July 18 2009
some more updates. some quick shots i took last night.
February 3 2009
here's a more realistic update. please enjoy!
Finally. Here are some pictures of the 550i's latest progress. Sorry i did have the car washed 2 days ago but today's rain ruined everything. Since i'm bringing it to the workshop later, I'll leave it for now. The guys at the shop will get the finer details sorted out. What's lacking currently:
- Fuel Gauge
- Speedo
- O2 sensors aren't plugged in
- Minor wiring Issues
Yup, i have been driving it that way for the last week. I have also had the exhaust connected to just the center section for now(again). It's pretty loud, but just not anywhere near refined. With just the center section now, it has that subtle burbling like a turbo would but dominated by the creamy V12's nice growling howl. I'm planning for a more final exhaust system soon.
Parts of the engine are pretty much as-in from the donor, oxidized, roasted. I'll get it all detailed and painted soon.I may even put in the metal mesh air filter pods.
As i've mentioned, the old V12 was replaced with a more complete 750i swap. So, again, it's essentially a 750iAl with an E34 shell(maybe). A Far cry from the then, manual transmission and throttles. It's just so much more tamer now. So much so, that it's completely soften the intentions of a wild V12 project. Though i'm kept happy with other attributes that make the 750i such a fine cruiser. But i'm determined to hack it as far as i can.
The magnificent V12 is a sight to behold. Did i mention i had the whole bay degreased in Simple Green? My all-time favourite multi-purpose cleaner. Know where the oil is filled? The central oil filler made my buy that little more worth it. Most 750is in existence now have got their oil filler near the firewall, which doesn't look nearly as good as the central ones on the 850is. Try browing pics of my late V12. I have also got used to the central expansion tank that were only on the Bigger fives and sevens. looks good in there too.
Please note that whatever that is beneath this are pictures and details of the previous V12. That project is scrapped for what's above due to driveability issues.
November 29 2007[/B]
Finally, the moment of the week i’ve been waiting for! My CF fuel rail cover!. I’ve seen the mould and now, the final product straight from the vacuum bag! though it hasn’t been thoroughly cleansed, the
cover looks awesome. every little detail is there. I especially like the raised epoxy BMW roundel and lines. Though it would better if it was more generic like totally flat or something like the 850csi’s but these are good enough for me.
Duke Racing is again responsible for these CF parts. As you can see, there are 2 identical pieces from the mould with different weaves. the one on the left is made out of a 6K (6 thousand filaments/strands) carbon fiber material and the right from a 2K CF material.
Please bear in mind that the covers haven’t been prepared yet. They are awaiting a couple of layers of clear coat. If you are interested to buy these for your BMW M70 V12 engine for say your 750i or even your 850i, please let me know!
[B]November 21
My custom made stainless exhaust manifolds for the M70 V12
One reason why i wanted to get these one-off exhaust manifolds made is because i needed them and also, they’re a must-have!. It’s a needed part purely because the stock ones just won’t clear the Right hand drive steering shaft.
It’s a tough job trying to make these stainless steel manifolds. lotsa clearance issues especially where the flange will bolt the downpipes and the downpipes themselves. Pre-emptive thinking and precise measurements were made so the downpipes could go through in between starter and front subframe and lower arms.
Manifolds done. Now, it’s the exhaust that needs some serious thinking. The fuel tank is a turn off. A big tank right at the bottom of the spare wheel well just right for single muffler. I don’t have time to wait for more fabrication which i’d love to for a twin muffler rear exhaust. For that, i have to remove the sprare wheel well, and then either elevate the fuel tank or make one within the spare wheel well itself and scrap the stock fuel tank.
What i’ve decided for now is that i’ll just use my current AC Schnitzer exhaust while replacing the existing pipes meant for a 2.5 with bigger ones to make it breath better. I’ve always loved the sound it makes and i think it will sound awesome with the V12 going through it.
The future will see a full titanium exhaust exiting twin rear mufflers!
Billion Industries Japan Electric Radiator Fan
A hot engine needs a cool fan. It’s gotta be an electric fan Duke Racing supplied the part. This is a 12″ 1650cfm Billion Industries fan. Billion is a company based in Japan, churns our huge lines of performance products mainly for Japanese cars. They also supply OEM parts to those makes.
Just ignore the dirty radiator. I will get them cleaned out.
Last edited by shogun; 01-13-2016 at 07:48 PM. Reason: no longer working pics removed
Carbon Fiber Head Covers Update!
Okay, though these are just for aesthetics, you gotta admit, they look really good. So what’s new? As i’ve mentioned, the guys at Duke Racing wrapped this babies over with CF and they have just cut off around it to make it look more practical. The wrap-over is almost impossible to be perfect simple due to the complicated folds and edges.
