Yay, I finally got one...

[Belteshazzar]

My first M42.

It's in a '93 four door e36 w/ 130k.
The P/O did a bunch of stuff I wouldn't have spent any money on, but whatever... like;M3 interior & HID lighting.

And some stuff I would have done if I had some money I didn't need, like;M3 suspension, M3 brakes, 328i rear subframe and 3.91 LSD, Lighter flywheel and better clutch.

Too bad it doesn't have any power. Ah well, it'll still get me to work and back.

[sheepdog]

Congrats!
And keep in mind, it is not about power, but poise. Probably a demon in the corners.

[Belteshazzar]

Lol, that's what guys say who don't have any power, in my experience.

I traded a '88 325 coupe that was gutted to 2400lbs, dyno'ed 155hp and 165lbs of torque to the tires, and had about $4000 wrapped up in suspension and tires. That car was about power AND poise. But It had no A/C, looked like shit, had only two seats(i've got kids), and rattled a lot of windows. Wish I could have kept both, but we do what we have to do sometimes.
Thanks for the welcome. btw, I love dave berry.

[sheepdog]

Lol, that's what guys say who don't have any power, in my experience.

I traded a '88 325 coupe that was gutted to 2400lbs, dyno'ed 155hp and 165lbs of torque to the tires, and had about $4000 wrapped up in suspension and tires. That car was about power AND poise. But It had no A/C, looked like shit, had only two seats(i've got kids), and rattled a lot of windows. Wish I could have kept both, but we do what we have to do sometimes.
Thanks for the welcome. btw, I love dave berry.

Most of the time you are correct, however in many cars, the engine size determines speed an little change in handling. On these cars the engine size has a pretty dramatic effect.

These are not the only cars to do this though.

And you cannot compare a stock car to one with so many mods.

[sand_m4n]

Congrats on your buy. How ever you must realize that the m42 has much more potential then it does at stock form. The m42 comes from the factory as a detuned entry level sedan but with a few mods you can really feel what the engine has to offer (which isn't great but alot better then the stock restricted engine) Try a chip, K&N filter, new exhaust and a fan mod delete for about $650 and experience a whole new m42, one that can breath properly and one that can rev too silly numbers :cool: if you still arent happy go buy a camaro :eek:

[Belteshazzar]

Had the ol' camaro's. Most recent domestic car was a SVO with the wick turned up a bit.

The potential of the M42 is why I considered the car. At least I keep telling myself that. With less power than a stock base-model integra, in a body the size of an accord, it sure better! These motors always feel to me like they need a good cam. Anybody here have some experience with that?

IAbout two years ago I actually threw away a good M42 that had been over-revved. Still kicking myself for that. Would have been a great chance to build with some 9:1 pistons and add serious forced induction, the way it is I can't afford the down-time.

[sheepdog]

Had the ol' camaro's. Most recent domestic car was a SVO with the wick turned up a bit.

The potential of the M42 is why I considered the car. At least I keep telling myself that. With less power than a stock base-model integra, in a body the size of an accord, it sure better! These motors always feel to me like they need a good cam. Anybody here have some experience with that?

IAbout two years ago I actually threw away a good M42 that had been over-revved. Still kicking myself for that. Would have been a great chance to build with some 9:1 pistons and add serious forced induction, the way it is I can't afford the down-time.

Check out MetricMechanic.com They have a wealth of information on building up these motors. Not cheap, but the results are incredible. Even if you do not go with them, check out the site, you will learn a ton about the motor and what direction you need to go.

[sand_m4n]

Check out MetricMechanic.com They have a wealth of information on building up these motors. Not cheap, but the results are incredible. Even if you do not go with them, check out the site, you will learn a ton about the motor and what direction you need to go.

+1 :cool:

[Belteshazzar]

well, that wasn't as encouraging as I hoped.

in order to make any power they basically end up re-engineering the whole motor don't they? Different rods, pins and pistons. Different timing chain. Massaged head. Different springs, retainers, lifters, cams. Guess I should expect that, but I think most motors respond well to this much effort.

Next bonus check I get, I was thinking a set of cams and a call to downing/atlanta would do it for me. Probably some tuning shortly thereafter would be wise too.

I spent less than $1000 on my SVO and put 250hp and 300lbs of torque to the ground on a dyno. :( Wouldn't ever handle like the bimmer, but damn.

[sheepdog]

well, that wasn't as encouraging as I hoped.

in order to make any power they basically end up re-engineering the whole motor don't they? Different rods, pins and pistons. Different timing chain. Massaged head. Different springs, retainers, lifters, cams. Guess I should expect that, but I think most motors respond well to this much effort.

Next bonus check I get, I was thinking a set of cams and a call to downing/atlanta would do it for me. Probably some tuning shortly thereafter would be wise too.

I spent less than $1000 on my SVO and put 250hp and 300lbs of torque to the ground on a dyno. :( Wouldn't ever handle like the bimmer, but damn.
You can get power from the motor without touching the bottom end. You need head porting and cleanup, a chip, and a cam. At least. Until you do all 3, you are talking VERY minimal gains. A chip can improve midrange, but beyond that, you have to start looking at some serious work. You can take this motor to about 7500, but that is about it in stock form, and you better not leave it there long. Power output... probably 180hp at the crank.

The Metric Mechanic motor is a full on race engine for the street. You can take it to redline and keep it there without fear.

Unfortunately BMW designed this motor in a way that limits its potential. Not that many Euro vehicles (brought to the U.S. at least) are easy cranked up. You cannot compare a chunk of Detroit iron with a finely tuned Euro engine. They spend big bucks pulling lot of power from small motors. We spend little money and dump more cubes. Any tweaking helps an American motor because they are not so high strung.

Yes, I know, 140hp (or whatever it is) is not much from a 1.8 in some peoples opinion, but at the time that was not bad numbers. Also keep in mind, had BMW left lots of room for easy tweaks, no one would have bought a 325 or M3, since this car only needs about 190hp to beat said cars on the strip or track.

There is a guy trying to it 180hp N/A in this thread. http://www.m42club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2971

[kramerica5000]

If the flywheel in the E36 is as heavy as the one in the E30, you could gain a lot of performance by swapping it with something lighter for pretty cheap. Besides that, getting a good chip is probably the cheapest upgrade.

[Belteshazzar]

funny you should say that.

the p/o put in an M3 clutch and flywheel, which I believed to be a good thing. Someone just told me the M3 one is heavier than the stock m42 flywheel. Lol. I wonder where I can find out for sure...

And he already had a custom chip burned and installed too.

[jeff91-318is]

nice
and who cares about the power?
its all about beating those morons in hondas around those corners anyways

[sheepdog]

nice
and who cares about the power?
its all about beating those morons in hondas around those corners anyways

Who says you even have to race.
I just look at them and laugh, shuts them down in a hurry. The stock or near stockers are intimidated by our cars.

Bluff, it works and not just on Hondas.

[e30 4cyl]

There will always be someone with more power. Speed in the corners takes a lot more skill and is more satisfying than flooring it.