M30 OEM Turbo project

[F34R]

That is some tight clearance right there, I would cut a relief out and weld in a flat panel to make room. If you plan to do that, I would lift the front up and put both sides on jack stands to allow the towers zero stress.

[CorvallisBMW]

That is some tight clearance right there, I would cut a relief out and weld in a flat panel to make room. If you plan to do that, I would lift the front up and put both sides on jack stands to allow the towers zero stress.

It's already up in the air, and yes I'm thinking I may have to do some cutting/patching to make it fit. I've got access to lots of metal, CNC lasers, and press brakes for making the perfect patch, it's just a matter of not having a welder...

[F34R]

I used a HF flux core welder and it was great, turn the heat up and the speed down to 1/3 and lay it wet! They are CHEAP and run on 110

[ThatOneEuroE30]

I used a HF flux core welder and it was great, turn the heat up and the speed down to 1/3 and lay it wet! They are CHEAP and run on 110

God those welders suck. I picked one up thinking I'd be able to do some of my rust repair. Ended up giving the POS away and bought a Lincoln 140hd and a tank of argon/co2 75/25.

What were you welding with the hf welder?

[CorvallisBMW]

I may just ask one of my coworkers if they're able to swing by with a welder and help me out. It would certainly be cheaper than buying one.

[CorvallisBMW]

Progress!!

After thoroughly considering my options for clearancing the shock tower, I decided that the best tactic would still to be to avoid doing it if at all possible. With the engine still in the car it would be a massive PITA. So I revisited the wastegate neck and spent some more time fiddling with it... And suddenly, it just slid in to place. Bam. I don't know how I missed it the first time around, but i can get it off and on pretty easily now. There's about 1/8" of clearance between it and the tower. A bit of work with the bench grinder should get that closer to 1/4", and then I'll throw down some gold foil insulation to prevent and heat damage to the tower



Next up was to get the turbo mounted so I could start fitting the charge pipes. At first I thought the only way to get it in to place was from the rear, so I removed my x-brace and CAB lollipop to get enough room to shove it up in there. However I soon discovered that the motor mount arm was also in the way, so I had to pull it off too, along with the mount. It's a pain to hold the turbo in place while threading in bolts from above, but after some struggling I finally got it. Success!!



Sadly the mount arm doesn't clear the compressor housing, and the stock rubber mount looks almost to tall to fit between the subframe and housing. I'm not sure yet how all of this is going to work, it's tighter than a prom queen's waffleswaffleswaffleswaffleswaffles in there. I'll either have to find a mount arm that works, or have one custom built.


I also got the first of the charge pipes installed. That part went very well, everything fits great

[mattdk318i]

Good work dude, Love the compactness of the original 745 parts

[Good & Tight]

I can fabricate a new arm to fit....

[ThatOneEuroE30]

I can fabricate a new arm to fit....

I'd go with this option.

[CorvallisBMW]

I can fabricate a new arm to fit....

Sent you a PM

[MattAvino]

yes.

Awesome project

[MattAvino]

What are you doing for management?

[TimeMachinE30]

Good, dedicated work. You are moving along nicely. Well done.

[CorvallisBMW]

I had time to work on the car a bit more yesterday and today. While I wait on a solution for the motor mount arm, I can still work on the intake plumbing.

I quickly realized the stock 745i pipes were much, much too long for my application. If I wanted to remove the A/C dryer and put the inter cooler behind the fog light, I could have kept it the same length. But I am keeping the A/C system so the inter cooler will have to mount in the engine bay. So, choppy choppy.


Combined with the stock flexible coupling, this let my put the inter cooler in a good position.



Problem: the intake for the inter cooler sits right next to the A/C compressor, leaving very little clearance. I tried to fit a standard silicone coupler, cut down, but it wasn't working. So I took it to a shop called English Motorsports in Camas, WA. They welded on a simple 90* elbow, adding the bend I needed in the right space and at the same time converting the 1-7/8" size to a standard 2", meaning I can actually buy couplers for it.


Now I needed to figure out the compressor end of the piping. I cut off a 1" straight section from the 90* elbow, allowing it to fit with ample clearance around the steering rack. By doubling up 2 elbows I should be able to aim the piping back up and towards the inter cooler. I just need some aluminum couplers to tie it all together.



Also on the block was the main air intake. The stock 745i tube is close, but will need to be straightened and lengthened to put the elbow in the right spot. The plan is to add 1.5" of length to the turbo end and 5" to the other end, placing the elbow and MAF in the right spot. The air filter itself will likely end up being a small foam style mounted where the high beam light normally sits (my goal is to make it as un-ricey as possible, so I'll do my best to make it look like a headlight lol)

[kronus]

that's surprisingly tidy. what are you doing about the AC line?

also, move up the IC if possible so that it has room for airflow out the back.