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Thread: E34 $1500 or Less Budget LS Swap

  1. #26
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    V6 has a different bellhousing pattern than the V8 and the TR-6060 has an integrated bellhousing so it's not swappable.

    $1600 shipped: https://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=526373

    $2000 w/ flywheel, clutch, pp: https://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=521922

    $1500: https://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=525203

  2. #27
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    Quote Originally Posted by Laminar View Post
    V6 has a different bellhousing pattern than the V8 and the TR-6060 has an integrated bellhousing so it's not swappable.

    $1600 shipped: https://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=526373

    $2000 w/ flywheel, clutch, pp: https://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=521922

    $1500: https://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=525203

    I will have to sign up on that forums. Thanks for the tip!

    The plates finaly got done. I went to a different vendor, but they were flame cut not laser cut but it's adequate enough to make sure these work. Instead of a cold rolled 1018 like I wanted they had a job using 1/4" A572 they were doing and threw my stuff in there for free so I really can't complain about that!



    I welded them up with my little 110 flux core welder and just did a pitiful job at it. I have not pulled the welder out beyond small tacks for the last 9 months and completey forgot what I was doing until the last bead.




    So I took them into work where our weld inspector fixed my screw up and was much nicer. He was not thrilled about his work since he was welding over my welds and did not get the best of puddles. I started installing them and they really do look nice in there and fit quite well. The dip stick in the oil pan clears the mounts easily.





    I also pulled the AC compressor off of the truck engine and started to see how it fits. I plan on using F-Body or Corvette accessories but if a truck compressor fits, I should be good. It took slight modification to the compressor though. I cut on of the mounting tabs on the back side of the compressor, so instead of 4 bolts it is held in by 3.






    I am hoping this weekend I can get underneath and start working on the transmission mount. Still selling stuff and I am currently breaking even with all the major stuff completed, so the budget part is going great!
    95 E34 553i6 LS TR6060 Project
    93 E34 525iA Beater with no heater
    VANOS kicked in yo!

  3. #28
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    Love what you are doing. I'm not a great welder but I really want to do a swap like this. You and those before you are a great inspiration. Are there patterns for the motor mounts that can be uploaded and shared? To me that would be my greatest hurdle.

    So you are going with a rack and pinion over gear box? Saw a guy on here that made his driver mount go around the gear box. Pretty cool
    Last edited by Sleepyhead97; 04-27-2018 at 11:50 AM.

  4. #29
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sleepyhead97 View Post
    Love what you are doing. I'm not a great welder but I really want to do a swap like this. You and those before you are a great inspiration. Are there patterns for the motor mounts that can be uploaded and shared? To me that would be my greatest hurdle.

    So you are going with a rack and pinion over gear box? Saw a guy on here that made his driver mount go around the gear box. Pretty cool

    Thanks! I too am an awful welder and got laughed at pretty hard by the welders at work. I did deserve it, it was a REALLY bad welding job I did. Though our weld inspector said what I was doing was good from what he could tell, it was just my welder was not very good.

    So right now I plan on selling these mounts, I wont be welding them. But I need to get the trans mount first then all the other parts put back on before I feel comfortable releasing something. I have the full engineering drawings I made and I am not sure how out of tolerance the arm is but it would not surprise me if I screwed that one up badly. The compound angle one the one side is not fun.

    I want to do rack and pinion for the space savings and mostly the better steering feel. When I get some kind of trans mount mocked up I will start playing around with the rack and pinion again. I keep thinking I should use a Cavalier RP but I somehow can't find anyone parting one out for cheap. I don't feel like shelling out $100 for a reman before I know it will work. I know its not a lot of money but in the context of the project, it is a lot of money.
    95 E34 553i6 LS TR6060 Project
    93 E34 525iA Beater with no heater
    VANOS kicked in yo!

  5. #30
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    Played with the transmission this weekend. Got the front in the air on some wood cribbing since I do not like jack stands for under car work.










    Not a lot of clearance between the bell house and the sway bar but there is clearance.




