The state of the eta

[e28/e24 butlertron 5000 in NM]

Listed below are the current modifications in my 1985 528e. Since the lounge moves as slow as it does, I hoped enough of you guys considering the e to i swap can use this to your advantage. I've done everything myself, so I garuntee all of this is entirely correct. Hope this helps somebody:

euro e30 320/6,323i cylinder head
brand new mahle pistons
325i cam, new rockers
complete 325i fuel injection, motronic version 1.3 with ebay chip
535 injectors
535 afm
325i intake manifold
325i throttle body
ireland engineering shorty headers
3 bar FPR

The euro e30 cylinder head, the 731, is great for a 2.7i. If you can find one it works great for pre 1988 etas because it has the same size and shape combustion chambers. Bolts on to the eta bottom end, dished pistons and all, and retains the eta's 9 to 1 compression ratio. The i has slightly larger valves, but you wont miss them until over 6200 rpm if your valves are cut right. Its said to be good to around 200 horsepower. I recommend it. The 325i head, the 885, is also good and flows a little better, but you need psitons too. **Regardless of your piston head combo, use your eta rods too.** They're shorter and will reduce or eliminate piston work to clear the head.

Though finding a set of good or new pistons can be tough, but it runs so much smoother with fresh ones in there. They'll cost little or no power if they're worn, but m20's tend to collapse the skirts, causing vibration and eventually piston slap. If you can find a set, jump on them. Also make sure the block is good for the new set. If the bores are worn you'll need to punch them out and use oversize pistons. If its not too bad, a hone will do.

The 325i cam is great for around town driving, but with peak torque at ~4750 rpm, it doesnt rev quite as well as a euro 323 cam or something aftermarket will. Its not bad, but if you want peak pull over 5k, find a euro 323i cam, with 264 degree duration as opposed to the 325i's 256, and you'll be happy. You wont want to pull it apart again for a hotter cam after all is said and done.

I used my stock eta crankshaft, which is cast. Some say thats a bad idea and it'll break or twist over 6200 or something like that. I'm sure these stories arent entirely unfounded, but mine has gone as high as 6600 on multiple occasions and its just fine. Unless you have a cam that'll pull that high, theres no need. If you can find a good diesel crank, use it and be happy, but its not necessary.

For fuel injection, the only real choice is to find a wrecked 325i and pillage it. You'll need everything, and even then you'll have to fabricate some things if its going in an e28. I dont wanna go over everything I did to make it work in mine right now, but its rather intense. The gains are real, it runs smoother, runs harder and is better on gas when you keep off it. Its not easy, but its worth it. Dont bother trying to find a custom chip. You wont. Even if you shell out and have one made it wont come close to 1.1 or 1.3.

The 535 injectors help power up top a little, the 3 bar fpr helps a little and the 535 afm helps a little. I did all my work at 6000 feet, so denser air nearer to sea level may require more fuel, so your personal results may vary. If you wanna be safe, just go for a set of 535 injectors and a 3 bar fpr and you'll be set. The m30 afm is a dubious upgrade. Alpina's 2.7i used the m20 afm, and it had 210 horsepower. Not necessary in my opinion. Took me a lot of time and tuning to get it right. Chances are you'll lose power on that one. No good.

The 325i TB and manifold are necessary to compliment the cam and form up the powerband. No need for a bored TB, its large as it is. Same goes for the manifold, lots of money to port it for little gains. Stock bolt on works fine.

Headers are good for the m20. Depending on how much you wanna spend, you have two choices. Short headers will work best way up high, over 6000 rpm. Longer headers will kick in sooner but help less up top. The shorty headers in conjunction with my m30 afm and bigger injectors might be why my 2.7 revs like it does. You can feel the torque falling off, but ots not as drastic as 325i dyno charts show. Theres no real shift point. Whenever works. I'll dyno it when I have time, then we'll see if its anything more than a placebo effect. Doesnt feel like it, but I've been wrong before.

