Sounds very interesting indeed Dan

I look forward to keeping an eye on this thread:thumbsup

 

Hope all this goes to plan, it's going to make a great thread !!

Good luck !!:thumbsup

 

Quick picture update

Sorry for the delay. I,ve been really busy lately and not had any time to post up any pics or write ups but the project is coming along nicely and I'm just about to drop the engine in onto the new custom mounts. When I get a moment to spare I will do a write up on the project and post it here, thanks Dan

 

Awesome Dan-its the same engine I would like to put in my E36 325i so will be watching this avidly

 

Well I hope it is of some use to you. Some of the major parts that need to be modified for the engine alone to fit in the bay of an e46 and I presume the e36 alike are as follows:

-Steering linkage moved (the actual linkage from bulkhead to rack, not the rack itself)
-Custom sump (either dry sump it or channel the pump line to the rear of a custom wet sump)
-ABS module in the e46 has to be moved nearer to the ECU bay
-Cut out the protecting sheet metal that hides the ABS unit
-Custom brake lines to avoid going too close to the exhaust on the right hand side of the engine bay to avoid the brake fluid from getting too hot
-Custom headers as the original ones do not point down enough to clear the bulk head
-Custom engine mounts
-Subframe reinforcement plates for the mounts due to the extra torque produced
-If like my you want to keep all the air con and creature comforts etc... you will need to run extra custom lines to the compressor as the originals are not quite long enough or the right shape.
-Cooling is not an issue as the radiator is more than capable of keeping the m60/m62 cool, just a case of connecting up the hoses

Hope this helps, thanks Dan

 

Conversion update

Hi Dan
How far on is your V8 conversion? I was wondering how you got round the wiring/electronics problems?. After reading the many posts on here, the EWS system used by BMW seems to be our biggest hurdle to overcome for any transplant.
Have to say the engine looks like it was meant to be fitted in there though, so good work so far.
Regards Marty

 

Sounds like a big project Hope this one works out for you will make an ace car . :thumbsup

 

exellent project mate..can you post a few pics please :thumbsup:thumbsup:thumbsup

 

good luck mate

 

this will be a interesting watch

 

He posted it up months ago then never posted again.I pm'ed him asking how it was going about a month ago but got no reply...........:frown

 

Thanks for that update, Its a shame though as he was quite local to me, and thats a conversion I would like to do for myself.
Marty

 

For what it's worth, there was an article in performance BMW a couple of months back on an E30 fitted with the 4.4... it was a US car, and all the work had been done by the time PBMW showed up. Oh, I think it might have been supercharged too... :hihi

 

i really want to do this conversion myself so i hope more info comes up dose anybody els have any info on this conversion .

 

V8 engine swap

My intention was to slowly amass all the components and get as much information as I could before I pulled the motor out of my 318. What I have been able to find out from various forums and general internet searches is not as promising as I had hoped. Basically the sump and steering column has to be modified for clearance ( no big deal), and possibly the anti roll bar to physically get the motor in. The gearbox will have to be swapped as well apparently, so the motor choice would be something like the complete set-up from a 540, engine, box, ECUs etc. That appears to be the easy bit, the real fun starts when you try to integrate the ECUs and the EWS systems from the two cars, the guys who have successfully managed this from other BMW engines have had to sometimes swap entire wiring looms to get the car to run, even then the ABS can become affected and refuse to work!
Also consider the rev counter is for a four not an eight, the diff is too low a ratio, and too weak to handle the power and torque of a V8. Ideally the brakes should be uprated to either M3 or 330 spec, so your looking at running 17s for clearance of the calipers, the list goes on and on.
Personally ive decided to live with the 318 and set my sights on a nice 330 diesel in a few years time, massive tuning potential for torque, and good economy too.... not as much fun admittedly but so much more practical.
Marty.

 

i had planned on changing the lot anyway. my plan is to get a bare chassis and basicly buld the car from scratch. so it would be :
new coilovers.
d2 8pot front brakes 6 pot rear.
19 inch wheels 235 35 19 front/ 275 30 19 rear
m62 b44 engine , retuned and chiped to rev past 7000rpm
540 6 speed manual
e46 m3 lsd
custom wireing harness new keys programmed in.

my biggest concern was the v8 actaully fitting and the wireing but i found a company that can manifactur a loom to encorparate the m62 into the e46 clocks and modding the sump and steering sholdnt be a prob.

still plenty more i need to find out before i spend lots of money on the parts to make sure the project is doable so all the knolage i can borrow the better.

craig

 

That sounds like a monumental project if your starting from scratch, and will probably cost a small fortune if your not able to complete the work yourself. Good luck and deep respect if you decide go ahead with it though, and keep us all informed with plenty of pictures and updates.
Meanwhile to give you some inspiration check out this link
http://www.europeancarweb.com/tuned/0608_ec_supercharged_v8_bmw_e46_m3/photo_11.html
The link shows that the engine obviously will physically fit our engine bays, and so will the 540 box, so thats at least one hurdle less to overcome.
Regards Marty

 

cheers mate . it will be a big project but iv done it before , i baught a supra chassis and built the 88mm turbo beast im driving at the moment .
i have a workshop and all the tools i need so im 90% in favour of buying the bits and going for it , again lol

i will put a full buld thread of the car up when i get started and ill probably sell the car when im finished , so wish me luck

 

Hi, I am the original poster of this thread and I apologise for not following up on my promises of posting up regularly if at all with updates etc... I have also since forgot my password for my e-mail account so have started again. I have had to move house twice since the post and it has been an absolute ball ache to say the least! the car was stored away and then half finished and then put away again and as always money became an issue etc...

