Robby van Roij loves driving his BMW 318is (E36) around his town in the Netherlands. Eventually he wanted more power and considered turbocharging the factory 1.9 L M44B19 inline-four. Robby’s friend Donatas Agapovas suggested another solution.
The goal was an engine strong enough to perform at the track but dependable enough he could daily drive. With that in mind, Donatas recommended a 5.0 L Mercedes M113 V8. The naturally aspirated motor would provide good power out of the box.
Robby and Donatas swapped the V8 using custom engine mounts. Since they positioned the engine further back in the engine bay, they needed to flip the intake manifold around 180 degrees. They had to move the steering shaft 5 cm (2 inches), remove the large factory brake booster, and fabricate custom exhaust manfiolds. The motor runs on the factory ECU and wiring harness.
A PMC Motorsport adapter allows the V8 to connect to a BMW six-speed manual transmission. The clutch features a BMW 530d pressure plate and Tenaci sintered disc.
Robby also upgraded the suspension with a set of BC Racing adjustable coilovers with polyurethane bushings. He improved braking thanks to BMW 330i (E46) front brakes and BMW 328i (E36) rear brakes. Both use StopTech racing pads.
Their hard work paid off when the car passed inspection and is road legal. The upgraded power and handling makes the car more fun to drive.












I have a few questions about how you solved TCU
Hi Jany. When you say “TCU”, do you mean “transmission control unit”? If so there is no TCU. The builder used a BMW manual transmission.
How did they manage to remove the original TCU?
Have a wee question, what oil sump did he use as these engines come with front sump, but in last few pic he swapped it for rear sump, thanks, really cool build guys 👌
It is sump from w211 E-class, these have rear sump hump. You will need the oilpump assembly too.
Greetings
Hey, Robby, I have quite a few questions about the swapping M113. Could we somehow get in touch and have a consultation?
You can write me an email robby.vanroij@live.nl
Hey, where did You find the wiring diagrams to know which wires you need to connect somewhere?
Best regards
Valdis
HGS data
What exactly transmission did you use? I’m making same swap and also want to have 6 speed
how did you increase rpm without esp tcu