Lastly, you need a shorter diff to top it off. You might not know it, but you moved the powerband up so you could gear it lower and still go. A shorter diff will multiply the torque more and you'll go quite a bit faster. In mine, for the moment, I have a 3.46 open diff. Since I only slightly increased the torque output over the eta, at bets the speedo needle swings only a little faster. But, by the nature of the project, the powerband is also wider and the power delivery is better, so all together, it goes noticeably faster. The last step to fulfillment is indeed a diff. Basic math there. Hope all this helps somebody. Good luck with your m20's!-
Daniel Leahy
'85 528i- euro 323i head, 325i cam, polished/ported intake man, 535 injectors, ireland headers to 2"
glasspacks x2, 535 AFM, motronic 1.3 w/chip.
'83 528e-3 speed auto new paint and interior. "i" cam, still slow. 175k.
'88 US spec M6- My Dads. If he wads it I'm makin an M5.

[e28/e24 butlertron 5000 in NM]

-
Daniel Leahy
'85 528i- euro 323i head, 325i cam, polished/ported intake man, 535 injectors, ireland headers to 2"
glasspacks x2, 535 AFM, motronic 1.3 w/chip.
'83 528e-3 speed auto new paint and interior. "i" cam, still slow. 175k.
'88 US spec M6- My Dads. If he wads it I'm makin an M5.

[pdx 528e]

[e28/e24 butlertron 5000 in NM]

The hotter you cam it the better it works. The stock i cam works best in the stock i head. The euro 323i cam that came in the 731 works best in the 731. Theres one laying around at work, but it has been for more than a year, and its still on the motor. No idea when thats gonna be torn into, and its not mine so I cant. Also the motor burned oil and was pretty well used. Probably needs a valve job, seals and all that. Sounds like a good time for massive porting too. I'll post it up when, or if it becomes available.-
Daniel Leahy
'85 528i- euro 323i head, 325i cam, polished/ported intake man, 535 injectors, ireland headers to 2"
glasspacks x2, 535 AFM, motronic 1.3 w/chip.
'83 528e-3 speed auto new paint and interior. "i" cam, still slow. 175k.
'88 US spec M6- My Dads. If he wads it I'm makin an M5.

[e28/e24 butlertron 5000 in NM]

Found a euro e30 320i eco to fit the volumetric efficiency curve of the euro e30 320i cylinder head I'm using. Runs smoother all through the rpm range, better response everywhere, no more lull right after 3k before it comes on cam, better power over 5k right up into the rev limiter with no noticeable drop in torque after peak power. And thats with the stock 320i chip. That and the 3.73 diff added a good deal more hop. Tossed the m30 AFM because of small glitches in driveability. I noticed that the 325i AFM and 325e AFM are sprung differently. The e cars had basic motronic. This means that the output voltage of the AFM increased relative to the airflow. For later systems, such as the motronic 1.1/1.3 in the 325i, the output voltage varied according to the flap angle. My AFM, apparently, came from an e30 m3. Those are equipped with basic motronic, and the AFM's are sprung accordingly. This caused problems with lean surging at lower rpm, a stutter when the throttle was suddenly hit at any rpm, and problems with the idle. This swap will only work if you use a 535i AFM. The 533 and e30 m3 afms will not work right. You can tune them by changing the spring tension to work right at low, medium or high rpms, but there will always be a problem somewhere. The 325i peice isnt bad anyway. The 3.73 diff added some more pull at WOT, but the most noticeable difference is in roll on response. In any gear, at any speed, it'll pull. At 100 in 5th, it'll pull. At 40 in 4th it'll pull. I would go for a 3.91 or 4.11 if I can find one for cheap, but it'll do for now. More news coming when I get a euro 320i chip on de german ebay.-

Daniel Leahy
'85 528e- e30 323i head, 325i cam, polished outside/ported inside intake
manifold, 535 injectors, I.E. shorty headers, e30
320i ecu plug'd into 325i fuel injection, 3.73 diff. 341k on chassis, 5k on motor.
'83 528e- Auto trans, new paint and interior. 325i cam, still dog-slow. 175k.
'88 US spec M6- Not mine, still pimpalicious. 140k

