This Blog is being moved

A this has grown, I've decided to go with my own Server and Domain.

From now on, please visit me at http://theconnoisseurdriver.com/

Thanks for reading, I'm excited to see where this leads.
-Jonas

M52 turbo motor and more...

Here is a BMW twin-cam 2.8 litre six-cylinder(M52) that's good buy. This is a relative term, it's cheaper than building your own m52. Even if you were assembling it your self, it would cost more in parts and machining than the $5000 asking price. The best part, it's a low(8.5) compression turbo engine with 0 miles.

BMW 2.8 built M52 turbo motor - $5000 (Winston Salem)
This is the kind of motor that I fantasize about putting into the blue twin-cam 320i(e21) below or in my silver one. From the factory, this engine produced 200+/-hp and with a built engine like this 325?

The problem with putting this into an e21 is the comparative value. The engine is worth twice what the car is. In all honesty, for a daily driver I would prefer a '97 3.2litre M3 engine (s52-b32 converted obd1) in stock form plus you can get one for $2000. This is really a matter of preference, some people like driving the high strung turbo engines and in the end...much as I love the exotics, I prefer the hum of good running, stock engine.

Regarding Steve, no need to continue pursuing that one as I hit the nail on the head. Yesterdays, BMW 635CSi is perfect, he should just buy it. Check....obviously.


PS I tried to include pictures of the CS coupe, as my close yesterday. The pics I see are only available to "members". So I re-hosted one, that's it at the top. Look for a a list of this guys' projects in the next couple days.

Continuation

This is a continuation of yesterdays thoughts about Steve's situation. As he doesn't have easy access to a garage, I'm trying to think in terms of running/driving/not too shabby to sit in front of the house kind of projects.

Here is a near perfect(for Steve) option, but is a high mileage example. Sport interior, runs, looks decent. If a project e24 is in your future this would be a good starting point. Thats it at the top.
1986 BMW 635CSi 635 CSi E24

This is one of my favorite BMW engine and chassis combinations. The 1991 318is was produced only one year, the last of this chassis(e30). The twin-cam 1.8 litre four cylinder(m42) is light and revs beautifully. This is a close as you can get from the factory to an e30 M3 without the insurance. This one is in Texas, so no road salt, and is in White, my favorite.
1991 BMW 318is

In not-so-Steve related news, here are a pair of 2002s in one sale together. Sounds like there is one complete car between the two. For $1800 this a good opportunity for the shade tree mechanic.
Pair of E10s

Thoughts of a friends project...

My man Steve has been wanting a toy/project car the whole time I've know him. He's had a boat and an RV so it was put off but he is warming up to the idea of getting to the next toy car.

So here is what he wants:
-rear wheel drive
-comfort and sporting
-easy to work on
-reliable
-probably a BMW
So what does a friend recomend?

I dunno, he's leaning toward an e24, 80s 6-series. I can think of no reason to discourage that. Big six(m30) power and reliability are both great. They look good, w/o the federal bumpers of course.

So here are some links I came across while I was looking.

87 BMW E30 325es 5spd Black - $3000 (Greenville/Greer)

92 BMW 525i 5 speed - $1200 (Fairview, NC) but it has a blown engine. This would make a GREAT donor for a twin-cam swap.

I'll continue this later...

Here is a beautiful build finished...e9 BMW CS coupe

if that doesn't leave a good taste in your mouth nothing will....obviously

A super rare e21 find in Virginia

In the super rare catagory, this one makes the list of era-tuner vehicles.
At first only because it's a Baur. As the add says, it's a Dietel car as well. If Dietel tuned the engine and body kit and suspention as the owner says, it's extra rare, but the opportunity is there that it might also be a genuine Alpina. As i said, it says Dietel tuned but...my geuss is it's atleast Alpina parts. At that price, it still makes good as a parts car. The rust looks bad enough, parts cars makes the best assumption.

1979 Dietel Alpina Baur

Couple of BMWs

These are all on eBay and as always, no affiliation.

