Results 1 to 9 of 9

Thread: S54--->E36 Swap Thread

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Location
    Pennsylvania
    Posts
    217
    My Cars
    1995 Cosmos on black M3

    S54--->E36 Swap Thread

    What's up everybody, I've been hoping to do this swap for years and I finally embarked on my journey last weekend. I hope to document everything pretty meticulously in this thread from beginning to end of this conversion. So let's get right into it.

    Backstory:
    For as long as I can remember, I've been obsessed with the e36 chassis, but something was always missing. I got my first m3 in early 2013.



    It was the first car I bought for myself. A 1995 black on black M3/2/5 with 72k miles for $2500. The drivetrain was extremely solid, but as you can imagine, for that price, it had a pretty rough life. The owner was looking to dump it under the assumption that something was terminally wrong with the motor. Basically the car would studder and the misfire badly if you took it over ~5k RPM. After some very basic attempts at repairing it (spark plugs, coil pack swaps, VANOS reseal etc) with no luck, I decided to try a DME swap. I was down at the H20 show in OCMD at the time and started asking around the show if anyone had one. A few hours later somebody got back to me and had a spare red label for sale for $80, so i picked it up, swapped it out and VIOLA. She ripped all the way to the limiter and I was ecstatic. Ever since that day I couldnt get enough of the e36 M3, but it needed to be faster. A short time later, I traded the M3 for an S50 swapped 1977 320I. it was rough around the edges, but ran reliably. To date that car is probably the most fun I've had with pants on.




    As fun as it was, it wasn't ideal for a daily, so later that summer I came across a 1996 Estoril on magma AA supercharged M3. All was well again







    But then we had 2 really harsh winters and I had to make a tough decision. The responsible adult in me got the upper hand and I said goodbye to both cars and picked up a 2002 325xi. Great for winter and getting groceries but nothing else. That got boring fast so this past fall I bought a 2003 M3



    After much appreciation of the S54 and not much appreciation of tires, It fell victim to a pretty severely cracked rear subframe. So severe in fact that there was enough movement in the rear end that it sheared the bolt that connects the subframe V-Brace to the diff carrier.

    After contemplating what route to go with the car, seeing as it was too far gone for hairline crack repair and reinforcement, it would need a full RACP welded in. Since I just wasnt ready to put that kind of money into a weekend/ fun car, I decided to save the motor and part the rest of the car out to fund the swap. That brings us to now.


    The Goal: of this swap is to build a more fun, more reliable car than either of my current cars without technically spending any money
    1. Maintain A/C
    2. Maintain original E46 cluster
    3. Pass emissions
    4. Maintain ABS, Cruise control
    5. Appear and function as though BMW had built the car this way.
    Checking all those boxes would obviously be ideal, but in actuality A/C, ABS and OEM reliability are really the only things I truly NEED out of this swap. Once completed I expect this car to take over daily duties
    6.
    Use as little out of pocket money as possible. I'm aiming to not spend any money on this swap by essentially "reinvesting" all the money collected from parting the M3. That being said I fully expect this to be a pretty slow project seeing as I plan to buy parts for the swap as parts off the E46 M3 sell. **So PLEASE visit my part out thread if you are in the market for any 2003 M3 parts at a reasonable price https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...003-M3-partout **
    Last edited by illadlephia; 09-10-2017 at 10:25 AM.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    UT
    Posts
    4,375
    My Cars
    98 M3/4/5
    So where's the S54 swap come into play?
    98 Estoril ///M3 4/6
    S54 swap CSL

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Location
    Pennsylvania
    Posts
    217
    My Cars
    1995 Cosmos on black M3
    Sorry, my computer freaked out last night and I wasn't able to finish the post. Let's jump right into it. This past weekend I got the M3 up on stands and was able to get the s54, 6 spd trans, and front subframe out of the car





