Hello everyone,

I'm a current '94 525 owner as my daily driver, plus for my toy, I am campaigning a LS1 powered Porsche 951 chassis in endurance road racing. I've fallen in love with what the LS1 has to offer, in power, reliability and street fuel economy (I can't believe they are making 25-28mpg hwy on these with 350-400hp). In addition, I have fallen in love with the style, comfort, and practicality of my E34 5 series. However, I can't help but dream of how nice it would be to have all this together in one, classy, but powerful package.

Well, there clearly already has been a lot of discussion of the kits done for the 3 Series, but is there any serious interest in a 5 series conversion?

The value would be to allow for a classy, practical and powerful street car, that can give the BMW excellent handling, with the power, reliability and efficiency of the GM LS1, all within what I feel is the classiest modern BMW body style.

We are located in Los Angeles, and would be operating not out of a home garage, but through an existing, professional fabrication and race shop (road race, rally and off-road).

If there is enough genuine interest and committment, we will step up to support it.

Thanks and take care,

Steve Rea

If it is free, go ahead and throw it in mine!

Make the 400+ hp one too!

I have actually considered this after the idea was given to me, but then decided that I would not be able to get all / most of the interior electronics to function with the new engine.

Sure would be fun, though. Sure, I'll lose some refinement, etc - but thats what the ol' e39 is for. :)

Skip the LS1 and move up to the LS6. The 400hp crate motor is sweet. Better yet the LS7.

A 400hp e34's drivetrain would be broken daily. The tq that those engines puts out would probably twist these weak little driveshafts in the 525s and shred the small-housing diffs.

Still would be fun, though!

how does the ls1 compare to a tcd s2 turbo kit?

with tcd's s2 kit i'm looking at 6 grand and 330 wheel hp
that is with fairly low boost....

of course i could turbo the ls1 too =]

A 400hp e34's drivetrain would be broken daily. The tq that those engines puts out would probably twist these weak little driveshafts in the 525s and shred the small-housing diffs.

Still would be fun, though!

I agree, so we would also install the 6spd. T56 tranny and I will research the reliability of the 540's differentials. We would do a custom driveshaft designed for these power levels that could go from the Chevy trans to ghe beemer diff. The 540's can also be picked up for a very reasonable amount, especially if you either sell the running engine or get one that has engine problems. We'll make a custom driveshaft to go from the Chevy trans to the 540 rear end, plus we can upgrade the suspension to match the increase power and performance. A set of very nice used factory 18's from an E39 can be thrown on there to allow for plenty of rubber to support driving on the street plus some weekend track warrior duty. You would only need more rubber if running seriously on the track and then you'd get an extra race set anyways.

Re: which engine to run
For someone looking for the comfort of a factory crate engine, I'd certainly go for the LS2 400hp crate engine, which you can get for only $5695. Not to bad for a 0 mile, all aluminum block engine that will get you likely in the mid 20's gas mileage (of course this will require some right foot restraint). It's actually less than the LS1 by a couple hundred bucks, but the LS1 can be found for less in the used market.

Steve

I would be very intersted in this once the coast is figured out, and what would have to be done to my car.

I'd buy one (you'd have to buy the car, engine, and tranny though). My budget is $11k.

hmmm how much would an automatic one cost? complete that is, im not in the us so i would need everything for the conversion whicj i can do for myself

Please just keep the LS1 or whatever LS you choose in the Impala if you want a big car ride. Lets not start bastardizing the brand after all BMW drive trains are not like Jags that needed replacement.

As a former Chevy gear head this has piqued my interest. I have always wanted to build a Cobra on an Audi S4 or BMW M3 chassis for the reliability, etc.. but I have two comments.

First, I have run many hundreds of HP through some pretty bad drivetrains and nothing breaks. Why? Because unless the ponies can be put to the ground without white smoke (wheel spin) nothing is going to break. You will be hard pressed to hook this thing up. An M5 rear (or a corvette!!), a 6 speed and a custom drives shaft is all it would take.

Secondly, assuming you can hook this thing up (345's and tubs!! Pro street BMW?) are you going to build all new instruments, etc? The cost would be rediculous. The electrical portion of the job would be insane. Can't you just go to town on a custom 4.4l 540 plant? Hell, you could have a cusotm block, heads and crank done for not much more $$$.

my $.02. Can I drive it when you're done?

