g240 vs g260

[ethrty]

the factory mount can slide back an fourth. there are rails that it bolts to, and when you loosen them you can slide it back and rebolt in place. look under your E30 once in a while and you will see what i mean. All E30 shells are the same basic design, and just by moving the trans mount forward and back you can fit all the different engine and gearbox combinations there are

[rattlsnak]

ok, you see, now that make sense...! why didnt anybody say that from the beginning!

(i purposely asked many questions because after hundreds of searches, these questions, were not answered clearly.)

Ha!

seriously, though, thanks..

and i ASSUME that any manual trans e36 non M d/s will work? it doesnt have to be one from an automatic or 4 door or anything like that?

[ethrty]

It doesnt matter whether its from a coupe or 4 door.. they have the same wheel base. however, like the E30, the gearboxes are different sizes so they have different length drive shafts. having not done any research on which one to use(becuase 320i manual driveshafts arent THAT hard to come across here and so i used that) im not 100% sure, but pretty sure you are looking for one from a manual 32xi

Edit: i mean 320i, 323i, 325i or 328i (M50/M52 cars), not AWD cars

[rattlsnak]

ok, so:
m50, g240, with e36 d/s and e30 CSB.

i will use clutch package as previously mentioned or a UUC type, but
which starter? m42 or m50, or?
and i think i read, i have to use an e30 g260 shifter carrier and shorten my shift rod? or?

[ethrty]

ok, so:
m50, g240, with e36 d/s and backwards mounted e30 CSB.

i will use clutch package as previously mentioned or a UUC type, but
which starter? m42 or m50, or?
and i think i read, i have to use an e30 g260 shifter carrier and shorten my shift rod? or?

Edited in case you didnt know

Use the starter that meshes with the flywheel. If you are using M20 fly use M20 starter, if you are using M42 fly use M42 starter. Not sure if the M50 starter can mate to the 240 box so if you are using the M50 fly then you might want to do some research

[rattlsnak]

what about the shifter?

and just in case, if i were to use my g260, i would need to get or make a fabbed crossmember, but what driveshaft for that setup? Im not 100% sure which way im going yet as i have both. they both seem to have their pros and cons..

[lifeiskaos]

I ordered a euro 320i selector rod for the shifter and it works great. Not sure about the carrier though (OEM 320i carrier might be expensive), as I have a DTM style setup mounted directly to the chassis.

You can use the stock driveshaft with a 260.

Getrag 240 is the ultimate tranny for <300 ft/lb of torque IMO. ZF for anything above that.

[DrFlathead]

I ordered a euro 320i selector rod for the shifter and it works great. Not sure about the carrier though (OEM 320i carrier might be expensive), as I have a DTM style setup mounted directly to the chassis.

You can use the stock driveshaft with a 260.

Getrag 240 is the ultimate tranny for <300 ft/lb of torque IMO. ZF for anything above that.

I was under the impression that for an m50 swap in an e30 325is with the g260 that the trans had to be moved back and the driveshaft shortened. Ive been considering an m50 swap and any info on g260/m50 swap driveshaft length would help me alot. Also are there any factory BMW drive shafts that would work for the above set up without modification?

[lifeiskaos]

I was under the impression that for an m50 swap in an e30 325is with the g260 that the trans had to be moved back and the driveshaft shortened. Ive been considering an m50 swap and any info on g260/m50 swap driveshaft length would help me alot. Also are there any factory BMW drive shafts that would work for the above set up without modification?

Use the stock 325i manual driveshaft with the stock manual 325 getrag 260 transmission... The transmission isn't moved back further than stock, it's just tilted a bit.

[ethrty]

what about the shifter?

and just in case, if i were to use my g260, i would need to get or make a fabbed crossmember, but what driveshaft for that setup? Im not 100% sure which way im going yet as i have both. they both seem to have their pros and cons..

Factory E30 325i DS as the gearbox moves neither forward or back. it just rotates, hence the need for the custom mount.
Thier pros and cons a fairly negilable, especially in the US.

- 260 is supposedly a bit stronger, but there are neumerous cases of the 240 outlasting a 260.. i suspect the fact of it being stronger is just placebo being that it comes mounted to the bigger engines from the factory

- I would (and did) go for 240 because it can be done 100% with factory parts. However, being that you are in the US, and finding the 320i bits may be hard, you may be up for a modified shifter anyway which may make this sorta irrelevant. Still, not having to make a mount, and having the gearbox sitting on the angle it was designed for (read: no chance of mal-lubrication due to angle) has got to be worth something

Edit: also, gear ratios dont really factor in to this. depending on the diff you are running, you wont be using 1st that much in either case, 2nd is fairly similar, and, iirc, 3rd 4th and 5th are the same between the two boxes

I ordered a euro 320i selector rod for the shifter and it works great. Not sure about the carrier though (OEM 320i carrier might be expensive), as I have a DTM style setup mounted directly to the chassis.

You can use the stock driveshaft with a 260.

Getrag 240 is the ultimate tranny for <300 ft/lb of torque IMO. ZF for anything above that.

Care to tell our friend where you got it from? Is a very viable option. Yes, you use the 320i carrier as well. Wouldnt be much more than the selector itself id imagine, they are almost without fail sold as a pair anyway

[rattlsnak]

Factory E30 325i DS as the gearbox moves neither forward or back.

OK, so:
m50, g240, e36 325 d/s,
m50, g260, e30 325 d/s.
I was under the impression that I could use an e36 325 d/s if I go with the g260.
Are the e30 and e36 325 d/s the same?

[skatingzooyork]

OK, so:
m50, g240, e36 325 d/s,

Not trying to thread jack but I need to change out my DS soon and if I order a e36 325 shaft; I'm guessing it needs to be from a MT but just wanted to make sure...

[MattM]

for swaps where the cylinder number stays the same(6cyl to 6cyl) use the driveshaft from the SAME car the tranny came from.

[DrFlathead]

Sorry rattlsnk, not trying to thread jack either but this thread has already answered some of my questions and fits with some other questions i have. and thanks ethrty for sharing your knowledge. I was wondering who on this forum fabs the trans mounts for the m50/g260 setup, and does anyone have any pics of them.

[ethrty]

i havent been on this forum long enough to tell you how makes them, but they cant be that hard to do. you need about 5mm put onto the right hand mounting point of the bracket and about 20mm on the left iirc. There are a million pictures on this forum and others im sure a search will come up with something