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Thread: Montalbon's M60B30->B40 6spd Touring Swap

  1. #1
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    Montalbon's M60B30->B40 6spd Touring Swap

    It has finally begun!

    I joined the site in 2009 because I had decided that I wanted back into an e34. I had been burned by a lemon of an e39 and traded it for a Mazda Millenia. I saved some money and started reading the forum everyday. Finally, after seeing this pic, I decided I wanted a touring.



    I started doing research into the different drive lines and settled on the M60 because B40's seemed to be much cheaper and more available than good S50's, and made more power too. So, after 9 months of searching, I found this '95 530i touring in D.C. on eBay. A few bids later, and it was mine.



    I had never worked on cars before but always wanted to learn, so I started small. Smiley's, Euro trim, stereo, among lots of other little stuff. My first big job was refreshing of the intake gaskets and PCV plate. Next I replaced the condenser and receiver dryer in the AC, vacuumed the lines and filled with R-134. Then I moved onto doing a 10 piece Meyle HD front suspension refresh. So far, the only thing I haven't tackled myself was Vogtland/Koni fronts, later swapped out for a full KIDO coilover kit. In the meantime, I picked up my donor; a running 540i/6 from forum memberr Hamby for a cool $1,600!



    And in the mean-meantime, I picked up this W124 on impulse for no particular reason. I told myself it was a grad school graduation present, but it was really just an itch that needed to be scratched.


    This swap is by far the biggest project I've attempted, but with the info here I'm sure I can get it done. Plus, the Air Force base I work on has a nice "Auto Hobby" shop with lifts, air tools, and pretty much anything else you may need, which definitely makes things MUCH easier than lying on my back in my garage. I wish I knew about it when I did my front suspension! Anyway, work commenced yesterday and went much smoother than expected. I dropped the exhaust, heat shields, drive shaft, drained the tranny and engine oil, loosened tranny and motor mounts, and began dis-assembly of the front end. Took me a little over 3hrs.











    Plans for today:
    -remove AC condenser
    -radiator
    -radiator support
    -disconnect and label engine wiring harness
    -remove throttle cable
    -disconnect clutch slave line

    After that, I think I will be ready to hoist the engine and tranny out as a whole. We shall see... If anyone has any ideas, hints, or tricks, please let me know!
    Last edited by Sir Montalbon; 07-11-2013 at 09:48 AM.

  2. #2
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    Very cool, good luck in your adventure.

    I my mind, the 540/6 touring is the perfect e34.

  3. #3
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    Awesome!! Swapped wagons are great. With the 6spd, you won't encounter any of the ridiculous issues I did with my swap.

    Few tips:
    Drop engine and transmission out of the bottom.

    Since you have the entire donor car, swap the rear diff, axles, and rear hub flanges.

    replace the wiper linkage bushings, and adjust your steering box while you're in there.

    I have a fairly detailed thread here, though, mine is an automatic.
    http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...0-Is-underway!

    All in all, I LOVE my wagon 100x more with the 4.0. its not a rocket, but its SO much fun. Gets decent MPG too, MUCH better than the 3.0.

    -Eric

    2 E34s. 1 E36. 3 Mx-6, 2 626, 06 Trailblazer SS, '73 Vette, 5VZ 4runner, and one insanely screwed up property tax bill each year.

  4. #4
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    Awesome! Agreed with Pat- 540/6T is the best.

    Hope the guibo and CSB work out!

    Leo
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  5. #5
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    Thanks for the support fellas! Leo, the CSB looks pretty worn, so yours will come in handy. The olf guibo looks ok, but I'll replace if for shits and giggles. Thanks again!

    Quote Originally Posted by MazDuh View Post
    Awesome!! Swapped wagons are great. With the 6spd, you won't encounter any of the ridiculous issues I did with my swap.


    I have a fairly detailed thread here, though, mine is an automatic.
    http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...0-Is-underway!

