Carl,
Wanted to see if you would be willing to add some more details on how this setup has been working for you now that you have had it in there for a while, thoughts on whether it's a worthwhile upgrade and anything you would recommend doing differently.
I have been casually looking for an M90 swap kit for my 1983 760 and have now found one, complete with shift linkage, driveline, etc. Getting tired of the M46 and the need to do something to it at least every year or two. I also found parts to swap to an M47 but those have the same extra short 1st gear ratio as the M46 and are known for being more fragile, although I doubt I would break one the way I use the car. The T5 swaps are appealing and they have better ratio spacing but everyone seems to have problems getting the shifter area to seal up well and positioning the shift lever without cutting up the floor, plus they are pretty noisy. And for the cost of the adapter and machining and driveline work, plus a decent used T5 trans, the price difference in the end is minimal. So, going with the M90 that bolts right in and has better ratio spacing is a route I am considering.
Here are the specific questions I have:
- Did everything work out OK with the rear transmission mount and its crossmember? Would you be able to post some pictures of how the late style mount bolted up to the early car you have, and what the canted front motor mounts look like now with everything installed? You didn't have to swap to the late style vertical motor mounts and brackets, right?
- Did you need to change to a hydraulic clutch pedal, or were you able to continue with a cable operated clutch somehow?
- It sounds like you kept the original dog dish type solid flywheel that had been used with the old M46 and that worked fine with the M90? Is the clutch disk different, different input shaft splines etc? Or could an M46/47 type friction disk work also with an M90? M90 specific parts might be tough to source here.
- Are you happy with the shift quality, gear ratio spacing, and noise level of the gearbox? How would you compare it to the M46 you took out?
Thanks in advance for any more you can share.
