UK E28 M535i engine / box / rear subframe into a CS Coupe?

dj_efk

dj_efk

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Hi all,

I've just bought the complete major mechanicals from a UK spec E28 M535i - Engine +loom, box, pedal box, prop, rear subframe complete with axle, brakes etc.

What is involved in fitting besides the usual rebushing etc. ? I'm thinking the lot should just drop in and be a doddle - Who has done this before and can anyone point out things I need to watch out for?

E.g. how would you get the speedo to work if the pickup is for a hall / electronic setup on the M535i box?

Also, what shocks and springs would work for the rear axle? Are they different from the CS? Ideally I'd like to drop the car by an inch or so max, can anyone suggest where I'd get the springs and shocks from?

Any help much appreciated, pictures to go up on here in due course!

David.

+44 771 3251881
 
The M535i M30 will drop in easily enough, but the Motronic intake plenum interferes with the brake booster. You'll need to source a 2002tii booster. Jaymic is a likely source. The price will be suprising. Wiring the Motronic loom into the E9 will be challenging. If you read between the lines of this guide for installing L-jetronic into a coupe and this description for swapping Motronic into an E3, you ought to able to grok it out. Note that moving fuel will require pump, pre-pump and venting compatible with Motronic.

Not sure why you'd need the E28 pedal box. Even if you're swapping out an autobox from the E9, the E28 box and pedal brackets are completely different and probably not worth the trouble. The E28 clutch pedal support bracket is notoriously weak.

Assuming you're removing a 4-speed Getrag from your coupe, the mechanical speedo drive can be swapped into the 5 speed. If it's an automatic, it might work too, but I've never seen one. You'll probably need to swap the speedo drive gear onto the end of the 5 speed's output shaft. That part I have not done, but I have removed the blind plug and installed the drive axle in a non-CR Getrag 265 and with some new ring clips, it's straightforward. Here's a guide for installing a non-CR Getrag 265, but your install should be similar.

Installing a 5-speed means altering the driveshaft. Here's a guide.

Dunno why you'd install an e28 rear end. Sounds painful. Suggest sticking with what's back there now; it works very well. See "Links" at the top of this page for a list of UK/continental parts houses for shocks and springs.
 
CsChuck14 said:
is there a difference in 528 5 speed trans and the 535 5 spd trans? mechanical speedo?
Click to expand...
Assuming we're talking E28s here, the major difference is the bellhousing bolt patterns are different and the transmissions are not interchangeable. They both have speedometer cable drives.

OOOPS Major error in the above statement. NO E28 comes with cable-driven speedometers; they are all electric, driven off a sensor in the differential (which itself is not a bolt-in for E9s).
 
Pedal box - I was told I'd need it - If I don't then great

Rear end - As my car is a 2800 CS then it has drum rear brakes and a non-LSD axle. The rear end from the M535i has an LSD, disk brakes and the diff is obviously matched (in terms of ratio) to the box - I wasn't sure whether the CS diff would match to the 5 speed Getrag so well ??

Does anyone know of a car to which someone has done this already or is there an easier way?

Thanks
 
David
I actually considered doing this when I scrapped my old M535i. Unfortunately the rear subframe, diff mounts, and suspension pickups are different to the E9. That said with time and effort it could be made to fit. You would need to be good at welding!

The dogleg box that came out of the car has a "port" for a cable driven speedo cable, but none of the internals. I suspect the parts from a 4 speed box would fit.

To answer CsChuch14 question there are 2 basic types of 5 speed box, an "overdrive" version with a high 5th gear and the "dogleg" box where the final ratio is the same as a 4 speed box, ie 1:1 ratio. most, as MichealP has stated have electronic speedo drives from the diff, but as stated probably have the mechanical speedo port.

There are lowering "kits" available from the likes of Jaymic in the UK.
Malc
 
Thanks Malc, do you happen to know whether the UK E28 M535i has the overdrive 5th box (the 262?) and an LSD as standard?
 
dj_efk said:
Thanks Malc, do you happen to know whether the UK E28 M535i has the overdrive 5th box (the 262?) and an LSD as standard?
Click to expand...

Not sure. Mine had the dogleg box and LSD, the LSD was worn out but I saved the box with the thought of fitting it to my E9.
I am going to fit a "standard" 5 speed overdrive box - her indoors could never get the hang of the dogleg box and I didn't like it that much either
 
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