Vorshlag E46 Alpha - 330Ci LSx Build Thread

[betaflame]

I still haven't asked this, but when you do a swap, do all the warning lights light up like a Christmas tree?

[modular93fox]

Im sure there is a video with the instrument cluster in plain sight.. might want to read this thread and watch the video thats ...*cough* in this thread

[Thaniel]

Fair? Anything new?

[Teaguer]

I was by the shop on Saturday and it looks like they have the headers sorted out.
Both sides were tacked together still but looks like they're ready to weld up.

[weaksauce]

thats basically the same way it sat a few months ago when i stopped in there.

[barkerpa3466]

Any updates?

[M5Hunter]

I heard they are "finishing up" the prototype headers today

[Fair]

Project Update for April 19, 2012: Sorry for the delay - we have been busier than ever once we (quietly) started doing service and race prep work back in January. The E46 LS1 Alpha car hasn't been worked on seriously since December, but all of that is going to change now. We have a goal. The E46 was back up on a lift and attacked for the past week.

Let me back up a bit - remember how I said that our first prototype "Alpha" E46 LS1 will become a perfect, nice, fully functional street car? That "Option 2 or 3" car discussed in my opening post in the thread? Well... that was the original goal, but this 330Ci we have is kind of a mess. The former owner pretty much destroyed the dash, wiring harness, all of the lines and hoses, and several other key systems were either taken off or mangled badly in his quest to salvage the wiring and sub-systems for another project he had in mind. Hey, we got the car cheap for a reason. Long story short, after looking at everything closely, this chassis is just too far gone to effectively make into a nice street car. Too many parts are missing to make for a proper HVAC or fully functional gauges. Too many interior parts are trashed or gone. But... it could make a really nice race car.

E46 Alpha Track Rat!

So we've changed directions and that's where we are going with the E46 Alpha chassis - Option 1, which is sort of like how our E36 Alpha ended up back in 2006... a very capable race car that was light, fun to drive, and was a great test bed for pushing the production kit parts to their extreme limits. Hey, I know most of you want the best of both - a perfect street car and all out track terror. So do we, but the extra work it takes to make a true street worthy car adds a lot more time to the prototype project, and we've got people hounding us daily for the Stage 0 bits ... and they want them NOW. Parts we've already built in prototype form that could go into production quickly, if we could just get a running car out there putting miles on them to verify the design. So a short cut "Race car build" will get these Stage 0 parts into production a lot sooner, and get our most antsy customers the parts they need.


Deja vu all over again... hey, it worked the first time!

Like many racers we tend to work best under a deadline, so we have set an unrealistic goal of having a functioning/driving/safe E46 LS1 track car built for July's GRM Ultimate Track Car Challenge event at VIR. It won't be the final iteration of that car by then, but it could still be quick. That's like 12 weeks away, which is tight, but if we can manage to not load up our service and fab shop with too many customer cars we can do it. I have been putting our own cars on the service schedule lately, otherwise I get bumped for customer work. Dang paying customers!

So from now on I'll be posting up progress of the E46 LS1 Alpha Track Rat. A giant LSx motor is being built now. We ordered a radiator already and its here. We have fenders, wheels, tires, plastic window material, and other bits staged. Here's what was accomplished in the past week:

Prototype Headers REALLY Finished



Ryan cut out and reworked one of the passenger side primaries he wasn't completely happy with the first time around, and now it has more clearance at the starter. Next the collectors for both sides were located, tweaked and welded in place. As of this week the prototype headers are effectively done - yay! These will soon be removed, welded up a little more, then sent off for CMM measurement, fixture construction, a single production-test set will be made and then trial fitted to the car.



While the mock-up drivetrain and headers were still in place we mocked up the accessories (forgot to shoot pictures), the front end was bolted back on, and an all-aluminum Mishimoto E46 M3 radiator was installed and checked for fit (above right).



We have repaired and welded-in Turner E46 Subframe Reinforcement kits on two E46 M3s here in our shop during the first quarter of this year, and our guys have gotten damned good the surgery required to install these. So after looking at those two repaired M cars and our mangled 330Ci again, we've come to the realization that our 330's trunk is a total write-off. It was cracked, then the guy drove on it for at least another year and just flat ruined it. The rear subframe is completely torn out of this car on one side and the trunk is badly cracked on the other. Terminal damage at all 4 points of contact and way beyond what the Turner kit is made to repair. Instead of spending serious coin on all new BMW trunk sheet metal, burning dozens of hours reconstructing the OEM trunk, then adding the Turner kit to this car, we're going to cut out the bad bits, fabricate and weld-in some plate steel for the areas that need repair, and then tie them into a proper roll cage. Race car + cage = faster and better fix.



