rampelsauce

Removable core supports seem like they make engine removal/swaps SO much easier. Sure sucks running into headroom issues then smacking the tail of the trans/shift lever on the floor while angling things in. For my M52 swap i had everything bolted to the subframe and raised it up from the bottom with a motorcycle jack.
Great progress!
are you going to rattle can the engine bay while its all out? 

Day 2 progress. Completely removed the M44, trans, and driveshaft all the way back to the diff. Some cleaning and various part removal left on the compact chassis. So far I'm about 6hrs into the swap. If anyone needs any parts from either vehicle, please buy them asap so I can get this thing finished! 

 

Day 2 progress. Completely removed the M44, trans, and driveshaft all the way back to the diff. Some cleaning and various part removal left on the compact chassis. So far I'm about 6hrs into the swap. If anyone needs any parts from either vehicle, please buy them asap so I can get this thing finished! 

 

Awesome progress for doing it by yourself. 

Day 2 progress. Completely removed the M44, trans, and driveshaft all the way back to the diff. Some cleaning and various part removal left on the compact chassis. So far I'm about 6hrs into the swap. If anyone needs any parts from either vehicle, please buy them asap so I can get this thing finished! 

 

Lol. Nothing super exciting. But, she’ll be thrilled when it’s done. We’re telling her it’s a tool shed for the lawnmower and she can’t play in it. It’s For her birthday next month. 

Ill have my front subframe pulled from my parts car hopefully in the next week and a half when I pull the engine.
Ill just give it to you in exchange for FUTURE powdercoating.
Dont have anything I need powder-coated right now.
 

Assuming there was a mechanical failure, this is the universe’s way of telling you to get on with the swap already

Forgot picture.

WTF....this is a car forum, with a good percentage of guys.  We want to see a pic of the ring!!  C'mon man!!
Seriously, congrats though.  Hope all is well.

So been super busy (work, got married, helping other people work on stuff), but got a couple small things done on the compact. 
Removed sunroof, deleted 3rd brake light, deleted rear wiper, eliminated remaining trim pieces inside the car. 
Ideally the next big update will involve a rear subframe assembly being reinforced and having condor goodies added, but we will see. 

tempgun.exe

Just seeing this now but i believe I have one laying around at the shop. Can look later when I get there if you are still looking for one.

Zomg

Heres the breakdown:

I have answered the age old question: Will a Honda Metropolitan fit into the back of a gutted compact?

The ground control RSM's are one of the favorite parts I've purchased for the black car

Zomg

Heres the breakdown:

thanks dad

Very pumped! My mad dash has slowed down, just gotta finish cleaning it up tonight! 

Im pumped!
 But what's life if you don't bounce off the limiter ever now and again. I will be installing a waterpump and thermostat tonight. I hope I have all the parts and don't find any surprises. If so, I will be driving a NON-BMW with BMW badges. 

I am also pump 
I just need to rinse the pollen off so that new pollen has a place to land 

Zomg

Heres the breakdown:

I can come, if you'll have me.

Went to my garage after work with the intention of leaving in this car. Forgot to take pictures, but honestly nothing here has any visual change from before. 
- Cooling system leaks are fixed! A new viton o-ring in the upper radiator hose and ptfe tape on the coolant temp sensor threads (that I forgot to tape apparently) sealed it all up nicely. Re-bled and ready to go.
- Brake lights are working again, just had to pull out the plunger on the switch and let it re-settle
- Removed the stud conversion and went back to lug bolts so I can run the center caps on my wheels, at least for now. I'll have to get some new studs in the 60mm range to clear the caps eventually.
- Modified the original M42 wire harness cover (just the one part to the far passenger side) to accommodate the swap wiring and cover the hole in the firewall. I'll need to do something to seal it off properly, but at least its not wide open anymore. 
- Reinstalled the brake ducts and lower fender liner things. Couldn't run the big splash guard since the skid plate now occupies that space, so I rigged up a  temporary support so the ducts don't fall out. I'll eventually do something more permanent. 
 
There was nothing left to do except take it for a drive! First drive was pretty uneventful, no complaints here!
 
Some things to note and improve:
- The exhaust is WAY too loud, and gets some rasp around 3k rpm under load too that doesn't sound too great. I am going to replace the center glasspack with something a bit better. It's a cheap louvered one so I mounted it backwards to improve flow, thinking it would still help cut rasp and such a bit. I think once the exhaust gas velocity picks up beyond idle it basically does nothing but add weight. I ordered a flowmaster FlowFX 71419 since it looks like it could help drop the volume and not hang too low. It's perforated core round body muffler, only 1/2" larger in diameter than the one it's replacing. The body is a bit shorter, but it should quiet things down a lot more than the reversed glass pack...
- Clutch is a bit chattery, I'm hoping it smooths out a bit as it breaks in. No gear rattle at idle that I have noticed, maybe I can't hear it over the exhaust.
- It had what sounded like belt squeal at low RPM's, probably just contamination from the radiator hose leak. Seems to be gone this morning.
- I am getting a terrible noise when turning the wheels to high angles at parking lot speed, almost as if the strut tops are sticking/binding and the springs are turning in the top hats. This was happening every once in a while before so I don't think it's related to the swap. I will have to inspect further. 
 
First drive impressions and stuff:
- It. Rips. Even with just some light pulls it pushes you into the seat and picks up speed really quickly, this is going to be a beast once everything is broken in and I can really get on it. It feels super torquey too and is actually pretty easy to drive despite the clutch being heavier than stock.
- The diff is butter smooth, not a sound coming from it. Couldn't be happier with that. 
- Trans shifts super smooth too, compared to my old M3. The shift detent repair was worth it. 
- Engine vibrations with the basically solid Condor mounts could be worse, the M42 was way worse at idle with poly mounts.
- Brake feel is fantastic with the larger master cylinder, though it definitely takes more force. I still need to dial in the bias, but I have the dial set at maybe halfway so it will be close enough for street use.
 
Officially out of storage mode!

 
Stopped to top off the tank and tires on the way to work this morning

 
Picnic hit list (2 days remaining):
- Clean it, it's absolutely filthy. 
- Drive it!
 
See you at the picnic!!