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Thread: Just another boring LS swap into an E36 M3

  1. #26
    Join Date
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    95 M3
    Not a bad price at all. Id say if you can get them to cover the cost of bearings, you're probably in better shape than most.
    95 M3, 5.3 LS, PTE 7675CEA, TH400/Gear Vendors OD
    10.4@136 Pump gas at 3530lbs.

    Build thread
    http://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/sh...LS-Turbo-build

  2. #27
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    Sep 2015
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    1997 328i
    Quote Originally Posted by jon volk View Post
    Not a bad price at all. Id say if you can get them to cover the cost of bearings, you're probably in better shape than most.
    I think it was definitely reasonable. If they can't find another L33, I may go that route, or say F it, and go with something different altogether- maybe sell all my stuff I have to convert a truck motor to car spec, and see if I can't pony up enough cash to go with an LS2. I want to stick with an aluminum block.

    My idea was to keep it "budget" by finding a decent used motor and not doing anything but re-gasketing and bolt-ons at this point in the build, then at some point, get a little more into it and do at least a cam. If I get into any sort of machine work like getting the crank polished for new bearings, I'll probably do the cam at the same time, which is going to push back how long it takes me to get this thing on the road from a budget standpoint.

  3. #28
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    Nov 2015
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    Carlos MN
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    99 E36
    Maybe the salvage yard will knock enough off the price to cover new bearings and turning the crank? Only my opinion but it would a bit easier to pull the heads apart and hot tank. Touch up the valves since it's apart?
    Might be interesting pull one piston to see how gummed up the ring lands are.

    Don't feel too bad I paid more for a "40,000" mile LS1 that had many, many more miles on than I was lead to believe. Also the salvage yard was going off the car mileage. Doing as you are come find out it needed new bearings, Needed rings. The salvage yard worked with me and a local machine shop to get it right. Other wise the engine is only worth scrap metal price.

  4. #29
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    Quote Originally Posted by 99E36LS1 View Post
    Maybe the salvage yard will knock enough off the price to cover new bearings and turning the crank? Only my opinion but it would a bit easier to pull the heads apart and hot tank. Touch up the valves since it's apart?
    Might be interesting pull one piston to see how gummed up the ring lands are.

    Don't feel too bad I paid more for a "40,000" mile LS1 that had many, many more miles on than I was lead to believe. Also the salvage yard was going off the car mileage. Doing as you are come find out it needed new bearings, Needed rings. The salvage yard worked with me and a local machine shop to get it right. Other wise the engine is only worth scrap metal price.
    May go the new bearing route if they can't come up with another L33. We'll see what they say either today or tomorrow.

  5. #30
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    So the salvage yard can't find me another L33- everything else available in the area is too pricy for them to purchase and exchange for mine. Understandable based on the price I got from them. Kind of at a crossroads here- thinking I have the following options:

    Option 1: Put the machine work into the L33 I have. Do the new main bearings and get the crank polished, cam bearings, block decked if needed, hot tanked, etc and figure out what I want for a cam and have this installed at the same time, then build the short block. I figure I'll be into it for another $1k in machine work, then whatever bearings, cam, timing chain, etc are going to cost. Not sure if I should keep the stock rods and pistons at that point. Problem here is that I think I'd quickly be another $2k into the shortblock, and could easily go over that number depending on what makes sense to do "while I'm in there."

    Option 2: Return the L33 and seek out a car motor. Seeing LS1 dropouts out of a Corvette (guessing they probably got beat on a little less than most F Body's) for around $2k on ebay with harness, ecu, and accessories. I still need a power steering pump, water pump, and some of the associated hardware to fully convert a truck motor, which is extra cost I haven't incurred yet. I have the LS6 manifold, ICT brackets, L33 harness, and Camaro pan (depending on what I source) that I can sell to help offset the cost of the car motor.

    Option 3: See if I can swap the L33 for an LM7 or LQ4. Just wondering if it's worth the weight penalty, and losing out on the 799 heads that the L33 currently has. Obviously I run the risk of more of the same issues getting a JY motor.

