dream swap... new idea for a "more grown up" car. input?

[Mtriple]

540iT with 6 speed swap sounds like the best option to me because you eliminate what in my opinion is the weak link on the car, the auto tranny.

I just bought a 2002 525i sport 5 speed last week and these really are great cars.

[gearheadE30]

^^The tourings also have a tendency to wear out the rear subframe/suspension carrier bushings. There are 4 of them. if they are shot, the car will seem to have a very hard ride in the rear. not sure how involved they are to replace though.

[ZM Blue Devil]

nice! are the shifter paddles functional??!!

Yes, they are functional.

[bolognablake]

^^The tourings also have a tendency to wear out the rear subframe/suspension carrier bushings. There are 4 of them. if they are shot, the car will seem to have a very hard ride in the rear. not sure how involved they are to replace though.

I had heard about that, I'm in the midst of deciding if I want to go e34 or e39, and was thinking about a touring. I'd heard that they can be a real bear to replace, and that it's quite expensive to have the deal do the work. There was more info in the last issue of Bimmer.

[Dave McLaren]

Interesting idea, but to echo so many on here, an M62 with 6-speed swap makes more sense over the long haul. The E39iT's are great DD's and even though they never made a 540iT/6, you can find 420G's all day long to swap in. If you want more power out of the M62, there is always the possibility of an ESS supercharger that would put you at the E39 M5's bhp and way above the E39 M5's torque. It's food for thought, and it doesn't sound like you'd be afraid to spend money on this little project.

http://www.esstuning.com/default.asp...subcat2=110&id

and

540iT with 6 speed swap sounds like the best option to me because you eliminate what in my opinion is the weak link on the car, the auto tranny.

If you want to do an E39 touring, these two guys have dispensed exactly the right advice. For the supercharger, you may also want to check out VF Engineering in Anaheim, CA.

Sidebar: CMW swapped out the auto for a 6-speed in our old 740iL, which took somewhat more effort due to certain E38-specific bits ordered from the fatherland, and a lengthened driveshaft because no iLs anywhere in the world came with manuals. The rest came from a wrecked '01 540.

[gearheadE30]

oooh, a manual 740i Sport would be pretty badass.

/OT :)

[Wh33lhop]

I'd say an M62 is more grown-up than an 8000rpm S54. Plus, it already comes on the car. ;)

The E39 540s had recirculating ball steering unlike the 6 pot E39s which were rack and pinion. It's nice and luxurious feeling, aka lack of feedback or road feel.

[Van Westervelt]

You like the high revving ITB tune you say? Grab that 540i 6 spd witha blown motor, and then give VAC a call... ;)

[z31maniac]

jizzed in my pants

[E30Idea]

jizzed in my pants

Yep.

[bolognablake]

jizzed in my pants