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Thread: Castro Motorsport: S50 Turbo E30 Race Car Build!

  1. #1
    Join Date
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    Castro Motorsport: S50 Turbo E30 Race Car Build!

    *** BIG THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS - BLUNT TECH, RAPID SPOOL INDUSTRIES (OTIS/GOOD & TIGHT) FOR THE TURBO MANIFOLD AND WHITELINE SUSPENSION FOR THE REAR POLYURETHANE BUSHING SET! ***

    Hi Everyone,

    So it's been a long time coming, but Chris and I finally decided to build our own shop race car/track toy! Less then a year ago I found a 4 door non-sunroof 325i rolling chassis that had a beautiful cage for a ridiculously good deal. I went to go check it out, and it was a done deal!

    Chris and I had initially planned to use a cammed, high compression S52 I had sitting around for this car since it would be nice and light and track driven. However, after building Sebo's S50 turbo E30, and how much easier it was to drive then what we initially expected, we decide to go with a turbo S50/2 for this project.

    I started hoarding parts a while ago to try to make this the best bang for you buck project possible. A key part of the build was a complete M-coupe 5-lug suspension, with brakes and subframe I got an amazing deal on. We upgraded the front M-coupe brakes with the larger 330i ZHP front brake set-up.

    For suspension I reached out to my friend Reid at Whiteline Suspension for all polyurethane bushings, and they were nice enough to sponsor us with rear sub-frame and rear trailing arm bushings! We also used Treehouse racing front delrin control arm lollipops. For coil-overs, we went with the tried and true German Engineering coil-over conversion and camber plates. The coil-overs were coupled with Koni single adjustable front struts, and double adjustable rear shocks. We got AKG swaybar reinforcements for the trailing arms and used Ireland Engineering heavy duty rear swaybar mounts to go with our 22mm front/19mm Ireland Engineering sway bar set. Lastly, after loving the 2.7 lock to lock Z3 steering rack on my S54 E30 M3 so much, Chris and I went with one of those and an Ireland Engineering polyurethane steering coupler.

    When it came to the powertrain, we used the S50 and the Zf 320 5 speed that came from Chris Castro's sister's supercharged S50 E30 convertible. We new it was a strong motor and trans, and it was available. We put an Cometic 0.140 MLS head gasket to drop compression, coupled with some ARP2000 head studs. We went with an F1 Racing Stage 3 clutch, with their 13 lb chromoly lightweight flywheel to handle the power. Since we wanted a nice powerband, and we love long gears, we went with a 2.93 LSD, which Chris Castro built to 40% lock-up. We also added an M-Coupe finned diff cover for cooling.

    For the turbo, we knew we wanted to use a Garrett GT35r, so I bought a used one from chikinhed on Bimmerforums. For the manifold, there was only one option we wanted to go with and that was the top mount tubular Otis-fold from Blunt Tech/Rapid Spool Industries (good & tight). After reachin out to Steve from Blunt Tech and Otis from Rapid Spool, they both agreed to sponsor our car with their manifold! We coupled that with a Tial MV-R 44mm wastegate, and a Tial QR 50mm blow off valve. After numerous successful builds, using their products, we went with a Godspeed aluminum radiator, intercooler, silicone couplers, and t-bolt clamps. A Grimspeed manual boost controller was added for now, but we will be looking into an electronic boost controller soon.

    For tuning, we went with the tried and true Miller performance blow-thru tuning package, with 60# injectors and a W.A.R chip. since the build was nearly identical to Sebo's his tuned worked out great with a bit of modification!

    For monitoring, we went with the tried and true AEM Uego wideband O2 sensor with AFR guage, and an AEM Uego boost guage.

    For seats and safety, we got a great deal on a practically new Sparco Pro2000 race seat and a Scroth 6-point harness. The Sparco will be installed in the next week or 2.

