Looking for ZF310 swap parts

[5kcstq]

Hello all,
I'm having trouble finding the rest of the ZF310 conversion parts for my Touring, and thought I'd ask here. I need a pre 7/92 trans crossmember, MT driveshaft, rear diff, and the pedal cluster.
If anyone has any of this for sale, or might know where to find them, I'd appreciate the info!

Thanks much,
Tim

[TouringDan]

You need to be really careful about the crossmember. The ZF310 was used in the E34 for 91-92 525's and 94-95 540's - ONLY. The GT unit will not fit. I know of what I speak - trust me.

Check this thread, or search for others that have done the swap:
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=729157

There is another writeup on here that is excellent. Xatlas, I think?

[Goathumper]

FWIW, the crossmember isnt that expensive new.

[5kcstq]

Yeah, the crossmember needs to come from a 9/90-7/92 525 car. I thought I had remembered reading in Shrike's writeup that it was NLA at the dealer. If it isn't, I'll just buy a new one. List price is only like $34 or something.
Finding the driveshaft and corresponding rear diff that has me worried :)

[Goathumper]

check ebay, they pop up.

[HausBimmer]

What's in a 530i 5 speed (pretty sure its a ZF)? A nice one just turned up at my local U Pull & Pay.

[5kcstq]

ZF, but not the same bellhousing as the M50 cars. I'd pull the tranny, driveshaft, pedal cluster, and rear diff as fast as I could if I was you. The 530 5speed's are pretty rare, and those parts are worth a fair amount. I could use the pedal cluster, but I don't think the rest of it would work on my 525iT.

[TouringDan]

The dealership has the crossmember listed as "NLA" - at least the one here does....

[Goathumper]

try "the euro depot"....they work magic with the bmw parts

[kalevera]

Yeah, the crossmember needs to come from a 9/90-7/92 525 car. I thought I had remembered reading in Shrike's writeup that it was NLA at the dealer. If it isn't, I'll just buy a new one.


You can buy them new.



List price is only like $34 or something.
Finding the driveshaft and corresponding rear diff that has me worried :)

I'd get a reman driveshaft from Beyer. They won't sell you one directly, they wholesale to shops only. They're reasonably priced, and the U joint is high quality and replaceable, unlike any other shaft (that I'm aware of) on the market. Most BMW specialists can get you a Beyer driveshaft, I can also hook you up.

I'd put the car together with the existing 4.10 and see what you think. Expect it to be too short. There are lots of good alternatives to the (stock) 3.23. Try a 3.46, maybe a 3.64. Lots of people have this idea that the rear end HAS to be changed during the swap, perpetuated by people who do writeups around here, and that's just not the case.

[attack eagle]

shrike will tell you the 3.64 is still too short. i've driven with the auto in 3rd (1:1) and a 4.10 is far too short a gear on the freeway.
I think a lot of it depends on what you can expect your 'normal' speed to be, and how long you would run at that speed on average.

The new driveshaft suggestion is a good idea lowell, but if you wanted that new manual driveshaft to bolt up, you'd need to have a manual diff flange swapped onto the 4.10, or mix and match driveshaft ends. Part of the reason why I am keeping my 4.10 and rear DS is just so i can play with them later if I want to.

[HausBimmer]

ZF, but not the same bellhousing as the M50 cars. I'd pull the tranny, driveshaft, pedal cluster, and rear diff as fast as I could if I was you. The 530 5speed's are pretty rare, and those parts are worth a fair amount. I could use the pedal cluster, but I don't think the rest of it would work on my 525iT.


Do you know if the trans is the 320z like in my wife's '97 528i? Weren't some of the 540i's originally 5 speeds - mostly wondering if I should get the trans, flywheel and Motronic while I'm at it.

[5kcstq]

I believe originally the 530i 5speed's were ZF310's, but I've no firsthand experience. ETKA lists them as a ZF310. Either way, I'd snag the flywheel, trans, crossmember, pedal cluster, and driveshaft for sure. I see the V8 5speeds selling for 1k+