S38 325iX - The real scoop

[The Dark Side of Will]

Lol at this thread... http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=296401

Hadn't seen it before now.

Just wanted to point out that the iX drivetrain is stupidly easy to hook up to an S38...

Just need the Getrag 260 front case half from an E34 535i with M30 engine... Swap it to an iX Getrag 260 and bolt it all together.

Since you'd have to build the oil pan from scratch, you could use any front diff that would fit in the space available and match the rear ratio.

Overall... the AWD portion shouldn't be much harder than a Frankenpan 24V swap. The S38 has a lot of its own hurdles to get over, though.

[downforce22]

Hows your swap coming?

[The Dark Side of Will]

Slowly. I'm looking for work and on a car project spending freeze.

[flyboyx]

Lol at this thread... http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/showthread.php?t=296401

Hadn't seen it before now.

Just wanted to point out that the iX drivetrain is stupidly easy to hook up to an S38...

Just need the Getrag 260 front case half from an E34 535i with M30 engine... Swap it to an iX Getrag 260 and bolt it all together.

Since you'd have to build the oil pan from scratch, you could use any front diff that would fit in the space available and match the rear ratio.

Overall... the AWD portion shouldn't be much harder than a Frankenpan 24V swap. The S38 has a lot of its own hurdles to get over, though.

i don't know how i missed the thread you linked above. i would have been in for a few lulz on that one. reminds me of that guy from europe that wanted the 900hp ix. i wonder if he just made a new profile?

anyway, Will, you make an interesting point. in carrying it a little further, some getrags came with a removable bell housing. (g265 perhaps?) i wonder if there were any g260's that came that way?

in respect to a 24v swap: could there be a bell housing/front trans housing combination that would allow new offset holes to be drilled (in the bell)that would align the xfer case with a front diff? this would certainly be better than cutting the bell off a trans and rewelding it into position.

how would you search this on realoem?

[Nisse Järnet]

i don't know how i missed the thread you linked above. i would have been in for a few lulz on that one. reminds me of that guy from europe that wanted the 900hp ix. i wonder if he just made a new profile?

anyway, Will, you make an interesting point. in carrying it a little further, some getrags came with a removable bell housing. (g265 perhaps?) i wonder if there were any g260's that came that way?

in respect to a 24v swap: could there be a bell housing/front trans housing combination that would allow new offset holes to be drilled (in the bell)that would align the xfer case with a front diff? this would certainly be better than cutting the bell off a trans and rewelding it into position.

how would you search this on realoem?

Like this?

[nando]

i don't know how i missed the thread you linked above. i would have been in for a few lulz on that one. reminds me of that guy from europe that wanted the 900hp ix. i wonder if he just made a new profile?

anyway, Will, you make an interesting point. in carrying it a little further, some getrags came with a removable bell housing. (g265 perhaps?) i wonder if there were any g260's that came that way?

in respect to a 24v swap: could there be a bell housing/front trans housing combination that would allow new offset holes to be drilled (in the bell)that would align the xfer case with a front diff? this would certainly be better than cutting the bell off a trans and rewelding it into position.

how would you search this on realoem?

it's actually even easier than that. the way to do it for 24v is really similar to what Will is talking about for an M30/S38. no need to drill or weld anything..

[flyboyx]

how so?

i understand that you can just take the rear housing off an ix g260 and swap it to another trans such as the 260 from an e34 535i. do i assume that tranny has a removable bell? i think the bell to engine bolt pattern for m30 is different than m20 right? what did i miss here?

[nando]

you're on the right track except it's not from an M30 powered car. :)

[stonea]

you're on the right track except it's not from an M30 powered car. :)

Could you elaborate? What would I have to do a 24v swap with out welding or drilling. Finding a getrag 260 from a e34 with a removable bell housing and swap the rear end from the getrag 260 from an ix onto the e34 one and get the correct bell housing for the transmission swap. Then I have what I need done to do the swap on the transmission side of things.

[Todd Black 88]

The g265, like the one on the m3, with a removable bellhousing, was also available with a m20 bolt pattern bellhousing. It came on either the 83 or 84 528e.

Not certain of the year, or if this is relevant at all.

[nando]

You dont need a removable bellhousing for a 24v ix

Also, you will still need to weld - the motor mount arms will need to be fabricated, and there are issues with the steering rack & the front diff.

[stonea]

You dont need a removable bellhousing for a 24v ix

Also, you will still need to weld - the motor mount arms will need to be fabricated, and there are issues with the steering rack & the front diff.

Ok, I'm in the starting process of gathering information for a M52 swap and from what I've gathered is I'll need custom motor mounts, and I'll need to do a fraken pan. The part I was trying to get around was the motor being tilted at a 10 degree angle, which I thought was created by the transmission bolting up at a 10 degree offset. I've read flyboy's thread on e30 tech and he was talking about cutting the bell housing and rotating it 10 degrees then welding it back together to correct the tilt. What was the steering rack problem you mentioned, is that solved by the fraken pan too? I only ask because thats the first I've really heard of it. Sorry for all of the questions, or if any of it doesnt make sense. I'm just trying to make sure I have all of my facts straight.

[flyboyx]

chris and i have euro e34 ix pans/front diffs/ and axles. the the main reason why we chose this route is that we feel the stock e30 front diff isn't strong enough to withstand a reasonable amount of power. you can source these parts from germany or perhaps great Brittan. most of the parts can be purchased reasonably except for the axles. you will likely have to pay a king's ransom for those. the other limiting factor is the shipping expense. for the front drive train basics, you would want to budget about 2k for the parts you need with shipping. you will still need to get a 3.38 ratio set up for the rear.

if you do decide to do the frankenpan, it is documented here and on the e30tech forum as well. i don't have any experience with this however.

personally, this would be an awful lot of work for an m52 swap which is almost the same amount of power you started with.

[Nisse Järnet]

I might be able to source front axles and other E34IX parts for you.

[nando]

Ok, I'm in the starting process of gathering information for a M52 swap and from what I've gathered is I'll need custom motor mounts, and I'll need to do a fraken pan. The part I was trying to get around was the motor being tilted at a 10 degree angle, which I thought was created by the transmission bolting up at a 10 degree offset. I've read flyboy's thread on e30 tech and he was talking about cutting the bell housing and rotating it 10 degrees then welding it back together to correct the tilt. What was the steering rack problem you mentioned, is that solved by the fraken pan too? I only ask because thats the first I've really heard of it. Sorry for all of the questions, or if any of it doesnt make sense. I'm just trying to make sure I have all of my facts straight.

You cant get the engine rotated correctly using the M20 oil pan. The only way is with parts from a 525ix or E53 x5.