BMW 316i Donor
 

Hi guys, needs some help and advise.

So i'm started to do some research on donor cars. And i've come across a bmw 316i. I was wondering if i could use the whole car as a single donor or would i need to use this and something else ? Or should i be asking what else would i need also. I'm just pricing up at this point and found the car for £300

Mike

By the time you have a car built up, IVA tested and on the road £300 here or there is not going to be very significant.

My opinion is you should stick with the Sierra as a donor unless you have a very good reason not to, and a BMW 316 dooesn't sound like a good reason to me (although it may to you, and it is after all, your choice).

Thanks for the input, the reason i wanted a bmw instead is because of the sound it makes when you start the straight six engine. I have been looking at seirra's also but would love to use something else. Does anyone know of anyone who has built one using a BMW ?

Are you sure it's got a straight 6? I thought the 316 and 318s were 4 cylinders. I'm not a BMW expert though

them engines are only 4 cylinder you need to go upto a 2.0ltr bmw to get 6 cylinder plus they are heavy !

They arent a straight six until 2.5 which are a little underpowered for the size and weight of them at 190 bhp

After owning a 330i and an m3 the one thing i will say about them is that they quite often have niggles and they always cost a bomb to fix, even just for the parts

The 2 litre engines are 6 too, largest 4 pot is the 318is (1.9)

bmw parts for e30's are quite cheap to be fair, im away to build with an e30 that has a 1.8 is turbo in it, after owning a good few i decided i know them better than most, i wanted to use 6 pot but alot of weight compared to the 4 pot. although there has been people building with v8's!!! each to their own i say.

Guilty as charged!!!!

I'm building a locost with a BMW M60B30 (3.0L V8) it has 220bhp and only weighs 146kg!

I used an E34 5 series as my donor and I'm using engine, gearbox, prop (modified) and rear axle assembly (retaining the semi trailing arms and anti-roll bar), steering column and shaft, rack is from an E36 3 series. The ONLY sierra parts I have had to use are the front hubs.

Have a look at my blog if you like!

All the best, and good luck.

Sam

Thanks guys for the replys. My stupid mistake, thinking it was a 6 instead of a 4. Well lesson learned lol. But i still am going down the BMW route. And thanks for all the info on your build page aerosam .... looks like i'm going to have to study it hard and see what it will teach me ...

A builder called Longerr built a roadster with the 316 unit and box it may be worth contacting him,he has not posted for a while.

You're not wrong about the noise. I've built a 7 with a 328 engine and it sounds incredible (not quite so angry now it's got an exhaust on it, but still really good).

I'd say any of the straight-6 E36 motors are a great choice, but for me it would be a tough call between the 328 and the M3. 328 is 20 kg lighter, but then the M3 has a significantly higher redline (and more power, if you really want more than the 328 is capable of). I don't really see the point of messing about with the 323 or 325 when the 328 is so cheap.

BMW Engine
 

Have a look at the E30 318is or even better the E30 M3, both engines are 4 pott the is has 136BHP as standard and the M3 is around the 200BHP area. A320is was built for the Italian market,very similar to the m3 but only 2ltr

e36 328 would be the one i would go for. has an ali block and head so shouldn't be that heavy

The Roadster should have been done using the Bmw from the start as nearly every kit firm out there uses the Sierra hence the reason they are hard to come by these days.
Same happened with the Escort, now look at the prices these beasts go for:eek:

Still don't see why folk need 200 odd horsepower with our our crap crowded roads and fuel at over £6 a gallon....:confused: