Just read through the thread, lovely car, and a very smart build.
Also nice to find a few names of chaps who've spent some time playing with the M52 and will share information as there seems to be absolute zero info on transplanting BMW engines online.
Thanks for that. I know what you mean, luckily for me I got friendly with a bloke on here who'd already done this conversion, although I have sussed quite a bit for myself. It's a great engine especially in something small & lightweight like the E21.
Hopefully I'll get back to this Vanos issue by the weekend & get ready for the MOT. Don't want to get too distracted with this though as I need to make sure my 02 is ready for paint.