z3 rack swap

[Rally Culture]

so there is no write up that I cud find for a us spec m42 z3 rack swap. my question is do I need to do anything to modify the steering linkage? I have the kit for the spacers on the rack but I don't think I need the other stuff since the linkage is different from other models. is it a direct swap plus the spacers?

[DesktopDave]

I thought it was a direct fit for the airbag E30s, but I haven't done it myself. All our cars should have the airbag steering column & linkage.

IIRC the steering shaft hole in the firewall might need modded & moved a bit to line up with the Z3 rack.

[bmwman91]

I did not need to modify my linkage at all when I swapped in a Z3 rack into my airbag car. You need to do 3 things:
1. Spacers (I don't recall if you put them under or on top of the rack)
2. Make the hole in the firewall that the column passes through a bit larger. You can Dremel out the lower-left (as seen from inside the car) part of the hole to expand it ~20mm for clearance.
3. Bend the power steering hard lines a little. You need to be very careful here because the metal hard lines are very stuff and you have to push hard on them, while also not kinking or collapsing them.