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US Spec S85 E61 6MT build thread

28K views 144 replies 18 participants last post by  amesser325 
#1 ·
I had an 07 530 6MT Touring and found it to be so good in many ways but it was a decently base spec. It started getting up in miles so I decided to sell it. I bought an M235i thinking it would remind me of my early automotive days in my 88 325iX. It was even the perfect spec - manual, red leather, Alpine white, 10k miles, etc. Alas it did not and I found myself thinking more about the car that moved me: the E61.

I had done quite a few automotive projects with increasing difficulty over the years, including converting that 07 E61 to 2WD after a chunk of concrete ventilated the oil pan. That planted the seed that leads me to today: use the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup approach to build an S85 powered E61. Obviously, the US never got the M5 Touring but the chassis is largely the same. Noted exception is the cut out for the standardized transfer case notch since all wagons over here were AWD.
I bought a great recipient car in a 2010 535xiT finished in Carbon Black trimmed out with M Sport bits. After several months of looking, I found a great donor car in an 08 M5 6MT with 76k mi on it. I wanted a known runner instead of a salvage because after careful consideration I decided the best way to complete the swap was to do a complete harness out swap, and having a complete donor car would allow everything to port over rather than buy unknown small bits one at a time. My expectation is that I'll end up with a faithful near-factory car when it's all said and done.

So... When a friend had spare garage space and offered it up for me to take over for an undetermined period of time, I couldn't say no. As such, it's time to start my E61 M5 build!
 
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Discussion starter · #2 ·
To kick things off, I didn't need a ton of extra space to do some preliminary body work so I set about an aesthetic pet peeve of mine with the M5 fenders - the bolt on vents. I'm sure many disagree but to me they just look like barbed wire bicep tattoos - you know, nice.
So I bought a junk yard fender off a random 5 series to donate some aluminum to fill the holes.
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The vents have a nice flange around them so I cut to suit, bent some tabs in then used 3M panel bond to make them permanent.
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I had never messed with filler before so after some digging, settled on metal filler for rough in and fine filler for the skim coat.
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I was probably quite wasteful but it was my first try and I think it turned out OK.
Next I turned to my other bodywork pet peeve, which was the corner reflectors that never seem to fit correctly.
I have an old damaged bumper that I used as a filler plate then plastic welded the two together with some stainless mesh behind for structure.
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A bit of sanding then plastic body filler smoothed things out for the body shop.
A quick test fit then off to paint!
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The finished panels needed quite a bit of finagling to get the gaps right but in the end I'm quite pleased with the results.
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Discussion starter · #5 · (Edited)
Agreed - sadly the SUV basically killed wagons in the US.
Yep, I followed along too. My 2WD conversion was a little easier since I was just removing the AWD but he was doing the manual piece as well. That's one of the reasons I decided to go the way I am rather than try to chase wiring and make a bunch of compromises and wiring overlays.

Andy

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Discussion starter · #6 · (Edited)
Slow/steady progress: HVAC and both carpets are now out so I can pull 95% of the full harness. The hangup is the section over the steering column that's held on by a plastic clip whose release is blocked by the pedal box assembly...
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...but to remove that I need to extract all the brake fluid so that's next on the docket. Running low on time today so I just pulled the radiator assembly, oil filter housing /bracket, and dropped the exhaust/all the heat shields
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Andy
 
Discussion starter · #7 · (Edited)
Big progress over the last few days - had a buddy help with a 2nd set of hands and eyes to drop the rear subframe and pull the motor/trans out of the chassis.
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Used a hydraulic cart from Harbor Freight to support while I disconnected the 4 subframe bolts then lowered and slid the assembly out sideways. Interesting to see this sticker on the subframe that came out of the sedan. I was not that worried about it even though the RealOEM part numbers for the subframe are all different between the M5 sedan, M5 wagon, and 535 wagon, but this perhaps put me a bit more at ease. There are also a few "E60/E61" cast into the parts of the main subframe body so I'm confident the differences are some silly little things like holes for wire clips and such.

