"MikaelVroom" (mikaelvroom)
06/20/2016 at 09:26 • Filed to: None
17
74|
"MikaelVroom" (mikaelvroom)
06/20/2016 at 09:26 • Filed to: None | 17
| 74 |
The internet is simultaneously home to an unfathomable wealth of information without limits and few good men that can appreciate that fact. Trusting something the internet tells you is risky business, far and away from a safe bet. But here I was, despite what the others said, about to try and fit a legend of an !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! into a BMW M3; you don’t have to be Rain Man to know what a cocktail of bad ideas that would be, but I was on a mission. Impossible you say? I’m losin’ it? Until somebody taps me on the shoulder and shows me the color of money, I’m going to keep my eyes wide shut, breathe in the scent of fresh magnolias, and fall off the edge of tomorrow into oblivion. Tropic Thunder.
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To prepare the engine bay to receive such a voluminous package, a few things were necessary. Sidenote - I realize that the potential for innumerable hilarious sex puns in this post is astounding, but for the sake of decency, I’ll abstain.
The entire front end was still removed from when I previously assumed the most convenient position to get the old engine out. This made preparation and test fitting extremely easy.
I erected the hoist, raising the engine and transmission high enough to glide right into the transmission tunnel, dodging any barriers in the process.
It was the first test fit, so I took it slow and easy to make sure I didn’t hurt anything.
We have contact!
But how tight is it? Check out the exhaust manifold-to-framerail clearance:
And the other exhaust manifold-to-steering-shaft clearance; the shaft needs plenty of room to move around:
Oil pan to crossmember clearance:
The shifter came up a couple inches short of the hole, but it was nothing that a little creative thinking and some vigorous handiwork couldn’t solve:
In fourth gear with the stock Mustang shift lever installed:
The engine basically positioned itself. This location allowed the use of the stock Explorer exhaust manifolds without frame rail or steering shaft interference, the hump in the oil pan sat perfectly over the subframe and steering rack, and the transmission landed nicely in the tunnel without any banging required. So with the engine held in place by the hoist, why not fix it there permanently?
I got a set of E30 rubber engine mounts and installed them onto the E36 subframe. Then I bought a 20' stick of 3/16" thick by 4" wide steel from a local supplier with free delivery (no !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! pic necessary this time), and got to work. The stock Explorer mounts were very beefy and had the engine-side mounting solution down, so I worked from there over to the subframe, cutting off any parts of the mount unnecessary for strength.
Passenger side:
Driver’s side, with a little more step-by-step detail:
With the engine held in place, I could set the transmission where it needed to be. Tremec has a nice app that lets you measure drivetrain angles to make sure none of the u-joint angles will be beyond what’s acceptable. I tried to use it for like 2 minutes then gave up and just set it in place at what appeared to be a reasonable angle.
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Recipe For A Transmission Mount
Start with one whole V6 Mustang transmission crossmember.
Then trim away the excess fat so that only the meat of the mount remains:
Next, use fondant to secure the mount to the transmission (if you don’t have any fondant handy, bolts will also work) and secure some 3/16" thick by 1-1/2" angle to the BMW crossmember mounting points in a similar fashion.
Now add four parts 3/16" steel plate to connect the mount to the angle iron. Hold it in place with either toothpicks or tack welds, whatever is handy.
Remove the mount from the car and MIG weld all of the joints at 3000 degrees Celsius for about 10 minutes.
Test fit it in place. Remember: Presentation is 90% of function, so make sure it looks good.
And you’re done! Garnish with some high heat engine enamel and you’ve got a tasty transmission mount to call your own!
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The exhaust manifold ended up pretty close to the steering shaft and its rubber damper:
So once the engine was back out I swapped out the girthy E36 shaft for a sleeker E46 unit for its smaller diameter, giving me an extra 1/4" or so of clearance.
Ribbed for everyone’s pleasure.
I ripped the old, moist, sand-and-road-debris-impregnated heat shielding off of the firewall and replaced it with some new stuff.
I very carefully (as you can see) adjusted the shifter hole size and location to more comfortably fit the new transmission.
