https://www.xbimmers.com/forums/ X6 engine, drivetrain, and exhaust modification discussion. en Sun, 19 Apr 2026 08:35:59 GMT vBulletin 60 https://www.xbimmers.com/forums/multisite-style/xbimmers/misc/rss.jpg https://www.xbimmers.com/forums/ https://www.xbimmers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2237150&goto=newpost Sun, 12 Apr 2026 18:48:49 GMT Hello, I figure this post is a little bit of a tangent on most of these forums, but I am doing research, so please bear with me.

So, I am looking at a 2011 BMW X5 35d at an auto auction. It's a salvage as it was rear ended, but I can get the car cheap.
It's got the M57N2 motor and a ZF 6HP automatic.
It also has about 190k miles on it.

My plan is to pull the drivetrain out as a donor for another project.
A 1976 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40.
The engine will be swapped in with the ZF transmission as there are good adapters for Land Cruiser transfer cases (or an Atlas2), though a 5 speed manual w/ granny gear swap isn't outside the realm of possibilities.
I don't want to get far into the weeds of off-roading capabilities, etc.

I'd like to set it up for about 300hp/550ft*lbs which I understand is pretty easy to do with an ECU reflash and a few other bolt ons.

But, with almost 200k miles on it, I figure it's good to refresh a bunch of things.
It will get swirl flap, EGR and DPF deleted, of course.
I have planned to re-seal the motor with all new BMW OEM gaskets (I come from the Toyota world, where, with few exceptions, aftermarket parts are rarely any good, I assume this is true in the BMW world?)
Would it make sense to use head studs?
I will replace the timing chain and gears.
While the head is off, should I have a valve job done?
Anything else I should do 'while I am in there'?

I figure that after pulling drivetrain, I could likely make a bit of cash back selling off the pieces I am not using.

That said, I could also swap in an Atlas2, plasma cut the suspension out of the X5, run some superduty axles.

Or, should I look for another donor vehicle with lower miles? ]]> X6 Engine / Exhaust / Drivetrain Modification tigerstripe40 https://www.xbimmers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2237150