tylerbntt 0 Report post Posted March 16, 2021 Wanting to manual convert my 98 e36. Trying to find the cheapest way to do so, don't mind doing the conversion myself but will pay labour if it's not much more. Dunno where to start, cant seem to find many parts or kits. Anyone have an idea on the rough price and what I need? Cheers Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Greendinosaur 0 Report post Posted September 23, 2021 How’s the conversion coming along? Im thinking of doing a manual conversion on my E46 and also not sure where to start. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sammo 2544 Report post Posted September 23, 2021 Manual conversions are getting into not worth it territory these days unless its a special car / you have the bits lying about and the know-how. Recently an E36 G220 kit (with used clutch / flywheel) and unknown kms went for almost $3k. If you want a ZF box would get pretty spendy, plus labour, coding and LVVTA cert gets very expensive very quickly. Partly why E30/E36/E46 manuals command such a premium now. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Blackie 510 Report post Posted November 11, 2021 This question gets asked a lot. Sammo is right in everything he says but for my 2c.. Putting whether it's a ZF or Getrag aside for a sec, I think the cheapest way to get a manual is to buy one that's already manual. If you're wedded to your current car, then I would suggest you buy another one that's manual to donate the parts from and sell off what you don't need afterwards to recover some money. Pick something non-motorsport, sedan, grey/silver which are less desirable and command less money. Four cylidners seem less common but generally cheaper when they do come up. I wouldn't discount the Getrag over the ZF. Both are fine for the power levels of the M52. Rightly or wrongly I have been watching some E46 diesels in manual form which have been quite cheap. One was passed in and didn't sell for 4k and had a 6 speed converstion. I would have had that if it wasn't in Invercargill. I have no idea how well these boxes work behind an M52 but for that money I would have taken the gamble. Also budget for a new clutch and flywheel ($1,200) as what comes out is bound to be wasted - look at the heat checked one currently on trademe for an example of this. Every dual mass flywheel I have measured has been out of spec for re-use and they cannot be resurfaced anyway. They're 'one use' from my experience. Then coding ($200), cert ($800?), randoms/consumables (+/-$500?), etc, etc. Good luck Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
