My 325i turbo build-bring on the boost (video inside)

[Lurch320i]

My MIG has packed in so cant do any welding until its fixed or I get a new one
so while I was working on the car I thought I'd try to do something productive
Luckly for me I'd just received a load of parcels/parts a few days before so i was like a kid at Christmas

Got a mate who nicely welded the turbo oil return into a new sump for me



So started to take the old one out





what a bitch it is to line the sump gasket up

anyway got it in and a few bolts in and looked around to make sure all the gasket was aligned and saw this




Ever had one of those "head banging against a wall" moments?

I packed up because I was just frustrated at how I can never get stuff done, but once I was at home and I had a brew in my hand I thought of three possible solutions

1.shoot said friend and ask nicely if he can reweld
2.buy adaptor to go from my remote oil filter housing to the oil feed pipe (1/8npt to 1/4bsp)
3.remove the ali distribution block and have the oil feed directly coming from the block(I had the ali block because I wanted the oil pressure sender and the turbo feed in the same place so I would know how much oil the turbo was getting but now that's gone out the window)


So plan is number 2 or 3 for now and also to get a new MIG, or if anyone fancies lending me one/having a car day and smashing out some all important welding then I will be eternally grateful and will supply pizza/beer while were there

[Rav335uk]

Nice....

[Lurch320i]

Long awaited update but its been crappy weather and generally depressing

I managed to sort out the turbo oil feed/drain situation, when I first bought the ali distribution block I had to buy an hydraulic adaptor to go from the M12x1x5 female thread in the block to 1/4 bsp female thread in the oil feed line. So a brief moment of genius made me think about just deleting the 50mm ali block and have the oil feed directly screwed into the block


Got a mushroom air filter and an ali bend from a mate so ordered a 4"-3" silicone reducer for the turbo


A few people may remember my thread about the throttle body vacuum take off pipe and how my BBTB didn't have any


Well I wrecked my head at what I can do as I tried to get the pipe out the old TB but it wouldn't budge, So I had another brain wave and decided to see what size the holes were and I couldn't find my vernier calipers but I had a tap and die set to hand so I checked to see roughly what size it was
1/8 NPT fit perfectly so I tapped both holes and went on the hunt for some adaptors, I bought a plain bung to block one and a 90 degree take off for the brake servo
they arrived a few days later and we fitted with some ptfe tape to make sure they sealed well


During all these little bits I was still stressing about the welding, I bid on a few new migs but was unlucky, then for a moment the sun was shining on me
a fellow zoner got in touch and said he was local and a professional welder and wouldn't mind taking a look. few days later he came down and we had a good chat and poke round the car. found some more rot after poking a bit harder at the inner sill



A deal was struck and a date was set along with a big list of what I needed for aftercare


While waiting I was bored and wanting something to do on the car so I stripped my spare front subframe down ready to strip, clean and paint or powder coated (I haven't decided yet)

polished another wheel with this

to give this

Fitted my newly modified TB

now it makes the inlet mani look crap so that'll be changed shortly

Roll on welding

[Lurch320i]

Right the happiest update I have made so far

WELDING TIME!!!!

Not the most suitable place but better than it was outside


the zoner came down early and did his thing, hes a cracking fella but I respect his privacy and he wont be named as per his wishes
Ill stop typing and let the photos talk










this fella is hardcore though, it started to hammer down and the bay started to flood yet the guy kept going


Safe to say he packed up then and came back the next day to do the rest which ive just combined with the photos above

He also did the battery box as that was rotten through but I haven't got any pictures of that yet


Im so happy its unreal, this is what I was held up by for 6 months, now the interior can go back in and get this B**CH built and in for MOT so can start on the Megasquirt conversion

Hopefully another big update soon

[Lurch320i]

Had a bit of time spare today so decided I best protect all of the newly welded areas
I etch primed and seam sealer it yesterday so today all I did was lay 2 nice coats of u-pol stonechip down
The texture when sprayed on is amazing
So much so that I thought that I may aswell do the entire inner wing and wheel arch area







That's the major rust areas done and dusted now
All I need to do is get the back end in the air to scope out how bad the boot pockets or rear floor will be so wish me luck

[bimanut]

Looks like your tame welders done a half decent job

[Lurch320i]

Yeah he's alright a˜€

Well I managed to get a few more bits done, after stripping the front subframe down I decided to do it all properly.

