Need some unbiased opinions...

[makenzie71]

Well my car's getting on in age and it's getting about time to take the head off and start cleaning everything up.  Really have no problem with that.  Thing is, though, I want more power.  I really want in the area of 350rwhp, but it's not necessary.  The biggest hitch here is that I want to turbocharge the car.  BMW has made it so that this particular car simply isn't fond of boosting without spending boo coo bucks.  On the flip side, I could stab in a motor I know intimately and is built around being boosted all to hell.  Here lies the dilemma.

Turbo'ing the M52 (BMW E36 328i engine) can be done simply enough using piggyback fuel injector systems.  Here I would be out about $2500, doing all the work on my own.  The problems here are that I will be limited to 8lbs and under...the stock internals, as a general rule, just can't handle it.  I would be limited to around 265rwhp...about 80hp more than I currently throw down.

~or~

I would really like to stab a 3.0 Toyota Supra 7m-GTE and R154 transmission in the car.  I would have the benefit of a motor that has been proven to take 650+ hp on stock guts, and do it reliably.  It would have a tremendous aftermarket and be extremely eager to accept modifications.  25psi+ is not out of the question...ever...so long as I can supply enough fuel.  The downside is that no one has ever done it before.  I will have to custom fabricate the engine and transmission mounts.  I could do this, basically, for about $1500 and be in the 225~250whp range.  For around $4000 I would be putting down 450+ rwhp.  I would also, after it's all said and done, be able to sell my current engine and transmission for around $2000.

Of course I can supply more details of either to whoever cares, but that's the basic dilemma.

[pantablo]

while I dont particularly think either is a good idea on that car from an objective pov I'd have to say the first option isnt worth doing on the simple basis that it wont get you to your goal of 350rwhp. sounds like option 2 has the capability of reaching that, for more money.

[makenzie71]

Why don't you think either is a good idea for this car?  I can't think of anything that would complement the chassis more than having more go...

[makenzie71]

Actually I just started looking at stuff and I could do the basic swap for under $1500.  89+ Turbo supras can be had for about $1000 if they're beat on.  That plus a new headgasket, crank/rod bearings, and a turbo rebuild would put in the $1390 area, and I'd be able to push around 290bhp.

[Kasumi]

I can't understand this either 

For the money your talking you could buy an old beat up supra, or other hot car (obviously not in great condition) but then with selling the BMW you would have another lump sum to fix it up and get it running sweet as a nut... you have a new car, less work, and an engine designed for the car its in.

[makenzie71]

Like I said I'm about to have to do some work anyway, and I want more power out of her.  If I wanted another car, that's what I would do...I want this car to have more juice.  these are the options that lay before me.

[The Buddha]

Kasumi, 80's supra's are really really shitty for all body bits. The frame, the body panels, the interior everything except the motor are total junk. It really would need a decent body and frame to work to its potential.
Ergo, I think supra in BMW is a good idea.
Cool.
Srinath.

[makenzie71]

It's not impossible to find a decent body MKIII Supra out there...there's several around.  One in my area for sale, even...for $8500.  Good body cars with easy price tags are far and few between.  I can buy a real beater for $1000, however, and have everything I need for a basic swap...putting another 40hp in the bimmer and likely coming ahead when I turn and sell the M52.

[pantablo]

resale value will plummet if you swap engines. you're making a project car out of a bimmer. Far fewer people are going to be interested in a project than in an old bimmer. Of those few that would be interested would probably be like you and want to make their own.

Thats what I'm talking about.

[sanjay]

Can you afford to deal with the car if something goes wrong with the setup?  A friend of mine turbo'd his E36 M3 and 6 months later the engine looked like this:



That said, I've heard of people turbo'ing E36's (usually M3 more than 328i) and I've also seen a few shoehorning engines, including the Supra (usually 318i more than 328i).  I'd ask on a bimmer board to get opinions on cost and reliability. Are the chassis and drivetrain going to be fine with 350 rwhp?

[makenzie71]

The bimmer people tell me it'll be fine as long as I can throw money at it like a mad man...I get stuff along the lines of "oh you should just slap this kit on...and it's on sale for only $11,455!  That's a steal!"  Stabbing a foreign engine in allows me to have the ability to handle holes in the block (another 7m block runs about $400 in perfect shape).

resale value will plummet if you swap engines. you're making a project car out of a bimmer. Far fewer people are going to be interested in a project than in an old bimmer. Of those few that would be interested would probably be like you and want to make their own.

Thats what I'm talking about.

Resale value went to shaZam! when someone parked their dodge on her anyway

[makenzie71]

However, I don't think it'd be difacult to sell a 400+whp 328i...regardless of engine...though I won't be selling her.  Too much has already hindered her value to make her worth selling, so I'll be stuck with her til she's scrap.

[The Buddha]

Peetey Pablo - resale value WTF, since when did anything have resale value.
Cool.
Srinath.

[Kasumi]

No first we should re-use, re-purpose, and then resell, if not recycle 

[makenzie71]

sanjay can you tell me anything about what your friend did?  Was it a kit rubo or a home-brew setup?  What did he do to support it?

[The Buddha]

Right Kasumi, and he is re-using his car body, re-purposing the motor out of a rotten supra, re-fusing to listen to peetey pablo (very important but often over looked step of the re-process), and will re-sell the motor out of his bimmer before re-cycling the scrap metal out of the supra when he hacks it to pieces. I'd say he's got 5 stars from the re-tards at Gstwin 
Cool.
Srinath.

[Jughead]

Peetey Pablo - resale value WTF, since when did anything have resale value.
Cool.
Srinath.

Retards Buying Used Harleys for more than they're Worth.   Sorry I didn't mean Any Disrespect Against Harley Buying Retards here on the Board. Sorry I've Had a Few too Many Beers and Srinath Answered a Question I had to Ask.

[GeeP]

Save the money and buy some machine tools and a small library of reference books.  Then build a car.   

[sanjay]

I think he did most of it himself, but I'm not sure.  I'll check with him and get back to you. 

[Kasumi]

Save the money and buy some machine tools and a small library of reference books.  Then build a car.   

We build kit cars Built quite a few JBA's a 5exi, some really old ones i can't remeber the name of, an AC Cobra, a couple of Westfields and a Caterham Superlight.

Nothing more fun than building cars.

I really want to have a go at trying to recreate a true American street racer. Over here in England you just don't get them. You get boy racers in chavved up punto 1.2's with a bodykit that they bought from halfords and glued on. Id really like to do something like an RX7 or a Supra with a big block and custom paint job... Don't think my dad would be really interested though lol!