 Euro S50B30 engine swaps for TI
Hello to all existing and future board/forum members,
I'd like to introduce myself. My name is Alex Lipowich. I've been an active member of the BMWCCA community for over 10 years now. I've had the pleasure of being a student, instructor and club racer with this community during this time, and plan on being here for a while.
This last season I had the misfortune of ventilating a Euro motor in my race car. My efforts at procuring a replacement quickly fell through due to cost and availablility. Since that time I bought the parts I needed on my own to rebuild a race motor and to defray the cost also brought in a euro 3.0 liter engine. I have several more on the way at this point as well.
Now many of you probably fall into the group that love and covet the TI just the way it came to our shores. Light, nimble, high rev engine that you can just beat on without getting in trouble.... no doubt a well driven TI can pick on a lot of other higher HP cars that don't handle as well, or aren't as well driven. I pounded on a 1.9 Z1 when they first showed up for 3 years, so I know the chassis well. Some might feel that messing with the formula is against your religion, or that you're ruining an icon by doing a swap. This post is not for you.
If you want to maintain the uniqueness of your cars... I would like to pitch transplanting a euro 3.0 into your TI. For those of you that have driven S14's or S38's or S54's you know there is nothing like the howl of separate throttle bodies at wide open throttle.... its hugely satisfying, and nothing pops the eyes when you open the hood like a euro motor does.... ya just don't see them every day. (whoops, I left out the S62 M5 motor. Its nice too)
There is no way to make a M50 head flow as reliably as an S50 or S52. The hydraulic lifters won't tolerate high rpm. As nice a package as the US E36 M3 was, the engine was still based on the 325 head....designed to safely bring you about 190 HP.
These S50B30 motors come with a gorgeous header with equal length runners...and the metal crackle finish to show it off. You can avoid the bearing issues of the S54 and the e-drive. By getting a euro 3.0, you don't have to mess with EWS. Its simple, it bolts in, and you'll have 286 HP in a stock package, right off the bat.
We have a pair of euro motor TI's both in white with roll bars running around in chicago, and they are just unholy fun. Anyone who's been to a Windy City DS event in the past few years has seen them....usually going by in a blur!
I know I'm biased. I know I'm opinionated, feel free to correct my grammar and my spelling and try to tell me I'm wrong about this or that... but basically, I'd like to open up the dialogue, eventually sell my motors (and other bits to make them work) to TI owners in the forum, and help them get their cars to be just a little bit more special.
I did my own euro transplant in my garage with the help and support of a local mechanic for the intellectual and electrical parts I couldn't solve on my own... but over the years I've acccumulated some knowledge and would be happy to discuss the ins and outs of these projects with anyone. I need to charge sales tax in Illinois, but will try and adjust prices accordingly. I'm not looking to gouge people, just operate in the black so I can keep the company running on paper at a small profit for tax reasons. At some point soon there will be more to offer at a web site along the lines of ABL Original Parts.com
Thank you for the bandwidth, | 
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