[Warrior11982]

Hello Vasitas, how are you doing?

I’m from Portugal and I’m following this thread because I’m also thinking about doing a similar project.
I have a SWB Y61 Td6 and and I’m searching for something with more power and torque. M57 seems to be the obvious choice.
Some guys also talk about the Mercedes OM606 engine with a big turbo and a different mechanical diesel pump installed on it but I guess it will develop torque and power later than the M57 because it doesn’t have the help newer electronics devices... both engines are really good and reliable...

 

[Vasitas]

So the doctor told me to take things easy with my hernias and spinal cord compression. But I felt worse by doing nothing all day long. So we decided to install the engine anyway. The hardest part was hammering the dashboard. Since I don't use a body lift we had to punch it for over 2.5 hours to let the engine fit in the engine bay. I don't want a body lift because I have annual control and a body lift is a chance to get forbidden to traffic here in Belgium. And I want it to look as stock as possible. Here are some pictures of it sitting in the bay. It looks splendid. Engine mounts will get welded on next week.

Here is where the engine hit the dashboard. So we needed to "massage" it a little more. 2 hours later we had enough space.

Hello Vasitas, how are you doing?

I’m from Portugal and I’m following this thread because I’m also thinking about doing a similar project.
I have a SWB Y61 Td6 and and I’m searching for something with more power and torque. M57 seems to be the obvious choice.
Some guys also talk about the Mercedes OM606 engine with a big turbo and a different mechanical diesel pump installed on it but I guess it will develop torque and power later than the M57 because it doesn’t have the help newer electronics devices... both engines are really good and reliable...

Hi Warrior11982,

Yes, the RD28T is a bit too light and inefficient to be honest. You need to get a tuned mechanical pump, injectors, turbo upgrade and a good intercooler to get some numbers out of the RD28T. I really liked the raw sound it produced but the fact it overheated after flooring the thing for 10 minutes felt like I needed to upgrade.
To be honest I think the OM606 is a better upgrade IMO to get bigger numbers because it is simpler indeed. Both are proven and reliable engines. I chose the M57 swap because I could buy a full adapter kit and get my hands on a good engine. 4 months after I started the project someone came up with kits for the OM606 engine. But I'm happy with my results so far. It sucks I can't drive it right now since the season has started. But I think I will get the result I'm searching for. Don't forget to get a ZD30 gearbox after the mid of 2002. 5th gear may fail with these boxes if they are built before mid 2002.

 

[geeyoutoo]

Well done mate, take it easy though, reshaping a fire wall would have been a bit stressful on the body, your body I mean .

 

[Armin_BZ]

hi

Hey Vasitas,


I have a Y61 with a broken ZD30 and I am thinking to do the same. I am from Italy, my only concern is how to pass the technical inspection every 2 years or somehow some nice officer finds out one day that I swaped my engine?! What's your approach?!

 

[Warrior11982]

Yes, take it slow and thanks for that gearbox info. I’ve been following your work in this thread. I am interested in something similar like you are doing. I don’t want my patrol to be the center of attractions, otherwise, police will like it a lot. 😒 I don’t want that.
I’ve heard that you need to do some adaptor to relocate the steering box so that the engine will not touch it. Is it true? Do you really have to use some king of spacer on it?

And are you planning to have your ar conditioned fully capable? My AC is electronic controlled. Do I have to keep my oem ECU so that I can have it working?

 

[Warrior11982]

As you may see, I want it with an original look... the wells pop up a bit but they are awesome

Even the winch is hidden under the bumper

 

[Vasitas]

As you may see, I want it with an original look... the wells pop up a bit but they are awesome

Even the winch is hidden under the bumper

I don't like too many stuff bolted on my Patrol too. That's a clean looking Patrol you have there! And it's capable to drive to Morocco and back! Most of the Patrols in Belgium have 37-40 inch tires and the fuel consumption is ridiculous! And by the time they arrive to the border of Germany/France they are overheating haha.

Here are a few pictures of my trip to Morocco.

