E46 BMW 344i S Project

[steveafster]

You can get a 5 speed box for the later e34 530i's the ones that came with an M60 it will be a straight fit onto your motor, but you will have to either modify the box to take a timing pickup (requires some precision drilling else your timing measurement for the DME will be wrong), or you will have to convert it to front mounted timing....say by going aftermarket ECU or you could go to one of the older DME's from the M60 days.
The 540i, does it have an M62 or M62TU motor?


You best option for a gearbox would be to go for either the box out of the e39 540i manual, or for and e39 M5 box. The 540i one is hen's teeth rare, but are generally a bit cheaper. The M5 one is easier to find, but are more expensive (though it should be cheap for someone that bought an e60 M5 gearbox ). Don't listen to what anyone tells you (especially scrapyards) the 540i and M5 boxes are the same, the M5 one is just more expensive because M5.

The e34 540i 6 speed gearbox is also a possibility but will require the same modification as the 5 speed one. Other than that this gearbox is identical to the e39 ones.

Thank you all valid points to return the gearbox is not a problem Now I know what they need to find me the 5 or 6 speed box sounds like a lot less trouble.. again I appreciate the advice that is why I posted the project here. :rollsmile:

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Again one of the reasons I posted in this forum is to get Information and Advice however I do not limit my self and believe that if you put your mind to something it can be achieved.

I understand that there would be some that would give negative comments this does not phase me at all only motivates me more to achieve what I want to achieve. I take the positive and negative comments and glean as much information of them as I can use.

So with that I say thank you to all of you for negative or positive input all of it will benefit my project at the end!
:ty::ty::ty:

 

[ChefDJ]

:clapper::clapper::clapper:

 

[Gizmo]

If I were going to build a project like this I would use a E90/92 M3 manual as a donor vehicle as you will save yourself alot of headaches as the S65 motor size is way smaller than the M62, you also get the right gearbox/clutch/flywheel/shifter linkages/wiring harness/DME/EWS/KEY/cluster/dash harness/DSC and SPORT switches and its already designed to fit into a 3 series engine bay so the sump is the right shape. Swap it all in with ease in comparison to your proposed project. If the stock S65 still isn't enough then you could adapt a VF or EAS S65 supercharger kit to fit as it was too built for a 3 series engine bay.
Good time to look for hail damaged E90/92 M3s, plus its rainy season again so the salvage yards will start filling up again, there are bargains to be had out there plus the remains left over will fetch top dollar in the second hand car market unlike the remains left over of a E39 540i.
Its by far the cheapest and easiest way to build a BMW engine V8 E46, I saw Boetie from Budler Motorsport build Lukas' S65 engine E46 325i swap years ago using a rear end smash E92M3 manual with under 5000km, everything worked like it came from the factory right down to ABS and DSC. The E46 diagnostically thought it was a 5000km E92M3. I saw the size difference between the M62 side by side with S65 and there is a big difference.

Take this under consideration before ripping apart a good working 540i and flushing one hell of alot of money down the drain in a fruitless attempt to get your current stuff to work together and properly.

 

[Peter@AEW]

Let's see 4 pages 60 odd posts and only a few pics of a shell e46.

Maybe a few pics of the acquired motor and spares gathered to date?

My above observations aside it is my experience that when collecting a hodge podge of mixed parts cobbling it together to make something work invariably leads to disaster.

I wish you a healthy bank balance and am following this thread with interest.

 

[steveafster]

Let's see 4 pages 60 odd posts and only a few pics of a shell e46.

Maybe a few pics of the acquired motor and spares gathered to date?

My above observations aside it is my experience that when collecting a hodge podge of mixed parts cobbling it together to make something work invariably leads to disaster.

I wish you a healthy bank balance and am following this thread with interest.

I will post more pictures as things progress. The 540I has not been delivered yet I will take some pics of the diff later i am in no major rush though :=):

 

[Gizmo]

Oh, thats another thing, no need to re-invent the wheel here as far as the diff goes. I have a bunch of the E46 M3 rear suspension stuff that will bolt into your existing car giving it bigger brakes and LSD which is way better than the 540i stuff. I have M3 subframe, sway bar and mounts, upper and lower control arms, left trailing arm, left and right sideshafts.

 

[Fordkoppie]

I do not limit my self and believe that if you put your mind to something it can be achieved.

I understand that there would be some that would give negative comments this does not phase me at all only motivates me more to achieve what I want to achieve. I take the positive and negative comments and glean as much information of them as I can use.

