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BMW E36 V8 products in development.

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There has been a lot of interest in the BMW E36 V8 swaps, however, there are very few V8 powered E36 cars that are actually running.

Currently, there is not a lot of good information about the V8 swap.

Given time and development, the information about the E36 V8 swap should become better. This will result in the swap being easier, less costly, and more refined.

IF YOU HAVE INFORMATION ABOUT THE SWAP THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE, PLEASE SEND US THE INFORMATION, AND WE WILL POST IT ON THIS WEBSITE.

These are some facts about the E36 swap:

Cooling: The stock E36 6-cylinder radiator is perfectly adequate for the V8 swap. Radiator hoses from the small-block or the LSx engines can be spliced to the BMW 6-cylinder radiator hoses with our hose spicers. Click this link to see examples of hose splicers.

Differentials and half-shafts: The E36 is available with three sizes of differentials. small, medium, and large.

The small differential came on 4-cylinder cars. It is not suitable for the V8 swap.

The medium size differential (188 mm, or 7.4" ring gear diameter) came on all 6-cylinder cars sold in American, including the M3 cars. It seems to be adequate for the V8 swap.

The large differential (210 mm, or 8.27" ring gear) came on 1996 and newer European M3 cars.

Half shafts. The half-shafts on non-M3 6-cylinder cars appear to be adequate for the V8 swap. The half-shafts on the M3 cars have larger CV joints, and a larger hub spline at the rear wheels.

Weight. There is a lot of mis-information pertaining to the weight gain of the V8 swap. A lot of people are claiming there is no weight gain, but they are removing air conditioning, catalytic converters, insulation, and other items. They may also be running smaller batteries, and they may weigh the car with an empty tank of gas, or they may simply be guessing what their cars weigh.

A stock, fully-dressed 325 engine and 5-speed transmission weighs about 530-550 lbs. 328 engines with aluminum blocks weigh less. All M3's came with cast-iron blocks.

An aluminum block LSx engine with the T56 transmission will add at least 100 pounds to the weight of a stock 325 with the 5-speed.

A small-block V8 with the T5 transmission will add at least 200 lbs to the weight of a stock 325 with the 5-speed.

A small-block Ford V8 weighs about the same as a small-block Chevrolet (within ten lbs). We aren't sure why people insist that the Ford small-block is up to 100 lbs lighter than the Chevrolet small-block.

Exhaust. The stock non-M3 6-cylinder exhaust after the catalytic converter is about 1-7/8" dual exhaust. The stock non-M3 muffler is free flowing, quiet, and is adequate for most V8 swaps. A muffler shop can connect the V8 exhaust to the 6-cylinder exhaust for the lowest cost exhaust system. The biggest complaint about the stock muffler is the weight.

The M3 exhaust, after the catalytic converters, is 2-3/8" dual exhaust, and the muffler is very free flowing and reasonably quiet. It is adequate for modified LSx engines. The biggest complaint about the M3 exhaust is the weight, and as a result, used M3 mufflers can often be purchased for a reasonably low price.

The small-block V8 swap can use rams-horn exhaust manifolds, which are inexpensive, and they do not radiate a lot of heat. They will clear the ABS pump, but we are not confident that the heat from the manifolds will not be a problem. The small-block V8 does not require any modifications to the stock E36 brake booster.

With the LSx V8 swap, we do not know of any factory GM exhaust manifolds that will fit on the driver's side.

Dash board instruments. The stock instrument cluster will perform as stock with the V8 swap.

The speedometer gets its signal from the differential, so no adapters are required.

The 1996 and newer water temperature sending unit bolts onto the LS1 cylinder head.

The tachometer signal from the LSx ECM can be programmed to provide the correct signal to the BMW tachometer.

The fuel economy gauge in the instrument cluster uses the injector pulses and speedometer inputs to provide the fuel mileage. With the LSx swap, the fuel economy gauge can be calibrated with parts from this company: www.seattlecircuit.com

Steering shaft. Some people are recommending that the steering shaft be replaced with an aftermarket shaft for header clearance. At this time, we believe the swap can be done with the stock steering shaft.

The following items are being developed for production. Parts will probably not be ready for sale until April 2010, so please don't call and ask about these parts. When they are ready, we will post it on this website.

Small-diameter brake-booster installation kit. We feel one of the biggest obtacles to making the LSx V8 swap practical is the stock brake booster, which limits the positioning of the engine, and requires the use of ultra-stiff motor mounts. One V8 kit on the market uses a Ford Mustang hydroboost system to replace the stock E36 booster -- it is a good solution, but it is somewhat costly, complicated, and heavy.

We are developeing a kit to install a smaller diameter dual-diaphram booster from a  BMW or Mercedes into the E36. This provides about 3/4" more clearance between the booster and the valve cover so the LSx engine can be mounted with rubber mounts that won't trasmit as much noise and vibration into the vehicle as the polyurethane mounts that people are using to prevent contact between the booster and the valve cover.

The dual diaphram booster is similar to the booster used in the E46 M3 and provides a more rigid feeling brake pedal as a result of through-the-booster-bolts, which directly link the master-cylinder to the firewall -- this eliminates the flexing of the stock E36 booster housing under heavy pedal pressure.

Estimated price of the installation kit (which does not include the booster) is about $100. Installation of ABS pedal-travel-sensor is about $50.

Shorty headers. The shorty headers are a low cost alternative to long-tube headers. Advantages of the shorty headers are: low cost, easier installation, and less heat in the engine compartment and transmission tunnel.

Estimated price of the 1-5/8" primary, 2-1/2" collector header is $300 for plain steel and $425 for ceramic coated. Options include V-bands, which will be about $100 extra.

Headers may not work with some mounting kits, and requires relocation of ABS pump.

Prototype shown.

Motor mounting kit. Uses factory Chevrolet rubber isolators to reduce vibrations going into the car. Mounting kits are being developed for the small-block Chevrolet V8's and the LSx V8 engines.  Requires modifications to stock front crossmember.

Estimated pricing is not available at this time.

Last updated, 02/21/10

JTR engine swapping manuals are available directly from JTR Publishing,
As well as through a number of retailers, including:
• Summit Racing (S-10: Part #JTR-S10; Jaguar: Part #JTR-JAG),
• JEGS (S-10: Part #116549; TPI & TBI: Part #117942),
• Steve Smith Autosports (S-10: Part #S212; TPI & TBI: Part #S195), and
• Classic Motorbooks (S-10: Part #116549; TPI & TBI: Part #117942;
  Jaguar: Part #118438; Datsun Z: Part #115501; Volvo 200: Part #122587).