    As far as the mount is concerned, it lines up pretty good with the existing mount. If the stock transmission cross member was steel, I would have just welded a tab to it and call it a day. But it is aluminum I believe and I don't have anything to even tack in an aluminum tab. So I was able to get some basic measurements to design a custom cross member which I have yet to do. I have not checked the shaft angle yet, but the mount will be shimmable so I can adjust it as needed. Just a tip, when working with these mounting holes, run a M8x1.25 tap to clean up the threads. I already snapped two bolts in the holes.





    Where things are going to get tricky is the shifter. With the S10 tail housing it is pretty far forward. Originaly I was thinking of doing one of thoes genaric shifter reloaction kits where it mounts on top and has an arm that extends back t the shifter, but there is no room at the top as is to do that. I could cut a hole in the body then run the shifter relocation inside the car, but I do not think there will be open space in the cab where the T5 shifter location is. I could swap in a 4th gen Camaro tail and get it much closer. Theoretically it should bring the edge of the shifter compartment to the 9-1/2" mark, so that would be a lot easier. But what I do not like about the Camaro tail is the mount is angled. One option is to mill an opening in the rear of the compartment and put in a machined block with a hole for a shaft and extend the shifter back and remake something similar to what exists. If I had a 4th gen Camaro T56, the shifter may line up perfectly with the opening. I have the T5 plus cash up for trade right now for a T56 or TR6060 since I do not have the funds to buy one of those out right. I will still continue with developing the mounts and shifter for the T5 despite the unknown future of it.





    But that is the excitement of my weekend.
    Last edited by XCRN; 04-29-2018 at 08:51 PM.
    95 E34 553i6 LS TR6060 Project
    93 E34 525iA Beater with no heater
    VANOS kicked in yo!

  6. #31
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    Been doing a lot of yard work and landscaping projects at home so all I got done this weekend was the trans mount design. Should be simple to have made and weld up, I will probably work on the drawings at work tomorrow.







    95 E34 553i6 LS TR6060 Project
    93 E34 525iA Beater with no heater
    VANOS kicked in yo!

  7. #32
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    I like the drawing when I get to mine is pen and paper then eye ballin lol. I've been looking at welders etc and will decide on a stick welder due to cost.

    Wish I had a solution for the transmission. I would love standard but probably going to throw the 4l60 in and be happy for American v8

  8. #33
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    Loving the build so far. Can't wait for the day she does her first burnout!

    -James

    Turner Motorsport
    / // Parts and Performance for BMWs
    16 South Hunt Road
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    800-280-6966
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  9. #34
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sleepyhead97 View Post
    I like the drawing when I get to mine is pen and paper then eye ballin lol. I've been looking at welders etc and will decide on a stick welder due to cost.

    Wish I had a solution for the transmission. I would love standard but probably going to throw the 4l60 in and be happy for American v8
    Thanks! Thats the nice thing about being an engineer and having access to programs that cost more than this car and all the money in it! Though in school I was able to use thier computers for stuff like this too. You can get used migs pretty cheap. I bought my current welder, a Cambell Hausfield flux core that plugs into a 110 outlet for $70 on Craigslist. It is good for tacking but not the best for when it comes to the real welding. I also have a Lincoln SP250 mig I got for $50. I don't have 220 in my garage but can get it and will eventually. That I think could do more of the structural type welds than my flux core welder. I really want a tig welder but even used thoes are up there in price.

    I actually picked a TR6060 with 34k miles for $1100 on Wednesday so that does take a lot of the funding in hand, aroumd $200 left. But I can recoup a lot of it quick and sell the T5 for more than what I have in it and probably just give the drawings for the mount if they wanted them despite it being an incredibly oddly specific combonation in an obscure 90s German car.


    Quote Originally Posted by TurnerMS View Post
    Loving the build so far. Can't wait for the day she does her first burnout!

    -James
    Thank you, I am with you there. I will always know how to get home since I will be leaving a trail a black skids everywhere I go! The guy I got the TR6060 from had a twin 82mm turbo round body S10 with a T56 and black strips all the way down his road for a good 1/8 of a mile. I need that in my life!
    Last edited by XCRN; 05-11-2018 at 11:02 PM.
    95 E34 553i6 LS TR6060 Project
    93 E34 525iA Beater with no heater
    VANOS kicked in yo!

