Clark Performance Fab 135i
- Thread starter Steven@ClarkPerformanceFab
- Start date
Manual FTW. If this thing gets a full cage and stripped I might throw a glide on it. But until I start cutting it up it’s staying with the T56. I’m putting a 3.27 gear in the back to lengthen out the gears a bit. With a good clean 60’ and no more N54 shift bog I have high hopes. I love 1/4 mile stick racing. And I happen to be pretty nasty with stick drags. The N54 just gave me one problem after another with launching and bogs. The single piece steel driveshaft, McLeod RXT, detroit locker, 3.27 gears, and level 5 axles with a 15” radial should get things to hook up pretty well. Especially with two step tuning on the holley.
If anything the IRS would be a bigger limitation. A live rear is probably a better way to get it a solid 60’ but thats not something I’m willing to do. Gonna keep the IRS which will make things a bit more difficult. I’ll be happy to see a high 9 on this setup. I’ll need to throw a new bottom into the L33 and some new gears in the T56 to see anything better than that.
Got a while to go still but I have every intention to throw adjustable drag shocks in the rear to fine tune compression and rebound.
Also, did some more work today. Got the engine timed, oil pump and pan installed, lifters and guides in, and studs on. I’m working on the heads now. Giving the valves a fresh lapping before the new seals, springs, and retainers go in. After I’m done rebuilding the heads I’ll finish torquing them down and get the pushrods and rockers in. Aiming to have the engine in the car on Saturday so I can start getting measurements for the driveshaft and axles.
It’s gettin real now. Engine fits in the car perfectly. The heater core hose and AC line will need to be modified slightly but the engine fits in there better than the N54 even did. The whole engine sits behind the steering rack and leaves a bunch of room on both sides for the turbo manifold and downpipe. Plus more space to fit the 7875 in the same spot I had the 6466. Got a bit more modifications to make to get the cross over pipe to fit. Bit the transmission cross member is on and I’m just about to put the whole drivetrain back in. I’m so freaking excited now to get this thing running.
When does the pre-order for the Clark Performance Fab LS swap kit start?
These brackets are actually made by Michael Paige in TX. He is the guy that LS swapped an E90 328i. We’re working together to get a full LS Turbo swap system designed.
Any 3rd or 4th gen GM small block V8. Truck engines, SUVs, camaros, vettes, CTSV. All of them.
Most of the idiosyncracies of the LS are with regards to the generation. Cathedral vs rectangle port heads, rocker offsets, valley covers, cam/crank reluctor, etc.
Steven, are you going DBC on this or going to try and maintain a DBW? I haven't kept up on any of the DBW developments lately.
LS1 intake for now since I had one laying around. DBC throtte. Using a Lokar floor mounted pedal and cutting a hole. It will go into the shielded area that the LPF hose runs through.
Damn the LS really does look like it fits better than the N54 
Amazing how small the LS is. This is going to be a fun car to drive too.
Damn. Yall wouldn’t believe how well the F body T56 fits into this chassis. Like it was designed to fit in there. I’m making an update to the engine mounts that will slide everything about 3/4” forward which should add some clearance to the firewall and center the shifter in the middle of the BMW console hole. Moving along nicely.
Here is the next part from the LS swap video series. Go check it out and subscribe to the channel for updates!
Christ this is cool! Sorry if you mentioned it already, do you have a plan to get the electronics working nicely with the new powerplant?