If they ask me tomorrow to go back to Morocco immediately I wouldn't hesitate!! Such a beautiful country and so many things to explore. I went with my friend as a copilot since I had a lot of pain in my neck and lower back (now it turns out I have 2 hernias). I could not have made the trip as a driver since I suffer a lot of pain. And now this projects just keeps me going and busy. Cause when I'm busy I barely feel any pain.

 

[Vasitas]

Anyway, back to reality. Finishing the M57 swap that is! I've managed to do a lot of work to the Patrol the last 3 days.

It was time to sand down the chassis and weld the engine mounts on.

Welding is not a problem for me. But I never had any sort of mechanical education or some other kind. I just learned most things by myself, with the good help of friends and because my dad owns an oldtimer repair shop and he has a lot of tools + working space I can use.
For the engine mounts I let my friend Jan weld the mounts. He has done 7 years of welding at school and I wanted to be sure the mounts were welded on perfect. As I told before. This engine will be laying in the engine bay for another 10 years without coming out!!

I noticed a problem when we tried to align the engine and the mounts. Since we don't use a body lift as recommended (but to get through technical control), the gearbox hit the firewall. I was pissed since we "massaged" the fire wall already for 2-3 hours.
But I saw a simple solution. We just got the jack under the gearbox and pushed it "through" the fire wall. Success!!! We managed to get another 1-1.5 cm of clearance.

As everything was really tight and narrow in the engine I foresaw upcoming problems. The rubber mounts had bolt thread but they were too long in my opinion. I shortened these 1.5cm on both sides.

I put on some good paint on the 3 working spots. Then we let it dry for the night.

 

[PrfctChaos]

I noticed a problem when we tried to align the engine and the mounts. Since we don't use a body lift as recommended (but to get through technical control), the gearbox hit the firewall. I was pissed since we "massaged" the fire wall already for 2-3 hours.
But I saw a simple solution. We just got the jack under the gearbox and pushed it "through" the fire wall. Success!!! We managed to get another 1-1.5 cm of clearance.

Just a suggestion, but good to keep in mind that the gearbox/engine (and body) will move on its mounts. If there is not enough clearance between gearbox and firewall I am sure that there will be lots of banging noises when you drive it, as the gearbox hits / vibrates against firewall.

 

[Vasitas]

One day later we put the engine in. And yes, the 3cm extra clearance off the bolt thread of the rubber mounts made the difference! Since we didn't have a body lift and we didn't know the right procedure yet to place the engine with welded engine mounts it was a bit of a search. But we managed to get the engine in in 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Haha sh#駣t!! Next problem that occurred. A distance of 4mm between the alternator and the Y61 steering house. I've placed this steering house because it is better for drifting and rallying but it is a lot bigger then a Y60 steering house. You have to turn 1 twist less so you can control sideways movement a lot better. The guy who sold me this kit gave me this tip. He told me the I could use this since this engine will produce double the HP/NM compared to the RD28T. I'll be making a spacer on the attachment points of the steering house of around 5mm tomorrow to get that extra bit of space.

Next in line were the bump stops. I heard stories of guys placing the engine themself but forgetting the bump stops or measuring the bump stops wrong. Result is the oil pan hitting the front axle when you jump/flex the car. So I took my time and made sure I got enough space between the front axle and the oil pan. No damaged engine for me.

Here is the clearance between the oil pan and the front axle. A good hand fits in there so I guess I'll be safe.

 

[Vasitas]

Hey Vasitas,


I have a Y61 with a broken ZD30 and I am thinking to do the same. I am from Italy, my only concern is how to pass the technical inspection every 2 years or somehow some nice officer finds out one day that I swaped my engine?! What's your approach?!

No idea if they know a lot about Patrols but if you cover up the fact it is a BMW engine just like I did I wouldn't think it's a problem. How tough is the inspection over there? Belgian inspection are real @$$h0les and they give you a ticket for the slightest thing. You lucky bastard, we have 1 year inspection haha!!

