E34 auto to manual conversion

[TrentW]

no they won't. Who told you that?

getrags are perfectly fine unless you are planning to run 400+ ft/lbs thru them.

That's your opinion and you're welcome to it. I'm referring to both the durability and longevity of a used Getrag paired to an M50. I have a friend who swapped one into his Touring and it failed him six weeks ago after a year of service. It had 180k on it.

As for who informed me about this, two people. The first works for ZF Sales & Service in Vernon Hills, IL. And lest you think he may be biased in his opinion, the second is my tech guru friend Ben, who has been doing amazing work on bimmers for years now and is regarded nationwide as one of the most knowledgeable guys around. See paragraph 3 in the attached Car & Driver article:

http://www.caranddriver.com/features/bmw-m3-buyers-guide

Read what Bill Caswell says about him here:

http://caswellmotorsport.com/the-team/

Enough said.

[Onizukachan]

Still bad info slick. Not an opinion, it's a fact... your 'friend' has an opinion.
Every 93+ m50 e34 has the getrag. I've seen e34 525i/5s go 300k+ without a problem. m50s, m52s, even s50 swaps.
your friend got unlucky. i've seen zfs fail too with less miles. it happens. Junkyard trans = unknown quantity.

Point is, just because zfs handle 600+ft lbs on an 220 ft lb rating doesn't mean the getrags are understrength behind a 175ft lb m50.
anyone who claims they are, flat out doesn't know what they are talking about *in this instance*. Or they are confusing the a4s310z and a5s310g with the 5 speed getrag manual.
The facts speak for themselves over the last 20 years.

but i like you. people like you keep getrags cheap.

sincerely yours
- the grand-poobah of the m50 touring swap.

[5Toes]

So ZFSG310 or G250???

[Wanganstyle]

So ZFSG310 or G250???

ZFSG320; modern version as new as e46 328/330. Same box and casting, superseded in place of sg310

[5Toes]

I didn't ask about the zf320 box.

[TrentW]

Still bad info slick. Not an opinion, it's a fact... your 'friend' has an opinion.
Every 93+ m50 e34 has the getrag. I've seen e34 525i/5s go 300k+ without a problem. m50s, m52s, even s50 swaps.
your friend got unlucky. i've seen zfs fail too with less miles. it happens. Junkyard trans = unknown quantity.

Point is, just because zfs handle 600+ft lbs on an 220 ft lb rating doesn't mean the getrags are understrength behind a 175ft lb m50.
anyone who claims they are, flat out doesn't know what they are talking about *in this instance*. Or they are confusing the a4s310z and a5s310g with the 5 speed getrag manual.
The facts speak for themselves over the last 20 years.

but i like you. people like you keep getrags cheap.

sincerely yours
- the grand-poobah of the m50 touring swap.

Ya know, "Slick", I'd like to buy you for what you're worth and sell you for what you think you're worth.

[Onizukachan]

you'd be buying high and selling low then, lol.
sorry i had to call you on your really bad completely wrong info, but that's life... shake it off and move on.

I'm damn confident, b/c i earned it hands on.

[StereoInstaller1]

Why hack up pedals when you can just buy a set of e34 pedals for
Dirt and BOLT THEM IN?

Don't reinvent the wheel, just do it perfect and it will cost you less in the big picture. Hacking shit just means you will pay for it later

Value your own time/labor!!!

Agreed 100% with all you said....except for a couple of things.

1, I do not care for the really buttery shifting feel of a ZF trans

2, E34 manuals are not common at all here, and I do have 3 or 4 complete E30 pedal sets sitting around

3, I like to do it the difficult way. My way. I don't hack, I re-engineer...well done hackery, if you will. I really like the G260/Z3 1.9 shifter combo...but...

G250 is the oem trans for 93-95 e34 with vanos

Because I did not know this little tidbit of info right here! Thanks.

Time to look for the right transmission. I was under the impression all E34 24V cars were ZF.

How do I know I have the right one for sure? Will it say ZF or Getrag on the ID tag or something?

I have a driveshaft from an '89 535i manual. G260, correct? Any chance that will fit? I have several E30 driveshafts too.

The long term plan is M54B30, bone stock, maybe even kept OBDII. Is that transmission likely OK behind that? This is a freeway brawler, not a racecar.

Thanks, man, I think you may have saved me a ton of BS.

Luke

[Ryann]

Ya know, "Slick", I'd like to buy you for what you're worth and sell you for what you think you're worth.

Man, you have to come to the table with something other than two shitty links to support your position. My 525i/5 has 229k and counting on it's original g250 and still shifts quietly and smoothly into all gears.

The poster you're talking shit to has contributed valuable info to this thread, meanwhile you've contributed 'I'm gonna do this' and 'Getrags suck'.

Douche.

[Onizukachan]

pretty sure the DS for a 535 is a no go behind the NO OD m50 getrag for a couple of reasons.
1: IIRC 535 used completely different couplers on both ends. not matching guibo = no go
2: it definitely won't match up to the 3.23 or S3.23 (or possibly the 530/5 3.15) rear diff you will have to run.
3: i have no idea if the shaft lengths on each section are exactly the same as the m50 variants.

If you don't buy a pedal box, you just need to mod the auto one for the ?over center spring mount? but the pedals will bolt up. the issue is getting the individual parts (new?) for LESS than it costs to buy a complete box with all the fixin's. ($35-$50)

I mean even the clutch switch & over center spring etc will cost you more than that.

[Onizukachan]

Man, you have to come to the table with something other than two shitty links to support your position. My 525i/5 has 229k and counting on it's original g250 and still shifts quietly and smoothly into all gears.

The poster you're talking shit to has contributed valuable info to this thread, meanwhile you've contributed 'I'm gonna do this' and 'Getrags suck'.

Douche.

Merci!

[TrentW]

Man, you have to come to the table with something other than two shitty links to support your position. My 525i/5 has 229k and counting on it's original g250 and still shifts quietly and smoothly into all gears.

The poster you're talking shit to has contributed valuable info to this thread, meanwhile you've contributed 'I'm gonna do this' and 'Getrags suck'.

Douche.

Merci!

You two deserve each other.

[Ryann]

^This is a cool and informative thread, and you still have yet to contribute.

Luke, don't you need a g265 for your m30 car? Pretty sure that would be the correct box vs. a g260.

[Onizukachan]

You two deserve each other.

Just another noob trying to instigate something, I see.

You see us as you want to see us… In the simplest terms, in the most convenient definitions...
Sincerely yours,
The Breakfast Club.

[StereoInstaller1]

^This is a cool and informative thread, and you still have yet to contribute.

Luke, don't you need a g265 for your m30 car? Pretty sure that would be the correct box vs. a g260.

Ryann, I don't have an M30 car.

I have an M20 car and an M50NV. The 24V car will get a M54B30 with a Getrag 250 or 260 and my 3.46LSD and become my daily driver. The M20 car gets sold once the 24V car is finished.