engine and drivetrain transmission conversion question

[Guest Anonymous]

Hi

I've always dreamed of owning an 02 and am considering purchasing one that is currently listed on ebay, however the tranny is an automatic. It comes with an un installed extra 5 speed transmission and a driveshaft of a 320i, so my question is how difficult/realistic is it to do the conversion.

[Guest Anonymous]

http://www.lexam.net/peter/carnut/5-speed.html

[Grover]

My belief is that a 5-speed will go into a car that had an automatic just fine. In some ways it may even be a little easier because the tranny tunnel is a little wider with the automatic and it won't need to be "re-shaped" as it would if you were converting from a 4-speed (to accomodate an external clutch slave.) Do you know any details about the 5-speed which comes with the car? From the research I did it looked like the Getrag 245 from an '80-82 320i was the one to go with. Later models came with an electronic connection for the speedo vs. the mechanical one on 2002's. Is it a 3-bolt or 4-bolt output flange? Supposedly the 3-bolt is stronger although you obviously have to then mate it to a 3-bolt driveshaft. I am less clear on which driveshafts will work without fabrication. I used a 2002 driveshaft which was shortened to accomodate the longer 5-speed tranny. I actually bought a conversion kit from Aardvarc Racing www.2002parts.com and Dave, the owner, was extremely helpful. 2002haus also has a conversion kit. In terms of the labor, I did it myself with no prior knowledge on how to do such things although I am relatively mechanically inclined. I did it over a 3-day weekend without too many issues. Good luck.

[Mike Self]

1. A manual tranny flywheel and clutch assembly w T/O bearing

2. Clutch hydraulics (M/C, the proper slave cylinder, rigid and flex hydraulic lines)

3. a manual tranny brake fluid reservoir with separate feed for the clutch hydraulics

4. A manual tranny pedal bucket/pedals

The 320 driveshaft that comes with the car will be the proper donor for the guibo coupling that will be welded to the shortened 2002 driveshaft. Make sure you get the proper dimensions for the shortened '02 driveshaft; automatic driveshafts are different length than stick shift ones, so the amount to be cut off is different, and it also makes a difference whether you use a 6 or 8 bolt guibo in driveshaft length.

The original speedo cable from the automatic will be long enough to accomodate the 5 speed.

That all being said, the conversion isn't that difficult; better still, it's been done many times and all the tricks are well documented. Several folks make conversion kits, which make the process even easier.

Go for it; I'm in the process right now.

Cheers

mike

[jpcapoc]

I'm starting my conversion tomorrow! I got my parts from Ireland Engineering. I'll let you all know how it goes.