I now have version 2.1 of the turbo manifold, and it fits as it should (pics will follow). Next step is to get the rest of the stuff I need to use the sandblast cabinet- a through the cabinet fitting so I can connect the air hose, and a rubber plug to block the vacuum port. It is nice how you always have to engineer new stuff when you buy it. Fortunately, it is next to the compressor, so I picked up a short remnant new air hose at Harbor Freight for $2.99 and a tee fitting so I can plumb it in full time.

Once this is operational, I can blast the pipes and paint them with the Turbo-X paint.

The next setback was the driveshaft. There was a small (maybe 1/16~1/8" deep) dent in it when I got it. When I took it to get it balanced, I learned dented shafts are of no value. I got a quote of $150 to re-tube it. This seemed kind of high seeing as how the 3.5" Motorsports DS I bought used was the same price, and it was a lot nicer. I'm now shopping for another DS, and may go a few extra $ for a new aluminum one. Seems like with so many Mustangs out there, this should be an off the shelf item. Unfortunately, the Motorsports shaft is too big (3.5" vs 3") and I can't fit a 1330 u-joint in the rear. I also don't need anything but the shaft, since I have the stuff for both ends of it.

I am also laying out the cold air side of the turbo. The compressor outlet is 2.375", which I have to increase to 3". This will stay the same through the intercoolers until it gets to the throttle body, at which point I have a "Cobra Head" 4" 90 degree adapter, so I will have to step up the 3" to 4" here. Since I am going Speed Density with HP Tuners, I don't have to worry about plumbing in the MAF. I found some close fit 90 degree hoses I can use for the top tanks on the intercoolers. I plan on using "hump" hoses on the outlets with a 3" pipe between them. Still have to see where I can mount a blow off valve, and which one will fit in here with the least disruption.

We are in for some more 30 degree weather, so my work outside will be slowed by this.

 

Looking good.

Sorry to hear about your driveshaft problems. Doesn't bode well for future E34 builds. I'm sure it won't stop you, though!

I hope you have the time to post some vids once you get this beast up and running. Can't wait to see that.

Thanks again for all the info.

 

Thanks for the nice words.

The driveshaft was relatively easy, especially with the help of the brain trust here, and I'm not yolking . I took the plunge & ordered a 3" aluminum one for $270. It uses 1310 joints F/R, so I can press on my diff flange and I'm hoping I can swap out the 1310 bearing caps on the front conversion u-joint since they are special caps due to the aluminum shaft. If not, I need a 1310/1330 joint for an aluminum shaft. It should be here end of the week or the first part of next week.

Got the hose connected to the sandblast cabinet and the vacuum hole plugged, so I can blast away tomorrow.

 

Wow sounds great, drive shaft is usually one of the easier problems on a swap. Just wanting to see you finish before I start my E39 540 swap. Cheers

 

Here are the first batch of exhaust parts that were blasted & coated today:


This is the home made turbo header, the Hooker block hugger header, the home made driver side pipe, and the turbo housing & adapter flange.

Once all of this stuff is in place, I can then size/weld/blast/coat the remaining pieces under the hood.

I ordered a trick 3" v-band adapter with O2 port today. I will install the wideband sensor here at the turbine exit and wire it into the nearby & unused EGR wiring so it can be read by the HP Tuners SW.

 

Lawyers don't sue their clients and suppliers shouldn't trash their customers in long posts on build threads.

There's always 2 sides to a story, but come on. This post isn't as effective as a short post stating "We at TRE regret this rare lapse in service and have offered a discount to this customer on a future purchase in the hope that he will continue to take advantage of our superior quality products and quality customer service. "

TRE comes off looking like a class operation that doesn't trash their customers publicly and Paul gets to continue his build thread and maybe even posts something positive about TRE. I've seen it happen before.

Back On Topic:

How is the build going? Any updates?

Thanks!

 

Ya know, readers of this thread don't care about problems with suppliers. All we want to see is pics of your build, and how you are solving problems. Everybody has a problem now and then. "Stuff happens" -- who cares??

 

+1

Updates?

 

I would have been then and still would be willing to offer a discount on a future purchase and would have sent the thing express mail if I had any idea that he was in a bind. I honestly do not know for sure of any "lapse of service" other than a mistake in shipping the replacement prefilter without an extra stamp. It may have not been in the box when it was first packed...I have no idea and just sent one out when he asked. Obviously until this customer emails us and accepts some sort of resolution and removes these sorts of posts we obviously have to defend our reputation in public forums where the whole story has not been told. I mean seriously, it was way too much extra time to reply to the guy than it would be worth to intentionally leave one out...but what can we do when he doesn't respond other than in these posts.

