1997 BMW M3 w/ S54 Swap

Description

Engine / Drivetrain:

- S54B32

- MSS54 DME

- OEM Z3M S54 engine harness

- HTE Alpha-N tune

- ZF 5-speed transmission

- 3.38 LSD

- Billet shifter carrier

- AKG selector

- Oil pan cross brace

- Bumper-to-intake ducting

S54 Preventative / Maintenance:

- WPC-treated ACL rod bearings

- OEM connecting-rod bolts

- Rod-bearing service completed in 2023, approximately 5k miles ago

- New oil-pan gasket during the same service

- New valve-cover gasket during the same service

- Valve adjustment completed during the same service

- Brand new Beisan Systems VANOS unit

- New exhaust sprocket

- VANOS tensioners

- Cam bolts and additional VANOS-related preventative hardware/components addressed a few months later

Cooling:

- Zionsville aluminum radiator / upgraded cooling system

- Electric fan with fan controller and manual override for track days

- Oil cooler

Exhaust:

- Agency Power headers

- Supersprint Section 1 with dual resonators

- Supersprint Section 2

- Magnaflow 2-to-1 muffler

Suspension / Chassis:

- JRZ RS TWO adjustable coilovers with JRZ camber plates

- Black Powerflex polyurethane subframe bushings

- Solid rear trailing-arm bushings

- Solid differential ear bushings

- Delrin differential front mount

- New Dorman differential cover

- VAC adjustable rear camber arms

- Powerflex polyurethane front control-arm bushings

- UUC front sway bar

- Adjustable sway-bar end links

- Strut-tower reinforcement plates

Brakes/Maint:

- Porsche 996 Brembo big-brake conversion, front and rear

- Euro E46 M3 floating rotors

- Hawk HT-10 track pads

- Street pads included

- BimmerWorld stainless-steel brake lines

- New OEM front wheel hubs

Wheels / Tires:

- Apex ARC-8 wheels

- 17x9.5 ET35 square

- 235/35R17 Nankang CRS

Interior / Safety:

- Recaro Pole Position driver and passenger seats

- VAC floor mounts

- Motion Motorsport seat brackets

- Kirk Racing bolt-in half cage

- Sparco 6-point harnesses

- MOMO Mod. 69 steering wheel

- MOMO hub

- Narita Dogfight carbon horn-button delete

- E90 M3 rearview mirror with working HomeLink

- BimmerWorld carbon-fiber sunroof delete

The interior shows normal wear and use for being nearly 30 years old. Despite the safety and seating upgrades, it has not been turned into a completely stripped out interior, which was important to me.

HVAC:

The heat works as it should. The A/C lines were removed during previous ownership to accommodate the S52 turbo setup the car had at the time, so the car currently does not have functioning A/C. The removed A/C lines will be included with purchase.

Exterior:

- Bosch Euro glass headlights with functioning city lights + new bulbs

- Msportparts city light wiring harness (PNP)

- UUC full-carbon adjustable rear wing

- New OEM chrome kidney grilles

- New OEM amber turn signals

- New OEM amber taillights + side markers

A lot of my ownership has also been spent taking care of the less exciting things that come with a nearly 30 year old E36. Alongside the preventative work, I’ve addressed items like weather sealing, vapor barriers, lighting and other smaller details so that the car continued to be something I could actually get in and use.

Body / Weather Sealing:

- New door vapor barriers, resealed

- New rubber door seals on both sides

- New trunk seal

- Msportparts trunk latch reinforcement plate

The exterior is driver-quality, not concours. There are chips from prior track use and other minor cosmetic imperfections consistent with the age and use of the car.

This is not being presented as an untouched collector example. It is an enthusiast-built E36 intended to be driven and enjoyed guilt-free.

Records / History:

I have receipts and service records from my ownership that can be shown to interested parties upon request.

I am more than happy to speak with anyone genuinely interested in the car and can walk through the build, maintenance history, and condition in greater detail. Photos documenting some of the major maintenance and build history, including the new VANOS unit and removed rod bearings, are included in the ad

Build history

1997 BMW M3

Boston Green over Magma (Luxury Package)

Clean title

~156,000 miles on chassis

~120,000 miles on S54

Robbinsville, NJ

$31,000 OBO

I am putting my S54-swapped E36 M3 up for sale after enjoying it for three years.

I purchased the car sight unseen in July 2023 and drove it roughly 1,700 miles home after buying it, which pretty much set the tone for my ownership. Since then, I’ve taken it on longer road trips, driven it to events, and driven it daily whenever possible during the warmer months.

After owning three E36 M3s in a row, I’m at the point where I’d like to move on to something different, so I’m putting it out there for the next owner rather than continuing to take the build further.

I want to emphasize that this is a turnkey S54 swap, not a project that still needs finishing. It has been built with the proper supporting modifications to make everything work reliably as a whole. The cooling system, exhaust, suspension, chassis, brakes, differential, wheels/tires, and major preventative maintenance items have all been addressed rather than simply dropping an S54 into an otherwise stock chassis.