Hey all, So i just bought a 91 240 automatic non-turbo with believe it or not 53k kilometers on it. Im buying it as a project and first things first I really want to swap in a manual (M46 or 47) and down the line pull the engine to give it a good makeover and a turbo. Ive read every thread and post I can find on these subjects and all the people saying its easy/impossible and everything you need. Im an apprentice AME so I can spin a wrench and whatever. I sure I can do it I just have no clue how to find the parts. Ive checked as many autowrecker sites that I can find and it doesnt seem like theres a single damn 240 in the scrapyard in this province. How do you all go about sourcing parts for your builds and whatnot? Should i just give up on the redblock and start planning a v8 swap? Anyway any advice is appreciated and im happy to be part of this 240 thing, even if im getting a little nervous.

 

Having done an auto to 5-speed swap on a BMW E30 I was fortunate enough to find a compete 5-speed car that was all rusted out for $500.00 and was very happy I went this route vs trying to source all the individual parts. Just the pedal bucket and transmission will probably cost you as much as a whole car. And with a complete car you will have all the small things that quickly add up in cost.

Being in Canada adds a bit of complexity with customs and shipping I would assume, but plenty of 240's came into your country. Be patient and search CL diligently. Decide on how far you are willing to travel to pick up a car or how much you would pay to have a car shipped. Factor in the coast of renting a U-Haul trailer and be prepared to travel for what you want. I once took a 2 day overnight trip from Massachusetts to Ontario to buy a complete Toyota FJ75 Landcruiser dash, a vehicle you guys got in Canada, but we didn't in the US.

Also consider that if you do buy a whole car you will have parts that can be sold to recoup some of the cost.

I can't suggest enough that buying a whole car "could" be cheaper in the long run.

 

You HAVE to find the parts from a second hand source or your project will be overly expensive. Used, you can buy a whole car for peanuts, get all the parts... Yeah, it is time consuming. So, second what Grunt says!

 

the M46 4+OD will require some wiring changes behind the dash as the manual overdrive relay is quite different than the automatic overdrive relay.

 

oh, and re turbo, its easier and more robust to swap in an entire turbo engine, probably from a 940 T, than to add a turbo to a non-turbo engine. the turbo engines have lower compression ratios, etc. but, fitting the 940 intercooler into a 240 migth be tricky.

if you ARE going to go the turbo route, you should stick with the M46 4+OD as its a sturdier transmission than the M47 5-speed. of course, teh AW71 automatic used with the turbo is even sturdier.