Was the E39 540i wagon sold in the US? What about with a manual trans?
Was the E39 540i wagon sold in the US? What about with a manual trans?
No e39 540it with a manual in the states. The 6 cylinder models were available with a 5 speed.
To clarify: 540 touring - yes 540 touring with manual - no
BMW does not seem to be very good about offering its wagons with manual gear boxes.
If they made it I would suspect that they would command a premium $$$$$. I would bet it was a euro only option or something or had to be special ordered. I bet there are some M series optioned 5 series wagons out there.
My plan but vastly over simplified. After a bunch of research balancing $$$$ versus having a "cool" & "respectable" sleeper I have come up with the following.
Build one!!!! Get a LM7 motor add a new cam and headers and you should end up just about at a neat 400hp (M serious power) and put it in a 5 series wagon. Add what ever trans you want (4,5,or 6 speed or a slush box) and have really cool car.
For a tad more $$$$ (usually $300-$600) depending on the millage etc, get an LM4 or a L33 motor to save about 80lbs of weight.
Obviously you will need to upgrade the brakes and the suspension as well to complement the added HP and torque but it would make for a great car.
One of my pet dreams is to take a 528 Touring 5 spd and drop in the drive train from an E39 M5... 
Folks have swapped in LS-series motors into 5-series on numerous occasions now. No reason it couldn't be done with a wagon. Heck, a GRM'er had an LS swapped into an e34 wagon. I believe he sold it though.
The LSx motors are way to much $$$$$ these days. I have been seeing them in the 2-3K range. For less than $700 you can have a LM7 add a cam and you have 400HP for less than 1K By the way this is a motor with wiring computers sensors etc) Basically a bolt in and go.
My LSx 951 project got derailed when I started shopping for the motor. The LM7 is a great compromise. I have wondered if I could screw together a LM7 powered 951 on a challenge budget. With careful shopping I think it is very possible.
dyintorace wrote: Folks have swapped in LS-series motors into 5-series on numerous occasions now. No reason it couldn't be done with a wagon. Heck, a GRM'er had an LS swapped into an e34 wagon. I believe he sold it though.
From what I understand, engine swaps are a lot easier in the e34 chassis. The e39 has a ton more electronics getting in the way.
As stated before... No 540T 6-speed. However, it's almost stupid easy to do an auto to manual swap on one.
Also, the E34 would be my pick for an LSx swap. The obd 1 makes life soooo much easier
Ian F wrote: One of my pet dreams is to take a 528 Touring 5 spd and drop in the drive train from an E39 M5...
If my M5 ever gets written off, that's exactly what I want to do with the drivetrain.
Such a nice motor.
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