Within the Nineteen Nineties, all E36s have been constructed the identical. Certain, they left the manufacturing unit in numerous coloration schemes, with totally different packages and specs, however all of them rolled onto BMW dealership flooring crafted with the identical pragmatic German precision. They have been — and nonetheless are — nice machines.

However 25-plus years on, I can guarantee you that E36s are not all constructed the identical. They’ve all been disassembled, reassembled, reworked, serviced, or torn into not directly. Many merely haven’t stood the check of time, succumbing to the weather after being saved open air.

In the meantime, many others have primarily been destroyed by well-meaning lovers who needed a dirt-cheap RWD platform to wring out on the monitor in a technique or one other.

Throughout the days when these chassis have been worthless, usually they have been simply not price protecting on the street when one thing failed. One other $400 cooling overhaul? I’ll simply purchase a whole 325i with light paint and torn seats for about that, thanks.

However for higher or worse, gone are the times of super-affordable ‘90s automobiles, and as such nearly all of them are price protecting on the street at the moment. Nonetheless, preventative upkeep isn’t enjoyable, particularly when your automotive is operating fairly properly already.

My good friend Jon Nguyen’s E36 M3 acquired an E46 S54 swap beneath earlier possession, and since Jon acquired it he has simply been figuring out some kinks on the monitor and native backroads right here and there. As I’m positive you’re properly conscious, the cooling system is a significant ache level on the E36, particularly when you begin pushing extra energy.

The S54 is an enormous bounce in horsepower and torque in comparison with the S50/S52 engines that the American-spec E36 M3s acquired (333hp and 262lb-ft for the E46 versus 240hp/236lb-ft at most within the US E36). With the excessive 8,200rpm redline of the S54, the utmost piston pace is famously 4,896 feet-per-second — 90% of a mile or 1.5 kilometers every second. Unsurprisingly, the thermal load can also be increased with the S54, and all of the sudden all of these little plastic bits that make up the manufacturing unit cooling system develop into far more vital.

Jon’s automotive was operating the usual Z3M cooling setup that you simply usually see with these E36 S54 swaps, and whereas this can be a superb answer it’s nonetheless a multi-piece setup with plastic tanks affixed to the perimeters of the core. For monitor abuse, ‘superb’ doesn’t fairly lower it.

CSF Time

Enter CSF Race’s new BMW S54 Swap Radiator & Oil Cooler answer for the E36. CSF has lengthy been providing radiators for each the E36 and E46, in addition to the equally outfitted Z3, however their new providing for this particular swap is the primary of its variety.

You profit from all of CSF’s current analysis on each chassis and get the most effective of each worlds on this new product. For instance, the S54 requires a way more demanding oil-cooling system than what the E36 ever supplied, so CSF made provision for a race-spec oil cooler that mounts with an included bracket to the underside of the radiator. Truly, two totally different oil coolers can be found, supplying you with the choice to both retain air con or delete it.

I met up with Jon at Race Manufacturing facility in Campbell, California who dealt with the set up of CSF’s new elements. Race Manufacturing facility is a light-weight operation very conversant in quite a lot of BMW chassis, and this construct within the nook undoubtedly piqued my curiosity. One for one more time…

The set up went easily, which is vital once you’re paying a store to deal with a challenge for you. Even once I’m engaged on an set up myself, having every part drop into place simply makes my life so a lot better. As of late, even once I’m doing my very own work I usually merely don’t have the persistence to custom-fit components or look forward to brackets to be fabricated. There’s a time and place for that, however as a lot as attainable I merely need issues to be as plug-and-play as attainable.

The manufacturing unit clips, retainers, and mounting positions are all reused with CSF’s new piece, and from private expertise with the usual CSF E36 radiator, the one factor that you must be aware of is clearance to the enlargement tank given the additional girth of CSFs all-aluminum unit.

Jon has this addressed with the favored E30/Euro enlargement tank that mounts within the rear nook of the engine bay, the place the secondary air pump is discovered on US automobiles. This further pump can be deleted (particularly in hotter climates, I consider) and the ensuing check-engine mild will be coded out, so that is one thing I must do on my personal CSF-equipped E36 M3 once I get the prospect.

E36 Issues

Cooling isn’t the one ache level of an E36, and the S54 brings its personal extra issues. Fortunately, the double-VANOS system in Jon’s automotive has already been rebuilt and the rod bearings and numerous seals have been changed.

