So, I have done 5 3rg gen RX-7 LS1/6-speed swaps over the past 10 years and thought I might LS swap my M. I am very capable of doing any of these swaps. LS1/6-speed can be had for around $3500 if you play your cards right and mounting parts and all that is easy to find and is pretty cheap actually. But I was thinking there are some other good/fun engines that could fit the bill and be unique.
I am not interested in doing an S54 or FI on my S52 so can leave those comments out.
Obviously the S85 V10 M5/6 engine would be awesome but that is pretty damn expensive and would require quite a bit of fab work with headers and such. Plus finding a manual transmission from one of those is difficult. I think that is out just due to cost alone. And for the price point of that I would do an LSA supercharged CTS-V pull out.
Next option that is still on the high end of cost is the S65 V8 from the 08-13 M3. Those are a little easier to find and can be had with a 6MT a little easier. That is still going to cost a few grand more than an LS swap.
An N63 could work. 4.4l Twin Turbo V8. Not too hard to find. Exhaust shouldn't be to bad to have made using stock manifolds if they fit.
Still acceptable options are the N54 engines found in the 1/2/3/4/535i cars. Much easier to find and 6MT also pretty easy to find with it. Price is more in line with an LS engine and makes similar horsepower.
Wiring could prove to be a little difficult compared to the 20 year old LS engine on these more modern BMW engines. And I am not sure about tuning out all the extra control bits on those engines that I wouldn't want to use. The LS has some beauty in its simplicity.
Anyway just thinking about options and what would be a good, fun, unique setup .
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.
N63s are a disaster when it comes to maintenance... Id avoid those
Truthfully, those issues apply to all the other engines you mentioned - S85, S65, N54/N55, and N63. None of those are documented swaps and none will be easy and none will be cheap. All will need custom work, custom mounting hardware, custom exhaust setups and a lot of creativity and intelligence when it comes to making the computers happy (luckily if there is a group that can help you do this, it is the Z3 group, but still... ton of work...)
LS is what you know. I'd do an LS.
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+1 on going with the LS and avoiding the N63. I've been hearing a lot of horror stories on other forums when going through X5 threads. I'm a bit nervous myself being that the S63 in the X5M is built off the N63.
-Phil
put in an Audi V8 in there and have a ball!
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The first and perhaps most obvious question is intended use and the impact it will have on emissions compliance. I don't know what the rules in IN are but here in NH anything with an OBD-II port on it (In 1996 The OBD-II specification was made mandatory for all cars manufactured in the United States to be sold in the United States.) is deemed to be emission compliant by a state computer that plugs into the OBD-II port. Any codes present or emission systems non-operative and it fails and cannot be driven on the street. Just adding headers, a CF airbox along with tune to my S54 Z3M immediately became a nightmare.
So I'd start here and if you're going to drive it on the street make sure you understand the requirements and if they could be meet.
Of course if this is a track only car have it and who cares and it's been done before: https://www.engineswapdepot.com/?p=590
and it looks like it was a monumental task
Last edited by CMM3; 04-19-2018 at 04:40 PM.
no emissions or inspection here. The car will be built as take to shows, fun on the drags, maybe a road course day, cruise on curvy roads. Will get trailered to track events likely. My old 95 RX-7 LS1 was setup more for straight line but was still fun on the track and could handle daily driving from time to time even with no power steering, cruise, or AC!
This build will have at least AC and PS. Maybe no cruise just depends on the effort vs reward.
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.
Doing a N54/6MT into a Z3M and the only feasible way of doing it for me, was to purchase a running donor car to pull EVERYTHING from. That's the only way to do it if you want to retain a little bit of sanity in my book. Same as when E36 M3's were first being swapped with S54's. You needed everything.
2004 BMW ///M3 Carbon Black/Cinnamon 6 SPD Manuel
Drop a flathead V8 in and make it a rat rod. That'd be unique
Or the other end of the spectrum, the Ford Voodoo. 500+HP and 8000+RPM of flat-plane goodness.
/.randy
Go with what you know. The LS is plenty good for the task at hand.
