bmw m52 engine conversion

Post Reply
harleytrike
E21 Fanatic
Posts: 415
Joined: Sun Sep 25, 2011 12:43 am

bmw m52 engine conversion

Post by harleytrike »

Here are some pics of my m52 engine conversion being done by nas & jacko all rust removed fresh metal put in and resprayed engine is now in and running.car has been sent off for the stainless exhaust system to be fitted then back to nas to fit the lsd diff and a few other bits and bobs then road test then back to me intime for christmas hopefully good work lads :driving
Last edited by harleytrike on Mon Feb 10, 2014 1:17 am, edited 1 time in total.


cobbler2u
E21 Pro
Posts: 843
Joined: Fri Apr 17, 2009 8:17 pm
My E21(s): 323i baur
323i special
328 sport
325i
Location: hertfordshire

Re: bmw m52 engine conversion

Post by cobbler2u »

looking sweet.
If mine wasnt a baur id have this done to mine
harleytrike
E21 Fanatic
Posts: 415
Joined: Sun Sep 25, 2011 12:43 am

Re: bmw m52 engine conversion

Post by harleytrike »

cobbler2u wrote:looking sweet.
If mine wasnt a baur id have this done to mine
i have 2 black rear interior panels for a baur if your interested
User avatar
TopCat
E21 Pro
Posts: 1079
Joined: Thu Apr 21, 2011 2:21 pm
My E21(s): 1980 Alpina B6 2.8
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/timothy.c.boles
Location: Isle of Man and Inverness
Contact:

Re: bmw m52 engine conversion

Post by TopCat »

What really impresses me about the work done here is the short time span between car arriving and being done so well by all accounts

Hey Nas- can you work magic on a CJ7 Jeep- or do you only work on BMWs?

You have no idea how long these restorations can take (in neophyte hands!)
Regards
Topcat
Isle of Man Inverness
1980 BMW E21 Alpina B6 2.8
1991 BMW E30 Hartge H26
cobbler2u
E21 Pro
Posts: 843
Joined: Fri Apr 17, 2009 8:17 pm
My E21(s): 323i baur
323i special
328 sport
325i
Location: hertfordshire

Re: bmw m52 engine conversion

Post by cobbler2u »

how much do you want for em
Thanks
harleytrike
E21 Fanatic
Posts: 415
Joined: Sun Sep 25, 2011 12:43 am

Re: bmw m52 engine conversion

Post by harleytrike »

cobbler2u wrote:how much do you want for em
Thanks
make me an offer mate they are in id say perfect condition my number is 07807 364370
User avatar
nas80
E21 Mad
Posts: 2975
Joined: Sun Jun 14, 2009 12:12 am
Location: West Yorkshire

Re: bmw m52 engine conversion

Post by nas80 »

Getting the damage and rust sorted took a few weeks and really put the pressure on. The work done by our welder is undetectable and the painting is second to none. I couldnt believe how awesome it looked when it came back.

The engine swap has gone relatively smoothly although there have been the odd complication but we can handle it :)

There was a high level of attention to detail, many hours were spent on this car.

Details you cannot really see in the pics -

All wires were soldered then checked for joint strength and then heat shrinked
The old loom tape was removed / wires cleaned and brand new rubber loom tape applied,
the engine cleaned of dirt (even though you cannot really see it in the engine bay!)
all major parts in the engine bay cleaned of rust and repainted,
m50 intake done with pipes and brackets made by ourselves to save costs.
even every bolt you can see on the engine bay has been wire wheeled back to being shiny n clean before being put back in.

none of the above is absolutely necessary but it makes all the difference, this used to be a good e21 - now its an awesome e21.

The pics below are in no particular order sorry about that! only have my galaxy s2 as a camera and its difficult to stop every so often and take pics when there has been lots to do.


Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
[img]http://s13.photobucket.com/albums/a285/nasbucket/forumsig.jpg[/img]
harleytrike
E21 Fanatic
Posts: 415
Joined: Sun Sep 25, 2011 12:43 am

Re: bmw m52 engine conversion

Post by harleytrike »

nice pics nas
User avatar
arshad76
E21 Pro
Posts: 951
Joined: Thu May 26, 2005 11:06 am
My E21(s): Considering another E21
Location: Manchester England

Re: bmw m52 engine conversion

Post by arshad76 »

That looks the business. You're doing my e3 when I get it, even if you don't know it yet :wha
UK Moderator
guytan
Newbee
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Feb 15, 2010 11:13 pm

Re: bmw m52 engine conversion

Post by guytan »

Nice work !!!

Where does the radiator come from ?
User avatar
nas80
E21 Mad
Posts: 2975
Joined: Sun Jun 14, 2009 12:12 am
Location: West Yorkshire

Re: bmw m52 engine conversion

Post by nas80 »

Thanks. The rad is a custom built unit for this car based on a wrc spec core.
[img]http://s13.photobucket.com/albums/a285/nasbucket/forumsig.jpg[/img]
Jacko
E21 Fanatic
Posts: 202
Joined: Mon Oct 19, 2009 12:08 pm
Location: Rossendale

Re: bmw m52 engine conversion

Post by Jacko »

Hi Matt, glad you're happy with the work so far buddy, excited to get the car back with you now as it's been a while as the rust repair added 3 weeks onto your build but it will be worth the wait. It's a mint feeling when a happy owner/customer goes away with a big grin on his/her face and you deserve it mate as the car showed us some horrors that none of us were expecting and put a bit of a downer on the whole experience for you but old cars hide a lot of secrets that you never find out till you start digging away at the surface.

Apologies for not being around much (at all) on the forum but hopefully i will change that come the new year and become more of a regular. I suppose i'm still gutted that i've not got mine on the road and i had given up on it somewhat but the ball will the rolling again with it soon and ready for the new season of 2012 where i hope to get out in it as much as possible. :)
1986 E28 M535i - Car stripped to shell ready to be blasted
1981 E21 323i - 2.8 24v on throttle bodies & cams - 3.0 conversion soon.

[img]http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y99/Arnold_the_swimmer/My%20M535i/IMG_0447sig-1.jpg[/img]
User avatar
raseeda green
E21 Fanatic
Posts: 292
Joined: Fri Feb 19, 2010 7:25 pm
Location: SouthEast Eng

Re: bmw m52 engine conversion

Post by raseeda green »

Dame That is an ultra engine rebuild, Im really been it to this 1 since marks build, I know nas is the man to do this job.. and just can't wait till I get mine done, he doe'nt know this either. yet, What an awesome machine it is now, and in years to come its got to be worth plenty...nice one.
316 auto raseeda green
323 red m52 modified
User avatar
nas80
E21 Mad
Posts: 2975
Joined: Sun Jun 14, 2009 12:12 am
Location: West Yorkshire

Re: bmw m52 engine conversion

Post by nas80 »

Haha cheers Lee. We still have to finish this one! Its very nearly there though. Last week we got a major milestone done.

full custom t304 stainless mandrel bent exhaust with center box and twin 2.5 inch outward rolled pipes. Its awesome. Every weld perfect and its sounds awesome when revving but subtle and quiet enough to live with when idling.

Image

We also checked the boot area for rot and as far as we can tell its fine. The shiny 3.91 lsd will make the car feel its got an extra 40hp then it has I bet!

Image
[img]http://s13.photobucket.com/albums/a285/nasbucket/forumsig.jpg[/img]
User avatar
nas80
E21 Mad
Posts: 2975
Joined: Sun Jun 14, 2009 12:12 am
Location: West Yorkshire

Re: bmw m52 engine conversion

Post by nas80 »

After spending all day replacing the new but faulty part with a brand new throw out bearing. We took it out for shakedown (in the middle of the night)

No issues what so ever! Yeyyy

I can tell you now that this car is frigging insane. Way way faster then my 2.5 24v. It doesn't matter what gear your in, just prod the throttle its instant hard acceleration.

I like how when you change gear the revs don't die (as the flywheel is ultra light) its ready with the power when you bring up the next cog and dump the clutch.

Just a few tidy ups left to do and its ready collection.

:) so chuffed with it!
[img]http://s13.photobucket.com/albums/a285/nasbucket/forumsig.jpg[/img]
Post Reply