    Cliff Note Build List (sorry for repeating myself I just know this is easier for come people):

    Power-train:

    477whp/364wtq at 17 psi on 91 octane
    '95 S50 3.0L
    Custom ground 256/256 unsure of lift
    '98 ZF 320 5 speed trans
    Cometic 0.140 MLS head gasket
    ARP2000 head studs
    F1 Racing Stage 3 clutch
    F1 Racing 13 lb chromoly lightweight flywheel
    Castro Motorsport 40% lock-up 2.93 LSD
    M-Coupe finned diff cover

    Turbo Set-up:


    Garrett GT3582r (A/R 50, 0.63 hot side - upgrading to A/R 70 with a 0.82)
    Blunt Tech/Rapid Spool Industries (good & tight)
    top mount tubular turbo manifold
    Miller Performance 60# injectors
    Miller Performance Blow-thru turbo MAF
    Miller Performance W.A.R chip with tune
    Tial MV-R 44mm waste gate
    Tial QR 50mm Blow off valve
    Godspeed all aluminum radiator
    Godspeed 3" intercooler
    Godspeed silicone couplers and t-bolt clamps
    Castro Motorsport 3" custom cold-side intercooler and intake piping
    Castro Motorsport 3" custom 304 stainless steel Up-pipe exhaust
    Castro Motorsport custom 304 stainless steel wastegate dump pipe
    Walbro 255lph Fuel Pump

    Suspension, Brakes & Steering
    :Z3 M-Coupe 5-lug suspension conversion
    Z3 M-Coupe Front and rear sub-frames
    E46 330ci ZHP front brake set-up
    Z3 M-Coupe rear brake set-up
    735i Brake booster
    Ireland Engineering stainless steel braided brake line kit
    AKG rear sway bar reinforcements
    German Engineering Coil-over conversion - 550# front/ 700
    # rear
    German Engineering adjustable camber plates
    Koni single adjustable front struts
    Koni double adjustable rear shocks
    Treehouse racing delrin front control arm lollipops
    Whiteline Suspension polyurethane rear trailing arm bushings
    Whiteline Suspension polyurethane rear control arm bushings
    Ireland Engineering polyurethane differential bushing
    Ireland Engineering rear HD shock mounts
    Ireland Engineering 22mm front/ 19mm rear swaybar kit
    Ireland Engineering heavy duty rear sway bar mounts
    Z3 1.9L quick ratio 2.7 lock-to-lock steering rack
    Ireland Engineering polyurethane steering coupler

    Wheels and Tires
    :

    Still TBD currently running 17x7.5 DS1s with 235/40/17 Federal 595 RSRs

    We will be putting some kind of flares on to accommodate for wider wheels and tires. Probably going to go with the DTM Fiberwerkz flares, but they need quite a bit of work to fit right. We'd like to go with 17x9 or 17x9,5 APEX ARC-8 wheels all around with meaty 255/40/17 Nitto NT01 or Toyo R888s.

    This car will be running in the Shift-S3ctor's Global Time Attack Pro-Am series for the rest of the year, with our amazing driver Kalon Welch. Kalon will also be instructing in this car at Shift-S3ctor's track events. But ultimately this car is for Chris and I to thrash around at the track! Chris Castro will definitely be drifting this car for fun at various track days as well!

    Any how, onto the pics and quick blurbs about the actual build process:

    On the lift with the 4-lug already removed
















    M-coupe trailing arms and axles




    5-lug FTW!




    AKG reinforcements welded on already






    M-Coupe rear subframe




    Whiteline polyurethane rear sub-frame and rear trailing arm bushings waiting for install




    Installed and assembled!











    Castro Motorsport 40% lock-up 2.93LSD with M-Coupe diff cover








    Rear end assembled and ready for install!




    Installed!






    - - - Updated - - -

    S50 being prepped with Cometic head gasket and ARP2000 head studs for install









    Head installed, turbo manifold and turbo on!








    Motor installed!






    Intercooler mounted!






    Cold side piping started and turbo side installed!











    Got a problem? LOL




    Intake piping made






    Installed!








    Oil drain, CHECK!




    Front valence needed some modification to fit the big intercooler




    Now it fits just fine!






    Oh hello there Mr. Wastegate!




    Decided to build a custom "up-pipe" as our exhaust and wastegate dump. Why? BECAUSE RACE CAR!!!










    Well the hood obviously needed a bit of modification, so Jose got to work on it!




    Done!





    - - - Updated - - -

    Well the car fired up on the first try, and was running really well with Sebo's tune! One thing that we notice however was that even though there was no real shaft play on the turbo we bought from chikinhed, it sounded like it had noisy bearings...


    Nevertheless, we needed to go "break in" the car now that it was running well...

