TypeIsCheap

Oh yeah, if I ever had to do it again I'd start with an M3 roller.

TipsyMcStagger

iTrader: (1)

I went back and forth with that decision myself. After searching for several months, I simply couldn't find an M3 that was in what I would consider to be excellent aesthetic condition for less than $11K. I just couldn't justify spending that much money for what would effectively amount to a roller.

I paid a bit of a premium for my '98 328iS but it's in way above average condition. The paint (including the clear coat) and body are almost perfect and the interior looks virtually new. As best I could tell from my research, the only thing I can't simply bolt-on to emulate an M3 chassis is the floor reinforcements where the subframe attaches to the body. Those can be installed, but obviously, they need to be welded in.

It seems one of the biggest regrets other swappers have had was not starting with a nicer, cleaner car. I didn't want to make that same mistake.

Tipsy

TypeIsCheap

Good point. I guess I should have prefaced my comment with "in an ideal world". :-)

I too found a really nice 328 in great shape and paid a bit of a premium for it. I agree with the other swappers, it's really too much work to put into a beater of a car.

rotor vs. piston

iTrader: (3)

Funny, the reason I decided to do a e36 was because I wanted a fast beater that did everything well but wouldn't care about beater stuff happening to it. Snow, parking lots, fender benders and the like.

hoboy

Nice looking swap

TipsyMcStagger

iTrader: (1)

How about the backup (reverse) light switch? Any issues?

I've seen a several mentions of using a to gain additional clearance and utilize a WeatherPack connector.

Tipsy

bytecode

iTrader: (1)

Sorry don't think I caught this so far. What did you do with AIR?

TypeIsCheap

For the reverse switch I soldered wires directly to the pins at a right angle and siliconed it in. Then I added my own weatherpack connector a few inches away.

I kept all the air injection plumbing that was on the LS1 but I most likely will not use it. That's the only OBD2 system that will not be 100% complete. My goal was to not have to disable any sensors or tests in the PCM, my understanding is that the air pump test is very rarely run.

bytecode

iTrader: (1)

Could you elaborate on what you mean by AIR pump test? Are you talking about a test run by the PCM to check the state of the AIR system or an OBDII probe run by an inspection station to make sure you're in compliance?

Just trying to educate myself so I can make a good decision here. I'd love to eliminate it as you have.

TypeIsCheap

Test run by the PCM to check the state of the AIR system is my understanding.

TypeIsCheap

Started on the exhaust this week. All the components had been in my garage for weeks so I've been thinking about the routing and layout since then. I borrowed heavily off of forum member jakeb's E36 swap build. Plan was for 3"->2.5" transitions right off the collectors --> flex pipes --> cats --> x-pipe --> dual in/out spintech muffler --> cheap eBay cat back (M2 performance).

It took me a couple of hours and some scrap to get used to the thin stainless wire in my MIG. I'm using a Millermatic 185 with 0.023 308L wire and C25 gas (I know, not ideal gas for stainless but it's what I have). After practice I wasl all ready for the real thing and of course I started with the toughest part of the exhaust system: the bend coming out the driver side header collector.

I'm using Magnaflow heavy metal cats and they are BIG! They tuck under ok but they only fit one way and there is very little clearance on either side of the driver side cat. Including the reducer in there made it even more difficult to get right. After several trials, this is what I finally ended up with (warts and all):



A shorter transition would have helped but this should work. As you can see there was no room for a flex section so I may try to add them between the cats and the x-pipe.

The passenger side is a straight shot so it went a lot smoother. Felt like I was getting my stitch/pulsing technique a little closer to where I wanted it to be too. I'm a hobbyist at best when it comes to welding but this stuff costs so much to farm out and I enjoy melting metal! I could have added a flex here but I've got this thing about symmetry...



Rear shot of the work in progress on the car.



And from underneath.



I feel like the rest of the exhaust should go a lot smoother/faster. Last time I build an exhaust on my back I said I'd never do it again without a lift. I lied but it sure would have made it a lot easier.

TypeIsCheap

Tacking up the connections to the x-pipe. This one took a few iterations since the flanges had to be aligned perfectly due to no flex pipe sections. I tacked and welded a section at a time finally having to practically weld the final joint on the car to keep the flanges aligned. Time consuming!





