Hey guys, recently iv been thinking about picking up a e39 wagon, the use of the car would be for dd duity and to be a hoon wagon, I wanted to do a m5 swap but that would be a pain to do because of the wiring and trying to find parts or to find a m5 that's been in a accident, iv been thinking of a ls swap but I'm not sure witch ls engine I should be looking at, I wanted something that behaved like the m5s s62 a high revving v8, then I started to think of bmw i6 engines but the e39 is a heavy chassis so then I thought of a 540i wagon and just supercharge it but id like to keep it all motor so what should I do?
In reply to speedy1989:
Can't help with wagon specifics, but I gotta say, I LOVE my '98 E39 540i/6
If you only want to make a modest boost in horsepower to a 540i, you will be able to keep it naturally aspirated. If you want a huge increase in power, it may be much easier and cheaper to do it with a super or turbocharger. If you do a LS swap, do it to an I6 wagon because the cheapest junkyard LS motors won't give you a huge increase in power from the BMW V8 in factory trim. If you do decide to do a LS swap use the 5.3 or 6.0 truck motors with the least amount of miles on them you can find, or get an LS1 from a Camaro or Trans-Am. The truck motors will probably both be a little cheaper than the LS1 engine from the yard. Then you probably know that much of the cost of an LS swap is getting a custom driveshaft, custom headers, a compatible oil pan (if needed), MANUAL 
transmission, trans crossmember, etc.
I have a 2001 e39 525iT w/ a manual. It's one of 190 imported into USA that model year, and it took forever to find. I have to say I love it as my not hoon car - the the stock "sport lowered" suspension is perfectly fine for the all-seasons I keep on the car, and as a racer, I drive it like, well, a racer. So I find grip limits often enough, and I carry a lot of speed, what with the anemic 2.5 M54 B25 motor.
Upsides: Hugely useful and comfortable, great looking, never see another one, honest 30+ mpg highway cruise. Previous owner took good care of it, added M5 front bumper shell + fogs, rear M-technic shell. Has my perfect options: Sport/lowered suspension w/ self leveling, the small (non-leaky) sunroof, manual trans, IHKR HVAC controls (not the crazy complex IHKA system w/ 15 stepper motors)
Downside: Little BMW maintenance things never end. Oil separator + lines + valve cover gasket, put a new display in the head unit to fix pixels, new vent fan resistor, some plastic interior trim, metal center console cup holder, speaker amp sh1t the bed, got a NOS out of box one on eBay cheap. Resealed rear door liners, cleared heater box drains, car doesn't smell like a damp dog anymore. Needed a clutch so I got rid of the dual-mass flywheel/self adjusting pressure plate/clutch line restrictor in favor of a Clutchmasters setup w/ a slightly lighter flywheel. This necessitated swapping in an 850i clutch slave to get the pedal effort back to "stout but usable". And the yellowed headlights were rectified by finding original OEM Hella xenons on mega blowout on amazon - the pair was about $700, down from the normal $2600.
I love, love, love this car.
motomoron wrote:
I have a 2001 e39 525iT w/ a *manual*. It's one of 190 imported into USA that model year, and it took forever to find. I have to say I love it as my *not* hoon car - the the stock "sport lowered" suspension is perfectly fine for the all-seasons I keep on the car, and as a racer, I drive it like, well, a racer. So I find grip limits often enough, and I carry a lot of speed, what with the anemic 2.5 M54 B25 motor.
Upsides: Hugely useful and comfortable, great looking, never see another one, honest 30+ mpg highway cruise. Previous owner took good care of it, added M5 front bumper shell + fogs, rear M-technic shell. Has my perfect options: Sport/lowered suspension w/ self leveling, the small (non-leaky) sunroof, manual trans, IHKR HVAC controls (not the crazy complex IHKA system w/ 15 stepper motors)
Downside: Little BMW maintenance things never end. Oil separator + lines + valve cover gasket, put a new display in the head unit to fix pixels, new vent fan resistor, some plastic interior trim, metal center console cup holder, speaker amp sh1t the bed, got a NOS out of box one on eBay cheap. Resealed rear door liners, cleared heater box drains, car doesn't smell like a damp dog anymore. Needed a clutch so I got rid of the dual-mass flywheel/self adjusting pressure plate/clutch line restrictor in favor of a Clutchmasters setup w/ a slightly lighter flywheel. This necessitated swapping in an 850i clutch slave to get the pedal effort back to "stout but usable". And the yellowed headlights were rectified by finding original OEM Hella xenons on mega blowout on amazon - the pair was about $700, down from the normal $2600.
I love, love, love this car.
Was there a problem with leaks and the large sunroofs that some of these had?
They're reported to more prone to leaks - no personal first-hand experience though.
motomoron wrote:
They're reported to more prone to leaks - no personal first-hand experience though.
Makes sense, longer channels to get plugged up with dirt grime and E36 M3
I've now owned four E39t and I've got to say that I enjoy them for what they are. The 528 is a good car and if you are able to find a factory manual it actually makes it a fun car to drive, as said above the stock clutch take up is a nightmare but there are fixes. Plenty of LSx swapped cars but I think finding a good 540 all give you most of the good power without the aggravation of the swap(unless you want to swap). If you get one post it up!
One guy on this forum did a LS swap with an E34 I believe, maybe an E39 so search for that build thread.
In reply to chandlerGTi:yeah I would honesty like to stick to the engine that comes with the car, the 528i how did it feel? since the e39 is a heavier chassis do you think it would be best with a i6 or a v8??
In reply to Mr_Clutch42: thanks ill try to find it :)
In reply to motomoron: do you have any pictures?? :) and do you think the e39 chassis is best with a v8 or a i6??
In reply to Mr_Clutch42: hmmm 400 to 600 hp would make me happy 
I liked the 528it sport with manual the best. It would "drift" if you wanted to or be a incredibly comfy cruiser. I drive a lot so that's important to me. Here is the 99 I owned, you should know the sport tourings are drying up now....rarely do they come up for sale.
Vigo
PowerDork
7/8/14 12:58 p.m.
If you do a LS swap, do it to an I6 wagon because the cheapest junkyard LS motors won't give you a huge increase in power from the BMW V8 in factory trim
Other than a stock 4.8 all of them will be a fairly big to huge increase in torque.
Also, im pretty sure you can bump ANY ls motor ever made over 400chp with ONLY a cam, which are pretty affordable and easy to install in the context of a motor swap.
In reply to chandlerGTi:wow very clean wagon
yeah iv been noticing that lately, i'm still not sure witch e39 wagon ill get, this guy is my inspiration for the ls swap http://newton.kinja.com/the-most-jalop-bmw-ever-is-not-an-m3-or-m5-its-a-528i-1495097694
To get an M5 touring, rattan then swapping an M5 power train in, why not start with a rear ended M5 then find a touring the has hit something from the front and got to work with the cutting discs and metal melting tours?
