my m50 swap in progress... pics (no 56k)

[DanGillan]

Day what the fuck ever, it got to the shop last sunday:

First task tonight was to swap the e34 harness out for a nicer shape e36 harness, as well as throttle body heating delete, and all new coolant hoses.

Mid re-wiring:




I also finished the plug and play engine wiring adapter:




After I swapped the harness and stuff, i removed the old brake booster and we modified the e21 320i booster and i re-installed it.

the modified e21 booster:



Decided to end the night on a good note and drop the motor in :)





Its getting so close I can taste it now. Just a few things left, i hope to start it up by sunday :) thanks,

Dan

[1990m3]

lookin good dan, show us some close ups of the setup...

what are your exhaust plans?

[DanGillan]

exhaust plans are custom bent dual 2" or 2.25" from the downpipes to a x-pipe essentially with a 3 inch high flow cat back to dual 2 or 2.25 to my supersprint cat back.

[325Projectz]

Dual 2.25 is alittle too big for an m50 (speaking from experience). Dual 2" or a single 2.5" would do you good.

I opted for single 3" for FI.

Did you drop the motor in without the tranny bolted up?

[DanGillan]

yea i was leaning towards dual 2 inch to a 3 inch x-pipe with a cat in it back to dual 2 into my supersprint.

cant wait to see your motor boosted!

i did drop the motor without the trans, its only bolted to the motor mounts right now, that's why its tilted forward.

[325Projectz]

You might have a hell of a time bolting the trans up to the motor. Let me know how it goes.

[DanGillan]

no way, up on a lift, exhaust jack on the front underside of the motor to tilt it back. easy as hell.

EDIT: is there something i dont know that i will run into when bolting it up? i know the bottom couple or few bolts dont line up, but i was told to leave out those couple. other than that i dont see why it would be so difficult.

[aaron_silva]

Dan, it should be easy to drill through the soft aluminium pan to line up the holes in the bottom of the tranny. What are you doing for a brace? Modifying the stock one or starting from scratch?

Good work man!

Aaron

[325Projectz]

no way, up on a lift, exhaust jack on the front underside of the motor to tilt it back. easy as hell.

Ahhh, I neglected to see the lift :p

EDIT: is there something i dont know that i will run into when bolting it up? i know the bottom couple or few bolts dont line up, but i was told to leave out those couple. other than that i dont see why it would be so difficult.

Its not the bolts on the bottom that are the problem, its the ones at the top of the trans. I've never done it that way but I can see it being done, putting it in as one unit is just too easy, IMO. And don't worry about those small bolts that go into the oil pan. Some people do drill and tap holes for them though...

[DanGillan]

what bolts at the top? the starter bolts with nuts? eh... i have a trick :)

i dont understand what people mean then they say drill the oil pan? i guess ill see when i bolt up the trans, if its something that needs to be done i will do it.

im going to modify the stock brace. im thinking just cut the lobe off and tilt the existing metal where the trans mount sits, angle that 10 degrees and then box in that piece of metal.

[325Projectz]

Due to thier length and the tight fit it might be challenging. You also got to get a tool on them. Remember the motor is only going to tilt so much because the head is going to hit the firewall. But hey, I'd like to see you prove me wrong. ;)

[DanGillan]

i've done dozens of transmissions, here's the trick tool to annoying transmission bolts. i got mine from matco, but its a 36" extension 1/2 on the ratchet side, 3/8 on the socket side. put the bolt in the socket on the extension, slide it over the trans and right into the top holes, takes seconds. you're welcome :)

[kylebes1]

i've done dozens of transmissions, here's the trick tool to annoying transmission bolts. i got mine from matco, but its a 36" extension 1/2 on the ratchet side, 3/8 on the socket side. put the bolt in the socket on the extension, slide it over the trans and right into the top holes, takes seconds. you're welcome :)

Yep.

I crammed both in together since I used the e36 tranmission. I had it all out together, so I put it all in together. I messed the plastic cover up, but it was not that bad.

I used a single 2.5 inch pipe all the way back, to a Magna flow. Was really loud, I hated it. Makes for a lighter system than having two the entire length...

kt

[BeirBrennerE30]

dan... what connections did you modify on kylebes wiring chart??? what were your final pin to pin conections like???

[Ryan Stewart]

It tilts plenty. With extensions its easy and shit coming in from back toward the driveshaft.

That is how I r/r'ed the starter in like 30 minutes.