo it when I was done....less work/bolt in.

[dahamler]

Maybe its just me but I think that anything over 260 whp in these cars is too much for the chassis. I have a hard enough time keep the power down with my car. What do you expect to do with this car after the swap?

[cracker red]

Originally Posted by dahamler

Maybe its just me but I think that anything over 260 whp in these cars is too much for the chassis. I have a hard enough time keep the power down with my car. What do you expect to do with this car after the swap?

Have a fun street car

[pdxmotorhead]

The main issue would be that there is no smog legal 302 to use in a 95 and newer car.

Didn't they convert to the modular engine in 92 or something like that? The Modular OHC is too wide for the E36 chassis... I think,, I tried measuring one it would be TIGHT.

Dave

[cracker red]

Originally Posted by pdxmotorhead

The main issue would be that there is no smog legal 302 to use in a 95 and newer car.

Didn't they convert to the modular engine in 92 or something like that? The Modular OHC is too wide for the E36 chassis... I think,, I tried measuring one it would be TIGHT.

Dave

SMOG? I live in GA, they don't give a rats ass about smog. As long as your car passes an emissions sniffer test (put cats on the thing and run it), you are good to go.

OHC ford motor won't clear the shock towers, you are correct.

[pdxmotorhead]

There are states that do road inspections and if you fail its impound city...

But its a great idea in general. I could pull somewhere around 400 hp with a DART block and the stroker crank and it would purr on the street. I think a wide body kit and a 7 series rear diff would be required.... That and a 8 point cage to keep the body from breaking in half.... Ore me from getting compressed small enough to buyr in a fosters can....

LOL

Dave

[THAT318]

WHOA! i got torn apart when i said i was taking my cats off after i passed emmisions.. but this guy can say it freely! my cousin has an extra lt1 im trying to convince him to let me "borrow" in may they are doing a GM event in L.A. and if my car has a chevy heart for atleast the weekend my car is eligable to be part of that right? and because of how much i hate.. wait I HATE CHEVY, id tear the block out as soon as i got back and put back my m44 :P but if u can shove a 302 in go for it.

[cracker red]

You'ld rather have an anemic 4 cylinder motor than a v8?

No one said I was tearing cats OFF anything. Quite the opposite, the car would have to pass a sniffer test and be catalyitic-equipped.

I've driven all over the south, never came across a road-side smog inspection. It'll pass emmisions regardless of what I do...I have to to register it.

Time to gather parts...

[mohaughn]

Originally Posted by cracker red

You'ld rather have an anemic 4 cylinder motor than a v8?

No one said I was tearing cats OFF anything. Quite the opposite, the car would have to pass a sniffer test and be catalyitic-equipped.

I've driven all over the south, never came across a road-side smog inspection. It'll pass emmisions regardless of what I do...I have to to register it.

Time to gather parts...

Truf.. We don't even do sniffer tests here in Florida. Mine wouldn't pass, no cats.. I only keep it registered for the times i need to move it somewhere and don't want to tow. If people in states that require exhaust inspections saw some of the cars that drive around in the south, they wouldn't say anything about a car that has basic emissions equipment but may not meet some federal guidelines.

[familytruckster]

Originally Posted by pdxmotorhead

The main issue would be that there is no smog legal 302 to use in a 95 and newer car.

Didn't they convert to the modular engine in 92 or something like that? The Modular OHC is too wide for the E36 chassis... I think,, I tried measuring one it would be TIGHT.

Dave

1996 was the debut of the 4.6L mod motor in the mustang. 1992 for the Crown Victoria/Grand Marquis/Towncar.

The 302/5.0 was used until 01 in the explorers. Don't know how the smog laws would work with it being a SUV.

The mod motors are similar in size to a big block...

I've passed the sniffer without cats with 2 of my 302 cars. Moot point now with the age of them and the specialty tags

[SDKmann]

Im not sure why people feel the need to turn a BMW into a drag car. It won't be a good drag car by any means and if you swap it the car wont ever handle again. Spend that money on suspension and driving schools, you'll never be happier. Your car will be a blast on a track and you'll probably dominate all the drivers who swapped their cars.

[cracker red]

Not that you'ld care, but the 302 with iron heads is ~460lbs, closer to 420 with aluminum heads.

M50 = 190 kilo's or 418lbs.

Keep in mind you can stuff the 8 cylinder further back than the 6 as it's shorter....

That too heavy argument sounds sooo familiar with the RX7 crown who didn't want their precious rotary pulled in favor of an LS.

[dahamler]

Weight won't be the biggest negative aspect. I think that the overall time and money investment will not be reflected in the overall performance of the car.

We love to look at HP/TQ curves and talk about how much of beast a car would be but for me the overall balance of all the vehicles components is what makes a car feel great to drive.

My argument against the V8 TI swap is the fabrication factor, the drivetrain strain (diff, subframe etc) and the difficultly with maintenance (sparkplugs etc) . The short wheelbase will also make the car more difficult to drive.

What you don't hear form all these guys that do these crazy swap is how poorly there car performs against their American counterpart. Oh you have a Z06 engine in your RX-7 that cost you ten grand to build, well put that 10 grand in a z06 and it will make that rx-7 look silly.

Overall I think that the TI is a recipe for disaster when it comes to big HP, it will be extremely dangerous to drive anywhere near its potential on public roads.

[Bluebimma]

So have you actually talked to hose who've done the saP in their tis, let albetheir z3s for many years now. Hell Joe has had his 5.7l z3 since 05 and dominates on the track. Just like any other car built, take everything into account and it's not difficult to drive, track, autox, or drag...thouh I wouldn't recommend dragging. The ti is just short, by body, compared to the other e36 chassis and has the same wheelbase; are you saying all the others are poor handling or difficult to handle or are you going to argue that's it's because of the semi-trailing arm setup?

[dahamler]

The wheelbase comment was vague ( and should have been included in the next sentence) but was more directed to the placement of the drivetrain components in cars like the V8 Rx-7 that first hit the drifting scene.

"Weight won't be the biggest negative aspect. I think that the overall time and money investment will not be reflected in the overall performance of the car.

We love to look at HP/TQ curves and talk about how much of beast a car would be but for me the overall balance of all the vehicles components is what makes a car feel great to drive.

My argument against the V8 TI swap is the fabrication factor, the drivetrain strain (diff, subframe etc) and the difficultly with maintenance (sparkplugs etc) .

What you don't hear form all these guys that do these crazy swap is how poorly there car performs against their American counterpart. Oh you have a Z06 engine in your RX-7 that cost you ten grand to build, well put that 10 grand in a z06 and it will make that rx-7 look silly.The short wheelbase will also make the car more difficult to drive.

Overall I think that the TI is a recipe for disaster when it comes to big HP, it will be extremely dangerous to drive anywhere near its potential on public roads. " Corrected

We all know that the TI rear suspension is limited to other E36 models, can you make it work? Of course you could but again the amount of effort involved isn't worth the increase in performance.