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Thread: Dlux BMW E21 build

  1. #51
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    Now that is a Swap!

    i wouldnt do it in mine though, i’ve a more conservative approach to “classics to be”

  2. #52
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    Quote Originally Posted by Classico View Post
    Now that is a Swap!

    i wouldnt do it in mine though, i’ve a more conservative approach to “classics to be”

    Its funny how we are all so different, right?

    I would be 100% happy driving a mostly stock e21. The only catch is if it could be reliable. That is the whole reason behind this build, to have a reliable e21.

    Maybe someday I will have this one and then a stock one that just sits. LOL

  3. #53
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    Yeah Erik, vive la diference!

    I wouldnt mind driving your E21 either.
    All the best with your built, you´re doing a very throughtful job

  4. #54
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    The first thing I wanted to deal with on the motor swap was the heater core lines. They are directly in the way of the motor on the drivers side. I figured if I could bend the heater core lines up, they would be out of the way.

    I thought this would be a simple task as I can just throw the torch on there, heat it up and be done in 5 min. Many of you might know what is coming next, LOL. I am about 20 hours into getting these lines out of the way but I am done now.

    I went to heat up the heater core lines to bend them, thought "wow, there sure is a lot of crap on these lines to make them bubble like that", then straight to "wow, these lines sure bend easy" then straight to "fuck, these lines are not copper, they are plastic!"

    So, yeah, I am a dumb ass, I thought the lines were copper but they are plastic and I burned thru them. It ended up being a blessing though.

    I took the inside of the car apart including the heater box and fan. While I was in there, I found that the fan motor had a super clapped out bushing/bearing so I got caught up in a worm hole. The heater core also had tons and tons and tons of leaves and crap in there. It was time to be cleaned out for sure!

    I tried to find a replacement motor, but I can only find one for Behr systems and not the Sofica systems, so I went to rebuild the motor. I turned the comm and made new bushings. You can see how clapped out the bushing was in the pictures. The brushes were about 1/2 life so they are still in there for now. I hope it holds up.





    I got the new heater core and figured out I could mirror the heater core in the heater box and this brings it to the passenger side where I have a ton more room.

    So, yeah, not much of an update but a ton of hours were put into pulling the heater core and fixing that stupid motor.
    If anybody knows where I can find a replacement motor for the Sofica system, I would appreciate it.
    I am excited to get back to fabrication and hopefully things go a bit faster than this did.






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    Last edited by Erik Dlux; 01-04-2019 at 02:26 PM.

  5. #55
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    '82 320i, '86 Jetta,
    Terrific build?

    Are you going to be using the stock e21 diff behind that engine?

  6. #56
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    Quote Originally Posted by Heretic E21 View Post
    Terrific build?

    Are you going to be using the stock e21 diff behind that engine?
    Negative. I have a E28 setup I am working on.

  7. #57
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    Quote Originally Posted by Erik Dlux View Post
    Negative. I have a E28 setup I am working on.
    The swap where you take the whole E28 rear subframe, and move the E21 mounting tabs?

  8. #58
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    Quote Originally Posted by Heretic E21 View Post
    The swap where you take the whole E28 rear subframe, and move the E21 mounting tabs?
    Kinda. I will be taking the E28 subframe, cutting the ends off and then welding the E21 ends on that. Others have done it, I have not looked into it other than whats on the net.

  9. #59
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    Probably the biggest issue with fitting the LFX motor in the E21 is the motor height. I set out to solve this problem by cutting the oil pan.

    My plan was to cut the oil pan to fit around the subframe/steering rack. The first problem I ran into was that the Camaro pan tapered off in the front so if I did section out the back, there was not a ton of room for oil in the front.

    I started looking at other cars that had the LFX motor and found that the Buick Enclave had a pan that was a low profile towards the trans and the bulk of the oil was held in the front. Ok, great start.

    I also found out that the Enclave pan is overall about 1" shorter than the Camaro pan. Even better.









    So, I got to work and sectioned out the pan and then welded in some plate. Hopefully it works out. LOL




    I gained ballpark of 4.5" with this mod. Plenty to fit under the hood and really bring the weight down.
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    Last edited by Erik Dlux; 01-04-2019 at 02:29 PM.

