Z4MC S65 DCT + Suspension/Cosmetic Build

[Vanne]

Originally Posted by ApolloTheGod

Great question you have! I actually have taken the time to already plan out the electronics and I'm confident this will be the easiest swap.

Here's the plan: I've got an E92 donor car with complete body harness and all electronic modules with options I want like Comfort Access and such. My plan is to basically pull out the entire Z4 electronic suite and harness leaving behind only lights, door locks, window switches, etc. I'll then be dropping in the E92 harness and modules and splicing connectors where I need them. This will result in a "drop in" electronics swap. I need the E9X M3 gauge cluster and some of the other electronics anyway so this is the easiest way.

You may now want to know how we're getting it all to fit... Well, I'll be fusing parts of the E9X dashboard with the Z4 dashboard. For instance, the gauge cluster tower part of the dash from the E9X will be cut off and fused in with the Z dash. Along with a few other areas, I'll then finish the dash in a leather or alcantara finish. I may remold the dash for a lighter version, we'll see. I may just know it's frankenstein underneath.

If you have any more questions I'll be sure to answer them. I want to make this as easy as possible for me so I'll be carefully documenting this process for anyone who wants to attempt or do something similar.

Awesome mate,

as i said can't wait to see this baby come together. very very cool.

[chickdr]

I truly hope this swap is as painless as you think it will be. I would love to have an S65 in the engine bay. I was hoping there would be an E89 with the S65, but alas it never materialized(at least for the street).

[MPLICIT]

Originally Posted by chickdr

I truly hope this swap is as painless as you think it will be. I would love to have an S65 in the engine bay. I was hoping there would be an E89 with the S65, but alas it never materialized(at least for the street).

I almost bought an E89 to drop an S65 until I realized there is no coupe version. Fuck a roadster. Who the fuck wants to die?

[itdnwiwbp]

Originally Posted by ApolloTheGod

I almost bought an E89 to drop an S65 until I realized there is no coupe version. Fuck a roadster. Who the fuck wants to die?

Ew...careful with that anti-roadster talk around here. :-)

[MPLICIT]

Originally Posted by itdnwiwbp

Ew...careful with that anti-roadster talk around here. :-)

I know it's coming

This is a car for pushing limits. If a roll over were to happen, I'll take my chances in a caged coupe, not a caged roadster.

[dre99gsx]

Good luck!

[ga41]

Sounds amazing. Definitely following!

[F360C]

Originally Posted by ApolloTheGod

As far as I am aware the DCT and manual transmissions attached the S65 (I don't actually know which model name) are the same dimensions where they bolt in. So a mount I make for DCT should work with manual. If you guys are serious about doing this swap too I'll buy a 6 speed transmission to make sure and take the time to R&D.

Who all would commit to something like this? If you were to go 6 speed, you would not need to do many funky electronics stuff and the swap kit would be driveshaft, tranny mounts, engine mounts, and probably a few other small brackets and screws here or there. Perhaps a modified engine harness to get everything to work with Z4 electronics. As I develop this I'll note down what is needed.

Swapping in a 6 speed S65 is actually an incredibly intelligent move for this chassis. It's lighter than the S54, performs better than the S54, and distributes weight better. It leaves more room in the engine bay for many additions.

With the 6 speed it might be possible of going the route of not integrating all the e9x modules into the e86 since you don't have to worry about the DCT ECU/integration. If I remember correctly when Rogue engineering did the S62 V8 into their Z4 (non-M) Roadie they had a shop called North East Motorsport wire the z4 harness into the S62 DME. Then used INPA to work out the coding.

I know our DME is different from the E46 M3 DME but I also understand that it is very similar to the S85 DME which I assume is sorta close to the S65 one.

My brother was saying he talked to a guy at SEMA that worked for a shop in Chicago that did an S85 into an E46 and the guy also mentioned that it would be even easier doing it into an E86 M because of how alike the DME's are.

I agree the V8 is such an interesting swap for this car because it drops weight and moves the engine further back in the chassis.

You're car is going to be a monster even with out the blower!

[Punisher3.0si]

Cool project. I love it when people do engine swaps that keep it in the family. It's very tasteful. This platform is perfect for a V8. I'd love to hear 0-60 and 1/4 mile numbers when it's completed!

[MPLICIT]

Originally Posted by F360C

With the 6 speed it might be possible of going the route of not integrating all the e9x modules into the e86 since you don't have to worry about the DCT ECU/integration. If I remember correctly when Rogue engineering did the S62 V8 into their Z4 (non-M) Roadie they had a shop called North East Motorsport wire the z4 harness into the S62 DME. Then used INPA to work out the coding.

I know our DME is different from the E46 M3 DME but I also understand that it is very similar to the S85 DME which I assume is sorta close to the S65 one.

My brother was saying he talked to a guy at SEMA that worked for a shop in Chicago that did an S85 into an E46 and the guy also mentioned that it would be even easier doing it into an E86 M because of how alike the DME's are.

I agree the V8 is such an interesting swap for this car because it drops weight and moves the engine further back in the chassis.

You're car is going to be a monster even with out the blower!

I agree. Stroker first, the supercharger next. But it would be a monster even without being stroked. It's already a quick car with a stock S54. I'd like to get more information about that S62 swap as it sounds like I could learn a lot and it's good to hear the DMEs may be similar. I'm still fighting with how I can integrate everything. I'll work through it and hopefully find a good option but you are right, if I just went with a 6 speed it would be an easy swap.

Originally Posted by Punisher3.0si

Cool project. I love it when people do engine swaps that keep it in the family. It's very tasteful. This platform is perfect for a V8. I'd love to hear 0-60 and 1/4 mile numbers when it's completed!

