Upgrading the 350i, at what cost?

[tvrmk363]

Good Morning or afternoon, depending on where you are in the world.

I have a standard 87 350i which runs well I guess.
What changes/upgrades can you make to get more horsepower and at what cost?

All ideas welcome!

Charlie
Ohio

[mrzigazaga]

Hi Charlie....There are so many things that could be done to increase the power...An adjustable fuel pressure regulator will give an extra 2bhp..Flared trumpets..De-restriction of the AFM & Exhaust can give up to 7-10ftlbs of torque...Then you enter into rebuild territory..Ported heads..Bigger valves..Cams..Bigger injectors with bigger plenum and AFM although to de-restrict this you might have to get rid of it altogether..Then you will need a different ECU with wiring loom...The list is on going and very expensive...If you were to weigh up the cost of mods to gain power on the existing engine then you could actually spend less on a bigger motor..There is no substitute for cubes!..I learnt that lesson trying to supercharge a V6...I still ask myself ....Why?...Ziga

[Waynester]

Other options are to sell it & upgrade to a bigger engined Wedge.
If you don't want to sell of course, chasing horsepower can get expensive.. Though tbh..you soon get used to the power of even the biggest Wedges.

Where is that 660 SEAC again??

[pjac67]

Not sure about importing but if you wanted a 1987 350i thats had c.£12k in new 4.6 V8Developments engine (pushing out close to 300HP) + bits there may still be one for sale (not currently advertised) by someone on these forums for about half the above figure IIRC...

Regards, Paul.

[bradderztvr]

isn't a 1987 350i fast enough for todays roads ? Unless you're going track day or hill climb.

[superwedge]

mrzigazaga said:

Hi Charlie....There are so many things that could be done to increase the power...An adjustable fuel pressure regulator will give an extra 2bhp..Flared trumpets..De-restriction of the AFM & Exhaust can give up to 7-10ftlbs of torque...Then you enter into rebuild territory..Ported heads..Bigger valves..Cams..Bigger injectors with bigger plenum and AFM although to de-restrict this you might have to get rid of it altogether..Then you will need a different ECU with wiring loom...The list is on going and very expensive...If you were to weigh up the cost of mods to gain power on the existing engine then you could actually spend less on a bigger motor..There is no substitute for cubes!..I learnt that lesson trying to supercharge a V6...I still ask myself ....Why?...Ziga

you was in love zig,.

[PoleDriver]

bradderztvr said:

isn't a 1987 350i fast enough for todays roads ? Unless you're going track day or hill climb.

Mumsnet is that way!

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

[mrzigazaga]

superwedge said:

you was in love zig,.

Oh yeah.....

I guess there is always NOS....Sometimes i wish i had it fitted..Just a little blast now and then would do...

Edited by mrzigazaga on Tuesday 20th January 19:15

[adam quantrill]

Partly from Zig's list this is what I did to my 350i to go faster, in order of cost:

- Check the throttle plate opens to 90 degrees
- Clean the plugs
- Make sure the ignition timing is OK particularly the advance both vacuum and mechanical *
- Run on half and half normal and super unleaded
- Regular oil changes with 20W/50 for those tappets
- Rising rate regulator (make sure your fuel hoses around the fuel rail are in good nick)
- New camshaft and followers, nothing too wild just restoring performance

• When I got mine I discovered the mech advance was stuck and they had advanced it to compensate, but it didn't rev too high and low end was iffy too. So I freed it up and stuck it back on with the correct timming.

If you really want to go for it, stick a blower on. Cost will be about £2k for a sprintex including the brackets and pipework. You'll need composite head gaskets and a tweaked ECU that can fuel it more heavily.

Edited by adam quantrill on Wednesday 21st January 15:57

[KKson]

adam quantrill said:

- New camshaft and followers, nothing too wild just restoring performance

Hi is the 350i engine fitted with a bog standard Rover camshaft? Typically if people put a slightly upgraded camshaft in then what is best for a small increase but retaining decent drivability? I've heard many things from many sources and to be honest I don't think any seem to be consistant. What would people use to upgrade but retaining standard heads?

[mrzigazaga]

Hi keith...Not sure about what cam to suggest as they all differ and i know its not just a matter of putting a different cam in..Kits can be bought that include the followers and springs..Or bought separately depending on what you want....
http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&...

[Jack Valiant]

If its a stock 350 then I would go for a Kent 214 ... decent profile and a good balance of power and mid / top rev range torque. If you buy cheap then they can become a service item ... Range Rover type cams with give lots of torque (mud pluggers) but at the cost of top end power. Remember if you do the cam then do the followers and take the opportunity to change to a good quality timing chain and a decent set of billet gears

[KKson]

Thanks gents. I'll keep my eyes open for a 214 then. Not this side of the BBWF but something for later in the year.

[mrzigazaga]

KKson said:

Thanks gents. I'll keep my eyes open for a 214 then. Not this side of the BBWF but something for later in the year.

And then whack a blower on it........

[V8 Fettler]

tvrmk363 said:

Good Morning or afternoon, depending on where you are in the world.

I have a standard 87 350i which runs well I guess.
What changes/upgrades can you make to get more horsepower and at what cost?

All ideas welcome!

Charlie
Ohio

If you are deciding with your head and wallet then sell your car and buy a Wedge with a bigger engine.

Would be much more interesting to fit an LSx engine to your own car though!

[RCK974X]

Zig,

why don't you change your moniker to "MrBlower"

[mrzigazaga]

RCK974X said:

Zig,

why don't you change your moniker to "MrBlower"

More like "Mr Blewit"...Quite apt really as i did that with my inheritance....And i play the Saxophone .....And for all the ladies out there....I like to blow my sax ....

[RCK974X]

Hmmm... I think I could well turn into "Mr Grumpy" - I'm well on the way.....

[mrzigazaga]

RCK974X said:

Hmmm... I think I could well turn into "Mr Grumpy" - I'm well on the way.....

..What you need is "Mr Tickle"...

Mind you thats been tried before... ...And it never worked!...

Perhaps its an age thing...I find myself moaning about mess in the street...Kids screaming and people running over in the park creating a muddy pathway...
Of course none of it applies to me...Or really affects me but i still moan...

[KelWedge]

Well let me have a think, get a new 4.6, Piper cams etc etc Emerald have to remap that a couple of times, before and after running the car in at 8mpg for 1500 miles, a few more engine mods etc, and get some one to do it for you. Show the Mrs the deposit invoice for 2k with thumb over the word deposit. Job done for 2k then or was it 9k
Don't forget if it goes quicker you need to stop quicker