I would LOVE to remove all this and get the useless responses out of this very informative thread for you guys....but unfortunately the message I quoted is in this post.


Paul------email us, never had a problem from the start of helping you out in any way, but I am not a psychic!

 

I've been offline for about a week due to a power supply problem with my connection.

As far as the build:

I now have the 3" aluminum DS in place. I had to trim the heat shield fore & aft to get some additional clearance, but there should be no issue here with the fit. The 3" exhaust tucks under pretty good, but I am having some trouble getting the pipe from the intermediate section up to the turbo. I may tow the car to a shop & have this part done. Here are some pics:

Rear portion


Rear heat shield trimming


Front heat shield trimming

I have an AC leak & bought a leak test kit to see where the leak is located.

Most wiring is done, but I can't do the wideband part until I have the exhaust completed. The 3" V-band adapter with O2 port arrived and mates up to my existing flange on the turbo very well. Here is a pic of it with the turbo installed:


Here is the driver side with the Hooker block hugger header installed:


I was able to cut the lower radiator hose & it should attach OK once the fan shroud is trimmed. After that for the cooling, I have to plumb in the expansion tank & heater hoses. Here is a pic showing where the MK 8 fan shroud needs to be trimmed:


Once the exhaust part is done, I can work on the cold side of the system. I have the intercoolers hanging in place, but still need to plumb them from the turbo & to the intake.

I also have to paint & hang the bumper cover after the plumbing is complete.

Seems like building cars used to be fun. I think this one is the last of the Mohicans for me.

 

[Seems like building cars used to be fun. I think this one is the last of the Mohicans for me.[/QUOTE]


Ha, try working on cars for a living in a dealership where craftsmen are no longer appreciated just speed demons with no brains then talk to me about not having fun anymore. I wish I had the time to build a car for myself. Off topic sorry!

 

No problem. My best friend in HS did that for a living (last I knew of) many years ago after we took auto shop & advanced auto shop. He always told me speed was where the money was on flat rate jobs. For what it is worth, selling parts at the dealer is no fun either.

 

Building cars doesn't look nearly as fun as driving / showing cars, and this FI LS1 E34 Touring will be an absolute BLAST!

I can't wait to see vids and hear this thing run!

And I'm hoping to apply the lessons learned here to my own future build. I'm going to have to have a "Credits" page on my build site for sure.

 

You definitely have that choice and we have no problem with that, but obviously it is clear to everyone that we have attempted all we could possible do as a reasonable honest company in order rectify the situation with this buyer.

Unfortunately some people don't respect the work involved in running a successful business and would prefer to ignore any and all attempts by the company to compensate them and/or explain what happened with a problem so they leave open the opportunity to spend their time trying to take future business from them by making posts like this. What is funny is that when going through a few of your other posts on this website it seems like there is a pattern of unresolved problems in dealings with you for some reason. With any dealer, small or big, no matter how well things are done if the company involves shipping items there will be small problems that come up from time to time. Some will do something about it, some will be defensive and/or threatening, and some will just ignore your concerns. If you look at our feedback in ebay of over 6200 happy customers to this point and our excellent better business bureau record I think you can understand that we are not the kind of company that doesn't value their reputation and are only there to make a buck.

I find it funny that you don't dispute any of the information provided which you chose not to mention previously. When you were given the offer of the second filter getting sent as well as the explanation and then did not reply we didn't think you would still feel that you had any reason to go around making posts like this attempting to hurt our business, so it wasn't exactly thought of to go checking your link to see if you decided to leave a half story post like that. Luckily for me I had previously bookmarked your thread and way later decided to go through it and unfortunately found that inside.

Good luck to everyone with their dealings on here. FWIW, I build my own cars and engines myself and turn every bolt, and did short and long blocks for our business previously. LS1 combo's, ford strokers...we are gear heads, not just parts slangers... Good luck with your buildups!

 

After debating towing the car for exhaust work, I decided to rough in the pipes and let my friend the welder finish them up. I laid out the 3" system underneath, and was able to plumb it behind the log manifold and up to the turbo using the Hedman offset pipe. Here is the end result laid out ready to be welded:




The exhaust ended up using a really sharp angle after the flex coupling, then a V-band into a 45 degree pipe which slips into a 90 degree pipe. This pipe had the end cut off and another V-band added. The offset pipe then has the other side of the V-band and goes to the turbo, where the trick wideband port/V-band adapter attaches. As designed, the pipes will come off in 4 sections and be serviceable with the log manifold in place:
1) Offset pipe from turbo to 90 degree/45 degree pipe
2) 90/45 degree pipe
3) Intermediate section w/ flex coupling
4) Rear section w/ muffler

I want to add another hanger by the transmission to support the pipe.

