chopcar

i have a 89 bmw and i want to do a ls1 swap and wanted to know whats the average cost on the engine trany and all other parts needed for swap. any info would be grate

shifty`

iTrader: (3)

Are you set on the LS1, or are you just wanting a GenIII? You can get an LQ (4.8, 5.3 or 6.0) for about 1/3 to 1/2 as much and get nearly the same power. It's basically the same engine, just a diff't intake and sometimes a diff't block material (steel vs aluminum).

Also, cost really depends whether you just need the engine, or an engine and tranny, or if you're going to use your stock tranny, it depends on what you need to change about your clutch/flywheel/pressureplate/etc. to mate the engine and your tranny together. It's more expensive to get a 6spd vs auto too, so, this is a factor as well.

So, with that in mind:

- What series of BMW is it? You couldn't be any more vague than you already have been.
- What are your reasons for upgrading?
- Would you go any GenII, or do you think it MUST be an LS1, specifically?
- Are you buying a tranny also? If so, auto or manual? (Add ~$300-500 for manual IIRC)

If you can provide more info, people can better answer your question. There is no such thing as "too much information" on the internet. People have no clue what you have, and making a two sentence statement like you did can often net you zero answers.

chopcar

sorry about that. i have a 89 325i. i want a ls1 and dont know what Gen III is so could you give me some info on that. and the reason i want to swap is for performance. the engine a have now is making like 160 hp. i need engine trany and all computer and wiring. and right know i dont know if i want to go stick or auto. so i basicly need every thing for this swap

datboibrad

iTrader: (1)

gen 3 is a quick reference to the common ls series (ls1,2,4,6,7 etc) small block chevy motors.

'JustDreamin'

Here's my 3 suggestions:

1.) Do ALOT of reading in here. There is a wealth of knowledge about stuffing this motor where it doesn't "belong" on this board, especially in the Conversions Section.

2.) Buy 2 books: How to Build High Performance LS1's by Will Handzel (available in lots of places, like amazon and some local bookstores) and GM's LS1 Engine Kit Installation Guide (part # 88959384, available from several fine vendors on this site). If you balk at spending $40 to $60 on some books, you don't have any business starting a swap like this.

3.) Start saving! Any LSx swap will cost you some serious coin. But, the actual price tag will depend upon what components you use, and where you get them. It will also depend upon whether you can do the work yourself or if you're paying somebody to do alot of the work. The iron block truck motors are slightly heavier, and make less power (don't really have a big enough camshaft) but are a bunch cheaper.


Ultimately, YOU will have to figure out what it's going to cost. Nobody on here can give you an accurate estimate (except that it'll be more than $1 and less than $1 million). The reason for that is because your decisions on what you want will determine what the actual cost will be. If you decide that what you really want is a 505hp LS7 crate motor in your BMW, I'd bet you'll spend $25k (because the motor is $13k by itself). But if you decide on a 5.3L iron truck motor, you might only spend $2k on the motor & trans (complete with access and harness, but only if you're shopping around to score your best deal). At that point, you might only spend another $1k getting it running (if you're really thrifty), or you could spend $10k (if you're paying for labor and replacing a bunch of stuff). It all depends upon the scope of work and whether you're paying for labor or not.

Sorry, but nobody here will be able to give you a good answer. It depends too much upon YOUR skills.

'JustDreamin'

mramay

iTrader: (4)

JustDreaming is right, there are LOTS of variables that will affect cost. Most variable will drive cost UP!!

That said, I'm putting an LS6 into an '87 Mercedes and here are some of the costs I've incurred so far:

LS6 engine - $7000
Custom built HD 4L60E transmission - $1400
Wiring Harness - $700
Custom programing for the ECM - $350
Mid-length Headers - $750

The engine didn't come with accessories - add a grand.
Rack & Pinion steering assembly - $225
R&P custom mount and column hardware - $500

I haven't had the motor mounts or tranny mounts made yet, nor throttle linkage, cruise control mounting, moving the battery to the trunk, engine compartment painting, custom drive shaft work, etc. etc.

It is a pain to do this since I'm pretty much in uncharted territory, it's costing much more than any budget I had dreamed up, it's taking several multiples of the length of time I had envisioned for the project, and it will be completely worth it the first time that motor fires up in the Benz.

MattP

You will need to upgrade the differential and axles to the M3 spec for the E30 you have. Maybe have custom axles made. Budget this from the beginning you will need it. Junkyard units are fine, but remember they will have a limited lifespan, but they are considerable cheaper than their new BMW counterparts. You will need to look into a front sump engine or oilpan/oilpump for the E30. Wiring harness and headers will probably be the biggest problem for most DIYer's. Custom motor mounts and tranny mounts are easy for someone with average skills. There are presently no kits that I know of for the E30 chassis. You could talk to Nash Motorsports about their E36 specific kit to see if anyone has used some of the parts on the E30 like the headers. Make sure you get the motor mounts with the engine or use the old SBC style mounts with adapter plates. SBC mounts are 10x cheaper than LS1 mounts new.