And put a glorious hole in the firewall for running all of my ECU wiring and the MAP sensor line.
With the mounts finalized, it was time to get them painted with some high temp paint to cover the bare metal - always use protection.
Some of you that remember my valve cover color may see where I’m going with this, but I also needed to protect the bare steel oil pan, so I painted that, too.
Given the odd spark plug orientation of the GT-40P heads and the intrusive exhaust manifolds, even the longest stock LS plug wires I could find couldn’t get the job done without uncomfortable rubbing - every inch matters and these dudes came up short.
So I grabbed !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , some !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! and !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! (in the proper color, of course) and got to work.
And with that, the engine was mechanically ready to get busy.
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Catch my build thread here on Oppo with a new installment each Monday, or if you like spoilers check out !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! for the latest updates. Twitter me !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , Instagram me !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . My mom hasn’t seen my website yet, but I’m sure she’d think it’s “pretty decent.”
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MikaelVroom
> MikaelVroom
06/20/2016 at 09:29 |
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The total is 14.
gawdzillla
> MikaelVroom
06/20/2016 at 10:17 |
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nice welds
RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
> MikaelVroom
06/20/2016 at 10:18 |
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the potential for innumerable hilarious sex puns in this post is astounding, but for the sake of decency
And now for Out Of Context(tm):
I previously assumed the most convenient position
I erected..., raising ... high enough to glide right into the ...tunnel, dodging any barriers in the process.
It was the first test fit, so I took it slow and easy to make sure I didn’t hurt anything.
We have contact!...But how tight is it?
(T)he shaft needs plenty of room to move around
...came up a couple inches short of the hole, but it was nothing that a little creative thinking and some vigorous handiwork couldn’t solve
I tried to use it for like 2 minutes then gave up and just set it in place at what appeared to be a reasonable angle.
After that point you appear to have given up on subtlety as much as me.
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MikaelVroom
> gawdzillla
06/20/2016 at 11:00 |
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Thanks! This little 110V MIG does quite a decent job.
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gawdzillla
> MikaelVroom
06/20/2016 at 11:28 |
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what kind is it ? i have a 110v welder that i got as a gift sitting in my garage
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MikaelVroom
> gawdzillla
06/20/2016 at 11:45 |
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Well done, Santa. Mine is from Northern Tool. They actually don’t make them anymore, Northern went to all inverter-style welders a couple years ago. For being an “off-brand” welder, they have a US-based support line with a very knowledgeable tech guy that was able to help diagnose a failed relay and send me the part under warranty.
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MikaelVroom
> MikaelVroom
06/20/2016 at 11:46 |
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That’s the number of Tom Cruise movie titles in the intro.
Future next gen S2000 owner
> MikaelVroom
06/20/2016 at 12:51 |
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Sidenote - I realize that the potential for innumerable hilarious sex puns in this post is astounding, but for the sake of decency, I’ll abstain
Travis M. Cotton
> MikaelVroom
06/20/2016 at 12:58 |
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You be it. But nice work!
SyrianLanister
> MikaelVroom
06/20/2016 at 13:03 |
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this is awesome. quickly realized that there is no way in hell i could do this haha
put-some-turbo-on-meeeee
> MikaelVroom
06/20/2016 at 13:09 |
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This is a brilliant swap idea and should make for a pretty fun car. It’s about as opposite lock as you can get.
Aaron James
> MikaelVroom
06/20/2016 at 13:15 |
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Great stuff. Hope these keep getting shared to the front page so everyone can see how easy (lot’s of work but not rocket science complicated) that these swaps can be. It can seem like a daunting task to those that have never done it. I like the choice of the 5.0 and T-5 great combo. Can’t wait to see it’s first burnout.
TahoeSTi
> MikaelVroom
06/20/2016 at 13:17 |
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Tell me more about this distributor-less 5.0, I’ve heard of people using LS ignition but haven’t seen to much on it.
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MikaelVroom
> Future next gen S2000 owner
06/20/2016 at 13:17 |
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I’m brash in my subtlety.
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MikaelVroom
> Aaron James
06/20/2016 at 13:19 |
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TahoeSTi
> TahoeSTi
06/20/2016 at 13:20 |
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ahh it’s a OBII 5.0 from an explorer...could be worth it to port those gt-40p heads and lower intake. A guy who goes by “thumper” has gotten some pretty good flow rates out of that setup....close to 300rwhp.
rhobere
> MikaelVroom
06/20/2016 at 13:21 |
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It seems like you did a lot of fabrication so that you could reuse the old transmission mount. Is there any reason you didn’t just throw it out and make an all new one? You would have likely ended up doing the same amount of work and you would have had fewer welds (always desired in a fatigue environment like that).
Voodoo81
> Future next gen S2000 owner
06/20/2016 at 13:23 |
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The color combo on the engine scream of Superman, I like. I also approve of all of the sexual inuendo. Well done sir, well done.
Ross Kraz
> MikaelVroom
06/20/2016 at 13:36 |
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You, sir, are as talented with a keyboard as you are with a wrench. These write-ups are fantastic.
Brad Landers
> MikaelVroom
06/20/2016 at 13:39 |
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Hot lookin’ project Mikael! Do yourself a favor though, and throw a drum sander on your favorite drill and clean up that shifter hole. Your fingers will thank you later when you’re blindly fingering around under the shift boot and forget what a gnarly mess you left under there.
99GTS
> MikaelVroom
06/20/2016 at 13:43 |
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I admire you work, its more than I could ever do. Nice job!
Hayden Lorell
> MikaelVroom
06/20/2016 at 13:44 |
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you wouldn’t happen to have been the same V8 M3 that I was following out of wicked big meet would you? lol
fritzo
> Aaron James
06/20/2016 at 13:58 |
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He had to order a huge chunk of steel, use a 3000F MIG welder, and have access to parts from as Mustang and a later generation BMW.
Yeah..easy and uncomplicated!
Cunninglinguist
> MikaelVroom
06/20/2016 at 14:03 |
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MikaelVroom
> TahoeSTi
06/20/2016 at 14:03 |
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The only issue with the GT-40Ps is that it makes header installation difficult. I’ll probably go with aluminum heads eventually for the added weight savings. Colin Chapman is my hero.
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MikaelVroom
> rhobere
06/20/2016 at 14:03 |
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Doing it this way saved me from having to find an appropriate rubber mount and fabricating a way for it to interface with the transmission (read: measuring and drilling holes). I’d wager that my 3/16" plate and welds are stronger than the base metal on the mount so I’m not worried about weakness.
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MikaelVroom
> Hayden Lorell
06/20/2016 at 14:05 |
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I was at a Cars and Coffee in Des Moines this weekend, but I don’t think it was wicked big.
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MikaelVroom
> Brad Landers
06/20/2016 at 14:06 |
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I pounded those razors against the top of the tunnel well enough that I’m not afraid of shredding my fingers. I’m more afraid of errant hose clamps I’ve trimmed down without sanding.
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MikaelVroom
> Ross Kraz
06/20/2016 at 14:06 |
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Thanks! I think your comment is fantastic.
PhilipMymoufafarts
> MikaelVroom
06/20/2016 at 14:08 |
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I look forward to reading about this on NP or CP but good luck to you man.
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PragmaticPanda
> MikaelVroom
06/20/2016 at 14:11 |
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“Rain Man to know what a cocktail of bad ideas that would be, but I was on a mission. Impossible you say? I’m losin’ it? Until somebody taps me on the shoulder and shows me the color of money, I’m going to keep my eyes wide shut, breathe in the scent of fresh magnolias, and fall off the edge of tomorrow into oblivion. Tropic Thunder.”
Your kind of funny is my kind of funny!
TulsaMtnBiker (OkieRising)
> MikaelVroom
06/20/2016 at 14:14 |
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Sell me the CX500 meowwwww!
Fresh-Outta-Nissans
> MikaelVroom
06/20/2016 at 14:16 |
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Fondant!
