Page 1 of 9 123456789 LastLast
Results 1 to 25 of 209

Thread: 99 E36 M3 LSx Build

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    Pittsburgh
    Posts
    1,142
    My Cars
    99 M3 LS1, '11 WRX

    99 E36 M3 LSx Build

    I've been reading / researching / lurking here for a long time, and have been working on the engine almost as long as that (which was a journey of its own, but a great learning experience). Nothing earth shattering at this point in the game but figured I'd start a build thread to share progress. I will be doing my own fabrication for mounts / exhaust / etc. The car will still be a street car primarily, but I'm building it with the intention to enjoy it on the track as well.

    Initially I was going to do this swap on my old rusted out 325i - restore the chassis, swap the motor, build it back up to its former glory, blah blah blah. As romantic of an idea that was, reality set in pretty quickly and I decided my time / energy was better spent on a cleaner chassis, especially since I'm trying to go back to grad school this coming fall.

    So I bought this car locally last fall. 99 M3, southern car, no rust or other issues to speak of. Interior needs some work (dove grey ) but I'll worry about that when there's nothing else to do. Had some fun with it shaking it down before the cold weather came.





    I've got a detailed build thread for the engine over on ls1tech for those interested. Just some simple finish work left to do....all the hard stuff is done. Cliffs: N/A LS1-based motor that I rebuilt to 11.5:1 with forged internals, along with a bunch of other goodies. http://ls1tech.com/forums/generation...7ci-build.html



    Haven't made much in the way of physical progress since it's been snowing here pretty much since November, but I used the time over the winter to work out a lot of the details and get a decent portion of the parts I need "on the shelf". I was able to make the first step over the last week (despite it being 10 degrees most of the time).



    Working on getting the engine packed up to ship out of here in the next few days, then onward with the car.
    Last edited by ckpitt55; 03-03-2014 at 02:29 PM.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jun 2011
    Location
    Buffalo, NY
    Posts
    1,703
    My Cars
    2001 BMW 540i/6
    Alpine white! doesn't get much better than that.

    Have been following your motor build since the beginning, keep up the good work.

    2001 BMW 560i 6.0 LSx/T56 SOLD


    2000 Corvette Hardtop FRC

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Mar 2004
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    3,241
    My Cars
    96 328is 6.0L
    Good looking starting point
    - 96 328is 6.0L. (LS1 to LS2 build thread: http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...ad.php?2098938)
    - 96 328is 5.7L. (LS1 build thread: http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum....php?t=1289987)
    - 95 ///M3 6.0L. (LS2 build thread: http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum....php?t=1619249)

    - 97 ///M3. (e46 Fender Flares/track car build thread: http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum....php?t=1727098)
    - 96 328is (Dual Fuel Pump to Surge Tank thread: http://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/sh...ad.php?1964025)

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    Pittsburgh
    Posts
    1,142
    My Cars
    99 M3 LS1, '11 WRX
    Bunch of random progress this past week / weekend.

    I cut the line off of my power steering loop and sandblasted it in preparation for welding on a -6AN fitting.



    Test fit all of my adapter fittings on the ABS pump - -M10X1.0 to -3AN and M12X1.0 to -3AN. instead of splicing lines together I decided that I'm going to redo them all in stainless for corrosion resistance. I noticed a little rust coming through in areas of the original lines after 170k miles so just decided to replace them all. I know a lot of people say this but I fully intend on keeping the car for a really really long time so the extra trouble doesn't bother me. I'm going with -AN fittings because stainless doesn't take 2 operation flaring well due to work hardening. For the sake of trying to avoid cracks I'm doing a single -AN/JIC/37 degree flare. It is the MIL spec connection type for high pressure applications.



    Built my steering shaft, nothing crazy





    Picked up a mockup block for use with setting driveline angles / building mounts, etc. I still need to get my transmission before I do this for real, but couldn't resist throwing it in the bay. Should make for a pretty badass coffee table when this project is finished!



    I also shaved all the unused brackets out of the engine bay and started stripping off the seam sealer. With all the extra power going through the car, figured it'd be a good idea to stitch weld a few of the critical areas while I'm in the middle of things. Front and rear strut towers, trans tunnel, rear subframe mounts, and RTABs are some of the areas that will get some attention.





    After the sun went down I started working on converting some of my interior panels to black. After a little research I settled on SEM products to do this. I scuffed it up first with a scotch brite pad / SEM soap, wiped it clean, then wiped again with IPA and allowed to dry before painting. I applied a bunch of light coats.



