Dilemma Swap or Buy

S

Springers

Zorg Addict
British Zeds
Joined
Mar 8, 2018
Points
54
Location
Mansfield
Model of Z
2.8
Apologies in advance as I guess this may have been asked before but i currently have a 2.0l z3 80k miles I have made a few alterations or should I say the garages have ie cat back exhaust, refurbed wheels, central locking, new drivers seat, chrome bonnet grills etc but I am looking for a bit more grunt/acceleration so Buy 2.8/3,0l or as suggested by a well known bmw breakers drop another engine in?
I have approached 3 independent bmw speacialists all have declined to look at an engine swap suggesting it’s more bother than it’s worth should I heed their advice or ?
Any advice/ suggestions greatly appreciated
Thanks
 
If you can do the work yourself and are very determined it’s possible. But you would need various other parts not just the engine.

But I would suggest it’s prohibitively expensive having it done for you and as you’ve found out due to the potential complications and probable inability to warrant the work, garages are not keen.

I personally would advise you not to. It would probably be cheaper to buy a 2.8 as a second car. And almost certainly cheaper to sell the 2.0 and buy a 2.8.
 
As above ^^^^. 2.8's are cheap enough even for solid ones. The 3.0 is more expensive as much fewer were made.
 
Also a 3.0 engine is considerably more expensive to acquire from a salvage yard despite it being used in other BMWs.
 
don't build what you can buy,

you can get into a 2.8 for buttons at the moment.

sell yours and buy the best 2.8 you can
 
I seriously considered doing the swap, 2 major considerations are the 2.8 has a 25% slip diff, 2.0l has non slip diff, also the 2.8 has a stronger gear box, its just not worth doing,
 
Also, the converted car will be virtually worthless when done. No brainer really!:thumbsup:
 
Agree with the others, sell the 2.0 and buy a 2.8
 
Thanks for your input guys really appreciate it and off course it makes perfect sense, looks like I am on the lookout for a 2.8/3.0
Cheers
 
I had a 2.0 and bought a cheap 2.8, the 2.0 was in better condition body wise but had more miles. I thought about swapping the engines, but then there is all the hassle and work, plus informing the insurance and the DVLA that 2 cars have had a engine change. Then there was the hassle to sell on a 2.8 registered car that had a 2.0 engine put in. I ended up swapping all the panels, interior, wheels, suspension, brakes, exhaust etc from the 2.0 to the 2.8 and had pretty much the exact car I started with but with a 2.8 engine. I got everything back on the 2.0 and sold it on and actually ended up around £700 up after buying the 2.8 and selling the 2.0. The 2.0 was a great car but the 2.8 is so much better with the extra performance. 2.8's are cheap if you buy right and you can almost get them to 3.0 territory for very little money. Mines had a remap and a 330 manifold conversion and is upto 220hp which has cost me around £300. A 3.0 would be harder to find and a lot, lot more expensive.
 
you would have to get ECU's and DME's and all sorts, if you change the engine, along with the differential and gearbox etc etc.
If a garage that charges for the work still doesn't want to do it, then that surely tells you why.
Insurance would be more expensive as its classed as a modified car, rather than the alternative which would be a standard car
 
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