While building up my new (to me) S52 supercharged engine for my E36, I had to decide what to do with the exhaust coming out of the head. Throwing a wrinkle in the plans is that I need to keep my stock catalytic converter pipe in place to pass my local county emissions (I was …
Continue reading Turner Motorsport (TMS) Equal Length Shorty Headers for my BMW E36
Now that the my Vortech supercharged 3.2L S52 engine has been successfully installed in my E36, I need to address some supporting systems in order to make it perform reliably on the track. After discussing my build with a few other veteran BMW E36 racers, they really voiced their concerns about keeping the intake air …
Continue reading BMW E36 – AEM Water Methanol Injection Kit Installation – Chemical Intercooler
There's been a lot of parts, time and effort to get the S52 swap to this point but the final stage has finally come! In this post, I'm going to take you through the final steps of putting the S52 in place, plumbing in a Grassroots Performance oil cooler setup and installing a Spal puller …
Continue reading BMW E36 S52 Engine Swap – Completed with Oil Cooler and Spal Fan Installation
My new supercharged S52 requires a new clutch that can keep up with it without issue. One thing that I learned quickly when researching clutches is that there are a lot on the market for the BMW E36. The prices vary considerably and so do the reviews from those that have tried them. After reading …
Continue reading BMW E36 Clutch Installation with Pilot Bearing Replacement
My S52 engine has around 130,000 miles on it and I honestly don't know how it's been treated over its life. Has it always received regular oil changes? Has it been abused at high rpm over extended durations? Has it been rev'd to a high rpm before the oil has even had a chance to …
Continue reading BMW E36 – M50 / S50 / M52 / S52 Connecting Rod Bearing Replacement & Upgrade
As part of the preparations for the S52 swap into my E36, I have to make sure the cylinder head for my S52 motor is well built and ready for boost. When I saw my S52 running in the E30 that is was pulled from, I could see a little smoke coming through the valve …
Continue reading BMW E36 – M50 / S50 / M52 / S52 High Performance Head Rebuild & Upgrade
The trunk latch on my BMW E36 has been just barely limping along since I purchased the car. The previous owner did a pretty terrible repair job when the sheetmetal around the latch cracked. I've finally decided to do something about this and, while I'm already messing with the trunk, why not take a little …
Continue reading BMW E36 – Trunk Lightening and Quick Release Spring Latches
One of the biggest known issues with BMW E36 chassis cars is the fragility of certain critical cooling system components. The main OEM components that have known weaknesses (even in non-racing applications) are the plastic thermostat housing, radiator with plastic end tanks, plastic clutch driven cooling fan and water pump with plastic impeller. Notice a …
Continue reading BMW E36 – Stewart Warner Water Pump vs OEM Style Welded Steel Impeller
Time to think safety! With all the modifications that I'm making to my car (including an engine swap with external oil cooler) and the hard racing that I'm putting it through, I really want to keep the E36 from burning to the ground if something goes wrong. With that in mind, I've decided to mount …
Continue reading BMW E36 – Mounting a Halotron Fire Extinguisher in my Car
One of the most notorious shortcomings of the BMW M50 family of engines (which includes the S52) is the oil pump. The oil pump is basically the heart of the engine and is responsible for supplying oil throughout the entire engine (from main bearings to valve lifters) to keep the engine operating as it should. …
Continue reading BMW E36 S52 Engine Swap –Upgraded PRD Oil Pump and Chain Tensioner
Brent Ford Racing 