Here is the crossover pipe coated with Turbo X. I also did the Tial 38mm wastegate since it will be close to an AC line and the radiator when installed.


Once the smaller pipes are welded, I can blast & coat them and they will be good to go. I plan on sanding the remaining larger pipes and coating them as well since a little of this coating goes a long way, might as well use it up.

I got a used shifter cover/plate today since the new ones (at least in black) are not available anymore. The shifter is from an F-body and the **** is from a C4 Corvette (as far as I know). I had to drill it out to fit it onto the shifter, but it all fits together well:


Once the exhaust is done, I need to start finishing up on the heater hose routing and plumbing, and a few wiring tasks such as the wideband O2 sensor to EGR and the clutch switch.

 

I received a 15/16 to 3/4 Gates hose (PN 19792) with the 90 degree part being the 15/16 to run from the expansion tank to the cooling system. It turns out a 7/8 to 5/8 (PN 18763) would have been a better fit. I am ordering some aluminum tees and elbows to finish up the heater hose/coolant plumbing.

I have also ordered a bunch of 3" and 2.5" cold side tubing and elbows to duct from the compressor to the throttle body.

I found the 3" V-band clamps that came with my initial exhaust pipe order had 6mm threads, which are not strong enough for what I'm doing. After getting the remaining pipes welded/blasted/coated, everything didn't fit back together exactly as it had been. After some "persuasion" I was able to get the pipes in place, but snapped off one of the 6mm bolts. The other ones I got elsewhere have 5/16 bolts and are a much better fit.

I re-routed the oil lines inside the frame rail since I had some concerns about the front tire rubbing. I used a 45 degree hose end on the lower oil cooler hose (had a 30 degree one before). The drawback here is that one is closer to the exhaust, but with everything being coated this should not be an issue.

I finished the LC1 wideband to the EGR wiring today. Here is a table list and wiring diagram for what I did based on info from the HP Tuners forum:


With this setup, I can use my EGR wiring to receive data from the LC1 into my HP Tuners software.

I used the other auxiliary fan relay socket for switched +12V for the LC1, and the BMW grounding stud by the relay box for the ground. The third wire goes across the top of the motor to the EGR wiring to the PCM (it is important to cut the proper wire and send the signal to the PCM, not the EGR plug). With the Weatherpack connector, I can easily remove the sensor and unit and use the LC1 on another vehicle.
LC1 wiring:


I also took the GM AC compressor and alternator plugs apart due to the AC one being damaged (broken wire) and the need to connect +12V switched to the C5 alternator along with the BMW lamp wire. I used terminal C for the +12V and terminal B for the BMW lamp feed. The AC plug was too large to fit between the frame rail and compressor, so while I had it apart I trimmed down the outside part of it. Still a tight fit, but it should work OK. After pulling the pins/terminals out, I soldered the new/repaired wires onto the terminals and reused the terminals in the housings.
AC plug installed after trimming:


Alternator wiring:


I am going to have to make my own plug for the clutch switch since the BMW part is no longer available- I had already soldered the ends on for the 4 port plug housing, which is discontinued. I think I can use some heat shrink around the terminals & they should stay in place due to friction.

Still to come:
Brake bleeding, suspsension tightening, fluid refills, and finish wiring/double checks & probably about 25 other things.

 

Haven't spent too much time on the BMW in the past few days due to having to fix Mrs. Builder's (Dodge) truck, and also did some fuel line & rewiring work on the V8 Supra while I was waiting for BMW parts.

Today I double checked all my oil lines & fittings and put 5 quarts of synthetic into the valve cover. I guess the H3 pan is bigger than expected, as this quantity did not even show up on the dipstick. Have to buy a couple more quarts & see how it goes. All oil lines are in place except for the -4 line from the back of the motor to the turbo, just waiting to finish bolting up the turbo to install that one.

Refilled the T56 w/o issue .

The power steering system has a leak in the return side either in or near the reservoir. I am letting it drain before taking it apart to see where the leak is located.

Still need to use the dye test for the AC to see where that leak is, but I may farm this function out to an AC shop.

