e30 axle shafts

Anybody know if all e30 half shafts are the same, including the m10 cars?

I need to replace mine (325es), but re-mans from BAP are $350 each - I'm hoping that a) 318's are the same (and appreciably cheaper) save the ABS rings, and b) that the abs rings are in a "easily replaceable spot" with out berkleying up a perfectly good shaft.

I couldn't really tell from the Real OEM diagrams, and I haven't crawled under the car to see, either (shame on me).

Help....

i think you can just tap the abs ring off, but i'm not sure if the end of a non-abs axle is dimensionally the same as an abs one.

realoem shows m10 318i axles to be the same as 86 325e axles, non-abs with part# 33 21 1 226 333

Have you tried www.blunttech.com, or looked for good used axles?

I have not checked blunttech, but I will (I've dealt with them before).

Have a line on some used, don't really know pedigree other than the (non running) car has 158K (about 100K less than mine...).

O'Reilly Auto Parts has refurb'd units for $70 ea (plus core) but I'm skeptical. Apparently it's new (at $300 ea) or nothing for the other places I've looked - which is why the O'Reilly's make me nervous. But that cheap, I might find out....

All I know is that if somebody offers you a Cardone box you should turn on your heel and sprint out of the store. Unless of course they have another option and are just showing the Cardone parts first

All the splines were a complete mess, and they don't come with the sheetmetal cover for the inner CV. They were so hard to get into place even after some cleaning up that I destroyed the sheetmetal at the outer CV, resulting in grease pukage. By the time I realized how much of a beating (even with a wooden drift) they were going to take going in, I couldn't back them out readily, either...

a lot of the reman axles ive seen on bmws have junk splines. however theyre cleaning them up they just dont go in nice. factory parts go in like butter.

Word.

It'll be $300 axles or used - I can't see going through the grief to have issues with "remanufactured" parts.

Any tips for somebody ripping them out for the first time, or is it as easy as it looks?

I would suggest getting some used original ones, and re-greasing them/replacing the boots. If you aren't going to get new ones, that would be alot better than rebuilt junk.