I would be interested if you can intergrate it into my E39

I would love to do this. I've heard that in the e36 at least, you can adapt the factory electrics to work with the LS1 relatively cheaply so that all your guages will still work. I've never seen the swap done in an e34 though.

I'll be buying the kit if and when one ever comes out. My engine will be due for a rebuild in a couple of years anyway.

Cool Idea

As a former Chevy gear head this has piqued my interest. I have always wanted to build a Cobra on an Audi S4 or BMW M3 chassis for the reliability, etc.. but I have two comments.

First, I have run many hundreds of HP through some pretty bad drivetrains and nothing breaks. Why? Because unless the ponies can be put to the ground without white smoke (wheel spin) nothing is going to break. You will be hard pressed to hook this thing up. An M5 rear (or a corvette!!), a 6 speed and a custom drives shaft is all it would take.

Secondly, assuming you can hook this thing up (345's and tubs!! Pro street BMW?) are you going to build all new instruments, etc? The cost would be rediculous. The electrical portion of the job would be insane. Can't you just go to town on a custom 4.4l 540 plant? Hell, you could have a cusotm block, heads and crank done for not much more $$$.

my $.02. Can I drive it when you're done?

The corvette uses a transaxle rear end (tranny & diff. in the back) which helps with the weight balance of the car. We are converting my Porsche racecar to this rear end as it will be running 13" slicks in the rear and eventually bump up to a 450-550rwhp ls powerplant. Since the transaxle is big, for the street beemers we could look into using the F-body transmission and rear diff as well (camaro SS or transam) which was also designed for the LS1 torque. This would then entail a custom driveshaft and halfshafts, which is certainly doable.

Re: Automatic transmission
There is the current auto available and if you really want to get trick on a street car, there is a new GM auto I saw at SEMA this year. The tranny expert wasn't there, so I wasn't able to get clear, certain info, but basically it sounded like a 6spd auto, with the possibility of paddle shifters. He said that it is unlike the previous tiptronic style autos that received the manual shift as "an electronic request to shift at the next best time", it is a clutch style unit that will be more direct. Again, this was not from the expert and this will also be a pricey unit, especially if bought with paddle shifters...but it does sound pretty cool.

Re: the electronics, the 3 series guys are doing it and for my Porsche, it uses the stock guages. My buddy is building a street one that will have the standard a/c, heater, p/s etc..

Steve

Th supercharger kit seems to get the 4.o close to 400 hp. A 4.4 block conversion will take you even further.

Other swaps I have thought about for the E34 include a turbo M50 3.2, a V12with a T56 or Getrag Supra gearbox, or the famed LT5 GM engine. The LT5 is the Mercury Marine built ZR1 Corvette engine. THose come with 373-400hp and can be modded to over 600hp.

The driveshaft layout and rearend support will have to be changed. There is simply too much torque for the flex disc and single differential hanger. I personally do not like the sound of the pushrod GM engines. It would make the BMW a frankenstein.
The vast majority of people I see doing swaps for on or off-road use are staying in-house. And honestly, if you can not afford an LT5, then the next best thing is probably the Hemi. Hemi's weigh in at 485lbs. Now they offering a crate with a "plug-and-play" wiring harness. You can get one for around $7k with 345hp/373tq

was this porsche featured in some prominent magazine a while back. i remember a silver porsche 911 with an ls1 motor with the red valve covers lighting up the engine bay and the owner claiming 200 mph capability.

Sounds like a cool project, but it takes away the refinement of the car. That motor is going to be wicked loud not to mention most parts of the drivetrain will have to be exchanged. How much weight do you think the whole setup will add? A custom dash would have to be fitted as well, right?