I stripped the wishbones of the balljoints and bushes and sent to the powder coaters for sand blasting

Also stripped the front suspension that was on the car ready to replace and refurb


I think there's something wrong here


Lay the new and old suspension struts/springs next to each other to compare



Waiting for the subframe, wishbones, arb and brackets to come back from blasting so I can paint and fit all the new ball joints and bushes I have
The front end will be totally refreshed just to do the same to the rear

My god this car has cost me a small fortune, god help if the misses finds out

[Lurch320i]

Got my parts back from the sand blasters and my god they look amazing


So I went on a spraying frenzy and keeping with my theme, everything is black!!!



For some reason photobucket is playing up
I upload photos and then transfer them to my turbo build folder and now they're nowhere to be found so I can't show you what they all look like

[Cypriotgeeza]

Just sat here with a nice cup of tea and read through the whole thread!

The set backs brought back so many familiar (and frustrating) memories of my own when I was doing my 3.5 conversion!! Always felt like 1 step forward 2 steps back and whenever I thought I was nearing the finish line, the line got pushed forward !!

Its all worth it in the end though mate! Looks like your determined to get it done at all costs and that's what you need when embarking on a project!

plus where's the fun if it all went together smoothly lol

Keep up the good work!

[Lurch320i]

Thanks mate appreciate the support and yes it feels like 1 step forward 10 steps back as I keep finding more work or dreaming up new ideas to throw in

I would like it of things went smoother a˜Ž but yes I want it finished no matter what (cost is a factor but if it needs it I will chop off my balls)

If anyone has any ideas or tips they want to throw in I'll be grateful (don't say scrap it haha)

[Lurch320i]

No updates for a while but had a bit of progress on it lately
Built up the front subframe with all my nice new shiney parts, balljoints and bushes all new, drop links been swapped for the mondeo ones, poly bushes (I know some people done like them)



Stainless nuts and bolts so it doesn't rust again (I hate rust)

All new balljoints and bushes
Built up with the E46 067 rack and linkage


Now it's time to fit it all






Refitted the big brakes







Just need to attach the ps pipes to the pump and bleed the brakes then the front end can go on the floor, back end up and sort the rest of the exhaust, rear brakes and then interior back in

Hopefully mot time in few weeks

[Lurch320i]

Finally got round to making the rest of my exhaust, full 3" stainless from the turbo back, I bought the downpipe but had to modify both ends, I also bought a big box of 3" stainless steel mandrel bends, 3m of 1.5mm wall stainless pipe, 2x3" stainless v band kits, some 4mm stainless rod to make exhaust hangers, some random poly exhaust rubbers that looked roughly like they'd fit, the stainless back box (which isn't what I wanted but it will do for now) and the welding gear to make it
I'm quite proud of it's it's the first full exhaust I've ever made





So after a few burns and swear words it's was all done and made? Hear wrapped the downpipe and fitted it all


Getting there I think

I fitted some different suspension last week as it was too low, I was told they were 40mn springs and saw a pic of the car they supposedly came of

I doubt it they're 40mm

The gap between the spring landing and too mount is about 4 inches
So now I'm in the market for some proper 35/40mm springs to take the ride height up as after I fitted the exhaust and started the engine I wanted to drive it to see how she felt with the new front end
You imagine the surprise when I see she's that low






Ive got a few videos, I don't know how to show them so it plays here

[e30Passion]

Try put some liquid sealant on the sump next time to help the gasket stick so you can aline the holes.
Worked for me

[Lurch320i]

Try put some liquid sealant on the sump next time to help the gasket stick so you can aline the holes.
Worked for me

Yeah thanks for the tip, it was actually leaking so when I did the front subframe swap I took it back off (wasting a new gallon of oil) then used gasket maker instead of the gasket
I also found the gasket has a small slice in it so that why it was leaking, I bought it ages ago so cant take it back
No worries it's not leaking now

[steve_k]

just read the whole thread, looking good

making me want to do a turbo conversion on mine now
what make/model/year are the front disks from??

[Lurch320i]

Thanks Steve, I couldn't of done it without help from a few people but it's been worth all the agro I've had

Discs are 312x25mm vented from the vw/Audi mk4 platform, so the 8l s3, mk1 Audi TT turbo, mk4 golf (selected ones) mk1 Octavia vrs
Brand new they're only about £45-50 for the pair for eicher so cheaper than decent e30 discs

[Lurch320i]

I got a set of springs from a mate (thanks btw) just for now Untill I can afford some decent h&r or eibach ones
Cheapo rear adjustable spring plates with matching springs and some random front springs he had lying about

So set about swapping them over and bloody hell what a ballache getting the top mount off, didn't want to grab a pair of mole grips round the strut tube and I don't have and impact gun so had to decompress the spring, put the strut back on the car then set her back on the deck to put some load on it, then the top mount finally undid a bit so my advice is before you swap springs loosen your top mount nut slightly, just so it's on by a few threads but secure enough that the compressed spring won't push it off