  10. #35
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    Does anyone know if there is something like Realoem for GM parts? I can only find online parts stores with no diagrams or of any help what so ever.
    95 E34 553i6 LS TR6060 Project
    93 E34 525iA Beater with no heater
    VANOS kicked in yo!

  11. #36
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    So like I said above, I got a TR6060 from a Camaro SS for $1100. The best part was it was only an hour drive away. As soon as I saw the ad I jumped on it and met the guy same day after work.


    ]


    This weekend I pulled the mock block and the T5 out and swapped over to the TR6060. It is quite a bit larger and a helluvalot heavier than the T5. It really made it difficult to put into place with the lower core support being welded into place and my hoist does not reach too far. I had to have the chain pretty far forward to get it to reach and the trans end kept dipping and I could not stabilize it by hand. It eventually got into place but it is a real tight fit, so much so I had to remove the front sway bar. I might just have to shim the sway bar bracket lower (my preference) to clear the trans bell house or shim the engine mounts up

    .


    It does sit fairly low.






    I eventually got it in but it was not easy. The mount is going to be relatively simple to make for this at least. Got a design made up and will be working on the drawings this week. It will use the set of holes for the stock E34 auto trans cross member.





    The next issue will be the shifter. This is the opposite problem of the T5. Instead of the shifter too far forward, it is about 2-1/2" behind the center of the hole on the body.





    This leaves me with 2 options. I can move the engine forward the 2-1/2" or make a custom shifter. I have an idea for the shifter but not sure how it will work. It would be nice if there was a shifter I could buy that is shorter.The shift for it self will be a simple cut and weld. The carrier will be a bit trickier. The idea is to utilize the rear mount from the BMW shifter and the front mount based off the trans mount. It will use the Camaro shifter but I will probably cut and weld the BMW stalk on the Camaro shifter to use a stock shift knob.






    I do not know how well the moving the engine forward would mess things up. I already plan on making custom mounts modding the core support to use a GTO radiator and cooling system for simplicity sake and doing custom thinner condenser and miscellaneous air to oil coolers. I also need to keep in mind room for an intercooler for down the line stuff.

    Last edited by XCRN; 05-13-2018 at 05:50 PM.
    95 E34 553i6 LS TR6060 Project
    93 E34 525iA Beater with no heater
    VANOS kicked in yo!

  12. #37
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    Quote Originally Posted by XCRN View Post
    Does anyone know if there is something like Realoem for GM parts? I can only find online parts stores with no diagrams or of any help what so ever.
    parts.com usually has the diagrams. They aren't as easy to find on the web site but they are usually there.
    1995 Mazda RX-7 Feed Widebody LS3 6-speed (Toy, project)
    2010 Cadillac Escalade Luxury (Daily, Pulls my 18' car hauler)
    2014 BMW 328d XDrive (Wife's Daily)
    Have owned 4 other BWM's I no longer have.

  13. #38
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    I'm by no means an expert but stick welds have deeper penetration. They are the strongest of all welds per google.

    About the engine placement etc, I would keep it near the fire wall if you can. Not on it, just closer. I would not move engine foreword to accommodate shifter. I would think about cutting the shifter hole and accommodate that way. If you do this be sure and Re enforce the hole perimeter. Thoughts?

    Edit. Trans is low. Any thoughts of raising engine height? A bad road could eat that Trans

    Edit. Good time to replace Hvac blower
    Last edited by Sleepyhead97; 05-15-2018 at 01:10 PM.

  14. #39
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sleepyhead97 View Post
    I'm by no means an expert but stick welds have deeper penetration. They are the strongest of all welds per google.

    About the engine placement etc, I would keep it near the fire wall if you can. Not on it, just closer. I would not move engine foreword to accommodate shifter. I would think about cutting the shifter hole and accommodate that way. If you do this be sure and Re enforce the hole perimeter. Thoughts?