Yes, take it slow and thanks for that gearbox info. I’ve been following your work in this thread. I am interested in something similar like you are doing. I don’t want my patrol to be the center of attractions, otherwise, police will like it a lot. �� I don’t want that.
I’ve heard that you need to do some adaptor to relocate the steering box so that the engine will not touch it. Is it true? Do you really have to use some king of spacer on it?

And are you planning to have your ar conditioned fully capable? My AC is electronic controlled. Do I have to keep my oem ECU so that I can have it working?

It is possible to keep your AC. But I don't use it since I drive an Y60. I know the guy who sold me this kit had a M57 biturbo placed in his demo Y61 and the AC was working. The car made 343WHP and 750+NM of torque. He took me for a spin to feel those crazy numbers. I was convinced after the first time he floored this Y61 biturbo swapped monster.
About the steering house/box. If you just use a spacer bolted on the attachments points of the steering house I think it will have enough clearance.

Just a suggestion, but good to keep in mind that the gearbox/engine (and body) will move on its mounts. If there is not enough clearance between gearbox and firewall I am sure that there will be lots of banging noises when you drive it, as the gearbox hits / vibrates against firewall.

I know, I think we'll just have enough space and room so things won't hit. And if it's the case we'll be pulling the engine out and smash the fire wall some more (but I hope not).

Back to the project:

Since I'm using the ZD30 gearbox not all things are the same. The levers are a bit out of position but nothing to worry about. I just did some cutting on the body but everything worked out fine. Handbrake is attached too.

It hit the body slightly and there was a 50% chance of operating since it hit the body everytime I pulled and pushed the lever. Problem gone.

As I got tired of thinking/working on the engine swap the last weeks I placed my new winch plate and winch today. I thought about clever ways of integrating my existing bumper into this new set up. I had to trim the grill but it worked out fine so far. Fitment that is! Maybe I'll be adding and modifying the bumper tomorrow but I don't know yet.

 

[Warrior11982]

Thanks for all the information. Here the anual inspection is a pain in the ass too. We have anual inspection and it’s impossible to have a patrol legal with a BMW engine but I want to have it anyway ��

There are some mechanics here that already do the swap and it really looks an awesome work but it’s too expensive.

That biturbo that you spoke, isn’t that too much power to have in a patrol? Does the rear diferencial survive that? ��

By the way... I also loved Morocco in my Patrol. Maybe I’m going there again in 2019. ��
Keep up the good work ��

 

[Benny Jahmin]

Looking good mate. It can be frustrating when things get in the way. But at the end of the day it pushes your abilities and creativity to solve the problems you encounter/create for your self.
Looking forward to seeing it in the road

 

[Vasitas]

Thanks for all the information. Here the anual inspection is a pain in the ass too. We have anual inspection and it’s impossible to have a patrol legal with a BMW engine but I want to have it anyway ��

There are some mechanics here that already do the swap and it really looks an awesome work but it’s too expensive.

That biturbo that you spoke, isn’t that too much power to have in a patrol? Does the rear diferencial survive that? ��

By the way... I also loved Morocco in my Patrol. Maybe I’m going there again in 2019. ��
Keep up the good work ��

A Patrol its driveline is bulletproof. But anything breaks right? I know people who broke driveshaft with 130HP and people who didn't break anything yet with around 200HP. I think it depends mostly on the driver. I drove a Samurai on 33s before and drove it very hard. But I knew when to let off the gas. It's not always pedal to the metal.

Looking good mate. It can be frustrating when things get in the way. But at the end of the day it pushes your abilities and creativity to solve the problems you encounter/create for your self.
Looking forward to seeing it in the road

Well yeah. There was a law in Belgium for vehicles older then 25 years (oldtimers). Normally we never had annual/technical inspection anymore. Now they implemented a new law for this category of cars. Annual/technical control every year and they have to be stock. 95% of the oldtimers in Belgium are modified. And there are a lot of oldtimers out there!! So my feeling about the body lift was right. This results in a restriction to traffic. I'll just have to cover up this swap very good I guess and hope for the best. I'll make most stuff like OEM. Belgium is a **** country that destroys every motorised hobbies!!!

