Will this Getrag 265 be a good swap candidate for my early M30?

[Kev]

One of my buddies has a spare 265 he received along with his 87 535is. I've read up on the 5 speed swap process and learned the 85 535is 5 speed compatible. I've attached the serial number on the gearbox. Will it swap? Should i buy it? How much do these typically go for?

Thanks for the advice guys. :mrgreen:

 

[threewebers]

Transmission swap

I believe it will work but it's probably too new to have a mechanical pickup for your speedometer cable.

 

[Peter Coomaraswamy]

Perfect instructions

http://www.e9coupe.com/tech/5speed.html

This should help. I seem to remember that the later 5 speeds had an issue with the speedo cable not being a fit, but other than that it should work. Keep in mind that you'll need different bell-housing bolts if going from an auto to a 5-speed. I just finished my conversion and I could not be more pleased with it. BTW, Carl Nelson's place in La Jolla has just about any part you will need for the conversion- not cheap, but they have always sent me the exact part needed, never had to return a single item. Feel free to ask me any questions because I feel pretty confident after running mine around a bit.

Good luck

 

[Kev]

http://www.e9coupe.com/tech/5speed.html

This should help. I seem to remember that the later 5 speeds had an issue with the speedo cable not being a fit, but other than that it should work. Keep in mind that you'll need different bell-housing bolts if going from an auto to a 5-speed. I just finished my conversion and I could not be more pleased with it. BTW, Carl Nelson's place in La Jolla has just about any part you will need for the conversion- not cheap, but they have always sent me the exact part needed, never had to return a single item. Feel free to ask me any questions because I feel pretty confident after running mine around a bit.

Good luck

Thanks, Peter. I appreciate the advice, I'll have to take you up on it.

I looked at the transmission in person today and found that it was actually a Getrag 260, not a 265. It turns out my friends' E28 is a bastard machine with a hodgepodge of parts from various E28s. It wasn't a three-piece, and it lacked the speedo drive on the bottom right side of the tailshaft housing.

My search goes on. By the way, were the OEM manual 4 speed 3.0 cars equipped with Getrag or ZF gearboxes?

 

[Peter Coomaraswamy]

5 speed search

Hi Kev,

I think this forum might be a place to start your search, if not, call Ben or Carl at La Jolla, they probably have one that will bolt right up. Again, you might pay a little more but it will fit first time. Can you tell me what you are coming from, an automatic or a 4 speed. I think I read on this forum that BMW used both types of 4 speeds in the coupe, not sure, but the prevailing thought is not to swap an automatic for a 4 speed but to go for the 5 speed. You'll need a flywheel, from a standard coupe but they are pretty easy to come by and a shortened drive shaft. Let me know if you need more input-

Peter

 

[DaveG]

23211207772
This is the part number for the speedo drive conversion parts if you have a 265 without the speedo drive.
I did this on mine. The hardest part is getting a socket to fit the output shaft nut. It's documented in the tech pages, I think....
DaveG

 

[Kev]

Hi Kev,

I think this forum might be a place to start your search, if not, call Ben or Carl at La Jolla, they probably have one that will bolt right up. Again, you might pay a little more but it will fit first time. Can you tell me what you are coming from, an automatic or a 4 speed. I think I read on this forum that BMW used both types of 4 speeds in the coupe, not sure, but the prevailing thought is not to swap an automatic for a 4 speed but to go for the 5 speed. You'll need a flywheel, from a standard coupe but they are pretty easy to come by and a shortened drive shaft. Let me know if you need more input-

Peter

Thanks, Peter. My car's got the 4 speed manual Getrag transmission. I can't remember off the top of my head what the serial number was.

Dave, thanks for the input on the speedo drive parts. This project is kind of on the backburner, as there's a million other things to sort out on the car, especially that rusty sieve called a Karmann-built body ... But I will keep a look out for some cheap 265s.