Project 6.0L Sedan

[D_Eclipse9916]

As usual, all projects start with very bad ideas. This is the start of mine. I was getting tired of having an automatic M3 as a daily and really wanted a manual. Unfortunately, I spent too much time in my friend's G8 GT laying down plenty of good rubber and enjoying the sweet note of a V8. Those thing go for $18k and up, and manuals are still in the ~$30k range. Darn. My friend has a LS3 E36 M3 race car, and that got me thinking.

Why not combine both?!?!

I got to looking around. Originally I wanted a 95 m3 (only came in coupe), so that I wouldn't have to worry about emissions in Northern Virginia. Well, then I stumbled upon this little guy. The seller had sold a previous car to a good friend of mine (air cooled 911, and was fanatical about maintenance and upkeep). I figured, if 2 doors are cool putting around with 400rwhp, 4 doors is even better :twisted:

So what you see below is my latest pickup. A 1998 M3 sedan with 161k miles. The condition belies the mileage. Over $2grand worth of work was recently done on it. And the single mechanical modification was a set of Ohlin shocks. :mrgreen: . Unfortunately I cannot post how much I got it for, since everything is always for sale. But let's say a steal.

The plan is to daily drive it for a little while till I get the motor built. I have decided to go right off the deep end and build a 6.0L LQ4 block with 243 heads and a medium cam paired with a T56 transmission. Should get me around ~400rwhp built properly (V8 experts help? I just want a solid 400 on pump gas and that looked like the good cheap combo). The exterior will mostly remain stock, with maybe some tint, a slight drop, wheels, and mayyyyyybe some euro lights paired with black kidneys. This will be a long process as I am taking my time on building the engine/components, but I thought I would explain why I would pick it up before questions abound on facebook.






Parts and Part #: (ongoing list)
Vorshlag Stage 0 Kit
1999 LS1 longblock
1998 LS1 Wiring Harness/Ecu/Sensors
LS6 Intake Manifold
LS6 Valley Cover GM #12577927
LS6 Plug for Valve Covers GM #12568011
Felpro Thermostat Gasket Part No 35632
ToughOne Water Pump Water Pump - New Part No T7049
Stant Thermostat, 186 Degrees Fahrenheit Part No 1429
Felpro Intake Manifold Gasket Set Part No MS 92438
Improved Racing Racing Oil Pan Baffle (EGM-200)
Tick Performance Elite Series Camshaft Package for LS1 & LS6 Engines
Camsh​aft: SNS t​orque​MAX S​tage ​2 Mil​der
Valve​sprin​g Typ​e: #SK00​1S (f​or st​ock r​ocker​ arms​)
Pushr​od Le​ngth: 7.400​" Pus​hrod ​Set
Timin​g Cha​in Up​grade​: #1258​6482 ​GM Ch​ain)
LS1 MAF Part # 25179711
Aeroquip FBM1386 - Aeroquip Reusable Hose Ends
Aeroquip FBM1389 - Aeroquip Reusable Hose Ends
Aeroquip FBM2608 - Aeroquip AN to Metric Adapter Fittings
Aeroquip FCG0606 - Aeroquip AQP High-Pressure Hose
Fragola Performance Systems 460614-BL - Fragola Performance Systems AN to Metric Adapter Fittings
Fragola Performance Systems 491963-BL - Fragola Performance Systems AN to Metric Adapter Fittings
Dorman 800-120 - Dorman Fuel Line Connectors
Dorman 800-121 - Dorman Fuel Line Connectors
Russell Performance 640940 - Russell Fuel Rail Fitting Adapters
Russell Performance 644123 - Russell Push-On EFI Fittings

[ispoonwithmugen]

Um, yes!

[CaptainHenreh]

You're retarded. But in a good way.

