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Thread: Mr Turbo Thad rides off into the sunset

  1. #1
    JimLev's Avatar
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    Mr Turbo Thad rides off into the sunset

    Thad finally sold his turbo 540 to a guy in Las Vegas.
    I met up with him yesterday for a buffalo wing and pint lunch at Two Fools Tavern in ABQ.
    His turbo engine mod looks better in person than in the pics he posted.
    So next was for him to check out my engine/juice setup.....the damn hood cable broke as I pulled the lever. Go figure.
    Nice meeting up with you turbo Thad.
    At least you still have the little RSB that you have dropped the LS engine into it. Spool that sucker up to 4 digit HP.
    Have a good trip to the Grand Canyon and then to sin city.

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    I really enjoyed following the whole build. Can’t wait to see what’s next.


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    Sorry to see this go Thad and I never saw it in person but respect for the build and all the info.

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    Really awesome of Thad to drive the car down to the new owner. Glad you two got to meet and chat over food and beer...I'm jealous .

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    Glad you guys got to meet up! Thad said there were no "test" runs due to bad gas. Was hoping to get your perspective on how it runs. Oh well.. Thads work is top notch for sure though. Sad to see a partner get out of the E39, but happy that he found a buyer. No pics?
    98 540i 6, 525 whp, 120 mph 1/4, V3 Si S/C'er @16 psi, W/A I/C, Water/Meth, Supersprint Headers, HJS Cats, 3" Custom Exhaust, UUC Twin Disc, Wavetrac LSD, GC Coil Overs, Monoball TA, AEM FP, Aeromotive FPR, AEM Failsafe AFR/Boost, Style 65's w/275's, M5 Steering Box, Eibach Sways, M3 Shifter, Evans Coolant, 85 Deg Stat, PWM Fan, 10" Subs, B.A. speakers, Grom Aux/BT, Still Rolling as my DD!

  6. #6
    geargrinder's Avatar
    geargrinder is offline Having No Trouble Here BMW CCA Member
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    Quote Originally Posted by Schitzo View Post
    Really awesome of Thad to drive the car down to the new owner. .
    No Isht! (or maybe that was part of the deal... "OK you pay for my last X-C run in the Turbo Beast"..)

    Def sorry to see him out of the E39 business tho'. Hopefully the sale will fall through when he gets to Vegas.
    2003 M3CicM6 TiAg
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  7. #7
    JimLev's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Schitzo View Post
    Really awesome of Thad to drive the car down to the new owner. Glad you two got to meet and chat over food and beer...I'm jealous .
    Always nice to meet up with a fellow gear head.
    He was driving it to LV mainly to make sure the buyer knew how to use the software to load in the different tunes for different fuel types.
    Don't worry we had beers for all you guys too.

    Thads540_1.JPG

    Thads540_2a.JPG

    - - - Updated - - -

    Quote Originally Posted by philly98540 View Post
    Glad you guys got to meet up! Thad said there were no "test" runs due to bad gas. Was hoping to get your perspective on how it runs. Oh well.. Thads work is top notch for sure though. Sad to see a partner get out of the E39, but happy that he found a buyer. No pics?
    Yes, and thanks for giving Thad my contact info.
    At 5K elevation and no good gas he'd have to come up with a different tune. Not worth chancing it, need to get it to the new owner.

    - - - Updated - - -

    Quote Originally Posted by geargrinder View Post
    No Isht! (or maybe that was part of the deal... "OK you pay for my last X-C run in the Turbo Beast"..)

    Def sorry to see him out of the E39 business tho'. Hopefully the sale will fall through when he gets to Vegas.
    I'm hoping the new owner will joint the forum.
    Hopefully Thad will drop in with a link to the LS RSB build.
    He showed me a few pics, looked good.

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    Thanks guys!! My brain is a bit of an exhausted mess after this fantastic adventure, so I may have to respond back later when I have regained my composure a little bit.

    In any event, meeting up with Jim was excellent, and I was very thankful that he took time out of his day on literally no notice to meet up and hang out. The buffalo wings, the chocolate shake stout, and the company were top notch. Thanks Jim!

