G260 preparedness for swap

[amcink]

What type of maintenance I need to do to the G 260 prior installing onto the M50 swap?

[bonobo]

Clutch Fork, seals, throw out Bearing, guide tube, Fork spring, and the little pivot pin thing are the most common things to replace

Sent from my SPH-D710VMUB using Tapatalk 2

[amcink]

Clutch Fork, seals, throw out Bearing, guide tube, Fork spring, and the little pivot pin thing are the most common things to replace

Sent from my SPH-D710VMUB using Tapatalk 2

Do you have part numbers for these?

[bonobo]

Do you have part numbers for these?

http://bmwfans.info/parts/catalog/E30/2-doors/USA/325e-M20/LHD/M/1988/browse/clutch/clutch/

http://bmwfans.info/parts/catalog/E30/2-doors/USA/325e-M20/LHD/M/1988/browse/manual_transmission/getrag_260_5_50_housing_attaching_parts/

[Wanganstyle]

scrap/sell g260; buy ZF SG320 from modern 2001 330i or e39 530i (same PN as e36M)

solve all above problems and some more as well.

[Northern]

What problems are there with the G260? I have always regarded them as a solid transmission. A ZF320 seems to create more problems than it solves, ~300 for a trans, ~100 for a driveshaft, ~300 or more for a proper ratio diff. And you still have selector pin issues to likely deal with.

[Wanganstyle]

What problems are there with the G260? I have always regarded them as a solid transmission. A ZF320 seems to create more problems than it solves, ~300 for a trans, ~100 for a driveshaft, ~300 or more for a proper ratio diff. And you still have selector pin issues to likely deal with.

So changing the entire engine/wiring/computer is less work than changing a differential?

people change the g260 stock 373 to 391 or 410 all the time to run with a stock m20; what is so difficult about stuffing in a 323/325/315 rear in the back after you have put 80 more RWHP into the engine bay???
If you are adding a shit ton more power; don't you want a more robust guibo as well? 96mm guibo and WBS durometer = less wasted HP; I think the OP spent money to change engines to add RWHP not loose it.

G260 problem 1: old and leaky
G260 problem 2: flexy case hates the 1-2 and 2-3 shift.
G260 other issue; soft guibos, small diameter/weaker/less durable (78mm vs 96mm).

using the g260 sohc gearbox with the dohc engine creates the need for :

a. weird shift linkage twisting
b. strange transmission mounting with twist special trans mount needed 100% more cost than $0 (using e30 original trans mount with ZF)

Using the gearbox designed by BMW for the engine has alot of benefits; they are pretty obvious if analyzed:

A. all the bolts attaching the bellhouse to engine are used instead of none of the small fastener bolts.
B. newer more efficient internal bearing design; stronger and stiffer case. This all = MORE RWHP (the entire reason the engine was changed)
C. shift linkage can be purchased brand new from BMW for chump change
D. e30 original chassis transmission mount is retained with ZF 5 speed and 24v engine. One should already have this attached to the e30...........
E. Drive shafts are WEAR ITEMS; one from 1980's will be less likely to be 100% than one from the 1990s simply due to age.
F. same for rear end: its quite likely that a 2000 cira Z3 rear end will be much more efficient as its bearings are likely in nicer shape due to less run time and the gears are quieter (revised circa 1996 by BMW engineers)

What is wrong with paying money for a trans and drive shaft and rear end.... to improve the driving feel....spending money on engine is different?

I love driving a car with a nice gearbox and ratios and rear end; you can really get into it without crappy shift feel and 1 wheel pegleg and clunky driveshaft garbage feeling of the average 30 year old e30.

I think the sheer amount of aftermarket shift knobs and steering wheels installed on cars shows how much people care about 'FEEL"

money is money, parts is parts. don't change engines if afraid of spending........this would be the obvious one.

If changing the engine power output; the rear end should be juggled anyways; it takes a few times to get the suspension setup and maximize traction due to weight change; differential ratio is directly related to this.

I built a 24v e30 racecar (that I race) and the cost to change to 24v and the proper associated gear (everything possible) was still less money than building a similar power M20 stroker engine from scratch.

[Northern]

I'm not saying the ZF320 isn't a nicer transmission, but it is definitely more expensive. A 60$ g260 trans brace is not more expensive than a ZF320 + driveshaft + diff (and if you're going to argue that it came with the swap engine for free, you're just not recovering $300 you could have sold it for)

You may have a stockpile of S3.25 diffs, but I've seen few for sale on r3v, and none even remotely local. Shipping a diff across the continent sounds like loads of fun.

You argue that the age of the driveshaft and rear end means they're more likely to be worn out. They're also more likely to having been rebuilt in their recent life because of this. And what if my driveshaft and diff are in good shape, why would I replace them with (usually untested) items of questionable condition?

Your issues with the G260 seem to be able to be remedied by new seals, which you should be doing to any used transmission you install anyways. Other than that, I haven't heard of an abnormal amount of failures for G260s with 24v motors, or boosted motors either.

I'm also a fan of the M20 single mass flywheel.

All said, the ZF320 is a better option, but I would have a hard time justifying the difference for the price vs real world benefit.

[Spitfi-r]

I'm not saying the ZF320 isn't a nicer transmission, but it is definitely more expensive. A 60$ g260 trans brace is not more expensive than a ZF320 + driveshaft + diff

Agree, easier and cheaper that's why I'm still rocking my g260.
I even have a ZF310 box collecting dust, because a new DS+Diff wasn't worth the hassel.

[Wanganstyle]

Agree, easier and cheaper that's why I'm still rocking my g260.
I even have a ZF310 box collecting dust, because a new DS+Diff wasn't worth the hassel.

1x rev shift guibo when you wear one out solves the driveshaft problem; use the zf and original e30 driveshaft-

whenever your diff bearings go (a random old pinion pair will die quickly with s52 power) is a good time to change the gearing ratio as well; its not expensive or hard to do for one who can install an engine; If you wanted to get a lower ratio final drive you could even trade an E36 guy for $0 cost.

No reason to be lazy when you could have the newer drive line installed for marginal costs; if you can afford a S52 then a driveline is def. in your budget-

[matthugie]

Is the ZF a nice transmission? Yes. Do you need to use it? No. I refreshed my g260 before my swap and after 2 years haven't had a moment's trouble with it, and the car comes out almost exclusively to be beaten either in autox or at the track. My s3.73 is also doing just fine. Wangan will apparently never understand the idea of budget constraints or that people might have trouble sourcing parts.

[Wanganstyle]

Is the ZF a nice transmission? Yes. Do you need to use it? No. I refreshed my g260 before my swap and after 2 years haven't had a moment's trouble with it, and the car comes out almost exclusively to be beaten either in autox or at the track. My s3.73 is also doing just fine. Wangan will apparently never understand the idea of budget constraints or that people might have trouble sourcing parts.

if you can afford a s52 and get one; then the transmission attached to it is also in the budget.


One actually on a "budget" would not have changed from the original E30 M20 engine; you are not really a "budget consumer as you can afford a S52......."

[Northern]

why swap an s52 when you can have an S54?

[Ian Bowers]

Why swap an E30 when you can buy an E36? Faster, safer, blah blah blah.

[amcink]

Nice discussion guys! I can refresh this for about 75 dollars and I'm done, is financial for me right now. I would like a ZF but cannot afford it right now