[77amc]

Good afternoon. NOT new to vehicles/machinery but yes to BMW's

I'm looking to purchase a '99 328i m3 cabrio/hard top and have joined a couple BMW sites (that don't return emails or have some strange "random question" that stops me) trying to get information on motor swaps/upgrades since this particular M3 has a bad motor. But pretty decent for the body and in the options dept, nicely fortified.

I'm almost 50yrs old, retired, and don't want a 'run a round'. Just good info and honesty.. A friend's knows of a shop that has two 328i 4dr's and could get them fairly inexpensive. I just need to know if the m-series has different motors than the rest? i would expect different compression ratios/cams/injectors but am tired of searches that might contain only one of the search words in 5-120 pages (which makes 'searching' kind of useless..)

(Will ____ motor bolt into mine with plug and play capabilities?)

I've seen the LS swaps but I believe they would be cost prohibitive..

Is this the right forum or can someone link me to a good source?

Thanks E

[H2]

This whole group of websites is mainly for newer model BMWs. I'm sure there are a number of people here who can answer your questions, but I would go to a site that has a section for E36 M3s to ask questions. One site I belong to has an E36 M3 forum here. But the short answer is: yes, the engines are different between the regular E36 328i and the E36 M3. For example, 190 hp versus 240 hp.

[77amc]

Thank you sir. I'll give it a look.

I am more interested in.. Will it bolt up and all wiring, ancillary components connect and play nice together..
For less than 1400.00, and a 'rescue' engine for another 800-1000 will get me on the road and I can rebuild the one that's in there.. (port and polish, cam work, high comp pistons, exhaust work etc..) Can't tell what went wrong just yet (don't own it yet) P.O. says it overheated and during water pump change, the mechanic saw metal shavings.?
Where? You can't see much from the timing chains

Again, Thank you.
E