They have cut it around and will further detail it and then paint the exposed part of the aluminium and then lay a clear coat over it finally.
November 13 2007
Got the Powerflex bushes!
Here are the pictures of the poweflexes for the E34 in a complete kit!. I ordered them through a Singapore dealer Hotwheels for a good deal. The package took like 2 weeks to arrive which isn’t too long. I am really happy with the way it is package. For some people, package makes a difference. They are boxed in various sized, semi-transparent packaging for different bush dimensions.
Also in the package, Powerflex provided steel sleeves and plates to eliminate any need of re-using the worned out or warps parts that you get in older cars. Like in my case, the Rear-axle beam bushes has never been replaced in my hands for the last 7 years?, i’m guess it’s like 10-12 years old. Nevertheless, the new bushes will make a world of a difference in handling.
Other stuff like the Powerflex grease is also included. So if you were to get new bushes, i’d recommend these. i think the whole kit came out to like $230+ GPB?
November 10
Some pictures of my painted intake manifolds. I chosed a red and black theme. If you got it, flaunt it. Which explains the red pipes, all 12 of them. The intake manifold are really special, they are 2 seperate interlocking pieces.
But what’s also interesting is, they are 2 exact same pieces, just reversed, and!, the right intake manifold will supply air to the left bank of the 6 cylinders and the right manifold to the left cylinder bank! There’s still some work left to be done.
I used a can of black truck bedliner spray to lay the base with a good and strong rough finish. Then i masked the plenums to do the red ribs with an enamel red spray can. I then removed the masking and topped it with a can of clear flat spray since i couldn’t find any flat enamel red. The lighting was poor and yellow so the pictures don’t really do justice..
I will sand the embossed parts of the black plenum when it’s ready to be put on. When everything is in, the red ribs will stand out like nothing else!
The next few updates will be my:
- Custom exhaust manifolds
- Electric radiator fan (either a used Mercedes one or a new aftermarket performance unit)
- Radiator (i might get a new all-aluminium performance unit of just re-use my M20 radiator)
- Other stuff i forgot to mention
Custom CF Head covers
The good guys at Duke Racing who’s in charge of the whole conversion applied their carbon fiber building and wrapping skills on my head covers. I opted for CF wrap-on on my head covers and full CF injector cover since it’s much more obvious being one of the highlights of the engine bay and the fact that it’ll be removed from time to time for maintenence purposes.
The CF head covers is a tedious job. It failed a couple of times. they’ve got the driver’s side cover perfect but will be re-doing the other side. The excess will be cut and several layers of clear coat will also need to be applied before the final product can go live.
As for the injector cover, they are still on it. I’ve taken a look at the mould for it and it’s perfect. The cover will be popping out from the mould really soon, so watch out!
I've also created a blog for my V12 project, so if you like, please go to EuroAsians.net
October 04 2007
It's me again
progress is slow,
we've just pulled the engine.
will be cleaning it up and probably swapping it in next week!
Please provide some ideas on how i should detail it? like what colour combos for the head covers and intake manifolds(s)
i've seen some with red covers and black intake which is pretty nice. but i'd like to see what you can contribute?
August 30 2007
Okay guys, I've just gotten myself a front cut of an E32 750i. An M70 5.0 V12 and all necessary harnesses to be exact. but unfortunately, it's an automatic like all of them 750i
Enjoy this!
Now,
I'd just like to know
- If anyone here has ever done an E34 V12 conversion before or at least tried or has relevant articles on this?
- Inputs on engine mounts
- Harness/wiring input
- Shortcuts
- Any 750i or 850i owners know any common bugs or problems with the M70 V12 which always need to be looked at or replaced?
- Transmission: Any known suitable manual transmissions?
- From BMWs
- From generic jap cars?
- Differentials: currently. it's a 2:09.
- Say i stick with the automatic, what kind of ratio should i use better accelaration, or if its good enough stock?
LSD options? would the regular units from the E30 and E34 be useable?- What kind of Preps to the V12 before dropping it in?
- Messing with the V12!!
- Easy ones? Intake, Chipping, Exhaust, would any yield any performance gains?
- If you have other inputs, please do share them
All help appreciated!
Thanks!
Tom
more pics
What's in the picture above will replace what's below.......
Last edited by shogun; 01-13-2016 at 07:52 PM.
wow. now thats a swap.
95 540i beat around thingamajig
02 pathfinder lifted
I member "lowell" just finished up this swap. He will probably chime in. Here is a link http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...hlight=v12+e34
BMW Man
I know it's not a M70, but this site could give you some ideas
http://www.robertlevinson.com/seven/
thanks for all the replies guys appreciate them
keep em comin!
cheers
Tom
Hartge makes e34 v12's.
