E46 5.3 LS swap with 4L60E auto transmission

[Smithseth]

Link to your pics. There is interest.

I’m working on this exact project, 2000 328i e46 2004 5.3 with the same 4l60e. I ended up getting a motor trans transfer case ecu and harness swap, used the motor and trans in my truck but I’m already got the old motor fully taken apart cleaned and it’s ready to be rebuild just waiting on parts. I plan on doing this very cheap and easy at first get it running and driving good then upgrading later. Since I have the motor trans and all that I didn’t have to buy it so it’s what I’m using. Paid 500$ for the shell and it’s about 550$ parts on the way. I might do the trd mounts but they looks skinny and I like the cx racing ones cause they look stronger and adjustable. This going going to be a street car more meant for daily, speed and corners. Once I get the motor together I’ll be ordering the mounts here in 2 weeks then test fit !

[Smithseth]

I just got my motor installed, made room for the headers, now test fitting trans so far so good should have it in by this week, then working on getting a driveshaft made

[Smithseth]

IMG_1460.jpgIMG_1464.jpgIMG_1471.jpgIMG_1478.jpg

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I decided to go with tdr mounts, they took forever to show up (3 weeks) so it set me behind a bit. I paid for 3 day shipping and when I called dude said he spaced it. Oh well they are here and in. Need a little more clearance in the tunnel for the trans, ended up getting a 120k mile 2wd trans instead of rebuilding/converting mine to 2wd still going to for future more hp. But trying to get this done here in the next few months

[Smithseth]

Still debating on what’s gonna be my best route for wiring, I have the whole ecu and wiring harness, probably going to go thru the harness and cut what I don’t need and either send my ecu out or get hp tuners and try myself
like I said I already had the motor so I didn’t could the price of that but here’s what I’m in it so far for

BMW project cost
$500.00 shell


$316.68 motor parts (Bearings, gaskets, bolts,oil pan) (oil pan-valve over )


$50 lube, paste, brake clean


$400 motor mounts


$103.63 motor parts
Knock sensors, bolts, ignition switch, coolant crossover


$50.04 motor accessories
Radiator, spark plugs, power steering pump


$500
2wd trans 120k miles






TOTAL —- $ 1920.35

[Smithseth]

Got the trans in and trans mounted, seems like I can just get a gm end welded to my drive shaft, made a plate to hold the trans, plenty of room now all the way around I ended up cutting a little to have room around the trans pan but but a little and hit it a bunch with a sledge. Now it fits great. Gotta take it back out to run my trans cooler lines then make the bracket pretty and put it back together!

[motorV8ed]

Looking like good progress!

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Looking like good progress!

[Smithseth]

I’m pumped to finsh this. The whole idea behind this build is that my main hobby is my sandrail does wheelies at the beach, but I’m waiting for the summer so I had this combo laying around and wanted to put it in my squarebody but it runs and drives great so I wanna wait for that, saw this shell for cheap with a title so I said why not let’s see if we can get it done before the end of march and let’s see if we can do it for around 3k. I just ordered a trans cooler and starter a few other things and I’m at $ 2157 total including car everything that iv had to buy to complete this project, will post undated pictures next week

[Smithseth]

Got the intake manifold on, throttle cable all hooked up, was super easy with just a cheap Amazon cable. Set up the shifter cable off the stock cable but only pulled it into reverse so gonna re configure that to see if I can get it to work. Trans cooler lines all plumed and oil catch can, going to see about hooking up fuel and coolant and exhaust now

[Smithseth]

Got the brake booster hooked up, trans cooler, and started taking apart the harness to make stand alone. Did the pin out method. Going to mock it up and make it look clean then loom it all. Got the hood cut (going to do a custom cowl hood). Shifters all hooked up now and getting closer !

[Smithseth]

Got a lot of progress done the last few weeks, got the exhuast ran out of the bay, driveline will be here tomorrow then I’ll finsh the exhaust and I’m completely done underneath, got the OEM bmw shifter hooked up to the 4l60e and wiring harness hooked up, trans cooler and temp, hopefully be off the lift this weekend and then hooking up the fuse box and all the wires to the car, and work on coolant and adapting the gm to bmw radiator. If anyone has advise for wiring the fuel pump or adapting the lines let me know, I have a lead power wire for a fuel pump off the fuse box, so probably going to run a new wire back to the factory pump for now
hoping to be finished here in a couple weeks for start up and test drive

[Smithseth]

Just fired it up! She runs good gotta get the hole plugged on the bottum of the bmw radiator then fill with coolant then I can get it to temp make sure no leaks on coolant side, then might be test driving this weekend!!
https://youtube.com/shorts/6ZHp_houh...4Xl5hGVz2pHKan

[motorV8ed]

Just fired it up! She runs good gotta get the hole plugged on the bottum of the bmw radiator then fill with coolant then I can get it to temp make sure no leaks on coolant side, then might be test driving this weekend!!
https://youtube.com/shorts/6ZHp_houh...4Xl5hGVz2pHKan

That is great news! Pretty exciting to hear the first rumble. Good luck with the punch list!

[Smithseth]

Was super exciting ! Got to drive it up and down my drive way. Then I lost oil pressure, and I can’t get my coolant to burp. Keeps wanting to over heat out I shut her down at 212. So got some stuff to do gonna just order an oil pump and do that first then worry about my coolant. But got kids bdays coming up so gonna be a lil but atleast the main swap is done and it runs ! Don’t wanna run it anymore until I fix oil pressure

[motorV8ed]

Yeah, smart move. I put in a Mehling high-flow pump before the installation.

[Smithseth]

IMG_3664.jpgSo I got the swap all done, even pulled it back out to do the oil pump. But I still have a burping/cooling problem. It will ideal for 30+ min and hold all the coolant and even rev it, but I started driving it and it gets to hot and shoots it all out the overflow, my guess is it’s either that the lower radiator hose has a small kink or the type of overflow revisor I used. I can’t figure it out. Any help would be appreciated

[modular93fox]

as far as your cooling issue, I cant see clearly how the hoses are ran, but if the heater core lines go to the heater core valve, it will start to overheat at a stop light or drive through.
To test: you can watch the gauge rise.... and then when you think its overheating, turn the heater on (assuming the heater valve is good) if the temperature starts to drop almost instantly, thats your issue, you need to add a H type pipe in the cooling system so the outlet from the waterpump heater core flows back to the inlet and flows over the thermostat.

[Smithseth]

I have the heater core hoses running just like the trucks do, straight to heater core nipples on firewall, so I didn’t run a valve or anything, at this point I have changed to a Camaro water pump 160degree thermostat and now she drives good been driving it a few days still will eventually climb and get to about 200, and in traffic and stuff it does climb, I think it does better when the heat is on, might need to put that valve in?

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Now there’s no kinks in the hoses, but still climbs heat when not moving fast, I just remembered I plugged the overflow hose so I might unplug that today and see if that helps at all ,

[Smithseth]

Update, installed another fan, now have a dual fan and stays 178 driving and 189 idling for 30+ min, now need to see why sometimes it doesn’t wanna shift on WOT