BMW inline 6 cylinders.

[RTz]

Bawb,

 

If I remember correctly, you're planning to boost your motor. Do you have much need for aftermaket? Your stock cams will probably be more than adequate, as you've mentioned a standalone should be in the recipe, JE Pistons can handle any CR goal, the chances of any BMW turbo manifold fitting a Z are pretty well nill, so it's a wash either way, plumbing will always have to be custom for these types of projects, etc, etc. Unless your target is 1000hp, the road blocks should be manageable. In other words, stop making excuses and get that damn thing running so we can rendezvous at the first annual EuroZfest

[Pzary3233]

Stock cams are suited more to boost until you star going over 600hp. Yes there are aftermarket boost cams but they are not needed for a safe motor.

 

Which Manifolds have you tried? Have you tried the bottom mount manifolds that tuck the turbo under the leaning tower of power? Rather then a top mount.

 

http://www.racersmarket.net/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=garden_flypage.tpl&product_id=49&category_id=7&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=93

 

 

One way that BMW owners have gotten around the turbo packaging is this:

 

TRM also does tuning. the Stock DME is plenty powerful to run a turbo motor. a friend is running a 600 hp turbo motor with a TRM tune. Runs well when it stays together (due to stupidity of the owner not the tuner or builder).

 

Talk with the guys are TRM you'll be glad you did.

Edited September 29, 2010 by Pzary3233

[MAG58]

Ron: Motor's done. Car got hit by a sorority **** and is in the hands of the insurance. It's out of my hands, and I'm a little scared.

It's going to be stock for now, but at under 380 lift and barely 224 duration on the cams, is it too much to ask for something so... docile? The motor is completely out of wheeze even at 231hp and 6k.

 

Pzary: My motor was made by the swabians, not the gents from munich, hence my envy of BMW's support.

*Prepares for slow/old geezer/taxi Jokes*

Edited September 29, 2010 by MAG58

[Pzary3233]

Ha! Though secretly I have always wanted to build a 190e....

[SanMaru]

We have a complete E90 donor with a N52B30 Engine and AWD transmission. We are thinking of just running a different 5 or 6 speed trans but not sure if the older Transmission will fit the E90 Engine. we plan to get all the electronics out of the Vehicle to run the engine.. but not sure if converting to Manual trans will effect the factory Engine management system.

 

We're open to suggestions.

[Neverdone]

To my knowledge I don't think BMW has changed their bolt pattern on their bellhouses for damn near 20 years now.

 

The BMW Z4 at least used to run the M54 before it switched to the N52, however the transmission never really changed (who manufactured it might have debateably). This means your manual transmission options are pretty open.

 

If you wanted a 5 speed your best bet is to find one from a 328I or E36 M3. They are cheap, all over the place, and very smooth. You could get one out of an E36 325I, but it's not as good of a transmission.

 

6 speeds you pretty much have 2 options.

 

You can get the Getreg 217 out of a BMW E46 330I ZHP, a Z4 3.0i/is, or any of the E90's (however these are hard to find with most a-holes opting for auto's)

 

You can also get the Getreg 226 out of an E46 M3. It's your strongest bet.

 

The motor you have is making about 230 at the crank, however the same engine in an X3/5 makes about 30 more horsepower, but I don't know what the difference is.

 

It's a really light engine though, and would suit a Z perfectly as far as I can tell.

 

EDIT: Oh yeah, and if you're going to use the factor EMS for the Bimmer engine, you'll need the key from that specific car, and the ignition switch as well to deal with the ews.

 

Either that or you'll have to run a standalone ems.

Edited April 7, 2011 by Neverdone

[rayaapp2]

Found this and thought it could be useful to this thread.

 

BMW M & S motors in order

[Oddmanout84]

I was really interested in doing this, since I love BMW engines and Ron Tyler's "M"Z is pretty sweet... but after a day I'm seeing that performance parts for these are prohibitively expensive...

 

Gotta be the badge tax...

 

Edit: Maybe I'm giving up too soon though. My goal would be under 500hp, so maybe I wouldn't need that much engine "bling" anyway...

Edited May 1, 2011 by Oddmanout84

[RTz]

Oddman, The Motorsport motor is nice in NA trim, but not necessarily the holly grail in boosted form. Many FI enthusiasts prefer the non-M motors (M50, M52, etc.) and these are much more affordable. They share the same footprint (so, we know they fit) and a reliable 500HP is almost child's play.

[Oddmanout84]

Thanks Ron.

 

I do like the S52 you swapped in, but I was considering one of the M50's myself since it looks like they can be purchased for considerably less... and by a large margin to the RB series motors I had been considering before. Though I suppose the initial cost savings of purchasing the motor itself would be offset by the items needed to install it and build it for boost.

 

Do you know off the top of your head if the motors all share the same profile and engine mount locations?

[RTz]

The M50/M52 shares the same architecture as the S52. Should fit the 'same' as my S52.

