bravo

Cheers mops - will contact you if I get stuck. I'm doing a manual conversion, so everything is coming out of the car anyway. Will be pulling auto out today, if all goes well will have g/b tomorrow, if not it will arrive next Monday (depends on when my "private courier" is heading to Auckland - today or next sunday) So will be ordering lever and other ancillaries either this week or next (need to eyeball box first incase anything missing.) Thanks again.

e30 zone and r3v limited recommend the z3 1.9 - not as short as z3-m, but less notchy, and already have the bend required to stop the lever position being further forward.Thanks for the links - I think I can figure it out from the e30 zone how-to combined with all the auto-man conv threads I've been reading. If everything goes to plan will have 'box by next weekend at the latest, then will prob need at least a week- two weeks to get other various parts. Then study for exams, then exam, then sth aux meet, then start conversion....... Man car going to be imobile for awhile...

Cheers bemmaboi - that's the one I was thinking of. Carl - mines an '89, and 'box is coming of a '87 - I haven't looked, but it should be the aluminium arm type.

I can't remember where I saw the how-to on this. Anyone able to point me in the right directin. Going to do at the same time as my manual conv. Cheers

Ray 094210897 0211625615

Correct re pricing.It's Ray not Roy, calls himself Coastal BMW. I've bought parts from him, but its definately buyer beware. I mean I've got some good bits, and he's very helpful and knowledgable - even let me return something that was faulty. Have to make an edit - he's just hooking me up with a manual conv. at a reasonable price, and had me up over this post. So I agreed it was a bit harsh. I guess its the same with all secondhand parts - you have to watch what you are buying and be aware of the risks. Also I suppose if its a business, then you have to make a profit somehow. Schmeh - cheers for holding the 'box for me Ray.

That dude trips me out - where in the hell does he find this sh*t? Lock me in for $1050.

Agreed - screen is very cool. I played some driving game wherby the more you drift, the more NOS you get, and when you fill up a tank you can give yourself a shot. Was very cool, but I'd never buy one. Just like my cell phone - it has a wicked colour screen, can take pictures and videos, play MP3's and store computer files on it's half gig MMC card, and can surf the net in xhtml meaing I see web pages as they were meant to look in full color, but apart from internet banking I hardlyever use any of these features and my next ph will be a $100 monochrome. If I want a digi cam, I can get a much nicer one for the $700 I paid for my phone. A PSP fits in the same category - for a couple of hundy I can get a decent portable DVD player, and for the price of a PSP pack with games and extra memory I can put an in-car DVD player with 7in screeen in my car. Guess which one I'd rather have???

Yeah I'm with gus - go cheap holden parts!

Gearbox is shagged - what were you wanting for your one bem-on. PM me or 021 634747 Cheers

badass

Satin or matt is pretty staunch. Gloss will be badass too if coupled with the right kit, your shadowchrome, black grill, tints and some nice rims. Black weaves??? I'd only go matt/satin if I was wanting to sack it on some ridiculous wheels and crawl queen st, or if I was building a drifta. A track car with street cred that has been done properly = gloss. IMHO. :thumb:

I wouldn't buy any vehicle sight-unseen, and definately not a singaporean import. Worth a look if it's still unsold once it gets here, but I'd be very very careful. The problem with Singaporean imports is that most of the problems are unetectable, and you won't see the symptoms until a few months or years down the track. Personally I wouldn't bother, but that said, it may also be a fine bargain - its up to you to weigh the risks. I see it has a 2yr mechanical waarranty - I would be reading the conditions of this very carefully and insisting it cover any electronic failures.

I want really really easy hah! Sweet as - all comments duly noted. Will archive in my head for when it's the right time.

Shadowchrome that sh*t! - Then it'll look damn cool. I still can't get over 85mm off the ground - that is damn low bro - normally looks too low, but works with those rims. If you ever sell them, let me know.

I am also looking at a manual conversion. Eurospares in Manakau will supply you with a full conversion kit for $1500 plus GST European Auto Spares 8 Ryan Place, Manukau City Auckland, New Zealand Phone +64 9 262 3752 Fax +64 9 262 3641 Website - http://www.europart.co.nz Email - [email protected] I know because I rang them yesterday. A replacement auto is $950 + GST.

I'll let you know. Mechanic couldn't find my so-called leak, and the oil has stopped pissing out of it (self fixed????) I still want to do a manual conversion, but if the auto can last me a couple more months, I might do the conversion over the xmas break when I can trek down country for a few days and twist somebodies arm to help me do it.

