Emma Watson and 2 E34's (Low Mount Turbo M50 Project)

[Dj Buttchug]

I knew right away we were going to need more air. I mentioned that to the shop owner. I'm lucky the car did not catch fire. Not only was the insulation melted but I also found several vacuum hoses torched.

During the session I started to notice a small change in the exhaust tone as well. Sure enough exhaust leaks started popping up. After a smoke test both V bands are leaking as well as the turbo manifold. Leaks were found in multiple areas but mostly where the cast manifold bolts to the cylinder head exhaust ports. We will attempt to plane the manifold and save it. Not sure how that will work out.

The good news is we did not have any other failures. All electrical systems worked, my LSD I built is nice and happy, we didn't run into any transmission issues and overall things were ok with the tuning process, scavenge pump, engine, turbo ect. The Volvo intercooler worked surprisingly well with the IC spray system I built. The intake temps (even when the engine was heating up) are still good. We will see how much modifications are required to fit the new radiator I have on way.

[Panici]

The heat underneath was so intense it actually melted the factory inner heat shield liner that is mounted on the firewall and down under the passenger footwell.

...

https://www.turbosmart.com/product/opr-v2-turbo-oil-pressure-regulator/

Oof that does not sound good at all. Seems like that's on the dyno shop for not cooling properly.

Interesting find on the turbo oil pressure regulator. Hopefully that does the trick for you.

[Dj Buttchug]

After dyno update.

We showed up. Did some steady state idle tuning, messed with pulse width, and started into ramp runs to complete the VE table.

Then issues started. Luckily only one which it appears I have overlooked. Major fail. Well two fails



With limited airflow to the car (shop needs bigger/ more fans) the stock radiator with my custom shroud and Spal fan was not cutting it. We could only complete two, maybe three runs before G4X started shutting the engine down @ around 225-230 * coolant temps. A few runs load braking sent the temps way over the comfortable range. Engine began to misfire due to high heat soak and we shut it down.

After the session my stainless exhaust is purple and green from the down pipe all the way back to resonator. The heat underneath was so intense it actually melted the factory inner heat shield liner that is mounted on the firewall and down under the passenger footwell. Not ideal.

Also under heavy load at higher rpm guess what... Nice lovely puffs of bluish smoke again from the exhaust. After talking with the guys about my recent run around trial and error bullshit with oil restrictors they mentioned something that makes a hell of a lot of sense. No matter the oil restrictor the turbo will still over oil due to high oil pressure at engine speed. We are running some 5w40 full syn. Its thick, and the engine is probably pushing 60-70psi oil pressure at 5500 to redline.

So,

To clear up our issues we are here now.

https://www.zionsvilleautosport.com/store/bmw-e34-525i-super-duty-cooling-kit/

https://www.turbosmart.com/product/opr-v2-turbo-oil-pressure-regulator/

Will update again once parts arrive. As far as dyno videos I have a few but it wasn't really anything exciting worth posting. Hopefully the second visit will go smoothly with no issues.

All part of the game of mods I guess.

[Dj Buttchug]

We are due for dyno tuning this week. Testing transport trailer to make sure we can get on and off the flatbed without tearing the front bumper off. After some wood blocks and a little patience the car is loaded.

[Dj Buttchug]

That's a nice clean install. Those are on my short list to do unless my misfire magically disappeared by having the car sit for two or three years lol

haha. Yeah. I'm irritated on this part of the build because I don't really know the correct dwell settings to use.

[Northern]

That's a nice clean install. Those are on my short list to do unless my misfire magically disappeared by having the car sit for two or three years lol

[Dj Buttchug]

B58 coils are in.

[lambo]

damn thats hot

[iXBeater]

That's a purdy car - congrats!

[varg]

I want to put E30 sport seats in my E34. I love E30 sport seats, but I'd need three of them, my driver seat in my E30 needs to be re-upholstered. I bet these days 3 nice sport seats cost as much as my E30 did when I bought it

[Northern]

I appreciate that, thank you. They certainly look the part, but I wanted them in leather/heated/shaved bottom and that was going to break the bank so I didn't pull the trigger.
I have almost 100lbs on you so surely I'd obliterate the driver bolster in short order lol. Not that the e30 sport seats are any better.

[Dj Buttchug]

Looks terrific.

Can you give a review on the Corbeau GTS-II?

They are not bad for the price. I have a few things about the seats that bug me. First is the color. For whatever reason the seats do not have great UV protection. The seats (when new) had a color that was almost more green than grey. I have had them for about two years now and the color has changed quite a bit. It is in my favor as the faded color matches better with my interior trim so I am not concerned. Just something to note if you do purchase. Second is the foam on the drivers seat bottom bolster. I am 190 lbs 6 ft 1' and sliding in and out of the car has degraded the bolster foam to some degree. I take care to get in and out of the car without putting weight on the side bolster but it has still started to wear. I may take the seat apart and reinforce the foam in some way or possible replace it to fix this problem. Third is the head rests. They are good but do not adjust forward like an OEM seat. This can cause some neck strain on longer drives because there is no way to support your neck. I added in the little neck pillows to make things more comfortable. This works but its not the best solution.

With the E34 you have to custom build your own seat brackets because of the front hook style OEM. I did not want to cut the hooks off of my chassis and drill holes. I ended up cutting the hooks off the comfort seats and welding them to the brackets that came with the seats from Corbeau. On Corbeau's website it shows the seats will bolt in to E34/E32 chassis but this is not correct. After some deliberation I was able to get a partial refund for this.

All in all, a set of OEM sport seats would be far better (aside from weight saving because the GTSII is very lightweight) Now that OEM seats are much harder to find these days and usually need work anyway the GTS seats are a decent option if you are able to deal with mounting and the above issues. They hold you in well and fit nicely in the car. You still get all the movement function of an OEM seat. Street drive car comfort I would rate them 7.5-8 out of 10.

[Northern]

Looks terrific.

Can you give a review on the Corbeau GTS-II?

[strickland]

[Dj Buttchug]

pic dump of current status. Feels good to be almost done. Car has turned out to be an absolute weapon. Enjoy.