engine and drivetrain Use the 320 for donor shaft

[Catman]

I have a 320i parts car with an engine and a tranny.80 model.Ive removed both.Won't the drive shaft from the 320i work for the donor.everything that hooks up to the tranny is the same.Catman

[ClayW]

The driveshaft will work as a donor....sort of. You can have the forward end cut and mated to a 2002 driveshaft. Of course, you'll need to mount the transmission in there first so that you can verify the length needed for hte final driveshaft.

[Catman]

What Im trying to say is I believe all I need to do is size up the 320i shaft cut and weld it back together . The ends are the same- the center bearing is the same.I should be able to do with out the 02 shaft alltogether. has any one else done this .

Catman

[Mike Self]

make sure you have the whole thing balanced before installation.

The advantage to using both halves of a 2002 driveshaft and just the 320 front guibo spider is that the 02 driveshaft is already balanced and will be much more so (as long as you mark the two halves before separating) than taking two different driveshafts and mating them.

cheers

mike

[c.d.iesel]

length of 2002 4-speed drive shaft = 1597 mm

length of 320i 4-speed drive shaft = 1499.4 mm

(this might be for 5-speed 320i - i'll wait

for someone to prove me wrong?!)

320i

[/u]

[Catman]

Thanks Mike-I just want to have all my options correct. I wish we had worked together on some of this stuf. Ive built drive shafts for big trucks-farm equipment and offshore powerboats.Been certified mig tig stick and oxy acyt for over 30 years- but some one has to balance the thing. This part of Georgia lost their driveline shop 10 years ago.Driveline Specialty in fort Lauderdale finished all of my marine stuf.I can build a drive shaft. Its knowing the right combo of BMW parts to use.I bought the 80 model 320i for 450 bucks - engine - tranny - full rear end but car was wrecked . Just to do this after reading up on it in here.

Driveshafts of Atlanta on Jonesborough road will do it fot 250.00 Cut to my length - put in new ujoints I provide- stake them or make for clips and balance it. Pretty damn good price.I just need to use the right parts.Have new guibo and center bearing as well . it will be all new - balanced and painted!! So what do you think 320's shaft with new rubber donut -center thingie'-u joints with steaks -cut to length

(- 3.6" ) balanced with paint.

Catman

[Catman]

Ok thats what Ive been waiting for - the why . So the 320 Is to short.

What if we cut a new section of dom tubing - cut off / face and reweld the yokes and rebalance it at Drive line . The 320 has a better center yoke with a nut that is easier to get at then my 74.Driveline has all of these supplies. I can get around shorter. There would be a nice shaft left for some one to use. the 02's joints are sloppy but can be replaced -cut to length -reweld and balance then I have a 320 shaft I cant use.

What should I do ---- Tell me Cd . Just lay it out there- The right way and I will do it. I believe!

Catman

[c.d.iesel]

Catman - from the sound of your Resume' it seems you should

be telling us how its done.

i'll wait for somone else to add their $20.02 wurth for the moment.......

[roadhog0]

Let me throw this out there. Why change from a stock 02 shaft to a 320i shaft? Are you going to a 5 speed? Coming from an auto to a 4 speed? Wanting a stronger shaft with a 5 speed? I didnt see any of this in the thread, but I could of easily passed over it.

[TobyB]

I'm a little lost, so I'll sum up what I've found- this assumes a 5- speed donor

320i, since almost all '80's were 5- speeds.

yes, you can shorten and use the front section of the driveshaft FOR A 5 SPEED.

If you were to use it with a 4- speed you might indeed need to lengthen it a bit.

(if it was a 4- speed 320i, you'd end up shortening it)

Yes, you COULD use the rear section as well- but as the carrier's further back

in the 320, you'd have to LENGTHEN it to use in the 2002, I remember...

and CD's numbers seem to back that up, too.

One major difference I've found is that the 2002 shaft was made with 2 flanges

welded to a section of tubing, conventionally.

The later 320's were not- the flanges seem to have been formed onto

the tubing in sections, then the 2 sections were spin- welded together

in about the middle. The giveaway is that there's no weld at the ends,

but there's a 'lipped up' seam in the middle of the tube.

