I do some wiring work for Craig Taylor @ DynoTorque apart from running a motorcycle dyno Craig is also an expert fabricator/engineer & puts LS 1/2/3 engines into different cars, I do the wirirng on them for him & the V8 rumble/torque has finally got under my skin so he's making me one
I bought a 2001 325 M Sport Coupe for the conversion into which is going an LS1 5.7l GTO engine & 6 speed box, it's not 'just' an engine swap tho it'll need hand made header pipes, prop, steering rod etc & while we are it were installing the rear end from an E46 M3 to give the car an LSD, upgrading the suspension & brakes as well as sorting all the niggles with the car.
The Car...
M3 LSD Diff & rear end
LS1 5.7l GTO Engine & box
Laser cut widgets for the custom headers
The Carbon cube trim was worn out on the drivers door & needed replacing as I had to the door trim off to fix the CDL I decided I'd have a go at painting the trim & see what it looked like
Rear AP calipers being sized up for brackets onto M3 read discs
I sourced an M3 propshaft from a local breakers for £95
Put my old black MV1's on still not sure on what to do about wheels unlike most I really like MV1's but this is 3rd car that's had them,,,,
Well the scales say 1421KG lets see how much it gains when it's finished.
Craig measuring up for the mounting brackets for the AP Calipers & bigger discs
Brakes
It needed a small spacer to clear the wheel but I'd intended to run spacers as the wheels sit to far in anyway so I popped next door & pinched some from driftworks....
Next up is the AP rear calipers
While I was @ driftworks I got Phil's old H&R anti roll bar off him for mine, my pile of stuff in the corner is getting bigger
Ready for bodyshop
Rear brakes are done
Car is back from bodyshop & Driftworks brought round a load of boxes (HSD's anti rollbars brakelines & loads of powerflex bushes.
The new radiator, engine mounts & fuel pressure reg/filter have been delivered too.
Shiny things B)
Complete back end removed so Craig can stiffen up the subframe mounting points
Good job we were planning to stiffen the back end up.... the trained eyes will see the crack starting & the movement on the spot welds
Removed the 2.5 engine/gearbox/wiring & front suspension.
There isn't a lot of the car I bought left...... More shiny stuff arrived today too
The DynoTorque subframe kit waiting to be fitted
Craig has had a look at the engine & the clutch is fubar'd
It seems clutches are a weak point on LS1's & the clutch of choice is an LS7 but to fit an LS7 clutch you need an LS7 flywheel too all in about £700 ish Why did I buy that cam LOL after a bit of surching I found a brand new one that's been taken off a new engine for £300 Ive put the new front shocks on
Craig busy making a racket grinding & then welding in the DynoTorque subframe strengthening kit
Painted the repair
Subframe poly bushed
& then got it back into the car
Got the rear suspension & brakes on & ran new braided brake lines to the front
I'm so sad!!!!
Craig's made an new steering arm & relocted the ABS
When I ordered the engine I ordered it with a certain type of sump unforttunately the breaker didn't have one so he fitted a different one thinking it would be ok so after a quick measure up it defo won't fit with this sump & I've been able to source one in the UK so the sump he's fitted is being sent back & a the correct sump is being sent out to me, so just a case of being patient which is something I fail at!!!! The frustraiting thing is had he asked we'd have told him the sump he fitted wouldn't work.... until the sump is in Craig can't mount the engine, so he can't make the headers or get the propshaft modded & I can't start the wiring etc....
I've made a start on the wiring....
& pushed it outside for a wash
The black wheels look better clean & in the sunlight
Done most of the engine loom
As I said not much can be done until the sump etc turn up but I've been doing my best to keep it moving along...
All the brake lines are now connected to the moved ABS pump
Done as much of the wiring as I can for now
What do you do when you can't buy a big enough back box? Well if your Craig Taylor you just cut/weld/bend one till it's the right size....
And then this morning Fedex handed me a package....
Just waiting (still) on the sump despite lots of assurances from the place I bought my engine (Calspeed & Performance) from were still waiting for them to sort their mistake out.