[e28/e24 butlertron 5000 in NM]

Raced a guy in a bone stock 528e, for comparison, the other day. No smokey burnout on the launch, just to keep it fair. About even until around 3k, when the 325i stuff wakes up. Blew him off the road after that. First gear had more than two carlengths, forget about second. This is still with the eta dual mass flywheel, almost 30 lbs. Woulda been worse with a 325i flywheel or even a lightened aftermarket unit. The thing is that the eta fly seems to put a handicap on it until about 3rd gead. It pulls just as hard and accelerates just as fast through 3rd than it does in 1st and second. So dont forget about the flywheel. I have a feeling theres quite a bit more in there. -

Daniel Leahy
'85 528e- e30 323i head, 325i cam, polished outside/ported inside intake
manifold, 535 injectors, I.E. shorty headers, e30
320i ecu plug'd into 325i fuel injection, 3.73 diff. 341k on chassis, 5k on motor.
'83 528e- Auto trans, new paint and interior. 325i cam, still dog-slow. 175k.
'88 US spec M6- Not mine, still pimpalicious. 140k

[528ita]

using the late style e30 plastic airbox with the horn in the top seems to help too. Dont remove the horn. It serves a few purposes. First, it smoothes out and speeds up the unmetered intake charge before it hits the flapper. That makes the AFM meter the air more accurately. Secondly, it makes better use of the whole air filter area so the whole filter gets dirty without just soiling the material directly between the inlet and AFM port. I noticed a bigger difference from swapping in the 325i plastic airbox than I did from a performance chip or the 3.73 diff. The hole in the bottom of the filter casing is a lot larger than the stamped steel eta one as well. I imagine BMW did that for a reason. And if the 325i needs those revisions, a 2.7i would benefit from them too. All of this only applies to earlier eta models, pre 1986 I believe, with the stamped steel airbox. If you have a plastic one and the horn is in place, youre set.

[528ita]

A 4.10 diff is not too short. It might have seemed so if I went from a 2.93 to a 4.10, but I didnt. I've tried every diff from a 2.79 to my current 4.10 in there. I can say I wouldnt run anything else. 288/288 cam, ported 325i head, lightweight flywheel coming soon.

[PORCHE505]

I recently installed a ported, decked 325i head and 274 cam. Any other cam is a waste of time. Anyway:

