N54/55 into an E24 6 series
Discussion
Hi all,
Been a confirmed petrolhead for some 35 years plus and a BMW fan since my father bought his first one in 1982. As I cannot find any references anywhere else, I thought I'd outline a thought and some questions I have to you guys, to see if you can give me some pointers. For info, although I haven't practised since 1997, I am a qualified mechanic however modern vehicle electronics are somewhat of a mystery to me. I want to start and most importantly finish a project, but this is something I want to plan out in advance, as it isn't something that I'm likely to start in the immediate future, but something I plan to make a start on in a couple of years time and it will likely take a few years for it to come to fruition.
I've wanted an E24 6 series for many years, but having been inspired by some of the "re-imaginings" I've seen with the likes of Singer, Alfaholics etc, I would want to buy one in dire need of some love and treat it to a full bare shell restoration, whilst also at the same time "improving" the car to create something special. What I do not want to do, is change it's fundamental character or style. As part of that, the car must retain a straight six and although I had been originally intending to rebuild, blue print, tune and improve the original M30 engine, I have been recently considering the possibility of replacement with a more modern turbo BMW 6, coupled with the more modern 8 speed gearbox.
However I am also aware that those engines have incredibly complicated management systems tied into everything from the stability control, to electronic diffs, ABS, traction control etc. Which makes me wonder if doing such a thing is realistically possible? Is there such a thing a "crate version" of the engine, that is a relatively simple "drop in"?
I have considered other options, but the only ones that really work for what I am trying to "imagine" are the original engine with miracles performed to it, or something like a N54/55, simply because my vision is very much a 635csi, not an M635csi.
As such I am wondering if anyone has heard of anyone doing anything like dropping an N54/N55 into an older BMW and making it work really nicely?
And yes I know this would/will not be a cheap option and I may need to buy a car with that engine/gearbox and electronics to canibalise. I'm just trying to ascertain whether it's a realistic option.
Thanks in advance
Been a confirmed petrolhead for some 35 years plus and a BMW fan since my father bought his first one in 1982. As I cannot find any references anywhere else, I thought I'd outline a thought and some questions I have to you guys, to see if you can give me some pointers. For info, although I haven't practised since 1997, I am a qualified mechanic however modern vehicle electronics are somewhat of a mystery to me. I want to start and most importantly finish a project, but this is something I want to plan out in advance, as it isn't something that I'm likely to start in the immediate future, but something I plan to make a start on in a couple of years time and it will likely take a few years for it to come to fruition.
I've wanted an E24 6 series for many years, but having been inspired by some of the "re-imaginings" I've seen with the likes of Singer, Alfaholics etc, I would want to buy one in dire need of some love and treat it to a full bare shell restoration, whilst also at the same time "improving" the car to create something special. What I do not want to do, is change it's fundamental character or style. As part of that, the car must retain a straight six and although I had been originally intending to rebuild, blue print, tune and improve the original M30 engine, I have been recently considering the possibility of replacement with a more modern turbo BMW 6, coupled with the more modern 8 speed gearbox.
However I am also aware that those engines have incredibly complicated management systems tied into everything from the stability control, to electronic diffs, ABS, traction control etc. Which makes me wonder if doing such a thing is realistically possible? Is there such a thing a "crate version" of the engine, that is a relatively simple "drop in"?
I have considered other options, but the only ones that really work for what I am trying to "imagine" are the original engine with miracles performed to it, or something like a N54/55, simply because my vision is very much a 635csi, not an M635csi.
As such I am wondering if anyone has heard of anyone doing anything like dropping an N54/N55 into an older BMW and making it work really nicely?
And yes I know this would/will not be a cheap option and I may need to buy a car with that engine/gearbox and electronics to canibalise. I'm just trying to ascertain whether it's a realistic option.
Thanks in advance
RicoOS said:
And yes I know this would/will not be a cheap option and I may need to buy a car with that engine/gearbox and electronics to canibalise. I'm just trying to ascertain whether it's a realistic option.
Anything's possible.........Given that there are BMW specialists that have transplanted the V10 from the M5 into E30's and the like. And I think they've used bespoke standalone ECU to run them rather than trying to use the units from the car the engine came out of.
As a DIY'er job, though given what you said about your knowledge, you'll be in for a world of pain, and never ending problems to solve, or a HUGE bill from a specialist that can do it.
You'd likely have more luck using a ///M engine than the N54/N55 as BMW have sold the ///M engines for 3rd party non-BMW use.
aeropilot said:
Anything's possible.........
Given that there are BMW specialists that have transplanted the V10 from the M5 into E30's and the like. And I think they've used bespoke standalone ECU to run them rather than trying to use the units from the car the engine came out of.
That was what I was wondering, however I've also just been reminded about some of the modifications the likes of Alpina have done in the past and been reminded about cars such as the E46 B3.3 and B3.4. So maybe there are other options, that wouldn't have so many electronic issues.Given that there are BMW specialists that have transplanted the V10 from the M5 into E30's and the like. And I think they've used bespoke standalone ECU to run them rather than trying to use the units from the car the engine came out of.
I must admit, I've not really that up to speed on things like aftermarket ECU's and things like ITB's. Is using these types of options, along with some fairly extensive work to the base engine a realistic option for the M30, to keep the old engine and release circa 260bhp, maybe a bit more, without causing it to drink like a fish?
RicoOS said:
I must admit, I've not really that up to speed on things like aftermarket ECU's and things like ITB's. Is using these types of options, along with some fairly extensive work to the base engine a realistic option for the M30, to keep the old engine and release circa 260bhp, maybe a bit more, without causing it to drink like a fish?
It would be the route I'd be inclined to look at first rather than trying to integrate an ultra modern N54/N55? Given you'd not be using a lot of the other electronic crap that makes these new units more efficient, plus it wouldn't have the aero either, trying to use a N54/N55 type engine I don't think you'd see any fuel efficiency saving over a tuned M30 anyway.I did see under 10mpg a few times in my N55 engine 135i
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