A minor update
Sump has finally tuned up late today
so things should start moving forward, not that we've been idle while waiting for it..Craig has fitted the new cam, cam chain, pushrods, uprated valve springs & collets
The engine just waiting for the correct sump.....
We've been able to do a bit on the exhaust & some of the pipework under the bonnet
A friend of mine has been over today looking at the canbus side of things & it's quite involved & going to take some work to do so as temp quick fix I'm going to install a set of E36 clocks I have while Rob works on the can bus.
This morning Craig fitted the LS7 clutch & T56 gearbox together & then poked the engine into the hole.....
& the he made some engine & gearbox mounts
& it's in
That's a very long difficult day made to sound very easy.... it's not trust me!
I've dropped the prop off to be shortened & have the correct end fitted for the T56 box & in the morning I'm off to Jetex to collect the bends & pipe/parts so Craig can start making the headers
It's been a busy few days for Craig @ DynoTorque he,s made the exhaust headers & connected them to rear section along with sorting power steering lines.
This
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Waiting for the t**t that's borrowed efi live to bring it back so I can unlock the ECU then it will start
It runs
Still plenty of work to do before it's finished if a car like this is ever finished.....
Seems like I've got a faulty brake master cylinder as I no pressure to the rear brakes, not ideal
Needs to have the wheels aligned etc & still quite a bit of wiring/interfacing to sort out so still a few late nights left in it yet!!!!
But I'm a happy chap Craig's work is amazing I can't thank him enough for the work he's done & the endless advice & use of his workshop for the last month or two, I honestly wouldn't trust anyone else with car/van/bikes
Oh yeah it's gained a bit of weight..... It's 1499kg so 78kg heavier not all of that is engine tho, it's down to bigger brakes/wheel spacers/anti roll bars/diff/boot floor mods etc so it's about the same weight as a STD M3
I taxed it earlier & have done 5-6 miles in it, it's fast.... I love the way when you rev it the car rocks side to side, it's as quite as I could make it but you can still hear the V8 rumble it's almost wrong in a BMW. I've got lots to sort out before it's really roadworthy at the moment the brakes aren't working correctly, no abs, speedo or any gauges apart from fuel I think the can bus is connected to more of the car than I first thought. Lots to do but I can already tell this is going to be a fantastic car
I've got to the bottom of some of my issues today I've refitted the BMW engine ecu with hindsight I should never have removed it.... & now have a working temp gauge
& I've been able to scan the car & the reason (or at least one of) I have no abs or speedo is because the car is not seeing the rear wheel sensors the M3 rear end is from a later 2004 car with DSC & it looks like the sensors are not compatible with my ASC unit so tomorrow I'm going to try & get some older sensors & fit them, with a bit of luck that will sort my brake issues too only leaving to decide which way to resolve the tacho either machine my front pulley & fit the BMW sensor or source a convert box from the chevvy crank sensor to the BMW one. Todo list is very small indeed, aircon pipes/gas, bleed clutch, fit trigger ring for rev counter & clean it
The last few days have been a blur!!!! I'd say the car is 90% now my todo list is almost empty
I think all that's left is to have the aircon gassed, alignment done & tweak the map when it's got a few more miles on it, oh & fix it.....Obv you just can't buy aircon lines for chevvy in a bmw off the shelf so at DynoTorque that means Craig makes them....
I've gained control of most of my gauges, I made this really hard work for myself by taking out & selling the bmw ecu with the engine I didn't realise how much of the car was connected to the DME, heater, aircon, abs, speedo instrument cluster with the help of my mate rob & a bentley manual, bmw tis, bmw laptop software, chevvy laptop software, digital volt meter & a lot of time we refitted what we needed of the bmw DME & wiring and had a trigger wheel made to so the DME still thinks the bmw engine is fitted.....
All of which gives it
Took a couple of pics before I drove home in it last night
Unfortunately the bmw expansion tank has sprung a leak so I'm off to try & source one or there will be UBMW for me
Not really an update more just an excuse to post a pic or two
Wideband sensor controller
Craig made me an adaptor to put the sensor in the exhaust
Still a few bits to to make it 100% finished but its getting close