Building the 2.7i

Heads, Pistons and Blocks
All 2.5 and 2.7 blocks are the basically the same. The e34 m20 has the dipstick in the oil pan, so the block has no provisions for it. But, as far as critical dimensions and specifications, they're all the same. 2.0 and 2.3 blocks have smaller bores, and do have room to be bored to as much as 2.8 liters with the 81mm crank. They lack the so called "steam holes" between the cylinders, which arent really necessary. Having brand new, fresh bores is a bigger benefit. For heads, its either the 731 or an 885. The 731 is rare in the states, but will work with dished eta pistons for a CR of 9 to 1. It also has considerably larger intake ports than the eta head, and can flow enough air for about 200 horsepower with the right cam. The only drawback is that it shares the same size valves with the eta head, the 40/34 set. The 885 is the best stock m20 head, with 42/36mm valves, even larger intake ports and a superior combustion chamber design, it is the most efficient and makes the best power. The problem is that it has larger combustion chambers, 43ccs vs 38ccs for the eta and 731 heads. You need either matching pistons from an i or 88 eta or lots shaved from the head. The only other real important detail would be connecting rods. e rods are 130mm, i rods are 135mm.
Anyway, what works is as follows:
1. 84mm Block, e Pistons, e Rods, e30 323i 731 head 9:1 CR
2. 84mm Block, i Pistons, i Rods, 885 head ***must shave 3mm from pistons***
3. 84mm Block, i Pistons, e Rods, 885 head ***must shave 2mm from block, adjust cam timing***
4. 84mm Block, 88 e Pistons, e rods, 885 head direct fit high 8's CR
5. 84mm Block, flat top euro e Pistons, e Rods, 885 head direct fit, high 9's CR
6. 84mm Block, e pistons, e Rods, 885 head ***must shave .040 from head***
I'm not sure about #2, as I havent actually done it, and it might cut too close to the top ring on the piston. Its probably not a concern with the dome, and it'll likely end up with a surprisingly high CR, but you would also have to re-cut the valve reliefs. Any respectable machine shop should be able to take care of it. #6 is a controversial option, and its also whats in my personal car. Its close between the valves and pistons, but it'll work with stock e pistons. If you cut deeper valve reliefs, you can worry less about high rpm valve float and take more off the head. The more off the head, the more off your timing is going to be, and the farther your valves are gonna poke into the CC. Keep that in mind. I got away with .040 with a negligible effect on timing. Anthing more will require an offset cam pin or adjustable pulley. The other options are easy enough.
Cams:
At least a motronic specific 274 degree grind. Stock i cams suck. Even the mighty 323i cam, the 264. Dont bother. No comprimises. If you do have one it's a better core to regrind because they'll have to remove less from the base circle to get more lift and duration. Still, be careful not to go too big on the cam. Supposedly the motronic ICV has a hard time controlling the idle on a motor with anything more than a 274 degree cam. Others say some larger cams designed for carbureted motor can make even less power than stock. Just make sure your particular grind has motronic in mind.
Intake:
325i all the way from intake manifold gaskets to the lower airbox. Extrude honing is unnecessary really as its more the manifolds design than anything else that hold the top end back. With a cam and head porting it'll pay off, but its still a considerable price to pay for the boost. If it was more affordable it'd be a little different. If you want more, adapt a set of individual throttle bodies.
Fuel Injection:
Anything but the stock eta FI, the basic motronic system. It'll never make power. 323i FI, K jetronic I think, works, 320i/325i FI, motronic 1.1/1.3 adaptive is ideal. Buy a copy of the ETM from ebay, as it'll come in handy when wiring in a different harness into your chassis.
One thing many people end up going crazy with are fuel injectors. There isnt a normally aspirated 2.8i out there that needs more fuel than basic 535i injectors can deliver. Forget about it, theres nothing to it. The only things larger injectors do are throw off you OBC, make it harder for the ECU to adapt and cause more variation in the actual fuel delivery between the cylinders.
Exhaust:
i manifolds are minimal, shorty headers are a little better, all out equal length headers are best, but still only give a minimal boost. From there back you're on your own. If youre building an e30, use an i system, e28's can use the 533i system.

[528ita]

The final configuration as follows:

Ported, decked 325i "885" head
274 degree, high lift, reground cam, from a stock 325i K cam
e30 323i intake manifold port matched to a 325i throttle body
325i idle control valve, air boot and brake booster feed lines
Super eta AFM and airbox
Super eta/325i exhaust manifolds
Super eta exhaust system
Alpina B3 2.7 chip w/ 325i fuel injection
Stock eta pistons, block, crank, rods, oil pump
Ireland engineering lightened flywheel
3.91 viscous coupling type limited slip diff (325ix only)
325i oil cooler and lines
Metric mechanic ultimate transmission
535i instrument cluster, late style from 86 on

The big thing with this setup is the 323i intake. When I put it all together the first time with everything listed but with a 325i intake, AFM and an early style eta exhaust system, it ran pretty well. The cam comes on harder, like it starts to pick up more agressively about 3500. It also stretched the powerband into the 5k range better. But, I was still looking for more. Much like I have been since I started with this same motor back in early 2004. I came across a few pages of an old racing dynamics catalog with pictures of thier 24 valve m20 head installed on a complete motor. If they decided to use the 323i manifold with a head like that, I figured they had a pretty good reason. So I got one on german ebay. After porting the hell out of the TB opening it was ready to go. With 325i injectors, 3 bar fuel pressure and an alpina chip, it detonated like mad between 4 and 5k under full load. It did seem to flow better on cam, as the computer was delivering the same amount of fuel it was with the 325i intake. After months of tinkering, the only way it will run right is with the O2 sensor unplugged, using a super eta AFM, 325i/super eta injectors, 2.5 bar fuel pressure and the alpina chip. It should run right at sea level with the 3 bar pressure, but without the O2 sensor input at ~5500 feet, it was too rich at idle and part throttle. Up here, its just right. The power is very good. One of these days it'll go to a dyno shop for the last word, but its safe to say its pretty quick. Faster than a nissan altima SE-R, neck and neck with a 3.5 liter maxima, faster than a 96 mustang GT. Its in that neck of the woods.

