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Thread: Poor Man's Z8 Project

  1. #51
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    2000 740i/2003 530i
    This Z3 project is on a whole different level of badassery. Really looking forward to the final product!

  2. #52
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    2019 Miata RF, 88 325i
    I wish I had the room you have for steering on my E30, would solve a LOT of problems with exhaust routing on my V8 swap...

  3. #53
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    Pleasanton, CA
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    1996 LS M3 2019 Mini JCW
    That Engine bay is going to look nice when its painted . I saw this article about the Smit Vehicle Design Oletha sort of similar concept and made me think of your build. what do you think?
    https://www.topgear.com/car-news/ret...led-single-car

  4. #54
    JimLev's Avatar
    JimLev is offline Artifically Aspirated Moderator
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    Have fun. I’ve been sanding and priming fiberglass most of today. The primer always find what you think was perfect.
    I really like the Oletha, wonder if they would sell it without the engine and tranny.

  5. #55
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    JimLev is offline Artifically Aspirated Moderator
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    No pics??

  6. #56
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    I think I fixed the pictures

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  7. #57
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    Murfreesboro, TN
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    '99 528iT
    Now this is a fun swap. Great read, looking forward to seeing this one ripping.
    '89 535i/5 Zinnober
    an 4Runner

  8. #58
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    JimLev is offline Artifically Aspirated Moderator
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    00 540/6, '16 Highlander
    I’m guessing the throttle pot arm (not shown) has to be set at the correct angle like in the 540tu’s?

  9. #59
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    DEИVEЯ, CO.
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    95 M3 6.0 Litre
    Great build, looking forward to more updates

  10. #60
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    Dec 2018
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    Murfreesboro, TN
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    '99 528iT
    I remember upgrading from 1.9 brakes to 3.0 brakes on my Z3, what a massive difference that made. Can't wait to see the rest of the build
    '89 535i/5 Zinnober
    an 4Runner

  11. #61
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    Charlotte, NC
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    2005 ZHP
    Hey man if you're brave you can get decent results with alumiweld sticks and a torch. The hard part is getting enough heat into the part as aluminum likes to distribute the heat from the torch out to the rest of the mass, away from where you need it.

    I used it to weld in an aluminum oil pan baffle and it was a nightmare, but I've seen people preheat a whole oil pan in their grill so they can open it up, hit the spot with a torch, and get the alumiweld to melt to it. Probably not necessary for the small shift carrier but something to keep in mind if it gives you trouble.

  12. #62
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    JimLev is offline Artifically Aspirated Moderator
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    Graham, when your done with that project how about something like what this guy did on Motortrend did.

    48792FBD-1C1F-48D9-8160-F19D92572CC8.jpg

  13. #63
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    Quote Originally Posted by AvusMPower View Post
    Hey man if you're brave you can get decent results with alumiweld sticks and a torch. The hard part is getting enough heat into the part as aluminum likes to distribute the heat from the torch out to the rest of the mass, away from where you need it.

    I used it to weld in an aluminum oil pan baffle and it was a nightmare, but I've seen people preheat a whole oil pan in their grill so they can open it up, hit the spot with a torch, and get the alumiweld to melt to it. Probably not necessary for the small shift carrier but something to keep in mind if it gives you trouble.
    Thanks for the info, I didn't even know such a thing existed. I did some research and think I may end up going that route if the pieces aren't done yet from my fabricator. I'm thinking I could do the aluminum welding and then JB weld a thin reinforcement along the bottom or something, as a "just in case" measure in case the welds/brazing isn't strong enough. Picking up the driveshaft today and the fabrication shop is next door so I guess we will see!

    Quote Originally Posted by JimLev View Post
    Graham, when your done with that project how about something like what this guy did on Motortrend did.

    48792FBD-1C1F-48D9-8160-F19D92572CC8.jpg
    A patina'd '72 bavaria body swapped over something N63 powered would be a ton of fun

    I think I have my next swap planned already though... just need to power through to the end of this build so I can get started on it

    Going into my TENTH YEAR of providing high quality reproduction BMW fabrics!

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  14. #64
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    Sounds great with no mufflers, leave it as is.

