Hi, I am new to the forum but have been driving an E21 since I was 16. I currently drive a 1982 320i that I have done some suspension/wheel tire mods to. I now want to swap the '82 engine for the 2.0 liter from my 1978 320i. I am rebuilding the '78 engine and have a few questions. First, I want to replace the fuel injection with weber 40 DCOE sidedrafts, but am wondering if I will get the full benefit of the carbs with the stock compression ratio of 8.3:1. If I do need to up compression is the best way to do so with a different shaped piston or can I have the head milled? I am also considering a different cam, the schrick 292 seems to be the best for my application but I am open to all suggestions. Also any header/ exhaust system that anyone has had success with I would love to know what you used.
Thanks
cf320i

Welcome to the boards! Another Southeastern E21...

40's would be a nice fit for a mild 1.8L IF you know how to tune them.

Your compression should complement your cam, for example with a 292 duration you need at least 10-1 for it to run well-especially with carbs. BTW, you won't get that much compression from milling your head. A cam in the 280 range with 9-1 compression would work well.

The 292 is a little large for a 1.8L, you will kill what little torque you have for the sake of a high rpm gain-how often will you have your car over 5000rpm? The correct answer is not that often compared to how much time it will spend between 3000 and 5000rpm. I recommend building your engine for torque in that range, that means a mild cam, long tube header (the best you can afford), the best exhaust you can afford ("Old man" on this board has the BEST there is, not cheap but the best never is).

That would be a good start...

ken

Welcome. I see that you are in Kennesaw. I am in Suwanee. Are you active in the Peachtree Chapter of the BMW CCA?

Ken. I am rebuilding the 1978 2.0l engine to swap into the 1982 car. Would Tii domed pistons help compression from 8.3 to 9.3? and run with stock cam and webers?

Ken. I am rebuilding the 1978 2.0l engine to swap into the 1982 car. Would Tii pistons

Ken. I am rebuilding the 1978 2.0l engine to swap into the 1982 car. Would Tii pistons help

Ken. I am rebuilding the 1978 2.0l engine to swap into the 1982 car. Would Tii pistons help with

wtf multi posts......

Got a Stahl header direct bolt-on-fit for 77'-79' 320i, 1 3/8ths primaries 2inch collector bolts to stock exhaust. Its for sale, for any pics just PM me anyone, peace out, vibrant.:buttrock

im interested, how do i send a pm?

The pistons domes need to match the head casting. I don't know if the tii pistons will fit a regular e21 casting head as used on the '77-'79 2.0L. They may require an earlier head casting. Check with the 2002 board for that answer.

I run a 2.0L crank, Euro e21 domed pistons and a ported e21 casting head that has been slightly milled=about 9.2-1 compression. The cam is an Elgin 272 that makes great torque in the mid range and will rev to 7000 but it's really counter productive as the best power is at much lower rpm. I run a custom header and exhaust, my induction is programmable EFI- was an e30 318i intake but will shortly be a modified early e21 intake. This engine makes more power than it has a right to and completely changes the character of the car. I drove a stock 323i back to back and mine was just as quick and handled better...

ken

wtf multi posts......

Lol dial up!:evil2