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Tikiman747
> MikaelVroom
06/20/2016 at 14:26 |
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My dad has an old 99 323is and I would love to do this as he no longer uses the car. How do you tie this all in to the stock dash? You are a very very talented individual - I hope you continue to do these types of projects
Stygian Blue
> MikaelVroom
06/20/2016 at 14:29 |
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I've always wanted to do this swap and then paint the car desert camo. I don't know why.
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Hayden Lorell
> MikaelVroom
06/20/2016 at 14:30 |
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well then apparently you aren’t the only one with the small block into bimer plan because I most definitely followed a small block powered silver E36 out of wicked big meet two weeks ago which was in Stafford Springs CT.
PilotMan
> Ross Kraz
06/20/2016 at 14:34 |
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Agreed, I love a good engine swap write up.
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MikaelVroom
> Hayden Lorell
06/20/2016 at 14:37 |
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There are dozens of us. Dozens!
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MikaelVroom
> Stygian Blue
06/20/2016 at 14:38 |
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I'm seriously considering desert camo for my next project - a Mad Max theme may suit it well.
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MikaelVroom
> Tikiman747
06/20/2016 at 14:43 |
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The post about integration is coming up in a couple weeks! (Or cheat and check my website).
move-over-peasant-I-have-an-M5-in-the-shop
> MikaelVroom
06/20/2016 at 14:44 |
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I appreciate your total lack of sex puns and your mechanical ability.
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MikaelVroom
> move-over-peasant-I-have-an-M5-in-the-shop
06/20/2016 at 15:03 |
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The two go hand-in-hand. Or at least hand-in-something.
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MikaelVroom
> Fresh-Outta-Nissans
06/20/2016 at 15:04 |
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My wife didn’t appreciate it when I secured our wedding cake topper with JB Weld.
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MikaelVroom
> TulsaMtnBiker (OkieRising)
06/20/2016 at 15:05 |
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IT’S FOR SALE. And it sounds soooo good.
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MikaelVroom
> PhilipMymoufafarts
06/20/2016 at 15:05 |
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CP all the way.
Rü$
> MikaelVroom
06/20/2016 at 15:10 |
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Wait that’s not an ls1! I thought you said “legend”? Glad you went ford makes me feel better about you!
fishbender
> PhilipMymoufafarts
06/20/2016 at 15:16 |
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Jalopnik needs to bring back Project Car Hell, where you have the chance to purchase someone else’s disaster for the low, low price of $NotEvenOnce!
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rhobere
> MikaelVroom
06/20/2016 at 15:16 |
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Fair enough. You would generally assume a weld is stronger than the base material so that makes sense. Fatigue is a little different since it's A) cumulative and B) a product of defects. For someone that's not great at welding, that would be a major concern. Your welds, however, look great and we are just talking about a car here. The vibration loads are pretty small.
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MikaelVroom
> Rü$
06/20/2016 at 15:19 |
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I bleed a light, pale, awkward shade of blue.
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TahoeSTi
> MikaelVroom
06/20/2016 at 15:32 |
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I’m not sure if explorer manifolds will fit on a not GT-40P head setup, the spark plugs might get in the way....but you could most likely find some cast iron manifolds from a Thunderbird that might fit...btw way I love what you are doing can’t wait to see more progress.
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rkmvca
> MikaelVroom
06/20/2016 at 15:37 |
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Decisions, decisions ... should I file this under “How hard could it be?”, or “What could possibly go wrong?”
ApriliaFutura
> MikaelVroom
06/20/2016 at 15:45 |
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A V8 E36 *and* A Honda CX500?! You sir, are a Wildman!
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MikaelVroom
> ApriliaFutura
06/20/2016 at 16:10 |
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You sir, are a Wildman!
If I had a nickel for every time I’ve heard that...
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MikaelVroom
> rkmvca
06/20/2016 at 16:10 |
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I mean...both are incredibly relevant.
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MikaelVroom
> TahoeSTi
06/20/2016 at 16:11 |
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I’ve resigned myself to the fact that once I do head I’ll have to build my own headers, which I’m secretly super excited about.
