This is my new car project. I bought it for around $1200. Previously had an Eagle Talon Tsi Awd. Turbochaged and all-wheel-drive. Lightly modded, that thing was insane! But I had to sell it 'cause I kept dumping money in it just to keep it on the road. A maintenance nightmare! So this is what I have to work with. I wasn't really searching for a BMW but this one came up one day and the price was just right for the overall condition. M30 3.4l inline 6, manual, leather, retractable sunroof, fully equiped... that is going to make one fast sleeper!

My previous cars. 92 Eagle Talon TSi. Ported 14b turbo, 2.5" exhaust system /Hooker Aerochamber, 2.5" ic pipes, HKS SSQV bov, homemade MBC (17 psi), 2g TB elbow, custom cai/K&N, 3" Chevy Impala SS MAF/Translator, TMO Stage III eprom chip, rewired 190 LPH Walbro fuel pump, 550cc RX-7 fuel injectors. 255/40/17 Cooper Cobra's on 17x9 Cobra R wheels, Eibach Sportlines/KYB AGX.

93 Ford Probe GT, blown engine! Same wheels as on the Talon, Dropzone springs, custom cai/K&N, Hooker Aerochamber.

This is the turbo! It's an Holset HX-35 with a 12cm^2 internal wastegate housing. That's the oem turbocharger on '95 up Cummins diesel Dodge Ram pickup truck. I originally bought it for my Talon but since I sold it...

This is the turbo installed in the car. The compressor housing was so big I couldn't mount the turbo parallel to the engine. I also had to make up some space in front of the turbo to fit an air filter. That explains the position of the turbo.

I reused one of my Talon 2.5" upper intercooler pipes, it had just the right bend. Fitted with an HKS SSQV bov. The 3" section is from a 1998 Honda Accord cold air intake tube! Perfect fit for the stock rubber intake boot.

This is my first attempt at an exhaust manifold! And at welding! It's not going to win a beauty contest but I hope it's going to hold up to the task. This is a budget project so instead of buying an already made turbo exhaust manifold, I just reversed the stock ones upside down so that the exhaust gases are now shooting toward the hood. My custom made y-pipe is connected on top of the two reversed exhaust manifolds. And there you have it... turbocharged for less pennies!

Later, I added a divider since my turbine housing is of a split scroll design. I was worried about exhaust flow turbulence with my old manifold outlet so I welded a wall inside.

On my Talon, the hottest running cylinder was #1. Since the 535i doesn't seem to have a particular cylinder running hotter than the others, I just put my egt probe at the exit of one of the exhaust manifolds.

Pieces of the puzzle spray painted and pre-assembled.

Fitting an air-to-air intercooler with my setup isn't a simple task; there's no way to run intercooler pipes to and from the turbo because of its location... unless a hole is drilled through the body sheetmetal. As seen here, the most practical emplacement I found was right under the charcoal canister, I will have to relocate it elsewhere. The canister on the right is part of the A/C system. The hole is big enough to accomodate two 2.5" ic pipes.

To fit my front mount intercooler, I had to cut a little bit of my front valance. I removed that ugly "park bench" that also serves duty as a bumper; will install a better looking front air dam later!

Some of the ic pipes, in 2.5" flavor! I used an Isuzu NPR box truck intercooler; sized 27" x 10" x 2".

A '90-era Dodge Caravan U-shaped intake boot is a great source of 90-degree couplings for those difficult and tight bends!

My Super-Duty Turbo Cooler! Underhood temperature can get real hot with a turbocharger so I routed a clothes dryer aluminum duct under the intercooler to bring fresh air around the exhaust manifolds area. In the background, the turbo oil drain.

I bought the oem Cummins Dodge Ram oil feed line thinking I would be good to go but... was a little too short!

So I bought a 3/8" diameter brake pipe to lenghten the oil line. I could have done it all with brake pipe but wanted to reuse my Dodge stainless flex line!

I drilled a 7/16" hole on the side of the oil filter housing and used a 1/4-18 NPT tap to screw my fitting in. I used the excellent Shawn D.'s site for reference. BMW M30 oil and water temp sender installation

Re-made my previous oil drain since my first version employed to much rubber hose in the exhaust manifolds area. Not really a work of art but what do you want... I do my performance shopping at a hardware store! :)

Relocated the ignition coil. Couldn't re-install the coil in its stock location because of that big compressor cover! Admire my high tech extension bracket!

Spray painted the cosmetically challenged valve cover! Red... because it gives more HP's!

Here are some Autometer gauges installed inside the ash tray. I made the bezel from a dashboard piece from my Talon! Left to right; Egt, boost and fuel pressure.

Here is what I'm going to use for fuel management. It's a Megasquirt fuel computer. You can buy one pre-made or, like me, assemble your own. You can have more info here: Megasquirt Forum

And I'll be using the Innovate LC-1 wideband for tuning the right air/fuel ratio.

The full exhaust system! I'm reusing the back half of the oem setup with the resonator and muffler since I have an electric cutout for those WOT moments.

I had to be a little creative here in order to mate my 3" pipe to the dual 1 7/8" entry resonator (first "muffler")!

I "updated" the look of the tired and rusty old tailpipes!

An electric exhaust cutout. Quiet in front of the cops, loud when racing!

I made the cutout flange from scrap pieces of 3" exhaust pipe that I reshaped with a hammer! Seems almost flat, doesn't it?

Stay tuned, more to come!