Do any 6 spd trannys mate up to the 88 535is e28 M30??

E28 technical advice asked and given! Troubleshooting, modifications and more.
Post Reply
Badger
Posts: 623
Joined: Feb 12, 2006 12:00 PM
Location: Whately, MA

Post by Badger »

Just curious cause it would be really nice.
BDK
Posts: 5291
Joined: Feb 12, 2006 12:00 PM

Post by BDK »

The 6 speed from the E34 M5 3.8L will, good luck finding one used and in good shape....new remanned is about $3400 I think...
spinedocab
Posts: 2600
Joined: Feb 12, 2006 12:00 PM
Location: Upper Bucks County, PA

Post by spinedocab »

I bumped into a guy at the local junkyard who made an argument for a GM-used getrag 6 speed mating to the M30 removable bell housing. He didn't have specifics but said he did at home and could clue me in. I have yet to email him and sleuth it out but it has been on my list..

If I ever find out about it I'll post the info.
Badger
Posts: 623
Joined: Feb 12, 2006 12:00 PM
Location: Whately, MA

Post by Badger »

Is the E34 m5 3.8L 6 speed tranny the same as the E34 540is 6 speed tranny? i thought the 540 had the 6 speed option those years but i may be wrong.
Shawn D.
Beamter
Beamter
Posts: 22082
Joined: Feb 12, 2006 12:00 PM
Location: Alpharetta, GA
Contact:

Post by Shawn D. »

[QUOTE="Badger"]Is the E34 m5 3.8L 6 speed tranny the same as the E34 540is 6 speed tranny? i thought the 540 had the 6 speed option those years but i may be wrong. [/QUOTE]

No, they are not the same. The bellhousing bolt patterns of the M30 and the V-8s are different.
Skeen
Posts: 2208
Joined: Feb 12, 2006 12:00 PM
Location: Charlotte, NC
Contact:

Post by Skeen »

No, they are not the same. The bellhousing bolt patterns of the M30 and the V-8s are different.


Did they not have detachable bellhousings or would the goodies fit in another case? That's what we did with the C/r 5 speed in our racecar. The inards came from a euro e30 323 and went into a 320 box that mated to the 2002 motor. Just wonderin.
Walt
Posts: 303
Joined: Feb 12, 2006 12:00 PM
Location: Seattle

Post by Walt »

But, since our 5th is the same as the E34 M5's 6th, there's only tighter ratios in between. My torque band is wide enough that I don't need to do more shifting than I do now.

No greater overdrive as I understand it. Am I missing something?

Walt
Raj
Posts: 552
Joined: Feb 12, 2006 12:00 PM
Location: monterey

Post by Raj »

No greater overdrive as I understand it. Am I missing something?


I would assume that you could use a taller diff, thereby bringing 1-5 closer to that of stock, and have a taller 6th.
I bumped into a guy at the local junkyard who made an argument for a GM-used getrag 6 speed mating to the M30 removable bell housing. He didn't have specifics but said he did at home and could clue me in. I have yet to email him and sleuth it out but it has been on my list..


I have heard the same rumor, but have yet to find a 6-speed Getrag that GM used. The c4 vette came with a 6-speed ZF tranny, but it hardly looks like it would mate up to the getrag bell-housing:
Image
Raj
Posts: 552
Joined: Feb 12, 2006 12:00 PM
Location: monterey

Post by Raj »

doesn't look like the borg/warner t-56 from an lt1 camaro will bolt-up...I don't think GM ever used a Getrag 6-speed.
Image
Boru
Posts: 1028
Joined: Jul 04, 2008 10:09 AM

Post by Boru »

GM used Getrags in their trucks. My '88 K2500 had one though it was a HD 4 speed.
Raj
Posts: 552
Joined: Feb 12, 2006 12:00 PM
Location: monterey

Post by Raj »

yeah, I found 4 and 5-speed Getrags used in the Chevy trucks, but have yet to come across a 6-spd Getrag that GM used.
John In Valdosta
Posts: 135
Joined: Feb 12, 2006 12:00 PM

Post by John In Valdosta »

Gm Trucks used Getrags for a few years. As did dodge in the late 80's and early 90's.

Dogde has a 6-speed getrag manual in it's new Dakota http://www.daimlerchrysler.ca/EN/DODGE/ ... IONS,.html

The getrag 6-speed that would seem to be the best fit is from the 93 and up Toyota Supra, called the V160. But these are pretty coveted by the Supra crowd expect to pay $3000+ to get one. And I don't know about the bellhousing, bolt patterns etc. There's one on ebay, no pics though.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayI ... ename=WDVW
Devinder
Posts: 810
Joined: Feb 12, 2006 12:00 PM
Location: Berkeley, CA

Post by Devinder »

I've spent a bit of time looking into this too. The S38b38 trans does bolt-up, but then you need to run Motronic 1.1+. I think the easiest (and most cost-effective) way to do this is to cut about 1" off the front of a Motronic 1.0 M30 bell housing and weld it to any BMW 6-speed you like. This way you can retain Motronic 1.0 and the clutch, release bearing, and pilot bearing will line up too. The output flange will be compatable. The shifter will also come up in the correct place and you can use BMW shifters.

Devinder
Post Reply