1991 BMW 318is

Picked this up today for $1000.










165,000 on a non-working speedo. One coil is bad, so it is only running on 3 cylinders at the moment, but I have another coil on the way. Other then that, engine seems to be in great shape. Compression numbers were 180 across the board.

How is this relevant to MGB's you might ask? Well, the plan is to pull the engine and put it in my GT. :D Should be almost double in HP and torque with the added benefit of fuel injection and a lighter engine. Swapping the 5-speed as well.

My plan is to get it running correctly and drive it for a week or so and make sure the engine is running well and fix anything while it's still in the e30. Then it will be parted out.

i wouldve gone for a 325-they cost the same over here-you can find the odd 540 even for similar money-rip out the trailing arms-everything-just cut your mgb shell off and plop on the bmw! whats the difference in the wheelbase? i keep thinking about doing the same with VW vr6

325 is an inline-6 and wouldn't fit without a lot of modification. The point isn't to make a BMW look like an MG, the point is to make my MG faster and more reliable/easier to live with.

Best part is, there is a company that makes a supercharger kit for this engine. So if I ever decide I want more power... :)

Good luck. Keep us informed about your progress.

I have one of each (an MGB and an E30 318iS!) That 16 valve BMW engine isn't the torquiest out there, but it pulls fairly strongly above 3K and sounds great. It's a LOT lighter than a B series, to the point where I think you'll need to do some suspension mods (or add ballast ;-)) or the front end is going to be riding really high with some odd suspension angles.

Nathan

Suspension isn't a concern, I can deal with that. Stock figures are ~140HP and 125TQ, which should be enough for an MGB. I plan on going with a coil-on-plug setup as well as a chip, advancing the intake cam timing and going with a euro M42 flywheel. If that isn't enough power when it's all said and done, there is always the supercharger.

My son had an '85 318i years ago. Gave him 42 mpg and much good service. Yours is newer and looks to be in good shape.

Those are really fun cars. You may want to get it running right and see how you like it. I had one about 12 years ago and loved every minute of owning it.

I think that the 16v versions can have head gasket problems so it's good that you have good compression.

Andrew, will that engine fit without modding the hood and/or the crossmember?

Nice idea if it will go in there!

I see one other thing you will need to do. You'll have to move the "M" and the "B" on that spark plug cover, and find a "G" to go inbetween. :)