Mikael Vroom has put together a great tutorial series on how to swap a Ford 5.0 L V8 into a BMW E36. Mikael purchased a decent 1997 BMW M3 with a destroyed engine with the goal of making a cheap and simple V8-powered RWD sedan. The engine he chose was a 5.0 L from a 1997 Ford Explorer and paired that with a five-speed manual off a 2004 Mustang V6. To get the engine to fit he swapped the Explorer oil pan to a Mustang version and a pair of custom exhaust manifolds. To read more about how he did please view the links below.
- Part 01 – Intro to Project
- Part 02 – Picking BMW
- Part 03 – Buying BMW
- Part 04 – BMW Inspection
- Part 05 – BMW Teardown
- Part 06 – Replacement Engine
- Part 07 – Engine Prep
- Part 08 – Engine install
- Part 09 – Megasquirt
- Part 10 – Assemble Everything 1
- Part 11 – Assemble Everything 2
- Part 12 – Mounts and Exhaust Upgrades
- Part 13 – Stereo
- Part 14 – Project Update/Broken Stuff
Source: Mikael Vroom

Hey thanks for linking my build! I’m having loads of fun with my M3!
You’re welcome. It’s a great project and you did a very good job of documenting the progress on your website.
What did you do as far as the drive shaft?
I imagine he took half of the ford and half of the e36 and had a custom one built.
I have same swap I bought from my work but having problems getting it to run .
Has spark
Has fuel pressure
do you think a pair of flowtech headers for the 5.0 ford engine fit in your car?
Why not go with a 5.0 coyote swap instead?
https://youtu.be/KWHXn-2Q73A
I can’t speak for the builder but I appreciate sharing that project with me.
HOW COULD AN 88 FORD MUSTANG GT CLUSTER BE SWAPPED TO A 96 BMW Ti ?