525hp ls3 e46 m3

This project is actually running and driving now but I will post the build over a few posts and get it up to date.

Here is the victim. Already has stoptech brakes, coil overs, ground control sways, te37 wheels, super sprint exhaust etc etc

On a lift coming apart

This is getting a 0 mile 525hp GM Perforamance Parts LS3 with a built t56 magnum from D&D Performance.

lightweight flywheel

Engine in (using vorshlag headers)

More to come soon

I'll give this little preview....

http://youtu.be/doMiI7Y32cQ

I......I want that.

Well that was fast

Cool_Hand_Luke wrote: Well that was fast

It's been in the works for a few months but just haven't put together a build thread. Gotta catch it up so I'll post a little at a time.

Such a great engine

I'd recommend doing what you have to do in order to feed cold air into the engine. The engine pulls a fair bit of timing for hot intake temps, and you'll leave a significant amount of power on the table. An under hood filter is a last resort.

Keith Tanner wrote: Such a great engine I'd recommend doing what you have to do in order to feed cold air into the engine. The engine pulls a fair bit of timing for hot intake temps, and you'll leave a significant amount of power on the table. An under hood filter is a last resort.

It's what you have in your targa car right? I sent the owner video of your car before he choose this engine.

I'm not sold yet on the location of the air filter but there isn't a ton of room to route one.

The e46 is know to have issue with the floors cracking or ripping out so it's best to add some reinforcements. We went with the plates from redish Motorsports out of the UK. These are nothing short of amazing. REALLY well designed.

Start by cleaning all the undercoating off.

The plates

weld/bend/weld

Smooth out and put etching bare metal prep on them.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-7_mWlMKyM08/VDmqEGOwhVI/AAAAAAAAPrg/VcEai7ptwTw/s640/IMAGE_2121.jpeg

POR and seem sealer

Then undercoating

Rear subframe also got new poly bushings

subframe back in

I said cotdamn!

I don't even want to know how much that costs.

jakeb wrote:

Keith Tanner wrote: Such a great engine I'd recommend doing what you have to do in order to feed cold air into the engine. The engine pulls a fair bit of timing for hot intake temps, and you'll leave a significant amount of power on the table. An under hood filter is a last resort.

It's what you have in your targa car right? I sent the owner video of your car before he choose this engine. I'm not sold yet on the location of the air filter but there isn't a ton of room to route one.

Yup, same engine. And it's a challenge to pull in cold air - but you had an over-the-rad intake in stock form. We use an LS7 intake to do the same thing, might be worth a look. It's proven to be very worthwhile for power and for under hood aesthetics. You do need a baffle in front to prevent weird drivability problems if you have a ram air effect going on, but we have one available.

Are the intakes and filter locations for LS3's different to LS7's? Are the blocks/intakes not close enough in dimensions so that you can put whatever intake works on one onto the other one?

Anything wrong with the original engine or was it just too pricey for the power goals?

edwardh80 wrote: Are the intakes and filter locations for LS3's different to LS7's? Are the blocks/intakes not close enough in dimensions so that you can put whatever intake works on one onto the other one?

The LS3 and LS7 Corvette intakes housings are almost identical, but the LS3 ones have an extra resonance chamber that makes for much more difficult packaging. You can put an LS9 air filter in the housing for less restriction.

Throttle body location is identical across the LS3 and LS7. It's pretty close on a lot of the other variants - I think the LS1/2/6 throttle bodies are the same as well, possibly with a different OD.

In reply to jsquared: If anything, a LS3 swap is the easy button to 525 hp. Plus, the engine has no miles on it along with the beefed up trans.

jsquared wrote: Anything wrong with the original engine or was it just too pricey for the power goals?

If you still have the s54 and 6 speed trans, I'd be interested in them.

Mr_Clutch42 wrote: In reply to jsquared: If anything, a LS3 swap is the easy button to 525 hp. Plus, the engine has no miles on it along with the beefed up trans.

I figured something like that, turbo setup + engine rebuild > LSx in a box :D

I love that no one has asked "why".

In reply to pinchvalve:

The only "why" you're likely to see here is "Why is this not in my garage?"

Forgot to ask, are you going to keep the AC?

In reply to jsquared: A low mileage S54 with good compression and good oil pressure wouldn't need a rebuild for a turbo.

Aren't they something like 10.5:1 compression ratio? I guess you could run low-ish boost pressure and water/meth or something, but I'd feel better at a lower CR.

jsquared wrote: Forgot to ask, are you going to keep the AC?

YUP!

Should keep updating...

The AC compressor that is made to fit this engine didn't have ports that would exit in the right spot. The trailblazer SS compressor has them on top and there is an available adapter to fit on it. But the issue is that the bracket made for the compressor doesn't match the belt spacing for the engine. So after looking around at other options the best option was to just make a bracket.

Welded AC on fittings to the E46 lines to work on the Trailblazer compressor.

AC lines in place

Tieing the headers into the super sprint exhaust system.

Took a while to find a oil cooler adapter that would fit. After trying a couple different ones with thermostats in them the only thing that would fit was the stock adapter from a truck.

Heater valve was a BIT close to the headers and not much room to run any lines so we moved it up some.

Had the wheel color changed a bit.

Outside for the first time.

Looks good! I like that you took the time to keep the AC! Have you corner-weighed it yet? Ride height looks about the same, I'm interested in what the weight change might have been.