Got it off and noticed be difference straight away

Looks like someone cut a coil off it in the past

Putting the new one on



After I did both I thought that now he exhaust was done and the suspension has been swapped I can put my strut brace on, been staring at it for ages freshly painted so why not again with stainless hardware


Started the rear, which is a million times easier than the front
Undid the rear drop link which makes life easier and then just the bottom shock bolt and the spring is out
Put the adjuster and spring in and bolted it all back together in 10mins

Crappy pic but I put the wheel back on before I got a photo because I was in a rush to get it done as it had started to rain
As you can see the adjusted is half way so I have the option to go higher or lower depending how she sits on the deck

Next day I put a front wing on to check the height of the new/used setup


A lot better gap than there was, I'm also planning to run a higher profile tyre to lift it up even more

Going from 215/40r16 to 205/50r16

Not much else I can do until I get the wheels refurbed or the body kit back on so I thought I'd start the interior build up, the carpet has been out since the welding as I wanted to dye it black but time and money has got the best of me so it's going in as it is apart from a clean


Anyone who's done that knows what a pain it is

All of hitting/swearing/pushing/pulling to get it in the right place so the pedal, handbrake, gearstick, seat mounts etc lined up

Seats will go in after I fix the drivers side one and give them a clean and leather feed

I have a bit of a problem with the lights though, bought new bulb holders as I misplaced mine and now some lights don't work properly
Brake lights don't work at all, neither do fog lights even tho it's all new bulbs throughout, indicators flash really quick (I did check all bulbs, they're all flashing but really quick)
I've checked fuses but still no luck

[steve_k]

Thanks Steve, I couldn't of done it without help from a few people but it's been worth all the agro I've had

Discs are 312x25mm vented from the vw/Audi mk4 platform, so the 8l s3, mk1 Audi TT turbo, mk4 golf (selected ones) mk1 Octavia vrs
Brand new they're only about £45-50 for the pair for eicher so cheaper than decent e30 discs

cheers for that dude

just need to get the bigger adapters for my hi-spec 4 pots befor i got for the bigger discs

[Lurch320i]

Well you'll need to mount the disc so you know what size adaptor to make

I was going to fit a set of skyline alloy 4 pots front and matching 2 pot rear but these landed on my lap and the adapters came about at the right time so I thought why not stick with bmw parts and go for it, also looks pretty standard having a single piston Caliper rather than a massive 4 pot

[steve_k]

Well you'll need to mount the disc so you know what size adaptor to make

I was going to fit a set of skyline alloy 4 pots front and matching 2 pot rear but these landed on my lap and the adapters came about at the right time so I thought why not stick with bmw parts and go for it, also looks pretty standard having a single piston Caliper rather than a massive 4 pot

had a look on hi-spec's webite & they do the adapters just got to get a price.

been using the 4 pots for nearly 9yr's with 280mm discs & just keep getting the urge to go for bigger one's.

keep the updats coming

[Lurch320i]

Yeah the bracket determines what size and offset disc you can run so you'll have to get whatever disc matches the bracket

Regarding updates, I'm trying but money is a big factor for me interior should be going in this weekend, along with the wiring for the gauges. Need to send the Megasquirt off to get modified and then I can work on getting a base map loaded on and get her for mot after I've changed the tyres and put the body kit back on, I'll keep this updated though. It gives me something to do in the evening

[steve_k]

i know what you mean about the disc offset so might get a good mate who's engineer to make a set of brackets that mean i can use the audi/vw discs.

as for money for the project? i know all to well about that lol thats why i do most of the work myself (only me to blame if it fucks up)

the wiring for the gauges is pretty easy, only took me a few hours to make up the loom. took me longer to make the mounting plate for them (in front of the ashtray) lol

keep plugging away as & when funds/time allow & it'll get there

[Lurch320i]

Yeah cheers mate appreciate it I'm ok when it comes to the electrics but I'm more comfortable with the oily bits

Same with myself,I've done all this apart from the welding and buying a few of the parts like the manifold, everything else I've either made of modified myself
Ive got a little gauge pod that deletes the ashtray and has 3x52mm holes in it, just don't know where to run the wires through the bulkhead. Any ideas??

I'm nearly there now, she runs, drives and stops well. Little noisy but what do you expect for a full 3" straight through pipe
The Megasquirt is the next big hurdle, running the loom for that and getting a base map loaded

[steve_k]

i ran the wires through the bulkhead grommet behind the glove box, just make sure you've got plenty of wire.

i got 6m of speaker wire from halfords to use to "daisy chain" the power leads for the gauges & the same for the earth lead, used the rest to make the "loom" for the sensors, all in including the gauges cost me about £65

[steve_k]

you want to hear a 2.7 on straight pipes with an X-pipe & single back box sounds like a v8 at times lol.