Don't forget to use the 750 front struts and springs - heavier motor.
I don't think it will be all that fast stock...and I don't know how many performance mods there are for the M70...and gas mileage will suck...and maintenance will be a PITA. But if you're still set on doing it, then by all means. M70 specs were 299 hp and 331 ft. lbs, compared to, say, the M60 specs of 282 hp and 295 ft. lbs. Not a huge difference. And some new 6 cylinder engines are getting that much power. Amazing.
But it will still have a huge cool factor.
E82 135i: Alpine white on black leather; ZSP; ZCW; iPod/USB
Previous Bimmers owned (from last to first): E46 M3, E34 540i/6, E30 325iS, E34 525i, E30 318i
Please people stop quoting peak HP numbers, they mean jack in the real world. Yes you can get even a 4cly to have the same HP/TQ...... but thats not the name of the game. Dyno chart will prolly show you what any owner of a 750, 850 knows, these things build the torque faster than a twin screwed car. And yet run smooth as glass. Sweet engine, and plenty of sources to pull from; junkyards these days are littered with the bimmer v12 engines due to no one wanting to fix them when they go bad. I think you should look into the dlyvia pair of chips as that is the best way to get quick cheap $329 hp. Also I would stick with the automatic, as a standard is going to be expensive to find and convert. Go hit up bunches of shops that are willing to build custom torque convertors and change it up. I bet that V12 chipped with a 2700rpm stall is going to be a badass when it comes to strip pulls.
I have oil in my blood; that is my dedication level to cars.
Intake and valve cover gaskets, upper and lower oil pan gaskets (and possibly the front timing cover gaskets, depending on how it looks). Chains are also a good idea if the timing covers are being resealed.
One thing to do before even starting this is to confirm that the engine doesn't blow smoke. The M70/S70's weakness is in the rings. They start blowing smoke, sometimes at low mileage. Of course, smoke can also come from leaky stem seals, which is also somewhat common, but they all seem to start eating oil with some mileage. This might not be a problem for you, oil is cheap, but whenever I buy a 750 these days, I'm careful to observe what comes out of the exhaust on a cold startup.
Only one suitable transmission, without fabbing your own bellhousing and using a Tremec (or a G265), and it's rare and expensive, that's the factory S6S-560G, a Getrag with the V12 bellhousing. Then there are a few thousand dollars worth of parts (flywheel, clutch kit, mounting parts) that make having the manual the most expensive thing about the car.
I've never heard of a 2.09, most E34s have much shorter gearing, and every E32 750 that I've ever seen was delivered with either a 3.15 (early) or a 3.64 (late).
I had a 3.15 large case with an E46 M3/E60 M5 M variable locker built (see my recent threads). Good for manual cars, not for autos. You'd want a 3.62/4, 3.73 (rare), or a 3.91 (also rare) for an auto. Both of the latter are M gear sets, and only the E34 M5 has them installed in a large case that will work in an E34, the E24/E28 stuff would have to be rebuilt in an E34/E32 large case. You could also use a medium case E32/E34 differential with a change to the driveshaft CV, which might be cheaper and with a wider range of available ratios, but the medium case is also said to be beyond its torque spec with the V12.
Short of FI, there isn't much to be done with it. The heads are a poor design from a performance perspective, and nobody's been brave enough to manufacture better replacements. S70 or shrick cams and extrude honed S70 intake manifolds, slightly bigger injectors, Wokke chips, and a freer flowing exhaust are about the limits short of rebuilding the entire thing. We have a hartge 6L sitting on the shelf that dyno'd 370 rwhp with a motec system. For the 40 gees it cost to build that motor, much more can be done with FI.
If you are serious about doing this and want a good exhaust, next week I am having one of the top exhaust manufacturers in the country begin the construction of a performance system for E34 V12 and E32 V12 cars. From a business perspective, I am CRAZY to do this, because there's no market for E32/E34 performance parts, let alone an expensive exhaust, but I need something for my car that's better than what's on it right now.
It will be a full cat and back system, CNC mandrel bends on 304 Everlast stainless. And the pièce de résistance: we're slating in a Corsa/UUC E39 M5 reflective sound cancelling muffler. This is the same technology used on Rob Levinson's E38 750/6. If you read the dyno graphs on that car, you'll notice that with this exhaust (and a 6 speed) we got more power out of it at the wheels than the engine is rated for at the crank. The car also puts more power to the wheels than an E39 M5, and it'll break traction in 3rd. Headers are still on the table, but nobody's ever gotten performance gains out of them, so probably not viable. The three E34 V12 cars that my shop has built are on track to get this system. Once it's built and installed, I''ll post a vid. UUC has vids on their site, and I have a demonstration video that I made of the E38 750/6 cars that highlights the exhaust.
