944 BMW inline 6

[SlickGick]

I am interested in possibly swaping my 83 N/A with a bmw I-6 is this possible? Such as the m54b25 or b30, m52b28, or s54b32. Is there anyone who has done this?

[SlickGick]

Or is this not possible due to how long they are?

[nynor]

turbocharge it instead.

[SlickGick]

How big of a deal is that? I heard the N/A's weren't much for handling power, and turbo engine swaps are a pain cause you have to swap basically everthing. And how much is cost?

[nynor]

see, i thought you were into all of the cost and such, being that you wanted to swap a BMW motor in there, along with everything. perhaps i was mistaken.

[ernie9944]

Originally Posted by SlickGick

. And how much is cost?

Most popular swaps for 944 NA are LS V8/968/944S2 those have been done with a certain degree of sucess.Any of those swap will cost you from $3k to $6K depending the way you go at it.Basic kit for for V8 kit will start at around $1,900.00 (without the motor)& your rigth the NA wasn't really meant to handle all that power so your talking extra like 951/S2 tranny & suspension if done safely & properly migth cost you another $2 to $3k.So ask yourself is it really worth it for a car that you've paid $700.00 & still need some interior work done on it (I check your garage) best advice forget it, fix your car so it will be reliable & enjoye that 145 HP & handling.

[Gawernator]

You could buy a nice 951 for the price of that engine swap

[CatsEyes]

I must have read hundreds of these posts since I signed up here.

Almost everyone answers as per the above replies - except that veterans here usually seem to add the following useful points:

The 944 NA goes like a train in the right circumstances if you know how to drive it properly. At speed in the twisties you can out-perform modern V8s, because you can keep your foot to the floor and they can't. Commonly half-way through a set of tight curves they'll just throttle back to watch the show. I know: where I live there are lots of tight curves and lots of V8s!

The car was never meant to win standing-start dashes, and probably wouldn't have even in the 1980s. These days you'll get toasted even by a sports Honda Civic, unless you work the gearbox very hard. (Such as going to 5000rpm+ in 2nd.)

Just enjoy it for what it is, and learn how to drive it to make the most of that astonishing handling.

[SlickGick]

Well as of now i have it running and driving great and am driving it back and forth to college. And also i geuss i should say i am looking for some more power but not a whole bunch more i love I6 and there sound and i would be aiming for making it a DD/autocross/drift so a little more power would be nice and the relibility of I6 no one really answered the qeustion of would it fit and also i would be doing most of the work myself IF i did do it, otherwise i will just upgrade the motor in it MAF conversion, header, cam, so on. I just don't like the thought of pushing an interefernce motor and put money into it and then have it blow itself up.

[9FF]

A BMW I6 will not fit. As for increasing the power for "dd/autocross/drift" you are better off buying a FrWilk or MaxHp chip, swap out the throttle cam for linear version, lighten the car as much as possible and upgrading suspension. You will notice a huge difference just doing that.

A reliable MAF conversion doesn't yet exist, header upgrade won't give you much nor will a cam upgrade.

Plenty of interference engines out there like ours and all of them work fine as long as the belts are changed on schedule. Keep the maintenance up and you will not have any issues.

[SlickGick]

What about miller maf i have heard some good about them and it is only 400 compared to like 1000 for most others? and thanks for info on header and cam. The stock afm really seems like it would choke off the motor compared to a maf.

[Cannonball996]

I think a BMW 6 cylinder swap would be very costly and time consuming, its also a much longer engine so you will have to modify the firewall, in addition to all the little things you will have to do as well.

you could always build up your engine, either for a turbo, or a more powerful NA set up, wouldnt cost as much. and you could always find a different engine to build up, while still driving your 944, and when the engine is ready swap it out real quick, that way your car will have less down time.

but if your main reason for wanting to do this is autox/drifing and still be a daily driver, I would go with better gear box, one with an LSD, and a good suspension set up.

[SlickGick]

Don't i need the newer DME for a chip to work?

[SlickGick]

Pretty sure the one in it is LSD. It always spins both.

[9FF]

iirc you can get an adapter to fit the FrWilk chip into early dme's.

The Miller MAF has not been fully tested and the company seems like it has abandoned further development.

83 LSD is rare, jack the rear and spin one wheel, the other wheel should spin in the SAME direction.

[nota]

the early M3 4 banger should fit

or a later bmw v8

[Cannonball996]

Factory LSDs are very rare, and a bit more valuable, you can simply look at the option tag under the rear hatch, and know right away.

[9FF]

Factory LSDs are very rare, and a bit more valuable, you can simply look at the option tag under the rear hatch, and know right away.

Option codes don't always tell the truth on a 30 year old car, just saying. One of mine had a code for sports seats but they were long gone.

[Gawernator]

Ditto, who knows what happened to my 944's factory locking wheel nuts

[Dave Colangelo]

this may be the wrong thing to say here but ill say it any way, buy a 911....

I to am in college and know what its like to have a Porsche on a budget. I got my first 924S (944 motor in a 924 body) in high school for free. I loved that car despite it having every flaw in the book and not running when i got it, but it treated me well. i then bought a 911 and man what a car. My advise would be to sell the 944 for 3-4K, take them money you would have used on a new engine or upgrades sand get an SC or Carrera. They can be had for less than 10K in decent running shape I got my 78SC for 9K. I also DD a n 87 944 and love that as well. However the 911 is just flat out more fun and way faster. The 911 also has a ton of upgrades that can be done to it much like the 944. Trust me you roll up in a 911 and your neighbors will have lots to say.

Regards
Dave