 

[Warrior11982]

Vasitas, can you tell me what steering box kit did you installed? Thanks

 

[Vasitas]

Vasitas, can you tell me what steering box kit did you installed? Thanks

I made it out of a piece of metal. I installed a Y61 steering box which is bigger. A Y60 box is smaller and doesn't give any problems I think. But you have to turn the steering wheel 1 turn more so it's not ideal for drifting. That's why I placed the Y61 steering box. It does 1 turn less to every side so it's a lot better for drifting.

So for the spacer I used a flat piece of metal of around 6-8mm. This should be enough I think.

 

[Warrior11982]

I made it out of a piece of metal. I installed a Y61 steering box which is bigger. A Y60 box is smaller and doesn't give any problems I think. But you have to turn the steering wheel 1 turn more so it's not ideal for drifting. That's why I placed the Y61 steering box. It does 1 turn less to every side so it's a lot better for drifting.

Ah, ok. At the beginning I understood that you were using some kind of steering quickener :rofl:

 

[Vasitas]

Ah, ok. At the beginning I understood that you were using some kind of steering quickener :rofl:

No no, I changed it to a Y61 steering box! My grandfather who's already 20 years retired and who's mostly at my dad his company made the spacer for me. My grandfather was a very good mechanic back in the days. But he's aging real quick and these little labors keep him going and keep him "fit". Eventhough it's going downwards real quick with him.

Anyway, I visited the diesel mechanic I bought the kit off. Just to know which way I needed to go with the coolant lines and so on. The place was full of Nissan Patrols with M57 swaps.

And eventually Guy Ooms his own Nissan Patrol. This car has an M57 biturbo swap in it and is automatic. The car made 343HP/780NM on the dyno. When the engine was in a test car he made we went for a ride and the thing was savage!!! I never felt so much torque in my life before.
Guy Ooms even tuned the original automatic gearbox and wrote his own software on a stand alone ECU. The automatic gearbox now shifts as smooth as an automatic Nissan gearbox and is now able to handle the power the engine produces. The stock software of the automatic gearbox is just garbage.

So now I needed to get back to work. I needed to install new cooling lines, intercooler hoses and an air intake. Also new fuel lines and so on.

I started by installing the BMW diesel filter (with sensor) first. I replaced it on the same spot as the old Nissan filter. I had a bunch of space there and it fits perfect (after minor modification)!

Then I needed to install a Y61 coolant reservoir. The reason is this engine needs a cooling reservoir that circulates its coolant through the reservoir. It's different from the Y60 coolant reservoir where the engine only sucks coolant when it's needed or pushes back when it's not needed. I needed to manufacture my brackets and wanted to make it look as stock as possible. It took some time but I'm happy with the result.

 

[Warrior11982]

I’m sure that you’re grandfather loves to help you in what he can. That just became a family project. ��

I surprised with the amount of power and torque of that guy’s Patrol. Isn’t that too much? That patrol is getting close to those crazy and insane Arabic Patrols. ��

Did you noticed if they were using mechanical ou electric fans on the radiator? What are you going to use? The M57 OEM fan?

By the way, can you give more info about that Nissan sticker on the intake manifold? How exactly did you get that factory look?

Keep up the good work. I’m really interested in this post ��

 

[Vasitas]

Some progress on the project guys!

The Mishimoto J-line arrived. This intercooler is huge to be honest. The core size is 559mm x 183mm x 95mm. But this engine needs cool dense air!! The intercooler hoses and tubes will get a smaller diameter. I want to compensate the lag in the intercooler with smaller tubing. Lag and lack of torque in lower RPMS is not what we want.

Since this intercooler is front mount it only has mounting points on top. And I was a bit worried it would hit into my radiator. So I made a bracket on the bottom to pull it away 5mm of the radiator. The intercooler is now securely attached and has enough play and movement when you jump the car without hitting anything.

The bracket is covered with rubber to prevent it from rubbing.

Distance between the grill and radiator:

Stealth look and no intercooler noticeable. Just the way I like it!