Another Newb Question.
 

I've got another silly question(s). My swap is being postponed...But I HAVE to get this auto out of the car!
Here's my question: Is the 4 cylinder bell housing bolt pattern the same as a 6 cylinder?
If I swap my tranny first can I come back later and do the motor or do I have to do them at the same time "all at once" if they're a different pattern, and use a 6 cylinder trans???

AND if the 4 cylinder trans will work with a 6 cylinder is there a difference in ratio's?

AND are there any difference's in ECU's, gauge clusters, and wire harnesses when going from auto to manual?

THANKS IN ADVANCE FOR ANY INFO.......

Same pattern I think.. 6 cylinder ZF might be slightly taller gearing ..

Any e36 transmission will bolt right up to any e36 engine 4cyl or 6cyl. 318's and 325's came with Getrag transmissions and 328's and M3's came with ZF transmissions. Either will work just fine, however the ZF is about an inch and a half longer than the Getrag. You may be able to shorten your driveshaft by loosening the collar and sliding it back a little towards the center support bearing. Otherwise you'll need a shorter front section off of a manual 328 or M3. Also, the ZF tranny uses a larger flex disc(guibo) and the transmission output flange man not have the same bolt pattern as the ti driveshaft(can't remember, but I can check tomorrow). The gear ratio's between the two transmissions are slightly different, however 5th gear is the same ratio @ 1.00. The difference in 1st-4th gears is unnoticeable. FWIW, a Getrag transmission will hold up just fine with a 6cyl engine. 325's came with them as well as 318's.

You're going to need a flywheel and a matching clutch. If you're going with a 6cyl later down the road, get a 6cyl flywheel and clutch(preferably an M3 or LTW setup. It should bolt right up to the 4cyl crankshaft IIRC. You're gonna ditch your automatic transmission computer. Manuals don't use a computer. Then you're gonna have to wire up a reverse light switch, a clutch safety switch(won't allow the car to start unless the clutch is engaged) and also there's some thing that needs to be bypassed so the car doesn't think it's in park or something like that. Talk to Marv17, he went through this when he did his S52/ auto to manual swap.