This is a very nicely redone e30. Clean and five lug to boot but it's an automatic.
1991 BMW 3-Series 325iA

E12s are always nice looking, vintage but this one has had the drive line replaced with e28 M5 parts. Since then however, the M5 engine was totally destroyed but is still in the car.
1979 530I with M5/6 running gear

Update plus some...

Update on the e21 m50 on eBay. It got no bids at $3000. The owner is taking offers on the Bimmerforums.
Ended Auction for e21 m50
Bimmerforums thread

To continue the work truck thought, here is one in NC with powerstroke and 6 speed, plus best of all a Reading service bed.
02 Ford F350 Service Truck

Totally off topic, I thought this Bonneville motorcycle was just an entertaining find.
2006 Suzuki gsxr 1000 turbo bonneville land speed racer

Last but not least, the new issue of BMW Performance features two cars that you would recognize. Top left corner is an E21 from an Aussie that is a regular contributor to the Bimmerforums. Along the bottom, is featured the 2002(e10) with the twin turbo m54.

Update

The add for the transmission below was pulled by the owner, as was the obd1 intake, but the point was just the cost of the project. Less than a $1000 for the whole swap, if you do your own labor, and you're realy creative with the sourcing, and soo that might realy add up to more but not that much more. That is not much more than just getting a new m20...obviously.
Here is a, seemingly, high quality s52 for swap, with everything, but it's $3000.
97-99 BMW S52 with trans.

None the less, at $3000 it's half the price of a Metric Mechanic m20. So if you have an e30 with a blown engine, you could get an s52 installed professionaly for less than the engine alone from MM.

To be fair, Metric Mechanic's sport/rally m20 is 255hp so it is not any less than an s52. It is however $8700! For that much, you can have the above setup(treehouse bits, s52, obd1, installed) with a supercharger and be in the 350-400hp range.

again...Twin-Cam wins!

Twin-cam Swap Parts

The m50/52 based build in mind, here are most of the big parts.

Bmw 1996 M52 Engine 328i - $500 (Mboro)
bmw 325i e36 5 speed transmission - $250 (nashville)
bmw e36 obd1 intake manifold - $100 ( nashville)
BMW M3 Camshafts and trays - $350 (Charlotte)
Of course, no affiliation and these are all craigslist links. so best of luck and don't send any princes of countries you've never heard of your bank info...obviously

Updates and more...toys!

Just to try to keep up with it. The e21 m50 in electric blue that I featured a week or two ago, is back up on eBay. This time with a starting bid of $3500!!!! The cost-to-performance rating on this car is out of this world.
1978 BMW 320i M50b25

As another side note, here is a good writeup by my man Steve Wager.
http://motorpool.wordpress.com/2009/12/23/go-have-a-little-virtual-fun/

More toys on eBay

As always, th e30 twin-cams make the worth watching list. This one seems nicely sorted. Willwoods, 5-lug, obd-1 s52 w/ supercharger(AA) coilovers and camber plates, etc.
1986 BMW 3-Series 325 es
Personaly I would either polish and clear the wheels on the car or put these on.
BBS Style 5s

Here are a pair of nice e36 M3s. They both are slighly damaged in one way or another and as such are a cheap way to get into fast cars.
1995 BMW M3 w/ Dinan Supercharger
1995 BMW M3

Last but not least,
1980 BMW E21 it's not an Alpina but a nice e21

Some BMWs in the western Carolinas

Here are a couple of random cars in the western Carolinas. The first one is a 525i that would make a great m50 donor but for the long block being blown. This car, an e30 chassis and an s50 long block would be a such a great combination.

92 BMW 525i 5 speed - $1200 (Fairview, NC)
plus I bet it could be parted for more money than it costs(aka free parts).

The second one is a 1994 325is(e36) with M3 body kit. The good looks of an M3 but the insurance of a 325i and at a reasonable price($4200).

1994 BMW 325 is 5 speed 116K M3 - $4300 (Inman, SC 29349)

-as always no affiliation

Jeep FC Series

This is an extension on the work truck post but also a natural extension to me being in the market for a new truck.

Until I ran across this one on eBay, I was totally unaware of the FC(Forward Control) models. This certainly is less than surprising as my knowledge of Jeeps is limited to non-existent.

So here is the Wiki entry on the Jeep FC series.

The long and short of it goes like this. The cab over design began with the FC150 which is a 1/2 ton truck built on the CJ5 frame, the later models had a much wider and longer wheelbase. The FC170 was the 1 ton variant, sold in a number of forms including deully rear axle and everything from box to tow truck bed configurations.

Cliff notes: FC150 is I4 powered cab over with a wheelbase that is usable in town.

So this begs the question, with what power plant would you replace this? I'm a fan of a modern driveline, but what would fit and be fun? Probably an I4 but maybe an I6? Torque is a requisite but what else? Did jeep make an engine later that is the obvious fit? a diesel?

Never get in any of these cars....ever....obviously!

This is the entry I had to make. These builders are the worst of the worst.

Moron monster truck the wheels say it all...for future reference never use rebar like that...obviously.

So what would happen if you used all of the worst donor parts you could find then built the body out of plumbing PVC? This car...Never ever let anyone you love in or near or to purchase this vehicle....ever.

Prize for the weirdest combination of vehicles...The Morris Hyundai

A couple of links pulled together...obviously

For quite some time, I have been of the opinion that any of the early BMWs that are powered by m20 engines would make good candidates for the m or s/50/52/54 24v engines. As an owned of an e21(first generation 3-series), I've notices more and more of them being done and getting finished. A couple of posts down you can see that I featured an e21 M50 conversion that went to eBay.
Several of these builds have been documented on the forums and here are the links:
This is the build thread from the blue e21 that went to eBay. Very useful but long.
e21 m50 Build thread
Again this is a build thread of an e21 with a m54 this time.
e21 m54 Build Thread




Engine weight is always a consideration. With these vintage vehicles one has to be careful not to drastically disturb the balance(weight distribution) of the vehicle. These are all general numbers and are POORLY SOURCED at best. Feel free to leave comments if one of these needs contesting.

M10=
M20= 258 lbs
M30= 315 lbs
M50= 299 lbs
European M52=260 lbs(alloy block)I am under the impression that the alloy version of this engine can be sourced from a US Z3 2.8 m52 as well.
US Market M52= 308 lbs(iron blocks)
M54= not sure of the weight but aluminum block and head

So, for fantasy's sake, let consider an obd2 m52 sourced cheap in the United States. I've seen m50s with the correct oil pan(m50 e34 oil pan) for less than $300 but here is a "complete setup" for $1200. The gain is, while a much broader torque band and modern tuning capacity, only about 25hp over an m20b25(168hp vs 193hp). This is where I think the necessity to tune the m50/52(very much as the guys below with the e10)becomes apparent. In my opinion, the m52 above needs a small supercharger with only 6-8 lbs of boost and these cams and an obd1 conversion. Even without the supercharger tangent, that list would grow as you did the shakedown and management and etc but the end point is still the same. This a conversion that can put a vintage BMW daily driver's performance into the 300hp range without compromising drivability. Check out the piece below to see what can happen with infinite time and money.....

Just to leave a good taste in your mouth after all that "technical" reading, here is a 2002(e10) with an m54 twin-turbo swap.
E10 m54 Beauty
Really take a moment with that page. 330lbs of thrust in a 2500lb car sounds like fun to me.

A couple E30 Twin-Cam swaps

Here are a couple of quick links that I've been meaning to post. These are not necessarily for sale and as always no affiliation. The e30 twin-cam conversions are great power to weight and are reasonably priced in the secondary market.

This is one of best street sneakers I've ever seen. S50 engines with superchargers are often in the 400hp range for a 2600 pound car. Now that is exciting driving. The near stock exterior and 318is badging are nice touches.

