Engine swap questions?

[jjg43]

Hi everyone,

My cousin has a 86 535i (manual) and a 89 535i (auto). The 89 motor is shot and he was thinking of putting the 86 motor in the E34. Is this a difficult job considering he has the eletronics, ECU, etc. from both cars. He would also be considering making the E34 a manual with the E28 parts. Can these things be done or is it not worth it? The E28 motor has about 115k miles on it.

Thanks

[Kalevera]

I wouldn't do it. For one, the M30 in e28 cars is a lot different than the M30 in the e34 cars. You could probably use the 260/6 in the e28, as well as other associated componentry, to convert the e34 to a manual car, but you'd have to go through the ETK to determine what of the e28 will work and what won't.

best, whit