Since we got all hyped up yesterday about the incredible prices E39 540i models have today, we started digging a little more to find rare birds in this field. That’s how we stumbled upon one of the most passionate people we’ve ever heard of that had the guts to replace the original M62 engine of his 540i with a truck one.
Our ‘hero’ was rather disappointed by the way his engine used to run. VANOS is a good system in theory but after a while it becomes hard to maintain running right and starts being pretty noisy. Furthermore, other parts can fail and ordering and replacing them might be a bit of a headache.
No matter how bad the engine might fail or how much money it might ask from you to keep running, the looks of the E39 5 Series are simply irresistible. It’s one of those cars that will still be considered beautiful 10 years from now and that’s an idea we can all agree with.
Therefore, being in love with the way the car looked, our man decided to replace its engine. From what we made out of his 20 page thread where he documented the swap, he went for a 6-liter LQ4 engine that is usually used on a variety of trucks. No problem though, as the E39 platform had plenty of room to accommodate it.
But that’s just putting the story mildly. The thing is, when doing such a job, just switching the engines is not nearly enough. You’ll also have to change the ECU, the wirings, the transmission, gearbox and even rear differential. Some of them are mandatory while others were the builder’s decision, like the diff that had to be an M5 one.
When it was all said and done, he couldn’t be more satisfied because he now has the car he always wanted. The work spanned over nearly two years as he was forced to work on his project in his spare time, in the meanwhile having to repair broken windows on his daily driver (check out the story, it’s pretty funny).
The numbers say that now, his car, has more power than an E39 M5. His creation puts down 427 HP at the wheels and 400 lb-ft (542 Nm) of torque thanks to the 6-liter V8. That’s a considerable gain compared to what an S62 4.9-liter V8 made in Munich can do. Congratulations aren’t nearly enough if you ask us but we’re guessing that the satisfaction he has everytime he drives it is more than enough for him.
Google News