M3 Prop for M30 conversion

[m10man]

Might seem like a daft question but from where to where do you measure on the installed driveshaft to get the length ie. before the flexible coupling or after?

[ed325i]

Hi, The e30 325 auto prop is shorter 1327mm and the man one is 1483mm, so I dont know if the auto one would be ok to use? Cant find out how long the M3 prop is.

ED

[charlE30]

Just been out and measured mine. 1455mm with no guilbo attached and an inch of the spline exposed. The only prob with using an M20 prop is that you still need to have an M30 flange welded on as the M20 flange is to small to mate with the M30 gearbox.

[gareth]

so, the M3 one can be shortened (with the splined part bottomed out) to approx 1430mm (1455-25), that seems to agree very well with Andys measurement of 1450mm in P3!

do i take it that you guys are measuring the length between flange end faces with no guibo installed? or are you including the housing for the centering sleeve at the gearbox end?

shown here, i'm referring to the 'right hand' ends:
http://www.e30.de/fotost/f00120/83.jpg

[charlE30]

do i take it that you guys are measuring the length between flange end faces with no guibo installed?

shown here, i'm referring to the 'right hand' ends:
http://www.e30.de/fotost/f00120/83.jpg

Yes mate I'm measuring with no guilbo, flange end to flange end (ooeerr missus )

[gareth]

cheers! yours is Daves old M3 one isn't it?

[ed325i]

The only prob with using an M20 prop is that you still need to have an M30 flange welded on as the M20 flange is to small to mate with the M30 gearbox.

You can swap the the m30 gearbox flange with the m20 one like they say on the german site. The m20 prop should be able to take the extra power.

ED

[gareth]

that may be worth a go if you're fitting a 3 litre but i reckon the 3.5 will eat them. it's about the same power and more torque than a M3 and the M3 had the larger guibo...

that said, if anyone's fitting a manual M30 into an auto E30 shell then it makes total sense! (worth a go anyway...)

[charlE30]

cheers! yours is Daves old M3 one isn't it?

Yep.

You can swap the the m30 gearbox flange with the m20 one like they say on the german site

Didn't see that bit quite logical really.

[gareth]

very logical them-there germans!

[charlE30]

Have you decided which prop your goin a use yet?? or is it more of a case of whatever you can get hold of?

[gareth]

i'm off now to see what they have. i can now identify a M3 prop if i see one and they reckon they're likely to have one on the shelf...

just being a bmw breakers they may want hundreds for it. if this is the case i'm going to see if they have the bits to make a hybrid 1450mm ish M30 flanged prop (like mentioned above). you never know?

they do have loads of other stuff i need though so it's rummage time!

[gareth]

just got back... kinda successful...

they wanted Ԛ£200 + vat for a E30 m3 prop!!! no thanks!

they did have some nice stuff though: M roadster, stacks of V8's and V12's. a NEW 525i (55 reg!!)

i got a E34 530i manual box, E34 535i prop, E28 single mass flywheel and some small odds and sods for Ԛ£250 + vat not great but it's the only manual box i've seen in the month and a half i've been looking! in that time i've spent half of that in tax and insurance...!

incidentally, the 535i prop looks totally wrong to fit to the E30 one as a hybrid. it's not got that large adjustable length nut/spline thingymajig. all of the ones thay had in are the same.

i've also spoken to the bloke with engine and he's not going to get a chance to get the engine out so has offered me the whole E32 735i for Ԛ£80. at that price i'll have it and may just scrap the rest rather than try and break it (it'll have to be on my dads drive! )

so, the low price engine offsets the high price gearbox etc i suppose...

[charlE30]

Bad luck mate, I had a hunt on ebay.de for you and guess what....

nothing. I wondered if it would be worth going onto some of the E30 M3 forums, I know I've heard people mention about them before on here.

Are you a memeber of BMWGB, they have a wanted section..

I'll keep an eye out for ya, I do understand the frustration of needing one vital component took me months to find a bloody manual gearbox.

[gareth]

well, it'll cost me Ԛ£50 to get a local company to make my custom one up as i have the large end now (ooer) so all is not lost...

[Andy335Touring]

Yes mate I'm measuring with no guilbo, flange end to flange end (ooeerr missus )

Thats how mine was measured.

