Conversions & Swaps LSX Engines in Non-LSX Vehicles
Sponsored by:
Sponsored by:

ls1 bmw 5 series conversion

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Oct 5, 2006 | 01:08 PM
  #1  
pugads650's Avatar
Thread Starter
On The Tree
iTrader: (1)
 
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 199
Likes: 0
From: pasadena california
Default ls1 bmw 5 series conversion

i know everybody is doing the ls1 swaps with the older 3 series bmw but i wanted to know if it is possible to stuff a ls1 m6 into a 5 series bmw beacuse my brother use to have one of these bmw and these cars handled like they were on rails but lacked alot of ***** it was a 525i but had a 2.5 liter inline 6 motor wich felt like it had 50 horsepower.

so my question is this possible to do the swap and keep all the electronics inside of the car working like a stock bmw.

i just want ot build the ultimate daily driver
Reply
Old Oct 5, 2006 | 01:28 PM
  #2  
jeepinpete's Avatar
On The Tree
 
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 172
Likes: 0
From: Quakertown, PA
Default

Will it fit, yes. The older model year the car is, the easier it will be as far as the electronics go. The newer the car, the more integrated the electronics are, and the less likely you will get everything to work...
Reply
Old Oct 5, 2006 | 04:45 PM
  #3  
FastKat's Avatar
TECH Addict
iTrader: (10)
 
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 2,487
Likes: 2
From: Pittsburgh, PA
Default

Someone that posted on this board has a "557tt" - it's a 5.7L twin turbo 5 Series. It looked to me like it was the body style that was just replaced with the newer ones... I guess it was late 90's and early/mid 2000's. Looked like a sick ride.
Reply
Old Oct 5, 2006 | 05:12 PM
  #4  
pugads650's Avatar
Thread Starter
On The Tree
iTrader: (1)
 
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 199
Likes: 0
From: pasadena california
Default

yup thats exactly what im looking for

im planing on purchasing a 98-2000 540i with a blown or no motor so i can replace it with a ls6 or ls1 and a 6 speed.

i would really appreciate some help finding information on the guy with the ls1 5 series thanks.

jonathan
Reply
Old Oct 5, 2006 | 05:18 PM
  #5  
Cop Car's Avatar
10 Second Club
iTrader: (14)
 
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 2,520
Likes: 0
From: Indy
Default

why 540.. wouldnt that make it more expensive. are there features with the 540 that you are specificly after besides something like a stronger rear?

id just buy a 525 (i think thats the lowest 5) and then swap from there, putting M brakes and wheels and what not on it, and beat them around the track with a superior power plant
Reply
Old Oct 5, 2006 | 05:29 PM
  #6  
pugads650's Avatar
Thread Starter
On The Tree
iTrader: (1)
 
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 199
Likes: 0
From: pasadena california
Default

im planing on spending about 5k on a donor car and another 3-4k on the motor and trans and another 3-4k geting it in there and getting thing to work.

i just drove a 2000 bmw m5 and just fell in love with the car till i saw the sticker on it ohh and maitance on the bmw motors get really expensive my brother has a 745i and its spends most of its time at the dealer they have replaced over 7k in parts on that car in the last year and it has 56k miles on it.
Reply
Old Oct 5, 2006 | 05:35 PM
  #7  
justanova's Avatar
Teching In
 
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 27
Likes: 0
Default

Originally Posted by Cop Car
why 540.. wouldnt that make it more expensive. are there features with the 540 that you are specificly after besides something like a stronger rear?

id just buy a 525 (i think thats the lowest 5) and then swap from there, putting M brakes and wheels and what not on it, and beat them around the track with a superior power plant

I work at a bmw shop and a guy came in for an alignment one time and had a ttls1 with an auto in his 5 series (E39 made from 97 to 2003) he put the comp where the stock bmw comp went, and the install was really clean, looked almost like it belonged there. the car he started with was a 6 cyl. car so it has a diff subframe than the v8 cars. he had to slightly mod the subframe for the oil pan to clear. the cross brace that is between the other two rails of the subframe that form a triangle had to be move forward a few inches, he had it setup with and auto though. car was really bitchin.

the speedo on the bmw gets its signal from the dsc/abs so the speedo worked. the factory tack worked(not sure how he got that done) and he had mounted 3 guages in front of the shifter for boost/op/wt. I wish I would of had my camera with me so I could have taken pics. All of this info is from looking at the car, I didn't get to talk to the owner but I wanted to. He had a badge on the back of the car that said 557.

hope this helps.

and from reading from this post, if you get a factory stick car you can use the stock clutch master.

