Engine differences 320i (question now answered)

[E30-OBSESSION]

My mate has blown his 320i up!!
It is an F reg car but someone I know has an engine from a C reg 320i(just head and block, no injection system or anything else).
The question being are you able to swap all the later stuff to the older block? i.e are there timing or fuel injection issues?

[jonbuoy]

I'm not exactly up on the E30 engines but i have been told that on the 2.5 the later blocks are low compression and the earlier blocks are high compression, same with the head's. I'm asuming the block's are the same just bored out. Not sure if that helps or if you already knew that but worth knowing

[Brianmoooore]

Should be able to bolt all the later stuff onto the early engine. Can't see the slight differemce in comp. ratio causing any problems.

[E30-OBSESSION]

thanks for the replies, has anyone ever done this in the past??,
any other advice maybe?

[Brianmoooore]

Putting later management stuff on an early block has been done many times by people building up 2.7s from 525e bottom ends.

[E30-OBSESSION]

Excellent, let the work commence

[Templ8e30]

The only problem I forsee is that the early 320i head is casting number 200 with the small ports, whereas the later 320i has a 731 head with larger ports.

The later manifold has larger runners to match the 731 ports, if fitted to the smaller 200 ports they will impede gasflow

Cheers,

Iain T

[Mops]

Yes, early heads are 9.7 compression, later ones are 8:7 (for 325i)
320 head will bolt on straight, but the head is poor flowing. much better effect on 323 head on 325 block.