M42 Turbo (in the future)

[Hodge]

I have been thinking non-stop about this for quite some time.

With the help of a boost junky friend that knows alot about turbos and turboing, I have gained alot of knowledge from him and also from alot of reading. He has set me on the right track of what could possibly be a great setup for a daily driver/auto-x car.

The setup I was thinking is something like this:
-Neukin manifold (is this any good? I have not been able to find any info on it)
-T3 turbo
-Custom piping
-Unsure of the FMIC as of now, but probably something relatively small so It can fit without extensive modification and also be hidden.
-Already have exhaust which will work just fine for boost, just need to    fabricate a downpipe.
-As far as tuning I am lost.
-As far as oiling the turbo, that bit confused me as well. What is one of the best ways to do this on an M42? Do I need some kind of pump to get oil to the turbo? And what is the best way to return oil to the pan; drilling?

My plan is to keep the motor relatively stock and put between 7 and 9 psi through it. I will probably just replace all of the gaskets and other wear items since the motor is in fine condition as it sits.

Tuning is what confuses me the most. What management should I run?

I probably won't be getting to this anytime soon, but just wanted to start a thread here to get feedback on what I should, and shouldn't be doing with a turbo M42 project.

If I think of any other questions or ideas, i will throw them up.


Thank you all in advance for the info!

PS: The car is already pretty much ready for boost (except for a few replacement items on the motor such as gaskets[none leak] and some vacuum lines). I have a custom exhaust which will work nicely for boost, the differential is brand new (Metric Mechanic 3.45 Variable LSD w/ 4 clutch discs), I just replaced the flywheel and clutch (11.5lbs flywheel and E34M5 clutch), and it also has new polyurethane motor and transmission mounts, so I am not very worried about breaking anything major after I run boost. My main concern lies under the hood.

[dkbmxer002]

i hope some people speak up, i am looking to do the exact same thing as you.. not push alot of boost and make it great for dd and auto-x.

[Hodge]

i hope some people speak up, i am looking to do the exact same thing as you.. not push alot of boost and make it great for dd and auto-x.

I hear that...it seems to be a touchy subject for some reason.

Like I said, the things that scare me are the management and the oil feed. Everything else just seems to be either buying the part or having it made.

Also, I recommend a lightweight flywheel if you haven't already done that. It feels amazing. Car is certainly faster if you give it some gas. I find myself shifting 1000rpms higher than usual, mainly because it revs so much quicker. 3000-4000 sounds so sick!

[dkbmxer002]

I hear that...it seems to be a touchy subject for some reason.

Like I said, the things that scare me are the management and the oil feed. Everything else just seems to be either buying the part or having it made.

Also, I recommend a lightweight flywheel if you haven't already done that. It feels amazing. Car is certainly faster if you give it some gas. I find myself shifting 1000rpms higher than usual, mainly because it revs so much quicker. 3000-4000 sounds so sick!

yeah, i've posted on E30tech asking questions and like you oil and management are biggest gray area... everything else is pretty simple or straight forward. also where is there info on a good lightweight flywheel? i am interested in doing this. these cars are super easy to work on compared to my camaro.

[rob_e30]

There are many, many factors that come into play when choosing to turbocharge a car.  ECU selecting and tuning is key to success, but the failure to get any component right can prevent you from getting the most out of what you have at the least, and may prevent it from working at all at worst.  Fuel pressure, injector size, spark plug selection, octane rating all come into play in a major way.  Even if you decide to leave something stock, you still made a decision that plays into the complete solution.

As far as an ECU I would only run something that has a MAP and knock sensor.  For oil, look at the Ireland Engineering oil filter cap.  It should work with (the proper filter) and will allow you to run an oil cooler as well.

[Hodge]

Thanks for the tips Rob!

I recommend the UUC Aluminum flywheel. I got the 11.5lbs flywheel, E34M5 clutch, E36M3 pressure plate, and E36M3 slave cylinder and it feels awsome. It also bites really great!