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7-series conversion to manual and engine swap?

25K views 10 replies 10 participants last post by  daf6989 
#1 ·
I want to get a 7-series bmw because I love the body line and overall look of the car. However no 7 series that I know of come with a manual transmission. I know that a 735i was made at one point and some came with a manual transmission but they are hard to find. So it got me thinking if anyone knows if it is possible to convert a 1995-2001 e38 740i to a 725i with a manual transmission using a donor 325i because I want a straight six with a manual transmission and the look of a 7-series. I would put work into the 2.5L engine before doing the swap so I am not concerned about power. If anyone could help let me know. Thanks
 
#4 ·
the 735i was the last manual 7 series in the us, and was in the e32 chassis. the 4.0 & 5.0 were both autos.

the e38's did not come in the north american market with 6's, or manuals. however, a 95 e38 740i (not the l chassis) can be (and has been) swapped over tp a 6 speed manual from a 5 series. it will fit, and the driveshaft and the rest of the parts are all oe parts, so no 'custom fabrication' would be needed.

there are lots of threads on this on the internet.

swapping out a v8 to run a 6 is silly. your options for this are the m20 (too old...), m50/52 (too slow, just drive a 525 and you'll see...), s50/52 (too expensive to do this sort of swap anyway...why pull out a stock 300ish hp for a smaller inline 6 with about the same horsepower but will need 3x the $ in fabrication/programming for it to work properly), an m30 (less horsepower, about the same fuel economy as a v8)

so in a nutshell, keep the v8, look for a non 'l' chassis, and do a 6 speed swap. a 5 speed may also work, not sure though. i believe the 7's all came with a 6 speed in the euro models.



df
 
#11 ·
the 735i was the last manual 7 series in the us, and was in the e32 chassis. the 4.0 & 5.0 were both autos. the e38's did not come in the north american market with 6's, or manuals. however, a 95 e38 740i (not the l chassis) can be (and has been) swapped over tp a 6 speed manual from a 5 series. it will fit, and the driveshaft and the rest of the parts are all oe parts, so no 'custom fabrication' would be needed. there are lots of threads on this on the internet. swapping out a v8 to run a 6 is silly. your options for this are the m20 (too old...), m50/52 (too slow, just drive a 525 and you'll see...), s50/52 (too expensive to do this sort of swap anyway...why pull out a stock 300ish hp for a smaller inline 6 with about the same horsepower but will need 3x the $ in fabrication/programming for it to work properly), an m30 (less horsepower, about the same fuel economy as a v8) so in a nutshell, keep the v8, look for a non 'l' chassis, and do a 6 speed swap. a 5 speed may also work, not sure though. i believe the 7's all came with a 6 speed in the euro models. df
Where I live right now there is a 2001 735 six speedamual car for sale for six grand I'm trying to get it
 
#8 ·
You need 540i transmission. If you find a parting 540i, grab all the stuff from it. Pedal assembly, slave-cylinder, master-cylinder all of it. If you have in iL you'll need a custom driveshaft, otherwise its said that 740i and 540i driveshafts are same. In the end you'll need someone to program your car so your FAIL-SAFE and SERVICE ENGINE SOON lights go away.
 
#10 ·
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