My M50 swap.. Questions

[Blake23]

Hey so i thought i would start a thread where I'll post all my question im having about my M50 so im not starting a heap of different threads....

So im in the planning stages and buying parts and i had a few things i wanted to clarify...

I have an 89 E30 318i manual

The one thing im struggling to get my head around is the driveline setup.. This is what i have planned so far

- G240 gearbox
- RHD M20 flywheel. What flywheel bolts are needed? Does this need the 1/16th shaved off the back?
- M20 clutch and PP. Not sure what brand im getting yet
- M50pilot bearing
- Euro 323i TOB
- M40/G240 Guibo
- M20 starter motor
- Either a E36 325i driveshaft or I'll just get my current one modified
- Stock G240 mounts

Im unsure what the easiest gear selector option is. Is the G240 one easy to modify or should i use the 320i shifter and carrier?

I Know there is lots of info about on this and that is how ive come to the parts list above. But i just wanted to confirm.

Also what's the go with the radiator. Can i use my 318i radiator and put a slimline pulling electric fan on?

Thanks Blake

[mhuynh]

I can't answer the driveline question as I went with a G260 in my 318iS M50 swap.

But I did use the 318 radiator and an electric fan.

[Blake23]

Ive been looking for a 260 but they seem to be hard to come by in Australia.....

Did you mount the fan on the front or the back of the radiator? Ive got the AC fan on the front at the moment

[mtech325]

Hi Blake,

Is THIS the flywheel you're talking about? If so, then you don't need the m20 starter as it's made to work with the stock 318 starter. It should not need to be shaved either. The flywheel bolts would most likely be stock m20, PN 11-22-7-805-885. I'd email them to confirm though. The m20 starter is only necessary for an m20 specific flywheel.

The pilot bearing is going to be stock for that transmission, which seems to be shared with virtually all the e36's as well.

The TOB I'm not sure, I've seen people use the stock M20 version, and I've seen the 323i version used. I think the 323i version is a little taller, so that may be the way to go as that's what's used on the m20 flywheel conversion for m42 e30 318's here in the states. The shift linkage I'm not familiar with for this combo.

For the guibo, I would assume you could use the 318 guibo, but if you're using the 325i driveshaft, probably best to get a 6 cylinder guibo since it's probably beefier. For the transmission mounts, stock e30 or e36 will work, but I used the e21 trans mounts in my m50 car for peace of mind.

If you're set on using the g240, by all means go for it, but they're not terribly strong transmissions, so you may run the risk of breaking it, even behind a mild m50. I'm not sure how common they are in Australia, but a g260, or e36 ZF or g250 may be a better option as the e36 transmissions were designed for more power (ZF being the best), and the g260 from the e30 has been confirmed to take plenty of power.

Best of luck on your swap.

-Joey

[Blake23]

Thanks for the response Joey....

Yes thats the flywheel. I email RHD and he said to use the M40/M50 one. its exactly the same flywheel just a different ring gear so i'll use that with the M50 Starter. And he confirmed i use the auto flex plate bolts.

So the pilot bearing will be for the 240 gearbox?

Im only looking at the 240 gearbox as im struggling to track down a ZF or 260 gearbox... Ive got the standard e36 325i getrag gearbox but ive been told these are pretty weak and that the 240 is a better choice between the 2. Im going to keep trying to track down a 260 or zf310 box but yeh at this point in time im struggling to find something

Thanks
Blake

[Blake23]

I managed to track down a g260 so it's on it's way up from Tasmania! Pretty happy I managed to find one!

[ba114]

are you planning on running the 4.11 diff still?
ps. i've just finished dropping my m50 into my car if you wanted to come and check it out

[Blake23]

I'm going to look for another diff... I may have to run with the 4.10 for a bit but hopefully not for long...

Oh really that's awesome I may take you up on that... I don't be keen to see how it all goes together etc.

[ba114]

it's got the front end disassembled and back up in the air at the moment while i work on bleeding the clutch and starting the downpipe so might be a good time to check it out as you can get a decent view of the underside as well.

i'll probably be working on it at some point over the weekend so you're welcome to pop on by.

also, what fuel rail do you have? i'd recommend getting the one with the inlet and outlet at the firewall and the integrated FPR. It's from an early model M52 and makes things easier to work with the inlet manifold as you dont have to remove the fuel lines each time.

[Blake23]

Yeh sounds good!

I'm assuming I have the stock m50 fuel rail. I'll look into the M52 rail and see what I can dig up

[ba114]

if you have the black rail with the inlet at the front of the engine and return after the FPR at the firewall end of the rail then yes, stock M50.

ideally you want one like in this picture:

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/BMW-E36-Z3-Intake-manifold-11611707027-13531436469-13641730060-13531436110-OEM-/262022846576

[Blake23]

Does the 240mm clutch and flywheel work on the m50 with g260???

[ba114]

Yes. But a 260 clutch setup won't work with a 240

[Blake23]

Cool. Well I have g260 on the way so I'm thinking of getting the 240mm setup to hold more power for future turbo mods

[ba114]

Save your money. Use what you have while you're still NA and put the money in the kitty for a 6 speed box when you go turbo ;)