OT: BMW 657CSi

[zmuff]

My friend John has finally finished his Frankenbeast. It started out life as a 635CSi 5 speed, now it's a Corvette powered 6 speed. The engine and tranny are GM, all else is still BMW. The V-8 ended up about 100 lbs lighter than the M30, but the 6 speed is 50 lbs heavier, so it's all worked out pretty good. Of course my camera died at the most inappropriate time so I only have one picture. The custom headers are beautiful. Overall a very nice installation. There is no fan on the front of the engine, just a big electric fan on the front of the Behr radiator. There is a small temperature rise sitting in traffic, but not to an overheat condition. He's still working on that one. With the hood closed, you cannot tell what lurks underneath. It just looks like a nice e24 with 5 spoke 17" wheels. Well, there is that V-8 burble that's hard to conceal. Yes, it's a rocket!!!!

http://www.bimmerboard.com/members/zmuff/original/Johns%20657CSi%20resize.jpg

[Qube]

I almost have to yell "Blasphemy!" but... I'd like to hear that V8 muscle under the hood... just once. Then I'd like it drowned out from the turbo whine by Jon K's car :)

[zmuff]

I almost have to yell "Blasphemy!"
I was kind of thinking that too when he told me of his latest idea. It was origianally supposed to be a 645CSi with stuff from the e23 745i. But with all the turbo parts in-hand, he changed his mind and went with the V-8 route. He is still a hardcore bimmernut though, there's a nice e30 M3 and a Euro M635CSi in the stable.

[azale]

My 'vette is currently for sale but if I don't sell it, and if the world were perfect, I'd look to drop GM Performance's 572 in there and use the 350 to replace the 200k+ mile M50 in my 525i.

I can always sleep easy when I dream about that.

We definitely want more pics. If your buddy has a write-up on the mods he had to do, link us up.

[SnakeyesTx]

Looks good, but you might wanna suggest that he change that intake routing. With it laying on against the radiator like that, the pipe is is prone to melt/crumble/dry-up, and its heating up the intake air quite a bit. I bet it'd be kinda nice if he upturned it right from the throttle-body to a small intake scoop in the hood kinda like the SS Camaro's and newer Z06's do. That way you get cooler outside air, and no risk of the pipe on the radiator like that. It looks like he can upturn it right to that spot where the hood insulation isn't there in the center.

[Elekta]

Nice

note this frankenC with the 635 M30 with just about every inch pushed/rolled/injected inside and out to the limit.

Keep the pics a comin

[ricola]

nice work, more pix please.

[1995 525i]

My friend John has finally finished his Frankenbeast. It started out life as a 635CSi 5 speed, now it's a Corvette powered 6 speed. The engine and tranny are GM, all else is still BMW. The V-8 ended up about 100 lbs lighter than the M30, but the 6 speed is 50 lbs heavier, so it's all worked out pretty good. Of course my camera died at the most inappropriate time so I only have one picture. The custom headers are beautiful. Overall a very nice installation. There is no fan on the front of the engine, just a big electric fan on the front of the Behr radiator. There is a small temperature rise sitting in traffic, but not to an overheat condition. He's still working on that one. With the hood closed, you cannot tell what lurks underneath. It just looks like a nice e24 with 5 spoke 17" wheels. Well, there is that V-8 burble that's hard to conceal. Yes, it's a rocket!!!!


http://www.bimmerboard.com/members/zmuff/original/Johns%20657CSi%20resize.jpg

Check out a similiar conversion with a Miata.

http://www.fergfab.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=23