    Edit. Trans is low. Any thoughts of raising engine height? A bad road could eat that Trans

    Edit. Good time to replace Hvac blower
    Stick welding has better penetration than mig or tig and is good for structural purposes like welding beams for construction. With the thin metal I am using for my mounts, a decent mig will penetrate far enough. We use some real beefy migs at work and can get full penetration on a 1" plate pretty easily.

    I would prefer to cut and re-weld the shifter. Cutting a new hole would be too far back and would interfere with the center console I feel. I need to get a set of junk heads so I can mock up everything.

    The big issue with raising the trans is the out put flange gets close to the top of the tunnel and with there being a remote shifter there is already too little room. I could raise the engine and have the trans angled down and raise the front half of the trans a bit. I am not sure what the driveshaft angle is now but that is something to keep in mind. I was reccomended to go single piecs DS so that might be able to keep an ideal angle of about 2 defgrees. But when I get the mount parts in and tacked up I can start playing with that.
    95 E34 553i6 LS TR6060 Project
    93 E34 525iA Beater with no heater
    VANOS kicked in yo!

  15. #40
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    Back at it!Funds were getting a little low so I took $140 and bought a Cub Cadet riding mower off my co-worker that was leaking oil the Friday before memorial day weekend. It leaked oil real bad so I was going to fix it, but I sold it for $300 that Memorial Day Monday. Sold some other stuff and now have a decent bit of funds somewhere around $700 after that week. Earlier this week I finally got the parts in for the trans mount and got it mocked and took it into work to get welded.



    And I got the trans finally suspended but I am able to shim the trans up and down as needed so it is not in its final position yet.



    When shimmed 1/2" it gives me pretty good room for the rack and pinion, but there are some concerns which will be discussed towards the end of this post.



    Recently I purchased a set of heads for mockup for $70 that came with a power steering pump and intake manifold with the drive by wire TB so I might be able to recoup the money on the heads.



    It is real tight on the driver side.



    And gets worse with the brake booster. I might still have to do the remote booster for exhaust manifold clearance but I am going to keep the hydro boost because of how slim it is.



    Now that the transmission is finally held in without a jack or hoist I was able to work on the rack and pinion. It does fit okay, but I am worried about the mount sitting too low and the hard hydraulic lines being so close to the oil pan. Though I should be able to get the steering shaft to work and stay out of the way of the exhaust fairly well so that is good.



    So that is where I am now. I am still thinking about how to do the shifter. I think if I remove the insulation inside the tunnel around the pop-out hole, I should have more than enough clearance to do what I need.
    Last edited by XCRN; 06-15-2018 at 08:25 PM.
    95 E34 553i6 LS TR6060 Project
    93 E34 525iA Beater with no heater
    VANOS kicked in yo!

  16. #41
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    Doing some reading at work today doing some research on the rack and pinion swap. I saw this thread and thought this might be the way to go. Down the middle someone posted a picture of using a new style GTO R&P. I am not sure if the tie rod pivot center is 24" or not but it is something to look into. The mounting looks easier to get around since the holes face up and down, not straight forward like the Buick or Cavalier rack, eliminating my worry of the mounting being too low.

    https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...front-subframe
    95 E34 553i6 LS TR6060 Project
    93 E34 525iA Beater with no heater
    VANOS kicked in yo!

  17. #42
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    This project is not dead nor is there a lack of funding. I have been making some good money on the truck and other parts so funding is still going strong. I have just been busy with other things. Been trying to get in better shape (about 30lbs lost in 2 months), house projects getting done, bought a 2016 Mustang GT with a manual and been playing with that, and my Jeep XJ has been needing lots of work and I need that ready for this winter. So just a little update. Last weekend I went to the junkyard and I found a E34 530i and I grabbed the remote brake booster bracket and some Jeep parts because "Jeep Life" It looks like I will have to drill and tap a part on the frame for the lower mount of the bracket that attaches on the firewall side and I will need to make a mount for the forward bracket to mount too as well. But all that will still be easier than figuring out the header on that side. I may still use the hydro-boost, but at least now I am not stuck with using that now.