Anyway the car has still not been finished and put on the road however I did have the 4.4 in the car running and driving without issue and I had to upgrade and replace the following components:

subframe mounting points reinforcement
330ci rear subframe assembly with driveshafts
330ci brakes with drilled grooved discs
X3 rear differential with 3.91 ratio and custom diff spacer to fit the standard prop shaft
custom gearbox end grafted onto the original propshaft to fit new location of the gearbox as it sat a bit further back than a normal e46
custom sump for the engine
moved ABS module and right hand engine wall to make way for the headers
Powerflex bushes all round
Custom engine mounts
The list goes on for smaller items such as aftermarket tach grafted onto the back of the M3 clocks so that the dial was not linked into the car but looked as if it were.

Anyway the car was driving no problems and with the 3.91 diff it certainly shifted! Unfortunately the diff was not an LSD and this let the whole car down.

After a week of thrashing the thing about on private land ironing out all the little issues the engine gave up. The head gasket went on the left bank and although there was a LOT of power from the engine it was not enough for me (is there ever?) So I decided a change of plan was in order and a 5.7L chevrolet 350 seemed just the ticket!

I bought a crashed Pontiac firebird stripped the engine gearbox electrics etc... and begun the conversion. The only things I had to change on the chassis for this to fit was a custom prop shaft end new engine mounts and custom headers.

I have had the car up and running and driving with this engine but have since ran out of money! Currently the car is sat waiting patiently for me to get some cash together to continue with the build.

Any questions on the M62 build feel free to ask I don't have many pictures of it but will help in anyway I can.

Below are some pictures of the LT1 V8 build in progress with a modified M3 exhaust to clear the wheel well and cutom manifolds and the amount of disgarded wiring from the engine loom from the firebird.

 

Also just for an extra bit of information for those wanting to experiment with different differential ratios the X3 rear differential is a direct bolt in to the e46 318 to 328 manual and automatic as they use the same rear carrier and prop shaft however the X3 uses a slightly shorter prop from the transfer box so a diff spacer needs to be made I can provide you with measurement etc... if you need them.
If one of the moderators want to change the title to E46 LT1 v8 conversion or if they want me to start a new thread just let me know, thanks Dan

 

V8 engine conversion

Hi bidmanv8
Thanks for posting the update, if you don't mind I have a question regarding the integration of the EWS and ECUs from the two cars, like how did you manage to get round the wiring issues? I have read countless posts on the web and loads of people seem to get so far only to fall at the final hurdle I.E. the electronics.
I had all but given up on a V8 conversion and resigned myself to selling my 318 and buying a 330 diesel for the masses of torque it has, the first pictures of your conversion were inspiring by the way.
Regards Marty

 

Hi mate, very nice project. I dont suppose you have any of the 4.4 v8 conversion bits left lying around that you mite want to sell?

Cheers Lloyd

 

Have 5 stars mate, this should be an interesting read.

 

Hi bidmanv8
Thanks for posting the update, if you don't mind I have a question regarding the integration of the EWS and ECUs from the two cars, like how did you manage to get round the wiring issues? I have read countless posts on the web and loads of people seem to get so far only to fall at the final hurdle I.E. the electronics.
I had all but given up on a V8 conversion and resigned myself to selling my 318 and buying a 330 diesel for the masses of torque it has, the first pictures of your conversion were inspiring by the way.
Regards Marty

Hi, the wiring was not too bad to be honest as rather than trying to amalgamate the two looms and bodging it all over the place with adding bits and removing bits, I was lucky enough to get all the wiring and modules from the 540 and replaced the 318 loom with this . This way all that had to be done was a transfer of the key chip from the 540 key to the 318 key and the engine ran as if it were still in the 540 without issues. Anyone can replace an engine or upgrade it, its getting everything to work the way it should thats the hard part. If you are planning on a engine conversion START WITH ELECTRICS!!! make sure you have everything you need before doing any graft!

With the 5.7l upgrade I have had to re-install the 318ci loom as I sold the 540 loom with the engine for someone elses project. I then had to make the lt1 run as a stand alone unit with a simple VATS bypass (vehicle anti theft system) and take individual readings such as tach temp pressure etc.. and run aftermarket guages within the bmw cluster. I have posted up a picture of what needed to me removed from the cluster for the aftermarket to show through and a picture of the loom that was cut down for the lt1 to become stand alone.

Hi mate, very nice project. I dont suppose you have any of the 4.4 v8 conversion bits left lying around that you mite want to sell?

Cheers Lloyd

Unfortunately most of the parts that I had made to fit the M62 have now been modified to fit the LT1 engine, the only parts I did have left were the custom hugger manifolds but these have already been sold.

Are you planning the conversion if so let me know if you need any info and I will be happy to help. However if you do the conversion be fully prepared for a bigger v8 afterwards as you will just want more power, hence my upgrade to the 5.7l.

I have added a few extra pictures of the new ABS location and have put in a new seperating wall (yet to be smoothed and finished)

 

Thanks for the update Dan, its nice to know some things can be overcome with a bit of ingenuity, and good luck with the LT1 motor
Marty

 

very interesting, wont be many like this about.
before i bought my m3 several years ago i found a 328i that had been converted to a 350 chevy with a tremec box from a mustang. wasnt a bad conversion, the only thing that put me off was the condition of the car and the fact it was totally stock in every other aspect with no receipts for anything!! certainly went well though and the torque was pretty immense.
will keep an eye on this one!!

i dont suppose anyone on here bought that car or knows anything about it. it was black i think. could have been an awesome machine if it fell into the right hands............nearly mine!!!!!