What engines go into a 318ti easily?

I have never had a BMW, but have been wanting one for a while. I've always liked the Ti's and there's a few locally in need of engines. For my first bimmer experience I should likely do a fairly easy swap. I don't know the engine codes etc, so dumb it down for me. Also if you could tell me where to look for an engine and what to expect to pay for one I would appreciate it. Other things I should so while the engine is out would also be good. I suppose I could have titled this thread learn me, but some don't like that.

The 318ti is part of the e36 family of 3 series BMWs, so the easiest swaps would be from another car of the same family. I'd go with a 2.8 liter engine out of a 328i or even better a 3.2 liter twin cam engine out of an M3. Here's a wiki page on the e36: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_3_Series_(E36)

any other e36 drivetrain is a simple swap, then there's all the other 'common' non-bmw engines too as its the same engine bay as every other e36 like that 302 kit and the LS motors. i actually really like the stock m44 with a supercharger but ive ridden in some really fast s50/s52 cars and its hard to argue with the simplicity.

boosted m10

Check out the recent 5.0L E36 swap thread. I love the ti and the recent engine swap thread really got me thinking...

(Lights torch from cigarette in memory of Bear Clontz) 'You want what in what?'

Just about anything can and has been fitted, easiest is probably the S50/2 swap

with the dearth of superchargers recently (I think downing atlanta stopped production not long after GRM put one in their 318is.. I have been thinking of a swap for my own ti. Not wanting to screw up the weight balance, I think I settled on the all aluminum 3.0 out of the z3

What's involved in wiring up one of these different engines? Will getting the ecu and engine harness from the donor engine allow me a simple wiring job?

Where do you guys get your Bavarian motors and electronics?