    Thoughts?

  6. #31
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    '10 X5, '98 M3 - 302
    I vote machine work. You already have parts for it and you'll know it'll be good and reliable. If you get any other motor, you run the same risk of it being faulty as well. If anything, see if you can find the same engine elsewhere but again, the risk is there.

  7. #32
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    Jul 2013
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    FL Gulf Coast
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    E36 - 1998 328iS - LS2
    I'd look at it this way; you bought a truck engine the first time, which means you'll have to buy a car style intake manifold, car fuel rails and injectors, car throttle body, F-Body accessory drive including the bracketry, balancer, alternator, etc, etc. If you've already amassed all of that stuff, you might as well rebuild the engine you have and know that you'll be moving forward with a solid engine.

    If you don't already have all of that stuff, I'd consider buying an F-Body or GTO drop-out. Yes, you'll run the risk of buying another trashed engine. But if it's in good shape, you'll probably be money ahead by not having to go out and piece together all of the car stuff necessary to make your L33 work in the E36.

    Tipsy

  8. #33
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    Nov 2015
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    99 E36
    I to would vote for the machine work. Consider they haven't built LS1's for over 10 years the chances of finding a low mileage one is slim. If you have the motor still some what disassembled pull a piston and get the piston and bore measured for wear. That will really tell you where to start. I've built a few LS1"s over the years. My LS6 in my 98 Wrangler has stock rods with new pistons. Been that way for 8 years and no trouble at all. My LS1 in my 99 323 has aftermarket rods because I knew I may spin it a little higher just due to the car I had it in first (67 Nova SS). Over the years I've bought some pretty good stuff off the LS1tech web site as well as the Corvette Forum web site.

  9. #34
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    Didn't get to make much progress on this over the weekend. My ZHP sprung a leak in the radiator on Wednesday, so I spent the time to do most of a cooling system refresh (radiator, upper and lower hoses, thermostat, water pump, expansion tank) on Friday night after work. I did pull apart one of the Modena sport seats I bought recently that wouldn't recline and found one of the plastic gears had broken, so I fixed that with the parts from the Mulberry seats that were in the M3 when I bought it.

    Didn't get a chance to take the motor back yet either, going to do a little more research and weigh my options.

  10. #35
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    Well, Ebay just made my decision for me, LKQ helped. Found a 1999-2000 Corvette LS1 for $1810 shipped with lower mileage than the L33. I'll be taking the L33 back this weekend.

  11. #36
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    FWIW, assuming you'll need the fbody accessories, I used the "Dirty Dingo" brand PS and Alternator brackets for an LS7 F-body build and they're excellent. They're about the cheapest aftermarket F-body mounting brackets out there and are good quality still.

  12. #37
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    Quote Originally Posted by pMak26 View Post
    FWIW, assuming you'll need the fbody accessories, I used the "Dirty Dingo" brand PS and Alternator brackets for an LS7 F-body build and they're excellent. They're about the cheapest aftermarket F-body mounting brackets out there and are good quality still.
    I went with ICT billet when I was thinking I'd be using F Body stuff. I'll see what the motor comes with- may go with full Corvette accessories.

  13. #38
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    LS1 is on the way according to LKQ, too bad I can't figure out how to track it.

    Spent some time Wednesday at the shop, pulled the driver's seat, which I gutted for the seat motors and gears that were broken in my Modena seats. Also pulled the console since I got one in much better shape from the junkyard. Started to pull the aftermarket alarm system as well since I have so much more room for activities. Going to have a couple hours today to work on it, and probably a lot of the day tomorrow.

  14. #39
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    Got some things done this weekend.

    Finished pulling the alarm, tidied up the wiring that was left over. Interior is totally gutted, carpet pulled as well since I'm switching to black.



    Stripped the rear shock towers for the AKG plates. The towers are in good shape. Just need to get a bottle for my Miller 211 so I can burn them in.



