1995 BMW M3/LS2/T56

[Chrisco]

Probably not, but it's not like pennies have been pinched throughout this build. It seems... odd... to not cut any corners throughout every aspect of the build just to save, what... three dollars?... on an oil filter. That's all.

 

[HILROD]

The knock sensors go into the valley cover. The Fram will be fine for startup.

 

[wolfe]

Very cool build. Sorry to read about you cracking the block and the issues you had with the 2nd one. I hope things go smoothly from here on out for you.

 

[GG Allin]

The knock sensors go into the valley cover.

Not on a Gen IV LS. I wish they did.

 

[HILROD]

Well I'll be damned! I just looked it up and you are right. The valley cover ones are a pain. The knock sensors can go in just about any place they will screw in. There are OEM spots but it'll work in any hole nearby.

 

[greasy]

Awesome swap, loving the build thread!

 

[GG Allin]

 

[GG Allin]

Did some more assembly tonight. Got the trans and motor together. Didn't CRACK ANY FUCKING BLOCKS this time. I'm going to spend the next few nights assembling and routing wires. I want everything, motor, trans, harnesses, sub-frame, mounts & headers to go in as one unit.

 

[GG Allin]

Two issues, the "mounting tab" for the steering rack on the back side interferes with the oil pan. That will need to come down a bit. And the trans mount does not line up for shit. The bracket needs to be re-drilled. I need to look further in to that before I re-drill it though, it's supposed to work the way it is. Other than that, there seems to be good clearance everywhere.

 

[Chrisco]

Two issues, the "mounting tab" for the steering rack on the back side interferes with the oil pan. That will need to come down a bit. And the trans mount does not line up for shit. The bracket needs to be re-drilled. I need to look further in to that before I re-drill it though, it's supposed to work the way it is. Other than that, there seems to be good clearance everywhere.

It could just be the angle of the picture throwing me off, but it appears as though there is more clearance on the driver's side than on the passenger's side; as if the engine is either rotated off center or positioned off center closer to the pass side.

Could this have anything to do with the transmission mount not lining up?

Also note that there are several variations of the T56. I'm not certain, but there's a possibility that different bellhousings and tailshafts may be of varying lengths, which would obviously require an assortment of mounts.

 

[GG Allin]

It could just be the angle of the picture throwing me off, but it appears as though there is more clearance on the driver's side than on the passenger's side; as if the engine is either rotated off center or positioned off center closer to the pass side.

Could this have anything to do with the transmission mount not lining up?

Also note that there are several variations of the T56. I'm not certain, but there's a possibility that different bellhousings and tailshafts may be of varying lengths, which would obviously require an assortment of mounts.

Well, this kit was bought by someone local (we'll call him Rao) who had used it in a 95 M3 with an LS2. He used an F-Body bell housing, I'm using one from a GTO. He used an F-Body oil pan, mine is from a CTSv. Those are the only differences. It's designed to have the motor sit centered. A lot of other kits offset the engine to the right. This kit does not. That's where the need to run Hydroboost comes in. If it were to sit centered with the stock booster, there would be a clearance issue with the valve cover. It does look like the motor is rotated slightly counter clockwise. It's supposed to be. When I look at old build pics that Rao had posted, it appears the same. From what I've read, the only difference between a GTO T-56 and one from an F-Body is the position of the shifter and the bell housing. The shifter position was corrected with F-Body parts. I'd like to see a good comparison between to two bell housings with measurements.

 

[GG Allin]

Another minor complication, before I start altering the trans bracket I want to get the drive shaft fitted. That thing needs to be dead on. There are clearance issues as you get closer to the diff.

 

[Chrisco]

What is the alignment issue with the transmission mount? Too far forward? Back? Or is it just off to one side or the other?

If it is in the correct location front to back, but not aligned side to side, it might have something to do with how the engine is rotated. I have no idea why you'd want to have it like that anyway, as that's going to change your driveline angles in a negative way.

 

[GG Allin]

It seems like the tail of the trans needs to come back and to the right about an inch. There is wiggle room in the motor mounts but not enough. As far as the rotation goes, it's there for a reason. Not sure what that reason is, steering shaft possibly? I'm not the only guy that has used this kit. Around five years ago there were several builds on Bimmerforums using the same kit.

This where it came from originally.

Index

 

[Chrisco]

:/ I don't know about you, but I'd much rather have to modify the steering linkage with an extra joint or two than impose an extra several degrees of offset driveline angles. Remember that the further you get from the center point of the engine/engine mounts the greater the angle off center will be exagerated. It's pretty important to keep the tailshaft of the transmission in parallel with the rear differential.

I'd find out exactly why the mounts position the engine the way they do, and do a whole lot of driveline measurements before being satisfied with the way it currently sits. Just because the kit was made that way and other people have used it, doesn't make it right.

 

[Dasfinc]

I had to switch trans mounts and wrestle the hell out of my 302/T5 swap setup in my 318i sedan with a well known 5.0 swap kit to get my trans member to fit correctly.

 

[GG Allin]

Motor is in and bolted down completely. All it took was a little modifying of the left engine bracket. The front suspension and steering are back in too. Car sits nice and I can't get over how low slung the engine looks. Could be partly due to the fact that there is no intake on it right now. I ordered new tie rods today from Pelican too. Little by little it's coming together.

 

[GG Allin]

 

[Mook]

well thats just all kinds of right.

 

[Dasfinc]

More and More I'm considering just turning my car into a drag car after seeing how sweet these track builds look compared to mine

 

[GG Allin]

Engine and trans are coming back out. Been reading about rear main seals. There is no way in hell I installed mine properly. It will leak without question if left alone. I'd rather address this now than later. If anyone can post a good RMS install DIY with pics, I'd appreciate it.

 

[GG Allin]

Took about 2 hours, not bad.

 

[firemandan1700]

Very cool! :likes:

 

[GG Allin]

Turns out the RMS was installed properly. The rear cover was not centered though. The RMS probably would have leaked. Fixed, motor back in. This engine looks very much at home sitting there.

 

[GG Allin]

Learned about AN lines and fittings this week. Steam port overkill?

Shifter position is dead on.