CA + BMW transmission

[tyrannix]

so mike, whats the deal?let us know how this 'normal practice' gets accomplished?you using a custom bellhousing, or an adapter plate, or what (im assuming custom driveshaft)?

or if you dont want the whole world to know for whatever reason, can you email me about it? CJ

[MegasquirtCA]

you ok?

nvm I just read the post.

[Swedish Mike]

Haha! I use Beemer boxes cause the S13 boxes feels like crap to shift and they break if you throw a lot of torque at them.

A brand new or low milage S13 box is strong but they are old now and I don´t want to spend big bucks on repairs.The BMW boxes can handle massive abuse and you shift them faster, I just like them. Getrag and ZF.

You need an adaptor plate between box and engine and then some sort of shaft adaptor or modified drive shaft.The stick is mounted directly into the box as a Nissan, no linkage.

I will have adaptors to sell in a very near future but most guys wont need it.I just think it´s nice to have a really bullitproof box for drag or drifting.

/Mike

[tyrannix]

so youre using the BMW bellhousing then an adaper between the bellhousing and CA block?

besides being beefier, this could be an alternative for somone to get an engine without a transmission, then find a BMW transmission locally

where does the BMW shifter sit as opposed to the nissan? a little further back?

CJ

[Swedish Mike]

so youre using the BMW bellhousing then an adaper between the bellhousing and CA block?

besides being beefier, this could be an alternative for somone to get an engine without a transmission, then find a BMW transmission locally

where does the BMW shifter sit as opposed to the nissan? a little further back?

CJ

This is the hard part, there are many boxes to choose from and they all got different shifter locations and bellhousings. And yes, I use the Beemer bellhousing, in most cases you can´t remove it.

BMW also use disc type LSD´s and if you want to make it even harder, swap in a rear axle as well.

/Mike

[Swedish Mike]

M5 box -> http://www.s-m-u.com/photos_bm...x.jpg

/Mike

[Nowhere]

I'm interested. Looks like the bwm trans is much shorter than the CA..

[Swedish Mike]

I'm interested. Looks like the bwm trans is much shorter than the CA..

Shorter and can handle twice the torque. That´s the good part

/Mike

[originalsin]

does the plate have any affect on the inputshaft fitting into the motor?

[tyrannix]

guessing now, youd use a BMW clutch plate and a CA flywheel/pres plate?

you should do a writeup Mike

CJ

[Swedish Mike]

does the plate have any affect on the inputshaft fitting into the motor?

Normally no, you can always lathe a plug/adaptor to steer it right and the plate is pretty thin.

CJ: Totally right, 240 mm disc.

Most of you guys think I´m crazy but test drive a E36 or E46 M3, best gearbox feeling around.

/Mike

[c-rad]

Couple problems with this thread--

1.) How much torque are you making to break S13 transmissions? As far as stock transmissions go, they're pretty beefy. There are numerous people breaking the 400+ ft-lbs mark without issue.

2.) Finding an E36/46 transmission is not and easy or cheap task. And I imagine for the price of an E46 transmission, you could get yourself a Greddy or OS Giken gear set.

And the way I look at it-- if I DID break my transmission, worse case scenario I drop $50 on a replacement and spend an afternoon swapping it out.

[tyrannix]

well, for my perticular application, the ca20 build, im planning on a 400,450+ RWFTLB powerband, with a peak at under 600

so, we all read that the whole s-body drivetrain can handle 400, but im going to go overand its the E36 transmission that Mike was talking about originally (92+ 318Is, right?)

for me, i like having a cushion, and if a smoother, beefier transmission that wont explode on a track sometime is only a little fabrication or parts from sweeden away, then im all for it

besides the 'can i do it' factor that drives building anything anyway

and (seriously) do you have any sources for greddy or giken gearsets?

CJ

[Swedish Mike]

Couple problems with this thread--

1.) How much torque are you making to break S13 transmissions? As far as stock transmissions go, they're pretty beefy. There are numerous people breaking the 400+ ft-lbs mark without issue.

2.) Finding an E36/46 transmission is not and easy or cheap task. And I imagine for the price of an E46 transmission, you could get yourself a Greddy or OS Giken gear set.

And the way I look at it-- if I DID break my transmission, worse case scenario I drop $50 on a replacement and spend an afternoon swapping it out.

Yeah, good questions. I´ll try to answer.

1.) My last CA had near 340whp and around the same torque, broke two gearboxes within 6 months. Didn´t brake them when shifting, only at full throttle in gear.One time at full boost at 3:rd gear and one time at 4:th.These gearboxes are/were very strong but they are old now and high milage, that´s my guess.Maybe you got a bit lower milage and better condition on your boxes but you´ll soon know what I mean.

2.) If you want to get it cheap, buy a 325 E36 gearbox, very strong and pretty cheap. If you can´t find it in USA it´s always possible to import. If you can import jap parts you can get German stuff easy too?

I will never say this is easy, it´s a custom job. But I want you to know that you can fit a stronger, smaller and more fast shifting gearbox in the Nissan´s "pretty" easy.Some guys here will soon reach the transmission limits, the Madtech S14 used Nissan boxes up to 512 hp, after that they needed 2 spare boxes every drag event.Finally they got tired of it and fitted a BMW one. Now they run 885 hp, still drag and still the same Beemer box.

/Mike

[JaPPster]

Mike, can i use 98" 328 transmission?some bloke is selling it for 200euro :-)

[Swedish Mike]

Mike, can i use 98" 328 transmission?some bloke is selling it for 200euro :-)

Jupp, that´s perfect! That´s a dream box, pretty new, nomally a 98 box is way too expensive.

/Mike

[JaPPster]

just one more info pls, seems i have missed it:-)does a gear stick, fit in s13 hole, or i'll have to cut anything?

thx, mike:-)

[Swedish Mike]

just one more info pls, seems i have missed it:-)does a gear stick, fit in s13 hole, or i'll have to cut anything?

thx, mike:-)

Normally they fit perfect in the stock hole but it depends how you make the adaptor, spacer type or cut of a piece of the Beemer box and replace it with a Nissan piece (welding).It also depends what transmission you use, you got both Getrag and ZF and different models/length.

This is a short M3 5-speed ZF -> http://i6.ebayimg.com/03/i/07/2f/e0/f9_1_b.JPGAs you see you got the stick behind the box, easy to adjust the lenght because this box is shorter than ours.

As soon as I´ve mounted my box I´ll post pics and how to do it the easy way.

/Mike

[JaPPster]

great, thx mike! can u give me an email? :-)

[Swedish Mike]

great, thx mike! can u give me an email? :-)

Check my profile or just e-mail [email protected]

/Mike

[JaPPster]

cool!! :-)