1991 318is s50 supercharged

Speaking of sneakers, this one is the ultimate stock exterior and and interior...I'm not so sure that the interior was the smartest idea for resale but great for the surprise factor.

E30 S50 Supercharged 401whp





Happy Holidays and Thanks for reading,
The Jonas

More BMWs with engine swaps...

I love some engine swaps, especially in BMWs. Great handling, feel and more power.

The first one is one of my favorite cars, in concept, a BMW CS with a s38(M5 and M6 twin cam 6 cylinder) engine and driveline. In this case, a 1973 3.0 CS M6-Powered Conversion. Beautiful car but the price seems to be out of line, considering the mileage.

This one is more unique in the application. It's a 1987 BMW 325i e30 Convertible with a twin turbo Toyota engine.(see photo of engine bay)

The last one is totally random, just fit the bill as I was writing this up. It's a 1980 BMW 633csi Big Block 454 Auto. Not the swap I would recommend but I bet it's "fun" to drive.

a great engine

I'm a huge fan of ratrods that source parts of great quality to start. This V12 turbo and transmission W215 would make a great start to a really fun build. Everything from the 40-50 American sedans, to trucks(even keep the slush box), to your dream toy...obviously.

As always, no affiliation. This is meant more as a love for the fantasy build that knowledge about this specific engine.

Update on the cars below....plus some new cars...obviously

The E21 m50 went to Ebay, along with many more pictures. Great toy and for $5000!!!

The 1992 e30 Convertible has been pulled from ebay.

Here are two kit cars that I like, again on Ebay...
The first is one of FFR's new super cars. Parts are Corvette sourced.

The second is a Sebring coupe. They are essentialy kit cobras but styled like an Austin Healey.

And to end a classic Mini
Mini MK1 Austin Seven 1960 Show car ...in Britain

And I have to run, that's as long as I can let the driveway shoveling get done by the girlfriend...

Work Trucks and the usual BMWs...obviously

Work trucks are always of interest to me. They hold a special place of needing the human scale of cars plus the need to transport material of a much greater scale.

Here are a pair of Toyota box trucks. This is a great one ton platform. They beg a recab to ratrod truck cab of choice and engine swap(lt1 for $1000)

Box Truck one:
http://asheville.craigslist.org/ctd/1485289736.html

Box Truck two:
http://tricities.craigslist.org/cto/1501254690.html

This is just a couple random work trucks...projects both:

1992 Ford Crew Cab Dually, formerly State Truck



1997 Ford F-350 Powerstroke Diesel, 4 door 5 speed

BMWs on Ebay

First is a Lotus 7, genuinely Lotus branded, late production when production was farmed out. M10 Turbo power!

Really nice e30 M3 S50 build(I'd ditch the carbon bits but that's just taste)


1993 BMW 3-Series Convertible, twin cam conversion again

Couple of engine swap cars from the forums. Fun projects for sale.

E21 with a S14 transplant completed with a link to a build thread.
or on craigslist

E21 with a m50 and fresh paint

...a Mini flipping

Just a good video this time around. Race mini flipping...turns out front wheel drive still understeers

Mini Flipping


Mini Cooper Full Flip Racing Crash - Watch more Funny Videos






one more while I'm at it. Eyes strait ahead....

Pair of turbo "kits"...

No affiliation and no idea how complete either kit is...but obviously it would make any m50 or m30 equipped car more fun...especially the e-30 from yesterday's post.

m50/m52(maybe) kit
http://charlotte.craigslist.org/pts/1483448169.html

m30 kit
http://charlotte.craigslist.org/pts/1470912149.html

Random Cars for Sale ....obviously toys worth the drool

Great build documented through his blog and worth reading the background. His car weighs 2600 pounds and has 210-220hp(Total speculation in both cases.). This is the one of ultimate e-30 street sneakers. That car would give a new Camero SS a run for it's money.
http://5luge30obdim52.blogspot.com/2009/10/for-sale-5-lug-e30-with-28liter-m52.html

Following the last post this will make more sense...
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/M-Coupe-81K-Repairable-Rebuildable-Lot-Drives-Must-See_W0QQitemZ280430376153QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_Cars_Trucks?hash=item414af3f4d9
Great opportunity to get all the parts for an e-21 or e-30 conversion.