One other point of contention on this build is what to do with the cast steel rear differential housing. As you all know the E46 M3 has a 210mm ring gear Limited Slip Differential from the factory, but our 330Ci and all other non-M cars have a 188mm open differential. It is quite costly to upgrade the E46 open diff 188mm housing with a Limited Slip. The subframe/uprights/halfshafts and diff housing are different between the M3 and the non-M chassis, and unlike the E36 M3 ("where we tell folks just go buy the take-out rear subframe brake-to-brake") the E46 M3 bits demand quite a premium. Upgrading to a aftermarket differential and other gear ratios in either style BMW differential is also quite expensive.

So.... just like with the engine and drivetrain in this swap, we're looking at domestic sources for a lower cost and/or stronger solution. Enter the 1999-04 Ford Mustang Cobra, which had an all aluminum 8.8" (223mm) ring gear IRS differential housing. Dallas Performance put an aluminum 8.8" into Scooter's "Beta" E36 LS1, after it broke the 188 M3 diff with his 540 whp motor and his own brand of "extreme track use". That was a clean swap that looks like it will be the perfect fix for the lack of an easy 188mm LSD diff for the non-M E46 chassis.

The Ford 8.8" IRS is larger, stronger, lighter, and less expensive. Gears ratio choices are abundant and inexpensive ($200/set), aftermarket LSD differentials choices are abundant and inexpensive ($300-1000) and the differential can be made to fit just about any chassis (the Ford IRS diff popular swap in FD RX7 LS1s, Hot Rods, etc). Ford made a variety of rear covers/mounting styles for this 8.8" housing for use in the Cobra, Thunderbird, Mark VIII, Explorer, etc. The stronger 31 spline aluminum housing is from the 2003-04 Cobra, but you can get 28 spline cast iron units (just like BMW makes theirs from) from a decade long production of 1990s Thunderbirds and modern Explorers.

We have spare E46 330Ci subframes and once we tackle this first 8.8" swap we'll start making them to order.



Hopefully we can attack this car every single week and I will post up progress as often as I can. If the July date looks impossible I reserve the right to adjust our "deadline" accordingly.

More soon,

[douglee25]

Nice post! Looks like you're busy as usual!

Doug

[BikealarmBlair]

Stop typing & get it finished now

[DarkSideofWill]

Prototype Headers REALLY Finished

Ryan cut out and reworked one of the passenger side primaries he wasn't completely happy with the first time around, and now it has more clearance at the starter. Next the collectors for both sides were located, tweaked and welded in place. As of this week the prototype headers are effectively done - yay! These will soon be removed, welded up a little more, then sent off for CMM measurement, fixture construction, a single production-test set will be made and then trial fitted to the car.

I was positive I posted this yesterday...

What process do you use to manufacture your headers? Is each complete primary tube CNC bent individually and the fixturing use to weld them all together into a header? Is the fixturing used to assure the right shape as you cut/weld mandrel bends into fabricated primary tubes?

I'm looking at a header project that will make extensive use of donuts on 1D radii, and I was wondering about having the finished primaries digitized.

[Maynor]

I was positive I posted this yesterday...

You did, over on cc.com

[DarkSideofWill]

You did, over on cc.com

Sweeet! I'm not losing my mind...

[LukasM]

Been following your builds for a few years now, this one is looking fantastic as usual.

Would love to do a LSx conversion on my own E46 330Ci at some point so I'll keep an eye on this!

[birdman2447]

Any updates on this? I am allready saving for another swap

[Fair]

Any updates on this? I am allready saving for another swap

Sorry guys, its been a bit hectic at our shop. We're down one tech at the moment (and looking for another), plus for the past two weeks we've been thrashing on prep for a Pike's Peak Hill Climb car, shown below.



The extended OEM style steel box flares on this STi look good, and fit over a much needed 18x10" wheel and tire combo. We're also re-plumbing the entire car (every system), adding some aero, fixing a number of things, changing the entire fuel system, and of course re-doing the suspension. All in 3 weeks, with one technician on staff.

For the E46 Alpha project we did just manage to round up an aluminum IRS diff housing + internals, which should be here next week. We feel it will be more cost effective, lighter, and stronger to swap to a Ford 8.8" aluminum center section that convert a non-M E46 to stock M3 LSD + halfshaft bits. Plus its a lot cooler. There are two E36 LS1 swaps here almost 100% wrapped up, then we can switch back to the E46. Well, and add another new chassis we're starting an LS1 swap on. Did I mention that we need another tech??

More soon.

[dgreen78]

Thanks for the update! I am looking forward to the Ford 8.8 conversion parts. I also rounded up a diff from the local junkyard for a wopping $60! Aluminum LSD from a Lincoln MarkVIII.

Will you guys be making custom axles for this setup as well? I think that the idea is great but custom axles are not cheap and might bring the price tag up to the used E46 M3 area. Any ETA on a kit?

The Ford 8.8 came in many ratio options: 2.73, 3.08, 3.27, 3.31, 3.55, 3.73, 4.11, 4.10, 4.30 and etc. Nice thing is they are dirt cheap to find in junkyards from a variety of different vehicles. Here is a list of a few....