    Finished engine bay pics













    And this is how we decided to "break in" our race car!

    http://vimeo.com/63477142
















    Manifold got a little "warm"....




    Call the clean-up crew!






    And this is how you build an awesome race-car in only 3 days everyone!!!


    So even though we didn't build this car for the straight line, we still wanted to see how it would do! Since we already signed up as sponsors for Shift-S3ctor's Airstrip Attack event at Coalinga airport, we went ahead and registered our race car for Sunday. The Shift-S3ctor Airstrip Attack is a 1/2 mile roll race from 50 mph, and is a ton of fun! We showed up with Sebo's similarly built car Last November, but with the boost turned down to 10 psi because traction was an issue with the 215/45/16s mounted on his 9" RS.

    Well since we had 17s with 235/40/17s and wanted to push the envelope a bit more, we turned the boost up to 18 psi. The car dyno'd at a healthy 477whp/364wtq on 17 psi with 91 octane, and it felt great. The torque is a bit low for the boost level, but it probably has to do with the cams we're running and the small A/R. That being said, the bearing noise from the turbo had gotten louder since the first time we got it running. There was proper oil going to it, with the appropriated fitting, so we knew it had proper lubrication. Also, since it had made that noise from the get go, we thought maybe it was just going to be noisy. This concerned us, but we figured it would be okay as chikinhed said it ran fine on his car and had 10k miles on it since it was rebuilt by Garrett.

    Shot of the final dyno numbers:




    Here are some shots I took at the event before our first run:















    We got the first pass of the day on Sunday against a 400+whp turbo E30, with an M20 running 20 psi on stock compression with E-85!

    I was shotgun, Chris got some wheel spin when we hit it and the other car jumped ahead. Before we shifted into 4th we starting reeling him in, then when we got halfway through 4th we were starting to pull. Ended up about 2.5 car lengths ahead of them trapping 137.8, our best run of the day.

    A shot my friend took of us before the finish




    The next run out the car started to act up, and wasn't making any power after 6k. I took the car out third pas and the same thing happened and the turbo seemed to be spooling later. Well it only got worse from there and on our 7th pass Kalon took the car out and right as he got into boost at the cone, the CHRA of the turbo failed and we saw smoke coming out of the exhaust....


    Luckily nothing got into the motor, the turbo was our only casualty. Lesson of the day - don't buy a used turbo...

    Any how, we're rebuilding the turbo and going with a A/R 70 and a 0.82 hotside instead of the 0.63. Either way really stoked to have the car built and everyone loved it at the event. This car should do just a bit better then our former 160whp Lemons Car we had running at the last Global Time Attack event!





  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jun 2012
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    84 e30
    Nice build, some great work from you guys.
    Need a cut ring head gasket, connecting rods, pistons, or valvetrain? PM me.

    www.performancebyie.com

  3. #3
    Join Date
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    Quote Originally Posted by filthyeuropean View Post
    Nice build, some great work from you guys.
    Thanks, fairly similar to yours! Sebo's s50 e30 drove us to build this bad boy!

  4. #4
    Join Date
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    1988 m3
    Quote Originally Posted by filthyeuropean View Post
    Nice build, some great work from you guys.
    Thanks! Your build looks awesome as well! Just the way we like our E30s - swapped AND boosted!
    Need a good mechanic/fabricator/performance shop in SoCal?

    www.castromotorsport.com

    http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1352434


    Castro Motorsport
    12600 Sherman Way, Unit C
    North Hollywood, CA 91605
    (818) 765-3606

  5. #5
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    Just wanted to share some other pictures that other people took of our car at Shift S3ctor's Airstrip Attack:




















  6. #6
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    1998 m3 coupe, 68 FJ40
    WTF, no video! I wanted to hear the UP-PIPE so bad. Get on it! Job well done.



  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by graphite9 View Post
    WTF, no video! I wanted to hear the UP-PIPE so bad. Get on it! Job well done.
    Sorry, best we have is the burnout video for now. SD cards both had errors in the go pros at the Airstrip...


    So the rebuilt turbo with bigger compressor housing and exhaust housing will be ready next week!

    Waiting on some wide rivet on fender flares from kamotors to fit some 17x9.5 apex all around with 275s!

