Lotus99

Wow. You'll probably be the highest powered manual N54 E61 in the world when you're done?

MiniNL

Awesome build! Just acquired a 535XiT myself and might cherrypick some of the things you've done to yours, although it'll never be anywhere close to it, lol. Anyway, I finished reading the thread and am wondering about something, in your opening post you say:

So why you are converting to RWD? I did see you had issues with your axles (?), did that outweigh the need for AWD?

Don't get me wrong, I love this swap, but was just wondering why.

ucsbwsr

You are welcome.
The engine won't be making any more power at the crank from these conversions. However ditching the front drivetrain and adding the 3.62 LSD should improve power efficiency to the rear wheels. I haven't seen a data suggesting that I am not currently the most powerful N54 E61
The property I had in the mountains is now sold so AWD is not a necessity like it once was. I miss the grip of AWD (especially 2nd gear) but the front drivetrain wasn't built to handle this much power, especially at my ride height.

For the sake of simplicity, strength, and reliability I made the conversion to RWD. M5 components help sweeten the deal with their added burliness the clutch style LSD which will help my traction issues. My 6MT will be equipped with a chromoly single mass flywheel and a Stage 3+ clutch which is rated to hold 670ft/lbs so engine, trans, and drivetrain will all be on the same page.

Evan

ucsbwsr

The M5 LSD needed some modification and after testing fitting it with my exhaust and pull rods I knew what to cut off. It was a balance of removing enough material for adequate clearance, with leaving as much as possible for cooling, while making it look as good as possible. I am pretty happy how it came out.

Evan

Oem M5 heatsink


...aaaaaaaand it's GONE!


Pretty hacked up after the cutting


After some more grinding and sanding






535xi and M5 top, modded M5 bottom


Prepped the axles for install, the threads had been hit with some anti-rust coating which needed to be cleaned



Had to pull out the motor for the telescoping wheel function, the bolts were very hard to reach and I am not looking to putting them back in.






Paddle shift steering wheel and control module removed along with the console and electronic gear selector.


Hole punched out for manual shifter :banana


Didn't have the special tool to lock the flywheel/starter in place while the FW bolts are removed so this was my solution.



One hurdle to clear will be the transmission support and bracket. According to RealOem I have compatible part numbers but that is not the reality, the mounting points for where the bracket connects to the trans are different since my trans was sourced from an e9X 335i. The E6X support, bracket, and bushing combo is monstrous compared to the E9X setup. I really like the design of the E6X bushings where it allows the upper bracket to reside inside the bushing, it makes a lot of sense and IMO the design better suited for high torque than the 335i mount.

My goal is to use the E60 support and either modify the top bracket have one made to make the mounting locations work. Not sure which direction to go yet.

Bare trans


Trans with 335i bracket (holes align)


535i bracket (improper fit)


E6X vx E9X


Showing how the E6x bracket feet mount inside the bushings



Bushing (bearing) comparison

Lotus99

True... I thought someone else might have done turbos on theirs too, but figured with a manual, you're one of a kind in the world for sure.

Kasmo

I drive a E60 but i just picked up a E34 wagon, 540 with 6 speed swapped into it, with a E34 M5 clutch/flywheel (not sure if that 100% true, still would have to look). This makes me want to do some crazy stuff to my wagon, the only thing iv thought of is a turbo. lol and a custom interior, since the interior is beige and i dislike that color. The paint on the car is white so thats good.

Maybe one day ill pick up a E61 wagon and do something similar haha, its just being a college student sucks. Im saving up pretty hard right now to get my E60 to the way I want it to, and now the wagon is coming into my life so thats gonna be interesting.

rathersmart

wait! are you keeping the N54 or putting a V8 in there?

ucsbwsr

That wagon sounds like it has real potential with how it is configured, I would DUMP money into that, screw the E60!
N54

ucsbwsr

Finally pulled my motor and was able to take some better pictures of the damage to the block. Engine is still being torn down, I will add pics once the valve cover and head is off.

For those familiar with engine internals and failures, if you would like some specific pictures to help in the diagnosis please let me know. This is my first experience inside an engine and am not sure exactly what to look for.

One question I have is, can we extract any assumptions of the failure based on the way the con rod is bent/snapped? Interesting how it is twisted like that.

I rolled the dice a bit on a replacement engine yesterday, went out to Fontana to inspect it in person and had it delivered to my house last evening.
Donor car was a 2011 335is with 35k, I bought the engine for $800. It was complete minus turbos but many of the bolt-ons were damaged from rough handling, thankfully the HPFP and index-12 injectors are perfect! I can refurbish and sell the fuel system for nearly the price of the engine.

The oil pan was cracked from the accident and there has been some dirt contamination into the pan and oil pump but there appears to be no major damage, the oil pump on my engine is fine so that can be swapped anyway. The valve cover is also cracked but again, mine is perfect so it shouldn't be an issue to swap. The donor engine should have a perfect block and head which is what I need.

I am still tearing down both engines to confirm their internal condition but my plan is to use the head and block from the 335is, add my valve cover and oil pump if needed, and purchase a new oil pan. Then outsource the rebuilding to a professional so they can properly clean, reassemble, and test the engine before I install it. We can address any issues during the rebuild as they arise. Does that sound like a sound plan?

With the mis-matching of engine segments there are not any obvious compatibility issues that stand out to me. There are some subtle differences which include: 8-bolt vs 6-bolt flywheel, the 335is block has additional cooling channels around the cylinders, and the oil pan + suction tube have a different orientation.

More to come,
Evan




















I love this shot, I feel it accurately depicts the amount of carnage.


A look at cylinder 3 from the bottom


Here is the potential diamond in the rough 335is engine. The turbos oil/cooling lines, fuel system, manifold, TB, and some other components already removed.


Parts removed


Hot side


Crack in valve cover


Oil pan damage


Inspecting and cleaning the 335is engine


One thing I found interesting is how yellow/gold the bearing ledges (and internals in general) were compared the 335is engine.
535xi engine

335is engine


A look at the top


Valve springs


Oil pump gear is damaged, notice the stress cracks


You can see gouging from the chain, since the marks are drawn through the metal it looks like this oil pump damage happened during the accident when the engine was running


Timing chain and gears


You can see the dirt, grime, and debris.


More contamination


Oil pan removed


A look around from the underside, sorry it was hard to get decent photos


All cylinders look like this, REAL clean!

ucsbwsr

I put the oil pan back on to examine the damage and try to draw conclusions on how the impact was delivered, at which angles and how hard, to hopefully tell us the likelihood of any potential internal damage.

From what I can tell, it looks like there was an impact from the front by how the front edge of the pan is separated and pushed reward, also there are splits branching off of that hole. The oil pump cog is bent reward in to the pump from impact and the chain is a little damaged but the to total damage to the unit doesn't seem great enough to harm the other chain driven components and structurally the pump seems pretty stout and doesn't seem to be compromised at all and certainly not the block it is bolted to.






I rotated the engine to inspect the chain a bit and this was the worst of the damage, you can also see the gouges to the left of the chain where it stuck the plate.



PISTON CARNAGE









Cleaned the engine a bit more. The $800 N54 looks promising.