I was able to hang the exhaust using the 6mm clamps (in place until the beefier ones arrive) and it is actually better than expected. A lot of work to get it into place, but the ground clearance will be great, a good thing since the wagon will soon be my daily driver.

I found an AEM filter outlet website and scored a 4" inlet x 5" high cone filter for $13 (about half price) that will fit onto the turbo inlet. I plan on plumbing PCV and possibly the blow off/bypass valve outlet here. Speaking of which, I picked up a 50mm "OBX" blow off valve, a 2.5" diameter mounting pipe with flange (will use this to transition the 2.375" comp outlet to the 3" intercooler).

I received some 5/8 brass tees and connectors tonight from McMaster-Carr, so when the weather warms up again I can resume the coolant plumbing and add that fluid as well.

 

Just signing up

 

I installed the dual intercoolers today. Here is how the plumbing will go from the 2.375" turbo outlet (rubber hoses from intakehoses.com except as noted):
2.3" to 2.5" cobra head (low profile) 90 degree adapter on compressor outlet
2.5" BOV pipe and flange, 6" in length
2.5 to 3.0 rubber hose (came with ATI ICs)
3.0 45 degree aluminum bend (leftover from Turbo Trans Am)
3.0 45 degree silicone hose (leftover)
Passenger IC
3.0 hump hose
34" piece of 3" aluminum tube to fit between ICs
3.0 hump hose
Driver IC
3.0 90 degree cobra head
3.0 45 degree aluminum bend (leftover)
3.0 silicone coupler (leftover)
3.0 long (12" leg) 90 degree bend cut down to 45 degree angle (leftover)
3.0 to 4.0 rubber insert
4.0 90 degree cobra head adapter to throttle body

Here is a pic of the pipe between the ICs and one of the hoses by the TB (this ended up not being the final design)




I took a couple of pics of how the exhaust is routed under the car. The first shows the "custom" angle piece and flex coupling that is under the passenger floorboard. I have not yet swapped out the 6mm v-band here.


The second shows the remainder of the exhaust going back to the rear. As stated before, I am really pleased with the ground clearance.


I have a diagram somewhere in the thread as to the heater hose routing, but will attach it below here for reference. I bought some 5/8" tees and connectors from McMaster-Carr and have now plumbed in the expansion tank outlet and one of the heater hoses from the firewall to the motor. My other long hose is somehow MIA in all the parts I have, should be able to find & install it this weekend.
Cooling system hoses:


I found a thread here that dealt with the PCV system on FI motors. I have adapted this to my setup and will be using the following system:


Added two more quarts of oil for a total of 7. I am now halfway up the dipstick (between low and full). I know this will drop after I prime the system and run the motor due the the external cooler and turbo feed/return.

Still have to wire in the MK8 fan, the clutch switch, finish engine wiring & double check it. There is also that pesky PS fluid leak. Then I have to work on refinishing the bumper cover- need to cut openings for the side marker lights and paint it. Still debating if I will open up the front of it where I cut open the reinforcement to allow more air in. While I'm sure there are many small things to be done that don't come to mind right now, it is good to get one or two out of the way each day.

 

Spent the last couple of days working on minor items, such as laying out/cutting/clamping the Vacuum-PCV setup and the remaining coolant hoses. I think I have everything needed except for the BOV adapter pipe, and it should be here this week. I used some 3/8 aluminum tubing for the PCV from the driver side head to the front, and also for the wastegate/BOV from the manifold. I have updated my Vac-PCV diagram several times to reflect what I'm doing.

Here are a couple of pics of the OBX 50mm BOV:




The PS leak looks to have been a bad clamp- it was not sealing the return hose at the reservoir.

As of today, all engine wiring is connected except for the main cooling fan & the intake air temp sensor (need to order). My Motorcraft fan plug is MIA with the second long heater hose (sucks getting old & forgetting where you put stuff).

One other thing I am doing is to bypass (for now) the low washer fluid sensor, since I removed the tank for WG & BOV installation & the smaller BMW one I wanted is no longer available. I should be able to fabricate something from another vehicle, this is not a big concern since I rarely use the windshield washer.

I welded a bracket to the factory cruise control actuator. Here is a pic with some text that shows what was done:


The unit was turned from the original location so the existing cable could be used. One of the holes for the original 6mm studs is used to mount it, along with the second original stud on the added bracket. It mounts on top of the PS reservoir using the original 6mm nuts. The next trick is to add a quick release end to the cruise control cable to attach to the throttle lever.

I also have to design & fabricate a throttle cable bracket to allow use of the aftermarket Lokar cable and the BMW cruise cable.