E30 Zone

Has anyone done it with M52 box, M52 links and prop?

Is it a stright forward swap or any mods need to be done ?

Cheers

I tried it, spent ages bending the linkage to get the shifter sitting centrally but only to find that it fouled the prop pretty badly so we ended up putting the standard E36 shifter from the donor car back on just for the sake of getting the car back on the road.

I'm confident that with a vice, a bit of linkage bending, a lot of persistence and possibly a large hammer it can be made to work, although making it work and having the gear knob sitting centrally in the car would likely require even more persistence. Plus it's all easier from underneath the car, of course. Unless you have tiny hands.

I was hoping that the E36 323i front prop section I have lying around would work as the bulged bit is a tiny bit skinnier but alas, the prop bearing for the ZF 'box is different to the Getrag.

It's a really worthwhile mod though, hopefully you find it easier to get everything to work than I did first time around - I'll be giving it another shot when the jobs list length drops under a sheet of A4!

Did mine today and as you said the selctor rod rubs on the prop so we just grinded some off at the gear stick end and its fine in all gears now 5th was the worst. As for making it more centre its not that much off on mine thought it was going to be silly off as ive read on some e36 sites, just to the right abit but i live with that but might do it in the future but for now its not a problem.

As you said its well worth doing and even much more nicer to drive!!!

I'm massively jealous now Rich! It's definitely one of those 'why the f*** didn't I do that earlier' modifications, isn't it? I fitted one to an E36 and it was the best £45 I spent on that car.

Looks like I might be bumping that one up the list, another job for tomorrow afternoon...

They are not £45 any more, bloody £65 the robbing bastards. Thought i buy it now before the new year when they put their prices up again!!!

Yeah you could say that lol should of done it ages ago lol

Gets alittle bit getting used too as you dont have that long throw any more but its bang on!!!! i know there is away to make it even shorter

P/N : 25117527254

did you get round to fit it today russ?

Unfortunately not mate, I spent a lot of time underneath the car out in the rain trying to figure out a few steering angle niggles and got a bit fed up of being cold and wet so I spent the rest of the afternoon inside next to the kettle!

Even shorter?! Would I be right in guessing that you mean a slightly shorter selector rod? Or modified / bent to make it shorter? We spent ages getting it to be centred so it'd pain me to have it offset. Although the shorter shift would be worth it. Hopefully I'll find time this week!

where there's a will.... lol

I'll work it out once i get round to it. E36 owners have more problems doing it for some reason the rod hitting the doughnut with a standard rod

Bit shocked no one has ever done a thread about the shifter before

I just turned the rod upside down in my E36 when it fouled and it worked a treat! That could have been because it had been bent to fit a short shift in the past though but I couldn't complain. It definitely didn't work in the E30 though.

I was considering adding spacers to the gearbox mount to drop it down a few millimetres but decided that was a bit too redneck for my liking.

We was thinking about adding spacers too if the rod mod didnt work.

Can get other short shifter parts from a third party but for the cost its not worth it.

I totally agree, plus the Z3M shifter is more familiar to me as I've used them before.

I'm hoping to get around to having another go over the weekend but reckon I might need a combination of rod adjustment and a few washers under the 'box mount. There are just so many other things to do. I'll report back if/when I have some success!