    Finished the center console surround - the center console piece is OEM BMW black for reference. The Satin Black I used it pretty much a spot on match in color hue - maybe a tad darker with a very slight difference in gloss level but you really have to be trying to see a difference. Not that it matters for me because everything I'll be spraying is dove grey, but figured I'd offer that for anyone looking to convert / refinish black interior pieces + match with OEM black.



    This week I hope to get the 220v line run out to the garage so I can start TIG'ing stuff!
    Last edited by ckpitt55; 03-17-2014 at 02:23 AM.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Location
    United States
    Posts
    6
    My Cars
    1995 M3 Coupe
    Very jealous of all those goodies on your motor! Do you have a power goal for the car?

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    Pittsburgh
    Posts
    1,142
    My Cars
    99 M3 LS1, '11 WRX
    Thanks, and really no idea. A big dyno number was never really my focus - everything I did in the engine build was aimed at maximizing usable power and making it as explosive / responsive as possible in the midrange....i.e. area under the curve. The parts combo is proven to be good for 480-490 range depending on exhaust, tune, driveline losses, etc... but honestly I'm just excited to drive it. It takes lots of rpm and a big cam to make 500 happen on stock displacement - my valvetrain is there but I suspect my cam might be on the small side to see that. With all the effort put into it, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't hopeful though.
    Last edited by ckpitt55; 03-17-2014 at 03:55 PM.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    Pittsburgh
    Posts
    1,142
    My Cars
    99 M3 LS1, '11 WRX
    Had a full weekend on the car

    Removed front and rear suspensions and the gas tank, and started pressing out all the bushings / bearings from the rear suspension components. I'm going to sandblast and powdercoat all of the suspension stuff and put it back together with fresh ball joints / bearings / bushings throughout. None of that stuff was ever replaced on the car so figured I'd better go through it while it's down. Needed to remove all that stuff anyway to add all of the chassis reinforcement I have planned.







    Not a whole lot left in the car aside from the interior lol.


  8. #8
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    Pittsburgh
    Posts
    1,142
    My Cars
    99 M3 LS1, '11 WRX
    Spent some time after work tonight powdercoating a batch of parts.

    Rear springs, rear trailing arm brackets, rear brake caliper brackets, and rear wheel hubs. Bunch of other small parts that I sand blasted but didn't have time to coat tonight. Everything got a zinc-rich primer and then topcoated with flat black.










  9. #9
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    Pittsburgh
    Posts
    1,142
    My Cars
    99 M3 LS1, '11 WRX
    Decent bit of progress this weekend.

    Got the rest of my suspension bushings pressed out of the subframe and upper control arms. My front hubs / wheel bearings also need replaced but nobody carries a 46 mm socket to get them off, so those will have to wait. Hope to start getting all this stuff blasted and powdercoated here soon. I'm doing this all myself, so it takes a lot longer - but it's also a lot cheaper.



    I've been researching what I want to do with my diff, and curiosity got the best of me so I tore it apart. I'll be rebuilding it with fresh Timken bearings, new clutches/dog plates and a 3.91 gearset. The jury is still out on how I want to configure the LSD (# clutches, ramps, preload, etc.), more research to be done on that. Tear down was pretty easy except for the ring gear bolts - they were fricken TIGHT





    Helical gears are cool looking



    Also starting taking apart my interior today. Got the dash out so I could stuff the fusebox inside and out of the way for an AllMotor treatment of the engine bay. I also removed the heater core so that I can remove the carpet without cutting it to dye it black - and so it doesn't catch on fire when I do the trans tunnel and rocker seam welding.



    Removed a bunch of crap



    Fusebox fun



    End of the night. Ready for more wire wheeling and welding.

    Last edited by ckpitt55; 03-30-2014 at 10:24 PM.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Location
    colorado
    Posts
    743
    My Cars
    1997 LS1 M3, 2004 330xi
    very nice work!

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Location
    North Carolina
    Posts
    224
    My Cars
    1998 M3 - Lsx
    Sub'ed

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    Pittsburgh
    Posts
    1,142
    My Cars
    99 M3 LS1, '11 WRX
    finally got power run for my tig welder this week, so I've been busy messing with that

    gives me a whole new level of respect for guys that are able to make this look so easy. I've got a ton of practicing to do but it's good fun
    Last edited by ckpitt55; 04-03-2014 at 02:04 AM.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Location
    Huntsville Alabama
    Posts
    60
    My Cars
    99 LSX M3
    Very nice build. Enjoyed the engine thread on LS1tech. Super impressed with the detail work and tolerance checks. I will be dropping the front and rear suspension to do bushings etc soon. Keep up the pics, etc. As a long time BMW/Corvette guy this is a match made in heaven for me. You are going to love this setup when it is finished.