One thing thats easy not to think about is fuel injection. The stock, pre 1987 528e/325e injection will never make power. Its not that the hardware version isnt capable, its that BMW never made any variant of basic motronic that would support the kind of powerband we're talking about. You could take your fully built motor and everything to a shop and have a custom chip made, but if thats not an option, you're looking at a retrofit. Dont even try it without a copy of BMW's ETM, easily obtained on ebay in .pdf format. Anyway, I spliced a 1987 325i harness into my 1985 528 because I couldnt find a super eta harness. That involved fitting every single component that sent a signal to the ecu with that from a 325i. Every sensor, the AFM, plug wires, harmonic balancer and the corresponding pulse generator, ICV, O2 sensor, injectors, FPR. Everything but the coil and TPS. Just hit a junkyard and go nuts. Then you wire the fusebox connector from your old harness onto the new harness. The wires are pretty much common between the two harnesses. Both have an alternator charge warning wire, two oil level warning wires, a big coil power wire and so on. Just find every wire that goes through the old c101 fusebox connector and match it up with every wire in the 325i c101 connector. Its about 12 splices. You might need extra wire from your old harness, as the 325i connector doesnt quite reach. I used solder sleeves considering how much it would suck it one of those splices let go. The other connector that can get you is the c103 connector. Its the first one out of the harness from the chassis connector on the motronic control unit. It sends the engine speed signal to the tach, the fuel flow signal to the econometer and OBC, the A/C on signal to the ECU and the wake up signal from the ignition. Its only four wires, but if you miss them like I did the first time, it doesnt start, and you begin wondering which small detail in the whole major project you missed. Bad times. Its the same process as the fusebox connector. Just match em up and splice em. Other than that you'll need to move your new 325i ICV to between the throttle body and AFM, which means you'll need to be using a 325i throttle body, intake boot and the 325i vacuum booster plumbing. Lastly, you'll need to run some big red wires to the battery from the big red wires coming out of the harness that power the motronic control unit. That first start up is one of the most satisfying feelings in the world. Ahhhhh. If I could, I'd have a beer. If you have a super eta, consider yourself very lucky.

With cylinder heads, you'll hear a lot of things about how the eta heads dont flow and the 325i heads dont fit without super eta pistons or something custom. Then theres the special 731 head that fits the eta pistons and flows well enough. I hear its good for 190 HP. Given the scarcity of the 731 heads and the abundance of the 325i heads, its really not worth trying the oddball 323i head. To fit a 325i head to an early eta, just deck it .030 or .040. I went .040 on mine with a stock head gasket and a high lift, longer duration cam and I havent had any problems. I'm even using stock 325i dual springs. Its gone as high as 6750 rpm and it hasnt grenaded. I usually shift at 6500 just to be safe. But, I still dont think .040 is absolutely necessary. .030 or .020 would probably do just fine.

Another thing worth considering is the limitations of the stock 325i cam. I wouldnt put one in my Moms car. Its just not a great performer. A schrick 272 is great of you can afford it, but I had great results from a regrind from Top End Performance in california. It was cheap and it runs like crazy. I'm sure most other regrinds offer similar results.

The no brainer is the super eta exhaust system. e30 guys can fit the 325i exhaust, which pretty much grows on trees. e28 guys either need a custom system or a super eta system. It really uncorks things over 4k and keeps it going to about 6k. It actaully gave me some trouble with detonation initially. I hadnt yet worked that out at the time, and I needed to massage it a little bit more to keep it under control. It got enough dirty old exhaust out that it pulled more air in on the intake stroke. Thats a good flow improvement.