[HAULN-SS]

Why LQ4? Isnt that the truck engine? Think that's what dad has in his 1500HD Maybe an LS3 is easier to find? I dont know, just talking outloud here

[D_Eclipse9916]

Why LQ4? Isnt that the truck engine? Think that's what dad has in his 1500HD Maybe an LS3 is easier to find? I dont know, just talking outloud here

LQ4 was found in tons of GM trucks. From 2500-3500HD trucks, to Yukon Denalis. It is the exact same thing as an LS1, except 6.0L, iron block and decreased compression. After 2001, all LQ4s had aluminum heads from my understanding. However, I can find LQ4s all day long for $7-900 running vs an LS1/2/3 that go from $3k and up ($6k and up for LS3s). The reasoning behind the lower prices is because the aluminum block saves 70lbs. On a daily? 70lbs is negligible, I could lose that weight just from changing out the seats, or getting rid of the spare and jack. That is, if I was worried about 70lbs.

The 243 aluminum heads (am I correct on the way they say this?), increase compression, are cheap, and flow well enough that paired with a deccent cam should make the power I am looking for. All said and done, building an LQ4 to ~400rwhp should be almost $1k less than buying an LS1. OF course, I am looking for the best deal. IF someone found me an LS1/T56 combo for under 3 grand in healthy condition, I will buy it immediately.

[Levey]

I'll sell you my LS1 with a Camaro attached to it for $10k

[BLINGMW]

You're retarded. But in a good way.

haha, agreed

I didn't know you were doing the UTCC, sounds fun :thumbup:

So you were looking for a 95, but got a 98, so what's the emissions plan now? Move to Roanoke? Or do like I did in ATL, just don't register it, and swap plates between BMWs depending on the day? :lol:

[navin]

Primary garage FTW... (for emissions).

[Jake]

I'll sell you my LS1 with a Camaro attached to it for $10k

Then he could also build a Camaro with an S52! :thumbup:

DJ, this is a seriously cool project. Let me know when the time comes to spin some wrenches.

Wonder if that S52 would fit the Miata bay........

[CaptainHenreh]

Isn't the emissions test just an OBD all-clear? That should be easy.

[ScottyB]

hock:

that'll do pig. that'll do. here i thought you just got bored and bought another basket case M3...

[JPolen01]

Yeah what's the problem with emissions? I thought it was similar to md where as long as you have no CELs you're good to go.

[FlaakCM]

They will usually do a visual inspection for cats

[Goodspeed]

Thank you for being the first one here to simultaneously lose your mind and come to your senses by doing a LS-into-whatever project :lol:

I wonder if Nova has anything like CA emissions for weird stuff like this, where as long as you keep the GM emissions stuff (stock computer, cats, etc.), it would be fine because its a newer motor than the car itself. Cali gets more onerous though with being nit-picky about the position of the cats and so on. There may also be some sort of "hot rod" loophole or something.

Whatever the case may be, super duper excited to see this thing get done. I'm calling shotgun.

[GregF]

How does insurance work for something like this? Is it viewed as "just another M3"?

[ispoonwithmugen]

Hmmm, I wonder how much it would be to get that S52 in the E30....

[Steve85]

Ha! Awesome. I swear if I still had my E30 it'd have an LS in it by now. Still get tempted to do an 8 series every now and again.

243 refers to the last 3 numbers of the casting number of the head. They were originally designed for the C5 Z06 where they came with lightweight sodium valves and better springs than the truck 243s came with later on. Port design and hence flow and performance potential are the same as the "Z06 head" and worth a solid 25hp IIRC. Even more when you cam it. I was looking for a pair to stick on my engine but decided to stay within budget and not go down the HP hole again...at least for a while.

The emissions thing is a little tricky in that the original equipment must be present and appear to be in working order (or something like that, Jason knows it) to pass the annual safety inspection. To get out of safety inspection car needs to be 25yrs old. Before you start, you might want to look deeper into this. You can usually find an inspector that will give you a sticker and other tricks to get around it though...

[xvxax]

What if he wires in the OBD2 plug under the dash and the inspector plugs it in and it reads as all clear? That is what happens when my truck is inspected every two years. So the visual might be hard to pass because the LS* is so recognizable, but if you get someone who is clueless and the car passes? what is the harm?

Cool project, looking forward to seeing how it progresses. Which Ohlins are in it? I know RRT was having some sets made for them back in the day. I assume that's where these came from, because I'm pretty sure that's where all of the Ohlins for the e36 in America came from.

[JustinG]

Garage it in Richmond....I know a guy.

[Jake]

Garage it in Richmond....I know a guy.

You don't need an address to list the car as "garaged in..."