E39 LSx Conversion

[inovermyhead]

got the bellhousing cut off of the cd009, progress has been slow and steady on the build. Adapter plate comes today, then I just need the t56 bellhousing to come. Once the trans can go onto the motor, I can get measurements to take to the driveshaft shop. getting the stuff squared away for pedal box, waiting to order the Holley, but once that comes I can get the car wired up.

What are people doing to wire the ls starter?? I've searched around a small amount but haven't found anything definitive.

[mentaleeill]

I just lengthened the wire from the factory bmw plug to the starter.

[inovermyhead]

Alright, finally have some time to sit down and write a post. Progress has been great in the past week or so. First things first, here are some pictures of the trans as promised:

IMG_1287.jpgIMG_1288.jpgIMG_1376.jpg
There was a bend in the top line for the trans, I just bent it back and don't expect it to be an issue. The bell housing is off of a t56 and is adapted with the plate from ICT Billet. This kit came with the adapter plate, clutch, and pilot bearing, and allows me to run a stock F-body t56 Bellhousing with the t56 transmission components (throwout bearing and pressure plate). With that being said I am trying to figure out exactly how I should go about buying the pressure plate individually from a clutch. All that is left is the shifter relocation.

The fuel pump is also now wired up, Aeromotive 340 stealth fits into the tank perfectly as expected, and the wiring is a cinch. Nifty that BMW provided a diagram of the pinout on the cap of the fuel sending unit, made my life just a bit easier. A bit of cutting is needed to fit the Aeromotive, the BMW pump and the Aeromotive have connections to the fuel socks in different locations. I cut mine so the stock arms would help to hold in the fuel pump still. Admittedly, the cutting is pretty bad and could be improved but I honestly just started cutting with no real plan until something worked. Aeromotive fuel sock just barely fits in the tank and requires some finesse to contort in a way that allows the fuel sender to slide back in completely. You should be able to see how the fuel sock is angled diagonally in the photos below.
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[inovermyhead]

Not sure why some of that uploaded upside down but here are some more pics of the fuel pump retrofit
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Im in the process of hooking up the corvette FPR and wondering what people if people are using the stock evap system and just connected into the LS evap?
IMG_1482.jpg

Also what seems to be the easiest way to ground out the DME relay to get power to the mini fuse holders and other relays? Is there anything else that needs to be powered other than the relays that the DME relay controls?

[StolenFox]

You may find that your fuel pressure is way too high with the 340LPH and the Vette FPR. I did and had to go to an adjustable regulator. Details are in my thread.

S.F.

[inovermyhead]

You may find that your fuel pressure is way too high with the 340LPH and the Vette FPR. I did and had to go to an adjustable regulator. Details are in my thread.

S.F.

Hmmmm, I will have to get the fuel system completely squared away and see what the pressure looks like. Probably good to go with an adjustable regulator anyways. Thanks for the tip! I love your build btw

[inovermyhead]

Just got the DME relay powered up, everything looks good and is powered by the fuse box as expected. It's nice to start getting rid of all the lights in the dash lol.
Next steps for wiring are:
Wiring fuel pump trigger from Holley
wire 12v power to starter lockout
wiring all loose wires on Holley EFI
Running Holley power cables from front to back of car

This Holley EFI really simplifies the wiring side of this project a TON

Next steps after finishing wiring
figure out radiator system
figure out power steering lines (and the situation around the restrictors in the lines and what I want to do to get good steering feel out of the LS PSP)
Figure out how I want to mount the CD009
Figure out shifter distances
Measure driveshaft length

Will post pictures later this week when the motor is in the car

[mentaleeill]

I used the factory e39 radiator with an aluminum, aftermarket mini cooper reservoir/expansion tank I found on Amazon.

Got power steering lines from chase bays and a turn one restrictor fitting for the pump.

[inovermyhead]

Quick wiring question:
The wiring for the fuel pump relay from bmw is triggered by the DME providing a ground. The holley EFI uses a 12v+ for the fuel pump trigger. With that being said, all that I should need to do is ground the original trigger wire all the time, and then take the wire powered by F31 and connect it to the holley 12V+, and that will get the FP working. There's no reason this shouldn't work, correct?
here's what I mean:
Screenshot 2022-09-06 125736.png
Also:
Can somebody enlighten me on the specifics of making a BMW side power steering hose and the parts I need to buy? I know that I am going to buy those Power Steering restrictor fittings from turn one, but I'm kind of confused about building the rest of the line. I've never made a custom PS hose before.

