5 speed conversion 73 E9

pickman

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Working on all my spare parts to kit up for the conversion and down to the drive shaft. Have a spare drive shaft needing the center mount and new U joints is it best to stay with genuine BMW parts or alternatives?

Looking for advice please.
 

pickman

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That is good advice spent all morning trying to find a local shop that can balance DS that uses a flex coupling-nothing near Michigan.
 

Honolulu

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Shops that can do the balancing you're seeking seem few and far between.

One suggestion I've heard is to try a truck service shop - lots of trucks use multi-section driveshafts.

Another: I spoke to Carl Nelson in '95 and said I'd re-used my auto trans dshaft for my 5-speed conversion (I went from auto, to 4-speed, to 5-speed in stages). His response was that he did that all the time in his shop (independent dealership) and the AT shaft is only 3/4 inch shorter from the proper shaft for the 5-speed. The added length is in the splined section, there's lots left for torque transfer. It's much easier to find AT shafts...
 

HB Chris

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ask any mechanic, they send them out all the time and the driveline shops pick them up
 

Markos

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ask any mechanic, they send them out all the time and the driveline shops pick them up

Agreed. This is far from a list art. Also agree with @Honolulu that the majority of work will be on truck driveshafts. An e9 driveshaft isn’t all that much different than my old Jeep’s DS. It is very common to lengthen and balance off-road driveshafts. When you lift a vehicle more than the slip yoke can accommodate, you need a longer DS.
 

pickman

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Your reply's are appreciated. I visited D&R last week and they cannot balance any DS using a flex coupling, also visited Martin Spring and Drive. They both had the same information that the outfit in Houston and Oceanside Driveline in CA are the only two they know of that can balance flex coupling DS. Carl Nelson uses only Oceanside.

Regards,
 
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