    Shame you had to give up on the rusty one, but I think that was the right choice.
    Last edited by VR92; 04-03-2014 at 10:56 AM.
    99 LSX M3

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    Pittsburgh
    Posts
    1,142
    My Cars
    99 M3 LS1, '11 WRX
    Quote Originally Posted by VR92 View Post
    Very nice build. Enjoyed the engine thread on LS1tech. Super impressed with the detail work and tolerance checks. I will be dropping the front and rear suspension to do bushings etc soon. Keep up the pics, etc. As a long time BMW/Corvette guy this is a match made in heaven for me. You are going to love this setup when it is finished.

    Shame you had to give up on the rusty one, but I think that was the right choice.
    Thanks, I appreciate it. I can't wait to get it on the road, though I'm really enjoying the build phase too. Going to be a tense moment when firing the engine for the first time lol.

    And yeah it was bitter sweet letting the other one go, but getting a cleaner platform moved my completion timetable up significantly - by at least a year or two. If I had more free time and a big garage to work out of then I may have stuck with it - even then it would have required a hell of a lot of man hours and cost in materials to bring it back anywhere close to where this car is. I have a buddy that did a similar restoration project on his unibody, did rocker replacement and had the whole thing media blasted and epoxy primed. He's got a huge workshop and a lift, and he's still working on the chassis 5 years later. Considering all those things, it was a pretty easy decision to just write a check.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Location
    Huntsville Alabama
    Posts
    60
    My Cars
    99 LSX M3
    Looks like you do a lot in a small space. I dont want to thread jack, but are you powdercoating those parts at home?
    99 LSX M3

  16. #16
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    Pittsburgh
    Posts
    1,142
    My Cars
    99 M3 LS1, '11 WRX
    I do the best I can - just an old single bay to work out of at the moment, at this point filled mostly with tools and parts. It's cramped and at times it really irritates me but most of the time it's not terrible if I can keep all my parts / tools organized - really lends itself to the "one project at a time" approach. As for the powdercoating, I got myself a membership here: http://www.techshop.ws/index.html

    It's basically set up like a gym - you pay a monthly membership, and you get access to mills, lathes, powdercoating / sandblasting, tig/mig welding equipment, water jet, paint booth, sheet metal tools (english wheel, finger brake, shrinker/stretcher, etc), tubing notchers, full wood shop, etc. You have to take a basic safety course for most things, but once you're "qualified" you can show up and do whatever you want. Basically a DIY'ers paradise. They're open until 11pm I think pretty much every day (and it's still busy at that time). I just took the lathe course last night. Probably the best part is you get to see what other people are working on - and there's some pretty crazy stuff going on, lots of inventors and start-up type people.

    Figured this was a much better option than trying to buy all the machines myself for the time being, though I'd love to own at least a mill and a lathe when I have a room for it someday.
    Last edited by ckpitt55; 04-04-2014 at 08:33 AM.

  17. #17
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Location
    Huntsville Alabama
    Posts
    60
    My Cars
    99 LSX M3
    Very cool. Thx
    99 LSX M3

  18. #18
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    Pittsburgh
    Posts
    1,142
    My Cars
    99 M3 LS1, '11 WRX
    Brief update: I spent most of the past week trying to get some seat time in with the new tig.....burned up a 80 CF bottle of argon and about half a pound of 1/16" mild steel rod in doing that. Got lots of time in under the helmet, but a lot more work to do there (probably goes without saying)

    I've also been continuing to powdercoat parts, did the front control arms and rear trailing arms this past weekend and I'm pretty happy with how they turned out - pics later. I need to devise some press tools to install all the ball joints / bearings without damaging the finish - and I'll probably be turning all of those. This also requires me to learn somewhat what I'm doing with a lathe.

    Some other misc items - I'm working out how I want to do rear subframe and rear upper control arm reinforcements before taking those in to blast, weld, then powder. Also to do is the front subframe - I intend on using the stock motor mounts as isolators so will be welding in the front subframe reinforcement plates. I also tore down my brake calipers and half shafts for rebuilds.

    As for the diff - after talking with Jonathan from Bimmerdiffs I've settled on a 4-clutch low preload 3.73 setup that he's configuring for me. After I get all of those parts in I should be able to start putting it back together in short order, new bearings and seals are waiting here ready to go. Only thing I'm still waiting on are 12mm ring gear bolts.

    If it seems like I'm all over the place it's because I am....trying to attack this thing on multiple fronts.
    Last edited by ckpitt55; 04-08-2014 at 02:37 AM.

