How to Install a 1JZ / 2JZ to BMW ZF Gearbox Adapter: Guide

The adapter plate and flywheel have arrived, so it is time to bolt everything together. From six videos filmed in different workshops we have pulled together the tips that matter most when fitting a JZ adapter plate to a BMW ZF gearbox. The first video gives actual torque specs.

The easiest way to mount a BMW ZF gearbox to a JZ engine: PMC Motorsport install guide. A no-nonsense guide: the torque specs given in the video (80 Nm for the adapter plate, 72 Nm for the flywheel), Loctite threadlocker and centering the clutch disc.

Assembly order

1. Test fit everything dry, without threadlocker, and check the gaps and alignment. That is how the author of the 1JZ VVTI video does it.
2. If the engine is apart anyway, replace the rear main seal. You can see this in the 1.5JZ build video.
3. Fit the adapter plate onto the dowel pins and torque the bolts. The install guide video uses 80 Nm.
4. Bolt on the flywheel, 72 Nm in the video. Always check these figures against the instructions for your kit.
5. Center the clutch disc and tighten the pressure plate in a criss-cross pattern.
6. Mate the gearbox to the engine without pulling it in with the bolts. If it will not slide on, something is off with the alignment or the clutch disc centering.

The mistakes we see most often

The first is skipping the dry test fit. Alignment problems then only show up when you are trying to fit the gearbox under the car. The second is the wrong spacers (shims) under the pressure plate or flywheel, which is what the whole video on building the clutch setup is about. The third is too much red Loctite on threads in aluminium. That makes it very easy to strip a thread when you take things apart.

What the kit used to look like

One of the videos shows our JZ to BMW kit from 2017. Back then it had a spacer behind the ring gear and a flywheel with a dual bolt pattern. Today's kits are simpler to install, but the video does a good job of explaining how this kind of conversion works in the first place.

More JZ to BMW gearbox install videos

First test fit of the PMC Motorsport kit: 1JZ VVTI to a BMW ZF gearbox

A dry test fit of the adapter plate mating a 1JZ VVTI to a BMW ZF gearbox, checking the gaps, alignment and fit of every part before final assembly.

Installing the PMC Motorsport Stage 1 kit: 1JZ to a BMW E36 M3 ZF gearbox

The whole process step by step: stripping down the ZF gearbox from a BMW E36 M3, fitting the adapter plate and flywheel, and mating it to the 1JZ engine.

Building a BMW clutch setup with the PMC adapter plate for a JZ engine: technical tips

How to pair a JZ engine with a BMW clutch using the PMC adapter plate: spacer thickness, plus a warning about using too much red Loctite on aluminium.

PMC Motorsport adapter plate for the BMW ZF gearbox: a 1.5JZ engine build

A 1.5JZ engine (2JZ bottom end, 1JZ head) mated to a BMW ZF gearbox: replacing the rear main seal, fitting the PMC kit and a rigid (unsprung) clutch.

1JZ to BMW gearbox adapter: the design of the 2017 PMC Motorsport kit

An early version of the kit: the spacer behind the ring gear, the flywheel with a dual bolt pattern, the kit weight and how it affects engine smoothness.

Parts from the videos

Adapter plates and flywheels for mating a 1JZ, 2JZ or 1.5JZ to a BMW manual gearbox:

• Adapter Toyota 1JZ 2JZ - 5-speed manual BMW M50 S50 M52 S52 M54 ZF-5 - 240mm / 9.45"
• Adapter kit Toyota JZ - manual 5-speed BMW M50 S50 M52 S52 M54 ZF5 - 184mm / 7.25" (S)
• Flywheel Toyota JZ 1JZ 2JZ - BMW M50 S50 M52 S52 M54 S54 ZF5 Getrag 420G - 240mm / 9.45"
• Adapter kit Toyota JZ - manual 5-speed BMW M57 ZF GS5-39DZ - 240mm / 9.45"

FAQ

You will find more install videos of our parts on the PMC Motorsport videos page.