[Hey_You]

The M50/M52 shares the same architecture as the S52. Should fit the 'same' as my S52.

 

This is true. I'm involved in the e30 chassis BMW forums [where many a folk swap to the m50/m52/s50/s52 as they all fit perfect (as long as you use the oilpan from the the 5 series cars.)] Only thing holding back the installation of the m54 engines is the complexity of the electrical systems (thus the need for the ignition assembly/key/everything else, although it has been done). If you are interested in learning some things about the engines, a good place to check is r3vlimited in the 24v engine swap section. TRM is a great company to deal with from what I have heard. Boosting the m50/52 doesn't take too much for lowerer number (350ish rwhp)

[HowlerMonkey]

I have a good answer for the "why bmw?" question.

 

"because BMW was running 850hp inline sixes in the late 70s.

 

[Gollum]

I have a good answer for the "why bmw?" question.

 

"because BMW was running 850hp inline sixes in the late 70s.

 

And people were doing the same with datsuns...

 

...Was I just channeling Tony? My head seems to be spinning.

 

Found this and thought it could be useful to this thread.

 

BMW M & S motors in order

 

Does anyone seem to trust these weights at all? At first I was like "that's light, must be a longblock weight" but then as I got further down I realized the V8's were absurdly light as well. Is there any reason to believe these? I can't think of any DOHC V8 capable of 4+ liters that's much under 400 pounds in longblock form and will usually weigh in over 450+ once you add accessories and such. And they're way down at the BOTTOM of the 300 pound range??? Seems unlikely.

[Hey_You]

Miller Performance

If you are looking to simplify an install, and want to add boost, look to these guys. Huge support for the e30 BMW crowd where they are OFTEN swapping in M50-S52. Miller has been working with the m20 and m30 for a long time and have several tunes for them, but are now doing a tune package for the m50-s52 and will be adding boost to it as well

Also, the m30 doesn't take much to be pretty beastly. And it is reliable as a rock. Otis (known as Good'N'Tight on forums) has been very successful with the m30 I would say. Take a look at this little video. Good alternative for a straight line Z.

Edited October 9, 2011 by Hey_You

[philom5]

This is my first post on Hybridz and so far I'm loving the forum.

 

I'm in the process of swapping an S54 into an old school e28 m5. I'm fortunate enough to have this car as a daily driver and is a total blast on the LA freeways. The S38-b35 is a sweet revving engine but the S54 is going to transform the car

 

I've been following this thread with great interest. Gareth did a great job listing the various engine types, including the MotorSport icons, and agree that shoving an inline bimmer 6 cylinder into a Z car is a great idea. After all, it shares a similar layout to the L engines, can tweak the heck out of them to get tons of HP and rival crazy V8 swaps, and the exotic nature of some of the early M engines makes a Z hybrid a really cool car.

 

Which brings me to my reason for posting. I have a stroked S38-b35 that is now a b37, has cams, higher compression, forged pistons, head is ported, you get the idea. So I've been looking around for a 240 shell but everything I find is rusted or thrashed beyond the point of repair. I've found many 10k cars that are pretty clean but would hate to alter such an iconic car and one that is in great shape.

 

So I have a few questions to help me through my drama.

 

* If I swap in a MotorSport S38 into a clean 240Z will I kill the value of the car ?

* With the engine in its current form producing roughly 320 hp at the wheels will the stock diff manage the power?

* I'm planning on swapping in the engine and a 6 speed trans from the Euro e34 M5 (s38-b38) and wondering if this trans will fit the tunnel. It's roughly the same size (width/height) as a Getrag 260 but 3" longer.

* As for the driveline are people taking the mounting flange (driveshaft side) to the stock Datsun diff and welding it to a modified BMW driveline ? Also, is there a center on the stock Datsun driveshaft ?

* The s38 oiling is front sump so I have a feeling I'll need to rework the pan.., not sure though.

* Do the 240s have a power rack & pinion ?

 

The thought of having a high winding S38 in the light weight Z chassis is very exciting. Any thoughts or suggestions are welcome. And if anyone knows of a good car for this project please by all means let me know.

 

Ron.., if you have any pics of your swap I'd love to see them.

 

Thanks.

 

Philo

_______

88 M5

Hopefully a Z-car soon.

Edited April 18, 2012 by philom5

[NewZed]

Miller Performance

If you are looking to simplify an install, and want to add boost, look to these guys. Huge support for the e30 BMW crowd where they are OFTEN swapping in M50-S52. Miller has been working with the m20 and m30 for a long time and have several tunes for them, but are now doing a tune package for the m50-s52 and will be adding boost to it as well

Also, the m30 doesn't take much to be pretty beastly. And it is reliable as a rock. Otis (known as Good'N'Tight on forums) has been very successful with the m30 I would say. Take a look at this little video. Good alternative for a straight line Z.

 

Just watched this video and have to say that Good'n'Tight must be a real dumbass. 99 mph down a residential street full of family houses, and posts a video of his ignorant idiocy. Cool video! Thanks for sharing!

