E30 Zone

Hello chaps, i have really been mulling over lots of different engine ideas in my head for nearly a year now and really cant decide which way to go.

I currently have considered everything from turboing my current m20b25 to the usual engine conversions as well as jap stuff although i couldnt bring myself to desicrate my e30 with other manufacturers stuff.

Now one thing is for sure having owned both a well sorted standard 318is and now my 325 with full e36 M3 5stud and brakes conversion is that the m20 is a bit of an anchor and the car is no where near as nimble.

Now i was recently hugely inspired by watching an oldskool documentary from the late 80s on youtube last night about F1 engine and in particular the BMW 1.5 turbo from that era which made a cool 1200bhp. Wouldnt it be cool to built a 4 pot m10 turbo as a little nod those F1 engines of old?......

This is the video im refering to and if youre interested in F1 and particular engines it really is an awesome 2hrs worth sitting through.

Now i was wondering what about a nice lighter m10 engine preserving the front weight of the car and handling but being good for around 300bhp which is more than i want/need really lets be honest. It cracks me up listening to some individuals on here going on about dropping an m50 turbo in and making 500bhp ha ha its ridiculous especially when they would probably struggle to drive an mx 5 on its limit - sorry im ranting now ha ha Im no ari vatenen but im a fairly reasonable driver an even a well set up standard sport isnt the easiest to master with a little bit of grease on the road.

So what are people experiences with turbo m10s, i am on a reasonably tight budget and reliability/drivability is more important than any power figures within reason.

Any input/discussion around this topic is greatly appreciated and thanks in advance.

Im failry happy with the turbo plumbing etc it is more the ECU side of things and the running of it i dont know much about.

I can remember his user name but there is a member on here who has build big power turbo m10's & turbo s14's

hmm ok hopefully he'll pipe up.

I guess im ignoring the 318is lump too which is a much more modern design...

Ive researched the engine weights and they are as follows:

M10 83kgs

M40 81kgs

M42 100kgs

M20 117kgs

I think that makes for very interesting reading, the m20 is a bit lighter than i was expecting and the M42 seems heavy.

Given this is budget engine i guess a simple M10 or M40 is the one to go for. Do any of you guys have views on which engine is better or a good reason to go for an M42 over an M10/M40? appart from 16 valves obviously

Been reading up on the M40 engine and i guess it seems to have 2 main positive over the others being marginally lighter and unlike the old fashioned valve train of the m10 it has mechanical tappets. Also single cam meaning more simple for a boosted engine and less faff than the 16v?

If you are going to boost a 4 pot there are 3 options

S14
M10
M42

The m40 isn't worth it doing. Of the 3 above, the s14 will be ruled out due to the cost and availability of it.

M42 has its issues and finding a decent one to start with is difficult. M10 is the way to go for me. It's simple, it's strong, it's well catered for

See this thread, at the foot of the M10 Engines forum:

http://www.e30zone.net/modules.php?name ... c&t=155664

Hi guys! I build now one m10 turbo! Its the simple stupid primitive engine! Thats why its the best ;)
The valve rocker no too strong but the pistons and piston racks strong enough!

My engine:

Looks sweet. How much poke does it give?

Speedtouch wrote:Looks sweet. How much poke does it give?

I dont know yet! Its no 100%finish
Buth around 280-300hp with this k24 turbo

Impressive. Is that with the standard 1800cc capacity?

Speedtouch wrote:Impressive. Is that with the standard 1800cc capacity?

Yes! full rebuild 1.8 engine, fire rings gasket, turbo camshaft, VEMS ecu....

Great stuff. What more needs to be done?

Speedtouch wrote:Great stuff. What more needs to be done?

All fuel sistem, m3 brakes, brake pipes.. and some body works... vems kit instal and maping... and I waiting the new chain kit... Lots of job left..

Nice sized down pipe there. Is it 3" and how did you get it past the steering column?

ross_jsy wrote:Nice sized down pipe there. Is it 3" and how did you get it past the steering column?

Its just the heat shield on it!




Sorry I no have better pictures yet...