I've been made aware of some interest out here, but cost beocmes the issue.

we have a race/restoration shop here as well, and this type of thing is up our alley, so to speak... although we don't currently have the engineering resources to do it from scratch... (electronics)

Sounds like a cool project, but it takes away the refinement of the car. That motor is going to be wicked loud not to mention most parts of the drivetrain will have to be exchanged. How much weight do you think the whole setup will add? A custom dash would have to be fitted as well, right?


the LS1 is a far far far far more tame motor than the LT1, it won't be any less docile than an M5, and considerably more powerful AND more efficient...

if you want a BUILT LS1 is the problem, I'm not sure the medium case diff will take the beating, and good luck finding a non-750 large case... and 2.80:1 gears an a .5:1 6th are a BAD combination....

hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm


first thread in weeks.....

now that would be an awesome swap!

Sounds like a cool project, but it takes away the refinement of the car. That motor is going to be wicked loud not to mention most parts of the drivetrain will have to be exchanged. How much weight do you think the whole setup will add? A custom dash would have to be fitted as well, right?

With the e36, the clutch and electrics all lined up so none of the dash had to be changed if you were careful. I would expect the e34 would be very similar, if not more roomy.

Also, the LS1 weighs less than the BMW I6 I believe (the I6 longblock is a huge engine) so you would probably end up with a near equal weight in the end...if you didn't actually lose a few pounds.

is the bell housing a bolt on?

there is an extensive thread thread in the 3 series forum where an LS1 has been installed into a e36. there is also another business that provides this service. they quote a price around 10k. the guys that are doing it themselves in the garage said one of the most expesive things is the custom headers that need to be made, 5k or so is what i remember.

good thread with pics http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=151815&highlight=ls1

$5k for headers? MY GAWWWD!!!

-t

thats not that crazy look at how much a full supersprint exhaust for an M5 is all the way back.

they were a one off design for these guys. they said it would be a hell of a lot cheaper to make them again since there is a jig now

there is an extensive thread thread in the 3 series forum where an LS1 has been installed into a e36. there is also another business that provides this service. they quote a price around 10k. the guys that are doing it themselves in the garage said one of the most expesive things is the custom headers that need to be made, 5k or so is what i remember.


There is no doubt that this can be done, and that it will be a kick a$$ car. In order to do it right though, it will also not be cheap. This will be for someone who wants to be able to outperform an M5 handily, and reliably, along with plenty of room for bragging rights if they choose it. In addition, I don't know how much an M5 engine is new, or even a top quality rebuild, but I imagine you can't get 400hp for $5695 .

For many people at this level the gas mileage may not be a consideration, but for someone living in LA, it sure is for me. I thought about getting a mid 90's M5, but the gas mileage is pitiful and I didn't like the idea of dropping big bucks every week with the high gas prices. There are huge drops in SUV sales, plus a boom of buying and interest in hybrids now for this very reason. While the LSx engines are no hybrids, you do get a hell of a good balance of both performance and economy.

This conversion will be for someone who wants a top quality product that will perform and last for a long time, therefore investing in the long term.

Steve

I'd like to see a cost analysis of the whole job.

I'd like to see a cost analysis of the whole job.

yeah, obviously everybody is interested. shit id do it in a heart beat if it was all layed out so i don't want into the project with financial surprises ahead. somewhere in that thread i believe there is a link to a company that has some kind of plan laid out. i don't know if the package was without the price of the engine or what. but if you get some rough numbers then people will do it for sure. it fits into a 3 series with way too much room to spare when your done, it should be even easier to put into our cars. although im not sure if your aiming at the e34 market or the e39 market, since each one would need some different stuff (exhaust)

major parts i saw for the other projects was custom motor mounts, headers, i think they used an aftermarket engine mangement system, custom tranny mount, and drive shaft if i remember.

i wouldn't be worried about beating anything up since guys around with FI cars that boost more then 400hp.

thats not that crazy look at how much a full supersprint exhaust for an M5 is all the way back.

they were a one off design for these guys. they said it would be a hell of a lot cheaper to make them again since there is a jig now


Thats retarded, sorry. 5K for headers is ludicrous. If you have jigs, its a royal ripoff. Once jigs are made, anything over about 1200 is just being elitist.

Thanks for all the input guys. I am thinking first of all about the E34 market, yet if there is the demand for it, we can look into the E39 market as well. Different exhausts would be no problem, though I would need to see the differences in electronics. I like the 5 series also because there should be plenty of room.

Re: headers
My friend is starting his street Porsche LS1 with the stock manifolds in order to pass CA smog. So while not as powerful, as long as they fit fine, this could be a more budget oriented option. Then upgrade later if you like.

