engine and drivetrain Which is the better 5 speed for conversion? 3 or 4 bolt?

[jrhone]

I have a 76 and I am going to do the 5 speed conversion. Which transmission is better? 3 or 4 bolt. Thx.

[BarryA]

Either one will work successfully, but the general consensus seems to be that the late E21 6 bolt guibo is somewhat more durable than the 8 bolt unit used on '02s and early E21s.

3 bolt flange units superceeded the 4 bolt units pretty early in the E21 OD 5 speed production run, and are more common - you're going to have to cut and shorten the driveshaft anyway, so it's just as easy to convert to a 6 bolt as not.....

[gwb72tii]

either is fine

[pureaudio]

I have a 4 bolt in my 76 and had a 3 bolt in my 74, which is now in my new 74, and I've never noticed a difference between the 2.

[TobyB]

Whichever one you have is best!

I like the 4 bolt because it's a 2002 part.

I like the 3 bolt because the guibo itself seems more durable.

Often it's easier to find the 3- bolt (2 years vs one)

but for some reason, I seem to be finding mostly 4- bolts recently.

t

[zooz3]

since we are talking about conversion. I need a 3 hole transmission output flange that will not cost me 2 bills. my 5 speed has 4 and my drive shaft 3. zooz3

[Hammer03]

Not to step on your thread, but I feel like this is germane to the topic:

Has anyone compared the e36 non-M 6 bolt guibo (which according to pelicanparts is interchangeable with the e21 unit) and the m3 piece? I know the m3 guibo's are reinforced and don't fall apart as easily. I wonder if the difference is only a few millimeters in thickness and if it could be used on a 5 speed swap if the depth is accounted for when having the driveshaft shortened?

I can't say I'm a fan of the 8 bolt guibos, when they let loose it really seems to just fall apart.

[Pinepig]

since we are talking about conversion. I need a 3 hole transmission output flange that will not cost me 2 bills. my 5 speed has 4 and my drive shaft 3. zooz3

Send me an Email at Imapinepig at Surewest dot net I just pulled my broken 5 speed out, and the output shaft is already off, make an offer.

[jerry]

since we are talking about conversion. I need a 3 hole transmission output flange that will not cost me 2 bills. my 5 speed has 4 and my drive shaft 3. zooz3

Send me an Email at Imapinepig at Surewest dot net I just pulled my broken 5 speed out, and the output shaft is already off, make an offer.

perhaps we can do a 3-way deal here. i have a broken 5spd missing the output flange. i don't care which one i get, so if 'zooz3' buys pinepigs, i could defray the cost of that sale by buying zooz3's extra flange.

just a thought. this is for a tranny that i envision disassembling myself to fix, someday.... just because.

jerryallsmanATyahooDOTcom

[DaryleB]

Hey just read your post about the output flange. I have the opposite problem. I need the 4 bolt flange and my tranny has the 3 bolt flange. Wanna make a trade?