Vincent Gagnon
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- Sep 20, 2015
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- Golden, BC
Well, if you want to go this way, I have a pumkin (Volvo IRS MKI) with new bearings and new seals, the locker etc.
I never installed it and I'm not going to use it.
Cheap
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CDxxx on Volvo 740 + Infinity G37 driveshaft
- Thread starter poulrais
- Start date
Well, if you want to go this way, I have a pumkin (Volvo IRS MKI) with new bearings and new seals, the locker etc.
I never installed it and I'm not going to use it.
Cheap
.
poulrais
Well-known member
- Joined
- Sep 8, 2006
- Location
- Quebec, CAN
Well, if you want to go this way, I have a pumkin (Volvo IRS MKI) with new bearings and new seals, the locker etc.
I never installed it and I'm not going to use it.
Cheap
Define "cheap"?
I wouldn't need the ring and pinion gears though!
What are the coil overs options for the MK1 IRS to replace the dreaded Nivomats? Kaphlenke sells them for (gasp!!) $1675 USD! That's $2200 CAD for 2 rear shocks my friends...
Vincent Gagnon
Active member
- Joined
- Sep 20, 2015
- Location
- Golden, BC
like 150$ CAD.
I wouln't pay 2200$ for rear coilovers.
You could simply get whatever shocks listed for a 740 (with a solid axle) and do something like this (and of course match whatever springs you want)
It's the same travel as the solid axle and the same mounting points.
poulrais
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- Sep 8, 2006
- Location
- Quebec, CAN
Nice! But I want coil overs with some adjustment possibilities for the track. I could follow what you did with an adjustable shock in a coil over type setup I guess.
Thanks for the infos and I'll get back to you for you diif!
Vincent Gagnon
Active member
- Joined
- Sep 20, 2015
- Location
- Golden, BC
Nice! But I want coil overs with some adjustment possibilities for the track. I could follow what you did with an adjustable shock in a coil over type setup I guess.
Thanks for the infos and I'll get back to you for you diif!
The coilover thing was the plan (Jvab), but I lost the place I had to work on (it was extremely cheap) and now I'm piling up money to buy a place with a garage and finishing a master at the same time, so the project is on ice....I still have the 240 for fun.
And if you do some sort of coilover setup, you might want to consider to modify the trailing arm and have a big ass bolt going through the whole thing in order to bolt the bottom of the shock.
Also, I don't think that diff is going anywhere and I'm simply not gonna use it.
Anyway, keep us posted.
I used a BMW diff in mine, medium case one with factory LSD and 2.56 ratio in my V12 project. They come in anything from 2.56 to 4.something in ratios. The large case diffs (210mm ring gear) come in anything from 2.65:1 to 3.91:1 and same width and flanges as the volvo diff so no custom axles or adapters. Can be found with LSD and are bomb proof.
For springs you can use any 5" O.D. ones. I used a set of Eibach 1100.500.0450's. 5" O.D. 11" open length and 450 lbs/in. Ride height is exactly right with that (for what I want) and drops right in. Haven?t driven it yet though with them.
For springs you can use any 5" O.D. ones. I used a set of Eibach 1100.500.0450's. 5" O.D. 11" open length and 450 lbs/in. Ride height is exactly right with that (for what I want) and drops right in. Haven?t driven it yet though with them.
When swapping to the IRS axle, you also need the fuel tank and lines from the IRS car, all mounting hardware for that, the rear brake lines + mounting brackets and the hand brake cable. Where the trailing arms bolt to the car, on the IRS car there is a big stud in there on each side, you need those too. And the spring perches/front subframe mount thing that bolts on the chassis where the shocks are. Your 740 should have all the mounting points already prepared in the chassis. All you have to do to the chassis is just lob off the panhard bar mount. Also remove the part on the passenger side that goes just over the subframe mount, it'll be in the way for the exhaust and a pita to remove with the subframe installed.
Also, beef up the toe rods while you're at it. The stock ones are made of spaghetti.