    The car had 131,XXX miles on it when I parked it. Engine operated very well with no leaks of any kind to speak of. Part of the reason I decided to part the car instead of repair it was the transmission. It had an occasional grind usually when going into 3rd gear. The thought of spending $6-8k to replace the rear axle carrier panel only to get the car back and have a $1500 transmission fail on me wasnt a chance I was willing to take. That being said I will be using a 5 speed box for this swap. The functioning 6 speed trans will be for sale for cheap If anyone is in the market to dissect, diagnose or otherwise take a gamble on it. The 3rd gear synchro could be toast or it could simply be feeling the effects of original 131k mile LTF-1. Either way I will not be using it, nor have I decided if I will being with a Getrag or a ZF. If anyone has a preference or opinion as to which to choose for an s54 swap i'm all ears. In addition, rear end gearing has not been yet decided. The car will be a daily driver that could see an occasional track day and WILL see quite a few back road runs, so keep the best of both worlds in mind when offering experience or advice.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2002
    Location
    North Augusta SC
    Posts
    1,119
    Good luck not spending much on the project. I don't even want to think about what I spent on mine, and I don't have AC or E46 cluster. I did build it to be trackworthy, with serious cooling. Get the ZF trans. I'd go ahead and do rod bearings and Vanos refresh while you have the engine out.
    '95 M3 S54 Track Toy
    '19 X5 40i M-Sport
    '16 Cayman GT4
    ‘23 GR Corolla

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    UT
    Posts
    4,375
    My Cars
    98 M3/4/5
    Yeah it's very expensive which is why mines is taking over a year to finish, bunch of shit comes up you would think about and need to do or should do
    98 Estoril ///M3 4/6
    S54 swap CSL

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Location
    Pennsylvania
    Posts
    217
    My Cars
    1995 Cosmos on black M3
    Lol not spending much money is the PLAN, what ever goes according to plan though. A full refresh of the s54 will be performed in the meantime while I find a suitable e36 to stuff it in. Rod bearings, all gaskets/seals, valve adjustment, vanos, timing chain tensioners, accesory belt tensioners/pulleys, as well as some "while im in there" stuff such as starter motor, water pump/t-stat, front and rear main seals. I still haven't decided on whether or not to do anything with the oil pump nut. When mating the e36 trans to the s54, will I need to use the e46 or e36 flywheel?

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    UT
    Posts
    4,375
    My Cars
    98 M3/4/5
    i had to do a complete rebuild on the S54 i bought.. plus i needed a replacement crank. Get the rod bearings treated (mains are not needed to treat) WPC, 4$ per half shell if you send them yours directly to them.

    I used Grant piston Rings instead of the WAY overpriced BMW ones.. replace the valve stem seals, or have someone do the head for you. Get yourself the VANOS tools, they are a must, buy everything Biesan System sells for the VANOS.. get the Bimmerworld VANOS oil line, change the CPV O-ring on the block(source of leak point on these cars) You will also need a good 3/8" Torque wrench that does Newton Meters (the manual does everything in nm) i got a craftsman digital one from Sears for $35. Also get a torque angle gauge.

    Realoem.com will be your best friend

    ECStuning.com usually has everything you need with very good prices, i would suggest using FCPEuro.com for all large and expensive items because of their "Lifetime replacement gaurantee"
    98 Estoril ///M3 4/6
    S54 swap CSL

  8. #8
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Location
    Pittsburgh, PA
    Posts
    2,202
    My Cars
    S54/E36,18 Sierra Denali
    Cutch and flywheel will depend on what trans goes in.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jan 2002
    Location
    North Augusta SC
    Posts
    1,119
    I went with a Clutchmaster LWFW and clutch package. Not recommended for a street car. Takeup is too abrubt, and it rattles like crazy. It does rev like crazy, though.
    '95 M3 S54 Track Toy
    '19 X5 40i M-Sport
    '16 Cayman GT4
    ‘23 GR Corolla

Similar Threads

  1. 1jz-vvti e36 swap thread
    By e36craig in forum 1991 - 1999 (E36)
    Replies: 5
    Last Post: 08-25-2017, 11:55 AM
  2. Rod bearing question / ID (S54 in E36 - swapping bearings)
    By SamGrant951 in forum 2001 - 2006 M3 (E46)
    Replies: 4
    Last Post: 08-19-2017, 12:16 PM
  3. e36 swap threads.
    By dragonfly2k3 in forum Engine Conversions
    Replies: 12
    Last Post: 10-30-2013, 11:33 PM
  4. Looking for s54 for e36 swap
    By HTOWN///M in forum Texas
    Replies: 22
    Last Post: 05-06-2011, 11:25 PM
  5. The Comprehensive LSx e36 swap thread (in progress)
    By RahgBag in forum Engine Conversions
    Replies: 236
    Last Post: 05-02-2011, 11:28 AM

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •