[Fair]

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We were excited when the cylinder heads arrived and I could pick up the completed long block. I brought it to Vorshlag for final drivetrain assembly and installation into the M3.

RAM CLUTCH + 7.7L INSTALL

To deal with 700 ft-lbs of torque we went went with the strongest commercially available 6 speed manual - the Tremec T56 Magnum. This Tremec is rated right at 700 ft-lbs of torque, which we will be testing with this engine.



This build has higher safety levels than most so an SFI rated scattershield was chosen instead of a cast aluminum bell housing. This unit from QuickTime bolts to the T56 Magnum and fits the LS engine. Well... "fits" is a loose term.




For the clutch we went with a custom version of the Mag Force twin disc setup from McLeod, highly recommended by our transmission supplier. This has a unique Kevlar friction surface that should work well with the standing starts needed for Optima Speed/Stop and Autocross events and still handle the power this 7.7L can dish out on the road course.



Everything was assembled with care, checking torques and sequencing. Once everything was lined up the bell housing was aligned to the centerline of the crank by checking run out with a dial caliper. The twin disc clutch was aligned with a steel alignment tool and the transmission was installed... but it just would not line up.



The clutch, flywheel and bell housing were re-aligned and re-checked more than once. Turns out that aftermarket welded scatter shields sometimes don't exactly line up as perfectly as a cast piece that is CNC machined. Using some offset dowels in the block and this scatter shield alignment tool above the QuickTime unit was finally aligned.



The McLoed clutch slave/TOB was installed for the final time and the transmission went into the bell housing. The engine/trans was finally ready to go into the engine bay of this M3.



With the front nose and radiator support removed its easy to stick the engine and transmission assembly into the car. We used our production E46 LS swap kit motor mounts and transmission crossmember to line it up in the engine bay.

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