    By the time I reached my destination (home of the new owner) on Saturday night, I had covered about 2,500 miles (I think?? Memory is a bit hazy today) in a relatively short time considering the stop in ABQ to see Jim and hang out for a while. I will say that you never really know what you have built until you make a banzai blast across the country in it.

    In this case, the car performed flawlessly, and I can say without any doubt that it was by far the most pleasant driving experience I have ever had in my many jaunts across large portions of the country. The car just puts the miles behind it with an ease and composure that I've never experienced before this trip.

    Quote Originally Posted by geargrinder View Post
    (or maybe that was part of the deal... "OK you pay for my last X-C run in the Turbo Beast"..)
    You're close! It was actually like, "Well, because it will be difficult and expensive to get it shipped out there, how about I just bring it to you. I'm always looking for a little roadtripping adventure, and this seems like it should fall into that category. I can make sure the tune is good at elevation along the way, and also good in the heat of Vegas once I get there. AND, then I can show you how to use Tuner Studio, MegaLogViewer, and whatever else.

    Spoiler alert and apologies in advance JC, the guy LOVES the car.

    I have to say that it is a pretty much ideal outcome. My intention has been to sell the car to someone who would enjoy it even more than I would, and I have to call it a mission accomplished, by a factor of many! The new owner is a really good guy in general, a good car guy, and a devoted lover of the E39. Now he has one of the most extreme versions of an E39 to tear around in to his heart's desire. Nothing more I could have asked for.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by JimLev View Post
    I'm hoping the new owner will join the forum.
    He's a member on here Jim, but I don't think he's sure if he wants to post much. Time will tell!

    Quote Originally Posted by JimLev View Post
    Hopefully Thad will drop in with a link to the LS RSB build.
    He showed me a few pics, looked good.
    Thanks Jim! Not near as good as your current project, and I'm largely copying Schitzo wherever possible, but it should be a super dumb car when I get it running. As always, that is my primary goal. Lol.. I'm not sure where I will actually post up about that project, so possibly I'll just drop some content in this thread at some point.

    For now, I have to get cracking on that build, and do some catching up on some other household projects I have been seriously neglecting, before my wife loses her sense of humor.

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    Thad, i am so sad to hear that you sell your car. Hope you will not stop and share with us new projects. Cheers.
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  11. #11
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    Thanks Dov! I've definitely got more shenanigans up my sleeve (bimmer, V8s, turbo, angle kit, etc.).

    Not exactly sure what parts of the forthcoming nonsense will be relevant on this forum, but this is my favorite batch of internet dudes!

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    Don’t let us down Thad!!
    You are the man!!

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    Quote Originally Posted by Mannyf540 View Post
    Don’t let us down Thad!!
    You are the man!!

    Damn I wish I knew you were coming this way. I would have loved to see that machine before it went to its owner!!

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    Quote Originally Posted by tptrsn View Post
    Thanks Dov! I've definitely got more shenanigans up my sleeve (bimmer, V8s, turbo, angle kit, etc.).

    Not exactly sure what parts of the forthcoming nonsense will be relevant on this forum, but this is my favorite batch of internet dudes!
    Keep postin' stuff! I learn a lot from smart guys like yourself.
    Nate J.

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  16. #16
    JimLev's Avatar
    JimLev is offline Artifically Aspirated Moderator
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    Nice to see you haven't bailed out.
    Post a link to you LS RSB build, OK.

    Replaced my broken hood cable today so you can high tail here again so I can pop the hood to show you the engine.

  17. #17
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    Don't tempt me Jim, I'll drive back down to ABQ to hang out and swill some more of that porter on a moment's notice! I just told my wife last night that I was needing another little jaunt across the country already... She looked at me rather strangely..

    Anyway, since I've been back here from my last little drive, it has become clear to me just how much stuff I've been slacking on while I was just playing with the 540 all of the damn time. (part of the reason I felt that I should get rid of it, along with a daughter needing braces, home improvements needed, etc.) The SATM (sweetasstowminivan) needed a new muffler and a transmission solenoid pack for proper towing action, and there are a bunch of other things demanding my attention rather urgently.