  10. #60
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    More pics







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    Last edited by Erik Dlux; 01-04-2019 at 02:31 PM.

  11. #61
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    Finally back at it after many obligations!


    I went to install the oil pan and found that it warped inwards. Bummer. I planned for it warping so it would not want to be flat but didnt expect it to pull in so hard. I bet it was a good 3/8" off.


    So, I got to do the pan again. No biggie. Plus, I found that I actually need a newer Chevy Traverse pan since it has the oil low senor like the donor motor does.


    This time, I bolted the pan to some 1/8" sheet metal so it didnt move. I didnt dare weld the inside as I dont want it to warp so wish me luck that there are no leaks. If there are, I will try some JB weld or RTV on the inside.


    I also installed the windage tray and modified a oil pickup to fit in the tiny space I have left.









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    Last edited by Erik Dlux; 01-04-2019 at 02:33 PM.

  12. #62
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    good work Erik. in case you were still looking for a Sofica blower motor: https://www.bavauto.com/bmw-blower-m...0aAqfKEALw_wcB

    you can also send out the motor to be rebuilt but it was $265. I seem to recall that there was some BMW dealer in Atlanta (?) that was selling new Sofica's for about $280 but I don't have a link. whatever you order just make sure that the overall length matches what you took out of the car as there may have been different variations of the Sofica. I think that E28's might have used the same blower as the later model E21's

  13. #63
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    Yeah, I did see that. Thanks though.

    I think for me, it would make more sense to switch over to the bosch setup since there are motors that are easily sourced? Either that or convert a Bosch motor to the Sofica. $300ish for a motor is just crazy to me. Maybe I will even hand wind my own motor? LOL Hopefully this one that I just modded will work good enough.

    Sucky too because I found out that the E28 uses the same heater core so it might use the Sofica. I had an E28 sitting here that I used for the rear subframe. Wish it were still here to check.

  14. #64
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    i don't think it's the windings that go bad, it's the brushes that get worn. that and the commutator getting dirty. the problem with converting to Bosch is you have to modify the squirrel cages because the diameter of the Bosch shaft is larger than the Sofica. there are work arounds, just depends how much time you have.

    nice job on the bushings

  15. #65
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    Yeah, sorry, I just meant I would make my own motor if I had to. Windings and all.

    My comm was good, I turned it in the lathe anyway and it still had a ton of meat on it. The brushes were so-so, I think I can find more at a hardware store if needed. The "bearings" were my problem, I think they will be fine. Its the contruction of the can that I had a hard time with. It pinches back together (I think thats how you would explain it?) mine didnt pinch the way I wanted it to.

    I have a spare Bosch motor and squirrel cages here so it would be pretty easy to swap other than just making something for the can to sit in.

  16. #66
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    Looks like some more solid progress towards one of the most unusual swaps someone's done in a while.


  17. #67
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    Time to deal with the shifter! What an ordeal!


    Its funny to me how things have changed so much from the last time I did a build. Now, it seems impossible to go to a junk yard (at least for these newer cars, and older cars). Now, it looks like you just order everything off the net, which I am good with for the most part.


    My original plan was to just order a stock shifter and modify as needed. So, I went to order the shifter from somewhere like GMpartsonline.net (or many of the other variations). They rejected my order telling me they must have a VIN or they wont sell to me. Ok. I will just order from another yet similar website. Same thing! Nobody wanted to sell me a shifter without a VIN, even though I would explain to them what I was doing with the parts. Frustrating. I cant stand the stupid rules that are in place in todays society. I dont know why they cant sell it to me and tell me its my risk.


    So, I sprung for the MGW short throw shifter. It was quite a bit of work to get it to where its at and I am still not 100% it will work as needed. Hopefully I dont end up with an expensive shifter that I cant use!


    First, they dont supply the part that does the actual shifting, just the arms to hold it to the trans. Upon some searching, I couldnt really find a yoke that was a perfect fit so I had to machine some out of 7075.


    I made the connecting rod to the two yokes out of stainless for corrosion sake. It was decently heavy so I decided to be mindful of how much weight I am putting on and I gun drilled the connecting rod.





    Second was that I had to cut the connecting arms way down. It is much shorter now.