  8. #8
    Join Date
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    Turbo M50 E30, 95 M3
    Looks great, Id like to see the exhaust end at the hood though. Much cleaner look IMO. Keep up the good work.
    85' Turbo M50 E30 | 95' M3 Nitrous, Coilovers, DJ Autos, UUC SSK


  9. #9
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    67mm 325i, RAM 1500
    So hot

  10. #10
    Join Date
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    Quote Originally Posted by Nj85'325 View Post
    Looks great, Id like to see the exhaust end at the hood though. Much cleaner look IMO. Keep up the good work.
    We were going for the drift/bozo pipe look on this, and we're very happy with it. This car is all about having fun for us, not for looking clean :P

    Thanks for the compliments!

    Quote Originally Posted by E36 HateR View Post
    So hot
    Thanks! Can't wait till your build is done! I love how your sedan looks, definitely my favorite non-M!

    What wheels are the ones in your sig BTW?

  11. #11
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    BUMP!

    We'll be running the race car at Shift S3ctor's Airstrip Attack again on Sunday October 6th! Can't wait to see how the car does with the new turbo!

    A shot from April's event I forgot to post:


  12. #12
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    Yeeeeewwwwwwwww!

    SO excited to see vids of this!
    Where have I been? Astral projecting.

    Quote Originally Posted by jszy25 View Post
    Get drunk with Mike Radowski they said, it'll be fun they said...A broken toe, the worst hangover known to man, and bite marks in my arm said otherwise

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by highboostingm3 View Post
    Yeeeeewwwwwwwww!

    SO excited to see vids of this!
    I will be better prepared with functioning GoPros this time. Our customer Chas will also be running with his m52 turbo e30 we're about finished with:




    We'll post videos of the 2 cars racing each other as well! [/B]

    We're also hoping to have Kato Racing's LS7 powered E46 M3 ready for the event as well (FOAM BLOCK JUST FOR MOCK UP PURPOSES)









    Last edited by e30polak; 09-19-2013 at 09:42 PM.

  14. #14
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    Nice build!
    Use lexar 32gb class 10 microSDHC cards for your GoPros. Its the only card that has not given me problems on my GoPro 3 Black.
    335i with a PT5858 stuck on it.

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by e30polak View Post
    Oh that is gunna be good!

    I've gotta make an appointment with Chris in the next few weeks for some supercharger work. Just finishing up a forged S52, time for some boost.

  16. #16
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    How's that forum sponsorship coming?

  17. #17
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    Nice build and sweet little video....car sounds wicked! What is the new turbo?

  18. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by Gavster View Post
    Nice build and sweet little video....car sounds wicked! What is the new turbo?
    Just a new GT3582r with a bigger cold and hot side. Unfortunately the motor had blow by issues to begin with. When we were adjusting the tune on the dyno it appeared to get considerably worse.

    We went to another Shift S3ctor Airstrip Attack recently a few weeks ago. After the new turbo and the re-tune, the car was making a healthy 510whp at 17 psi on 91. Chris told me to shift by 6500 because of the blow by, but he didn't think it would last throughout the whole day. Sadly, I hadn't driven the car since the last event, and the car came on WAY stronger than last time! I unfortunately hit revlimit in 2nd on our first pass, went through third, shifted at 6500, hit 4th, and then I saw smoke coming out of the exhaust....

    Ended up annihilating the exhaust & tuned C63 AMG we were running against, but the rings had given way.

    This is a shot of right when we hit it at 50mph, we immediately pulled almost 2 cars in 2nd, then another 2 in 3rd




    Motor sounded different after seeing the smoke and I knew I toasted it. We checked the motor by revving it a few times, seemed to clear up. Checked oil level, and it wasn't really any lower. We knew the motor wasn't going to last that day, so we let Jose take the car for another run. Half way to grid the car shut off, I guess I had windowed the block with a piston....




    I already got another S50 locally, pretty cheap so we'll be up and running soon. Going to get it running again, run it at No Fly Zone on Nov. 23rd, then sell off the turbo set-up with tune. While the car is fun with the turbo set-up, it's too much for a track car, especially for me. We're going to put some cams and raceland headers on it, re-tune it, and make it a reliable NA track car.
    Last edited by e30polak; 10-18-2013 at 04:22 PM.

  19. #19
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    So when are you guys getting the beast running again?

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