  19. #19
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    Pittsburgh
    Posts
    1,142
    My Cars
    99 M3 LS1, '11 WRX
    Still workin through all the powdercoating. All the bigger suspension components are getting zinc primer > black > starlight clear coat. Time consuming but makes for a tough as nails finish. All the smaller stuff is just going to be flat black.

    Got my control arms done and new ball joints pressed in.





    Got my brake calipers done as well - I did these in a high temp powder. I'll be rebuilding them with fresh seals and stainless pistons - the stock ones were pitted pretty badly because of rust. Not sure how often the brake fluid was flushed prior to me owning the car.



    I'm also going to be turning my own solid guide pins out of 841 bearing bronze. Lots of people seem to complain about constantly needing to clean them out because they aren't sealed. I'm going to extend them out to cover the full length of the pin and fit a cap to them. Just a practice piece in aluminum to verify my measurements before converting to bronze.



    Did some more work on converting my interior pieces black. Gave all of these the SEM treatment, though I'll need to add some coats because the can ran out (dammit).







    Got the upper rear control arm reinforcements done. Probably not necessary, but when in rome..... With 890lb/in springs in the rear I figured it wouldn't hurt.

    CAD



    Steel



    Welded



    Courtesy of this guy



    Also got all the parts in for my diff build. New seals, timken bearings, and 4-clutch 3.73 from Jon @ Bimmerdiffs. Dog plates are 1.65mm each to give me reduced preload and make the lockup much more progressive than it otherwise would be. Better all round balance between putting power down and reducing its impact on handling / turn in. The cap already came machined to give me room for the 4th clutch and I got a M12 LSD case from him so I don't have to use adapter sleeves for the ring gear, which he felt was more reliable.



    More to come soon.
    Last edited by ckpitt55; 04-13-2014 at 11:16 PM.

  20. #20
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Location
    Conshohocken, PA
    Posts
    251
    My Cars
    97 BMW M3
    Subscribed!
    Current:
    '97 E36 M3 Track/Street Silver Coupe
    '03 325XI AW Sedan
    Prev:
    '02 E46 M3 Active Autowerke Stage 3.5 S/C'd IR/IR Coupe



  21. #21
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Location
    Huntsville Alabama
    Posts
    60
    My Cars
    99 LSX M3
    What made you choose the 3.73 over the 3.90?
    Last edited by VR92; 04-16-2014 at 08:13 AM.
    99 LSX M3

  22. #22
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    Pittsburgh
    Posts
    1,142
    My Cars
    99 M3 LS1, '11 WRX
    It was a slightly better match in terms of my target highway revs and will hopefully provide for a more usable 1st / 2nd where traction will be an issue. The t56 magnum 2.66 box has a .80 5th and a .63 6th vs. the normal .73 and .50 respectively.

    Figured I'd try it. If it's not enough they're easy enough to swap out.
    Last edited by ckpitt55; 04-16-2014 at 10:34 AM.

  23. #23
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Location
    FL Gulf Coast
    Posts
    1,205
    My Cars
    E36 - 1998 328iS - LS2
    Quote Originally Posted by ckpitt55 View Post
    The t56 magnum 2.66 box has a .80 5th and a .63 6th vs. the normal .73 and .50 respectively.
    And the GTO T56 has:

    (1st) 2.97
    (2nd) 2.07
    (3rd) 1.43
    (4th) 1.00
    (5th) .84
    (6th) .57

  24. #24
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Location
    Huntsville Alabama
    Posts
    60
    My Cars
    99 LSX M3
    Makes good sense. I always thought a 3.73 would be the one to use for a road course setup. GM typically starts with a 3.45 (or used to)....

    I'll need to figure out what t56 I've got. The 3.22 is entirely too tall.
    Last edited by VR92; 04-17-2014 at 08:05 AM.
    99 LSX M3

  25. #25
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    Pittsburgh
    Posts
    1,142
    My Cars
    99 M3 LS1, '11 WRX
    That's basically what I'm building the car towards - street legal road course car. Initially it was a tossup between a 3.64 or a 3.91. At stock power levels a 3.91 would be ideal but thought it might be a bit on the aggressive side for my application. It might be splitting hairs but the 3.73 seemed to be a nice compromise between the two. Hopefully when I get the car on the road I'll still feel the same way.

    M12 ring gear bolts finally came in along with an RE diff cover. I want to clean up the axle flanges and stuff but aside from that it's ready to put together.
    Last edited by ckpitt55; 04-17-2014 at 09:04 AM.

Page 1 of 9 123456789 LastLast

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •