Finally got around to joining BMWCCA. I've owned a 91 325iX for about a year and a half now, and before that an 88 735i. I've got some good projects planned; just picked up an 88 iX parts car and will be swapping out my current slushbox transmission with a manual. Also looking at rebuilding an M20, though I haven't decided whether to make any performance upgrades or just keep it a clean running stock. It's a bit advanced for my experience level, but I'm interested and excited to learn. Anyway, look forward to joining the community and hopefully getting involved in some of the events and activities.
Welcome. Your going to have a lot of fun working on your E30. They are great to learn on. Fairly simple and straight forward. If I were going to rebuild my M20 I think I would put the 2.7 crank and appropriate other parts in the bottom and keep the head the same. I rebuilt my head but the bottom was pristine so I left it alone.
Playing with an iX Welcome to the zoo! I'm sure you already know that the iX block and other M20 blocks have several surprising differences. . . I will say that a 2.7 conversion makes a right lively little ride, but things CAN get a little out of hand. . . at this point the Bad Dog (no, that white car on the left is NOT my E30 325iX!) makes about 350 horsepower in loaf mode, thanks to a certain Mr. D*n*n. On the other hand, you could blow all your money on food and shelter.
Food and shelter are overrated. And how the HELL have Dinan mods contributed to that much power from a stock M20??? JEEEEEZ!
Yes, Welcome to the Zoo! You will be very happy once you convert to a manual. I did this to my ix and it runs so much better with a manual. The auto box in an E30 suck out a lot of power. Also the 4.10 diffs are great with a manual. I would say go for more power if you are doing a rebuild anyway, but keep it mild if this is a street machine.
I've spent a few nights in my 750iL's backseat. It's not a bad place to be. Food on the other hand is definitely a necessity. I can't tell you how many times this car has forced me on a temporary diet of Ramen noodles (Dude, they 18 cents a pack a Wal-Mart. Just boil water and eat). Don't underestimate the sharp folks at Dinan. They were able to wring 502 horsepower along with increased torque of 384 lb-ft at 5600 rpm out of a bored and stroked M3 4.6L V8.
Thanks everyone. I'm pretty sure it goes BMW > food > shelter. I'll probably just be looking at a modest power boost with the rebuild, but that's still a ways out before I have the time and resources to get into it. In the short term, I'm just looking forward to see the difference the manual makes.