https://ls1tech.com/forums/conversions-swaps/586040-bmw-z3-conversion.html
Reply
Old Oct 5, 2006 | 05:59 PM
  #8  
FastKat's Avatar
TECH Addict
iTrader: (10)
 
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 2,487
Likes: 2
From: Pittsburgh, PA
Default

Use the search function to find the twin turbo 5 series as mentioned above... it's on here somewhere.
Reply
LS1 Tech Stories

The Best V8 Stories One Small Block at Time

story-0

Amazing '71 Camaro Restomod Is Modern Muscle Car Under the Skin

 Verdad Gallardo
story-1

6 Common C5 Corvette Failures and What's Involved In Repairing Them

 Pouria Savadkouei
story-2

Retro Modern Bandit Pontiac Trans AM Comes With Burt Reynolds' Autograph

 Verdad Gallardo
story-3

Top 10 Greatest Cadillac V Series Performance Models Ever, Ranked

 Pouria Savadkouei
story-4

Top 10 Most Powerful Chevy Trucks Ever Made!

 
story-5

Hennessey's New Supercharged Silverado ZR2 Has 700 HP

 Verdad Gallardo
story-6

Coachbuilt N2A Anteros Is an LS2-Powered C6 Corvette In Italian Clothes

 Verdad Gallardo
story-7

Awesome K5 Blazer Restomod Comes With C7 Corvette Power

 Verdad Gallardo
story-8

10 Camaros You Should Never Buy

 
story-9

10 LS Engine Myths That Refuse to Die

 Verdad Gallardo
Old Oct 5, 2006 | 06:00 PM
  #9  
Skele4door's Avatar
Launching!
iTrader: (1)
 
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 222
Likes: 1
From: Dallas, Tx.
Default

A guy named Bill Hagen (I think) build a TT LSX powered 5 series a while back. Here's the link to a webpage about it, but the page has never been completed. Either way it might give you some ideas.

http://www.members.aol.com/hagancue/
Reply
Old Oct 5, 2006 | 06:04 PM
  #10  
pugads650's Avatar
Thread Starter
On The Tree
iTrader: (1)
 
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 199
Likes: 0
From: pasadena california
Default

bmws are great cars they are just overengineered but lack power and durability of american cars
Reply
Old Oct 5, 2006 | 06:12 PM
  #11  
pugads650's Avatar
Thread Starter
On The Tree
iTrader: (1)
 
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 199
Likes: 0
From: pasadena california
Default

yup thats it but i dont plan on doing a twin turbo like he did just a simple ls6 swap with a 6 speed.
Reply
Old Oct 5, 2006 | 08:09 PM
  #12  
lightning95sc's Avatar
Teching In
 
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 42
Likes: 2
Default

I queried the group about this same swap about two weeks ago. The only difference is I plan on using a '92 535(it was free). Any help and/or guidance is greatly appreciated. Chuck
Reply
Old Oct 6, 2006 | 08:41 AM
  #13  
Derek 357i's Avatar
Launching!
iTrader: (1)
 
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 298
Likes: 0
From: IL
Default

I would agree with you on starting with a 540. I have an e34 540 and 525i and I think damn near every part of the driveline, brakes and suspension are different. My experience has been that with each passing generation, BMWs are more and more cheaply made with more money spent on BS gizmos.

I love the looks of the e39 body style, but again, I think they have more issues than the e34s. E34s are nice, aggressive looking cars, but finding V8 6 speed donors are rare, because they didn't make many of them. The e39 540i6 cars are MUCH more common. It's all in what you want.

The 540 cars get the biggest BMW diff, so you wouldn't need to worry about upgrading there.
Reply
Old Oct 6, 2006 | 10:27 AM
  #14  
owen v8litew8's Avatar
TECH Regular
 
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 419
Likes: 0
Default

isnt that TTLS1BMW sick?! I wish he would update the page!

it does look like e34 BMW v8 cars are out there for under 7 grand if in good shape, taking out the bmw powerplant for an LS1 is a proper way to wake the car up to its full potential. I am pondering this swap for a nice sedan but finding the right car close enough to home is the toughest part if you want to keep it on a budget as its true the v8 cars are pretty hard to find... only 2 years ofor v8's in the e34 maybe?

