wtb: M42 (318) motor

#1

Anyone have an M42 in decent shape that they want to sell? I might be buying a 318 in good shape w/ a blown motor and trying to flip it.

#2

There’s a guy in Marietta I just bought some fenders from who is parting out a 91 318iS.

http://atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/pts/1324003992.html

He seemed slightly on the fence about keeping the engine but I bet he’d dump it quick for some cash. I didn’t want it so I didn’t really ask.

I also have an M42 in the garage but it has at least one bad rod bearing and needs a timing set, had 180k on it at time of failure (2wks after I bought the car…). I have a new rod bearing set but ended up buying a junkyard engine. If you’re interested at all in the “some assembly required” route let me know.

You sure you want a 318? It’s a cheap way into the newest E30s out there but to me the engine seems more fragile than the M20 while delivering only marginally better economy. I’d say I rather just have an eta or even a 325i as a daily driver, but then I’m not doing it, am I?

#3

BTW E30 or E36? They’re slightly different M42s I think.

Check out www.m42club.com for more info.

#4

Check this out. I thought about buying it myself since its so cheap and close to me, but I don’t have the space for it.

http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=146360

#5

E30
My first thought was an M20 because I have a spare with ECU and harness, but I got to thinking that I’d be in some hassles for heater, AC, and power steering plumbing because I don’t have any of that. I’m trying to come up with a scheme that would make this plan as easy as humanly possible, so pull the 318’s bad motor and swap in a functional one.

The background on this is that I found a guy selling a cherry 45k mi 318 manual with a blown motor. Motor was blown by driving too fast thru a flooded intersection. Insurance company “totalled” the car so now it has a salvage title. My intent would be to swap out the motor and sell the car.

#6

Could sell as a Spec shell!

FWIW the car being parted in Craigslist is a no-sunroof coupe, I thought to myself how nice that would be as a race car shell. The seller was telling me how he gave up on the car cause the front frame was tweaked, but it didn’t look that bad to me. Something about the front crossmember wouldn’t bolt back in, but it was lined up enough for him to break a bolt trying to put it back in.

Probably straighter than my car is, now.

Anyway, good luck with the hunt.

#7

If you want to think about a 318i->325i conversion, I think I can hook you up with power steering, AC parts, and other misc parts. I think the heater and such in the cabin is the same between the models.

I carefully pulled the AC stuff from the new car. Condition of the compressor and other parts is unknown. I think the rack in the 96 may have survived and I’ll be pulling the power steering stuff from the new car. There may be other parts that can be salvaged from the 96 that I won’t need for the new car.

#8

Thanks Jim, but I want to make this just dead easy. I’m still kind of burned out on wrenching-as-a-hobby from spending a week’s worth of nights in the rain stripping my parts car last month.

Apparently the car is in such terrific shape that I think it’d be a shame to turn it into a rolling chassis. It needs to be back on the road. Preferably with a couple grand in my pocket to help me continue to beat down credit card debts.

Swooper, good find but too far away.

#9

Are M42 car prices that good? I didn’t know there was a market for them.

Maybe there’s just not a market for 318s that look like mine :huh:

#10

cu zcar wrote:

[quote]Are M42 car prices that good? I didn’t know there was a market for them.

Maybe there’s just not a market for 318s that look like mine :huh:[/quote]

I’d hope to get $3k for a E30 with 45k miles and in terrific condition. Ok, salvage title and motor installed by a hapless mechanic.

#11

Got the same issue here. '91 318i. Needs an engine. I do have a 325i engine I could lay my hands on but I’d prefer the straight and easy swap.