    All in all, I LOVE my wagon 100x more with the 4.0. its not a rocket, but its SO much fun. Gets decent MPG too, MUCH better than the 3.0.

    -Eric
    Eric, I am very familiar with your thread. Actually, I forgot I was the first to post in it! Looks like I'm starting about 6 months after my stated plan, but better late than never.

    So, I've been studying this swap for a few years now and have put together a pretty extensive spreadsheet with a planned procedure and links to any threads I have run across that may help. Yours is one of the main referenced threads, mainly for all the great pics you took. They really helped me wrap my head around what all the parts look like in and out of the car, which has really helped me conceptualize the whole process. As for your tips, I've thought about each one already. Here are my thoughts. Tell me what you think.

    Quote Originally Posted by MazDuh View Post
    Drop engine and transmission out of the bottom.
    I looked long and hard at this method yesterday, and I'm still not sure if it is the best route for me. How do you support the engine and trans when releasing the sub-frame Does most of the suspension (sway bar, center link, etc) need to be removed? I'm comfortable removing the front end, as I have done most of that before, but maybe you can help me see the light, so to speak?

    Quote Originally Posted by MazDuh View Post
    Since you have the entire donor car, swap the rear diff, axles, and rear hub flanges.
    This is another thing I wrestled with about a year ago when planning. I like the fact that the touring already has a 3.23 diff, as opposed to the 2.90 in the donor car. I was concerned with the medium case diff and half-shafts not supporting the extra power and torque of the B40, but doing some research showed me that 5mall5nails is pushing 6-700hp through his medium case with no problems. I realize that I will probably have to get the flange on my drive shaft swapped, but I like the higher diff ratio, and the ability to easily install an LSD clutch pack in it down the road has led me to want to keep the medium case. Any concerns or flawed logic in my reasoning that you can think of?

    Quote Originally Posted by MazDuh View Post
    replace the wiper linkage bushings, and adjust your steering box while you're in there.
    I didn't think of the wiper linkage! Thanks for that tip. I do plan on adjusting my box (or possibly swapping, as I liked the feel of my donor's box), and addressing the leaky PS lines, as well as swapping the working cruise control from the donor, in place of my defunct touring's cruise module.

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sir Montalbon View Post

    This is another thing I wrestled with about a year ago when planning. I like the fact that the touring already has a 3.23 diff, as opposed to the 2.90 in the donor car. I was concerned with the medium case diff and half-shafts not supporting the extra power and torque of the B40, but doing some research showed me that 5mall5nails is pushing 6-700hp through his medium case with no problems. I realize that I will probably have to get the flange on my drive shaft swapped, but I like the higher diff ratio, and the ability to easily install an LSD clutch pack in it down the road has led me to want to keep the medium case. Any concerns or flawed logic in my reasoning that you can think of?

    Both Ahenry and myself have the medium case 3.23 with the m60 and m62. It's absolutely perfect for my setup as well as his touring. Just did the 3 clutch mod a few weeks ago too


    One thing to keep in mind is that each of us have broken a few high mileage rear axle cv's (in my case 270k). Granted ours get driven a lot harder than most, but I would check your cv's for play

  7. #7
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    Boosh. What he said. See my old threads for how to mate the 6spd to a medium case.
    -Alex

  8. #8
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    This awesome! I will be keeping an eye on this. Not sure I'm gonna stay friendly with ya though.... the envy in me is outrageous! LOL!!!!



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    Quote Originally Posted by mikeday1036 View Post
    Both Ahenry and myself have the medium case 3.23 with the m60 and m62. It's absolutely perfect for my setup as well as his touring. Just did the 3 clutch mod a few weeks ago too


    One thing to keep in mind is that each of us have broken a few high mileage rear axle cv's (in my case 270k). Granted ours get driven a lot harder than most, but I would check your cv's for play
    Quote Originally Posted by AHenry014 View Post
    Boosh. What he said. See my old threads for how to mate the 6spd to a medium case.
    Thanks guys. I'm pretty sure I got the idea of keeping the 3.23 from y'all in the first place. AHenry, your thread already has a place in my spreadsheet like Eric's! I'll be sure to check the CV's while I have it in the air.