The driveline is pretty striaght forward. When the flywheel went in I used a 325i clutch kit. The 325i pressure plate is noticeably lighter, both in clutch effort and clamping force, than the eta clutch assembly. It slips a little once in a while on hard upshifts, but its not really a problem. The 325ix diff has special output flanges, which means you cant just slap the ones from your old diff in like you do on any other diff swap. So you need the dust caps from the 325ix half shafts to mate your output shafts to the 325ix diff. The viscous coupling type limited slip beats the hell out of the clutch pack type mechanism in every other BMW LS diff until the shear pump equipped e46 M3's. It doesnt wear out and the locking action varies up to 100 percent depending on slippage. Especially considering the mileage on most used LS diffs, I like the alternative to the old busted limited slips from 535 and 325is models.

The 535 instrument cluster is an easy retrofit. The late style gauges are more refined than those of the pre 1/86 models. The hardware is also much more condensed and better built. All you need to do is swap in your old speedo if youre concerned with mileage. The tachometers and center gauge pods are not interchangeable, but you should be able to find a tach that fits your motor, as the eta and 535 both come in either cluster version. I like the way the needles seem damped on the later clusters as opposed to the jerky early hardware. e30 guys can just swap tachs. If you have an early coding plug type cluster, fit a 318 tach. Coding chip guys can use a 325i tach.

The oil cooler refrofit was actually pretty difficult. I had to cut off the big sheet metal box that comes down from the engine support to run the lines around the A/C lines through to the front valence. But it does fit and if you drive hard or you live in a hot climate, its a good idea. It does crowd that side of the engine, so for turbocharged cars it might complicate plumbing issues. e30 cars, for which my cooler and lines were designed for, probably have fewer fitment issues.

And thats about it. Its a different car compared to the 85 528e it used to be. Started off with 238 thousand miles and a peice of metal inside cylinder #5. The old block has gotten new pistons and rings and rod bearings. And thats it. The car has about 312 thousand miles on it now, stock main bearings, rod bearings, oil pump. If you keep the oil clean, you can drive it as hard as you want. If it gets over 80 degrees outside, and if you can find it, a fully synthetic 10w40 or 20w50 is ideal. If its chilly in your area or you drive it gently, full synthetic 10w30 works. Just wait until the oil gets up to temp before you wail on it and it should run forever. A good five minutes after the gauge shows operating temperature is a good rule of thumb.

Stay tuned for the turbo super eta project. I should be running well before christmas...1985 528e
312,000 miles
0 to 60 in 6.8 seconds
T3 Super 60 trim, coming soon...

[528ita]

I finally got to do a super e, with those fancy pistons. I must say, theres something to it. With brand new main, rod and wristpin bearings, new rings, a new 325i cam, rockers, shafts and dual springs and a little drilling for oil, its all done. 1200 miles later, its broken in. With a 3.46 diff, Alpina B3 chip, stock 325i intake through the airbox, 3 bar FPR, super e injectors and the stock super e exhaust, it moves pretty well. I want to say its faster than the white car was with the decked 325i head on eta pistons. That certainly has something to do with the all new valvetrain, but the way it runs leads me to believe theres something to that later style combustion chamber. I would install the magically delicious 323i manifold, but since this one is getting a turbo I wont worry about that crazy stuff. Bottom line is that the super eta pistons and 325i head make a great combo. Better than a decked 325i head on an eta block, even with a 274 degree cam. The white car wasnt slow, but this is significantly better. I would recommend those pistons if you can get em. They are worth it.1988 528e
2.7i motor
T3 60 trim coming soon...

