m20 conversion

[2002guy]

hey all im doing an m20 conversion on my 02, anubody have any info on what the best way of doing this is...i already have engine, tranny, harness and ecu....

your help is very much appreciated

Ricardo

[jm1602]

There is a ton of info available about this, start here.

http://bimmer.roadfly.com/bmw/forums...ural&o=default

Just as an FYI, you will ruin the fine handling of your car with that conversion IMHO.

[craz azn]

eww... m20 2002... gonna be a terrible handling car. Maybe a good drift car though lol

[2002guy]

ive been told by people that the handling isnt that bad as long as u are running a heavy duty front suspension with rack and pinion

[craz azn]

Hard to convert to rack and pinion. What rack would you use?? I guess the suspension can be uprated to a certain point to cope with it, but it still won't be like driving it with the 4 cyl. I guess you might be able to offset the weight by doing some custom crap in the back, ie a heavy diff, with LSD of course (like a custom e36 diff in a '02, that'd be pimp!) and a big fuel cell...

[2002guy]

i would probably use a 320 rack reversed so it in front the the engine. i got an lsd out of a 320. i might go with an e30 lsd later on... and i do plan on doing a custom stereo so i would probably be adding another 200 pounds...i dont think i need a fuel cell just have to stop for fuel more often lol..

[craz azn]

I'd have to go double-check my '02 outside, but I believe the steering is from the backside of the strut, not at the front. That would make it pretty difficult to relocate everything. I am not sure if you can just swap the left and right strut and run them backwards either... never tryed.

It would be harder to fit an e30 diff in a '02 than a e36 diff IMHO. The e36 diff has two ears on the back to mount to the frame in a similar fashion as per the '02, while the e30 only has one, and its offset to the left.

I only mentioned the fuel cell as an idea, so you could have a bigger tank to fill to offset the weight. Your stock tank should be more than adequate though. Agreed on the stereo, that stuff adds up quick!

I just put my '02 back on wheels today actually. So good to see it back on the ground on wheels+tires.

[2002guy]

the steering is behind the struts but im gonna try swapping the struts and running them backwards... thanks for the info on the diff ill probablly go with the e36 diff and make a custom rear subframe..

[craz azn]

Np man. Keep up posted on what happens with your project. I am eager to see the end result!

[2002guy]

will do most likle gonna start late februsr earl march.. gotta get a skline and an sonoma out of the shop first before i start on mine..

[Bandi]

There's a late model 2002 running in the Canadian Rally Championship... it's sideways most of the time but i think he does alright with it.