Posted by Troy Rudolph on August 19, 1998 at 16:43:42:
In Reply to: 4 speed to 5 speed conversion posted by Ken Meyer, Jr. on August 19, 1998 at 15:56:46:
The two 5-speed transmissions that will fit easily into an E12 are 1) the Getrag 265 5-speed overdrive used in the '80-'81 5, 6, and 7 series cars and the '85 535i, and 2) the Getrag 262CR close-ratio used in the early 80s Euro BMWs and the E30 M3.
There are others that can be used like the Getrag 280, but they have no speedo drive, so you have to convert to an electronic speedo and ...
I don't think the 528e used the 265. You can check the Metric Mechanic website (http://www.metricmechanic.com) for tips on how to ID the trans.
To convert from 4-spd to 5-spd manual, you'll need the following parts from the donor car:
1) transmision,
2) driveshaft,
3) shifter w/ mountings,
4) speedo cable,
5) crossmember and mounts,
6) Some Redline MTL to fill the new trans. (It makes a difference.)
You should be able to find all of this for $700 - $1000 depending on the mileage and your area.
The 4-spd to 5-spd conversion is not difficult. The most difficult task, was to "bench press" the 95 pound transmission into the exact position and then hold it up while sliding it forward to push the input shaft into the clutch disc.
Hope this helps.