Sometimes being stuck indoors gives you time to think. Sometimes you think of something cool. Sometimes you don't. But at least you have plenty of time to think.
Over the winter of 2009-10 we've definitely had plenty of indoor (thinking) time! The weather has been as cold as the nights are long. It's too cold to even go to the garage and work on the car. So, what to do, but dream big dreams?
I have a 1991 BMW 318is. BMW produced these cars from the 1980s into the early 1990s. The company designation for this car was the BMW e30. It was a lucky find, this car. I bought it from its original owner, who bought it in Germany. It is a US-spec car. With only 140k miles, it has not been abused. The car is light and quick. I think the car us just the right size. Perfect for commuting or taking the dog to the park. The little 1.8-liter engine revs freely and gives good performance once it is wound up. It is rated at 134 horsepower by BMW.
Over the years I have made a few upgrades. A Dinan chip. A shortened gear shift linkage. A set of BMW M3 leather sport seats. Nice wheels and tires for summer. A BMW Z3 steering rack for quicker steering. New shocks/struts and springs for better handling. For this winter, I bought a set of 4 Bridgestone Blizzak snow tires. Very timely. This car used to be a handful in the snow. With these tires, it is on rails! Amazing!
At some point over the winter, we began discussing the eventual engine rebuild or replacement that is inevitable. Should we rebuild it ourselves? Should we exchange for a rebuilt engine? Should we upgrade to get more performance?
As I mentioned, the engine in this car is willing, but it is small. It takes a lot of revs to feel much response to the throttle. Taking off from a stop sign is not one of this engine’s strengths. Once out on the open highway, it is fun. The time to get to highway speed is long.
Looking through some websites, we see that it is very popular to upgrade the BMW e30 with a later model BMW M3 engine. The inline six-cylinder engine fits into the engine bay, since the e30 chassis was designed to accommodate both 4 and 6 cylinder engines. We actually looked at bidding on an M3 engine on eBay. It would take a lot of work to adapt the engine to the car, but again it is a very popular swap and there are plenty of how-to resources available.
Without finding a suitable M3 engine to transplant, our thinking turned to bigger dreams. What if we could put the 4.4-liter V8 from the BMW X5 in our e30? We also have an X5, so we know what a beautiful engine this is. All aluminum, it doesn’t weigh much. Its horsepower and torque figures are excellent, again considering its displacement and weight. In fact, these ratings are over twice those found in our little 318is engine!
Now there’s a thought.
