Another 318i to 325i conversion query

[fastcarz464]

i have a manual 318i cab, gettin a 325i auto as a doner car to swap the bits over, obviously, i need a manual gearbox, but what else do i need to do the conversion, will the diff on the auto be ok to run on my cab with a manual g/box?
also, what about the prop etc, cheers guys

[Karan]

u need prop aswell....

also u can use the same diff but gearing will be too short.. there is also a very slight possibility that the smaller case diff on ure 318 could go BANG with the extra power..... ideally get a donor car and take everything u need from the running gear...

idealy switch to 325 suspension inc arms with discs on the rear and vented discs on the front .... also the 325 arbs/shocks and springs...

Karan

[fastcarz464]

cheers karan, i aint planning to use my 318 diff cos it whines like f**k, will the diff from the auto doner car work if i get a manual gearbox and prop, basically i am going to look at this car later,

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... Track=true

and use that as the doner car, the owner insists its a 2.7 and he said its written on the engine so it might be, and also, its got a "sports diff", i did ask is it a LSD and he said he aint sure, are all diffs the same even if the car is manual/auto?

Oh yea, i have disc brakes all round, my car is a 92 318i convertible (motorsport edition) so i think it cam with disc brakes as standard, i also have koni adjustable suspention, will all this have to be changed?

[Karan]

no u should be fine with the suspension seems good!

as for the diff, a sport diff would be a 3.91 lsd.. there is a tab on the diff, if u rub the rust of it u should see written S3.91, the 's' indicating an lsd and the 3.91 indicating the ratio... could also be a S3.64 or S3.73.....

best to check as there are lots of varieties, any of the 3 will be fine for ure application,

good luck
Karan

[fastcarz464]

thanks for the advice karan, i might have the car today so ill take some pics of it and see what u think, just one more question, where does it say the code on the diff, and where would it say 27E on the engine, im just waiting for my mate to pick me up so i can have a look at this car, if i buy it and its no good, i can just sell the OBC and rear blind on ebay, ill probably make my money back by just selling these 2 items

i can do worse than spending Ԛ£200 on buying this car, if the engine is sound then i think i got a good bargain, especially if its a 2.7!! the guy has also got a nice toyota celica gt, look on his other items, cheers guys,

Adam.

[fastcarz464]

ive just come off the phone to the guy who is selling the bmw, he is saying that it has 2.5 then 2.7 written underneath it??? i think its best if i just look at it and tell u gus cos im well confused now, is that what its meant to say?

[Karan]

diff tab is on the rear casing of the diff on the right hand side....

engine no. is on the passenger side of the block....should say '27' at the end of the sequence of numbers.

car seems a bargain for a breaker at that price especially if it does have a 2.7 and an lsd u are laughing....lsd is worth Ԛ£250...

[Brianmoooore]

He's reading the 2.5 / 2.7 bit off the head casting. All late 2.5 heads are marked as this.

[fastcarz464]

i went to see the car, its really a bit of a shed, it has big rust holes in the wings, mould in the interior, i had to bring a battery, hooked it to the car and she started up first time, the engine sounds sweet, its been stood for some time so it probably needs a service but i think a good service will make the engine sweet, i dont think it is a 2.7, he showed me a thing near the head on the drivers side what said 2.5 and 2.7, i think there all like that so he was probably mistaken, anyway, i am going to buy it any they are going to drive it to my house tonight.

if i want to convert the engine to a manual gearbox, is there and additional parts that need to be changed? the engine will be out so all the work will be done out of the car and dropped in my cab

[Brianmoooore]

Flywheel and spigot bearing.