[m10man]

The BMW ETK shows a different pic for the auto prop, can anyone confirm that they are different. Thanks. Also with the flywheel I guess you need an E28 Motronic model, is this just a direct swap with the dual mass E34 model.

[gareth]

The BMW ETK shows a different pic for the auto prop, can anyone confirm that they are different.

i can't be 100% but i'm fairly sure the auto one will be a fair lump shorter. while at the breakers i noticed the auto boxes are a lot longer than the manual ones.

Also with the flywheel I guess you need an E28 Motronic model, is this just a direct swap with the dual mass E34 model.

i've heard this is the case... i hope it is as that's what i've got! my flywheel came from a E28 M535i, my engine from a E32 735i...

[gareth]

for anyone who's interested, here's the pics of my new bits. the flywheel is going to get a light bead-blast before fitting a new clutch and using it...!

i went to BMW earlier and got all of the bolts etc i don't have (clutch to flywheel fixings, prop end fixings etc)

the way the E34 535i prop goes together is totally different to that of the E30 so i can't see how the chappie in america used half of each unless there was somethig wierd with the US market versions...

anyway, pics are here: have a browse...
http://photobucket.com/albums/v382/gare ... onversion/


one more thing... i just noticed that on here: http://www.realoem.com/bmw/select.do a lot of the props state the length in the supplement section. also i can't see a E30-splined type E34 prop on there.

[gareth]

i've just found a E30 M3 prop and a very good condition E30 M3 scorpion stainless steel exhaust! cost me a lot for all of it (Ԛ£329 all in inc delivery etc) but i have the scorpion from mine to sell on... this means it's almost a bolt up swap!

[pauldeacs]

Just been out and measured mine. 1455mm with no guilbo attached and an inch of the spline exposed. .

right just been looking on realoem and it lists a 1455mm propshaft was fitted to E34 535i AUTO's.

does this mean this prop would mate up perfectly to the M30 manual box and E30 Rear Diff???

[charlE30]

Just been out and measured mine. 1455mm with no guilbo attached and an inch of the spline exposed. .

right just been looking on realoem and it lists a 1455mm propshaft was fitted to E34 535i AUTO's.

does this mean this prop would mate up perfectly to the M30 manual box and E30 Rear Diff???

I think the bolt pattern on the E30 and E34 diff are different, I could be wrong though

[gareth]

i hope this clears things up a little...
this is a E30 M3 prop (real one, not a custom job) next to a E34 535i manual prop. the diff flange is totally different. also, the construction is totally different so a hybrid can't be made imho without welding.


more pics here (2 pages):
http://photobucket.com/albums/v382/gare ... onversion/

[charlE30]

Gareth mate you're not going to believe it but someone has listed an M3 prop on ebay!! I thought of you after the hassle you've had

[gareth]

this one? http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BMW-E30-M3-prop-s ... dZViewItem

BAAAAALLLLLLSS!!!!!!!!!!

that said, he's stating this is M3 http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BMW-M3-E30-Millte ... dZViewItem and it looks to be one pipe short... unless it's something odd about the milltek exhaust?

i was hunting for a sensible priced clutch for ages, then ordered a recon one for Ԛ£107 all in... then someone listed this: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BMW-5-6-635-CSi-7 ... dZViewItem

[stevetigger]

i hope this clears things up a little...
this is a E30 M3 prop (real one, not a custom job) next to a E34 535i manual prop. the diff flange is totally different. also, the construction is totally different so a hybrid can't be made imho without welding.


more pics here (2 pages):
http://photobucket.com/albums/v382/gare ... onversion/

535 prop looks alot stronger!

[charlE30]

i was hunting for a sensible priced clutch for ages, then ordered a recon one for Ԛ£107 all in... then someone listed this: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BMW-5-6-635-CSi-7 ... dZViewItem

I saw that but don't think it'll work with my E34 twin mass flywheel

Unless you know different

[gareth]

no, won't fit as far as i know... i have managed to get a E28 one so it's ultra annoying!

[gareth]

i'm not so bothered about those ebay bits now... the no-name recon clutch went for Ԛ£50 inc p&p (i paid twice that but got a ferodo/sachs one) and the prop went for Ԛ£94.51 inc p&p. that was without the guibo or centre bearing and had been disassembles so would be out of balance unless it was marked up first.

anyway, i'm gonna have fun tomorrow, it's E32 shredding time!!!