Just throwing it out there that the M42 can hold about 8-10psiВ boost with all stock everything.and several people have successfully and reliably turbo'd these engines for under $2k, getting close to 200whp reliably. More importantly, that sounded like a car we would love to own and drive everyВ day! That sounded like an interesting project to write about, especially if we tested it against and E30 M3 when finished. So we would have a car that would give an E30 M3 fits, and be all in for $10,000-15,000 with about half that figure being in theВ engine. We could expect a completely rebuilt engine and roughly 40 more horsepower and still retain (cosmetically at least) the original engine with its great drivability and fun-to-driveВ nature. He would bump the compression up a bit, improve our breathing with his valve train tricks and then finish the whole thing off with a lightened clutch and flywheelВ assembly. He would bore it and use a crank from an M44 Z3 engine to give us 2.0 liters, instead of our originalВ 1.8. His thought was to take our original engine and rebuild it with a lightened, balanced rotating assembly, and better camВ profile. He was also more than willing to show us and our readers what he had learned about these interesting M42В engines. First he not only remembered us, but was a huge fan of Grassroots Motorsports and loved the progress we had made with the publication since we had worked together all those yearsВ ago. While we had worked with owner Jim Rowe some 25 years ago on a вЂњBig SixвЂќ BMW stroker engine, we hadnвЂ™t talked to him in years and didnвЂ™t realize that he now specialized in playing with M42В engines.ДЄ quick call to Rowe helped us develop what we think is a great plan. With that in mind, we made our final decision and newВ plan.ДЄ BMW club buddy reminded us that Metric Mechanic does some amazing things with the M42В engine. The rest of the car was original, and the original numbers-matching M42 engine we had was still essentially usable. Time for a dose of reality: These cars are getting valuable. And in our opinion it changes the light, simple character of the 318is that we love soВ much. Installing the S52 or S54 engine ( from the E36- or E46-chassis M3) is a popular swap, but it has been done to death. Used engines are readily available for between $500 and $1000 depending on mileage andВ condition.ДЄnd of course, with a decent car and a bad engine, the idea of an engine swap popped into ourВ heads. We probably could have driven another 150,000 miles likeВ that.ДЄnother option would be to just put a used motor in the car and go about our day. Theoretically, we could have gotten a used intermediate plate-new ones are no longer available, resurfaced the head, installed some new or used valves, and put the whole thing back together. Pulling a couple of bearing caps showed no damage to the bearings and not even that muchВ wear.ДЄs for the head, while more than half the valves were bent, the head itself had not been damaged. The oil pick-up screen and oil filter had done their jobs and the bottom end still turned overВ fine. With the engine out of our project BMW 318is and partially apart we were able to learn a bitВ more.ДЇirst of great importance: the bottom end (rotating assembly) was unscathed.

Bmw m42 turbo