A little curious with the budget you have why go with the 5.3? You can find 6.0 and even aluminum 5.7 for not much more than what you spent. You pretty much replaced everything that was originally on the 5.3. Heck you could have gotten a 6.2 short block for under a grand.
PS awesome build, what are the specs on the Cam. Im also running a tick cam and love it.
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Not Another Cheap V8 Swap...
I went ahead and order Monsters twin disk clutch set up. It wasn't cheap but came highly recommended. The "green" color was a bonus. I swear It had nothing to do with my decision even though its oddly similar to Sikky green. According to the LS guys on the forums, the majority really favor the MGW shifter so I went for it. I'll be sure to post reviews upon completion.
Clutch Spec's:
-Monster LT1 Twin Disk Street Clutch
-Supports up to 720RWHP
Price: $1,343 Delivered
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Shifter Spec's
MGW F-body T56 Shifter Kit
Price: $250 Delivered
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Now that these parts are in, I'll be sending the T56 out to be given a "refresh". Supposedly it was already rebuilt but I wanted to make sure. Better safe than sorry. Unfortunately, this process took a few weeks as the shop was really backed up and my build wasn't a priority.
Time to post up some for sale ads, I need to generate some cash flow. I figured its time to start ordering some suspension components, breaks, rear end components, diff and interior goodies. I have already priced everything out, just procrastinating because its a large chunk of cash I'm not looking forward to spending..
SWAP METER: $13,647Leave a comment:
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:nice: lol So this is when we figured out the motor mounts were upside down. Motor went in and looked like is was meant to be there. The headers made it so tight, had to remove them prior to fitting the motor. We were able to install the passenger side from the top but the drivers side had to go in from under the car.
**Side Note** Be sure to bang out the firewall as directed in the Sikky manual then, bang it out some more. Once you think your done and have plenty of clearance.....bang it out a little more. Trust me!
The Spec Stage 2 clutch that came with the T56 is shot, plate is warped and the teeth are jacked up. Looks like i'll be researching clutches, I know most guys like to run the Z06/LS7 setup but I also hear horror stories about pedal feel and chatter.. Kind of bummed I need to spend more on this, It is what it is.
After a few days and several phone calls, I have some parts on order.
-New Clutch
-New Shifter
Decided to ditch the B&M shifter while I was at it..Last edited by E30Whore; 04-13-2016, 06:08 AM.Leave a comment:
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Not Another Cheap V8 Swap...
Needed a break from pulling things off the car so whats better than some assembly? Spent a few hours putting the motor back together. Everything fit and bolted on nicely. I'm really pleased with the overall design/style of the oil pan. It's apparent Sikky spent time and money on their product development. Today was a good day!
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From this angle, you get a good look of the headers. I decided to reuse the "truck" coil packs. From what I read, they perform the same as the F-body LS1 coil packs, just look different. I had to buy new injectors and fuel rails though.
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Its actually starting to look like a badass motor. No, the bulky oil filler cap isn't staying.. Ill swap that later once I find a cheapo solution.
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I didn't know at the time but do now, the Sikky mounts are upside down :nice: those headers though....
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Pulling a late nighter trying to wrap this up, my sidekick is ready to go but looks on with curiosity and confusion at the same time. Shes probably staring at the headers thinking the same thing as I, why are they hanging so low.....? Sikky.... SMH. More on this later
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Not Another Cheap V8 Swap...
To continue my current state of mind, everything must go. I'm tearing it all out, cleaning what I can reuse and chucking what I don't want/need. I plan on upgrading the interior by projects end so no better time then now right? Its just money :(
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Pretty nice seats, posted these online (PA BMW Classifieds) and sold them in a week. BOOM! More cash for car parts..
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Yanked the rear diving boards off.....
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Take notice to the huge hole we had to cut out near the gas pedal. After pulling up the carpet, three problem spots showed there ugly color. We immediately cut them out and patched the hole with some amateur welding skills but hey, at least the caner is dead and the terrible welds are buried under the carpet :)
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Originally I was going to trash this carpet and save the weight, spray bed-liner on the floor and call it a day nut I had a change of heart. Looks pretty nasty so I decided to pressure wash it then paint it with some black carpet dye. Results are amazing! I'll share pictures in a follow up post.
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Not Another Cheap V8 Swap...
I know, I know.... Your probably hoping to see some assembled motor pictures? Well, I pretty much jumped in head first and about knee deep into stripping this car. Most everything is out the engine bay now, pulled the bumper and fenders and ready to scrub down the bay, degrease it then, repaint it. Some may disagree with methods but don't fret, it's my car and I have a plan.
My daughter was hanging out with me while we sprayed the engine bay with no less than 11 Krylon Matte Black cans of paint. Considering i'm no paint/body expert, I think it came out pretty good!
Price: Krylon Paint $63
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I took some heat for this on my local Facebook page from several "know it all" mechanics. They disagree with me rattle canning the engine bay but I think it looks 10X better already!
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My daughter Autumn doesn't understand why we are doing so much work to this car because it was a running, driving E30 when I got it. However, she thinks its the coolest thing ever. Whenever I head to the shop and shes near me, she quickly volunteers to come on down and check out the progress.. I don't discourage her!
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Not Another Cheap V8 Swap...
So I got the heads back from a local shop, being that this is my first LS build, id say they look great! It took about 3.5 weeks from the day I dropped them off however, looks like quality work. Let's hope they perform as well as they look. Also made some headway on the 5.3 block. This LM7 almost looks brand new!!
Price: $311 for head work
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SWAP METER: $11,954Leave a comment:
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Just stumbled onto your build. I have a 5.3 iron block and almost went that route when I found a complete 01 Trans am for $1800. Did a lot of watching and planning myself before chiming in. Just waiting on the wiring specialties harness before I finally start pulling it all out. Looks great though! I'll will be watching.
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We got everything broken down and pulled from the LM7. I'm trying to salvage what I can use and organizing what I have in attempt to see whats still needed..
After fooling with the motor for a few hours, we prepped the E30 for surgery. Out comes the BMW M20 and transmission for the last time...
Maybe ahead of the game but decided to go ahead and strip out a bunch of dead weight or things that will be getting replaced later on. Now's a good time to really inspect the chassis and condition of the under body, fender-wells and body of the car. A few problem areas have arose but more on that later...
Now, time to spend a Saturday cleaning these parts up, snapping a few pictures and listing them on Facebook to sell. Need to recoup some cash asap!Leave a comment:
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