I will be meeting with my fabricator today to go over this, so we'll try to come up with some general numbers for you.

Steve

How about a ballpark figure on the cost of the swap...

Please just keep the LS1 or whatever LS you choose in the Impala if you want a big car ride. Lets not start bastardizing the brand after all BMW drive trains are not like Jags that needed replacement.


That's kinda like saying that the McLaren F1 only had a BMW engine in it. For (at the time $1,000,000) it ought to have a handbuilt motor from some exotic race shop.......

BTW, the Koenigsegg uses a reworked Ford 4.6L V8 to get to 240+ mph.....

The LS motor is a great motor - no one is bastardizing BMW. The LS is a mugh lighter motor than the I6s, and a great powerband.

I think it'd be a cool swap.

That's kinda like saying that the McLaren F1 only had a BMW engine in it. For (at the time $1,000,000) it ought to have a handbuilt motor from some exotic race shop.......

BTW, the Koenigsegg uses a reworked Ford 4.6L V8 to get to 240+ mph.....

The LS motor is a great motor - no one is bastardizing BMW. The LS is a mugh lighter motor than the I6s, and a great powerband.

I think it'd be a cool swap.


And if you ever saw that Koenigsegg test drive on Top Gear...o....M....G..

I would get a e34 just for that swap...it would be a fakking beast.....:mad


Just nasty...

Thats retarded, sorry. 5K for headers is ludicrous. If you have jigs, its a royal ripoff. Once jigs are made, anything over about 1200 is just being elitist.



chill abe....

you can buy the install kit w/ headers for less than 6K.... that 5K was for a one-off set... they had to make the jigs to make that set....

chill abe....

you can buy the install kit w/ headers for less than 6K.... that 5K was for a one-off set... they had to make the jigs to make that set....

Its still a lot. Prototype turbo kits are only 8 to ten thousand. Some guy makes a header set and fetches 5 thousand dollars :eek:
I mean, I should congratulate him, but damn.Thats a lot of awful money. Heres my question, why should they cost 5 grand on a bimmer when protoype headers for the new Z06 only cost than one guy two thousand?


But hey, if he can get it, he should charge it. Maybe its like when people go postal over $250 dollar brake jobs or 80 bucks to pull codes.

Z06 headers cost two thousand? That's kind of ridiculous, I'm sure they aren't that expensive to make, those jerks. But hey, why can't you custom fit a Chevy dash and guages or something? I know the electronics would be the most difficult, but if you just use the stuff from an LS1 car, it shouldn't be too bad. I don't think this project would be about the money, for whoever wants to do it, it would be more about the satisfaction, the passion, and the final product.

If I can do the complete conversion for 8k or under, I'll be all over it. This is for an e34 by the way. So if you talk with your fab guy, crunch some numbers, and come up with 8k or less...count me in.

bump this is going to be great

But if 2 expensive go get a used m30 out the junkyard...and all the wiring shyte....and pistons and mls gasket...

Fling boost on that and ya getting good numbers...but a ballpark is what I am looking for...

Z06 headers cost two thousand? That's kind of ridiculous, I'm sure they aren't that expensive to make, those jerks. But hey, why can't you custom fit a Chevy dash and guages or something? I know the electronics would be the most difficult, but if you just use the stuff from an LS1 car, it shouldn't be too bad. I don't think this project would be about the money, for whoever wants to do it, it would be more about the satisfaction, the passion, and the final product.


Well, Ive reviewed the e34 electronics.
What would you lose?
It depends on the model. For instance, you could retain the tach drive and speedo on a 540 car. It would be more difficult, but the tach is a tach. It is driven from an input, and a good EE could duplicate that input. MPG and ETA computers would still work, with reprogramming. I know enough to know it can be done, but not enough ofhand to make it work. I have worked with similar projects, sad to say, on the 91 W body pontiac gran prix. We made the center console electronics (mpg, trip computer, etc work with a 3.8) We took another system and put it (gulp) in a Chevy truck, 350 vortech, and it worked. It required the EE to remove the chip, somehow analyze the program, and tehn program the same chip from a blank. On the second job, he took just took another chip, and built what he called a translator, and wired the inputs into it. This I beleive was easier and faster.

