Glad to see you're done wasting time on vacation and are back at work on this important project! ;)

I've always thought the exhaust was too polite on the 4.6 and often wondered how it would sound without mufflers. I've even considered replacing the resonator with an x-pipe. Maybe that combined with removing the mufflers would have a good sound without being obnoxious?

Anyway, it's good to see that you have the shifter problem worked out. I was a bit worried about that one!

I know, RIGHT!!! Stupid vacation time getting in the way of real progress!! Shame on me!!

I've figured out how to get "NORMAL" videos without editing them, as long as I get a good one in one take... Here are some of the exhaust note without mufflers... This is not a driving video as you may notice... It is about the same under power... and there is a slight popping with downshifting...

and some pictures of the shifter and such... ALMOST no noise shifting and it's really fluid like it should be...

Okay... Here yas go...

This is what I took out... Figured if this sounded okay, I would just cut the mufflers off at the pipe and leave it... But, I don't like it so these are going back in for now... They are a HUGE PITA to get out too!!!

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/922/UY2hBK.jpg

And this is where they came from...

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/923/iXVdGE.jpg

Here is a shot of my temp spacers... I used these to be able to tighten down the two halves tight... Once I get a good measurement, all this come out and it gets welded...

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/922/t3VF46.jpg

And my hack fill in job... Gotta tighten this down before I go anywhere... Just hand tight for testing in the event I needed to pull it back out...

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/923/GuGPv9.jpg

Neutral with the shifter arm and shifting rod adjusted correctly... UGH!! Blurry again...

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/924/wdJa1z.jpg

VIDEOS!!!

Short clip of mostly idling down

Another short clip of mostly idle

Short clip of revving up

Cheers for now!!

Dude, that sounds GREAT! I might drop mine this weekend just for giggles.

LOL!! That video makes it sound better than it really is in person... I found an easy way to get them in and out... Or mainly back in... If you take the rear subframe bolt out, the plate that holds the exhaust hanger is out of the way and the muffler doesn't hit anything going into position... Of course you have to do one side at a time!!! Nothing moved when I pulled just the one bolt...

Cheers!!

Good day all!!!

Well, I had the 2004 in the garage to reprogram the EGS (mechatronics in the transmission) again... I was still getting bad shifts and figured it had 64 more spots left, I could sacrifice one to verify I had a good install... I think it is a little better, but I am going to swap out the mechatronic solenoids to see if that helps... Fingers are crossed it fixes it once and for all... I've only had it over a year... Soooo....

While I had the computer out and running, I hooked up the 6MT and tried to get rid of the lights on the dash... All pointing to the ABS module failure, but it was good prior to the conversion... So, I think I am missing something... I'm open for suggestions... I even re-coded the entire vehicle back to stock, put my manual back in, and went back in and did the ABS, DSC again after reverting to the manual...

I think I might try programming the DSC and ABS modules to that of a 540i assembly number... I didn't check this at the time, but I think they are different due to the X5 looking for 4x4 part of things... The 4x4 light does not come on, even at start-up (AFAIK)....

Thoughts?! Short of these lights, I think it is pretty much perfect... I put new plugs in and found it really really needs new (good used) valve covers... probably half of the coil mounts were pulled and the cover bolts wouldn't grab anything... The 540i MAFS and it is sweet!! NOT 540i quick, but it's sweet!!!

Thanks all!!!

Have you pulled the codes for the ABS failure? Maybe a wheel speed sensor or wire got damaged during the conversion. I don't think the DSC looks at the 4WD drive system, there aren't any electronics monitoring it like on the later XDrive.

I pulled the codes, but they are in German... I also pulled all the codes from the entire vehicle... I will pull the codes again and just pull them from the DSC module...

Cheers for now all!!!

Good day all!!

FINALLY!!!! I finished the countless hours of work getting MOST of the pictures back in place... There were some that I omitted that were completely redundant... There were others that I wanted to get rid of because I now know the correct method needed, but it would take away from the "journey"...

It is a shame about the other "journeys" that I won't be fixing tho...

Cheers all!!!

Thanks for all the hard work William. I know documenting makes doing any major mod take that much longer... but the community definitely appreciates it. If I ever have the time/budget/balls I will definitely be doing this to a 4.4i M62... and then supercharging it... or something along those lines. :)

Absolutely!! I think it was necessary for this journey to have the pictures in place... I missed one that I don't think will make much difference, but I'll get back to it soon...

I think the heavier X5 needs some sort of power adder with this set-up... Or maybe some special DME tuning... I can't really explain why it doesn't act like the 540i, but it just doesn't... It seems more than just the fact the X is heavier... The acceleration is much slower despite having exactly all the same items in the drive train... Even the lower gears doesn't make that much of a difference... And these are some extreme gear differences... I put 3.15's in the 540i and the stock 3.64's in the X... The X still seems like a slug by comparison... I have to keep working at it until I figure out what the difference is...

But in the meantime!!! The supercharger seems like the right way to go to really make this project worth all the time and effort!! Well, it would make it better... I let my sister test drive it and now she wants a 2003 with the manual like mine... I think I have spoiled her!! Of course my son still wants one to match is E46 330i...

Thanks again everyone for all the support!!

Cheers for now!!