I Think I've Over Done It

[Guest mcramsay]

It was all fair and well saying I was going to build a kit car with an m3 engine in it. But it all became a bit less dream like when this arrived on a pallet on Friday

 

 

 

It's the s50b32 m3 engine out of a 1999 car with 80,000 on the clock, I bought the engine and gearbox with v5 from the donor car, and all the electrics for 2500. ... The engine is massive, and has been chipped and should put out 340 bhp with 285 lb/ft torque.... Over the top you think?

 

[agent_zed]

whats it going in? the zero? hmm that should be around 600bhp/ton ... that should be spritely!

[Guest mcramsay]

Sadly not a zero, it definitely wouldn't fit without some major chassis modifications! No it's going in a marlin sportster! Car should weigh 700kg

[theduck]

Awesome love m powered sportsters.

[agent_zed]

oh thats disappointing you only have 485bhp/ton (if my maths is correct)

 

although you will have more than a Pagani Zonda F - [2005] at 482.9 bhp per tonne !!!!!

 

I do love the sportsters and even my modest bmw 316ti has a lovely engine so the M3 must be awesome. I did wonder about it going into a zero as they are very tall engines. The one in my 316 is on a diagonal to fit under the bonnet. makes sense now though.

 

was looking at the aero 8 the other day and thinking it was pretty awesome but i'd rather buy a marlin.

 

http://www.autosnout.com/Cars-Bhp-Per-Ton-List.php

 

will be awesome

[speedtripledan]

thats more power to weight than the atomic i had and that was silly quick! should be an awesome thing if you manage it....

[Guest mcramsay]

There is currently only one other 3.2 m3 marlin I'm existence according to the owners club, there are a few with the 3 liter version but the 3.2 is majorly different. The bmw 6 cylinders all sit on an angle, this isn't a problem in the marlin but this is where you would struggle in the zero due to the cross braces that run down either side of the engine bay. The engine will fit in the marlin, the problem is the engine ancillaries like the alternator which I need to move, and I need to get rid of the air com pump and power steering pump. I need to remove them and put idler pullies in place to keep the drive belt arrangement the same. Or move the alternator, and remove the two pumps and try to go for a shorter belt. I won't know till the engine is in the car and I can see what needs to be moved! The ecu wiring on the m3 is a bit of a nightmare but I've managed to get my head around it, and the ecu immobilizer has been frigged so it should hopefully be relatively simple! Haha famous last words. I'm planning to have the engine fitted in the next two weeks... But let's see how that goes!

[maccavvy]

they are awesome engines. im a huge bmw fan and an owner too.

 

the engines alone have a great power to weight ratio ,plenty or revs available too. but you rarely see an evo lump make its claimed power.

 

id expect with a decent map 320-330 bhp. they run a crazy 6 branch manifold too which are actually very good.

 

hope it all goes well. dax fitted the later e46 engine to one a few months back. manifold looked crazy on it.