Speaking of donors, here is a great Euro donor for anyone(like me) with a clean US e-21 chassis. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1980-E21-Euro-323i-w-2-8L-performance-engine_W0QQitemZ160382963310QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_Cars_Trucks?hash=item255791ce6e
Too much rust repair to become a project in it's own right.

For e-21s though, the finish product comes so cheap. For $4500 you can have this guys already assembled.
http://www.roadfly.com/bmw/classifieds/cars/detview.php?view=45171&sortby=&dir=

Obviously what I've been lacking is more projects...

...by purchasing a pair(yes I'm that sucka) of e21s.

As they were:

Here's the short of it:

1983 BMW 320i, Polaris on blue headed toward black, 137K mi., Purrs beautifully, "good" un-restored condition, needs front rebuild(control arm bushings by several informed speculators- you can feel it release as the brakes are released+classic shake)


1983 320is, Alpine on black, 347k mi., all the Sport options and a thrashed set of Bilstein sports, half-stripped(must be gone by the 22nd per the GF's request)

Current project list is all the basics...
-extra grounds, more grounds and more grounds
-all new lights as of last weekend, drivers Recaro as of yesterday
-battery to the trunk soon(all the parts already),
-re-carpet the parcel shelf & cover the new speaker pods
-move over passenger Recaro and sport wheel and rear sway bar rest of black interior
-rebuild front and rear suspension on the cores removed from the parts car, including getting the Bilsteins rebuilt and new bushings all around. This is next up, soooo feel free to offer parts and/or help, or as a last resort, advice.

Future projects....

-installing everything on the wish list....
-m42 or m50
-rebuild LSD

Wish list:
-black carpet
-springs
-camber plates
-big sway bars
-calipers(Fronts off e36? e34? Rears from MkII. I like making mount plates and bias valves to keep it all balanced... for real...I do)
-fire suppression(small race setup...for street safety)
-remote fuel filter and electric pump(Machinist has my plans for rear strut brace that mounts the battery plus, fire suppression tank, plus fuel pump and filter, and bolts to rear bulkhead at the back seat retainer hooks)
-euro bumpers or some such diving board eliminating part
-fab up front strut brace

Anyhow I could go on like this for years(just ask the GF) but I have to work sometime.

here's the gallery....not much to it yet....

I got the other Recaro in this morning and was halfway through installing the sport steering wheel when the rain cut me off short....This worked out fine though, my GF had just made me some pasta for lunch, and I needed to upload the pictures of the morning's success.

In addition yesterday I got the majority of the rear sub-assembly detached. This was abhorrently pleasing as I hit Bilstein gold.

This bit begs a little history. I owned the white car between 305k and 325k. Sold it to a friend, his first BMW; now he's a BMWCCA member.

First time around, I had installed the struts/shocks after receiving them, used, for a near-gift price(can't remember the fellow's name, from Greensboro, thanks again).

I'm hung-up right now because I can't get the drive shaft to differential bolts off. They are near to impossible to access and so corroded. The grinding and sawing options in my future are looking less than fun.

Quick update:

I got the black door handles installed along with the black backseats and the sport wheel....I could not be more pleased with the affect...enough so that I left the blue rear side panels.

I think the two-tone black/blue interior is here to stay ....I'll post pics soon.

My only complaint was that the surround for the sport wheel is shifting and making a click during vigorous wheel work(it rained here today and i have yet to transplant the LSD). This is less than surprising as only 3 tabs that hold it to wheel are left. ahhh all things in time...

Updated Pictures

Success

The location for the Input panel/block works great. It does not impede the passenger at all and is in no danger getting hit. I might still get a right angle cord eventually. Another side note is that the panel is thin material and does flex when you are plugging the cord in. Again, not a big deal.