mapleridge

Hi All,

I have recently been searching around for a competent shop/individual who could take on an LS swap into my 07 BMW 3 series. It is the stock I6 non turbo. I am located in Vancouver, BC.

I called a shop on the eastcoast of Canada that specializes in LS swaps and they said they took measurements of the same car and the main problem mechanically is the width between the frame rails is 28" and it wouldn't be enough space for the headers as the minimum they require is 30".

I am just a little thrown off that a Miata can fit an LS engine but my BMW that also has a V8 from the factory in the M3 configuration wouldn't be able to make it work. Heck, I've seen a V10 thrown in there.

The wiring they said they wouldn't even touch.

I would really like to get second opinions and contacts for a competent shop who knows their stuff and can deliver on time and on budget. Let me know what you think.

tonytone4143

the electronics on your car are impossible or almost impossible to hack into. now you can shoehorn anything you want into anything, takes time and money. i am sure most of the gauges will not work with the ls swap. motor should fit in there but will be very tight, just like the v8 m3's are, the v10 in the m5 has alot more room than your car. hope this helps

mapleridge

Thanks for the feedback. Are you sayinig the M5 has a lot more engine bay room or the V10 has a smaller footprint? I have seen a V10 in the e90.

I'd prefer to integrate as much of the BMW ECU as possible. It has been done in an E46 but I am not sure if this would be translatable into the E90. See below.

https://ls1tech.com/forums/conversio...l#post17480764

rotor vs. piston

iTrader: (3)

What the shop is really saying is that it's not worth their time to do the swap.

The main issue w/ newer cars is that everything talks on a network, CAN-bus, and it's not always as easy as just moving a sensor from the old engine to the new to make things work. There are plenty of people that are able to tap into and understand the CAN signals and may be able to help you get interface you want between the factory electronics and the LSx engine.

Check bimmerforums.com engine swap section and you'll find a few people working on it for the e46, not sure how different the coding is between the e46 and e9x thought.

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...to-Can-signals

one example.

Having an e92 335i myself, I would actually rather have the n54 in that car than an LSx... just a thought.

tonytone4143

Yes the e9x is very complex on the can bus and all the modules talking to each other on the network.

brewster240

iTrader: (1)

yeah. gut the car.

weld the engine in.

rewire it with painless or similar chassis harness. basically, at this point in time, you are looking at more of a track car build, than a street car wth everything working as from bmw.

mapleridge

well a member on the zpost forum is putting an LS into his z4. He has 3/4" less space than me between his rails. I will be watching closely. His suggestion was single turbo on the passenger side to avoid the restricted space on the driver side manifold. Really it is just a matter of feeling confident I can get the electronics functioning and then I will go at this.

Check out his thread.

http://www.zpost.com/forums/showthread.php?t=884057

gassdman

hey there find me on Bimmerpost -GASSDMAN
full build thread on that site
we have just completed a 2008 320i with a 5.7 ls1 - car is engineered and registered and is a daily driver
wiring was a headache but everything works ...
Will be posting more videos next week
go on youtube my channel - gassd . We have uploaded some videos there of the car in action

gassdman

http://www.e90post.com/forums/member.php?u=227644
here is the link to my completed 2008 bmw 320i ls1

mapleridge

thanks. checked it out. the main part im wondering about is the wiring, dme usage and motor mounts. will you be detailing those more?

gassdman

Hey mate
the wiring is a complete custom harness made by a guy called Justin

http://www.ultimateconversionwiring....p?categoryid=5

The engine mounts were made inhouse by Dan

https://www.facebook.com/pages/D-Str...64141807011059

There is plenty of room for the ls1 to fit but it has to run custom headers as off rhe shelf will not fit
Contact these guys here in Sydney as i know my e90 is the only one converted and engineered with everything working .

Chrismac302

I'm trying to do my e92 ls2 swap. I'm looking for someone to either build or has a diagram. I looked on every post and found nothing even though they say they do.