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We don't need no stinkin' lift!

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Interesting to see the grime after the bell housing of the transmission. I presume it's from the rear main, or perhaps a leaking slave cylinder. Will obviously split the engine/trans to replace clutch and/or flywheel.

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Buddy availability meant I had to pause the harness extraction but that's up next, then hold onto the chassis for a little bit to ensure I didn't miss anything. After that it goes to the crusher to make room for the wagon and a repeat of the deconstruction.

Lots of cleaning to do, of course, but not going full vapor blast/dry ice treatment... just a good degreaser and maybe power washer blast.


Andy
 

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Discussion starter · #8 · (Edited)
Steady stream of parts showing up. I never liked the clutch line loops in the factory set up, even went so far as to have a custom modification to the stock master to slave hard line on my 07 530iT 6MT in order to delete the loops and quick connections. I'm far too excited to get these parts:

Found a quick connect to -4AN and a 10x1 uniflare to - 4AN fitting that makes the resulting soft line a basic - 4AN /-4AN 18" hose. Both fittings are Earl's.



Andy
 
Discussion starter · #9 ·
Full harness is now out. So many tie downs and grounds!
Including all miscellaneous stuff like front and rear fuse panels, module brackets, and the like the harness weighs just under 76 lbs! That is about an 18x24x36 box it's in.
Andy


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Discussion starter · #11 ·
Sure keeping track of every hardware you removed is special task.
I've used about 50 lunch bags so far... Write contents on bag then place in box. Yellow tape with black sharpie is module connector, red sharpie is installation note. Very tedious but have used this method on 3 big car projects to good effect. Also lots of pictures (and 4 different directories on my phone by 'system'.
It definitely slows me down but will pay off in the end. I'm sure I'll be at a loss at some point but realoem will be a lifeline.


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Discussion starter · #14 ·
In doing some tear down and cleaning of the rear subframe I noticed the guide link ball joint boots had essentially disintegrated. I was deep into finding a less expensive option for the 771/772 control arms when I realized that since I'm doing a bit of hodge podge when it come to the rear suspension components I will end up with the E61 donor knuckle, which comes from the 535xiT, which uses the 10mm stud ball joint (2x 886). On a side note, RealOEM indicates the wagons (non-M and M) both use the same 'swing arm', which is different from the E60 M5 so I'm curious to see the differences once I have both sets of parts in my hands.

I need to use the E61 knuckle because I need the air bag perch (and I don't have a body mount for the upper shock mounts). In theory I could source a set of E61 M5 knuckles that seem to be a mix of the E60 M5 knuckle (that updates to the 771/772) and the E61 non-M knuckle for the air bag. I'm all but convinced I don't need to do that even though bigger [ball joints] is, of course, better. I won't be tracking the car in all likelihood, so the guide link ball joint loading won't be regularly excessive from heavy turning loads. If by some happenstance I fail one early, the plebe-version 886 is significantly cheaper such that I could even do a 50k changeout if I wanted to and still come out ahead. It's not as if that would fail in 5k - big power has been put through the non-M rear ends before cough Evan cough so I'm not that worried about it.

At least, that's my thinking. Happy to take input.

Thanks,
Andy

E60 <--- E61 --->
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Discussion starter · #15 · (Edited)
For anyone interested, when researching suspension options for E61, KW told me their kit (3522000X) ships with front spring p/n 60210046, and has a [progressive] spring rate average of 59.07 N/mm or 338 lb/in. Based on the info in the track thread, this is the same spring as the E60 M5 KW kit.
Rears reuse the stock airbags so I presume the low-ish rate is to balance with the rear bags.

I wasn't necessarily sold on coil overs in general but wanted ride height adjustment rather than chasing non-existent front only springs for the wagon only to find a huge 1.5" drop. I may regret it but I ordered the KW V3s. The above part number was not available in the US since no E61 M5s made it over here but a quick email to KW Germany fixed that, and ordered thru KW US (still built in Germany). Turns out KW US mostly does warranty/rebuilds and Motorsport stuff. Pretty much all OE and aftermarket products are made in Germany.
 