Talking of ache factors, Jon additionally has had commonplace RTAB pocket reinforcement and entrance subframe reinforcement work carried out by our mutual track-day good friend Jake. The entrance and rear shock towers have been additionally beefed up at the moment.

The automotive sits on adjustable JRZ RSOne coilovers with distant reservoirs, that are paired with polyurethane differential and rear subframe bushings in addition to aftermarket decrease management arms and sway bars.

OEM-spec entrance bushings have been utilized together with substitute brake strains, however the manufacturing unit brake assemblies stay (for now) and have been upgraded with Carbotech XP10 pads. An E46-spec ABS system was introduced over with the S54 swap.

White-finished RAYS Volk Racing TE37SLs measure 17×8.5-inch sq. and are wrapped in Yokohama Advan 235/40R17 tires. I’m unsure precisely what it’s, however I love a German automotive on Japanese wheels.

Jon largely makes use of the TE setup for the road now, with a wider set of 17×9.5-inch Desmond RegaMaster Evos taking up for monitor responsibility, that are paired with 255-series rubber in any respect 4 corners. The extra meat the higher with S54 energy up entrance.

The automotive shouldn’t be wild aesthetically, with an LTW-style rear wing, entrance splitter, and a set of Euro projector headlights by Hella that steadiness one another out. You’ll additionally discover the Euro-spec clear corners, tails and facet markers which were added.

Inside, there’s a really snug Bride A.i.R. bucket seat on Brey-Krause fastened mounts, however the passenger-side Vader, rear seats and door playing cards stay. Alongside with air con, fortunately.

Again beneath the hood, you’ll instantly discover the large Turner CSL air field, and you may undoubtedly hear the Tremendous Dash stepped exhaust headers which were put in. Truly, the automotive is just too loud to move sound at Laguna Seca, so Jon might want to do another work on the exhaust to have the ability to drive there. The entire setup is managed by an MSS54HP ECU with a {custom} HTE tune.

A better look reveals that Jon opted to make a lower throughout his manufacturing unit entrance cooling duct in order that he may nonetheless run this together with the aluminum radiator cowl equipped within the CSF equipment. A black model can also be included.

In fact, there are various different little odds and ends that Jon has attended to on his E36. All of this sounds good on paper, however how does it translate into the driving expertise?

Observe Time

The easiest way to inform is on the monitor, the place Jon totally put his E36 by its paces not too long ago with my Northern California-based pals at SpeedSF Observe Occasions.

I acquired a while behind the wheel as properly, and in comparison with my E36 M3 the responsiveness from the S54 clearly makes an enormous distinction. Particularly on the increased RPM ranges you’re in on the monitor, the engine swap actually shines.

Most of all, the sound from that superior Turner consumption and out the headers is only a straight shot of dopamine. This factor screams.

The S54 does weigh barely greater than the outdated engine, however you don’t discover it in any respect given the correct suspension setup. In fact the additional energy — and the expertise the S54 delivers — is properly definitely worth the commerce anyway. As an apart, the JRZs aren’t too stiff for the road, which is sweet.

You undoubtedly don’t end up needing extra brakes, both, and the up to date ABS system works properly and isn’t over-intrusive. A greater driver than myself would possibly profit from an enormous brake equipment, however I realized from Jon’s automotive that my inventory setup isn’t working at its finest and must be checked out.

I additionally actually beloved Jon’s BimmerWorld pedal setup and located it far more pure to heel-toe with than my manufacturing unit meeting.

In fact, the automotive stayed cool and delivered constant outcomes all day lengthy. Quickly Jon shall be putting in an AiM sprint and data-logging system the place he’ll actually have the ability to dive into the numbers and different nitty-gritty nerd stuff.

Driving Jon’s automotive has given me lots of concepts about what I must do to enhance my very own M3 — specifically, who has an S54 sitting round I can use? — and I actually respect the seat time. It’s simple to throw cash at a automotive, nevertheless it’s far more troublesome to take action in a wise and methodical manner.

Reaching steadiness is the final word purpose right here, a purpose that Jon has achieved. On that be aware — because of a plethora of high-quality, race-proven elements — the entire is larger than the sum of its components.

Like I stated: not all E36s are constructed the identical, however at this level Jon’s is unquestionably constructed proper. All that’s left is for him to seek out that 8,200rpm redline as usually as attainable.

Trevor Ryan
Instagram: trevornotryan
tyrphoto.com

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