First we have here my '82 528e. It has new saphire blau metalic paint from 2002, 15x7 alloys from an e34 with 205/60 tires (nice easy upgrade from stock), a Dinan chip, and Paul Gray's urethane upper control arm bushings. The tan vinyl interior is in good shape. 170K miles on the original engine and 3-speed automatic tranny. The automatic isn't the best for performance or efficiency but with the torque of the 2.7L it isn't unpleasant to drive. At some point I plan on swapping in a stronger M20 along with a 5-speed (but who knows).

Here it is with a euro front bumper (and $5 autozone turn signals), still a work in progress but looking better than before IMO. Also, a couple shots of the mounts I fabricated

Next we have my '84 "320i" which I made out of a junky '81 320i and '84 325e. It has an M10 block done up with ROSS pistons, an 89.75mm bore, 80mm stroke, and stock rebuilt '81 head (I see a new cam in the future). The 320i tranny and shift linkage were used (bolts right in) along with 318i brackets for the block and a 318i oil pan. The 325e driveshaft is used along with a simple spacer I had fabricated to take up another 2" (for a tenth the cost of a new custom driveshaft that is). I tried the 325e radiator but got tired of screwing around with it (can't find custom hoses small enough). It was overkill anyways since a stock 320i radiator works just fine. AC has been removed (neither 325e nor 320i AC worked anyway). Power steering pump is not being driven (not really needed with the lighter front end). The tach reads 2/3 the actual speed but the eta's 4500RPM redline works for this (6750RPM that is).

If my tranny didn't have 200K miles on it and I had a proper differential gear ratio I could probably outrun an E30 318is.

I figure the engine will outlast the rest of the car (which I will be driving around in the krud to save my 528e). Then I can get a nice rust free E21 from somewhere far, far away and drop my engine in there.