Discussion starter · #16 ·
I haven't been able to make time for progress lately but finally did tonight.
Yup, that's a big hole, and the piece that fits in the hole. I touched on it earlier but I'm going to squib in the 2WD trans tunnel to have the regular rear trans mount and get rid of the AWD transfer case bump in the process.

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Andy
 
Discussion starter · #19 ·
Small but significant progress this weekend - many parts cleaned up and disassembled. Naturally, after throwing a bunch of pump parts at my power washer the engine decided to quit 3 min in to blasting everything.... So hand scrubbing was the order of the day, and decent success was had.
The big thing I wanted to get done was to split the trans from the engine so I could inspect the clutch and flywheel.
Pretty happy with the clutch, and the flywheel basically looks fine but I think I'll replace both to avoid the need any time in the medium future.
Interesting to see the rear main was not leaking (still gonna replace since I'm in there) so my best guess on dirty transmission is a result of previous slave cylinder failure, based on the excess sludge build up inside the bell housing plus dirt and sludge build up outside. I also wonder if the rust on the input shaft is from the brake fluid that would have leaked out if the slave failed. Dunno, but will hit the splines with some fine sandpaper to address then light grease on reassembly.
Next up are the little upfits to the engine like belts, pulleys, solenoids, motor mounts, etc while it's out.


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Discussion starter · #20 · (Edited)
Pretty good looking cams, no grooves etc. Looked to either have an external leak from the oil fill tube or valve cover gaskets but I did both so hopefully fixed either way.
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Did quite a bit of engine small parts replacement - vanos solenoids (I feel for anyone doing the right side in chassis!), thermostat/o-rings, injectors, purge valves, water pump, belts/pulleys, and VC gaskets. Lots of cleaning of crud every where, as well... Random oil leaks captured road grime everywhere it seems.
Still debating on whether to replace the flywheel - seems a smart thing to do 'while I'm there', and can sub in the M3 FW to improve the rotational acceleration of the engine - but have a bit of time to decide that.
I'll jump over to the differential next with new seals and Einhorn solid mounts, then probably rebuild the calipers to get those out of the way. Plenty to do everywhere so we'll see what/how quickly I can make progress. I have a few more weeks of otherwise occupied so I'm not expecting much. Once those commitments are done, tho, it's game on!
 
Discussion starter · #21 ·
Made some progress today: R&R'd the front diff mounts with solid Einhorn, R&R'd diff seals, motor mounts, master/slave cylinders (FTE, and interesting that the master replacement is cast while the OE is plastic), and replaced all the soft bits in the shifter mechanism at the transmission.

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Concoction of E30 RTAB tools (I think) and bicycle tools to press out the old...
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... and press in the new. Perhaps my tedium has already been implied but there is no way I would install these haphazardly, even tho no one will ever see these things again.
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Still confused why a US manual E60 ended up with a stamped and stickered E61 M5 subframe but I'll take it as a sign.

Also ordered the M3 FW/clutch combo, should be able to swap those out this week then reassemble the trans onto the engine. Can't do the rear main seal until I remove from the engine stand so I'll do all that at the same time.
I'm also planning on scrapping the sedan tub this week so last call for anything related to that.

I've been driving the wagon around the last few days to burn off fuel. Aside from the horrible rotors that had so much rust and scale from sitting outside at the body shop this spring, I'm reminded why I'm doing this. My daily is a 2015 X5 35d, and while I love it for what it is I love the E61 more and that's with the N54 and terrible 6sp auto in it. I CAN NOT WAIT to make tons of progress and see it touch the ground.