    Wish me luck that it fits well. I dont know that I have many more options as far as fitting. This should put it in the exact same spot as a stock shifter. I only have 1/8" of room around the trans housing and driveshaft so it will be tight!



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    Last edited by Erik Dlux; 01-04-2019 at 02:36 PM.

  18. #68
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    Quote Originally Posted by Erik Dlux View Post
    My original plan was to just order a stock shifter and modify as needed. So, I went to order the shifter from somewhere like GMpartsonline.net (or many of the other variations). They rejected my order telling me they must have a VIN or they wont sell to me. Ok. I will just order from another yet similar website. Same thing! Nobody wanted to sell me a shifter without a VIN, even though I would explain to them what I was doing with the parts. Frustrating. I cant stand the stupid rules that are in place in todays society. I dont know why they cant sell it to me and tell me its my risk.
    I've heard of issues needing a vin for ordering euro market BMW parts since they don't want to sell them to people with US-market car for some reason, but that's strange that they won't sell you anything. I wonder if that's a new GM rule or something since they were all doing it.


  19. #69
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    last time I ordered some small parts at the dealer for my 323i I had to email them a copy of my registration and a photo of the VIN. I didn't mind because I had those things readily available but I was kinda surprised. I suppose they just want to give owners of actual euro cars first dibs as the parts supply dwindles.
    Last edited by sbcrockett; 12-08-2018 at 11:57 AM.

  20. #70
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    Quote Originally Posted by sbcrockett View Post
    last time I ordered some small parts at the dealer for my 323i I had to email them a copy of my registration and a photo of the VIN. I didn't mind because I had those things readily available but I was kinda surprised. I suppose they just want to give owners of actual euro cars first dibs as the parts supply dwindles.
    The other explanation I've heard is people were switching the e46 to the csl bumper support and some state's DOT was unhappy with that


  21. #71
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    Here is a shot of the shifter installed and the tight clearance. It will only have about 1/8" of clearance over the drive shaft ouput on the back of the shifter and the part that does the shifting itself.

    Also some shots of the old pan installed and fitment over the front subframe.







    - - - Updated - - -

    Quote Originally Posted by sbcrockett View Post
    last time I ordered some small parts at the dealer for my 323i I had to email them a copy of my registration and a photo of the VIN. I didn't mind because I had those things readily available but I was kinda surprised. I suppose they just want to give owners of actual euro cars first dibs as the parts supply dwindles.
    Quote Originally Posted by hotdish View Post
    The other explanation I've heard is people were switching the e46 to the csl bumper support and some state's DOT was unhappy with that
    Who knows? I think its just the direction the World is headed. More corporations bringing more situations where you cant simply talk and reason with a person. While I understand it, I think its just one of the many ways our society is headed in the wrong direction.
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    Last edited by Erik Dlux; 01-04-2019 at 02:38 PM.

  22. #72
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    I put the heater core and interior back together. I noticed I didnt grab any good pics of the mods I did to the heater core so I took some and will drop it here just in case it helps anybody along with their swap.









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    Last edited by Erik Dlux; 01-04-2019 at 02:40 PM.

  23. #73
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    On to the motor and trans mounts....


    I have never completely understood how people make their motor or trans mounts when making custom poly mounts. Either you tack weld everything in, pull the poly bushings, weld it up and hope it does not warp/pull (it always seems to IMO) or you just weld it in with the poly bushings and melt them at least a little bit.


    Well, this time I wanted to come up with something that works a bit better so I made some aluminum bushings for mock up. This way I can fully weld the mounts while in place and then when it all cools, I will toss the poly bushings in. This makes it so its a perfect fit and no poly bushings will be harmed.
    I also made all the aluminum bushings a bit wider so the poly ones will slide right in.

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    Last edited by Erik Dlux; 01-04-2019 at 02:40 PM.

  24. #74
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    That's a nice idea on the mock up bushings. I'm guessing a lot of people just let them warp. Are you worried about those output flange nuts hitting the shifter rod under load at all?


  25. #75
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    Yeah, its a concern for sure.

    One thing to remember though is that the shifter is mounted to the trans so, if the trans moves, the shifter should move with it for the most part. The only thing that stops the shifter from moving with the trans is the tail body mount.

    Also, the concern is with the trans moving upwards into the shifter. While there is movement, I think most should be side to side and not really upwards.

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