1989-1997 Ford Thunderbird/Mercury Cougar – Cast Iron case
1993-1998 Lincoln Mark VIII - Aluminum case
1999-2004 Cobra Mustang - Aluminum case

[BikealarmBlair]

Do I need to fly over & kickstart this project

[Fair]

Do I need to fly over & kickstart this project

Ha! Don't tease - we'll put you to work!

Thanks for the update! I am looking forward to the Ford 8.8 conversion parts. I also rounded up a diff from the local junkyard for a wopping $60! Aluminum LSD from a Lincoln MarkVIII.

Will you guys be making custom axles for this setup as well? I think that the idea is great but custom axles are not cheap and might bring the price tag up to the used E46 M3 area. Any ETA on a kit?

The Ford 8.8 came in many ratio options: 2.73, 3.08, 3.27, 3.31, 3.55, 3.73, 4.11, 4.10, 4.30 and etc. Nice thing is they are dirt cheap to find in junkyards from a variety of different vehicles. Here is a list of a few....

1989-1997 Ford Thunderbird/Mercury Cougar – Cast Iron case
1993-1998 Lincoln Mark VIII - Aluminum case
1999-2004 Cobra Mustang - Aluminum case

Yes, we will have to include new halfshafts with this swap. We have several possible suppliers and will likely order in enough quantity to take some of the sting out of the price.

Again - the advantages to going with the Ford 8.8" IRS diff include:

• The aluminum 8.8 is lighter than the cast steel 188 or 210 mm BMW IRS housings
• Rear gear ratios are numerous and extremely inexpensive ($180 for a Ford Motorsport ring and pinion kit)
• Aftermarket limited slip differential choices are numerous and much less expensive than for BMWs
• 8.8" ring gear = 223.5mm, which is obviously larger and stronger than the E46M3's 210mm "large case" or the 188mm "medium case" BMW housings
• Like yo pointed out above, they come in a LOT of domestic vehicles, so costs for use units should be lower
• Ford Motorsport sells these new for a lot less than BMW sells their stuff

To sweeten the pot there are even cast steel versions of this IRS 8.8" diff, used in the Ford Explorer and the last generation of Ford Thunderbirds. It will be heavier, of course, but dirt cheap. I've thrown these things in the trash (sent to the recyclers) in the past - that's how low cost they are.

We will do our best to make the subframe swap kit as low cost as possible. This will likely be a subframe exchange program (we have already begun hoarding E46 non-M rear subframes) and include the custom half shafts as well.

We will begin working on this as soon as we get back to the E46 Alpha car. We ARE looking for a 2nd race fab technician at the moment. Finding the right person will speed things up!

Thanks,

[jakermac]

The aluminum 8.8 is lighter than the cast steel 188 or 210 mm BMW IRS housings.

We will do our best to make the subframe swap kit as low cost as possible. This will likely be a subframe exchange program (we have already begun hoarding E46 non-M rear subframes) and include the custom half shafts as well.

Thanks,

How much lighter? Gut feeling? 10 lbs, 20 lbs, 5 lbs?

Any plans to offer this for a non-M E36? Would these custom axles fit a non-M E36? Would the axles end up heavier than the OEM non-M axles?

In case you're wondering I'm all about the weight reduction. I am not really concerned about the extra strength.

[Schitzo]

How much lighter? Gut feeling? 10 lbs, 20 lbs, 5 lbs?

How about 30+ lbs difference.
My 210mm diff with oil it weighed in an 102 lbs. The Aluminum 8.8 without oil weighed in at 65lbs.

[Maynor]

I'm not a fan of the aluminum Ford 8.8 for track duty in any form unless a diff cooler is plumbed in too. The light weight is nice and they are strong and inexpensive to buy/maintain run. However, their achilles heel is lack of heat dissipation.

The axle seals routinely melt without an oil cooler in place after 30-45 minutes of hard track use. I spent many years trying to make one work without a cooler. Bought a cooler/pump etc but sold the car before I could install it so if someone wants a set up cheap, let me know.

Note: Ford incorporated a diff cooler into the 2000 Cobra R, which was the only road race version of a Mustang running that alum. diff. that could survive on track so it's not really a defect... Just physics.

[jakermac]

How about 30+ lbs difference.
My 210mm diff with oil it weighed in an 102 lbs. The Aluminum 8.8 without oil weighed in at 65lbs.

So 11-15 lbs lighter than my 325is diff (76-79lbs).

[DarkSideofWill]

• 8.8" ring gear = 223.5mm, which is obviously larger and stronger than the E46M3's 210mm "large case" or the 188mm "medium case" BMW housings

Bigger? Yes. Stronger? I don't know... the BMW diffs are very stout for their size.

[dgreen78]

Have you guys thought about the R200/230 diff out of the Skyline, 300ZX, Q45? Seems to me like they are just as robust as the 8.8 and come in a variety of ratios as well. Might even be easier to install into a BMW too since you can make flange adapters.