Purchased in Alabama in 2014, I drove this car back to Connecticut where I lived at the time. The car saw a range of phases, beginning on an air suspension and progressing to an e36 M3 engine (150whp to 220whp) swapped track toy with a custom coilover setup, as shown above. I sold the car in 2018 to a Los Angeles resident but was reunited with it at the end of 2021 when I relocated to San Diego and purchased it back! It is currently part of my collection, though in a much more modest appearing form. 

The idea of this project was pretty straightfoward, and unlike the route taken during my 5.0 Ford swap (see below), was well documented. Buying the entire swap out of a previously completed S50 e30 M3 further simplified the process and left my only decision to be if I kept the OEM Getrag transmission or sourced a lower-geared rear differential to keep the more modern 5 speed that was included. My vehicles known, low mileage drove the decision to keep the OEM transmission. I also needed to decide if power brakes would be kept and how that would be accomplished (they were, using a rethreaded Porsche brake booster). During this swap, my car was still equipped with an air suspension system. This made re-angling the car during engine removal and drop-in much easier than other swaps of which I've been involved.

Finally, when I purchased the car back, some loose ends needed to be tied up to make the car smog legal here in California (the interim owner chose not to BAR the car). Though a bit process heavy, the car did pass BAR and is now able to be legally smogged in California.

The interior was worn down, stained and tan when I first purchased the car. In the course of one of my resale opportunities, I exchanged the entire tan interior for a black interior (~2015) to buy myself time before I decided to reupholster the car. In 2018 before selling the car to the temporary LA based owner, I purchased new interior skins and performed a long overdue upgrade for my interior. 

I puchased a set of bent 18x9/18x11 wheels from a former Z3M owner in the New Jersey area. The wheels were worn; the lips on 2 were bent and the faces were pitted on each of them. I separated the wheels and took them to a local powdercoater with 2 new .5" smaller lips. The lips and faces were refitted an OEM matching "chrome shadow" while the barrels were refinished in matte black. I reassembled the wheels myself and after some fit testing, settled on a set of tires.  Recently, I completed a second rebuild on these wheels, reintroducing a polished lip and re-stepping the rear from 10.5" width to 11.0" width.

In 2021, I welded an equal length center section to replace the stock unequal "h-pipe" configuration offered from the factory. With a goal of producing a more pleasant exhaust note while retaining the stock headers, I purchased a welder and got creative! While learning to weld was particularly challenging, offering further challenge was learning how to cut pipe at angles suitable for weld preparation. The results were impressive, with a near-total reduction in exhaust "buzz"  for which the S54 engine is notorious.

Previously fitted with a cloth, non heated setup I decided to upgrade the interior of my 2006 Honda Civic.  Shown below are a few of the pictures from that project!

In similar fashion and spirit of my 2006 Civic Hybrid, I set out to update the torn, damaged interior in my Honda CR-Z, which replaced my Civic as my everyday car.

Uniquely equiped with a 6 speed manual, these cars offer an engaging driving experience and 35-40mpg! The leather kit was a Roadwire leftover from Ebay and because it had sat boxed for some time before purchase, it will need semi-continuous contouring (heat shrinking/steaming) to hold form to the seat foam. 

Completed as my first personally owned, engine swapped car after college, this car became a learning experience that I was fortunate to complete and enjoy for a short time prior to purchasing my 1992 325i. I sourced and purchased a 1992 5.0 V8 from a Mustang, built a custom brake booster relocation mount, took measurements for a custom driveshaft and designed a custom, high capacity oil pan. Finally, a Megasquirt ECU and wiring harness were built and tuned for the car. Structural rust discovered the year following the completion of the swap would lead to cars partout and scrapping. The swap and components of the swap, as built, still run in a different BMW of the same chassis.