Hey everyone! Long time lurker, but haven’t posted too much before. Well, I figured I’d document my turbo project. I’ve documented the process on video in my stories on IG (@ducksarevcute), but a build thread here seems to be a more organized way to go about it.
This all starts with my 1989 325i Alpinweiss over Indigo 5-speed vert that I bought in late 2019 with 204k km (126k miles) from an elderly couple. I bought the car with no check panel lights, A/C working, minimal terminal rust (just heels of both fenders), a rear window non-functional, a really slow driver window, central locking being finicky from the trunk lock cylinder and a sticky driver door lock cylinder, and torn seats with broken mechanisms. Although it’s my third 325i vert I’ve owned, I haven’t had much experience wrenching before.
Here’s my current mod list:
Exterior:
Euro chrome bumpers with tinted turn signals
Euro Hella smiley headlights
E34 chrome headlight trim rings
Euro grills
Hardtop
Shadowline P50 LED headlight bulbs
Aliexpress LED license plate bulbs
Interior:
Mtech-1 385mm steering wheel
Reupholstered seats (cloth center, vinyl bolstering)
Gauge cluster remodel with Programa SI board
Ebay odometer gears
Clarion M508 head unit
E34 door pod tweeters and front woofers
JVC C-DR521 rear woofers
Ebay Audiopipe CRX-203 crossover
Ebay JF Customs shift boot
Scrap yard plastic shift knob from E34
Garagistic fire extinguisher front seat mount
Canadian Tire fire extinguisher
VDO Vision Black vacuum/boost gauge
VDO Vision Black oil pressure gauge
VDO Vision Black oil temperature gauge (soon)
Wide angle rearview clip-on mirror
Aliexpress LED dome light
LED strip trunk light
Suspension:
Turner J-stock springs
Koni SA shocks
10mm rear spring pads
E90 front spring perches
E46 M3 convertible rear shock mounts
ECS Tuning rear shock mount reinforcements
Garagistic rear trailing arm reinforcements
Garagistic rear subframe sway bar reinforcements
SRSConcept rear subframe diff mount reinforcements
Revshift 80A polyurethane offset lower control arm bushings for increased caster, riser rear subframe bushings to reduce rear toe in and negative camber, rear trailing arm bushings, diff studs and spacers to accommodate the higher subframe
Mercury Villager front sway bar end links
UltraRacing front cross brace
Wheels and tires:
BBS RM012 15x7.5/15x8
Dunlop Direzza DZ102 205/55R15
Steering:
E46 330i yellow tag steering rack
E46 inner tie rods
E36 outer tie rods
Garagistic steering rack swap kit
Garagistic solid steering giubo
Drivetrain:
E28 535is 3.25:1 limited-slip differential rebuilt by Bavariandiffs
Z3 1.9 short shifter
Ireland Engineering dual-shear selector rod
Garagistic shifter bushings
Garagistic secondary diff mount (soon)
Revshift 80A polyurethane diff bushings
Engine:
Whodwho Megasquirt ECU
Innovate LC-2 wideband O2 sensor
ARP head studs
Bosch 30lb injectors
NGK BPR7ES (soon)
Rotomaster T4 turbo, .58AR exhaust housing, 60 trim compressor wheel
TCD bottom-mount turbo manifold and downpipe
Tial 38mm wastegate with 0.5bar (7.25psi) spring
Greddy RZ replica blow off valve
Ebay universal 27.5”x7”x2.5” intercooler
Ebay universal 2.5” charge pipes and silicone elbows
Ireland Engineering magnetic oil pan drain plug
Exhaust:
Custom 3” turbo back with hollowed catalytic converter and two unknown straight through mufflers


This all starts with my 1989 325i Alpinweiss over Indigo 5-speed vert that I bought in late 2019 with 204k km (126k miles) from an elderly couple. I bought the car with no check panel lights, A/C working, minimal terminal rust (just heels of both fenders), a rear window non-functional, a really slow driver window, central locking being finicky from the trunk lock cylinder and a sticky driver door lock cylinder, and torn seats with broken mechanisms. Although it’s my third 325i vert I’ve owned, I haven’t had much experience wrenching before.
Here’s my current mod list:
Exterior:
Euro chrome bumpers with tinted turn signals
Euro Hella smiley headlights
E34 chrome headlight trim rings
Euro grills
Hardtop
Shadowline P50 LED headlight bulbs
Aliexpress LED license plate bulbs
Interior:
Mtech-1 385mm steering wheel
Reupholstered seats (cloth center, vinyl bolstering)
Gauge cluster remodel with Programa SI board
Ebay odometer gears
Clarion M508 head unit
E34 door pod tweeters and front woofers
JVC C-DR521 rear woofers
Ebay Audiopipe CRX-203 crossover
Ebay JF Customs shift boot
Scrap yard plastic shift knob from E34
Garagistic fire extinguisher front seat mount
Canadian Tire fire extinguisher
VDO Vision Black vacuum/boost gauge
VDO Vision Black oil pressure gauge
VDO Vision Black oil temperature gauge (soon)
Wide angle rearview clip-on mirror
Aliexpress LED dome light
LED strip trunk light
Suspension:
Turner J-stock springs
Koni SA shocks
10mm rear spring pads
E90 front spring perches
E46 M3 convertible rear shock mounts
ECS Tuning rear shock mount reinforcements
Garagistic rear trailing arm reinforcements
Garagistic rear subframe sway bar reinforcements
SRSConcept rear subframe diff mount reinforcements
Revshift 80A polyurethane offset lower control arm bushings for increased caster, riser rear subframe bushings to reduce rear toe in and negative camber, rear trailing arm bushings, diff studs and spacers to accommodate the higher subframe
Mercury Villager front sway bar end links
UltraRacing front cross brace
Wheels and tires:
BBS RM012 15x7.5/15x8
Dunlop Direzza DZ102 205/55R15
Steering:
E46 330i yellow tag steering rack
E46 inner tie rods
E36 outer tie rods
Garagistic steering rack swap kit
Garagistic solid steering giubo
Drivetrain:
E28 535is 3.25:1 limited-slip differential rebuilt by Bavariandiffs
Z3 1.9 short shifter
Ireland Engineering dual-shear selector rod
Garagistic shifter bushings
Garagistic secondary diff mount (soon)
Revshift 80A polyurethane diff bushings
Engine:
Whodwho Megasquirt ECU
Innovate LC-2 wideband O2 sensor
ARP head studs
Bosch 30lb injectors
NGK BPR7ES (soon)
Rotomaster T4 turbo, .58AR exhaust housing, 60 trim compressor wheel
TCD bottom-mount turbo manifold and downpipe
Tial 38mm wastegate with 0.5bar (7.25psi) spring
Greddy RZ replica blow off valve
Ebay universal 27.5”x7”x2.5” intercooler
Ebay universal 2.5” charge pipes and silicone elbows
Ireland Engineering magnetic oil pan drain plug
Exhaust:
Custom 3” turbo back with hollowed catalytic converter and two unknown straight through mufflers
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