It will be more work to start off with a car that has the battery under the hood. The entire engine bay has to be reconfigured, brake systems, it all has to be changed, but relocating the battery is still a bit of work.
Another piece of advice is something that you probably don't want to hear. I think the E34 was meant to be an inline six chassis. I've never liked the balance or feel of the V8 cars, even the 5/6 speeds, which weigh considerably less. I think it has to do with mass distribution under the hood. The V8/V12 feel right in E31/E32/E38/E39 cars, but bulk down the E34. If you search around on the forums and read some of the feedback from people who have driven the V12 E34 sedans, I think you will find that they feel the chassis is unbalanced, front heavy. Great for straightways, but not so good for handling. Some people don't care about this, or aren't attentive or experienced enough to know the difference between good and bad handling. That's fine, but I like good handling. This is the reason why I built the Touring, to see if the additional weight on the rear half of the chassis would balance it out.
if you do this you will be my hero!!!
991 | 964 | G55 | D90 | LX570 |
Past: SC'd e34 540/6, CSL'd E46 M3, E36 M3/4/5, E36 M3 turbo, E36 M3, 335D, Porsche 951, 80 Series LC, Kleeman E55 Wagon, LX470, 970 Panamera TT, E92 M3
the E32 and E34 are very similar. looking at a 730 and 530 engine bay, it's sometimes hard to see which car is which.
I would assume it's not as hard as shoving the V12 into a Z1.
he's talking about power UNDER the curve, before peak torque.
If you graph them on a dyno with some arbitrary "0" point say 200 ftlbs on up, and look at the area under the curve, the m70 should have far greater area than even a chipped n/a m60.
my little dsm only made about 200 whp and about 250 torque, but you had 200+ ft lbs of torque available from 2000 to 6800... and torque accelerates cars, not peak HP. Even a few hundred rpm lower in usable torque makes a big difference. I'm a torque guy in case you can't tell
because I'm also a reliability guy, and between the m50 non vanos and the 3.0 M60...
^^m50's can make 500whp with stock internals for less than 4k. Or they can sail to 300,000 miles reliably whichever the owner prefers. The M60 on the other hand...
M70 for cool factor, m52+Cash for power/money ratio...
1995 BMW 540im/EAT/3.64lsd/M Parallels/Eibach/Koni/Magnaflow & M-tech exhaust
I'd be using the coilovers so.. but i may be getting new ones so i would need those struts to build on
most encuraging post so far! thanks!
Lowell you have a vast experience in V12s and more importantly, V12E34s. i've seen your video. 3 V12 E34s. very cool!. i would have lots to talk to you about soon.
about the diff, i was reffering to the one that comes with the E34 750i. i remembered reading somewhere that it comes with a 2.XX diff. well anyway, i would be sticking to everything that comes with the donor car. until everything runs fine, then i'd do something to the engine.
whatever it is, your tips and confessions have taught me a lot before attempting to do mine.
I kinda have the facility and expertise where i'm going to do this in, (the workshop) so, i hope there will be minimal probs apart from the money it takes.
well, anyway, the V12 engine is an ultra-interesting project for me, so guys, please stay tuned as i post updates as the conversion begins in about 1 or 2 weeks time. whatever it is, i'd be pulling the engine out and cleaning it, i'd post stuff anyways.
thanks!
Tom
+1 MY friend in college had an '89 with 175K on the clock. His car would blow smoke on start up as well as his oil pan gaskets were on their way out. He bought the car for $2500 with a few dents/dings and the leather was cracking but still a nice car. We would play around on the highway every once in a while leaving class. I could get up the on ramp a bit quicker than him (pedal to the floor) if I had a little lead but once we got close to triple digit speeds the E32 would leave me behind like I was standing still. There is nothing like a V12. BTW this was at 7,900+ft above sea level in the mountains. Most immpressive.
I'd love to see how this project pans out as I've considered it many times. I originally bought my E34 to add forced induction (among other things) as a representation into the BMW scene for our shop. Any more I'm leaning more towards something far less common than another I-6 bimmer with boost. There's just something about having more cylinders than most of the sports cars on the road...
Here's a few pics I saved for inspiration:
Talk about an investments though. Maybe I can get my boss to fund my project
Last edited by ride1099; 09-04-2007 at 08:32 AM.
"your effort to remain the same is what limits you"
yeah man -- mad props for having the balls to tackle such a badass-yet-costly/difficult project. Way outta my league
oh yeah, by the way ride1099, i just shat my pants looking at those pics ... thanks for that
I would never put a hood on that car.....
And OP you have a sick car. Good luck with your project.
E34 525it/5 S52
E30 318is slicktop M50T
F15 X5 50i M Sport
Bookmarks