    Quote Originally Posted by AquilaBMW View Post
    This awesome! I will be keeping an eye on this. Not sure I'm gonna stay friendly with ya though.... the envy in me is outrageous! LOL!!!!
    Sorry it has to be this way Micahael, but there is no other way!


    So, I made some more progress today, and have a few questions. Got the radiator, AC condenser, and radiator support out first, but the first problem I ran into was removing the power steering cooling line that runs just behind the grill. It snaked through the radiator support and eventually coupled with two hard lines via a short piece of rubber tubing. The tubing was attached with what I think was a high pressure hose clamp? Sorry I don't have a pic, but how do I remove these clamps? For today, I just sawed through the rubber with a small hacksaw, as I am not going to be needing to put the donor car back together, but if I decide to take the engine out of the front of the touring, how would I remove these? I'm still toying with the idea of dropping the engine out of the bottom of the touring if I can figure out the logistics of supporting the engine/trans while up on the lift, and how to gently lay it all on the ground.

    Once I removed the radiator support, I took off the hood and and began targeting anything connected to the engine itself. I removed all electrical connectors and labeled them. I removed the banjo bolts from the power steering pump, disconnected the wires to the starter, disconnected one of the AC lines at the compressor (one of the star bolts was stripped, not sure how I'm going to get it off at the moment.), and then removed the throttle cables and the cruise module. Still need to disconnect the clutch slave line. I think that covers everything, and the engine should be about free to be dislodged from its old home. Let me know if you think I missed something. Either way, I'm sure I will find out when I start pulling on it! Total time today was right at 4hrs. Here are a few pics of today's progress:

    Radiator and condenser out




    Radiator support and power steering cooling line out...



    As the parts pile continues to grow!





    I was worried I wouldn't be able to do any work tomorrow, seeing as we have been furloughed and tomorrow is our first "day off." But I was glad to hear that the shop will still be open and I can actually do something productive. Hopefully the engine will be on the ground in my next update!

  10. #10
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    Nice work! I definitely approve of where this is going!
    I'm a sucker for a nice Alpine Touring and am definitely a fan of yours.

    Don't forget to undo the heater hoses and fuel lines and also the slave cylinder line.

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by Teaguer View Post
    Nice work! I definitely approve of where this is going!
    I'm a sucker for a nice Alpine Touring and am definitely a fan of yours.

    Don't forget to undo the heater hoses and fuel lines and also the slave cylinder line.
    Doh! Yes, fuel line and heater hoses. I knew I was forgetting something. Shop is open from noon to 4 today. Ready to TCOB!

  12. #12
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    This thread has WIN all over it!!!!



  13. #13
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    So, today was not as fruitful as wanted. I disconnected the clutch slave line, the send and recieve fuel lines, all of the coolant hoses at the rear of the engine, and I just left that stubborn AC line connected to the compressor and unbolted the line clamp on the body. I figured I deal with it once I have more space on an engine stand. I had forgotten about the shift lever, so I freed it and pulled the shifter out. So, at this point, everything was free and I was ready to hoist the engine and trans out the front.



    Try as I might, I couldn't get it to come out. It was moving freely, but would catch up on something when i tried to pull it. I think it is the sub-frame. I'm going to try and remove the lower radiator mount tomorrow and see if that gives me enough room to pull it straight out the front without having to lift it too much. If that doesn't work, I'm going to figure this dropping it out of the bottom thing. Either way, I've learned a ton, so I'm cool with a little strife. Watch for an update tomorrow and maybe you'll see a video with a lift going up and leaving an engine one the floor Or maybe not? I don't care as long as I get it out!

