This is a cross-post from Bimmerforums at the suggestion of some of the guys there:
--------------- This thread will cover the complete dissection of 1 1995 M3 donor car, and the transplantation of all its tasty bits (engine, brakes, wheels, security system and anything else I can scrounge) into my 1995 318ti Club Sport.
Step 1: Strip down the M3, bolt by bolt. Sell every possible, unneeded part from the M3 to bankroll suspension upgrades and swap costs. (All the interior is spoken for already, as is the hood and front splitter. Wheels, engine, brakes and swap parts reserved for my ti, otherwise, PM with requests)
Step 2: Clean, seal up, and prep motor with all new gaskets, oil pan baffle, welded oil pump nut, valve spring retainers, and any other upgrades that should be done with the engine out.
Step 3: Swap engine, tranny, cluster, security systems, lock cylinders (damn EWS), brakes, and anything else useful into the ti.
Step 4: Swap in aftermarket suspension with new suspension bushings all around.
The donor: Complete and drivable 95 M3. Buckled roof, bent frame, no hope for the car as it sits. Besides, I want all the good bits!
The recipient: Original 1995 Club Sport, dyno'd at 86 RWHP. Eagerly awaiting the heart from the M division that bore her.
STEP 1 - Day 1: Interior Dissection
Of course, all the big parts are easy...
Step 1: Day 2/3
Digging into the wiring I found this little gem. Unfortunately this means I have to swap lock cylinders all around. [Update: Apparently not. More details to follow in the thread] Early <96 models didn't have it, but apparently my 95 was late enough in the cycle to have one included.
All in all though, it's coming along pretty well. There's plenty left to do, but it will get there. I'm being really careful to label everything that I disconnect. Not only will I have to put it together again, but I'll have to figure out what to splice where into the ti.
Last edited by PhotoMotion; 12-27-2009 at 10:38 PM.
Congrats on your swap. No need to swap lock cylinders though, you just need to swap the transponder chip out of the key into your current key. Many people have done exactly what you're doing, including myself. Plenty of info floating around in this section of the forum. 318ti.org is more friendly towards the Ti and you'll find more Ti specific information here compared to bf.c. Welcome aboard, good luck with your swap.
Heh, yeah, up until I started this project, I'd never even heard of EWS. That's the nice part about dissecting the M3 first. I can get familiar with all the systems before I start tearing into my beloved ti!
Alright, back out to the garage to continue the tear down. (Doors, headliner, and sunroof if I'm lucky).
FWIW, the only EWS related components you need to swap are the white EWS module behind the glove compartment, the ECU and the transponder chip in the key. The other EWS module located behind the driver's right kick panel is for the EWS antenna(plastic ring around the ignition cylinder). Don't swap that, otherwise you'll need to swap the EWS antenna from the M3. So to sum things up, three things, white EWS module(located behind glove box), ECU(located in engine compartment on passenger's side of firewall), and transponder chip(located inside of the key).
And before you ask, no the rear seat won't fit, no the door panels won't fit, no the dash won't fit, no the side moldings won't fit, no the rear suspension won't fit, no the differential won't fit, no the steering wheel won't fit(without modification), no the armrest/center console won't fit and no the mirrors won't fit(but your clubsport already has Mtechnic mirrors anyway) Front brakes will fit if you swap out the spindles, rears will not fit. You should swap out the brake master cylinder/reservior if you swap out the brakes. The side skirts will fit, but those are the same luxury skirts that your clubsport has(not Mtechnic twisties). The exhaust will fit, but it will need to be shortened/modified. Front suspension will fit. Be sure to swap your throttle cable and once you remove the carpet, be sure to grab the battery cable and power distribution block from the engine compartment(so you can relocate the battery to the cargo area for better weight distribution). Since the M3 transmission(ZF) is longer than the Ti's (getrag) tranny, you'll need to use the front section of the M3 driveshaft paired up with the rear section of the Ti drive shaft. Do yourself a favor and buy an e24, e28, e30, Z3, MZ3 or Mcoupe limited slip diff, the clubsport has a small case LSD and it can't handle the added torque of the S50. You'll also need e30 halfshafts which are shorter/beefier than the Ti halfshafts which are too long for the wider medium case diff. If you go with an e24 or e28 LSD(they have better gear ratios), you'll need a cover and output flanges off of an e30, Z3, MZ3 or Mcoupe LSD. Now's the time to buy a new clutch and possibly a lightweight flywheel if you want one.
