vanhalst 320/6

[vanhalst]

Hello, my name is Thomas Vanhalst, i'm from Belgium, and i have owned several bmw's till now (e30,e30 baur, e36, e46)
and now i'm the proud owner of an 320/6

pictures say more than words:

engine compartiment:


interior:


and offcourse exterior



i'm not planning much changes on the looks except an double exhaust like an 323i
and internal i'm looking for an M50b25 update
I have read a lot of topics lately about M50 swaps but i don't ever find wich is the best one.
If there is anyone with tips please do tell

in the one topic i found that you can use the original gearbox, in another i have read you can't...
i would like to keep the car intact...

[gerrit323]

Hi .. another new belgian e21 owner on this board at last .. we are outnumbered by dutch people for way to long now.

Nice e21 .. why not go for m20b25 .. this is a much easier swap then m50b25.

Lots of info on this board about such a swap

Welcome

Gerrit

[nas80]

hi nice car - its looks in very good condition.

I have done m50 swap into an e21. its a lot more easy in an car that had an m20 to begin with, The m20 box and engine mounts work but you need to modify the sump as it will be very close to the ground.

I would recommend the m20 2.5 swap for nice easy and cheap power. but if you like challenge then go m50 - it is awesome.

[BMW-POWER]

Aaah another belgian
why haven't i seen your shark before?
it looks very good to me!!!

[vanhalst]

hello, thanks for al the positive comments,

i had an e30 with an m20b20 and swapped it with an m20b25, but i have done this swap several times and this time i would like to do an M50 swap this time, i know an m20 swap is easier but M20b25's are also hard to find and an M50 has an extra 22hp and i'm bored of M20 swaps
on the other hand it's a shame to get the engine out sinds everything in and out the engine has been changed with new parts...
the reason you haven't seen the car before is that he was not road ready, my clutch was leaking but since this morning i have installed a brand new pump so that's not a problem anymore

[Peter V.]

Hey Welcome Here,

Nice to have a Belgian member extra. Your car looks great. I specially like the colour, which is it?

It is a nice combination with the bumpers in shadowlineversion.

One thing you certainly will know is that a M50B25 engine is more weight at the front so that is something to keep in mind.

[nas80]

the m50 is maybe 20kgs more I think, if you get harder springs at the front the car still turns very quickly.

you will need to upgrade the brakes, which is important.

[vanhalst]

i know, i'm looking for a brake update, i have heard that some people put brakes of an 735i in the front with e30 front brakes at the back. (that is someone who is riding rally with his e21 who told me that). i'm gonna go look at someone's brake update next week (rallycar). The same person is selling an 525i(M50b25) non vanos so perhaps the swap may be earlier than expected
i have read in some topics that it is not possible to put an engine with vanos, otherwise i would have chosen an M52b28, because this engine is lighter than an m20/50, but in the topic of nas80 i noticed laods of room for vanos? correct me if i'm wrong

[nas80]

m50 best engine for future turbo upgrade! make sure your freind has m50 from e34.

i have plenty of room for vanos now, i used a custom rally spec rs2000 radiator. if you use standard e36 / e34 rad there is less than 10mm between front of engine and rad. i used wilwoods brakes they are pretty good. you can modify old volvo four piston calipers to work,

you realise you will need to modify oil pan by cutting and creating a new oil pickup tube.

dont be fooled m50 swap is a big job, but i will help you if you ask me.

[vanhalst]

thanks! can i ask how much you have paid for the radiator? and the brakes, what pricerange is that? the engine is from an e34, the engine is still in the car so i can hear it start and run. I'm also worried about my brake servo... but let's first of all get an engine

[nas80]

erm, the wilwoods were about 300 in total including custom brackets. the radiator was from ah fabrications and was 350.

argh i dont like to think of costs too much! your lucky you drive on the wrong side of the road you wont have any problems with the steering link, although your brake booster might hit the inlet manifold?

you will want to read up on the bimmerforums.com as they also drive on the wrong side of the road too.