I'd deviate only if for some reason you came upon a stupid low price on something-or-other with 8, 10, or 12 cylinders. The price difference and novelty might make the extra effort worth it.
Put me down as voting for M57/N57.
-Abel
- E36 328is ~210-220whp: Lots of Mods.
- 2000 Z3: Many Mods.
- 2003 VW Jetta TDI Manual 47-50mpg
- 1999 S52 Estoril M Coupe
- 2014 328d Wagon, self-tuned, 270hp/430ft-lbs
- 2019 M2 Competition, self-tuned, 504whp
- 2016 Mini Cooper S
-Abel
- E36 328is ~210-220whp: Lots of Mods.
- 2000 Z3: Many Mods.
- 2003 VW Jetta TDI Manual 47-50mpg
- 1999 S52 Estoril M Coupe
- 2014 328d Wagon, self-tuned, 270hp/430ft-lbs
- 2019 M2 Competition, self-tuned, 504whp
- 2016 Mini Cooper S
My wife has a 328d as her every day car and my daily driver is a VW V10 Twin Turbo Diesel it only makes 550ftlbs right now. I need to delete some emissions and get a tune to get that number closer to 700.
That video of the 335d sounds bad ass though haha.
I just finished another LS1 swap in a 93 RX-7 today and started on the next 93 RX-7 LS1 swap for the same person.
Last edited by Venom13132; 04-21-2018 at 08:44 PM.
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.
Going into my TENTH YEAR of providing high quality reproduction BMW fabrics!
PRICE CUT on ALL FABRICS
Offering the best prices on the best quality reproduction fabrics!
I wonder if I should make my 328d sound like that. In the tune, I would reduce the amount of idling/low load boost, just because it robs efficiency. That is a neat tuning trick for diesels to improve mileage.
But it does sound kind of cool on the 6 cyl. On the 4 cyl 328, with all the emissions stuff intact, you can't hear a thing.
Only when the variable geometry vanes open, you can hear a slight change in turbo tone, and release of pressure. But not in the sense of blowoff valve.
-Abel
- E36 328is ~210-220whp: Lots of Mods.
- 2000 Z3: Many Mods.
- 2003 VW Jetta TDI Manual 47-50mpg
- 1999 S52 Estoril M Coupe
- 2014 328d Wagon, self-tuned, 270hp/430ft-lbs
- 2019 M2 Competition, self-tuned, 504whp
- 2016 Mini Cooper S
Can not beat the power to dollar ratio of LS but they are common. You will want power steering. It is very easy to adapt and will make driving much easier. I even have it on FrankenCoupe, and it's track only. Just be sure to keep the cooler in place or fab one of your own. I was not thinking and thought I could get away without one. Bad idea.
Dan "PbFut" Rose
This. While I think some flavor of LS is the best option for the OP, I personally have had naughty thoughts of transplanting a Voodoo into "something"; oh, maybe a Z3 or 65-68 Mustang.
There are a couple of Voodoo-powered GT350s running around my locale and they sound like nothing else; all badass and no BS.
The magic of a flat-plane crankshaft. The motor actually sounds good.... not like a gaggle of lawn mowers with bad mufflers that every other merican V8 sounds like.
/.randy
Don't put a ford engine in, as much as I would love the idea and sound of a voodoo/coyote... that is a LARGE motor with gigantic heads. I think the LS motor is an unimaginative and overdone option but in all honesty it seems like a probable solution considering the minimal space we have to work with laterally and the fact that you have a lot of experience with it.
My vote...LS for simplicity and cost. My real vote...a Cummins BT4. Unique swap, highly tunable for gobs and gobs of torque. Would have a very interesting look if you decided to tune it to roll coal with the big trucks.
1999 M Coupe Boston Green, Beige, H&R/Bilsteins, Underdrive Pulleys, Euro 6 speed, UUC SSK and Randy Forbes in the back
2002 2.5 Z3 roadster Oxford Green, auto, all stock
2013 Ram 3500 Crew Cab Dually 385 HP, 850 ft lbs torque at 1600 rpm, all stock and staying that way
2004 Mini Cooper Chili Red, daily driver, modified almost daily
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