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BMW E36 LSx Swap

Vorshlag E36 LS1 - Complete Stage 0 Kit


Please Note: These LS1 swap parts are made in batches, and can sometimes take weeks to fulfill orders. We prefer to take these orders over the phone, so we can then only charge you for parts as they ship. If you order here, online, your credit card is charged immediately. If you have any questions about ETAs on any parts please call us at 972-422-7170.

What happens when you take one of the best sports coupes ever produced (BMW E36 chassis) and mate it with one of the highest performing engines ever produced (LS1)? Some have already called it "a religious experience". We call it the best performing, most affordable super car on the planet. Imagine a car weighing 2500-3000 pounds (depending on weight saving mods) with 500hp for $15-$20,000. You can easily build a car matching the performance of cars 5 times the cost. An LS1 powered BMW E36 creates a marriage that no single manufacturer could ever build. This may not be the first E36 LS1 kit on the market, but it will soon be the best.

The Stage 0 Kit Includes the following:


Based on our design goals and customer input, we've broken the kit into several stages. This Stage 0 kit includes the following:

  • Vorshlag Motor Mounts (Powdercoated with poly mounts)
  • Vorshlag 1 3/4" SS T304 headers (CNC bent primaries & precision formed collectors, 3/8" laser cut head flanges, built on production fixtures). Stainless steel weld-on O2 bungs are also included. Due to chassis constraints near the collectors these need to be added just downstream of the header V-band collectors (also included) in the after-header exhaust system (not included).
  • Vorshlag Spec'd custom 2-piece collapsible steering shaft with BMW specific splines at both ends (Chrome-moly needle bearing steering shaft built to withstand the extreme duties of this Kit while reducing steering slop and increasing header primary clearance)
  • Vorshlag Transmission Crossmember (Powdercoated with Nylon bushing for NVH control)
  • Vorshlag Spec'd custom driveshaft (3.0" aluminum, including Spicer U-joints, T56 input yoke, and custom 4 bolt BMW 188mm axle flange)
  • New bolts and hardware for steering shaft, motor mount, and transmission crossmember installation.


Design Goals

We've been listening to customer feedback over the development of this kit. The Kit reflects what we've heard customers want:

  • Quality - As is our mantra with our suspension business, the Kit will have no other rivals when it comes to the production quality. We've taken the steps to ensure we can build reproducible kits every time in quantity. Details like engine placement and angle were not overlooked.
  • Performance - The Kit will allow our customers to build "mild to wild" cars. Whether your goal is a daily driver or a dedicated track terror, you can build it with Vorshlag parts.
  • Flexibility - Some of the highest names in the aftermarket have asked for parts from our kit. We know that you may want to build your own parts and use just pieces of the Kit. Either way, you'll have the options available to you without breaking the bank.
  • Price - Since we are using production runs to build this kit, you will receive a kit that benefits from higher quality and similar price to other kits. We encourage you to compare our kit against others, the value for your dollar with our quality components will be readily apparent. We spent more on the Alpha car's hand fabricated headers than the entire Stage 0 kit's cost
  • Keep the BMW in it - This kit allows you to maintain the steering and braking feel that makes a BMW a BMW. ABS will still work. Steering feel will be OEM quality. Compromises to these two key BMW systems can ruin what makes the E36 chassis so universally admired.

 

These production built pieces get the hard core DIY'er or shop the essential parts you need to get started on this swap without the need for fabrication work on your own.


Buying this proven kit vs. "making your own" parts saves you trial and error mistakes as well as hundreds of hours of engineering, layout and fabrication time. This Stage 0 kit gets you well on your way to a running V8 BMW without having to spend time and money designing and fabricating custom headers, drivetrain bracketry, custom steering shaft and driveshaft, etc., and the volume we can build these parts in lends savings to an individual as well as better production manufacturing methods (laser cutting, CNC bending, production fixturing, etc) that make for a more precision built part.

This cart entry is for the full amount of the Stage 0 Kit parts, as described above.

Note: These kits are not designed to work with right-hand drive vehicles.