So I aquired another little E30 project.
paint isn't as nice as it looks, needs hood/trunk/rear bumper minimum repaint and the rest needs a cut cut/polish
I picked it up on the cheap because it needs a headgasket/cracked head, still runs and drives, but a bit of milk in the oil.
The interior is near mint, only 91k miles so I assume the rest of the drivetrain is as good as it feels (though it is an autotragic, that will be remedied shortly).
However, all day I've been thinking, "If I have to replace the headgasket anyway, shouldn't I replace it with an MLS and ARP studs..............just in case?"
What say ye?
nice find. i heart red/black E30 ragtops with plastic bumpers. 
Was thinking the same thing...
"if I have to replace the headgasket anyway, why not just drop in a later motor with more powa..." 
^I did that in my bronze car, not going down that road again. I was just thinking about throwing on a cheap turbo set-up until the real engine goes in ~12-18 months down the line.
5.3L
to be honest, a 'cheap turbo setup' with the associated stuff is going to cost more than a 5.3/t5 swap.
simplecat wrote:
to be honest, a 'cheap turbo setup' with the associated stuff is going to cost more than a 5.3/t5 swap.
Meh. A true junkyard warrior could turbo that thing for well under a grand.
^Precisely. Although if I get feeling frisky, I'm sure even just the fresh headgasket and headbolts would be good for 9-10psi.
It would also be fun to see how long the automatic lasts with some extra power.
No, the 5.3 swap requires either a remote booster, slotted firewall or conversion to a dual master, booster less brake setup.
Custom engine/trans mounts have to be fabricated, etc.
I probably won't do the turbo thing, it just keeps running through my mind.
