Re: <E36/All> Engine swapping

[rusmaster <rusmaster@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Herman,
	On the legal front, you can swap in here in CA any model year of your
excisting car or newer that was offer in your current chassis.  More to the
point, any engine that was offered in the E36 in 92, you can swap in.  Then,
any engine that BMW offered from '93 on can be put into the E36.  But, all the
smog equipment that was on a newer engine/chassis combination, must also be
installed in your car.  That means engine, computer, harness, exhaust, intake,
'check engine lights' and any dash mounted smog related display devices.  This
is to ensure that any engine you put in is cleaner(emissions) than the one
that was removed.
	So, what does this mean, lots o money.  I figured it woud cost ~$15k to
install a S38 enigine in my '88 535iS.  At that price I could buy a used E28
M5 complete.  Is it worth it, don't know.  In your case, the car is still new
enough that it still may be worth the cost to do and engine swap.  A '92-'93
E36 325i, 328i go in the $22k and up range.  A really high milage car may be
less, but is that right for you.  I think the engine swap in your case would
be in the $9k to $11k range, thats if you have all the work done by a professional.
	You may want to look into forced induction.  There are some cool SC kits out
there for the E36 engines.

Take Care,
Russ 



- ------------------------------
> 
> Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1998 14:55:34 -0800
> From: Herman Chan <hermanc2@domain.elided>
> Subject: <E36/All> Engine swapping
> 
> Hey all,
> 
> I've read in various publications about all the nifty cars that have had
> their engines swapped (including a few here), but am kinda perplexed as to
> where to begin such an endeavor or how much it would cost.
> 
> At this point, I'd like to explore the option of dropping a M50TU 325i six
> into my '92 318is.  Recently, frustrating times with the *dog* of an M42
> four are compelling me to ditch it entirely and get a *real* engine, as
> opposed to spending tens of thousands on a new bimmer.
> 
> My needs are modest, and I hope to keep costs that way too.  That's why I
> would be content with a regular M50 instead of an S50 (which I'm assuming
> would require replacement of more drivetrain parts than the M50).
> 
> I'd appreciate hearing about experiences from anyone who has done this, or
> pointers to places that could do this (I'm in CA), so I can determine
> whether this is really a viable option.
> 
> Thanks
> Herman
> 92 318is
>

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