engine and drivetrain removable bell housing?

[1972fritz]

so i am trying to figure this out. an m30 has the same deck height as the m10 so is the tranmission bolt pattern the same? now i thought the m30 came equipped with the 260-265 with a removable bellhousing right? where can someone get one of these bellhousings with out paying out the a$$? and has anyone looked at using this with a t5 or t56 transmission?

[skipsfcr]

The M30 bellhousing flange IS the same. Surely somebody's used one to adapt a different transmission. Seems like just the other day Toby B. may have posted a photo of something he's been working on along those lines.

[TobyB]

naw, I chopped an old 2002 trans in half. It worked... sorta. I made

some other mistakes, so it needs work this winter.

The t5 is huge, and it has a lot of that mass above the driveline center.

When I find an M30 bellhousing in the cheap junkyard, I will

beat myself senseless to get it out and then see what can be done

with it. I predict it will need a LOT of tunnel work to get it in there.

Gordon put a Jerico in his, and his tunnel is quite gorgeous. And VERY custom.

Unless you're nuts, the 245 and a 3.9 or 4.1 gets you 90% of the

effect for 10% of the effort... and a 245-10 gets you 99% of the effect

for 10% of the effort and 400% of the budget. And less weight.

what I've found,

t

[1972fritz]

i am sort of crazy... as far as tunnel work goes thats fine. but how much chopping had to be done on the housing its self? sa far as size goes yes its bigger then lets say the stock or an e21 unit but i have seen cars rip through gears on cars with 700 wheel horse and get 100,000 plus miles! but its an idea i have to think of because im crazy and need to make things more difficult.

[TobyB]

Actually, the hardest part is the welding and re- machining of the

cut 2002 trans.

The tunnel's just basic structural bodywork. You cut away what's going to

hit, add extensions to it, then weld it all back up.

But really, it's not worth it for a street car- the 245 ratios are just fine

for street work, and a 245 can handle anything an M10 head can flow,

including a pretty stout turbo. About the time the 245 is the weak link,

everything else starts to get marginal too...

Beyond that, well, get some parts and start cutting and welding!

heh

t

[1972fritz]

i am going to be running a very stout turbo and either a e30 rear diff or i have been looking at using another diff like a cobra unit or a bmw large case. so i figure with the time i will spend with all that stuff i might as well see about getting rid of all the weak links.

[TobyB]

Then the WC T5 sounds like just the ticket for you. Get your hands on one

and have at it. I'll pop up again when I get my mitts on an M30 bell

and let y'all know how it looks.

I got all excited about Honda S2000 stuff and then realized, uhhh, why not

just race an S2000....

t

[tomorrowcalling]

I've used the bell housing off an automatic E30 318, I had to machine up an adapter plate for the back - but no welding required.

[1972fritz]

tomorrowcalling, want to make another one email me? what year for the bellhousing? did you make the adaptor?

[tomorrowcalling]

Unfortunately I don't have access to the lathe I used to make the adapter, I'd be happy to send you drawings and instructions.

If I recall correctly the box was a 3HP22 although anything from an auto M10 should work. Probably the hardess part was doing the clutch fork. In hindsight a hydraulic release bearing would have been easier.

I ended up using a modified Sierra fork with an E30 slave cylinder.

[TobyB]

I've crawled under a couple of auto E30s and the trans had an integral bell.

Hmmm.

I'm getting cold and muddy up here...

t

[tjones02]

Unless you're nuts, the 245 and a 3.9 or 4.1 gets you 90% of the

effect for 10% of the effort... and a 245-10 gets you 99% of the effect

for 10% of the effort and 400% of the budget. And less weight.

what I've found,

t

And the 240 gets you the all of the overdrive without all of the weight penalty of the 245. As long as you're not trying to push 200hp through it.

[tomorrowcalling]

I've crawled under a couple of auto E30s and the trans had an integral bell.

Hmmm.

I'm getting cold and muddy up here...

t

Are you sure?, RealOEM suggests that all the M10 E30's had the ZF 3HP22 which it also shows as having a removable bell housing.

[TobyB]

No, I really won't swear to it.

This was last winter when I was working on

the Nissan tranny.

It's on my hit list, tho, and there aren't any

318 autos in the cheap yards right now.

But I'll keep looking, 'cause it looks a lot more

adaptable than what I've been using.

t

[peteinjp]

Is there some reason not to use the housing from an 02 auto? I bet someone has one laying around....

pete