The only engine that should have been dropped in the Z4MC is the S65 imo. It's the perfect fit. I'll be running the car a lot so you'll get lots of video and pictures of time slips

UPDATE


The car has been picked up and enjoyed for the last few days. I forget just how great the S54 really is. That engine is like the S65 and even has many similar sounds. Hit 4000 and you're off to the moon.



The car is in very good condition overall for a 10 year old car. There has been a minor accident in the past on the front right and the repairs were not done too well so I'll need a new passenger fender, but you probably wouldn't tell unless it was pointed out to you.

I ordered a ton of little things for the car that are needed like new ///M badges, brakes, trim pieces, screw covers, etc. I decided instead of doing a BBK for now I'll be using OEM rotors and a slew of pads to test out. I'll pick up a second set of OEM rotors and pair them with some PFC 08 pads and get some wheels I don't really care too much about for track days. Street pads are going to be DS2500 to start. Another one recommended to me was the Stoptech Performance pad that I'll try too.

I know what you really all want to see. You all want to see most of an S65, entire body harness, and a DCT trans fit in a Z4MC





This is a picture of my block and one of the complete heads. I picked up complete heads (head block, cams, vanos units, valves, springs, valve cover, all sensors, and coil packs) for $500 total for both banks. Ignore the mess. Garage needs to be cleaned out.



Here is a picture of the other head assembly and a few of the parts seen before and the DCT trans I picked up for $900. I believe it only has 20,000 miles on it. The assembled engine and trans pictured are from another project being worked on. Nothing too exciting, just regular maintenance.



I'll be piecing everything together soon to make sure I have the bulk of the important stuff so I can send it all off to the engine builder. I'm still debating if I want just the bottom end or assembled or the entire thing. Price will determine this. I'll be taking the entire engine to the builder in this Z4MC just for the lols.

[itdnwiwbp]

Originally Posted by ApolloTheGod

I know what you really all want to see. You all want to see most of an S65, entire body harness, and a DCT trans fit in a Z4MC

That certainly is an interesting lowering kit you've got on the car!

Everything looks awesome! Can't wait to watch it all come together.

[tominizer]

This should be good

And I love people with no budget constraints. Budget is ALWAYS something I'm smashing my head against the wall about.

[MPLICIT]

Originally Posted by tominizer

This should be good

And I love people with no budget constraints. Budget is ALWAYS something I'm smashing my head against the wall about.

It helps to not be married

[tominizer]

^ Say no more........

[MPLICIT]

UPDATE

My S54 has blown rod bearings. Judging by the amount of material in the oil filter, I might of even spun a set. Not great news but not too bad as the swap is going in soon. I ordered a new rod bearing set to drop in to keep playing with the wonderful S54 and have it rebuilt for resale. Also threw on new rotors and pads and pulled my calipers off for a rebuilt and recoloring. I found out the driver side front caliper was semi-stuck which explained some of my shuddering when braking. Another worthy mention about this car is that there is no good beer parking spot anywhere on it.





I broke down my S65 heads and started to go through them to look for any issues. Both sides in perfectly good health. I'll be sending them off to get cleaned better than they are but I took some time to try to clean the valves a bit to get an idea of how build up on the S65 works. Seemed pretty standard. They started to clean up really easily and it goes to show the benefits of running cleaner fuels. If any of you have torn apart motors running non-premium fuels you'll know the horrors.






Here are a few bonus pictures. My second block, my block in use (on the stand) and some more S65 head porn shots





In addition to tearing the heads down I also started to design my motor mounts and get some headway done there. I did some measuring in the car and started to plan how the transmission and engine will sit in for best effect. Pics below. Some of you might think I'm crazy, but I have always used foam board from a place like Hobby Lobby or Michael's as a method of designing the mounts first. It's nice to get a physical mock up that can be easily translated into CAD for machining. This lets you design what you need and make sure it all fits in real time.






If you're wondering about how to keep the engine still use a proper brace to keep the engine in place. Lifts don't work too well in my experience and a brace lets you get it more level. It should be noted that my engine is not in the bay yet, but I wanted to start on a template for the engine mount connecting to the block. I think it might be possible to leave the steering column and stock sub frame unmolested as well if my measurements are right. More to come soon.

Bonus pics: If anyone wants to know what happens to your walls when you hydrolock your motor, this is what happens (side note: it looks like a rod went out too):

[Beedub]

omg... this thread!!! wow!

[dre99gsx]

Those bores good enough for machining? Seems like .040 over may not be enough! yikes

[MPLICIT]

Originally Posted by dre99gsx

Those bores good enough for machining? Seems like .040 over may not be enough! yikes

Going with sleeves and a 94mm bore

[MPLICIT]

UPDATE

I picked up my heads from the machine shop earlier. They were amazed at how straight the heads were. No warpage. Even 02 could not shimmy under anything. Once I got the heads home I sealed them up for storage until my bottom end is done. I've decided I'm pulling the trigger on a 4.8L stroker for this block. Exciting times! I'm still in negotiation with VAC on some of the finer details of the bottom end build. Hopefully I'll get this sent off for getting sleeved and assembled soon. I'll be waiting for my stroker kit first though.







The heads still may look a little dirty in some areas but it's just loose debris sealed in by the oil that was put on the head to keep dust and dirt off. A simple wipe will carry it all away.

[Beedub]

mor epics please!!

[3GFX]

Subbing for the amazingness!!!

[GuidoK]

So nobody has any doubts with the hydrolocked block and a 700hp build?

I really like this project but....You're taking a HUGE risk (during your first 1/4 mile run or dyno)....