Also, beef up the toe rods while you're at it. The stock ones are made of spaghetti.
poulrais
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- Sep 8, 2006
- Location
- Quebec, CAN
When swapping to the IRS axle, you also need the fuel tank and lines from the IRS car, all mounting hardware for that, the rear brake lines + mounting brackets and the hand brake cable. Where the trailing arms bolt to the car, on the IRS car there is a big stud in there on each side, you need those too. And the spring perches/front subframe mount thing that bolts on the chassis where the shocks are. Your 740 should have all the mounting points already prepared in the chassis. All you have to do to the chassis is just lob off the panhard bar mount. Also remove the part on the passenger side that goes just over the subframe mount, it'll be in the way for the exhaust and a pita to remove with the subframe installed.
Also, beef up the toe rods while you're at it. The stock ones are made of spaghetti.
Thanks for these infos!
For the toe rods you just cut the ends and welded them to a bigger tube?
As for the fuel tank I'm going for a fuel cell in the trunk and I already have steel braided fuel lines.
What BMW model/year is that diff from? I pretty certain that we don't have as much choice to pick from over here than in Europe.
No problem, there are more details and pictures in my project thread. Yes, I just cut the tube off and welded the ends that hold the bushings on a bigger diameter tube. I made them adjustable too by welding on a threaded section on the end (2 M16 nuts on top of each other
) and on the bushing bit I welded an M16 screw. Should hold up fine and it'll give you more adjustability when lowered. As for the diff I used, mine came off of an E36 325 Diesel and those were definitely not available in the US/Canada. I use a medium case diff (so with a 188mm ring gear) with factory LSD. Afaik in the U.S. they range from 2.79:1 all the way to 4.45:1. They can handle serious power too (upwards of 800Nm, depending on ratio) and are a lot cheaper than the large case diffs (the 210mm ring gear ones). All the medium case diff stuff is interchangeable, the only thing that differs between the different models of BMW are the mounting points. That's the reason I went with an E36 one, as it has these 2 big mounting points on the diff cover. The only thing you'd need to order is a set of axle flanges/shafts from a manual transmission 535i, as BMW used 4 different types on these things. I got mine here for 45 dollars: https://ebay.us/xZOYyI. It's type A in that picture you need. The Volvo axles are the same as those. That is basically the flange from the large case diffs, but for the medium case diff. Swapping them takes just a few seconds, as they just pop right out. But if you can find a large case diff in the ratio you want for not too much money, that is the strongest. You can recognize them by the amount of bolts that hold on the round cover things that hold the seals on the sides. The small case diff (160somethingmm ring gear) has 4 bolts there, the medium case ones have 6 and the large have 8. The large diffs come on almost all of the older M cars and V8-V12 models. Usually only the M cars had LSDs though.
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Vincent Gagnon
Active member
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- Sep 20, 2015
- Location
- Golden, BC
Noice!
poulrais
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- Joined
- Sep 8, 2006
- Location
- Quebec, CAN
No problem, there are more details and pictures in my project thread. Yes, I just cut the tube off and welded the ends that hold the bushings on a bigger diameter tube. I made them adjustable too by welding on a threaded section on the end (2 M16 nuts on top of each other
As for the diff I used, mine came off of an E36 525 Diesel and those were definitely not available in the US/Canada. I use a medium case diff (so with a 188mm ring gear) with factory LSD. Afaik in the U.S. they range from 2.79:1 all the way to 4.45:1. They can handle serious power too (upwards of 800Nm, depending on ratio) and are a lot cheaper than the large case diffs (the 210mm ring gear ones). All the medium case diff stuff is interchangeable, the only thing that differs between the different models of BMW are the mounting points. That's the reason I went with an E36 one, as it has these 2 big mounting points on the diff cover. The only thing you'd need to order is a set of axle flanges/shafts from a manual transmission 535i, as BMW used 4 different types on these things. I got mine here for 45 dollars: https://ebay.us/xZOYyI. It's type A in that picture you need. The Volvo axles are the same as those. That is basically the flange from the large case diffs, but for the medium case diff. Swapping them takes just a few seconds, as they just pop right out. But if you can find a large case diff in the ratio you want for not too much money, that is the strongest. You can recognize them by the amount of bolts that hold on the round cover things that hold the seals on the sides. The small case diff (160somethingmm ring gear) has 4 bolts there, the medium case ones have 6 and the large have 8. The large diffs come on almost all of the older M cars and V8-V12 models. Usually only the M cars had LSDs though.
