bmwe21.net forums

Is there any distinct advantage of ftting an M10B18 carb from an E30 into a 83 316?
The reason being is that I know of one coming up that was in a cherished low mileage car. Is it a straight swap and will it mate up to my current 5 speed, presuming I cant use the E30 box due to the speedo?

That's a pretty open ended question! Depends on loads of things. Are you just looking for an engine to replace a stuffed one, or is it something else?

Thanks for the reply PeteK! The current engine is ok (50k miles indicated) except the chain tensioner, valve clearances, a couple of oil leaks and possible leak from the exhuast manifold. I already have a webber/manifold that I would like to convert to, along with possibly a k&n pancake and maybe a slightly wider cam in the future, I'm not planning anything wild like forced induction, etc. The car is a daily driver at the moment, so being able to swap the engine over in a weekend would be convenient. The replacement would allow me to strip down the current engine and sort out any issues, maybe in the long term if I get carried away, go the route of twin carbs, hotter cam, perfomance exhaust, etc. Which is why I ask the question, is there more advantage to starting with the E30 engine?
The car is completely stock at the moment, and I would like any modfications to be easily reversible so it would be handy to have the old engine in standard form available to swap back should I want to. Hope this helps!

Others may (and probably will) disagree, but the advice I got was that the combustion chamber in the e30 injected head was the best, followed by the e12 version. Apart from that, I treat them all pretty much the same. Basically the same as the one you've got.

Well I'll be getting it for £80 with ancillaries and webber conversion, worst case it will make a big paper weight!!