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.

Aux Audio Kit Insall for Mini Cooper S '03(r50)

So obviously the new mini(r50&r53) need an aux input. There is now a factory retro-fit kit. Note that this kit is not recommended for Minis with Navigation. Having said that, this guy shows that you can consolidate the aux input and nav connectors. I got my kit from Mini Mania. This is how it arrived.


The disassemble was very easy, I would recommend pre-reading this article. It covers disassemble but I would add a couple of notes.

-The clips that hold the mirror adjuster are tricky to get to but remember to be patient with them. The screws that hold the console in place(4) are under this peice(2) and in the cup holders(2). Accessing these is the reason for removing the mirror adjuster plate.

-The Aux socket in the head unit is obvious when you get in there but just in case. Here's a shot of the new kit plugged in.

-There are several possible locations to mount the aux plug plate. The kit recommends inside the glove box and Greatbear's post recommends the Euro Parcel Shelf on the drivers side but this is aftermarket and not everyone has one. I chose to put mine on the side of the knockout pannel at the base of console.
There is the potential that my location could cause trouble with the passenger's legs/feet but if it proves a problem, I'll either get a right angle audio cord or relocate it to the front of the same panel.

This is way easier than i thought i would be, I'll update this as i get to use it.

Here's the end result:

Links:
Mini Mania - home
Mini Mania Aux Audio Kit
MINI2 Forum FAQ&DIY - interior faq
Mini NA Forum post re: installing this kit with Nav and/or Euro Parcel Tray