Isn't the E36 the 3 series and the E39 the 5 series from the same era?
Found these on EBay:
https://www.ebay.ca/itm/01-02-BMW-E...377dfff:g:FiEAAOSwNt1aeL4i:rk:19:pf:0&vxp=mtr
https://www.cafr.ebay.ca/itm/OEM-Ge...8a9c597:g:k9gAAOSweZpb2qgu:rk:27:pf:0&vxp=mtr
https://www.cafr.ebay.ca/itm/97-98-...fd6f235:g:kbAAAOSwnLdbczaY:rk:43:pf:0&vxp=mtr
https://www.cafr.ebay.ca/itm/01-03-...ash=item1a64a9f74a:g:i2EAAOSwBJVb5F0W&vxp=mtr
Ouch!
https://www.cafr.ebay.ca/itm/BMW-OE...0c31a83:g:1i4AAOSw7OdcBgnB:rk:23:pf:0&vxp=mtr
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The E36 is indeed the 3 series. Although the E36 model sort of overlaps the time where the E34 5 series and the E39 was sold. The E39 5 series already uses a different style diff, they are neither a large case or a medium case diff and parts dont interchange. Not sure if those were only the later ones though. Also no LSDs at all unless M5. No idea if the axle flanges are the same as a Volvo or not on those. All those you posted are that type and won't work. Well except the last M5 diff you posted, that one is a good example of a large case diff with LSD, but as I said, they tend to go for big money. You can see the bolt circle on either side of the diff on that one, under the axle flanges. 8 bolts = large case, 6 = medium and 4 = small. No bolts, like the ones you posted, = neither. You need something off of an E28, E30, E32, E34, E36 etc. So from an old 3, 5 or 7 series, or even an 840/850. Those were all available with an optional LSD from the factory on the normal models. It was something of a winter package or something iirc. The good thing with all these, is that all internals between the same case type diffs are interchangeable. So if you got an E30 medium case diff, you can just drop in an E36 LSD and E34 axle flanges and an E28 input flange for example.
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Not sure what you're willing to spend on it, but there is enough on ebay:
https://www.cafr.ebay.ca/itm/96-99-...878918?hash=item4d81e6f606:g:LQ8AAOSwCNlcCWLh
https://www.cafr.ebay.ca/itm/2001-2...754067?hash=item4b5736c3d3:g:MQAAAOSwEUdcCVnt
https://www.cafr.ebay.ca/itm/BMW-E2...633886?hash=item2abda9949e:g:7kwAAOSw7eFcCM-m
Although I can imagine it will be cheaper if you found 1 in a local junkyard. They normally have a little tag on one of the diff cover bolts with the ratio on it. If there is an S on it before the ratio number and a white S painted on the housing somewhere, it has an LSD. (S is german for Sperrdifferential, means LSD).
Edit: bit of useful info: https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/...itty-gritty-on-Large-vs-Medium-case-diff-swap
https://www.cafr.ebay.ca/itm/96-99-...878918?hash=item4d81e6f606:g:LQ8AAOSwCNlcCWLh
https://www.cafr.ebay.ca/itm/2001-2...754067?hash=item4b5736c3d3:g:MQAAAOSwEUdcCVnt
https://www.cafr.ebay.ca/itm/BMW-E2...633886?hash=item2abda9949e:g:7kwAAOSw7eFcCM-m
Although I can imagine it will be cheaper if you found 1 in a local junkyard. They normally have a little tag on one of the diff cover bolts with the ratio on it. If there is an S on it before the ratio number and a white S painted on the housing somewhere, it has an LSD. (S is german for Sperrdifferential, means LSD).
Edit: bit of useful info: https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/...itty-gritty-on-Large-vs-Medium-case-diff-swap
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