With the correct reprogramming of the Driver Information Center on the dash, you could probably even get it to display codes

THAT, would be where Id be willing to pay the research. To wind up with an e34 that you couldnt tell had an LS1 unless you looked under the hood or stepped on the throttle.

I don't think this project would be about the money, for whoever wants to do it, it would be more about the satisfaction, the passion, and the final product.

This is exactly what this is about.

So I had a very good meeting with our fabricator and shop owner. We are not going to start off doing a "kit" but custom conversions for individuals. We will be able to get these out faster and with quality control on the product we sell. I have a very good source for donor cars, with the E34 540 coming in at the best option with its bigger brakes, taller rear end and poor reputation for the engine and tranny. We can certainly convert your existing car that may already be cherry in the body/interior with things already customized to your tastes, however we can also set you up very well with a fresh 540 donor car.

We are looking to do excellent quality work for that driving and owners satisfaction of a classy custom car that can still eat up an M5 for breakfast, lunch and dinner. While my friend's M5 gets something like 13 mpg, we don't know, but hope to see closer to 20-25mpg (we'll have to see). So in this spirit, here's some ballpark figures for those who are serious to consider. If you are still interested, please email me at Steven@ReaRealtyGroup.com , and we will work on the details to make it happen from there.

Owner provides car = approx. $13,500 for a turnkey car which includes engine and tranny to work with 540 rear end.

Once again this is just a starting figure which will be refined.

If you are serious and interested in working towards a final estimate, pleast contact me and we'll make it happen. It really will be such a blast to drive and own.

Steve

ps - The shop doing the work will be advanceoffroad.com . Check out their site for some basic info.

nice tripplepost dude, also, you are borderline "non-supporting vendor" here... be careful.

and the best way to make this all work is with an M20 525i... why???? gears! IIRC they had 3.46:1 or deeper gearing which is perfect with the camaro gearbox, which SHOULD fit in the tunnel and require minor, if any, re-fittment of the interior...

using the stock transmission is a bad idea... adapting the driveshaft is at least 13,000 time simpler.

build an adjustable trans-mount to control the pinion angles and have at it (dave ????? who does some writing for mustang and fords put one together for older mustangs running modern OD gearboxes IIRC, it owns...

So the shop has fielded a few off road trucks and acouple of spec road racers. What expirience do they have with engine swaps?

Of course it's about the money. If I my pockets were lined we would be talking about an M5 V8 swap, a 525hp Nowak engine. Or even better yet, a V10.

Whoa, pinion angles? These reaends are bolted to a subframe of the unibody. There is a 2 piece driveshaft with a flex disc at the trans and a center bearing. The driveshaft does not move very much. It certainly would not affect pinion angle.

ah, kemosabe... I'm talking more about keeping the angle coming INTO the center bearing correct... sorry about that... pinion angle is incorrect, now that I think about it... but I don't know what is at the moment...

Money is everything in this swap.

14 grand to pay someeone else to do it isnt that bad, when you consider what you are getting for a total of probably 20 thousand dollars. On the other hand, You can get roughly the same perfromance with 1/1000 the headaches runngin the TCD or similar kit, although a high strung turbo car and a sedate 400 horse V8 are worlds apart in drivability.

its a tough call.

In this worl, there are many brilliant people, excellent fabricators, and ingenious car designers. the market determines what makes it or not, and its sad soemtimes to see that go to waste

And one more thing. In the end, you are looking at all that money and time for the performance of a stock trans am WS6. Id say if it was a 450 horse example of the engine that came turnkey as part of the process, 14 grand would be a lot easier to swallow. THe e34 IS a very, very nice car. But most people would shudder at the prce

Jim Pierce built, drove and won every single stage of the rally races last year, including the National Championships, in a Ford Ranger truck into which he swapped a Ford Cobra engine. He has also swapped a small block chevy into a Land Rover, plus a few other older american hot rods.

Re: transmission - We are only considering this by swapping both the LS1 engine and chevy tranny. I totally agree with you Dark Helmet.

