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Z3 Engine swap - thoughts?

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Graham
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Z3 Engine swap - thoughts?

Postby Graham » Wed Oct 05, 2011 9:20 pm

I've wanted a BMW Z3 for a while now but the main thing that puts me off is performance, most engines are little 1.8-1.9 4cyl or 2.0-2.2 6cyl with the rare 3.0L 6cyl.. the other day I was thinking why not just swap the engine?

So anyway I know engine swaps aren't easy and can be very costly and require custom fabrication for engine mounts, new headers/exhaust to fit the car and all that jazz but it still seems like an awesome idea!

My first thought was something small and responsive like an SR20DET (From the Silvia's) which would leave plenty of space and replace the other 4cyl already in the car. I googled it later that day and saw someone had already done it.. and was producing 530hp @ 26PSI!

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I saw that there is still alot of room in the engine bay and the curiosity of a bigger engine got the better of me so my next idea and google search was an LS1 (Out of early model Corvettes in America or more commonly V8 holdens in Aus).

Turns out that this had been done too but was a bit tricker! A wider kit was needed with a stronger diff and the engine is a tight squeeze but having such a powerful motor in such a small car would definitely be interesting!

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Another thought that popped into my head was the BMW S54 engine which is in the E36 M series aswell as a Z3 M coupe (but I want a convertible not a coupe :P ).. being made from the same manufacturer I'd imagine it would be a much simpler swap than anything else and this engine goes HARD producing over 320hp with a 3.2L N/A engine!


Anyway, these are just thoughts at this stage, I've been keeping an eye on the price of Z3's for sale in Aus and they seem to be anywhere from 12-30k at the moment, ideally I want a black exterior with red interior :)
I'm thinking that once I have my skyline paid off I might start saving up for a Z3 and do an engine swap - it'd be an awesome project to do DIY :D


Thoughts?
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Postby -ToM- » Wed Oct 05, 2011 9:26 pm

2JZ-GTE.

Have fun

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Postby Leez » Thu Oct 06, 2011 12:18 am

-ToM- wrote:2JZ-GTE. Have fun


QFT. Exactly what I was going to suggest. 3.0L twin turbo straight 6. Nuff said.

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Postby Dire » Thu Oct 06, 2011 12:27 am

I'll be the killjoy and say why do it the hard way? Get an r32 or something else old and cheap and put whatever you want in it :P

Or is your heart set on Z3's now? :P

Supercharge an mx-5? :lol:

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Postby n_aghdassi » Thu Oct 06, 2011 12:33 am

$$$?

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Postby Graham » Thu Oct 06, 2011 12:36 am

I'm getting a cheap r33 gtst next month (unless the seller changes his mind... again :P ) so that's gonna be my car for a while and when I pay off that 8k loan I can then save up for a Z3 and once I've got that I can sell my skyline... atleast that's the plan at this stage, stuff might change!


yeah a 2JZ would be pretty good, could be another option to consider but I think that'd be a pretty expensive engine compared to an SR20 (2k) or LS1 (3-4k)?


mx5's are okay but nah, I've always loved the Z3 convertible :) and the other day I found out it's also in my favourite 007 film! :P
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Postby Dire » Thu Oct 06, 2011 12:39 am

So you want the look and want to find a way to give it the power? :P

Whats wrong with the BMW 3.0L?

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Postby Leez » Thu Oct 06, 2011 12:51 am

Bugatti W16 FTW. :P

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Postby jerryme » Thu Oct 06, 2011 1:47 am

Rb26?? :shock:

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Postby 13EZY » Thu Oct 06, 2011 5:01 am

my mate had a Z3 and the gearbox and clutch plate on 3.0 v6 is not real flash
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Postby Graham » Thu Oct 06, 2011 10:12 am

3.0 isn't powerful enough for me, plus the 3.0 Z3's are pretty rare to find and are alot more costly than the others
plus the difference between the 3.0 and 3.2 is about 100hp and more potential ontop of that :P

If I could afford a W16 VW engine I'd be buying a Lamborghini or something not a bmw :P
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Postby evolution_1988 » Thu Oct 06, 2011 10:22 am

If you want to stay in the BMW family, engine wise (and save yourself a lot of hassle), why not swap a S54 (E46 M3), in the US, these were actually installed into the Z3 to make the M Coupe. 242kW isnt too bad :P

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_M_Coupe

Otherwise... depends on what you are chasing, is it peak power? Then maybe a RB26DETT is a good option, great aftermarket support, stable engine... Or maybe your after a cornering machine? F22C would also be a nice replacement, add a S/C to gain some extra ponies, yet still having a 9k redline.

Ohh wait, I forgot, every project has a budget ^^

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Postby Graham » Thu Oct 06, 2011 12:16 pm

yeah I'd love a S54 (was in my original post :P ) it would be expensive to buy locally but if I get one from US/Europe it'd probably work out cheaper even with shipping! lol

I'm not really after huge power figures I still want it to remain drivable, after all I have a 1000cc sportsbike if I want to go fast so that isn't an issue ;)
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Postby evolution_1988 » Thu Oct 06, 2011 1:03 pm

Yeah, comes down to the budget then Im guessing.

If you want a "project" car, then I reckon, something like a SR20DET, is probably your best bet. You can pick the engine and gearbox up for around 2 -3k and theres plenty of aftermarket support, so tuning it will also bring a lot of enjoyment :)

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Postby Graham » Thu Oct 06, 2011 1:14 pm

yeah, pretty much - all budgets are going to be "as cheap as possible" but it isn't always the case :P alot of people say that the figure you've estimated for an engine swap.. triple it and that'll be how much it'll cost all up

It'll be something I'd like to start early-mid next year but if I had the money I'd do it now :P
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