Hmmmm, got me thinking now - thanks guys. Brent - I'll keep them in mind, but engine swap is a wee way away yet, but 'box swap might be in the next few weeks possibly, so am trying to plan ahead, but seems it doesn't really matter which box I go for as long as it's from an m20 or m30 I should be able to make it fit. What is the difference between the m20 2.5 from an e34 and a m2o 2,5 from an e30? Just the ecu and loom, or more?

If you are thinking of getting mags at some stage, and can afford them now, go for them . If you can't afford them, then you are stuck. Your current wheels are 14". 15" basket weaves would look good and cost secondhand anywhere from $400 to $800 and come up on trade me from time to time. If you want something different or bigger, you should be looking at some 17"s. You need a 4x100 stud pattern, and rear-wheel-drive offset (about a 35 offset is right from memory). So be careful buying secondhand unless you know they will fit. 17" tyres are generally cheaper than 16" or 18" due to their popularity. If you are going to buy new you can get a deal that includes tyres. New 17"s with tyres go from approx $1800 for something really basic up to several thousand dollars. Budget 2-3 grand and you'll get something cool. Beware going for 17"s with your current ride height - it will look terrible. If you are not looking at lowering the car at some stage I would suggest the basket weaves, or another cheap upgrade would be to go to 14" bottlecaps (which is what I have at the moment). You can pick up a good condition set of these with four good tyres secondhand for $100-200. I got mine for $160 with near new tyres and they included the spare, and are in average condition. 4 new tyres would have cost me more, so was cheaper to buy the wheels with them on than new tyres!

Sweet - cheers 4 that info. A list of compatible engines/bxes must be around somewhere - anyone got one?

Some good points there surge. $1200? that's cheaper than I had in mind which is good news. As much as jap stuff is usually easier to obtain and service etc, everythign is pointing back to BMW. Now if I could figure out how to marry a m50-powered 525 trans to my m20b20 in the meantime, then upgrade to a m50b25 later - then I'd be in business.

Already been in contact - he's keeping an eye out.bme-on - what's involved in putting an e34 gearbox on an e30 - do you know? The verdict on the auto (as of about three hours ago) is that the seal hasn't gone like I thought, it's just getting tired and I ran it on almost no fluid for awhile I think as my dipstick is a bitch to read. So I can still use the car, but need to start looking at manual options. I would love to chuck a wee supra or celica box in, but don't want to figure it out from scratch if I can help it, so I'll probably go BMW unless someone has done it and is willing to spend some time giving me advice along the way. Thanks for the feedback. I'll post a want to buy thread in a couple of weeks - I made a very hefty purchase today and so will be broke for a couple of weeks till that is sorted out. Cheers

Semi-copied from a PM I sent Andrew: I measured ride height after I emptied my boot - 55mm drop rear 40mm front. About 120mm min ground clearance. Judder bars own me now. Had the full boot (sub plus old front struts, old rear shocks old springs) and a full backseat on sunday and ground clearance was about 100mm. Car looks good (front could poss be lower for some tuckage and rake, but that'd prob be detrimental to handling/balance) and I'm pleasantly surprised at how different the car handles. I haven't pushed it enough to notice the extra understeer Andrew predicted, but I have noticed much less oversteer, and when I do get the tail out, it seems much easier to control on the throttle than before. Very flat cornering compared with the old setup. Also kind of glad I decided on yours - after driving on Northland roads I've decided its plenty firm enough and Andrews would make driving more tiring. Thanks again for all the hours put in. Anyway, that aside, anyone put a non-bmw 'box in??? Or anyone got a 320, 323 or 325 manual wreck lying around I could buy??? Preferrably f/l so I can pillage other parts, but anything with a good cond 'box, clutch and diff considered

What are the cost comparisons between buying and installing a fully reconditioned m20 2.5 vs. a m50 2.5 vs. something japanese (rbxxdet's being the most popular I have seen). The 2.0 m20 is sweet for now, but if I'm looking at out-sourcing a gearbox I should also be looking at my future options for powerplant. My e30 shell is mint - Andrew and Gus can atest to its lack of rust... anywhere... I don't want a 2-door, and no sunroof doesn't bother me all that much, so there's no point in just buying another car. I like wasting my money on my car as it gives me something to do, so please humour me with some ideas of costs etc. Assume I'll be doing only limited work myself. I intend on doing alot, but will need help from time to time. Bravo

I have no loyalty to BMW parts in this particular car - its a damn 320 for starters! The auto may or may not be able to be fixed and I have already been threatened with public humiliation if I even consider putting another auto in (as if I would!) Anyway, finding an appropriate donor car is proving difficult, and I can forsee the dollars adding up anyway, so was wondering if anyone had heard of anyone out there who had amrried a non-bmw manual in? At this stage price no-object - I don't really care - I just want to know wether its been done.