It is true that it's not a "cheap" swap, yet if you consider that a mid 90's M5 will go for something like $15k for an engine with well over 100k miles and less horsepower, it's pretty darn good. How much is replacing an M5 engine? vs. an LS1? In addition, consider what it costs to get a classy sedan with 350hp or even close...Cadillac, M5, Benz, Infiniti, etc...all will run you well over the amount of this swap, and even then, it won't have the originality of an LS1 Bmw. If you have heard a Z06, even at full throttle, you will know that it's far from the raw, gutteral voice of the traditional SBC. It is actually mighty quiet for a V8 with a more refined tone. For those that want it though, open it up some and it'll turn heads and put a smile on the face of any red blooded man. When my LS1 racecar is revved in the shop, you can hear the guys from Callas Rennsport (Porsche/BMW shop) next door letting out a few cheers.

To each his own and there's many cool options out there. I'm just offering this up as a reasonable possibility if there are people who have such a desire. We don't "need" to do it, and will be making no big real money doing it, but how cool would it be to do it. This is a very small, niche market, with likely only a small number of people fall into. These characters will have their upgraded springs, shocks, sways, some wider wheels with sticky, tires and have a smile unconsciously brought to their face every day when they fire up and drive their baby.

Agreed, it would be badass done right. And very right, AC, P/S, alternator, everything seamlessly welded in

You know who another target demographic would be , is the people who buy those cadillac things that Rolls Royce's? Segments like that.

Another Idea I had always pondered; the only reason car companies make money is because they finance. If you could get hooked up with a major bank, demonstrate your product is vlauable and in "new" condition, it would be apossiblity. Look at the prices Munitech Motorcars sells their examples for. INsane, but they are marketed as a new product. Thats the key. They also offer 3.9% financing. If a lending insitutino recieved a good enough proposal, and the right fatcat took al iking to your product, an heinternet hype was raised on it, and it was presented as a classy "shieks machine" it is possible. Im sure lingenfelter can finance theri finished products, and I dont know if DINAN can, but they could. Nobody actually has money anymore, its sad but true, not 20 to 25 grand . But if your car had daily driving reliablilty and a newness to it due to a fresh minor resto and engine swap...now thats IS a smokin deal. I know of tons of people who would shell out 5 grand down and 4 hundred or 450 a month for a 400 horse e34 with a six speed. THe car would be a bombshell, marketed as a DAILY DRIVER. as a racecar or hot rod, it needs another 150 to 200 hroses to be street competitive anymore.

Kepp this thread up, you have a good idea

Now you got me thingking and I just cant STFU about this.

REferrring to my previous comment, the reason people shy away from the aging e34 and would be different on a financced e34 that you built;

Oil Leaks=Gone
Thrust arm bushings= Make those gone too. You have a race shop. Just do all of them
Brakes=850. Nuff said
Paint= You are in Cali. You can have it done
LEather cracking= Same thing. Your in cali. You have S.O.B. Labor available
Radiator=Youd put a new one in anyway
AC Not cold= GM R134 Compressor and cylcing system would take care of that. You could use an R134 condenser from a trans AM. I already measured one
Size. See the paragraph below for that




Teh E32

The e32 7 series is essentially an e34 with 5 inches more longitudinal wheelbase and about 5 inches more interior width. It makes allt he difference in the world, considering the point that family men wh have families dont necessarily want a "midsize" luxury car tah is roughly the size of a pointac grand am.

Te e32 7 series is beautiful, especially with the V8 grills. Here you would be making a product that truly is unique, becasue they were never available with that much power in anything, a V8 or V12, and never in the US had a manual tranny, much less a six speed.

Here is where I beleive you could really market a product. Here would be a car that uses all e34 performance suspension products sans the swaybars, but 750 swaybars work nicely. Here is your nice, roommy, better optioned e34 that only weighs 185 pounds more. They also hae a lower diff set, and pretty much are amazing. an e32 735 or 740 with an LS1 would be awesome. Screw the nikasil 4.0 v8. the LS1 would destroy it. Here the enthusiast businessman could have aclassy BMW and a 180 mph autobahn riceburner eating mercedes killer. The LS1 could even be tuend and oversized to go head to head with the e55 amg. Here you would have room to do a nice superhcarger too, and the AMG would die.