    And today I said screw it and bought a re-manned Cavalier Z24 rack and pinion since these are getting hard to find being part out oddly enough. I do think Cavaliers are getting rare now since you really just do not see them on the road any more. It is definitely smaller than the Buick rack but the lines are ran about the same. The good part is the tie rod pivots are identical to the E34 center link so that will be great. The inner tie rods look like they are going to work great so I just need to find some outer tire rods that will work.




    The mount still sits low, but I might be able to bring it up a little if I run custom lines on the rack below the tube it would give me a little more clearance to raise it a tad more.




    I am also not a big fan of the location where the banjo fittings are going to be in relation to the block. If I ever had to replace the rack in the future, I would either have to remove the accessories on that side or remove the header to get to the banjo bolts.




    But that is where I am at, not a lot but it is something. I am hoping when I get done with the XJ's full suspension rebuild I can start putting more time to this. Really when I get done with the rack and pinion at least being mounted in and I get the drive line angle figured out, I can start putting the real motor in and get it running.
    95 E34 553i6 LS TR6060 Project
    93 E34 525iA Beater with no heater
    VANOS kicked in yo!

  18. #43
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    Awesome build man. Can't wait to see the finished product!

  19. #44
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    This project is far from dead. I have been working on a lot of things not directly related to the LS swap. I still have about $1200 and some more parts to sell so funding is going good.

    I was able to source some F-Body accessories, brackets and LS1 intake manifold for $500. It did not come with fuel rail or injectors so I have been on the hunt for the last month.



    I continued to strip everything down so now all wheels are off and the rear sub frame is out. I tried to remove the coating to powder coat it. There is some tough finish on it since a wire brush on an angle grinder is doing little to remove it. Though I am able to powder coat on my own and have access to an oven big enough to cure it, one local shop quoted $120 which is worth it to not have to strip it and make a custom oven rack. I will get that done soon I hope.





    Oh and I also bought a powder coater and have been going crazy with powder coating everything. That has been causing a bit of a delay with the LS swap. Everything I have been removing is being sand blasted at work then I take home to powder coat. The stock calipers in the top left corner are for my 93 E34 I recently picked up. I am using the silver F-Body accessories for my swap and the black brackets are for my buddy who is LS swapping a 78 Corvette.






    95 E34 553i6 LS TR6060 Project
    93 E34 525iA Beater with no heater
    VANOS kicked in yo!

  20. #45
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    Subscribed. Great build. Can’t wait to see it finished

  21. #46
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    So I am starting a little bit of work on the harness. Since I am using a manual TR6060 and the VSS is in the diff, am I able to remove the VSS wires from the harness or does the VSS sensor serve some purpose for something other than the speedometer?
    95 E34 553i6 LS TR6060 Project
    93 E34 525iA Beater with no heater
    VANOS kicked in yo!

  22. #47
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    Not sure what ECU you're planning to us, but the GM ECU likes having a familiar VSS. Since my diff VSS drives the speedo, I ran my trans VSS to my Megasquirt and use it for speed and gear indication and traction control.

  23. #48
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    You definitely need the VSS if using the stock GM PCM (ecu). Without it, the engine will stall every time you let off the gas and push the clutch in. Some people will drill a hole in the throttle plate to compensate, but then the idle hangs way up high for a few seconds and is really annoying. I drove like that for about a month before I finally got a GM speed sensor and rigged it up.

  24. #49
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    Quote Originally Posted by Liquidity View Post
    You definitely need the VSS if using the stock GM PCM (ecu). Without it, the engine will stall every time you let off the gas and push the clutch in. Some people will drill a hole in the throttle plate to compensate, but then the idle hangs way up high for a few seconds and is really annoying. I drove like that for about a month before I finally got a GM speed sensor and rigged it up.
    Good to know. Now I just need to figure out if the VSS plug on the TR6060 is the same as the stock 4L60E this harness came off of originally.
    95 E34 553i6 LS TR6060 Project
    93 E34 525iA Beater with no heater
    VANOS kicked in yo!

  25. #50
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