not your run of the mill 3 seris build, S54 powered e12

[bdigel]

Im going to share with you guys , the work we have undergone in updating an old e12 into a more modern club racer, , But first I need to thank Chris Thurman( for the fatastic fab work!), James Clay ( tech advice and parts ), Rick Maxson and DTOM Racing
heres some teaser pics of what the car was and now with the s54 stuffed in it!

[bdigel]

first off is how this project started and creeped into what it has become. In Jan. 2010, I won (or lost ) depending on how you look at it, an s54 aution on flea bay. It was going for cheep and I though crap at it , and an s54 showed up on a palet , begining an odsessy. We took out a quite nice M30 and funtioning drivetrain . Then we stuck the s54to see how it would fin in the e12, which the stock e12 whole heartedly rejected, The exhaust hit the stock steering linkage, the intake wouldn't clear the brake booster, and lastly the oil pan wouldn't fit in between the subframe and the swaybar.
Time for some really out of the box thinking
an e 30 front subframe, tubular front suspension, , loose the steering box, e46 m3 front spindals , e36 M3 transmision , some real dampners, tiltons for the brake booster issue, and an e34 oilpan

[bdigel]

some finished shots of the front suspension

[bdigel]

pics of the tilton set up and new steering column

[RangerGress]

Dang Brendan, that's really serious work. WTG man.

[DrBobOh]

Woah woah woah.

I cannot wait to have a car, of my own, to undergo a transformation like this.

This is incredible work!

[bdigel]

with the front suspension all over engineered, we didn't want the rear getting jealous, We hacked the ends off the trailing arms and CT fabed up these rod ends and bushings to locate them, and Yes those are moton's, on an e12

[bdigel]

shots of the S54 siting an the e12, e36 M3 tranny attached to it

[bdigel]

engine with intake on , and new strut bar
air filter assembly off of Wc BW e 90 car

[bdigel]

Along with suspension , and drive train upgrades , the interior needed a refresh to accomidate the tiltons , new ecu mounting and more switch's
these are pic's of the interior work in progress

[bdigel]

more interior shots
take notice of the electric throttle !!

[bdigel]

more dash work

[bdigel]

random engine install pics, including fuel line ,oil line and coolant hoses installed

[bdigel]

Thruman , did an awsome job mounting a factory expansion tank in the e12

[B.Watts]

Looking awesome...saw it a couple months ago when I was down at Rick's house.

[bdigel]

Thanks, CT has really out done himself on this project!
They hope to get the engine running this weekend, then we can finish the car up, and see what we got
stay tuned for more

[B.Watts]

Also, I'm sure Chris is aware of this, but be sure to channel some cooling air to the balancer on the front of that S54.

[C.Thurman]

They like to wiggle!!!!

Also, I'm sure Chris is aware of this, but be sure to channel some cooling air to the balancer on the front of that S54.

[flipwils11]

Jeezus, just found this from the post over on mye28. This build is impressive as hell!

[Steve J.]

Nice! Jaffster knob equipped, well done

Just one thing I noticed, and not sure if its been taken care of already but use Safety washers on single shear rod end fasteners. If this rodend failed you'd totally lose control of the hub.

Oh and is the ECU directly underneath the fluid reservoirs?

Also, any idea what the wet weight will be?

[C.Thurman]

Oh yeah I need to change that knob!!!!!










QUOTE=Steve J.;20572820]Nice! Jaffster knob equipped, well done

Just one thing I noticed, and not sure if its been taken care of already but use Safety washers on single shear rod end fasteners. If this rodend failed you'd totally lose control of the hub.

Oh and is the ECU directly underneath the fluid reservoirs?

Also, any idea what the wet weight will be?[/QUOTE]

[bdigel]

Thanks for the comments and concerns guys! Personally I barelly understand what shear is, but I know Im in good hands with CT at the helm! CT Is on a mission to remove the weight out of the ancient sled,Hense these pics of some really gutted doors, I m gonna guess we will end up around 2600 lbs wet with driver

[bdigel]

modified exhaust

[bdigel]

more exhaust work

[citterly]

Totally awesome, I love the e12, it's such a beautifully shaped car, I have 2. I even considered making one my track car, but knew it would be a big project, I went the easy route, e36.

The rework on the front axle is impressive. In addition to allowing the s54 to fit, I'm sure it will out perform OEM by a ton. Any plans to improve the rear suspension geometry or are you staying with the original? Maybe change the subframe to accept later model diffs? Those side loaders aren't real common...