Kassel Performance review/full engine rebuild/6mt swap

[Obioban]

A while back I bought an e60 M5 with a known spun rod bearing (aka, priced accordingly). I was hoping a bearing and/maybe a crank would be sufficient, but in the end it also needed a block and some rods/pistons.


This being beyond my previous experience, and currently not having a lift (sold my old house, been building a new house for the last 2.5 years... nearly done), I did the unthinkable and had a shop do the work. Specifically, Kassel Performance in York, PA.


Oh, and "while I was in there", I had them 6mt swap it.


The rebuild and swap have over 1000 miles on them now, so I'm pretty confident any issues would have shown up. Zero issues-- you'd never know the engine had been out of the car, and the 6mt swap feels like a factory 6mt.


Kassel was great throughout-- constant communication, extremely fair pricing, willing to work with me on providing parts (e.g. I sourced a used block on eBay-- they verified it was good and were okay with using it. I'd recommend them extremely highly.


This was their first e60 M5 manual swap, so there was a research phase-- but they didn't charge me for any of that, just the actual job. Matt at Kassel mentioned that he thoroughly documented all aspects of doing the swap as he went, so the next one should be able to happen much faster than mine. He also had the driveshaft shortened (because the 6mt driveshaft is NLA)-- no vibrations at 150mph (I haven't tested it beyond that, and probably won't).


Overall impressions-- it is absurd how much more I like the e60M with 6mt than the SMG. With the SMG I always felt a bit like I was fighting with the car. With the 6mt, for the first time I feel one with the machine. I kind of love it 😛


Now I just need to figure out what fun thing to do with the old block/crank...


Some pics....


pickup:




clutch pedal and shifter:



standard e60 M5 spare parts, in case of road side repair :




Some fun stuff around the shop.


M3s:




e46 compact:




e36 compacts, all with engines I didn't recognize (non US engines)




s54 e30




Delorean: