M54 Madness, the remix

[ForcedFirebird]

Couple friends to get the motor on the dolly.

[hoveringuy]

Begin swap!

So I have everything unbolted/removed. driveshaft, exhaust, radiator, A-arms, sway bar and steering shaft. Fuel lines, grounds, etc, etc.

So my plan is to lower the the car back onto the furniture dolly, unbolt the remaining two bolts in the subframe and the two 13mm for tranny mount.

It all seems pretty straightforward. I assume I'll have clearance to reach the subframe bolts with the body lowered? The furniture dollies are only about 4" tall so I'm guessing I may need some wood spacers.

I'll have it out this weekend, fer sure.

[2mAn]

Nice to see it's happening!

[ForcedFirebird]

The sub frame has a shape that will allow the bolts to go in. May I suggest using some spare sub frame bolts and cut the heads off (I have 10mm threaded rod I cut in pieces). Insert the cut bolts/rod into the two rear bolt holes that have the alignment pins. This will "guide" the sub frame into the pins much easier than without.

[hoveringuy]

Removal was quick and painless.

My only mistake was that I overlooked the throttle cable and clutch slave line. No big deal...

I found that the dolly height of around 4" left plenty of clearance to access all bolts once the engine was lowered to rest on it. I raised the body by placing one jack on each side of the body, under the rail beneath each door. It was necessary to tap and pry the subframe after the body was raised the first several inches because the alignment pins were causing it to hang-up.

The engine was also not perfectly balanced on the dolly so it tipped a little.

[hoveringuy]

I've had parts back from Tyler for over a year now, exciting to finally install them. Fortunately everything is fitting like a glove. Modified front subframe already has the tabs sized for e36 steering rack, no spacer required. I also sent him a pair of generic Raceland headers which got his blessing.

[butters]

Good work. I'm wondering about your removal process - was the rear of the car resting on the ground (on the tires) or did you have it supported as well? I was thinking of using ramps to get additional height.

What kind of height do you think you needed at the frame rails below the doors in order to get the power unit out on the dolly?

[hoveringuy]

Good work. I'm wondering about your removal process - was the rear of the car resting on the ground (on the tires) or did you have it supported as well? I was thinking of using ramps to get additional height.

What kind of height do you think you needed at the frame rails below the doors in order to get the power unit out on the dolly?

Rear was on the ground. I think it was actually beneficial that way because the increased angle raised the front more, where the clearance was required.

I had two medium-sized jacks and they were at about 18" extension. The clearance under the front lip was maybe 26" at that point.

I liked that everything was smooth and controlled. What I didn't like about the engine lift from-the-top method is how the oil pan hangs up on the subframe and there's more "persuasion".

What I really like about this method is that I can do it with what I have on hand. No arranging to borrow a cherry picker. I did order a chainfall for $40 from Amazon, it's been working great for lifting the engine off the stand and such.

[hoveringuy]

Clutch/flywheel:

So when I first converted to the M54 I noticed soon after that the stock clutch was slipping. I installed a Clutchmaster FX-100 PP/disc and at the same time lightened the flywheel by removing the material on the rear of the flywheel down to the ring. The resulting flywheel weighted 15lbs, 6Oz, down around 3lbs from stock.

The engine was definitely a little revier and after a few hundred miles the clutch held just fine, but it was also "grabbier" and the lighter flywheel made it more difficult to drive smoothly without stalling.

Now that my son is starting to drive, I'll be using the same PP/disc, but I wanted to revert back to the original flywheel mass. Unfortunately I forgot about the clearance issue so I'm having .1" taken off the back.

Back of the lightened flywheel and OEM.

I'm curious to see what the additional flywheel inertia does for drivability...

[hoveringuy]

Hall or VR? The "old" motor had a VR crank sensor. Once I got the MS properly tuned for it I've had no issues whatsoever.

The new motor has the stock Hall sender.

I have the new wiring configured for the Hall sender, but I haven't put any thought into which one would be better. Any compelling reason to pick one over the other?

[emmanuel.dlc]

you can always modify the oilpan and leave the flywheel stock with its stock weight.

[hoveringuy]

you can always modify the oilpan and leave the flywheel stock with its stock weight.

The clearance issue was at the head of the bolt that holds oil pan. Machinist took off .1". (100 thousandths) and it clears fine now

[hoveringuy]

So the motor went in yesterday and everything thing fit Ok with the ArcAsylum subframe. I'll keep an eye on it, of course.

I was hoping to celebrate Memorial Day with the roar of an unmuffled M54 but after turning the key... nothing.

After checking the usual suspects: engine ground, battery charged and such determined starter was bad and verified after I removed it. I'm not sure how a starter goes bad on the garage floor, but this one had a non-functioning unloader terminal from the start so I think it's some kind of internal ground issue.

[2mAn]

I was hoping to celebrate Memorial Day with the roar of an unmuffled M54 but after turning the key... nothing.

that is the proper way to celebrate it

[Dofo]

Bla


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