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Old 07-28-2013, 06:49 PM   #1
Strawman
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Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: SLO, CA
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Default S52/ZF into '96 318ti Tintop (S52 coming!)

UPDATE: An S52 has since been swapped into my car. See details starting in Post #16 below...

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I've been a lurker on this forum since I bought my '96 BMW 318ti for $1600 about a year ago. It was originally a car from Italy (found about 40 Lire coins under the center console, and the owner's manual is in Italian!), so it had a 5-bolt rear drum setup that was used on many 316ti cars. The car also had a weird "thatched" headliner that looks retro-island -- but I've come to like it. It had 177k miles on it, although the previous owner gave me a huge stack of receipts over the past six years, including a swapped used Getrag transmission. He also used synthetics in all boxes/engine, and mostly used genuine BMW parts. The clear-coat was coming off and the driveshaft was vibrating (locked up rear u-joint), so he sold it to me for a pretty good price.

I do all of my own car maintenance, modifications and repairs in my typical suburban two-car garage. After replacing every oil-related o-ring and gasket on the M44 engine, doing a full tune-up and installing a rebuilt driveshaft, the car was trouble-free and it now has 203k miles.

My '97 328i was stolen/wrecked last February, so I bought it back from the insurance company for this swap. It only had 110k miles on it, and I knew the engine was strong. My father bought it from SF BMW in 2000 with 26k, so I know the history of the car, too.

About three months ago, I completely rebuilt the suspension using Koni single-adjustables, H&R Sport springs, heavy-duty Meyle LCAs, rubber LCA bushings, and poly bushings everywhere else (rear diff mount, rear trailing arm bushings, rear crossmember mounts, sway bar mounts). I went with stock front upper strut mounts and Meyle HD rear shock mounts, but used the BMW reinforcement plates front and rear. I replaced the stock rear differential with one from an E28, and it has a 3.25 ratio and a clutch-type LSD. I also replaced the trailing arms with disc-brake 318ti units (new bearings) and used the 328i vented brakes up front with all new brake pads, sensors and rubber lines; I'm not a big fan of stainless lines due to wear-through concerns. The axles came from NAPA, and they were a huge pain in the ass to get the splines to line up in the hubs -- but they seem to working out fine so far. I pulled the lower crossbrace from a 328ic at Pick-n-Pull ($14!), and installed it about a month ago -- gotta admit that I really couldn't feel a difference. Finally, I replaced the tie-rods with new Lemforder units and new boots. All told, I spent about $2k on the parts to rebuild the suspension, but the car handles very nicely without knocking out the fillings in my teeth (very similar to my M Roadster).

Now to the swap: I have been gathering parts for a few months, including J!ms swap manual. Since the 328i was an automatic, I purchased a ZF trans, flywheel, clutch, shifter and driveshaft from a wrecked '97 328ic at a nearby Pick-n-Pull. Fortunately, it was a 50% off transmissions weekend, so I got everything for $150. I paid $40 for the 2-year warranty on the trans; the wrecked 328ic was otherwise in great shape so I've got my fingers crossed. I pulled the ENTIRE wiring harness out of my 328i before recycling the carcass, so I've swapped in the DME, EWS, and the EWS ignition sender in the 318ti. I'm also swapping over all locks, since I've got three keys from the 328i (and the one key I've got for the 318ti doesn't open the driver's door!). Finally, I've installed the 328i rack-n-pinion.

I've also swapped in the battery cable from the 328i into the 318ti in order to move the battery into the cargo space. While the engine was out, I welded in Turner Motorsports reinforcements for the front crossmember. I ground off the coil pack and power steering reservoir mounts, cleaned up the engine bay, and painted all exposed metal to prevent rust. I bought a rattle can from NAPA with single-stage Calypsorot Metallic for $30, and it came out great -- much easier that having to buy a quart of paint and use & then clean my HVLP spot-gun.

The M44 engine & Getrag trans came out without incident, although I had to lower the car because my cherry-picker ran out of headroom. Fortunately, I was able to snake my small HF aluminum floorjack between the "legs" of the cherry-picker to raise the body off the jackstands and then lower the body down. The drivetrain is now on a pallet and ready for sale. The M52 & ZF went in without too much incident, although patience and a little swearing is necessary. Below are some pics. I'll update as soon as I finish installing the shifter, driveshaft, exhaust, wiring, etc. Stay tuned!
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version Name:	M44 exiting 1.JPG Views:	929 Size:	148.0 KB ID:	14176   Click image for larger version Name:	M44 almost out 1.JPG Views:	894 Size:	162.2 KB ID:	14177   Click image for larger version Name:	M44 out 2.JPG Views:	851 Size:	144.3 KB ID:	14178  

Click image for larger version Name:	M52 install 1.JPG Views:	846 Size:	158.7 KB ID:	14179   Click image for larger version Name:	M52 going in 1.JPG Views:	859 Size:	136.6 KB ID:	14180  

Last edited by Strawman; 08-09-2016 at 04:20 PM. Reason: update
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