    Pulled the rear subframe. I have RTAB reinforcements from AKG as well. Also planning to make the front diff mount double shear, as well as adding the plates for the rear sway bar. Going to strip this down as much as possible and clean up whatever will fit in my sandblast cabinet so I can repaint.


  15. #40
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    LS1 is showing it'll be delivered to where I work either today or tomorrow.

  16. #41
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    Broke down the subframe last night, pressed out all the bushings, and sandblasted the rear sway mounts. Welded in the AKG reinforcements on one side with my friend's TIG, it was ugly.

  17. #42
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    Motor showed up today, didn't really pull it out of the plastic yet. It's a 99 LS1 out of a Corvette, 136k, came with flywheel, some aftermarket shorty headers, and the harness.

    Stellar photo skills showing themselves again, photobucket likes to make my shitty pictures shittier:

  18. #43
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    Worked on it a few minutes yesterday. Finally got a bottle for my Miller 211, so I MIG welded the other sway reinforcement.



    And here's a slightly less bad picture of the LS1. Headers are BBK shorties.



    Headed out to my shop now to work some more on it.

  19. #44
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    subscribed.
    i'm building up an LM4 for my M3. slow going, but the only thing that will be stock is the short block when i'm done.
    always trying to make it lighter and faster

    ^^former build: http://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/sh...-neglected-M3/
    current build: http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsc...car-build.html
    instant grams: doktor_b

  20. #45
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    Quote Originally Posted by doktor b View Post
    subscribed.
    i'm building up an LM4 for my M3. slow going, but the only thing that will be stock is the short block when i'm done.
    Very nice.

  21. #46
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    Managed to come down with the flu in May (who does that???) so I haven't worked on it at all this week yet. Did order a bunch of stuff tonight, however.

    -AKG 75D subframe bushings
    -AKG 75D diff bushings, front set up for 14mm
    -ECS RTAB limiters
    -SPC rear control arms
    -FAG rear wheel bearings
    -Sway bar bushing mounts
    -Rear sway bar bushings
    -One OE front diff bushing so I can set up a bracket to make the front mount double shear

    Hopefully doing a compression test tomorrow so I can throw the LS1 on the stand, and check the bearings in the bottom end FIRST this time.

  22. #47
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    Did a compression test yesterday, had three cylinders show around 210, the other five showed around 165. Intake was closed for the test. Excuse the fact that I write like a four year old.



    Pulled the pan and checked two of the main caps. Bearings didn't look as bad as the L33 I had, but still found some scratches on both the bearing surface and on the crankshaft. Going to put it back together and run it this time I think. These are from the cap closest to the front of the motor.




  23. #48
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    Got the F body pan on and torqued today. Did the front cover seal and underdrive balancer installed last night. Final torque will have to come when the engine is in the car with the trans and driveshaft in.



    Strut tower reinforcements in. Used weld through primer on the tower and the underside of the plate. Paint and undercoat next. Excuse the booger welds, I don't really fit in the trunk to get a decent position.



  24. #49
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    Throttle should be wide open when performing a compression test. And those numbers are far from comforting...all cylinders should be in the 195 - 220 range on a stock LS.

    Not sure if it was testing methods that caused the low numbers or if there is something else wrong but I surely wouldn't just assume everything will be fine.
    96 M3 | Forged LSx | Twin S366 | Injector Dynamics | E85 | AEM Infinity
    90 Schwarz 325i

    IG : sdobart

  25. #50
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    Quote Originally Posted by sdobart View Post
    Throttle should be wide open when performing a compression test. And those numbers are far from comforting...all cylinders should be in the 195 - 220 range on a stock LS.

    Not sure if it was testing methods that caused the low numbers or if there is something else wrong but I surely wouldn't just assume everything will be fine.
    Where are you getting the spec for 195-220? Not saying you're wrong, just that everything I've read is more concerned with the range between cylinders instead of the actual compression number, with the exception that nothing should be reading under 100 psi. I've also seen that a closed throttle will also drop numbers by 20psi.

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