Well, i'm at a crossroads...

unfortunatelly my 1994 530i Tourings automatic transmission is on its last legs....when warmed up, it shudders and jerks in first and the clutches slip pretty bad when shifting into third. its a rise of 600 rpm and then a BAM as it slams into third

went to the tranny shop and the diagnostics arent good....needs an overhaul to a tune of $2400+$700 labour + Miscalaneous costs (fluid, bla bla bla).

i WILL not spend that much on a god damn automatic tranny...

so...my options are either a 5spd conversion, which is harder to find than my dick on a cold canadian morning, or a full engine swap+tranny+ conversinom to 5 speed....

so i went to a local BMW shop, but this guy does mainly body kits....low and behold he says he has a full 1994 325 engine, tranny, ecu, basically everything i need that he'll sell to me for a thousand bucks....

so what would u guys do in my situation?

mind u, this is my winter/daily driver and probably in a month i can park it and drive my 635csi so i can take the car off the road then for a longer period of time. the tranny will definitively last that long...i just leave the lights in second and ease it into third...

an M30/5 speed conversion would be nice.

basically...how hard is it? what other parts would i need?? i know i'll need an e34 oil pan and pump and driveshaft...

anybody have any idea/write up/something to read??!

i searched but nothing came up...

i'm in Toronto, Canada area, so if anybody has a parts car or a full swap or something...msg me....

Ok, I'm a little confused. You have these options as I see them:

1 - Replace with another automatic transmission, rebuilt for the $3300 quote you have

2 - Replace with a used automatic transmission. I bet if you really dig you can find a servicable one for under $1000, probably in the 600-700 range. Would probably last you a few years.

3 - Swap in a 5-speed manual transmission. I agree, the chances of finding the transmission are very slim for the M60B30.

4 - Swap in the M50B25 engine and transmission from the '94 325i you mentioned. This would turn your wagon into a 525i. The problem is, you have a wagon set up for the V8. The engine compartment is set up very differently for the V8 cars. You'd need the whole cooling system, ABS, brake master cylinder, booster, and probably a bunch of other little things like the windshield washer pump and such to make this work. You'd really need the front half of an E34 525i.

Also, the pedals and such from the E36 (assuming it's a 5-speed) won't work in your E34. Plus, the E36 transmission will be a non-overdrive, which means you'll probably end up needing a different differential at the very least, depending on what you have now and what your tolerance for RPM is on the highway.

5 - Do an M30 swap like I did. You can read all about my project if you search this forum for '535it'. It would have most of the same problems as trying to convert to the M50. Not a small job at any point, but especially since you're starting with a V8 car...and one that would be much more work from a wiring standpoint.

6 - This is the best option. Give up on the 530i, and sell it to me (trade it towards my 535iT!) so I can do an LS1 swap in it with a T-56. :) I'm dying to do another Touring project, but this time it needs a 400HP V8. :D

Hey, there a person on .info listing a 6 speed gearbox and a m60b40. Unfortunately its in the states.
Converting an 8 to a 6 will be tough since I don't think its been done. Not that I've heard. Conversions take time....
Nevermind you've got mail.

F&*$, S***, i totally forgot about all the differences between the V8 and I6 engine compartments...

and thats where the whole problem arrises...to the fact that i DONT want to loose the touring...if this was just a regular E34 sedan, i'd be shopping around for another one thats a stick....and i really dont want to go spending thousand of dollars towards another AUTOMATIC

any idea if i'd be able to leave everything where it is regarding to the steering rack, brake booster, etc and just kinda run new lines if necessary?

Steering rack is probably ok, as long as you get an E34 525i PS pump and lines (assuming you do an M50 swap). Of course the E36 parts probably won't work...totally different pressures in the R&P E36 vs. the RB E34.

I SERIOUSLY doubt you'll be able to just 'adapt' the existing braking system. Is that something you'd really want to rig together?

I'd really try to hunt down a 5-speed or a 6-speed.

There's a 6-speed on bimmer.info.

you guys really know how to burst someones bubble....

lol

If the V8 is in really good shape and running well, I'd drive the 6er until a 5 or 6 speed pops up and then go for the manual conversion. You could put a feeler out to some wreckers, you never know, maybe there's a 5 speed near you right now waiting to be installed....

Which shop was selling you the engine, tranny & ecu in Toronto?

I would pick up that M60B40 & 6spd in a second. A 540iT/6 would be bad ass. :buttrock

No no.....

the 325i engine/tranny is for sale...

if i had a 540i/6speed driveline offered to me, i wouldnt be having this dilema...

i'd be selling my kidney for that sucker....i dont drink much...i should be okay...right??

I remember reading there is a website that has 5 spd swap kits for like $1300. Anyone remember the site?

Transmissions you can use:
E34 530 (obviously)
E34 540 6 speed
E31 840, although they are all technically autos
E39 540 6 speed

You should be able to find a 6 speed for ~1k. Get a driveshaft cut for ~300$, then just make the rest work. There is a good parts list in my auto->manual swap thread for E34s.

The actual transmission is the same between the 5-er and the 3-er, but the bellhousing is different for the different engines. Too bad BMW stopped doing seperate bellhousings with the Getrag 265.

Yes, if you could source a 6-speed and all the manual tranny swap parts that would obviously be great.

Remember that the manual tranny parts are E34-and-E32-specific, but not engine-specific. I.E. you could get the pedals and hydraulics from any 525i/535i/540i/735i/etc with a manual transmission and you'd probably only need the slave cylinder and hose that are specific to the 6-speed box.

I have to admit that going to a 525 would be a step DOWN from a 3.0 performance wise.

You should just swap to a manual on the small 8...
It'll be less work and less expensive than rengineering everything to fit a smaller, less torquey engine.

Try these guys- http://theeurodepot.com/ they do all kinds of conversions and will be doing my 5 speed touring swap.

And Hey Mr. Project, why not just turbo the beeeotch!?! That's 400 hp...

Try these guys- http://theeurodepot.com/ they do all kinds of conversions and will be doing my 5 speed touring swap.

And Hey Mr. Project, why not just turbo the beeeotch!?! That's 400 hp...

Thats the site I remember.

Skateparks - yeah, but I'm looking at it and thinking....$5k to do a 400HP turbo, or sell it and spend roughly the same amount (on top of the sale) to do a 400HP LS1, where somebody else in the community gets to enjoy my 535iT.

It's for the betterment of the community, man.

Plus the 535iT's are just getting too common for me around here. :D I enjoy doing oddball stuff, and I haven't seen a good E34 LS1 swap yet. If we end up buying a different house this year, this plan will probably go by the wayside, but I'd like to do it if possible.

It's for the betterment of the community, man.

:rofl