    After another 4hrs, this how I left it today:
    Last edited by Sir Montalbon; 07-12-2013 at 05:48 PM.

  14. #14
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    This will be my next Touring project.... just need to sell the current waggy to get started! Good luck and keep us posted!!!

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by LouieD View Post
    This will be my next Touring project.... just need to sell the current waggy to get started! Good luck and keep us posted!!!
    Love your touring man, hate to see you part with it. Someone will get a well cared for car and you will get a fun project no doubt!



    Update for today...

    SUCCESS!!! I got to the shop around 12 and by 12:30 I had this:





    To get it the rest of the way out, I removed the sway bar and sub-frame bolts and let the sub-frame hang from the suspension. This bought me the few inches I needed to take the engine out of the front. I'm definitely going to try to take the touring's engine/trans out of the bottom next time, if for no other reason than to have done it both ways.

    After that, it was onto pilfering the good stuff I wanted to keep. Got the engine harness, ABS computer and DME, as well as the front calipers. I left at 3 to start cooking a spaghetti dinner for some friends hanging out tonight. So all in all, I'm at 14hrs total into the project. Not to shabby for an amateur like myself, if I do say so.... myself

    Tomorrow's plan is to get the pedal cluster/master cylinder, clutch fluid reservoir, sports seats, OBC, radio, and the half shafts for someone who said they could use them, wheels, tires, an rear bumper. If anyone can think of anything else I should grab that they may need, or that is worth some money, let me know. I'm gonna try to sell a few things to offset my cost. Anyway, I'm hungry, so enjoy the rest of the day's pics!










  16. #16
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    Ugh, you did that the hard way.

    Dropping out the donor drivetrain:



    Motor out of the e34:




    What I use is a jetski stand with wood crossmembers positioned accordingly.

    - - - Updated - - -

    Quote Originally Posted by LouieD View Post
    This will be my next Touring project.... just need to sell the current waggy to get started! Good luck and keep us posted!!!
    Want one that's swapped already? A 6 cyl will be more practical for me at this point in my life. Mine needs body panels/doors, but the chassis is in good shape.
    Last edited by Aradaiel; 07-13-2013 at 05:08 PM.
    e46 m3, some 740 sport shorts, F30h, LR3 and a 540it

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    Quote Originally Posted by Aradaiel View Post
    Ugh, you did that the hard way.
    Yeah, but for my first time pulling an engine, I'm just happy that I got it out. Now that I've been in there and learned a lot, and did some more reading on your swap as well as a few others, I'm pretty sure that I'll be dropping the touring's engine from the bottom.



    I was in the shop the full four hours it was open yesterday. I got a lot of the little stuff done and hope to have the shell sent to the crusher and haul everything else home when the shop opens up again on Wednesday. As for yesterday's progress, I got:
    -pedal cluster out along with associated hoses and lines
    -front and rear calipers
    -sport seats with memory module and harness
    -radio
    -OBC
    -all switches and buttons
    -all relays and fuses
    -LKM
    -CCM
    -ABS Computer
    -DME
    -Airbag sensor module
    -passenger airbag
    -Entire steering column as a unit (wheel, switches, ignition)
    -battery
    -rear bumper

    The last few things I want to grab Wednesday:
    -fuel pump
    -side skirts
    -hard clutch line
    -wheels and tires

    Once I get the shell sent off and all the parts back home, I plan on mounting the engine on a stand and start going through it, getting it fresh for re-installation Up to this point, I'm a little sore, a little scratched up, have some dirty fingernails, and am looking forward to the next two days of rest until the shop reopens Wednesday. But I'm happy to have gotten this far. This project has been on my mind for too long!

  18. #18
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    Great project!
    Are you looking to sell parts from your donor car? I am in need of some good M-tech lower door pieces. The ones on that car look pretty good. For sale? Thanks, Eric

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    Don't forget to rebuild the windshield wipers before you put anything back in!!!

    looks good.

  20. #20
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    are fun!
    The 540/6 is the perfect transplant for the Touring. This is on my list for a future build. You are making good progress keep it up I'll be watching your build.

    Cheers,

    Jim
    1990 M3
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    1992 525it

  21. #21
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    Quote Originally Posted by ericsyzf View Post
    Great project!
    Are you looking to sell parts from your donor car? I am in need of some good M-tech lower door pieces. The ones on that car look pretty good. For sale? Thanks, Eric
    I am planning on selling a good bit of that stuff, including the side skirts and trims. It will probably be a few days before I can get a thread set up and start working on getting everything ready for shipping. I'll give you dibs on the door trims.

    Quote Originally Posted by Elekta View Post
    Don't forget to rebuild the windshield wipers before you put anything back in!!!

    looks good.
    Quote Originally Posted by IronmanE30 View Post
    The 540/6 is the perfect transplant for the Touring. This is on my list for a future build. You are making good progress keep it up I'll be watching your build.

    Cheers,

    Jim
    Thanks guys! I'm happy with my progress so far!

    Speaking of progress, here's an update for Wednesday and Thursday. I got about 3hrs in the shop Wednesday. This day was mostly devoted to getting the last few scrap parts off the car (CCM, side skirts, wheels) and getting it ready to be taken to the scrap yard (fuel tank dropped and drained and thrown in the trunk). I was also trying to get the half shafts off for MazDah, but someone had already stripped a number of the torx heads, and I ended up doing the same to a few. That was the only real issue with removing anything so far. Wish I could have gotten them off for him.

    I had a buddy from work help out and lend his truck. For all the cars I have, you'd think I'd have a truck We got pretty much everything in the back of it (engine, trans, drive shaft, bumpers, side skirts) and I threw the wheels and tires in the back of the touring. Another buddy from work lent me a engine hoist to use at my house, so pretty much everything was in place make the move from the shop with its hourly fees, to my house where I can put the engine on a stand and take my time going through it.













    Thursday I went to the shop mainly to wait on the wrecker to take the shell to its final resting place in a scrap yard I called up my roadside assistance, explained that the car was not "running" and asked for a tow. She gave me condolences for the bad day I was having and said a truck would be out soon to get me going I kind of felt bad when I was watching her slide off the bed into her final resting place. But the car was pretty tired, and she's giving herself up to a worthy cause I like to think.



    This little sprite was quite excited. He has a VW GTI project and took some of the OEM German fuses for his car, along with the trunk roundel








    I went to Harbor Freight today and got a 1klb engine stand, and hope to separate the engine and trans this weekend and have the engine mounted so I can begin working on it. I also bought a new power steering pump from TDE30 today. He had a good price on a new one, and I figured "while I'm in there..."

    Thanks for looking. More to come....

  22. #22
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    530it will have a different ps pump, fyi
    e46 m3, some 740 sport shorts, F30h, LR3 and a 540it

  23. #23
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    Quote Originally Posted by Aradaiel View Post
    530it will have a different ps pump, fyi
    Really!?!

    I ran the P/Ns through realoem and they show the same. Please tell me I'm not going to be selling a PS pump soon. What differences do you know of?

  24. #24
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    I think they are the sme in his case. '95 no longer had sls and didn't use the ps pump to actuate the rear brakes for the trac control (95 is one year only for the new abs stuff). His pump should be the same as the one on the 540/6 he just took apart.
    Last edited by AHenry014; 07-19-2013 at 08:03 PM.
    -Alex

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    Quote Originally Posted by AHenry014 View Post
    I think they are the sme in his case. '95 no longer had sls and didn't use the ps pump to actuate the rear brakes for the trac control (95 is one year only for the new abs stuff). His pump should be the same as the one on the 540/6 he just took apart.
    No SLS here. I had a feeling that was what Aradaiel was referencing. Hopefully I am correct.

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