[motorV8ed]

Also:
Can somebody enlighten me on the specifics of making a BMW side power steering hose and the parts I need to buy? I know that I am going to buy those Power Steering restrictor fittings from turn one, but I'm kind of confused about building the rest of the line. I've never made a custom PS hose before.

I took a rather unorthodox approach, shown here:
https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...7#post30295287

Briefly, I modified the GM line to fit a flare fitting. I like this approach, but I should say that I have a bit of a leak in the PS system. I am not yet sure where it leaks, so, for all I know, it could be that connection.

[mentaleeill]

Quick wiring question:
The wiring for the fuel pump relay from bmw is triggered by the DME providing a ground. The holley EFI uses a 12v+ for the fuel pump trigger. With that being said, all that I should need to do is ground the original trigger wire all the time, and then take the wire powered by F31 and connect it to the holley 12V+, and that will get the FP working. There's no reason this shouldn't work, correct?
here's what I mean:
Screenshot 2022-09-06 125736.png
Also:
Can somebody enlighten me on the specifics of making a BMW side power steering hose and the parts I need to buy? I know that I am going to buy those Power Steering restrictor fittings from turn one, but I'm kind of confused about building the rest of the line. I've never made a custom PS hose before.

Yes, grounding the stock fp relay and providing the switched 12v from holley is how mine is done.

Chasebays has the fittings for for the bmw rack and they make really nice an lines.

[inovermyhead]

Things have been slow as I'm starting my first semester of the new school year, but for the short time when I went home the other day, I was able to complete the wiring minus powering the transmission wire needed to get the starter to run. The fuel system is also complete on the car side, other than the hookup for the return line. All that's left is to take the new motor and trans and throw it in. Need to get a driveshaft made after I get the motor and trans in. My biggest concern is trans mounting as I have jesus freaks motor mounts with his t56 trans mount. I now have a CD009, so I was thinking about just making some modifications to the SIKKY mount to make it work. I also still need to plumb the clutch master cylinder over to the brake reservoir, I've been watching manual conversion videos and reading threads for more information on that. When installing the new line to the res, you just need to snip the cap and then the line just connects directly?

ALSO if anybody is interested in buying a JF T56 transmission mount then please let me know, its taking up my valuable shelf space lmao

[motorV8ed]

Wow, you are doing great. You'll be going to A-1 Driveshafts before you know it!

[inovermyhead]

Winter break is coming up, meaning that I'll be able to go home and make some money and get some work done on the car. As stated previously, not much is left. Gotta get the range switch +12v wired for the starter to work, find a way to mount the trans, plumb the clutch stuff, plumb the cooling system, and then get a driveshaft made. This is just to get the car running, after the car is running I'll be doing an 18pc suspension refresh along with coil overs, wheels, and tires. Making progress on the car has been difficult while I'm broke and in college, but I am making it work by surviving off of kraft mac and cheese and beer.

I'm most concerned about plumbing the clutch master and slave, if anybody has some more information on the process that'd be great.

[inovermyhead]

Handbook (mostly unfinished)
https://drive.google.com/drive/folde...usp=drive_link

[inovermyhead]

Quick update:
I have not made as much progress on the build as I would like. As a college student it has been hard to come by the funds to comfortably afford the rest of the build. Luckily, my double major in accounting and IT is coming to a close, and I am soon to take the CPA along with working my full time job. As of right now the engine is completely ready to go into the car. I just need time to make it back home and throw it in to begin my measurements for my transmission, headers, radiator, and intake manifold. All of the plumbing should be fairly straightforward. I have done a lot of research into building lines, how sizing works, and routing of lines. Initial posts on the forums show my glaring lack of knowledge at the time for some key swap related aspects. I have made sure to pad my knowledge in these areas while I am waiting on funds and time to get to working on my swap. I also took an electrical engineering internship at a fortune 500 manufacturer to gain knowledge on the wiring aspects of the build. Although I will likely never be as knowledgeable as some of the awesome members on the forum, I like to think I am a long way from where I began years ago. The forum has been an awesome resource, thank you to everybody who has provided me advice and knowledge along the way. Although some may not agree with trying to undertake a project like this during college away from home, I am so thankful for the invaluable knowledge and experience I have gained. Shortly after graduation I will have a manual v8 E39 that I built myself.

Above is a link to a handbook I am making that condenses a lot of the information about how and why I did things in my build. I include wiring diagrams (which will be improved in the coming months) and will be making diagrams for other things (power steering, fuel system, etc.). Please keep in mind that this is a VERY rough draft and things will continue to be added as the build is finalized. Pictures of the build are planned for adding and will also make it easy to follow.