American V-8 Mopar motor replace BMW Series 7 Endless Repair Nightmare engine?

Question

According to many owners and their mechanics the BMW 7 Series sucks *ss! So why not just drop in a 383? Electric & computer could be yanked and rewired...Too much hassle for a car with 100K pricetag? Better than leaving it in the garage to rot? Nice looking car some with a V-12! That keeps breaking down! Amazed at all the complaints online but no response from BMW...Guess if you got 100+K to spend on a motor vehicle you've got lots more to get another?! But is the engine swap possible? Thanks for your input!

Answer 1

It's possible, but it would be a custom job. No kits are going to be available, but take heart, hot rod shops do these custom jobs all the time. The thing that concerns me though is the legality of it. The car would in no way shape or form pass smog, plus a mopar 383 wouild be a bad choice. If I were you, I would use a Chevy LT1 or LS1 motor out of a late model Camero or corvette, these can be had used with lowish miles (sub 50K) for about $2500. you will need to swap the tranmission with it also, as no way the BMW trans is gonna bolt up.

http://www.ls1tech.com/forums/

Example, this one has a little high miles, but you get the idea
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/pts/511514224.html

A hot rod shop localy could fabricate the needed mounts and what ever else is needed, and you could take it to a chevy dealer if it needed work, these are common motors. hot rod shop would probably charge in the neighborhood of 2500? for the swap, just a guestamit, but probably close, plus the cos of the motor,, looking in the neighborhood of about 5-6k, all done. probably pass somg too, if the mech doesn't open the hood : )

You could recoup some of your costs by selling the BMW motor and trans on E-bay.

Answer 2

I'm assuming that you mean a 350 Chevy stroked to 383. It's a very good motor with plenty of torque and horsepower. The late model aluminum block, computer, wiring and matching transmission would be a great choice. I recently have seen the late model LS7 Vette engine used in a conversion. This engine costs around 12k from your GMC dealer and would cost more than finding a late model 350ci and having it rebuilt to spec's with a 383ci stroker kit.

It can be done but may cost 10 grand give or take 2 grand to do a good job.

PS: If as everyone above has assumed that you want the MOPAR 383ci; I'd recommend as I've said above, to consider the GM 350 stroked to 383 beause it will cost a lot less to build than a MOPAR. I know this because I have built more than a few MOPARS (see my avatar).

Answer 3

What they meant was it sucks for what you pay for it. And as for an engine swap you can swap just about any engine if you know what you are doing. The best way to go is get a crate engine and a new ignition system and make it carbureted. And of course you would have to change the trans and drive shaft. It would be a huge pain with a car like that, there is a whole lot of electrical.

Answer 4

Bmw Crate Motors

Answer 5

Yes it is possible but not practical. It won't just fit in and you can't just rip out wires. The trans won't work with a mopar motor so a 727 torque flight trans will also have to be fitted. The mounts wont line up and the weights are different so different front springs will be needed. The list goes on and on to make this project work. Good luck

Answer 6

Certainly i pretty much agree with Larry a swap is always possible as long as you make it clear what your trying to acheive and contact the right mechanic. If you have 100+k to spend on a car im quessing your not going to be using it much anyway. lol

Answer 7

If you have time visit car shows and talk to owners.

Answer 8

t3443fv