BMW E38 with a 6.0 V8 & big Turbo
Discussion
About 2.5 year ago I bought a 6.0 LQ4 engine block and some parts from a business next door for no other reason than it was cheap lol.
The LQ4 is the iron block Chevy LS2 used in chevy suburban's etc.
I decided to build the engine even though I had no car suitable to put it in. A few grand later and a load of parts were on there way from Summit racing in the states. The block, heads and crank went off to the machine shop.
Once back I cracked on with assembling the engine. I built it knowing it was going to turbocharge it so in went forged pistons with ring gap. ARP bolts all way through.
And the Turbo for good measure. VS racing 78/75
The LQ4 is the iron block Chevy LS2 used in chevy suburban's etc.
I decided to build the engine even though I had no car suitable to put it in. A few grand later and a load of parts were on there way from Summit racing in the states. The block, heads and crank went off to the machine shop.
Once back I cracked on with assembling the engine. I built it knowing it was going to turbocharge it so in went forged pistons with ring gap. ARP bolts all way through.
And the Turbo for good measure. VS racing 78/75
I still didn't have anything to put the engine in so it sat on a pallet in my workshop for a while.
While out on a job at a regular customers last year I noticed an E38 had been sat for a while in the car park looking sorry for its self.
Got chatting about it to the owner and after an hour we made a deal (£800) and I got it recovered back to my workshop the next day.
The E38 was a car i had forgotten about but still had a soft spot for. They are just a cool looking car.
With the engine, gear and cats sold the rolling car only owed me about £100
Got it on the ramp and pulled the 2.8 lump and sold it the day after.
The buyer drove up from the midlands and collected the lump in a Honda Civic.
Getting the straight 6 in there was fun.
While out on a job at a regular customers last year I noticed an E38 had been sat for a while in the car park looking sorry for its self.
Got chatting about it to the owner and after an hour we made a deal (£800) and I got it recovered back to my workshop the next day.
The E38 was a car i had forgotten about but still had a soft spot for. They are just a cool looking car.
With the engine, gear and cats sold the rolling car only owed me about £100
Got it on the ramp and pulled the 2.8 lump and sold it the day after.
The buyer drove up from the midlands and collected the lump in a Honda Civic.
Getting the straight 6 in there was fun.
The car was then rolled outside for some degreasing.
then back on the ramp for some inspecting
Bit rough and some rust on the rear of the sills.
Rear subframe dropped and refreshed with all new parts
Rear diff also changed to a beefier 740i unit and larger stronger axles
Rear disks and calipers also swapped out for larger vented 750 items. these were hard to find.
Knowing the front brakes were going to need an upgrade too I started looking at options. All of which were expensive so I decided to make my own. Hours spent searching brake disk dimensions and I found some suitable, affordable and easy to source in the form or range rover L322 360mm items.
Calipers I decided on a used set of Brembo's from a Tesla model S that were for sale locally for £80. These were not a direct fit so a bit of milling later...
Front suspension was all also swapped out for new parts.
then back on the ramp for some inspecting
Bit rough and some rust on the rear of the sills.
Rear subframe dropped and refreshed with all new parts
Rear diff also changed to a beefier 740i unit and larger stronger axles
Rear disks and calipers also swapped out for larger vented 750 items. these were hard to find.
Knowing the front brakes were going to need an upgrade too I started looking at options. All of which were expensive so I decided to make my own. Hours spent searching brake disk dimensions and I found some suitable, affordable and easy to source in the form or range rover L322 360mm items.
Calipers I decided on a used set of Brembo's from a Tesla model S that were for sale locally for £80. These were not a direct fit so a bit of milling later...
Front suspension was all also swapped out for new parts.
Once the subframe was complete I dropped the fuel tank and ran new supply and return lines in AN8 and AN6. The in-tank fuel pump was swapped out for a Deatsch-Werks 400 (415lph) unit and complemented by DW fuel pressure regulator and injectors.
Now it was time to mount the engine.
For the gearbox i went with a ZF 8HP70 from a Jaguar XF. This is the same modern 8 speed you will find in all sorts of cars from BMW, Jaguar, Landrover, Dodge etc. Very capable and strong. The gearbox TCU has been flashed with MAXXECU software to up pressure limits and a load of other things. This will work seamless with the MAXXECU Race.
A front sump was bought and after test fitting it, it became apparent the pickup pipe was a inch or so too short. so this was extended and now sits about 8-10mm from the bottom.
Once I was happy where it all sat I made some mounts and she was bolted in
Now it was time to mount the engine.
For the gearbox i went with a ZF 8HP70 from a Jaguar XF. This is the same modern 8 speed you will find in all sorts of cars from BMW, Jaguar, Landrover, Dodge etc. Very capable and strong. The gearbox TCU has been flashed with MAXXECU software to up pressure limits and a load of other things. This will work seamless with the MAXXECU Race.
A front sump was bought and after test fitting it, it became apparent the pickup pipe was a inch or so too short. so this was extended and now sits about 8-10mm from the bottom.
Once I was happy where it all sat I made some mounts and she was bolted in
Once mounted it came time to start working out where everything is going to go in the engine bay. where the turbo will sit and, alternator etc.
I did mount an AC compressor but have since removed it and will come back to this at a later time.
The turbo took a bit to get positioned as i had to make sure it was going to clear the front panel and rear of the headlight.
This was the final result.
Wastegate was then bought and mounted
A 4 inch thick core intercooler fitted quite nicely in the front with a little trimming to the bumper. 3 inch pipework from turbo to inlet.
Under the car I had to decide what type of prop I was going to use. Spicer 1350 UJ's were the best bet and adaptors were available for both the diff and gearbox. The prop is being custom made by Dunning & Fairbank in Leeds and should be ready in a few weeks time
I did mount an AC compressor but have since removed it and will come back to this at a later time.
The turbo took a bit to get positioned as i had to make sure it was going to clear the front panel and rear of the headlight.
This was the final result.
Wastegate was then bought and mounted
A 4 inch thick core intercooler fitted quite nicely in the front with a little trimming to the bumper. 3 inch pipework from turbo to inlet.
Under the car I had to decide what type of prop I was going to use. Spicer 1350 UJ's were the best bet and adaptors were available for both the diff and gearbox. The prop is being custom made by Dunning & Fairbank in Leeds and should be ready in a few weeks time
Wheels were constantly on my mind. Ages spent looking at E38's on all sizes and styles. I really did want to go with a set of M parallels but there doesn't seem to be any with and 11 inch wide option.
This is going to be powerful and i want a good amount of tyre on the road.
Eventually deciding on this set. 19x9.5j and 19x11j for the rear. This should allow me to fit 265/35/19 front and 305/30/19 PS4S tyres.
They are a nice classy looking wheel and only going 19 inch should still give a nice ride.
This is going to be powerful and i want a good amount of tyre on the road.
Eventually deciding on this set. 19x9.5j and 19x11j for the rear. This should allow me to fit 265/35/19 front and 305/30/19 PS4S tyres.
They are a nice classy looking wheel and only going 19 inch should still give a nice ride.
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