Engine rebuild or m52 2.8 conversion?

Tue Jan 22, 2013 9:57 am

I currently have an m20 2.5 and have been planning on an m52 2.8 conversion but my mechanic mate has thrown a spanner in the works. He said I should rebuild my current engine and add forged piston, change the cams and maybe then add a turbo.

Any advice would be great.

Thanks everyone.

Tue Jan 22, 2013 10:04 am

Depends on what you want to use the car for I would suggest... Road or track?

M52 is a great conversion ad drives really well compared to the M20 from what I have been told / read on here. Loads of material for you to read as well - the search engine is your friend!!

If you have a cabbaged M20, my vote would be to go M52 - M20's are expensive to rebuild well and you will get more power andf more potential out of the box with a good secondhand M52...

Good luck!

Wed Jan 23, 2013 11:53 am

I forgot to mention I use my car for commuting to work. So I need it to be reliable.

So I'm better off getting an m52 and maybe rebuilding that then?

Wed Jan 23, 2013 7:53 pm

No need to rebuild an M52 unless you are increasing the capacity/power etc

Expect to be spending £3000+ for a decent M20 rebuild with forged/custom pistons

Fri Jan 25, 2013 2:14 pm

DanThe wrote:No need to rebuild an M52 unless you are increasing the capacity/power etc

Expect to be spending £3000+ for a decent M20 rebuild with forged/custom pistons

Hi DanThe. I wouldn't be adding power straight away. I have plans for a supercharger maybe in the future. Is it a good idea to service and modify the engine in preparation for more power even if its now for a long time as its easier with the engine out of the car?