[528ita]

Now that the super e motor is broken in, I thought I'd try the 323i intake on it. With the complete 2.7i conversion with all 325i parts, it didn't make as much of a difference as I noticed with the higher compression, cammed motor from the white car. With some adjustments it ended up making slightly better power, but not as much on top of peak power as it made on the higher strung motor. It was a definite improvement over the 325i manifold as far as roll on response and power, with gobs of torque available with less throttle than the 2.5l manifold requires. This may be from the retuning that I needed to do when I disconnected the o2 sensor, but in any case, its an improvement. It was definitely still worth doing. It comes on cam slightly sooner, and it still pulls through 80 better than the stock 325i manifold with the o2 hooked up. But it did not blow me away like it did with the high CR, 274 degree cam and head porting the other motor had. With luck it'll be turbo before the end of the month. More updates to follow once its under manifold pressure...1988 528e
2.7i motor
GT2560R coming soon...

[kenika65]

Hello I have a 1986 325es and a 1989 325i(parts car) I am wondering what you would do.... after reading I am guessing I need to get some super eta pistons and thats it... so I dont have to mill or deck!!!??? All help is appreciated... I have already swaped the "i" intake with injectors, tb, afm, 1.3 motronic, exhaust, valve cover, fuel tank with pump, break booster, would swap radiator except the "i" radiator is cracked... ( all of this from the 89i ) here is my thread
1986es "2.7i" 1.3 MOTRONIC With Out Head Swap...

[Marty505]

it dyno'd at 230/266 rwhp/rwtq with the old turbo. I sold that one, a Garrett GT2560R, and installed a Garrett GT2871R. I havent dyno'd it since the new turbo, but it did run a 13.8 1/4 mile at 100 miles an hour. that run also had my best 60 foot time of 2.19 on street tires at about 30 psi. I estimate the new turbo to be around 270 rwhp/280 trq. It'll be back to the dyno in a few weeks with megasquirt and a bigger fuel pump.

[butlertron]

I got it on the dyno Saturday afternoon, it made 299 rear wheel horsepower and 360 foot pounds of torque. Boost pressure was approximately 16-17 psi, or about 14-15 at sea level. Just about 1 bar.


These are uncorrected. It was 90 degrees in the shop, so a correction factor of 1.03 applies.

Thats with:
One Garrett GT2871R .86 p/n 472560-15
Euro e34 524td T25 flanged, non EGR manifold
2.5" chargepipes
3" mandrel bent downpipe and exhaust, no muffler or cat
Two front mount intercoolers plumbed in series
Two Bosch bypass valves
e30 325i cam and valve springs
325i intake
30lb injectors at 3 bar with the stock FPR
Megasquirt II Extra
-6800 rpm hard rev limit on the stock cast eta crank
-Ignition timing based idle control (its not a feature, but its how I did it)
NGK BPR8ES plugs
UUC Motorworks Semi-Organic M20 clutch rated to 385 ft-lbs
Lightened e30 325i flywheel
5 speed tranny swap with a Metric Mechanic Ultimate Transmission
3.25LS diff

Running the stock block, pistons, crank, rings, rods, head, head gasket, head bolts and everything else. The pistons and crank have about 250k, unknown mileage on the block. Also still stock are the fuel pumps, ignition coil, wires, cap and rotor, stock 5 speed driveshaft, stock axles and stock motor and tranny mounts.

I cant say enough god about megasquirt. For the money you spend on chips and MAF's and replacement parts like ICV's and AFM's, you could have fully tuneable fuel injection with MAP based fueling, two 16x16 ve tables, two 12x12 ignition tables and many many other features. Its incredible. Check it out.

Forget about a high compression, cammed NA stroker on motronic. You really cant beat standalone fuel injection and manifold pressure. I am expecting 12's in the quarter mile next time I go, provided the driveline and rear suspension are still intact. 360 ft-lbs of torque is an awful lot...

Here are some recent videos VS an e90 335i. These were filmed BEFORE the dyno tune. The AFR's were running into the 10's much past 5500 rpm for the video. Just imagine the same runs with three or four more carlengths out in front...
Standing start:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92bwAMLhSKo
40 roll:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfPxczTk6ag

The super eta based 2.7i turbo is the way to go. I should have built this thing years ago...