It may very well have been forged from one chunk, with a mandrel to form

the tubing part after the yoke was formed.

VW did this for the long shaft on the FWD cars- it's really frikkin' impressive

to think about forming a set of splines, a solid section AND a hollow section

from one piece of billet... then spinning 2 of 'em together to weld them up.

I haven't looked at the inside of a BMW shaft that closely, but if it follows

the pattern, then you can't harvest a standard stepped yoke from one without machining

it down to form the mating step yourself, whereas the earlier style can usually have the

welds cut and the tubing step cleaned up pretty easily.

Driveline Service of Portland said pretty much the same thing-

that they could make anything I wanted out of the flanges from a 2002 shaft, but the

320 shaft didn't lend itself to modification as easily IF I didn't do tube- to- tube

attachments....

this was all for a single- tube Nismo trans to BMW- diff project.

more than you cared to know about, I suspect.

t

[Catman]

Love reading your posts -Cds too. Sorry if Ive confused anyone - yes 5 speed conversion.I have a parts car. 84 320i - Motor-tranny - diff with axels front suspenion. rusted out crashed but good parts.You guys have spoke out on my post about the 90mm/10.5:1 carrillo pistons ,Eibach valvesprings .This is all together same.284 Shrick, Stahl headers .So Time to do tranny change while engine is out.Motor machine work is almost done at Scotts Machine in Fayetteville Ga south of Atlanta.I will assemble in around 3 weeks -hopefully-pistons were promissed in 3 weeks 2 weeks ago- we'll see.I have already bulit the running gear portion of this car -finished last summer. Then lost oil pressure..stuck relief piston.So what is Best way to combine existing parts to install 5 speed.the old 02' shaft is shot -320 prop shaft good lots of miles. have new cnter bearing aand guibo along with ujoints. Drivline in Jonebouroghs will do the modificaton for 250.00 - my parts and balanced.these are not west coast prices.Restaked or clip style my choice - they say they do bmw's like this style every day.still open to suggestions - Catman

[jimk]

Hell, I tried to sell a never used rebuilt shaft with new joints and center bearing. All that's needed is to supply a front section from a donor (no joints required) and balance it and nobody wants it.

[Catman]

I just did the math from Cds drawings. The stock 02 shaft must be shortened 3.5625 ( 90 mm's ) according to page 89 BMW '02 Restoration Guide.

the '02 4 speed length is ( A 25.24" + B 37.64" ) = 62.89 " rounded off

the 320i 5 speed length ( A 22.95" + 36.83" ) = 59.78"

( '02 - 320i ) = 5 speed tranny shaft in the 4 speed 02 location

62.89" - 59.78" = 3.11" ( to be removed from 02 shaft)

from page 89 ( 02 4 speed shaft ) = ( 62.89" - 3.5625 " ) = 59.3275

59.78 vs 59.3275 (59 3/4 " vs 59 3/8 " ) 3/8 of an inch difference rough math .

looks like the 320 i shaft is pretty much a direct bolt in with some adjustments .

can conferm when it is dry fitted - catman

[TobyB]

I once thought as you do, young Jedi-

when you get all the parts lined up side- by- side, you'll see the

dimensional challenges of what you speak!

It SEEMS like it should work, it LOOKS like it should work...

and yet...

But keep us posted- it might be easier than I think!

t

[jimk]

I just did the math from Cds drawings. The stock 02 shaft must be shortened 3.5625 ( 90 mm's ) according to page 89 BMW '02 Restoration Guide.

the '02 4 speed length is ( A 25.24" + B 37.64" ) = 62.89 " rounded off

the 320i 5 speed length ( A 22.95" + 36.83" ) = 59.78"

( '02 - 320i ) = 5 speed tranny shaft in the 4 speed 02 location

62.89" - 59.78" = 3.11" ( to be removed from 02 shaft)

from page 89 ( 02 4 speed shaft ) = ( 62.89" - 3.5625 " ) = 59.3275

- catman

Are you considering the difference in thickness of the 320i guibo from the 02 guibo? They are different.