Last edited by cooljess76; 12-28-2009 at 02:52 AM.
FWIW, the only EWS related components you need to swap are the white EWS module behind the glove compartment, the ECU and the transponder chip in the key. The other EWS module located behind the driver's right kick panel is for the EWS antenna(plastic ring around the ignition cylinder). Don't swap that, otherwise you'll need to swap the EWS antenna from the M3. So to sum things up, three things, white EWS module(located behind glove box), ECU(located in engine compartment on passenger's side of firewall), and transponder chip(located inside of the key).
Very handy information, thanks!
Quote:
Originally Posted by cooljess76
Front brakes will fit if you swap out the spindles, rears will not fit. You should swap out the brake master cylinder/reservior if you swap out the brakes.
Good to know about the master cylinder/reservior. I had wondered about that. I'm surprised to hear that the rear-brakes cannot be made to fit. Guess it makes sense since the entire rear end is very different.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cooljess76
The exhaust will fit, but it will need to be shortened/modified.
This is good news! In spite of the impact, the exhaust is largely undamaged, so I can just swap that over with a bit of modification. Is there a popular section to do the shortening, or will it be obvious when I line it up?
Quote:
Originally Posted by cooljess76
Front suspension will fit.
I plan to pull the entire front strut, complete with brakes and swap them into the ti. Sadly, the M3 has steel control arms instead of the aluminum variety. That said, there's a very good possibility that some coil-overs will go in before the end of the project, so it may be moot.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cooljess76
Be sure to swap your throttle cable and once you remove the carpet, be sure to grab the battery cable and power distribution block from the engine compartment(so you can relocate the battery to the cargo area for better weight distribution).
Is there a popular place to put the battery? I haul all my photo gear in this thing, so the less space dedicated to the battery, the better. I'm thinking of getting one of the fiberglass mat batteries that is apparently a little smaller. I'm hoping to fit whatever I get into one of the rear cubbies (maybe wishful thinking, but...)
Quote:
Originally Posted by cooljess76
Since the M3 transmission(ZF) is longer than the Ti's (getrag) tranny, you'll need to use the front section of the M3 driveshaft paired up with the rear section of the Ti drive shaft.
Brilliant! Good to know I don't need a custom driveshaft. Though with the two sections, I may take it out to be balanced.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cooljess76
Do yourself a favor and buy an e24, e28, e30, Z3, MZ3 or Mcoupe limited slip diff, the clubsport has a small case LSD and it can't handle the added torque of the S50.
Yup, already done. I've got a 3.73 LSD installed. With the extra power, the ratio may be a little short, so I will probably eventually swap it, but...
Quote:
Originally Posted by cooljess76
You'll also need e30 halfshafts which are shorter/beefier than the Ti halfshafts which are too long for the wider medium case diff.
I see this suggestion online a lot, and in my experience, MAN does it need a disclaimer for ABS enabled cars/shafts! The E30 half-shafts have bigger ABS sensor wheels than the ti shafts. It's only a millimeter or two, so it appears to match, but it will destroy your ABS sensors if you install them directly. You need to add spacers to the ABS sensors to get them out of the way of the wheels on the shafts.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cooljess76
Now's the time to buy a new clutch and possibly a lightweight flywheel if you want one.
A lightweight flywheel was on the shopping list, but I went through the donor car's records and its clutch, throw-out bearing, etc was replaced less than a year ago. Given that, I'm rather inclined to put that money toward suspension. Someone has suggested a lightweight and under-driving crank pulley as an alternative. Any thoughts on that? I know it's not a real substitute to a nice LTW fly and sprung-clutch kit, but with a practically brand new clutch already there, it's hard to justify swapping it.
Another afternoon in the garage, another list of parts removed.
Doors, headliner, pedals, computers/control boxes and ebrake have all been removed. All that's left now is the carpet and the HVAC equipment that is pinning it to the floor. So with the remaining bits requiring some work under the hood, I'm calling the interior DONE!
Last edited by PhotoMotion; 12-28-2009 at 10:36 PM.
I'm surprised to hear that the rear-brakes cannot be made to fit. Guess it makes sense since the entire rear end is very different.
