V8 with modified 3.0i 6 speed manual

[Razor0368]

Is it possible to fit V8 in e53 which has 3.0i 6 speed MT and retain AWD? I am curious because i heard one guy does it right now using adapters (wtf are adapters lol). Because i am n00b at these stuff i want to check this, and also i might be facing decision either to V8 swap mine or do M54B30 rebuild and turbo it (i am leaning towards V8 because of the sound) so depending on this thread i will choose my path...money i have at disposal is 11k $$ atm

[crystalworks]

^With $11k... sell your current X5 and buy a 4.4i, 4.6is, or 4.8is.

That will be the easiest way to accomplish your goal. Might end up being the cheapest too. Or if you are looking to keep the 6mt, rebuild/replace the m54b30 and do the turbo setup. Will put you at, or above, the V8's... but with the pleasure of having a 6mt.

[tecboy99]

You could always ESS supercharge it!!

[Joshdub]

Transmission adapter works a lot like a wheel adapter. It's just a ring that has two bolt patters so that you can bolt the ring to the engine, then bolt the transmission to the ring.

[bcredliner]

There are always problems that have to be worked out with an engine swap. Exhaust location, electrical connections, computer related issues, etc. There are likely some components used in the drive line or suspension that are not sufficient to handle the extra weight and torque.

I agree with crystalworks. If you want a V8 buy one. That said, it is better to stay with the devil you know than devil you don't know. If you want to keep what you have and want it to be faster or sound better there are many proven ways you can go to do that will still be reliable and a painless install.

[Babytank]

The thought had crossed my mind to go FR with a getrag trans in my 4.4 because it seems like the auto is crap.

[jopecasa]

Originally Posted by Razor0368

Is it possible to fit V8 in e53 which has 3.0i 6 speed MT and retain AWD? I am curious because i heard one guy does it right now using adapters (wtf are adapters lol).

Search for Bell Housing adapter.

Linky

No idea where you can find one...........

[lo_jack]

I would expect it would be easier to use a manual transmission that actually went on a 4.4l from the factory...e.g. a 420g or a gs6-53bz. The main problem would be output shaft depth, I would imagine. I think the dude in Europe (NickP?) who did a manual swap on a v8 has said engine output shafts were different between transmissions.

I'd also expect ECU coding would be involved...and it would likely be easier to use an ECU from the motor that came with the manual trans--unless there is a coder around who knows about that.

I think I have read the 3.0 pedal setup will work. You would need two new driveshafts I would guess. Overall length of the sedan manual plus transfer case would likely be different. That means possibly the crossmember or mounts would have to change.

Plus...I would have some misgivings about putting the 3.0 trans behind a v8. I am assuming there was a reason there was no manual option on v8, and that some of that could have been torque spec of that 3.0 transmission.

That's what I have thought about, and I have put more than zero thought into this but far less than 100%.

[sharocks]

Just LS swap it.

[Scott ZHP]

Originally Posted by lo_jack

Plus...I would have some misgivings about putting the 3.0 trans behind a v8. I am assuming there was a reason there was no manual option on v8, and that some of that could have been torque spec of that 3.0 transmission.

This.

As mentioned, an E39 M5 box, Getrag G420, is probably the best choice; it's good for at least 390ft/lb and probably has the same bolt pattern.