WOOHOOO! She's in and working!!!
A month in the making and it is ALL worth it! The ratios are perfectly matched. For the first time in my ownership, 2nd can easily come with some spin
On to the install notes/pics:
First of all, I should make it clear that I accomplished the swap in my own garage, with minimal "fancy" tools, and no welder. I think the only tool I used that some might not have is a drill press and a tap set. Both of them are invaluable fabbing tools; I highly recommend them. Of course, my air ratchet made things much easier, but it is by no means necessary.
My transmission came out of an '85 535is. It is actually my second tranny as the first was stuck in gear, and therefore was replaced by the yard that sold it to me. The adapter plate came from Sean, along with the necessary bushing for the pilot bushing. I can attest to the quality of the CNC'ing and quick/easy shipping of the seller. I bought new bearings (T/O and pilot) and would highly recommend it while you're down there.
The clutch was purchased from Clutchnet. I have a 6-puck spring hub disc out of an M3.
The pressure plate is a modified Volvo unit with dual springs.
The action is VERY stiff. I assumed it'd be firm like my M5, but this thing makes the BMW feel like the Volvo USED to feel in comparison. While I think it'll be okay for street, I'd say it's just barely so. However, I went this route as I'll soon start a build up of an AQ motor and didn't want to replace the clutch again. There is a little chatter on take up, but once rolling it's real positive. As I mentioned before, grabbing second is a whole new experience! I think the total for both was around $450.
For the mount, I just fabbed up a piece of heavy angle iron from Home Depot. Unfortunately I forgot to take a pic of the tranny installed, so you'll have to bear with me until I can get one up. Here is the mount itself:
The two upper holes bolt onto unused holes in the back of the tranny, which are perfectly spaced and level with respect to the centerline. Through the single hole in the mount, an M10 bolt goes through the original Volvo mount on the crossmember. I believe I didn't move the crossmember from where it sat with the M46, but it may have shifted a whole. A word of advice: I had to remake the mount because I didn't pay close enough attention to the spacing of the lower hole with respect to the two which mount on the tranny, and the driveline was cocked by about 1-2degrees. MAJOR vibration. Additionally, my first mount (actually the one pictured) was a bit too wide. Instead of resting solely on the rubber volvo mount, the piece extended too far on either side and was hitting the two bolts which secure the volvo mount to the crossmember. MAJOR vibration. =o) Once these two issues were addressed, everything was A-OK and smooth as it ever was.
The shifter was pretty easy in retrospect:
As you can see, I took the bmw shift tower, cut it in half, then extended it with angle iron. I then drilled/tapped the iron and bolted it to the original tower. I painted it all with rust-oleum for protection (no I know it's not pretty, but it gets the job done) IIRC the shifter had to be extended 5" for my 745.
The shift rod was actually the easiest:
The BMW rod is a round tube. I just cut it in half and found a tube that had the same ID as the BMW's OD. Then I just slipped them together, drilled/tapped and secured with bolts. I believe in this picture my original design, utilizing tension rods is appparent. However, it ultimately gave me too much slop in the shifter. Next to the shifter, you can see my UUC EVO3 short shifter. It's an amazing piece! However, it has made the shifts a bit "crunchy" and I'm not 100% sure I'd use it in the swap again. I'm sure it's amazing in a normal BMW, but with the extension, it's not as smooth.
Finally, the driveshaft was a piece of cake. It needed to be extended a little over 8", and it bolts right up to the tranny using either the Volvo or BMW guibo. I used the Volvo one because it was practically brand new. It cost about $100 at my local driveline shop. Naturally, measure it about 5 times before you take it in, so you can be absolutely sure!
All in all, it's been an well-worthwhile improvement. My total out of pocket is close to $1,000, although you could probably shave about $500 off if you were really frugal and reused your stock PP. I'll have more pics up in another day or to.
-Lloyd
Oddly enough, my outer case is marked 262, but it is definitely a 5spd with a normal shift pattern (no CR for me!) When I got home, the lady went up on jackstands, the air compressor powered up and the M46 was free in a little over an hour (it's amazing how quick it comes out when you've done it a few times...not to mention with the aid of air tools). The adapter plate should be here tomorrow, and I hope to have everything squared away by next week (alas, I have fam coming into town tomorrow night - sunday, so the project is a big no-no for the weekend). I'll post pics and such as I go through it all.
just space it out till you get your desired angle..
