islandhopper : 1991 BMW 325i (E30)

[islandhopper]

[islandhopper]

Swapped the head on the M20 cuz i found TWO cracks. got it all back together and loaded it up for my move to Portland and, literally on my way out of town, the autotragic slush-box totally gave out and lost all forward gears. Like, completely gave out. Just revs in gear with ZERO forward motion. So now i am in the process of swapping in the 5-speed getrag 260 that's been sitting in storage. Don't really have time for this right now but once it's done it'll be a whole different beast in a really good way.

[XCRN]

Good luck with your swap. Will you be leaving the engine in the car and taking the transmission separately, or taking out as a whole?

[islandhopper]

Gonna drop the trans out by itself. The E30 isn't slammed like the CB so i shouldn't be too cramped for space and i should be able to get a full-size jack under there to make things easier. The getrag 260 is smaller and lighter than the auto so it should go in more easily than dropping the slush-box.

[XCRN]

Do you have everything for the swap?

[islandhopper]

Still gathering up parts. I have the Getrag 260, single-mass flywheel, clutch and pressure plate, trans mount, clutch pedal, shift arm and shift lever.

I need the drive-shaft, CSB, guibo, clutch slave w/lines and i think that's it....almost there.

[XCRN]

If you can you should get the flywheel from a 86 528e. I think it is 16lbs.

Wouldn't you also need a rear diff from a manual car?

[islandhopper]

Since i already have a flywheel and time is of the essence im just going to use what ive got. might have it shaved down a few lbs...

The differentials, whether in an auto or manual car, are interchangeable. im actually about to grab a 4.10lsd... The diff it has now is a 4.10 open (auto's came with a 4.10 standard to compensate for the 4-speed's SUPER tall gears).

EDIT: i should clarify that 325 diffs are interchangeable. 318 diffs are small case as opposed to the medium/large cases on 325's and 5 series cars.

[XCRN]

Really? I thought I saw it would be the same as E34s (M20 and M50) where the case is the same but the diff flanges and ratios are different from auto to manual.

[islandhopper]

you may be right about the flanges but the cases fit into the sub-frames either way and ratios are moot. if i need a flange i can source it pretty easily. shouldn't matter if i can get the S4.10.

[islandhopper]

waiting on 5-speed parts...

[islandhopper]

Update

Time to get serious...






Parts List (some items not pictured):
-BimmerHeads 280/274 dual pattern cam
-"eBay special" SS long-tube headers
-Miller 3" MAF w/19# injector tune
-Bosch 19# injectors
-Bosch O2 sensor
-Gates Racing M20 Timing Belt
-Vibrant 1141 2.5" resonator (x2)
-Vibrant 1148 2.5" muffler (flat black, oval, dual tip)

-Ground Control coilover conversion kit
-'95 E36 M3 steering rack w/res. hoses and spacer kit
-Condor motor mounts
-Condor M3 offset CABs
-CATuned SS brake lines
-Lemforder control arms L/R
-Febi inner/outer tie-rods
-Z3 1.9 SSK (thanks blunt!)

-OE Spec Sachs clutch kit
-RHD 7lb flywheel
-Redline MTL and MT-90
-3.73 LSD

-Luke-Box
-10" Infinity Reference 1062W subwoofer
-Rockford Fosgate R600X5 5-channel amp
-Morimoto Mini H1 Projectors
-SquaredMotorworks Mini H1 conversion kit (for DEPO smileys)

Removed the trunk tar for the Luke-Box..


Also got a new steering wheel.. a Nardi Gara Type 3 which i love.





And the Condor shorty knob is very nice. Definitely improved the throw on this garbage eBay SSK that came with the trans i swapped in. The z3 1.9 SSK will be going in shortly...




Plans are to wire up some tunes and have the exhaust welded up. Then i'll tear into the motor and swap out the cam and injectors along with the gates belt. Then it's on to suspension and steering. After that is clutch, flywheel and LSD + Redline fluids in the trans and diff. Once the cam is broken in and im happy with how things are running i'll take her down to Lynwood to visit one of Millers tuning shops and have everything worked over till it's juuust right.

Future plans are adjustable sway bars, new wheels and tires and possibly paint and bodywork depending on funds. focusing on go parts before aesthetics. if i run outa money i'll do the prep work myself and drive to cali for one of those $800 paint jobs i've been hearing about.

super awesome crazy cool package coming from over-seas. stay tuned...

[XCRN]

Jeez! Looks like a fun time ahead and I love the steering wheel, I am hoping to find the OEM wheel that looks like that one. What is the stock diff for this?

[islandhopper]

Yeah dude. pretty stoked about this summer. this car is going to come alive.

In previous posts i mentioned it having a 4.10 open but i was mistaken. it has a 3.73 open but i've got a S3.73 lsd waiting to swap in. Already with the 3.73 and the 5-speed it's way quicker and way more fun to drive.

[islandhopper]

recent-ish pics