So with that I say thank you to all of you for negative or positive input all of it will benefit my project at the end!

This is very true if and only if a lot of dedication, money and expertise are thrown towards a project like this.

Not limiting yourself and putting your mind towards a goal is applaud worthy:bravo:

If/when you succeed, I will be the first one to take my hat off to you, saying well done and would gladly apologize for the negative commentary. Because even partial success - a plain working M62 into e46 conversion without any other additions is already a huge accomplishment.

Until there has been some proof of success in at least one of your........ lets call them challenges, I shall remain quiet.

Over!

 

[Doomsdaya]

Technically criticism can be a good thing because it can help spur the guy on to disprove the naysayers. Fordkoppie actually knows how much pain-staking work is involved in making all of the mismatch parts work, let alone all of it work at the same time...Give him a break, you can actually learn a lot from the guy.

If we didn't have sceptics we would still think the world is flat...

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If you guys have been to his house you would know that he knows a few things about V8's and engine swaps...

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^^^This^^^

Honestly if the OP doesn't have the mental fortitude to handle Mr Ford's skepticism, I doubt he will have the fortitude to pull through on a build like this.
Personally I am still very skeptical about this build and still feels that the OP doesn't know what he is letting himself in for. That said it is nice to discuss V8 things for a change even if there is a chance it will amount to nothing.


Just a little off topic, a little look into Mr Ford's garage (for those skeptical about his passion and knowledge):

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Sank where can I book a tour of Mr Fords garage

 

[netercol]

watching this thread with interest..

think the point those that have been down this road are trying to make is simply that while a project like this is by no means outside the realms of possiblity, it very rarely ends up being worth it..

the reason is simply (besides cost) because a mashup of parts not specifically designed to work with each other will never be 100% .. things are always going to break when you least expect it to, ect ect..

my dabble down this road was stuffing a twin turbo v6 into a body designed for a 1.8l turbo motor.. was it possible? sure it was.. was it fun to drive? hell yes!
but years down the line, looking back, was it worth it? no... i could have bought a m3 new for what i ended up spending on that car..

that said, the experience was invaluable, and silencing your critics, priceless...

:=):

 

[Peter@AEW]

watching this thread with interest..

think the point those that have been down this road are trying to make is simply that while a project like this is by no means outside the realms of possiblity, it very rarely ends up being worth it..

the reason is simply (besides cost) because a mashup of parts not specifically designed to work with each other will never be 100% .. things are always going to break when you least expect it to, ect ect..

my dabble down this road was stuffing a twin turbo v6 into a body designed for a 1.8l turbo motor.. was it possible? sure it was.. was it fun to drive? hell yes!
but years down the line, looking back, was it worth it? no... i could have bought a m3 new for what i ended up spending on that car..

that said, the experience was invaluable, and silencing your critics, priceless...

:=):

But at what cost?

The cost of a new M3

With respect that is daft at best and absolutely moronic at worst.

Not a potshot at you Niko merely the principle.

 

[Coisman]

Alex, and everyone else...

The fact is that we do not know why, but spending money on our cars is a fact of life. When it comes to the cost there is for some people no limit on spending.

I owned a Honda Ballade V-tec, and bought it for R64k in 2004/5, and I went to town on it, everything from import Mugen Racing Cams to Coil over suspension, and intake and exhaust and you name it. Also twin 15" subs with 2 amps, and more, and never mind the custom body parts, wheels, brakes...

In all I probably spent around R45k on that car, which I would obviously never get back, but thats how people roll...

So if this guy wants to spend R1million on this build, let him go for it, he will be the only one with a car like this, and if it makes him happy and he can afford then, then I say Good luck Sir, no matter how rediculous some think you are for attempting this. :thumb:

 

[Gizmo]

:ttiuwp:

 

[Jeremy]

Yoh Ford Koppie, your garage is amazing!!!

OP please give us a progress update, im watching this thread very closely, it seems like it is going to be awesome.

 

[Gizmo]

In for updates...tick tock!

 

[Coisman]

In for updates...tick tock!

+1 :hammerhead:

 

[Peter@AEW]

Yes it has been a long time............

 

[Nikhil]

OP was last online 06-11-2014 02:56 PM

 

[Gizmo]

^So either he's furiously working on the project or fordkoppie called his bluff...

 

[zaleonardz]

Now if only somebody had a spare N63B44 motor...

Still a 4.4 motor, so it should fit in the E46 easily

(I am just stirring, that would be a silly idea as costs will just simply be far out of line)

 

[Sankekur]

I have to say this thread is really living up to my exact expectations.