You might be able to rig something up. IIRC, the biggest obsticle is figuring out a way to make the parking brake work. swapping rear brakes will require some serious fabrication.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PhotoMotion
This is good news! In spite of the impact, the exhaust is largely undamaged, so I can just swap that over with a bit of modification. Is there a popular section to do the shortening, or will it be obvious when I line it up?
Although i haven't yet installed my exhaust, it's my understanding that the mid section/catalytic converter will fit without modification. It's the aft section(cat-back) that needs to be shortened and the muffler hangers need to be relocated. I suggest finding the straightest part of the catback and removing the necessary length of tubing from there. Might be worth it to just take it to a muffler shop and let them measure, chop and weld it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PhotoMotion
I plan to pull the entire front strut, complete with brakes and swap them into the ti. Sadly, the M3 has steel control arms instead of the aluminum variety. That said, there's a very good possibility that some coil-overs will go in before the end of the project, so it may be moot.
Trust me, you don't want aluminum control arms. They need to be replaced every year or two and they're expensive. Especially if you're going to run coilovers or any type of stiff aftermarket suspension. Your money would be better spent on new ball joints, tie rods and bushings. The only benefit of swapping the '95 M3 front suspension would be that the M3 swaybar is tied to the strut via swaybar links. However, the Ti sport and clubsports have a larger diameter swaybar than the M3, so it's a toss up. I think '96 and newer M3's came with offset upper strut mounts/bearings. I opted not to do the swap because mine were damaged. I have offset control arm bushings anyway.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PhotoMotion
Is there a popular place to put the battery? I haul all my photo gear in this thing, so the less space dedicated to the battery, the better. I'm thinking of getting one of the fiberglass mat batteries that is apparently a little smaller. I'm hoping to fit whatever I get into one of the rear cubbies (maybe wishful thinking, but...)
I did a writeup on this. my main reason for relocating the battery was to bring the weight balance back. The 6cyl swap adds apprx. 80lbs to the front of the Ti. So if you displace 40lbs to the rear, you'll maintain the 50/50 weight balance as well as move needed weight over the rear axle. Relocating the battery and installing a carbon hood is a good way to regain your weight balance. Clex2 and Wolferj both have the compact race batteries installed in their rear cubby holes. Other people have cut and welded battery compartments into the floorboard of their cargo areas. I'll look for my thread, there's a couple more floating around as well.
Brilliant! Good to know I don't need a custom driveshaft. Though with the two sections, I may take it out to be balanced.
Absolutely! You might consider replacing the center support bearing as well.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PhotoMotion
I see this suggestion online a lot, and in my experience, MAN does it need a disclaimer for ABS enabled cars/shafts! The E30 half-shafts have bigger ABS sensor wheels than the ti shafts. It's only a millimeter or two, so it appears to match, but it will destroy your ABS sensors if you install them directly. You need to add spacers to the ABS sensors to get them out of the way of the wheels on the shafts.
I made my own shims and have recommended this in every thread that I've posted in about this topic. I made my shims out of a couple flat washers with 5/8" openings.
A lightweight flywheel was on the shopping list, but I went through the donor car's records and its clutch, throw-out bearing, etc was replaced less than a year ago. Given that, I'm rather inclined to put that money toward suspension. Someone has suggested a lightweight and under-driving crank pulley as an alternative. Any thoughts on that? I know it's not a real substitute to a nice LTW fly and sprung-clutch kit, but with a practically brand new clutch already there, it's hard to justify swapping it.
I was told by UUC, it's either one or the other. You can't run a lightweight flywheel with underdrive pulleys because it thows off the balance of the crank. So if you plan on running a LTW flywheel later down the road, just save your money. I'm running the UUC stage2 setup(8.5lb aluminum flywheel/e34 M5 clutch), it costs over a thousand bucks, so you're better off saving the money you'd spend on the underdrive pulleys and using it towards your LTW flywheel when the time comes. That S50 will give you plenty of new found happiness to hold you over
Another afternoon in the garage, another list of parts removed.
Doors, headliner, pedals, computers/control boxes and ebrake have all been removed. All that's left now is the carpet and the HVAC equipment that is pinning it to the floor. So with the remaining bits requiring some work under the hood, I'm calling the interior DONE!
