Gertech's '86 325es LSx T56 Swap

[george graves]

Very nicely done swap!

[jalopi]

Haha, that's about what I expected to hear.

Yeah, it's kinda bad. Granted though, the t56 has a less aggressive 1st gear than the t5, so it might not be so bad. Also, I failed to mention that I'm currently rocking stock bottlecaps for cheap drifting purposes... you've got a lot more tire than I do.

whats your rpm at 60mph with 2.92?

Based off of what he's got, my calculator says about 1400rpms or so... super jelly.

[Gertech]

First off very very nice job. Very clean and well executed. Couple questions. How is the brake feel without the booster and the modified pedal, and also what radiator are you running?

Thanks man. The pedal feel is better than I expected it to be. It's stiff and requires significantly more leg effort than a boosted setup. The car does stop and you can lock up the wheels, you just need to stand on it. I've been looking at going with a front BBK to get a little more stopping power. All the brake components are stock with the exception of the ECS braided line kit.

As far as the RPMs go, the tach is slightly off for some reason. But with an OBDII scanner plugged in reading live data, it was doing just under 1800rpm at 80. Just chugging along!

[ttrousdell]

what a transformation. amazing

[Gertech]

Oh and I'm running a stock e36 radiator with a 180 degree hypertech "powerstat". The thing runs pretty cool, but then again it's been cold outside since I started driving. I have dual pusher fans in front of the radiator but it doesn't need them at all with the cold weather. We'll see what happens when it warms up but I'm optimistic.

DJP215...where in PA are you? If you're building an LS swap we'll have to go driving when you get it done!

[jalopi]

What dual pusher fans did you end up using?

Also, could you get a shot of your radiator-to-waterpump clearance? Just out of curiosity.

Here's mine:



I did do some hammering on the core support and it did give me an extra 1/8" or so... 1/4" tops. It does concern me at times.

[evandael]

beautiful car and nice engine choice.

for the rear end, either try a 3.15 (torsen or clutch) from a z3 or 3.23 from the z3m.

[DJP215]

Im located in the philly suburbs newtown (18940). I have an 89 325is donor car, and a complete ls1 t56 drivetrain. They have yet to meet though. I need to get my previous project parted out to fund this one though. Could be awhile.

Jalopi that water pump radiator clearance is scary. If your water pump or a pulley bearing fails its taking the rad with it.

[Gertech]

I have Bosch AC fans from a 190e I pulled from the yard for like 20 bucks. Time will tell whether or not they push enough air...I couldn't seem to find any good info about the CFM of them. I have quite a bit more clearance than you though, maybe an inch? I'll have to grab a pic.

DJP, that's not too far from me. I used to work for a video production company in Yardley. Any questions on the swap just give me a shout.

[roznic]

If you'd like someone to test drive it for you, I'll be the first in line....lol ;-)

[1991 e30 bmw 318is]

did you use the two mix match headers? i thought Sandersons would fit without mods... also what fuel pump is feeding the ls1 injectors and rails?

[Gertech]

Yes I used the 2 different headers from Sanderson. Passenger side is unmolested. Driver's side...I guess you could say it "fits", but that depends on your definition. Clearance between the steering shaft, subframe, etc. makes it a tight fit and I would've had to make some ridiculously tight bends/reliefs in the connecting pipe for clearance. For me, the best solution was to chop it up and make a header that fit properly without any sacrifices.

Fuel pump is an MSD unit mounted outside the tank on the frame in place of the stocker. It's very noisy though so I'll be looking into something else. Maybe in tank? Any suggestions?

[Gertech]

Also, could you get a shot of your radiator-to-waterpump clearance? Just out of curiosity.

I definitely have more clearance than your setup. Probably about an inch.


Radiator clearance by Bret Gerding, on Flickr

[bmk]

Beautiful car. Did you build your own mounts or use one of the kits out there?

[Gertech]

Thanks man. I bought Garret's swap guide and built my own mounts loosely based on his design.