E36 M3 swap questions
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 4
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From: Tucson, AZ
E36 M3 swap questions I picked up my car in the middle of April. It's an alpine white sedan with a legal 8 point cage, 3.73 LSD, super sprint exhaust from header back, and fully gutted. This car should weigh about 2700 with fluids and a driver.
On the first drive, the oil pan nut came off and it spun a cam bearing. This is a known issue with the stock S52 engine. The cam tray and exhaust cam were both done for.
Rebuilding everything myself would easily have been around $2500, and I had planned on doing an LS swap from the start. Just not for a few years down the road.
I've started collecting parts. I decided on an L33 and that has been ordered and will be here soon. 1195 for a 75k mi motor. Not the best deal I have seen on here, but I need my car back on the road ASAP.
I also have a deposit down on a T56/center force clutch/bell housing/hurst short throw shifter, I'm picking that up tomorrow.
I snagged the FAST fuel rails from Martin@tick.
Also have a BBK intake and throttle body on the way from another member here at LS1 tech.
I'm making this thread because of problems that I'm running into that tons of search engine queries have been unable to solve. I'll most likely be adding more questions as I get farther with the swap.
Here's what I know. The L33 will bolt up to the fbody t56 with a 168 tooth flywheel for an internally balanced engine. I do not know how many bolts or what diameter. Will a regular 6 bolt LS1 flywheel work? If so, why do jegs and other sites not have the LS1 flywheel listed for the truck motors?
Which bell housing is the L33/t56 combo going to need? I'm getting the one from the fbody, but don't know if it will work for me or not.
For the pilot bearing I have found two different things through searching. One is to use the fbody pilot bearing and another is to use the LS1 bearing. Which is it? Are these the same thing?
I am planning on a new pilot and throwout bearing for putting this all together just so I don't have to take it all apart again later. Sound good?
I am definitely not a master mechanic, just a guy who knows how to use tools, read manuals, and use google.
I'm determined to get this all working though. This will be one LS swap that gets done much sooner rather than later. Unfortunately I don't have the funds to turn it into anything crazier than basically a stock motor with some bolt ons. Thanks for any help guys!
On the first drive, the oil pan nut came off and it spun a cam bearing. This is a known issue with the stock S52 engine. The cam tray and exhaust cam were both done for.
Rebuilding everything myself would easily have been around $2500, and I had planned on doing an LS swap from the start. Just not for a few years down the road.
I've started collecting parts. I decided on an L33 and that has been ordered and will be here soon. 1195 for a 75k mi motor. Not the best deal I have seen on here, but I need my car back on the road ASAP.
I also have a deposit down on a T56/center force clutch/bell housing/hurst short throw shifter, I'm picking that up tomorrow.
I snagged the FAST fuel rails from Martin@tick.
Also have a BBK intake and throttle body on the way from another member here at LS1 tech.
I'm making this thread because of problems that I'm running into that tons of search engine queries have been unable to solve. I'll most likely be adding more questions as I get farther with the swap.
Here's what I know. The L33 will bolt up to the fbody t56 with a 168 tooth flywheel for an internally balanced engine. I do not know how many bolts or what diameter. Will a regular 6 bolt LS1 flywheel work? If so, why do jegs and other sites not have the LS1 flywheel listed for the truck motors?
Which bell housing is the L33/t56 combo going to need? I'm getting the one from the fbody, but don't know if it will work for me or not.
For the pilot bearing I have found two different things through searching. One is to use the fbody pilot bearing and another is to use the LS1 bearing. Which is it? Are these the same thing?
I am planning on a new pilot and throwout bearing for putting this all together just so I don't have to take it all apart again later. Sound good?
I am definitely not a master mechanic, just a guy who knows how to use tools, read manuals, and use google.
I'm determined to get this all working though. This will be one LS swap that gets done much sooner rather than later. Unfortunately I don't have the funds to turn it into anything crazier than basically a stock motor with some bolt ons. Thanks for any help guys!
Last edited by jesh462; May 25, 2014 at 11:35 AM.
