The forums of BangShift are made up of all kinds of enthusiasts. We really do try to cover it all, and we go out of our way to find some of the more strange combinations that exist. Some of them are built simply to satisfy some internal desire to be radically different from everybody else (the Imperial/El Camino kit-bash from yesterday is a good example). But others see the benefit to mixing different ideas to create their version of a performance vehicle. In this case, “greeneggsandstam” had the benefit of a well-used 1992 BMW 318is that was picked up on the cheap. The BMW E36 chassis is light and well-suited for handling, but the 318is was saddled with a 138hp four-cylinder that required you to rev the hell out of the engine to get the best performance out of it. That didn’t suit him well enough, so instead the BMW is getting dose of Blue Oval, in the form of a 1993 5.0. hooked to a five-speed.
The swap is doable thanks to a kit provided by Matt Wagner at e36v8.com, which provides the motor mounts, transmission crossmember, and information on how to complete the conversion. The car is an ongoing project, but we can’t wait to see this BMW in action once it’s all completed!
Project Thread: BMW 318is V8 Conversion
I own 2 E39s (5 series) and this swap is actually quite common and really cool.
This is one of my favorites with a blown LS motor:
http://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?1517185-E39-Project-on-the-Road
Thanks so much for the feature! Totally made my night!!