None of the off the shelf exhaust hangers really met my needs so I bought some stainless rod from McMaster-Carr and made my own with the chop saw and welder.



A couple of 45 degree bends worked well between the x-pipe and the SpinTech Sportsman Street 33310 dual in/out muffler. This muffler fits very nicely within the driveshaft tunnel on the E36 and it's short enough to allow a decent length of tubing between the x-pipe and muffler (seems like that would matter).



Full "mid exhaust" from the cats to the final stage done...well, except that I somehow got turned around and swapped the l/r exit tubes from the muffler, fully welded them and installed the exhaust and O2 sensors before I realized my error!



No worries, pulled it off again, cut, flipped, and welded again...





Since there were a few bends to get around the rear subframe and out the rear of the car I just decided to try to merge my work into a cheap cat back exhaust from ebay. Shiny, just as you'd expect from ebay but it's dual in/out and the main tubing is just a little smaller than 2.5" so it worked well for my application. In fact, the tubing is just the right size to slip into the ID of normal 2.5" exhaust tubing.





Lining up the mid exhaust with the chopped ebay exhaust was simple and I made sure to pull the entire thing and weld on the bench so these v-band flanges would line up as well. You can see my mid-car exhaust hanger design here too.



And the final system. I rushed the last stage a bit, I may eventually just replace it with two straight pipes since this thing is really quiet, not enough burble at idle for my tastes but should be great for the road/highway.

JIMB

iTrader: (2)

Nicely done.

I have 99 323 vert that I have been fabbing mounts for a built LS1/T56 combo.

2X on finding the best car available for the swap. Took me 18 months in MN to find a cream puff Florida vert.

Fun to see all the different 3 series LS swaps.

Carry on!

TypeIsCheap

Shifter hole covering was a bit kludgy but I really didn't think it was necessary to take the whole console out. I used some thin aluminum plate, some weather stripping, and a lot of dynamat. I didn't see any good sequence online on how to do this so here you go:











Stock shifter boot and ebay delrin shift **** to finish it off and we are ready to roll!

rotor vs. piston

iTrader: (3)

Loving it. W/ the way things are turning out I may finally get to start my e36 swap this year, 4 years after originally getting the car

I put my mgw shifter in the truck last weekend and it is a HUGE upgrade over the "factory Hurst" shifter. Wish I did it sooner.

TypeIsCheap

I never could get the brand new (!) stock expansion tank to seal at the bleeder screw so my plan to relocate it and the intake had to be put into place before the first drive. I picked up an E30/E36Euro expansion tank (really a de-gassing tank from what I've read) and managed to squeeze it in by the front strut tower. Most folks put this tank near the firewall but I've still got a mess of wires and my relays up there so it didn't really fit.

This area made the already routed hoses easier to connect to as well:



Once that was done and the cooling system sealed up I was able to put the front end back on the car and take it for the first test drive! The car felt great and the torque was awesome, very fun spinning the tires through the gears, I don't think they will last long!



This also allowed me to reroute the intake to the passenger side as I had originally intended to get away from the headers and the ABS pump on the drivers side. I ordered a couple of different K&N filters and installed the biggest one that would fit behind the front headlight. That should allow the old LS1 to breathe:



I've got a short punch list that I'm working through but can't wait for the next test drive with the new intake!

TypeIsCheap

Good to hear! At the very least I hope this thread will inspire others to get their projects off the ground. Mine was just over 6 months from start to "finish".

factorycar

I just read over your entire thread and it looks good all the way around (not a fan of bmw green) but clean car. Also that first video was it with the ebay muffler? didn't think so but it sounds a little quiet to not have any exhaust on it.

Also how does it handle? does it throw off the weight dist. of the car? Have you compared an LS motor weight to the stock I6 to see if its a big difference ? The stock ls1 is about 480 lb if that helps.

98TA6.0

iTrader: (42)

Very nice. Not many people here in Austin doing swaps.

tonypaul

iTrader: (2)

Love it, love it, love it!!!! Everything is just perfect on your BMW swap. I would really like to see in person someday!