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Thread: Laminar's M3 5.0 swap: Fünf-Null

  1. #26
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    Same reason with me. I bought a M3 rolling shell from a friend of mine without a engine or transmission. For the money, I opted for the 5.0 as well. I bought my rebuilt motor and rebuilt tranny for 1K with bolt on mods already done.
    I've contemplated on boosting mine and push it to 475HP or so, but of course, I risk splitting the block. There are fox body and sn95 guys that are pushing 500HP on stock bottom end and haven't had issues.....yet. The major weak link is definitely the T5, even rebuilt. It is advised that we not do any clutch dumps from 300tq+.
    I need to get back into my project soon

  2. #27
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    For those of you that would identify as Megasquirt-curious, I just did an article on assembling the Megasquirt 3 + MS3X kit:

    Fünf Null Part IX: The Final (ECU) Solution –or- “Das Megaspritzen”

    I'm working on a full writeup of everything needed to combine the 5.0 and E36, look for that in the next couple of weeks.

  3. #28
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    Finally got pics back from the first autocross (old front tires). Lots of body roll, just ordered H&R Sport springs.

    Also smoked the crap out of the inside front tire when I tried pushing it too hard. Obviously this didn't happen on the new Potenzas.



    Last edited by Laminar; 02-22-2016 at 04:44 PM.

  4. #29
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    Hey guys, I just posted the first part of how to integrate the engine and chassis, detailing cooling, exhaust, instrumentation, and fuel:

    http://www.mikaelvroom.com/?p=666

    I'd love it if you other 5.0 guys could look through it and make sure I didn't mess anything up too badly.

    A few pics from the writeup:









    Let me know what you think!

  5. #30
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    That's impressive work. Easy to follow as well. I'm going to have to look into explorer headers as well since it looks like the installation is a whole lot simpler.

    Edit: wouldn't block huggers also work?
    Last edited by ponchiz318; 11-10-2015 at 12:56 PM.

  6. #31
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    I'm not sure if block huggers would work. In my case, the Explorer manifolds fit so well because the Explorer steering shaft is pretty near where the E36 shaft landed so all of the pipes went up and over.

    Here is a set of headers designed for the Explorer with GT-40P heads that run $790. Unfortunately, they're still pretty complex and the primary diameters are pretty restricted. They may wake up an Explorer engine with its lower RPM cam, but I bet they'd still be a restriction with some good flowing heads and a decent cam. Better to put that $800 toward a set of custom headers.
    Last edited by Laminar; 11-10-2015 at 01:08 PM.

  7. #32
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    Ponchiz I have thought the same thing, but after speaking with a bunch of people on here that have tried many different headers, I do not think they will work. I still plan on trying it though, and if I beat you to it I will let you know how it works out. I think it's worth a couple hundred bucks to give a pair of summit block huggers a try.

  8. #33
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    One reason they don't work is because of the e36v8 brackets as well. Laminar here is running explorer mounts and it worked out pretty good for him. I just want to avoid running the exhaust towards the front.

  9. #34
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    I suppose it may be worthwhile to take a quick step back and clarify why I keep obnoxiously posting links to a blog instead of just doing a build thread here. Well, there are a few reasons. I've done lots of build threads over the years for various car, motorcycle, and home projects. When you post a build thread to someone else's website, you give up control of the content to the website owner. I've been banned from sites (imagine that, someone as docile and friendly as I am!) and lost the ability to remove or modify my content. I've had sites experience catastrophic crashes with all data lost forever. If I host all content myself, then I have full control over what happens to it and how it's backed up and stored from now until the internet ceases to exist if Kim Kardashian ever manages to break it for real.

    Secondly, I kind of like writing and I try to make it entertaining to read. I think individual article entries on a blog posted at regular intervals are better suited to this long-form writing style. I'm used to doing build logs consisting entirely of "Today I did X here's five pictures of it" posts, now I'm trying to do something more substantial and more engaging to read.

    Thirdly, to ride on the coattails of the previous post, I believe a build like this one can be better organized and presented in a series of articles. Instead of disorganized daily updates, I can collect my thoughts and present information in a format that most effectively conveys information to readers. Instead of a single update discussing a little bit of work on four different parts of the car, I can do four different articles, each about a specific part of the car from start to finish. If someone is working on a similar project and has some questions on, say, the clutch mechanism, instead of weeding through several pages of the build they can see it start to finish in one article.

    Lastly, and as kind of an aside, I'm tired of build logs that, for every post with actual content, have 20-30 "AWESOME PROGRESS BRO" replies from other forum members that I have to filter through. I want to see the build, not a bunch of dudes jerking someone off. If that's what I wanted to see, there's plenty of that elsewhere on the internet (at least, that's what I've heard...).

