e34 540 Daily Driver Project
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About a month ago I picked up a moderately clean e34 540ia with the intent to do a full 6 speed swap for a daily driver. I was't originally going to make a post for this but since I am elbow deep in this project it wouldn't hurt to open up the floor to criticism. I have only put about 3 full days of putzing into the car so I don't have many photos but this is what I have so far. Steering column, pedal assembly, exhaust, driveshaft, and auto transmission are out. Everything under the car was a hassle with the amount of corrosion.
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Don't forget to setup all the clutch hydro stuff and reverse light wiring before putting the trans on. Very little room up there.
You'll hate life a little getting the master hooked up
Dan
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Don't forget to setup all the clutch hydro stuff and reverse light wiring before putting the trans on. Very little room up there.
You'll hate life a little getting the master hooked up
Thanks for the heads up. I don't think I will look at it for another week while I wait for rear main seal to get here. is there a harness for the backup light switch or do I need to make one?
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Thanks for the heads up. I don't think I will look at it for another week while I wait for rear main seal to get here. is there a harness for the backup light switch or do I need to make one?
not sure if this will apply to your model year, but it worked for mine (94, build date in 93). i reused old connectors and wiring to put it together, I didnt find a harness that could be purchased.
I manual swapped my e34 m60 touring, so my build thread lightly brushes over some of these things if you havent found it:
Dan
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@straight6pwr I have been following your DIY pretty closely actually. I saw that you talked about the jumper that you made for the reverse switch but not the actual harness for the switch itself. Your post in conjunction with the Bentley transmission removal steps has made this swap very predictable. It's still throwing curveballs with a bunch of seized bolts so I wouldn't go as far as to say it's easy but the process is straight forward.
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The exhaust removal/install was the most frustrating part of my swap due to the corrosion, for sure. Glad you're finding use from my post!
The reverse harness I got from my parts car.
Just remembered : if your flywheel is the variety with oem torx bolts, I have a modified torx driver for it that you may need and are free to borrow
Dan
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The exhaust removal/install was the most frustrating part of my swap due to the corrosion, for sure. Glad you're finding use from my post!
The reverse harness I got from my parts car.
Just remembered : if your flywheel is the variety with oem torx bolts, I have a modified torx driver for it that you may need and are free to borrow
I picked up a full extended set on sale for $20 and planned on grinding the T60 down. If you are located near Sheboygan/West bend I would still take you up on that offer.
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Yeah the exhaust is the worst part, had to do that job twice now
My suggestion would be to ditch all of the stock clutch lines and Order 32” of 3260-3-INCH stainless braided hose and a *90 male off one end HE606-03P-090 and a straight male HE606-03P-000 on the other. It'll be about $70 from Pegasus but it makes the install way easier. I bought the stainless braided section from ECS and ended up not using it because the clutch slave hardline is such a pain. https://www.pegasusautoracing.com/iscustom-hose.asp?RecID=9023
I also have the OEM sockets for the flywheel.
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Yeah the exhaust is the worst part, had to do that job twice now
My suggestion would be to ditch all of the stock clutch lines and Order 32” of 3260-3-INCH stainless braided hose and a *90 male off one end HE606-03P-090 and a straight male HE606-03P-000 on the other. It'll be about $70 from Pegasus but it makes the install way easier. I bought the stainless braided section from ECS and ended up not using it because the clutch slave hardline is such a pain. https://www.pegasusautoracing.com/iscustom-hose.asp?RecID=9023
I also have the OEM sockets for the flywheel.
Already have them.
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Slowly plugging away at this project. I changed the rear main seal and gasket even though it really didn't have any leaks at all. In hindsight I should have left it alone because the upper oil pan gasket just crumbled when I gently pried the rear crankcase cover off. I cut it cleanly at the ends and filled it with OEM loctite 5970 differential/pan sealant. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Worst case scenario I have to drop the entire oil pan but it should be done anyways by the condition of the gasket piece that disintegrated.
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@straight6pwr Did you have to do any DME flashing after the swap? I am hearing people say they experienced hanging revs if you keep the auto computer.
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no flashing. I didn't swapped DMEs either, they are the same for auto/manual cars. i've experienced no hanging revs or anything funny.
my thread says i pulled my TCU (trans control module), but i have to confirm that i didn't put it back in. IIRC the 'trans program' error popped up when I pulled it, but I'll have to look.
Dan
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Update from last weekend.
I was able to get just about everything installed including some vogtland springs. I didn't get the driveshaft put back in because the shift selector rod was too short since it did not match the gearshift rod joint that was recently replaced incorrectly (part number change in 10/1994) by the last owner. Instead of purchasing a new one I cut, tapped, bent, and extended the old one to work. Turned out "Meh" but now it is fully adjustable. I had originally purchased some fittings for the bend from the master cylinder but I ended up just making a hard line that worked out even easier. I jumped the starter relay, started the car and everything works great. I should have it all wrapped up next weekend but who knows.
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The style 24's look awesome. Never seen them on a e34 before
I looked everywhere on the inter-webs for example pictures and could not find anything. I see a lot of people running m contours but never the LTW's. I'm pleasantly surprised with how fitting they are on the vehicle.
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She is alive and dirty. I have a few gremlins to chase and body work to do but otherwise in decent condition.
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Any plans to lower the back down a bit?
Love those wheels on there.
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Any plans to lower the back down a bit?
Love those wheels on there.
I didn't put the exhaust back on yet because I am working on some bugs but I am hoping since it is 1,000,000 lbs it will help the back settle down a bit more. It does concern me enough to think about lowering the springs but I doubt I will act on it because the rake isn't horrible and this will be a daily driver.
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