E39 Build: 6.0 LS. Coils. Burnouts.

[nsogiba]

July 2013

From here on out, I didn't really have any issues at all even though I beat the car like an unfaithful wife.

it was definitely a busy weekend. i drove up to Waterfest in NJ with a friend and had a great time. Entered the burnout contest completely on a whim, ended up blowing a radiator (laying it on the limiter a LOT wasn't helping), but it was something i'll remember for a long time to come. Despite the grueling heat and crappy traffic it was still an awesome experience.






someone in the crowd grabbed this for me.
Waterfest 19 - LS Swap E39 BMW Does Nice Burnout Then Blows Engine - YouTube

slapped in a new rad in 30 mins and made it home 6 hours with no issue. Drove it to work this morning. What a beast.

AND FINALLY, WHEELS!

Ordered a new set of reps (Style 37) to replace the current ones I'm running, they'll be 18x8 for the front and 18x9.5 in the rear. The M-Parallel style will always be my favorite, but the ones on the car had an offset designed for a 3 series and looked too sunken in even with spacers. Lots of E39ers run 18x9.5s all the way around but the lip on the wider wheels just didn't look right in the front after test fitting Drew's, so staggered it is. I have a set of tires I'll be using on the fronts but need something for the rear, may just end up buying a new set (GASP). Unfortunately it looks like the wheels are backordered so I won't see them for at least a few weeks.

Test fit of the wheels courtesy of a friend running the same ones on his '69 Camaro.


JD fabbed up a SS extension of my exhaust to dump out the back, which solved the drone I was sick of. Since my regular rear bumper doesn't have a cutout for an exhaust tip, I trimmed a bit away for a temporary solution. I have an M-Tech rear bumper that has a diffuser and a single exhaust cutout, just need to have it painted.





Took a ride out to a car show in Pendleton at a church event with a friend and my fiancee on Sunday, great day for it.



Where I found that one of my manifold bolts had backed out and was missing.

[/QUOTE]

BURNOUTS!
Waterfest 19 - LS Swap E39 BMW Does Nice Burnout Then Blows Engine - YouTube

slapped in a new rad in 30 mins and made it home 6 hours with no issue. Drove it to work this morning. What a beast.

[nsogiba]

Old tires were shot, and I sold my old M-Parallel reps that were sized for a 3 series. Fuck yeah burnouts.



Perfect excuse to buy some real wheels, M-Par reps in M5 fitment. Staggered setup, 18x8 & 18x9.5.





Oh, and finally invested in the most important thing one can have in a garage.



Threw the wheels on.







Ok, time for a big update. I have been busy with a ton of crap, so I'll try to let the pictures do most of the talking.

Got my new M-Parallel reps on, and they fit/ride great. Wheel gap was pretty pronounced afterwards, especially in the rear.




I wrapped the interior trim with 3M Aluminum vinyl, but didn't like the way it came out. It was too bright and looked odd and discolored in the sun.


So I ordered up the stainless steel finish, and got to work.



Much better.


Made one of these for a friend


Buying this has been taking up the majority of my spare time. We hopefully close next week.



I finally gave the winter beater some much needed maintenance in the form of pads/rotors all around, as well as a general tune up and inspection. I also finished installing all the parts the the deer destroyed back in May.



My fiancee surprised me with a trip to Vegas for my 25th birthday.


So I had to ensure that this fat lard was well fed while we were gone.


Vacation was great. Returned back to work, and as I was driving to lunch one day, this happened:


Turns out crappy non-penetrating porous welds don't hold up well to aggressive shifts. Lesson learned: don't be a stubborn idiot and try to keep on welding after gas has run out.


Luckily my weld quality is also improving. I cut up a new block at work and welded it all up. I think it came out nice.



COILOVERS!

I came across a great deal on M5Board and had to jump on it.




While in there, I also replaced the rear pads, rotors, wear sensor, and rear sway bar end links, which were completely shot (.125" play).



I have yet to take pictures with my "good" camera, but I'm very happy with how they came out. I still need to add spacers in the rear and adjust the height side to side.


Took a trip down to Ellicottville this past weekend for our annual "fall drive". That's my friend Tim (technician117 over on M5Board) on the left, his girlfriend Danielle in the middle, and my fiancee Melissa on the right. LS 540 vs M5 on the way down was a fun time. We swapped cars as well for half the trip to compare differences...yes, it is a dramatically different driving experience in every way, despite being neck and neck from a roll. I have spanked him in the past on a smaller, lighter set of wheels, and because the trans was so expensive to build, I gently and slowly shift every single gear, whereas he's slamming them.



Where I stand now

A few weeks back, before going into storage.



getting used to the new garage...



and away



Although knowing me it will spend more time on jackstands than it will under a cover :cheers:



Up next: M-Sport bumpers all the way around, dial in the coilovers exactly where I want them, do burnouts, install spacers in the rear to bring them back out, put a lumpy cam in it. More burnouts

[LukeyBabes]

Awesome build! loving it

[RealistP100]

Great work,one of the best threads i've read to date! Subbed

[dubs&boost]

this is crazy i love it

[e39hamann]

Just read through the whole build and wow!! Great work for sure, I dream of putting a LSx in my car one day

[TheContra]

I followed this on BimmerFest too...It was like christmas when you finished it. I love it, even though I'm more of a Ford guy

[FunfGang]

Well this was a wonderful read.


Great job on the car man! Love it. Also love the clear, precise and organized thread.

[mankerlia]

I sold my old M-Parallel reps that were sized for a 3 series

[indigais]

some crazy burnout dude

[fifty3bags]

Man, I followed this thread on ls1tech and re-read it on bimmerfest. Great job, and awesome documentation on the process!

[nsogiba]

Awesome build! loving it

Great work,one of the best threads i've read to date! Subbed

this is crazy i love it

Just read through the whole build and wow!! Great work for sure, I dream of putting a LSx in my car one day

Thanks ladies

I followed this on BimmerFest too...It was like christmas when you finished it. I love it, even though I'm more of a Ford guy

Thank you. It sure was a good feeling after all the issues I had with wiring.

Well this was a wonderful read.

Great job on the car man! Love it. Also love the clear, precise and organized thread.

Thanks, the only thing I regret is not taking higher quality pictures.

I sold my old M-Parallel reps that were sized for a 3 series

They are on an E46 now and look great

some crazy burnout dude

It was fun, but exposed the weakness of my cooling system design, so I will be adding dual fans and a nice shroud over the winter.

Man, I followed this thread on ls1tech and re-read it on bimmerfest. Great job, and awesome documentation on the process!

Thanks. By cross posting I hoped to have as many eyes as I could on my progress, which helped a ton when it came to sourcing parts and solving problems.

[cus]

absolutely brilliant build and well documented. just spend a good amount of time reading that at work! top job

[nsogiba]

Thanks all. It's kind of mind blowing that this thread reaches enthusiasts all over the world. I am not really huge into the hardcore stance theme but I do like my car to look nice and low.

I am hoping to pull apart the front end today and test fit the new M-Sport bumper before it gets sent off for paint.

[Z.Cockburn]

Awesome build, I've got this swap planed for long term goal for my CTS if the 3.6 VVT starts giving me problems.


Seeing this swap work so well in a E39, makes me excited to pull it off in the Caddy.

Kudos.