What is the weight of the LS1? Complete with accessories. From my understanding about 500 lbs. I would put the M60 close to 460 lbs.

Yeah I've heard those Corvettes before. Refined yes. Push rod, yes.

I had an E34 with close to 400hp. I know what its like to start the car, but I never grinned. Not until I clocked a Maserati upside the head on I40. It's fun. There is no doubt about it. But the highway is this cars domain. It's never gonna handle well.

Forget about the stock brakes. Even with 540i brakes they will get hot quickly.

Our shop has pioneered many BMW engine swap kits. As I am overly familiar with the process and outcomes, this will be quite an interesting thread to follow.

i've been daydreaming of an E36 LS1 "supercar" since those threads popped up in the E36 subforum.

the LS1 weights ~50lbs less then the M50 I-6 but the tranny weights ~50lbs more than the zf tranny so it basically evens itself out total to weight the same.

people throw around the 400HP number but I think the truely impressive number is the 400 ft-lbs of torque this engine will put out even at very low rpms. (something like 5% off the total peak tq at 1250RPM until peak near redline.)

that p-car ls1 is pretty bada$$ too. do you have any threads about it?

the E32's issues is the "rest" of the electronics, even if you scrap the engine, there's enough residual crap in addition to the typical E34 stuff that I don't know if you can justify it...

Ok.. so what would it cost to drop a new M5 motor (e60) in an e34? Isn't that similar hp figures. The engine is prolly a lot more but the conversion would be less?

far more expensive... far far far far far far far more...

putting an S62 into an E24 530i/540i??? doable... otherwise, double the money, easily..

the V10 conversion is currently impossible without a totalled E60 M5... so that alone would likely run you 30-40K....

Yeah, S62 then... 400hp right?

Edit: looked it up... listed at $20,7xx and change for the engine.. wow. Wuld be cool though.

Ok.. so what would it cost to drop a new M5 motor (e60) in an e34? Isn't that similar hp figures. The engine is prolly a lot more but the conversion would be less?

it would be cheaper to the get the Viper motor I bet....

the E32's issues is the "rest" of the electronics, even if you scrap the engine, there's enough residual crap in addition to the typical E34 stuff that I don't know if you can justify it...

yeah, teh e32 had some ncie stuff like seat warmers, and a few other creature comforts, but Ive ben pulling parts off of a 91 at alocal wrecking yard, it seems pretty similar, same engine, same harness almost, same power distribution box. They look like big (and in the IL, awkward) e34's to me. I love them, and I love the rear tailights and the way the decklid swoops up in a spoileresque fashion. Cant wait to get mine. Auto is teh suck though, so that will go

One thing that might put people off with this LS1 car is that it would make any shop do a double-take. Plus, it would be a PITA to work on, as you'd be switching between metric and standard stuff all the time. You would either have to do all the work yourself or essentially train your mechanic. Especially since a lot of BMW techs don't know LS1s to the same level of detail.

One thing that might put people off with this LS1 car is that it would make any shop do a double-take. Plus, it would be a PITA to work on, as you'd be switching between metric and standard stuff all the time. You would either have to do all the work yourself or essentially train your mechanic. Especially since a lot of BMW techs don't know LS1s to the same level of detail.


:lol:
:rofl:

Way to sterotype :handclap:

the LS1 is a metric engine

the engien management would be all GM.
The electrical ssytem of the car would be BMW. Take it to the dealer for light bulb indicator issues, take it to GM for Check engien light.
And any rebuilder worth his salt would provide the necessary service info.

Changing the plugs is where life would get interesting. ITs interesting enough in the F-Bodies, the passenger rear plug..hah

:lol:
:rofl:

Way to sterotype :handclap:

the LS1 is a metric engine

the engien management would be all GM.
The electrical ssytem of the car would be BMW. Take it to the dealer for light bulb indicator issues, take it to GM for Check engien light.
And any rebuilder worth his salt would provide the necessary service info.

Changing the plugs is where life would get interesting. ITs interesting enough in the F-Bodies, the passenger rear plug..hah

Ok, ya got me there. You certainly know the LS1 far better than I, but it was not an unreasonable assumption. However, your post did affirm the fact that an owner of such a car would quite likely need to take the car to multiple mechanics. That is a pain.

