manual M30 conversion with auto donor car... heeeeelp!

[gareth]

right, i've found two options for my donor engine so far but they're both autos.

the first is a E32 735i. the engine is good (on the word of my local BMW specialist and can be tested) but i will be removing everything i need rather than having the donor on hand while swapping everything.

the second is a whole E34 535i sport. this is local to me and cheap so would be good for selling bits on after i've broken it to reclaim some (or more than all) of the cost.


the problem will be getting the manual parts i need:
~ flywheel
~ clutch
~ manual box
~ prop?

Questions:
~ is there anything else i'll neet to source?
~ does the box have to be from a 3.5 or just any old M30? (i know the clutch and flywheel are 3.5 specific)
~ what are these bits likely to cost?
~ are there any drawbacks to the auto setup as a donor (apart from the obvious!)
~ is the engine from an auto likely to be in a better condition as i can't be thrashed so hard? (or is this wishful thinking?)


cheers again lads, i'm sure you'll know everything i need to know!

[bigdek]

any m30 3.0 or 3.5 gearbox m8.

expect to pay around 150 for a box

what about this one m8 ?

in chichester bout 1hr and a half from yu

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BMW-535i_W0QQitem ... dZViewItem

borrow a big car or van with trailer and ur sorted

[gareth]

cool!

cheers for that...

[Toby_Unna]

Gareth, got the pm, sorry just been busy/ill!

auto is fine. to be honest by the time you get your hands on an m30 condition is more important than where it came from. they can take a massive amount of thrashing, but irregular oil changes/no antifreeze in coolant/being allowed to get too hot once or twice are bad. can't really check the last one, but if it's clean under the cam cover and has nice blue coolant, that's of more concern than whether it came from an auto or manual.

my engine is from an auto, using auto loom, ECU, TPS (its different) and everything. works fine, there's a lot of crap talked about this but i found it all worked perfectly. (first turn of the key, fired after 2 seconds when the engine had been sitting for 9 months )

as Derek says, any 3.0 or 3.5 box and flywheel is fine. ideally you want an m535i manual flywheel and clutch kit, and the e34 box. don't be tempted by an m535i manual dogleg box, nice idea and will bolt to the e34 engine but it won't last long. the e34 boxes are very tough.

[gareth]

brill, thanks for that!

i've spoken to the guy with the engine and he's going to bring the car from his home, to his workshop so i can have a real thorough check over it, then remove it for me, all for about Ԛ£50!!!

apparently, he's looked after the car (e32 735i) for years as it was a customers car. there has so far been no problems with the engine, no overheating, regularly serviced etc so it looke like a good un!

i've got priced from bmw spares in ashford and they want Ԛ£250 for a worn prop, flywheel (E34, they have no E28 ones) and a E34 gearbox. seems fairly reasonable until it's compared to the engine!

luckily, the local BMW man also happens to be able to get his hands on a manual E34 530i in need of mot and a clutch for not a lot of Ԛ£Ã”šÃ‚£Ãƒ”šÃ‚£ (tba) so between the two, i can get almost everything i need! it will mean breaking a 5 series and a 7 series to change my engine though!!!!!!

oh, the E28 flywheel idea, is it really worth the effort of tracking one down or should i just stick to the 530(5) one as i'll be getting that with the 530i breaker? i've noticed the clutches for the E28 are about 50% more expensive too.... it the difference worthwhile and really noticeable?

[gareth]

well, it's probably sorted now... i've got a whole E34 530i coming for the manual parts and loom etc and the engine from a E32 735i for just the engine.

~ E34 manual donor.... Ԛ£100 (TBC but it was offered to my garage for this 2 days ago)
~ engine...... Ԛ£50!!!

result!


if i take the 3.5 engine and the whole 530i away, then other than the rad etc etc i'll have all of the major parts i need! is there anything to be wary of regarding the differences between 3L and 3.5L m30's?