MyE28.com

To excavate a really dead thread, 10+ years!!!!!, There's a guy selling a head, turbo manifold, and a turbo with a bad bearing from a 745i for cheap. If I want to turbo my 1992 535i w/ M30B35 for as cheap as possible is this a good purchase?

I'm not sure that it would be since the 745i turbo is limited due to the flange.

I'll let the guru's chime in here...

Mrkanda wrote:To excavate a really dead thread, 10+ years!!!!!, There's a guy selling a head, turbo manifold, and a turbo with a bad bearing from a 745i for cheap. If I want to turbo my 1992 535i w/ M30B35 for as cheap as possible is this a good purchase?

My expert opinion: don't bump 10 year old threads! What the hell, we have a "new thread" button for a reason.


If you wanted to do this as cheap and simple as possible, its an option. You would need to put bigger exhaust manifold studs on the car as the M106 used M10x120 studs vs the M30B34 (and probably B35) using M8x40. I believe you could also sleeve the studs, or install some "step up" studs, but I've never had to mess with this.

You'd still need to purchase a turbo chip and at a minimum, a RRFPR to meet fuel demands.

Just remember that if you go with the K27 setup, thats all you are ever going to run. You can have TCD modify the turbo to a 60mm inlet wheel to get more use out of it, you could end up with a 270-300rwhp car with this setup but thats going to be about the roof.

OK, thank you. I just thought the old thread had some pertinent info.

Mrkanda wrote:OK, thank you. I just thought the old thread had some pertinent info.

I thought bumping this thread was appropriate. It's not like either engine has changed in 10 years.

I disagree (clearly). He's not asking about the engine, he's asking about the 745i turbo setup. It's been asked before, but it's still not really related to that thread.

Anyway, I searched and this was the thread that came up. Why reinvent the wheel? I currently don't have much money but want more power for my car. I ideally would like to get a setup from TCD or even better do a custom setup using a tubular manifold from Good and Tight, but that would probably be $3k+. For now I need to keep it a few hundred bucks... :-(

The 745 setup is nice cheap boost. Keep it conservative at around 6-8psi and you won't need any special engine management. Want to do more than 8psi, slap on an extra cold start injector or even activate your existing cold start injector to add more fuel.

Another option is to go full N/A but I think that would only get me around 250 HP and also isn't cheap. I do have an Alpina B10 3.5 ECU, but I think that won't do me much good without upgraded cam, pistons, etc. Correct me if I'm wrong.... Hmmm...I wonder if it would work with the turbo setup?

demetk wrote:The 745 setup is nice cheap boost. Keep it conservative at around 6-8psi and you won't need any special engine management. Want to do more than 8psi, slap on an extra cold start injector or even activate your existing cold start injector to add more fuel.

Existing cold start injector?

Yeah, I just noticed you have a 92 On my 89, I'm using an extra cold start injector and I'm doing 8 psi. Everything else on the engine is stock M1.3. I also drilled and tapped the head for the larger m10 studs. It was real easy as I simply used the manifold for a drill guide.

demetk wrote:Yeah, I just noticed you have a 92 On my 89, I'm using an extra cold start injector and I'm doing 8 psi. Everything else on the engine is stock M1.3. I also drilled and tapped the head for the larger m10 studs. It was real easy as I simply used the manifold for a drill guide.

Is there an existing cold start injector on my engine or just on the 89 model? Where would I add/activate it? Stock M1.3 means the ECU? I think mine's a 279... Unless I can somehow use the Alpina ECU. Nice to hear someone else is doing this successfully. I would need to get the turbo rebuilt since it has a bad bearing. I suppose sending it to TCD and having him also upgrade the inlet would be the best option? Also, what about bigger injectors and intercooling?

I am always amazed people insist on using 745i parts to save money. Best case scenario is poor results compared to any other option. Everything else is better. It's all 30-35 years old. Wastegates at usually junk. Turbo is horrible. People always spend way more than they anticipate and end up with poor performance. It's just not a good option under any scenario.

I have not heard any one suggest an extra injector in this century. Crazy.

So what's the best low buck option, Todd?

Mrkanda wrote:So what's the best low buck option, Todd?

M20 transplant and do whatever the e30 guys are doing. If anybody knows how to penny pinch its the e30 guys.

Mrkanda wrote:So what's the best low buck option, Todd?

You have to hunt down good used parts. TCD, Callsway, Dinan, etc. you may have to buy piece meal and be patient. I see those parts for sale regularly.

OK, thx. I assume I will need a turbo manifold, turbo, oil feed and return lines, heat shielding, intercooler, piping, relocate throttle body, MAF, BOV/boost controller, better injectors, HF fuel pump, stand alone or tuned ECU, custom down pipe/exhaust... Is that about it!

No reason a 745 manifold and turbo can't get you to 300 hp on the cheap.

demetk wrote:
No reason a 745 manifold and turbo can't get you to 300 hp on the cheap.

Not sure what cheap is and it may make 300hp, but it'll be laggy and inefficient and all around crappy compared to even a half decent setup. 745i setups are fine on e23 but there is no reason to start with those parts for your build in an e28.

Yah, I'll probably just wait until I'm making decent money and do a proper modern turbo setup on my E34. There was a guy doing a custom BiTurbo, which is what I would really like, but he was cutting and welding his own manifolds, etc, which I don't have the skills for (yet!), and I don't know if he even finished it. The idea is to have the boost available for daily driving/power usage without much lag. Another idea is swap in a newer more efficient and powerful engine for better fuel economy on boost like maybe an S54 or N54. Until then probably maximize N/A power upgrades on the M30B35...

If you only want to make 300whp then the TCD kit is definalty the way to go, especialty if you don't have the space to fabricate. Now If you have a garage and would like to learn then, Just buy a mig welder and go to town with some mild steel elbow.s.

mitch5 wrote:If you only want to make 300whp then the TCD kit is definalty the way to go, especialty if you don't have the space to fabricate. Now If you have a garage and would like to learn then, Just buy a mig welder and go to town with some mild steel elbow.s.

Kit is proven to 425rwhp with MS.

I want to eventually be at 450+ but then would probably have to build the internals for reliability. 300+ to start with would be fine. But still that's $3000+ right?

Mrkanda wrote:I want to eventually be at 450+ but then would probably have to build the internals for reliability. 300+ to start with would be fine. But still that's $3000+ right?

You have to completely prep the car so it's way more money than you suspect. Adding power to the car is the very last car you do.

Agreed, that's why I upgraded the brakes to 850csi up front and 540i rears, now I'm working on the suspension and steering...

T_C_D wrote:

mitch5 wrote:If you only want to make 300whp then the TCD kit is definalty the way to go, especialty if you don't have the space to fabricate. Now If you have a garage and would like to learn then, Just buy a mig welder and go to town with some mild steel elbow.s.

Kit is proven to 425rwhp with MS.

My bad, I was purely referring to your stage one option, since even that seems to be out of the op's price range. I was just trying to encourage him to fabricate his own parts, since he wishes he could, everyone has to start out somewhere.

Mrkanda wrote:Agreed, that's why I upgraded the brakes to 850csi up front and 540i rears, now I'm working on the suspension and steering...

haha I am anti BBK. My car has stock brakes with SS lines and aggressive pads and it has remarkable stopping power. Tires are way more important than the size of the rotors for a street car. I run 245/40 Michelin Pilots all around. These cars are relatively LTW and don't require BBK unless being used on the track.

T_C_D wrote:

Mrkanda wrote:Agreed, that's why I upgraded the brakes to 850csi up front and 540i rears, now I'm working on the suspension and steering...

haha I am anti BBK. My car has stock brakes with SS lines and aggressive pads and it has remarkable stopping power. Tires are way more important than the size of the rotors for a street car. I run 245/40 Michelin Pilots all around. These cars are relatively LTW and don't require BBK unless being used on the track.

I hear you, the reason I did it is because my front right caliper was grinding away my rotor and eventually fully extended and made my brakes inop, and I found good almost new rotors, pads, and calipers at the local junk yard for super cheap. They also look nice painted purple behind my 18" style 65 M5 wheels. I have 235/40/18s on now but wanted to upgrade the rears to the wider staggered rims so I could fit a 265 or 275 to handle future power. Next is to upgrade to steel braided lines, maybe a 750iL master cylinder, and better brake fluid, then tackle the suspension and loose steering.

T_C_D wrote:I am always amazed people insist on using 745i parts to save money. Best case scenario is poor results compared to any other option. Everything else is better. It's all 30-35 years old. Wastegates at usually junk. Turbo is horrible. People always spend way more than they anticipate and end up with poor performance. It's just not a good option under any scenario.

Thats why I'm glad I bought the S3 stuff off you, now only if I could find the time (and courage) to actually install it

I'm actually running my stock turbo setup at 10psi now and its certainly a hell of a lot more entertaining than it was before, I'm really curious what a 745i setup could even put down at the wheels. I hope to get it to the track this year and crack a 14.9, I'd be ecstatic if that happened.

T_C_D wrote:I have not heard any one suggest an extra injector in this century. Crazy.

Its 1989 all over again.

You guys are lucky. E30s have terrible brakes. BBK is a need.