 

 

philom5, sorry to dump on your post. Good luck with your project.

Edited April 19, 2012 by NewZed

[Vintage-TechZ]

This is my first post on Hybridz and so far I'm loving the forum.

 

I'm in the process of swapping an S54 into an old school e28 m5. I'm fortunate enough to have this car as a daily driver and is a total blast on the LA freeways. The S38-b35 is a sweet revving engine but the S54 is going to transform the car

 

I've been following this thread with great interest. Gareth did a great job listing the various engine types, including the MotorSport icons, and agree that shoving an inline bimmer 6 cylinder into a Z car is a great idea. After all, it shares a similar layout to the L engines, can tweak the heck out of them to get tons of HP and rival crazy V8 swaps, and the exotic nature of some of the early M engines makes a Z hybrid a really cool car.

 

Which brings me to my reason for posting. I have a stroked S38-b35 that is now a b37, has cams, higher compression, forged pistons, head is ported, you get the idea. So I've been looking around for a 240 shell but everything I find is rusted or thrashed beyond the point of repair. I've found many 10k cars that are pretty clean but would hate to alter such an iconic car and one that is in great shape.

 

So I have a few questions to help me through my drama.

 

* If I swap in a MotorSport S38 into a clean 240Z will I kill the value of the car ?

* With the engine in its current form producing roughly 320 hp at the wheels will the stock diff manage the power?

* I'm planning on swapping in the engine and a 6 speed trans from the Euro e34 M5 (s38-b38) and wondering if this trans will fit the tunnel. It's roughly the same size (width/height) as a Getrag 260 but 3" longer.

* As for the driveline are people taking the mounting flange (driveshaft side) to the stock Datsun diff and welding it to a modified BMW driveline ? Also, is there a center on the stock Datsun driveshaft ?

* The s38 oiling is front sump so I have a feeling I'll need to rework the pan.., not sure though.

* Do the 240s have a power rack & pinion ?

 

The thought of having a high winding S38 in the light weight Z chassis is very exciting. Any thoughts or suggestions are welcome. And if anyone knows of a good car for this project please by all means let me know.

 

Ron.., if you have any pics of your swap I'd love to see them.

 

Thanks.

 

Philo

_______

88 M5

Hopefully a Z-car soon.

 

* If I swap in a MotorSport S38 into a clean 240Z will I kill the value of the car ?

-Absolutely not. Only a purist would respond otherwise.

* With the engine in its current form producing roughly 320 hp at the wheels will the stock diff manage the power?

-It will live for a great while....replace it with a heftier version later when time and money allows.-( Q45-R200 +)

* I'm planning on swapping in the engine and a 6 speed trans from the Euro e34 M5 (s38-b38) and wondering if this trans will fit the tunnel. It's roughly the same size (width/height) as a Getrag 260 but 3" longer.

-I have lots of experience with the E34 drive-trains and would say that I do know the trans are compact and should fit the S30 tunnel.

* As for the driveline are people taking the mounting flange (driveshaft side) to the stock Datsun diff and welding it to a modified BMW driveline ? Also, is there a center on the stock Datsun driveshaft ?

- The S30 does NOT have a Guibo center carrier bearing, its a single shaft unit. Building your custom shaft will require the use of the Datsun diff end and tube/shaft welded to the BMW yoke end and then balanced.

* The s38 oiling is front sump so I have a feeling I'll need to rework the pan.., not sure though.

-You will need to explore this first with measurments from your motor mount choice or position and the pan plunge size. A customized oem pan is do-able due to it being cast aluminum,or go full custom pan.

* Do the 240s have a power rack & pinion ?

-No...rack and pinion....but power assist's have been done from the Subaru line.

 

I have a M50 non Vanos for sale for anyone interested in doing the swap. It runs great and only had 80k on it.

 

By the way...for those that referenced the Z4 S.I. N52 engines....those were a magnesium alloy block which gave them such light weight and 265hp. The Z4 M variant's had an iron block at 330hp. Oddly enough...the 70 hp difference barely made any difference in the 0-60 times and 1/4 mile distances. Although no one seems to have boosted the S.I. powerplants....there have been 100's of supercharged and a handful of turbo charged Z4's on the M engine making upwards of useable 450-550 hp.

[RTz]

Ron.., if you have any pics of your swap I'd love to see them.

 

These are the BMW build threads that I'm aware of...

 

http://forums.hybridz.org/index.php/topic/79806-rt260-bmw-m-powered/

 

http://forums.hybridz.org/index.php/topic/97688-s50b32-euro-m-powered-240/

 

http://forums.hybridz.org/index.php/topic/100527-bmw-m52-into-77-280z/

 

http://forums.hybridz.org/index.php/topic/95675-240z-bmw-s52/

[RTz]

I'm selling an S52 in the Oregon/Washington area... http://portland.craigslist.org/clc/pts/2997139722.html