Although i haven't yet installed my exhaust, it's my understanding that the mid section/catalytic converter will fit without modification. It's the aft section(cat-back) that needs to be shortened and the muffler hangers need to be relocated. I suggest finding the straightest part of the catback and removing the necessary length of tubing from there. Might be worth it to just take it to a muffler shop and let them measure, chop and weld it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cooljess76
Trust me, you don't want aluminum control arms. They need to be replaced every year or two and they're expensive. Especially if you're going to run coilovers or any type of stiff aftermarket suspension. Your money would be better spent on new ball joints, tie rods and bushings
True, I wouldn't -buy- Al control arms, but I'd take em for free No matter what happens I'm going to be getting new control arms with offset powerflex bushings, new powerflex subframe bushings, and some camber-correcting urethane trailing arm bushings.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cooljess76
. The only benefit of swapping the '95 M3 front suspension would be that the M3 swaybar is tied to the strut via swaybar links. However, the Ti sport and clubsports have a larger diameter swaybar than the M3, so it's a toss up.
If I don't do the full suspension, I'll probably use the M3 front struts with some drop-links to my bigger ti bar.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cooljess76
I did a writeup on this. my main reason for relocating the battery was to bring the weight balance back. The 6cyl swap adds apprx. 80lbs to the front of the Ti. So if you displace 40lbs to the rear, you'll maintain the 50/50 weight balance as well as move needed weight over the rear axle. Relocating the battery and installing a carbon hood is a good way to regain your weight balance.
Thanks for the links! Because the weight of the engine is hanging over the front axle (the stock ti is practically mid-engine) I'm going to try to lose as much weight as possible. First steps are to relocate the battery and swap the heavy, cast OBD-I headers for some lighter stainless ones (picking up this afternoon from a local seller for $150)
Quote:
Originally Posted by cooljess76
Absolutely! You might consider replacing the center support bearing as well.
Yup. Center support bearing, guibo, and I'm going to have the driveshaft shop look at the u-joints when they go to balance it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cooljess76
I made my own shims and have recommended this in every thread that I've posted in about this topic. I made my shims out of a couple flat washers with 5/8" openings.
Yeah, unfortunately during my project I didn't see the note. The "Free" (sell old LSD) swap ended up costing $800 (long story)
Quote:
Originally Posted by cooljess76
I was told by UUC, it's either one or the other. You can't run a lightweight flywheel with underdrive pulleys because it thows off the balance of the crank. So if you plan on running a LTW flywheel later down the road, just save your money. I'm running the UUC stage2 setup(8.5lb aluminum flywheel/e34 M5 clutch), it costs over a thousand bucks, so you're better off saving the money you'd spend on the underdrive pulleys and using it towards your LTW flywheel when the time comes. That S50 will give you plenty of new found happiness to hold you over
Yeah, I'll see how the budget all nets out. As you said, I'm going to have a lot more power to start with, so no need to go nuts.
Another afternoon in the garage, another list of parts removed.
Doors, headliner, pedals, computers/control boxes and ebrake have all been removed. All that's left now is the carpet and the HVAC equipment that is pinning it to the floor. So with the remaining bits requiring some work under the hood, I'm calling the interior DONE!
A ti swap thread like no other! 
good thread so far though, keep us updated 
Front brakes will fit if you swap out the spindles, rears will not fit. You should swap out the brake master cylinder/reservior if you swap out the brakes. The side skirts will fit, but those are the same luxury skirts that your clubsport has(not Mtechnic twisties). The exhaust will fit, but it will need to be shortened/modified. Front suspension will fit. Be sure to swap your throttle cable and once you remove the carpet, be sure to grab the battery cable and power distribution block from the engine compartment(so you can relocate the battery to the cargo area for better weight distribution). Since the M3 transmission(ZF) is longer than the Ti's (getrag) tranny, you'll need to use the front section of the M3 driveshaft paired up with the rear section of the Ti drive shaft. Do yourself a favor and buy an e24, e28, e30, Z3, MZ3 or Mcoupe limited slip diff, the clubsport has a small case LSD and it can't handle the added torque of the S50. You'll also need e30 halfshafts which are shorter/beefier than the Ti halfshafts which are too long for the wider medium case diff. If you go with an e24 or e28 LSD(they have better gear ratios), you'll need a cover and output flanges off of an e30, Z3, MZ3 or Mcoupe LSD. Now's the time to buy a new clutch and possibly a lightweight flywheel if you want one. 
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