    Speaking of internet videos, I'm working on a little bit of video content for the website as well - I'm doing a full walk-around video detailing all of the parts of the finished car and I want to do something with a bit more detail on my autocrossing endeavors.

    So I hope that you find what I write worth reading and I hope the format proves useful to future swappers, especially when a lot of this information is often hidden inside a $70 manual. I'm sorry that I keep posting links to a separate site when all you guys want to see is cool BMWs with awesome V8 engines. Like this one.

    Last edited by Laminar; 02-22-2016 at 04:45 PM.

  10. #35
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    Mazda 3
    Don't sweat it man, keep up the progress in the format you prefer, it is your story to tell after all! I read the first few entries after seeing it posted to Jalopnik and was fairly impressed. Will revisit in the future.

  11. #36
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    In case some of you missed it, I took a bunch of pictures of the BMW S52 and the Ford 5.0 side by side.

    Crazy how the V8 actually looks a bit smaller, right?



    Apologies for the watermark, but these type of pictures often find their way all over the internet, and I wanted to make sure they could find their way home.

  12. #37
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    I appreciate your blog. Good information and good work.

  13. #38
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    AWESOME POST BRO!

    I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself.

    How did you drill the T5 fork? I went at mine this weekend with a 4 amp homeowner plug-in drill and carbide bits. I barely dimpled it.

    Block-hugger header guys: I was mocking up the driver's side header position over the mounts in the engine bay this weekend. Most block huggers I've seen send the collector downward at the middle of the cylinder bank. On the driver's side at least, this is direct into the engine mounts. But I'm thinking something like a block-hugger that sends the collector down more to the back of the block would be pretty easy to fabricate.


    With a coupe chassis and E36 urethane motor mounts, I had plenty of clearance above the subframe and driveshaft, but not enough hood clearance for the taller Explorer upper intake. The E30 mounts required a couple fender washers to get the oil pan off the steering rack. Now I just need to find something to use as an ABS pump mount over the front left chassis framerail.
    Last edited by JBasham; 02-22-2016 at 01:25 PM.

  14. #39
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    I cover that in my Part 2 of everything needed to swap in the 5.0, which I went ahead and posted just now.

    In short, I didn't drill the fork at all, I welded a small spacer onto the face of the fork that captures the clutch slave's pushrod. Because I have the '94-'95 bellhousing, my fork is at a different angle than the '93 and earlier ones, so there's no interference with the tunnel walls.

  15. #40
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    Oh, and a few juicy pics from the latest update.






  16. #41
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    Last edited by Laminar; 02-22-2016 at 04:46 PM.

  17. #42
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    Nice. Sport or race? Should make a very noticeable difference.
    I finally put spacers on my front wheels to clear the coilovers. I'm now able to roll the car to drop the engine in

  18. #43
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    Well I said I may need to revisit your blog and that's looking more likely. Picked up a '94 325i w/ 95k on the odo last week

  19. #44
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    Don't lose the LSx dream!

    - - - Updated - - -

    Quote Originally Posted by ponchiz318 View Post
    Nice. Sport or race? Should make a very noticeable difference.
    I finally put spacers on my front wheels to clear the coilovers. I'm now able to roll the car to drop the engine in
    Sport! Also just realized yesterday that the truck stop on my way to work has a free-to-use scale, I need to get a curb weight. It's only accurate to +/- 20lb but that's close enough for what I'm getting at.

    I keep looking at snow tires/wheels on Craigslist...

  20. #45
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    Bit the bullet.



    Blizzaks on a set of 17" Shuk W21 wheels. Apparently they were a Tire Rack house brand for a while. The wheels are two-piece and in decent shape. Since I was pulling the wheels off, why not go ahead and swap out the front suspension? I correct the strut mounts to their correct sides, then installed washers and longer lower strut bolts to get a couple degrees of negative camber back. Bilsteins and H&R Sport springs.





    The tires are only 205-width and are clearly stretched a bit on these wheels. I'll run them for a couple of seasons, maybe some rallycross, then get tires of the right width. Either way, plenty of tread left and decent straight-line grip, no slip when I hammered it in second. And now I can keep my new Potenzas warm and cozy in the house for the winter.
    Last edited by Laminar; 11-08-2021 at 10:01 PM.

  21. #46
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    Spacers? You mean performance camber shims.
    Looks good actually

  22. #47
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  23. #48
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    Very nice build!

  24. #49
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    Enjoying the winter driving.

    Got traction control working on the Megasquirt and got my ABS figured out, too, so it's not terrible to drive in the snow and ice.

    Last edited by Laminar; 11-08-2021 at 10:02 PM.

  25. #50
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    Your ABS didn't work?

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