I'm not bashing the idea by any means. I think it is a great idea, as BMW replacement engines are not known for being reasonably priced, certainly not the engines within the LS1 performance bracket.

i highly recommend anybody that is serious in this project read the e36 ls1 thread that i posted. they are almost done, the same thing would have to be done to our cars as to that car. so if it needed new mounts, then we need new ones and so on. before people run around assuming stuff read the threads on these projects. its totally do able.

and if you start reading those threads and you might get not be able to get this out of your brain....

LINKS?



and if you start reading those threads and you might get not be able to get this out of your brain....

And, yes. It is harrowing.

and if you start reading those threads and you might get not be able to get this out of your brain....

hahaha, now that's the truth!!

Questions:

Of the people interested in this, what have you done to your car so far? Suspension? anything? Or would you be interested in starting fresh from scratch?

Thanks,

Steve

I just passed up a 95 LT5 for $7000 brand new in the crate. The guy didnt get back to me with my questions before someone else bid. Its a bummer. Prolly wont see one of those for sale again. Especially for 7 large. More like 11

hahaha, now that's the truth!!

Questions:

Of the people interested in this, what have you done to your car so far? Suspension? anything? Or would you be interested in starting fresh from scratch?

Thanks,

Steve

You should take something cheap and straight like a 525 Auto and Start there, a "canned" suspension kit, a subtle body kit like Mtech, and then your swap, and some kind of very tastefull, small, yet BMW font looking V8 Badge, or a "557" badge. Better yet, a "560" badge and use a 400 horse starting package. It would turn soem heads

non9onononononon.... 518i :D:D:D:D:D:D


and I would start clean with a dead-tranny 525i... the pedal box would be the only real snag IMO....

the ugly thing about 518's

I dont know much about the early e34's. but I know the early e34's had m20's in the 525. Does that mean, someplace in some cold dark closet of hell, there is actually a 518 M10 auto floating around :eek:


Sobering

518s are popular in europe
so are 524d's

just buy any e34 that is already a manual so you don't have to deal with the pedal, that has a dead engine/tranny. who cares if its a 518 or a 540, as long as the body is good and the price is cheap, there is no difference in a 518 with an LS1 and a 540 with an LS1. and both cars will be just as cheap with no motor in them.

So it sounds like there's many people who can appreciate how cool a car this will be, but no one who finds it worth the amount of money it will cost. I can understand that it may be out of people's budgets. This just means that we will likely not be doing it, as there's just not enough serious interest.

If anyone does become serious at some point, feel free to email me at Steven@ReaRealtyGroup.com .

Thanks for the good ideas and input shared in this thread though!!

Steve

we have just entered "discussions" regarding an slushbox E32 750iL + LS1 project.....

that could be VEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERY interesting...

So it sounds like there's many people who can appreciate how cool a car this will be, but no one who finds it worth the amount of money it will cost. I can understand that it may be out of people's budgets. This just means that we will likely not be doing it, as there's just not enough serious interest.

If anyone does become serious at some point, feel free to email me at Steven@ReaRealtyGroup.com .

Thanks for the good ideas and input shared in this thread though!!

Steve


Its not that noones interested, its that noone wants to front 20 grand for a conversion to a company tht has no website records or documents on similar swaps.

And I like I said, turnkey cars would generate a lot more inerest

Abe, you've got a point, but everything has to be done "first" somewhere...

I still think the 757iL idea is beyond pimp.... and would benefit from the same mounts etc as the E34s....

depending on desired power level, there may be a set of shortys/stock manifolds that would work dandy....

If they could do something like the swap that Hartge did for the 3-series, that is s62, for a reasonable price. Problem is, it doesn't seem like it could be done for a reasonable price. That aside just get a turbo or supercharger imo.

Btw, beatnik325, nice |OO\ = [][] = /OO|

lolz.

I still think the 757iL idea is beyond pimp.... and would benefit from the same mounts etc as the E34s....



Great Minds think Alike

Aw hell...

:devillook:


DEstroke the 8.0 liter and make a 777 :devillaugh:

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ooooh.........


that sounds like fun... I wonder if it would fly like Bill's....

I have much interest, although for an e39