  15. #65
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    Haha, it does sound good but it's way too loud in person. I figure an X-pipe, resonators and some glasspacks out the back would serve it well and make it more livable around town

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  16. #66
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    E36 Compact,Coupe,E30
    Love the progress!
    S52 E36 Compact
    E36 325is Coronaproject
    08 Saab 9-3 in Oxford Green

  17. #67
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    E36 Compact,Coupe,E30
    Looking amazing!
    S52 E36 Compact
    E36 325is Coronaproject
    08 Saab 9-3 in Oxford Green

  18. #68
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    E30 E38 E46 E85 F150 GTI
    Amazing work man. I was thinking about an M62tu in my Z4. If it requires this much work I am out!

    Exhaust work looks great I'd be damn proud too!
    2000 740i Sport | 2004 330xi | 1988 325i Vert | 2003 Z4 2.5 | 1995 Ford F150 | 2018 GTI

  19. #69
    JimLev's Avatar
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    Nice exhaust work. Are those CAT’s or mufflers

  20. #70
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    Quote Originally Posted by ZEKTI View Post
    Looking amazing!
    Quote Originally Posted by clarkitect View Post
    Amazing work man. I was thinking about an M62tu in my Z4. If it requires this much work I am out!

    Exhaust work looks great I'd be damn proud too!
    Thanks guys

    And the M62 swap into a Z4 does not require nearly as much work. The M62 is an old generation engine which BMW designed to fit all their chassis back in the day, so the framerails are wide enough to accommodate the engine. That's actually why BMW swapped the V12 into the Z3, to showcase that all their engines fit all their chassis. The main considerations with an M62 E85 Z4 swap is the oil pan and steering shaft. Both have pretty simple off the shelf solutions as there are kits available for that swap

    Quote Originally Posted by JimLev View Post
    Nice exhaust work. Are those CAT’s or mufflers
    Thanks Jim. And those are just straight-through resonators from an E92 M3

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  21. #71
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    Exhaust in place and new lower oil pan installed





    Cooling system is done, just needs to be filled and pressure tested then bled
    Shift linkage is done, eventually going to modify the shifter a bit as it's slightly to the right, but at least it's centered to the hole
    I did put on a different spare front clip I had, which is not painted black... it had the aux fan and condensor already installed so it just made it easier to not have to mess around with customizing those. Which did mean ditching the dual intake for the test drive. Thats ok because exhaust wont be finished either
    Only real holdup at this point is the slave isn't installed. Caught the hardline on the way in and it bent it a bit, now the slave is sitting at a weird angle. Gonna remove it and run a short length of flex line between the slave and hardline

    If I can get the slave in and bled, then in theory (knock on wood) I am only a final bolt check away from sending this hooptie flying

    Going into my TENTH YEAR of providing high quality reproduction BMW fabrics!

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  22. #72
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    2019 Miata RF, 88 325i
    This build has already become one of my all-time favorites, and it's not even done. Great work.

  23. #73
    Join Date
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    E46 M3, E28, E38s, E46
    I don't reply much, but I am following all of your updates. Nice work so far, excited to see it progress.
    Current Garage... '00 R11S, '09 HP2S, '12 R12GSA, '00 Black 323iT (wife's), '02 Alpine 325iT (Eileen, Track Wagon)

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  24. #74
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    Reverted to a stock radiator support for now, to get me to a test drive sooner. Didn't want to mess with customizing the aux fan mounts and all that stuff until the car was done and those were just finishing touches



    Also closed the shop... I wasn't taking on customer work for awhile and with me looking to buy a house in the near future, I thought saving the money and rolling the shop rent into a mortgage could get me into a better home (hopefully with shop space there!). So this was the last photo I took at the shop. It sits pretty high, but it looks super mean in person... still probably going to throw some H&R's on it at some point but at this height it looks very "muscle car" to me which does sort of fit the build. It's growing on me more every time I look at it so I think its I best stop looking at it lol