[Lurch320i]

I've bought 10m of twin core cable to run the live and earth feeds for the back lights, and I also have another 5m of red and black wire to use as the signal wire for the oil pressure sender

Got the wideband to go in next too which I'm just waiting for the gauge to arrive, that needs about 6 new wires to it so I'll see how I get on tomorrow, I'll be down there all evening running wires for the gauges and getting the grim back in

[steve_k]

good luck, the worst bit i found with the gauges was rooting around in the engine bay trying to route them where they wouldn't get damaged/in the way.

[Lurch320i]

Interior has started to go back together finally it's been a long time coming

Can anyone reccomend a good leather feed for my seats?


Only yet fitted as I need to run more wires behind it for the wideband etc
Also another major thing was the Megasquirt was sent off to be modified for 6 cyl wasted spark and to add another injector driver, anyone who needs anything to do with Megasquirt I reccomend Phil from extraEFI
He's amazing and knows his stuff, I sent him it and within a week it as back to me all sorted and he loaded the latest version of the msextra code into it

So now that's back I can put the MS loom in



Also thought I'd put the body kit back on


But a few of these broke coming off so if anyone has any spare I'll be grateful


While the weather was mediocre I thought I'd make the intake piping




That straight pipe isn't Ali like the rest of it,it's stainless because I needed to weld a bung in to have the IAT sensor in there, because I don't have the faculty to weld aluminium I thought I'll get a stainless pipe and then just a stainless nut the same thread as the sensor to weld on (genius I know)




The nut is quite big so the sensor won't stick out much inside the pipe giving an accurate temperature so I decided to cut it a bit shorter


Then tap it to clean the threads up


Weld that on to my pipe and hey presto a sensor take off


Finished intake pipe with stainless t bolt clamps


Cleaned up the intake ready to put on and just thought I'd check the gaskets



So that's getting ported before it goes on

Hopefully the next update will be the Megasquirt going in and powering up, I have a sort of base map to take reference from but I want to get the idea of basic tuning, it will be going to a professional when I save up for it

[steve_k]

looking good dude

nice bit of progress

[Lurch320i]

Thanks Steve

Just need to get all the finishing touches done now
Wheels need refurbing then my new tyres can go on
I was on 215/40r16 all round
I'm planning 205/50 front and 225/45 rear


I need some more random lengths of wire to make the looms for the gauges

[steve_k]

have a look in halfords for the wire or any decent motorspares shop, should be cheap enough, just picked up 7m of 5 amp wire for £3.50

[Lurch320i]

Cool will do thanks

Hopefully the MS will be up and running in the next two weeks

[Lurch320i]

Had a bit of a delay as had to work loads over the last few weeks and then had a week holiday so the bmw was left for a while
Wiring is annoying trying to find all the right earths, permanent lives, switch lives and signal wires etc and it really baffles my head but slowly I was cracking on with it, as I was crimping and soldering inside the car I felt my carpet was wet!!! Again a˜¡ so peeled it up and it's absolutely soaked!! It's on the drivers side so I presume a leak not the heater matrix as it has t ran since I put the carpet in

Few mins digging round and I saw it was coming from the top of the bulkhead behind the dash
Looked behind the sound insulation on the bulkhead and found anther unsightly hole

Ever get the feeling when you want to torch the car to get a payout? I did

Spoke to my tame welder and he's gonna sort it for me but to stop the rain for now I thought a quick little bodge will do, so I had to go buy a new grinder (old one blew up last time I had welding done) just to cut out this one piece

Cut it out and made the plate then threw some welds round it, etch primer, primer, stone chip, then lachs over the top

Haven't got a pic with body colour paint on it
So now the carpet is back out drying

After that I thought I'd put my new tyres on and see how she finally sits
I got a bargain in some wider tyres for the rear
225/45r16 continental sport contact 2


Won the pair on eBay at £10.50 plus £11 postage result

Fitted them to the rear and also out the 205/50 on the front then set her back down

She sits a lot better now, slight rake but the rear can be adjusted to suit
I have loads more clearance on the exhaust now where as it was scraping before

I also got this for another gauge and ciggie lighter (as my gauge pod gets rid of the stock one)



Thats it for now
Once the carpet is back in and the wiring done then it's hopefully a startup video on the Megasquirt running very low boost and on for the mot happy days

[steve_k]

looking good dude keep it coming

[Rav335uk]