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Ke70 Corolla with M20b25 Engine swap


Tomoose

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Hey all, I’m new to the forum but I have owned my ke70 Corolla for many years. 

Now has come for the engine swap, as the title indicates, i’m looking at a BMW m20b25. 

The car is more than ready for a new engine all bushes have been replaces with upgrades suspension etc. In full, the car is is capible of more power.

I love the m20b25, I like the sound and the power. I’m not looking for turbos or anything just n/a. 

The question in mind is will the bastard fit? I am unable to find any external dimensions online and also any indication to anyone attempting this engine swap.

Anyone have any recommendations in to this engine, or not to bother and go a different route?

Cheers.

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Plenty of rb25dets in ke70s, so i dont see why an m20b25 wont fit. I have an m20b23 and a 5 speed gearbox in pieces at home if you want dimensions. Its pretty much the same as an m20b25, slightly smaller bore. 

I've got a 323i e30 and i do agree the m20b25 would be fun BUT the e30 is a much better can than the ke70 in basically all aspects.

I would just buy an e30...

All of the stuffing around to put it in a ke70 (custom mounts for engine and gbox, wiring, tailshaft) you would end up with a car that is much worse than an e30 in every conceivable way, and you will probably have spent more than what a complete e30 costs. 

E30 already has disc brakes from factoy and much more superior suspension out of the box. You would need to upgrade the ke70 brakes to match the engine at the very least which is a costly exercise in itself. 

Also the whole LSD issue on a ke70 is very costly to get around. E30 LSDs were an option so they float about for around 800bucks ready to go. 

A better option for the ke70 would be an M44 from an e36. 4clr 1.9L twin cam. Dirty cheap and quite a nice refined motor. Basically a bigger 4age. 

also, looky what i found.

 

 

 

Edited by ke70dave
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You are probably right, but my prefered car. The 325i e30 Coupe, are fetching quite a high price. In direct relation to the Ke70. I am unsure at this point. But 1.9 sounds good. I just love the sound of a n/a 6 cylinder at high rpm.

Do you know if they run a cable actuated throttle? 

1 hour ago, ke70dave said:

Plenty of rb25dets in ke70s, so i don't see why an m20b25 wont fit. I have an m20b23 and a 5 speed gearbox in pieces at home if you want dimensions. Its pretty much the same as an m20b25, slightly smaller bore. 

I've got a 323i e30 and i do agree the m20b25 would be fun BUT the e30 is a much better can than the ke70 in basically all aspects.

I would just buy an e30...

All of the stuffing around to put it in a ke70 (custom mounts for engine and gbox, wiring, tailshaft) you would end up with a car that is much worse than an e30 in every conceivable way, and you will probably have spent more than what a complete e30 costs. 

E30 already has disc brakes from factoy and much more superior suspension out of the box. You would need to upgrade the ke70 brakes to match the engine at the very least which is a costly exercise in itself. 

Also the whole LSD issue on a ke70 is very costly to get around. E30 LSDs were an option so they float about for around 800bucks ready to go. 

A better option for the ke70 would be an M44 from an e36. 4clr 1.9L twin cam. Dirty cheap and quite a nice refined motor. Basically a bigger 4age. 

 

 

 

 

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The 323i coupe is 80% of the car of a 325i coupe and like 20% the cost. My auto 323i was $1700:) mine is an early model chrome bumper model, i suppose if you want the late rmodel plastic bumpers (which admittedly do look pretty good) you will be paying a few dollars.

I'm pretty sure the m44 is still cable. Wasn't until the early 2000's they all went to electronic throttle. 

 

 

 

 

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If that's your motor of choice, I agree with Dave the E30 chassis is the head option, but the ke70 is the heart option.

I agree that the inline 6 is a bit much motor for a ke70.  Id look for a v6 or for a bigger 4 cylinder if it was me.  Id be happy with the power of an alloytec v6 and manual or auto if it was just for straight line stuff.

I love handling more than power I think.  If you cant drive it hard whats the point.  If I was to go straight 6 Id go big for cubes so the barra motor or something like that with a cheap aftermarket and a plentiful source of parts, depending on whats legal where you are.

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You’ll be probably 4x that high e30 price into the ke70 by the time it’s done honestly and as Dave said it won’t be as good as the e30 would have been originally. Even if you buy a 4 cylinder e30 and convert it to 6cyl it’ll work out cheaper and better than the ke70 idea (a friend has just done this)

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