auto-to-manual conversion cost?

[mellowyellow88]

Gruppe:

I think I've found my winter car- another e30 :o

It's an '87 325is, to go with my '88 325is. The price is right and I'm going to to see it this weekend. The only bad thing is that it's an automatic. While that's fine with me for now, I may want to convert it into a manual when the auto tranny craps out. For those of you out there with similar experience, what is the cost of an auto-tranny rebuilt vs a manual conversion? I'm psyched about having a car to drive around finally! at least I'm hoping.

Thanks in advance.

[mspiegle]

the easy way out...

eurodepot.com - $995 for parts, figure maybe $100 in tools

the harder/cheaper way, go find all your parts online.

[Jon325i]

I've never done such a conversion, but I'm sure a project like this can vary greatly in price. What will dictate the final cost is 1) parts, and 2) labor.

You didn't mention if you were going to tackle this task yourself or leave to a mechanic. Some places sell conversion kits....but some seems quite pricey. I know you will need: 5 speed tranny, ECU, pedal assembly, and clutch kit. However, I'm not sure if you will need to get a different flywheel, starter, and driveshaft.

If you found a 5 speed E30 being parted out that doesn't have a ton of miles on it, you ought to salvage what ever you can. You may be able to find some good deals out there if you shop around.

Jon

[arnib]

Are you sure he needs a new ECU?

[Super Eta]

I have a 5 spd tranny with almost everything needed for a swap like this.

first $340 takes it but i just wont ship it.

183k and needs some work

[Bill 84 318i]

Hey Mike-

I did this conversion on my car back in May. M10 parts are much cheaper, and I got lucky and completed it for about $600 (doing the labor myself, with Eric's help too).

For an M20, I'd set aside at least $1000 for parts, plus labor. I'd like to think labor should only be a couple more hours than a clutch job (you have to run a couple clutch hydraulic lines, swap pedal boxes, etc).

General parts list:
5 spd tranny
Any seals you want to replace
Driveshaft (new guibo, center bearing)
Flywheel
Clutch kit (new pressure plate, disc, t/o bearing, pivot pin)
Master/slave cylinders (new)
Pilot bearing assembly (new)
Pedal assembly
Clutch hydraulic lines (one solid, one rubber)

That's it off the top of my head. Let me know if I can help in any way.