I think the newer e39 cars have more gizmos and electronics incorporated into weird systems so it will be harder to get one of the newer electronics to all function properly.

keep us posted on the swap, should be great fun when youre done.
Reply
Old Oct 6, 2006 | 12:19 PM
  #15  
justanova's Avatar
Teching In
 
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 27
Likes: 0
Default

Originally Posted by Skele4door
A guy named Bill Hagen (I think) build a TT LSX powered 5 series a while back. Here's the link to a webpage about it, but the page has never been completed. Either way it might give you some ideas.

http://www.members.aol.com/hagancue/
that looks like the car that came into our shop, really clean install.
Reply
Old Oct 6, 2006 | 12:49 PM
  #16  
Derek 357i's Avatar
Launching!
iTrader: (1)
 
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 298
Likes: 0
From: IL
Default

Another thing to note if you are doing an e34 car (not sure if this applies to e39s or not). BMW used a special remote brake booster and master cylinder on the V8 cars which located them right behind the driver's side headlight. You will likely need this setup for a V8 powered car, since the BMW 6's slanted away from the driver's side, you might end up with interference with the brake booster.

Like I said, I currently have both cars one 94 6cyl and a 95 V8 if anyone needs pics of anything.
Reply
Old Oct 6, 2006 | 03:35 PM
  #17  
redmist's Avatar
TECH Regular
 
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 438
Likes: 0
Default

I loved my 5-series Ls1 six speed until I lent it to my son and he totaled it in 5mins.
BMWs last forever I have two 87s that drive like new. Just watch out for rust.
The older the BMW the easier the conversion.

http://s15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...ts/Dead%20557/

Last edited by redmist; Oct 6, 2006 at 03:54 PM.
Reply
Old Oct 6, 2006 | 04:03 PM
  #18  
pugads650's Avatar
Thread Starter
On The Tree
iTrader: (1)
 
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 199
Likes: 0
From: pasadena california
Default

Derek 357i

can i get some pictures im trying to get a idea of what to build if you cant post them here can you email them to jbuickgnx@yahoo.com thanks.


jonathan
Reply
Old Oct 6, 2006 | 04:05 PM
  #19  
JoeZ's Avatar
On The Tree
iTrader: (5)
 
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 169
Likes: 0
From: NY
Default

Originally Posted by redmist


Reply
Old Oct 6, 2006 | 05:20 PM
  #20  
pugads650's Avatar
Thread Starter
On The Tree
iTrader: (1)
 
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 199
Likes: 0
From: pasadena california
Default

whats up with the steering looks wierd.

thats why you dont start your kids in fast cars the first car should be the slowest one you can find like a prius or a 3cyl geo metro
Reply



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 01:41 AM.

story-0
Amazing '71 Camaro Restomod Is Modern Muscle Car Under the Skin

Slideshow: This heavily modified 1971 Camaro mixes classic muscle car styling with a fifth-generation Camaro interior and modern LS3 power.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-12 18:06:42


VIEW MORE
story-1
6 Common C5 Corvette Failures and What's Involved In Repairing Them

Slideshow: From wobbling harmonic balancers to failed EBCMs, these are the issues that define long-term C5 ownership and what repairs typically involve.

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-05-07 18:44:57


VIEW MORE
story-2
Retro Modern Bandit Pontiac Trans AM Comes With Burt Reynolds' Autograph

Slideshow: A modern Camaro transformed into a retro icon, this limited-run "Bandit" build blends nostalgia with brute force in a way few revivals manage.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-21 13:57:02


VIEW MORE
story-3
Top 10 Greatest Cadillac V Series Performance Models Ever, Ranked

Slideshow: Cadillac didn't just crash the high-performance luxury vehicle party, it showed up loud, supercharged, and occasionally a little unhinged...

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-04-16 10:05:15


VIEW MORE
story-4
Top 10 Most Powerful Chevy Trucks Ever Made!

Slideshow: Top ten most powerful Chevy trucks ever made

By | 2026-03-25 09:22:26


VIEW MORE
story-5
Hennessey's New Supercharged Silverado ZR2 Has 700 HP

Slideshow: Hennessey has turned the Silverado ZR2 into a 700-hp off-road monster with supercharged V8 power and a limited production run.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-24 18:57:52


VIEW MORE
story-6
Coachbuilt N2A Anteros Is an LS2-Powered C6 Corvette In Italian Clothes

Slideshow: A one-off sports car that looks like a vintage Italian exotic-but hides a C6 Corvette underneath-just sold for the price of a new mid-engine Corvette.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-23 18:53:41


VIEW MORE
story-7
Awesome K5 Blazer Restomod Comes With C7 Corvette Power

Slideshow: A heavily reworked 1972 K5 Blazer swaps its off-road roots for a low-slung street-focused build with modern V8 power.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-09 18:08:45


VIEW MORE
story-8
10 Camaros You Should Never Buy

Slideshow: There are thousands of used Camaros on the market but we think you should avoid these 10

By | 2026-02-17 17:09:30


VIEW MORE
story-9
10 LS Engine Myths That Refuse to Die

Slideshows: Which one of these myths do you believe?

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-01-28 18:10:11


VIEW MORE