    So, the car is at home now sharing garage space with my S54 powered Z3



    First project I did at home was grafting the E53 electric fan onto a Z3 fan shroud (I know, I should have dusted the fan off...). And I don't know why the paint on the upper section got all bubbly like that and I don't know if I care enough to sand it down and repaint it. It's a shroud for god's sake. I'll use a different paint next time I make one of these. The E53 shroud actually fit with minimal work, the actual fan shroud section had a diameter that perfectly slotted into the Z3 shroud. Rivets, a few zipties when the gap was too much for rivets and lots of plastic bond





    The "M" was calling the Dunklenator a poser for having an M badge but no M motor, so I addressed that by working on this silly little cosmetic project

    Goal was to install the V8 badge into the "M" trunklid panel around where the M would have been. And I wanted it recessed like the M badge. I think I got pretty lucky - I really only had to extend the recess very slightly in one corner. The rest of the work was filling in the gap







    Now the tables have turned and it's Dunklenator that will be giving my "M" crap for having only 6 cylinders...

    It's not done yet but you get an idea how it'll look when finished. I did have to "over cut" the corners to get a nice square edge with the tools I had on hand. It will get another layer or two of glass and then bondo before being finished. And was now the time to work on a cosmetic project which doesn't get me any closer to a running driving car? Of course not, but I enjoyed doing it, so whatever


    I also notched the strut bar for CCV hose clearance so that fits now. It's preeeeeetty tight underneath, like the foam insulation around the CCV hose is touching the bar... I'm either going to raise the bar a few mm with a plate under the bar on the shock towers, or trim the foam on the hose with a razor. Or as seems to be the usual case on the project more often than not, split the difference and do a little of both



    I'm going to create a pocket around where I clearanced it (like I did for the steering shaft) and add a reinforcement of some sort along the front edge as well. I'm also going to paint it black although the "holy cow this powdercoating is thicker than I thought but I started sanding it so I guess I'll continue sanding like half the white bar then give up" look is a pretty good one too

    Now that it's home I am going to continue working on it at a leisurely pace. Still haven't gotten to test drive it, moving the shop took precedent the past month and I took some time off to myself the past few days to unwind after the move. Worked on the above projects here and there as time permitted

    Electronics are plugged in and I got the slave installed but haven't bled it. Looks like my pressure bleeder got mixed up in the move. Once that's done though, in theory, it's a final bolt check away from a test drive... (I think I've said this before? haha). In any case I'm happy to be wrapping up some of these other projects. I've accepted that this is a process and even when it's running it's going to be far from finished. Gotta enjoy the ride... it's the journey not the destination that counts right?

    Going into my TENTH YEAR of providing high quality reproduction BMW fabrics!

    PRICE CUT on ALL FABRICS
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  25. #75
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    Moved under it's own V8 power for the first time today...

    Although unfortunately I didn't make it very far. The main reason was honestly how the loud the thing was plus the little drama that happened. It was also really hard to steer with one hand and I wanted to film it but it was just such a hassle. When I first pulled out it had an oil light and the oil was on the bottom of the dipstick so I topped it up. The oil light turned off after getting it down the street so I was happy to see that - a member who has helped me out a bit mentioned that sometimes when these engines have been sitting empty for so long it will take a bit to pump them full of oil to get to proper pressure. Then I drove down the block a smidge and the linkage for the accelerator pedal came off. I knew what happened as soon as it occurred and it was easy to get back in place (I need the little locking washer for it) but after that my neighbor was glaring at me so I just took it back home

    Not really calling this a first drive, this is the first scoot. I scooted a little bit down the block then back home lol





    Good news is the clutch, driveshaft, etc seem to work... at least as much as this 30 second drive told me. It is running quite rough at the moment though which is kind of annoying. The only relevant codes seem to be for Outlet VANOS 2 and another one for ambient air temperature sensor. I think the ambient air is making it run a bit rich (although I thought these got that data from the MAF? maybe it's a MAF issue?) and as for the VANOS I'm not entirely sure although I did previously observe that wiring was damaged. I will look into that part of the harness a bit more closely and replace any suspicious wires as well as swap the MAF from my dual intake over and see if that changes anything

    Once I figure out the misfire I will have my fiance film me from the outside as I drive it hopefully a bit further lol

    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!

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