'85 5 speed swap into '91

[BeemsE30]

right now i own a 1985 325e eta four door. i had originally purchased a full 5 speed swap with a new sachs clutch for it. next week im picking up a '91 325i two door. will my 5 speed swap still work? what are the differences, if any? thanks guys!

[Cabriolet]

is your shift carriage aluminum or steel? if steel then no. not sure what transmission you picked up. correct me if im wrong, but im thinking it might be the wrong gearing.

[Kershaw]

it will work.

[nando]

yeah it will work, the gearing is the same (it's a G260) and you may or may not need to use the sheet metal shifter console depending on if the trans has the mounting ears for the later aluminum shifter carrier or not.

It would also probably be a good idea to plug the holes for the bellhousing sensors, and you need clutch/brake pedals from an airbag car (just swap pedals, don't bother with removing the pedal box assembly).

[BeemsE30]

ill try and post some pics up tomorrow of my trans for reference. its been sitting in my garage all winter so i cant remember. what are the differences between the aluminum and steel shifter console?

what are the differences with the pedals?

[nando]

airbag and non airbag pedals are just different. Not much else to say - you need airbag pedals for the '91. on a non airbag you can swap pedal boxes. airbags use the same pedal box for manuals/automatics and just have different pedals.

the shifter consoles mount differently. They perform the same function but look way different. Some of the early transmissions didn't come with mounts for the aluminum shifter peices, some did (in mid transition). I'm pretty sure you can use either in a car because you can change the rear mounting point, it just depends on the transmission.

[BeemsE30]

here are the pics of the trans and pedal set i have. i have been searching around for pics of a different pedal set, they all seem to look the same to me? and i did see the difference in the trans, but i dont see how the mounting point on the trans itself will affect how it works, unless where it bolts to the body is different.

i also was reading that the center support on the driveshaft is different, is this true?

[BeemsE30]

another question popped up in my mind. will the flywheel i have work with the i motor? if you cant tell from the pictures i can snap some more. its pretty rusted up and needs to be resurfaced. im pretty sure its a single mass, but im not too sure. what does an i flywheel weigh compared to an eta single mass?

[mr.vang]

yes the way the flex is mounted is different. i believe to mount the flex on 91 you have to hold the screw on both end. so you might have to remove the dust cover or whatever that black cover is for.

[BeemsE30]

im sorry, the flex?

[nando]

everything you have will work except the pedals

you'll just have to be careful that you buy the right clutch/pp for a single mass flywheel. I don't *think* it matters if it's from an eta.

[BeemsE30]

does anyone have a picture of the difference between the two pedals? ill probably just make these work but it would be nice to see what i have to modify to make them work