Andy
 
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Discussion starter · #22 ·
Time to close that chapter!
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Still don't need a lift...though it would have helped
I used the 1000lb hydraulic cart to lift the back end as well as the cherry picker to support the front while I rolled the tub outside. Once lined up with the trailer I subbed in the 2x6s on 1300 lb capacity saw horses then backed the trailer in - like a glove!
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A few straps later and I'm all set to run to the local scrap yard. Conveniently, my daily is a 15 X5 35d so torque was not an issue.

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Unceremonious end to it. Sayonara, kimosabe.

For what it's worth, the chassis was 1000 lb on the nose. Doors had glass in them, plus the front and rear wind screens. Otherwise empty.

So now there's a wagon sized hole in my workspace. I'm going to do a bit of tidying up but should have the wagon on jack stands thiss weekend. I'd like to have the engine out by Monday but there's a lot of 'can't break this' stuff that needs to come off first so that may slip.
Andy
 
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Discussion starter · #24 ·
In for updates! How are you liking the x5? Looking at an f15 35d myself.
100% love it! Extremely well sorted, nice electronics, 30mpg at 80 mph, tons of space. I specifically went for the F15 35d to get the 8 speed tranny instead of the 6 sp that was used in the E70 35d.

Andy
 
Discussion starter · #25 ·
Basic, but significant work done this weekend - got the bumpers, exhaust, driveshaft, and cooling package removed so that I'm ready to drop the engine/trans and rear subframe. I also have the harness branches on each front side ready to pull through the firewall - just need to remove hardware like brake booster and such. This time is going much faster since I'm not marking each connector as I disconnect.
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Sidebar, I get it was done for first assembly but it's impressive to see the packaging of plumbing so that with minimal effort the complete cooling package slides out/disconnects without having to contort and have tiny hands to disconnect something deep in the frame rails. All lines that run to the back of the block or transmission are fastened to the subframe.

Andy
 
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Discussion starter · #26 ·
Rust is the word of the week. I knew it was coming from cursory visual inspections and horribly scaled rotors but I'm pretty sure the majority of the rust under the car came from when I had the fenders painted... The body shop took 3 months to get to the work and I had driven the car on a 400 mile trip with fresh snow/salt on the roads. I should have taken the potential for sitting outside at the body shop for the 3 worst months into consideration. Alas, heavy rust.

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Anyway, expecting this I had done several days of PB Blaster applications in preparation for removal of the rear half shafts from the hub. Graciously, the left side didn't really put up a fight but you can see all the rust scale and how good PB worked it's way into the splines.

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The other side, however, decided to fight. I've now used this method to remove 5 half shafts. That's 1/4" plate steel and a 2 ton gear puller I'd had for about 20 years. I'd done a few rounds of heat then PB to try to help break the corrosion up, but it did not budge. When the gear puller finally broke the plate had taco'd by about 15mm.

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Anyway, I'm off to Harbor Freight for a hydraulic gear puller for round 2.

Good thing most of the rusty bit are getting replaced with the new drivetrain!

Andy
 
Discussion starter · #28 ·
Dang, that does look nice! I like how the cage holds the arms.
 
Discussion starter · #30 ·
As much as I hoped for success with @Kaane 's suggested puller, I had no joy. That puller is hell for stout so I am admitting defeat. I'll source a used one and complain about how the rust was completely solid but explain how replacement was the smart play.
Moving on - a guy's weekend with 650 miles of tasty ribbons of tarmac was enjoyed on two wheels stunted progress, but it was totally worth it.
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Anyway, with the defeat admitted I took the rest of the subframe apart to make it manageable to move around. I also was finally able to compare the two subframes main structures to see the difference. All I can see is an extra long tab for... nothing. It looks to be a different mount for the sway bar but the M bar bolts directly up to the non-M - I've done this on 2 cars now. Perhaps the muffler mount but those have plates on the lower bushing face. So I don't know.
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Moving on again, I dropped the engine and trans assembly but ran out of time to actually pull it out so there it sits, ready for some cleaning and hopefully quick sale.
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With that out I'll be able to pull the front harness completely out then swap out the brake lines for the M5 location.

Baby steps.

Andy
 
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