All the other pieces are going to nickel and dime you. Fuel system, cooling system, power steering hose, a/c if you want it, ...

Mine is an 92 E36 that I am probably sitting at $11-12K without A/C hooked up.

One more piece of advice. Get the nicest rolling chassis you can get to start the conversion on. You don't want to deal with fixing problems with the actual BMW while trying to do the conversion. It only adds to the headache.

shifty`

iTrader: (3)

I will tell you this, then (some of it is general overview, hopefully someone will nitpick me on the stuff I over-generalize):

You say you want an LS1, which is/was a common 5.7L engine that came in the Corvette, Camaro, Firebird. Basically, the LQ4 (4.8L, 5.3L, 6.0L) and LQ9 (4.8L, 5.3L, 6.0L) came in the GM trucks like the Yukon, Escalade, pickup trucks and other items (only difference between the two LQ's is the compression ratio).

There are only very minor differences in these three engines - LS1 has aluminum block, wheras the LQ4 and LQ9 have iron blocks. LQ4 and LQ9 have a different poly/plastic intake on top. The crank and a lot of the internals are basically the same. They do use a different ECU, and the water pump and some of the peripherals (alternator) will be slightly different or in a different arragnment.

Arguably, the LS1, LQ4 and LQ9 are essentially the same engine that will net you similar power and you can pretty easily use an LS1 PCM on an LQ4 or LQ9 engine, that information is around here somewhere.

So, what's the difference?

The price tag.

A used LS1 has a price tag around $2500-3000 with everything, including MAF, computer, wiring harness, cats and manifolds, pedal assembly (fully loaded setup). Used LQ4 or LQ9 can be had for about $1000 less than that with the same stuff, sometimes even cheaper. I've seen an entire LQ4 go for $1200 before. Now, compared to an LS1 out of a Vette at $3500, that's a hell of a steal.

There are a few other differences like fuel delivery on LQ4 and LQ9 vs. LS1, but seriously - it's like ... one line to the rails versus two, and other small things that are of no real consequence to you.

I would like to resound what the others have said above. It sounds like you literally know jack squat about what you are wanting to do - which is how many of us were when we came here, but after reading and participating we know a hell of a lot.

With that said, before you start spending money, go learn about your options, read those books above (they're usually in your local major chain book store, you can read them in-store!) and then start bouncing ideas off people.

EDIT: I am going to add this, since I finally found it again This is a list of diff'ces between the LQ4 and LQ9, so you can see how miniscule the differences are - honestly, the differences between all of the GenIII engines are typically this small!

LQ9 has a flattop piston and the LQ4 piston has a small dish to it.
The LQ9 has 10.1 compression and the LQ4 has 9.41:1 compression stock.
The LQ4, generally speaking, is a cheaper engine.

There is a benefit to owning a LQ4 over the LQ9 - this being if you want to go with some sort of forced induction, such as a turbocharger or a supercharger. On forced induction applications, you want to go with the lowest compression possible, and 10.0 is considerably high when thinking about forced induction.

The LQ9 is a better platform if you're thinking about building an "all motor" beast ... I also believe the rods are a little beefier on the LQ9 ... Both have their advantages, depending on what you want to do with the motor. Stock for stock, the LQ9 is a stronger motor.

What you want to do with your application specifically, and what you see in the future will dictate what you want. Once you figure out what you want, come back here and people can advise you on how to achieve it using a GenIII platform.

chopcar

i want to go with a lsx engine because i have to get it smoged in CA. and the rule when it comes to engine swaps it that it has to come from a younger car. and if its a car you cant swap a truck engine in to it. thanks for the info. I will start this year by beefin up my rear end, brakes and all front end parts. so thanks

'JustDreamin'

The only thing that I'll nitpick is this:

LQ4 and LQ9's are both 6.0L truck engines. LQ9's are only available in a very limited number of applications: Escalades (both styles), Silverado SS's and HO's. I don't know of any other applications, but that doesn't mean they don't exist.

The 4.8's and 5.3's use different RPO codes (that's what were're talking about).

The differences between the LQ4 and 9 are pretty small. Increased compression, beefier rods, and more power are the only real differences. LQ4's are rated at between 300hp and 330hp (depending upon year and chassis / application). 9's were rated at 345hp.

New top dog motor will be the L92 6.2L. Rated at 403hp (as a truck motor, that's pretty impressive).

CA emissions compliance will likely change the whole game. Although, with a good paint job on the block, they'll likely never know by visual inspection that it's an iron motor, especially since the truck intake is not likely to fit under the hood and you'd have to change it to a car type.

You need to determine exactly what is required to make the Republik of Kalifornia Emissions ***** happy, so that when you're doing your swap you can have your waterfowl linearly aligned (ducks in a row) so that you can pass and not have to do stuff over. Good luck.....

'JustDreamin'