OnYour6
> MikaelVroom
06/20/2016 at 17:00 |
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One question...WHY? You can spend about $6000 on a nice drop-in supercharger good for around 360hp and keep everything factory. Then when you go to sell it you aren’t losing your butt.
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rurebam
> MikaelVroom
06/20/2016 at 17:01 |
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Start working at home with Google! It’s by-far the best job I’ve had. Last Wednesday I got a brand new BMW since getting a check for $6474 this - 4 weeks past. I began this 8-months ago and immediately was bringing home at least $77 per hour. I work through this link, go to tech tab for work detail.
+_+_+_+_+_+_+ http:// www.JobsBay24.com
serega13
> MikaelVroom
06/20/2016 at 17:25 |
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How to make your BMW 50% more reliable? Replace engine with anything that's not made by BMW.
UKIDCE
> MikaelVroom
06/20/2016 at 17:34 |
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I’m excited to see this thing finished!
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MikaelVroom
> OnYour6
06/20/2016 at 17:35 |
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An N/A buildup to 360 flywheel hp can be done for less than $6000 and then you don’t have the added complexity and weight of a power adder.
OlDirtDogg
> MikaelVroom
06/20/2016 at 18:15 |
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Sorry if you mentioned this before...but are you going to have to modify the hood too?
Steve
> MikaelVroom
06/20/2016 at 19:38 |
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How much more weight is on the front axle from using the iron Mustang motor vs the more common LS1/2? We’ve seen some nice LS-to-E30 conversions...
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MikaelVroom
> OlDirtDogg
06/20/2016 at 20:11 |
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Barely! I sliced out a little bit of the inner bracing and it sits flat without contact.
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MikaelVroom
> Steve
06/20/2016 at 20:12 |
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http://oppositelock.kinja.com/bmw-e36-v8-swa…
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ujiro11
> MikaelVroom
06/20/2016 at 20:32 |
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I’ve commented this before.. But this is what I look forward to the most every single week. Love the progression, I am learning a lot, and you are a great writer. Keep this up, sell it, and do it again so I can read another set!
One question, why not drop in an M3 engine; would that not have been easier?
computiNATEor
> MikaelVroom
06/20/2016 at 20:57 |
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Yeah, I was going to ask if any performance off-the-shelf headers that would fit, but given the clearances in this engine bay... that’ll be a fun project! Just remember that bashing a bit here or there won’t affect horsepower all that much (see Engine Masters on the Motor Trend channel, episode 4).
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MikaelVroom
> computiNATEor
06/20/2016 at 21:09 |
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There’s one set of headers designed to fit: Torque Monster Headers.
http://www.torquemonsterheaders.com/home.html
They’re $800, don’t really help that much, and aren’t even made anymore. Might as well build my own real long tubes.
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computiNATEor
> MikaelVroom
06/20/2016 at 21:23 |
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Wow, that’s a spaghetti-noodle mess. Wonder if you could contact them and inquire about the angles/radii involved?
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TulsaMtnBiker (OkieRising)
> MikaelVroom
06/20/2016 at 22:10 |
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I’ve been looking for one, but I haven’t seen any around here on CL.
This is the current PITA I’m dealing with:
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PoPPaPork
> rhobere
06/21/2016 at 09:31 |
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Is the area immediately around the weld the weakest spot?
Guy Man
> serega13
06/21/2016 at 13:03 |
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Engines aren't really BMW's weakness. It's the stuff surrounding it.
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Guy Man
> MikaelVroom
06/21/2016 at 13:07 |
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Now I want to see someone swap an SR20DET in their e34 540.
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ApriliaFutura
> MikaelVroom
06/22/2016 at 15:51 |
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got two nipples for a dime?
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rhobere
> PoPPaPork
06/27/2016 at 16:31 |
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Yes and no. The area around the weld tends to get a bit brittle in what's referred to as the "heat affected zone." What you really have to worry about is voids within the weld. Fatigue failure spreads from small defects so welds are particularly suspect because of their tendency to have loads of small defects.