    For these reasons, I haven't even touched the LRS since I've been back, but I'm getting closer! Some pics of the nonsense coming soon. But I doubt that it will have its own build thread, since I don't feel much like putting it in the drifting based thread. We'll see..

  18. #18
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    Alright guys, I might as well throw a few pics of the LS/LRS project in here I suppose. Here is the basic underhood shot as I'm in the process of fabricating the exhaust/hotside turbo plumbing:

    Basic underhood fabricating exhaust.jpg

    I actually took care to make a semi-pretty looking weld on this expensive stainless exhaust bellows (Rut roh, someone call instagram and tell them some of their pretty weld colors escaped!):

    Pretty colors on bellows welds.jpg

    Here's some of the process of my attempt to use the truck manifolds in the E36 chassis, where the steering shaft is directly in the way of almost every attempt to run a semi-normal exhaust on the driver's side:

    Driver's side cut.jpg

    PVC Aided Design:

    Driver's PVC Aided Design.jpg

    And the sort of final result. I even set it up with a heat gun blowing into it after welding to slow cool it some. We shall see how well it works. If it doesn't hold, I know a guy who welds, soo.... Lol

    Driver's side welded up.jpg

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  20. #20
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    Motor mounts being fabricated (big thanks to Schitzo for the inspiration on these!!):

    Motor mounts fabrication.jpg

    And then finished and painted. I did the driver's side center section in one piece, but it was a pain to get the angles at each end aligned and cut perfectly, so I made the passenger side center section in two pieces to allow for much easier axial alignment:

    Motor mount done and painted.jpg

    Holding up the engine:

    Motor mounts holding engine.jpg

    And a close up of the passenger side one in place:

    Motor mounts detail shot.jpg

  21. #21
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    Looking great Thad!
    98 540i 6, 525 whp, 120 mph 1/4, V3 Si S/C'er @16 psi, W/A I/C, Water/Meth, Supersprint Headers, HJS Cats, 3" Custom Exhaust, UUC Twin Disc, Wavetrac LSD, GC Coil Overs, Monoball TA, AEM FP, Aeromotive FPR, AEM Failsafe AFR/Boost, Style 65's w/275's, M5 Steering Box, Eibach Sways, M3 Shifter, Evans Coolant, 85 Deg Stat, PWM Fan, 10" Subs, B.A. speakers, Grom Aux/BT, Still Rolling as my DD!

  22. #22
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    Thanks Chris!! I need to make faster progress or I'm going to miss out on doing dumb things for the entire rest of the season! Lol

    I still have to finish this up too... :

    MS3X for LRS.jpg

  23. #23
    JimLev's Avatar
    JimLev is offline Artifically Aspirated Moderator
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    You've been busy Thad, looks great.
    Your engine looks new.
    Where'd ya get that intake manifold, I'm liking it. Might have to get one for my ride too.

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    Quote Originally Posted by tptrsn View Post
    Alright guys, I might as well throw a few pics of the LS/LRS project in here I suppose. Here is the basic underhood shot as I'm in the process of fabricating the exhaust/hotside turbo plumbing:



    I actually took care to make a semi-pretty looking weld on this expensive stainless exhaust bellows (Rut roh, someone call instagram and tell them some of their pretty weld colors escaped!):



    Here's some of the process of my attempt to use the truck manifolds in the E36 chassis, where the steering shaft is directly in the way of almost every attempt to run a semi-normal exhaust on the driver's side:



    PVC Aided Design:



    And the sort of final result. I even set it up with a heat gun blowing into it after welding to slow cool it some. We shall see how well it works. If it doesn't hold, I know a guy who welds, soo.... Lol
    I know nothing about welding, but I've seen that you have to heat up cast iron with a torch to make a long lasting weld.

    23m26s:
    Nate J.

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    (eŌō\ (||||)º(||||) / ōŌe)
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    Take 2 "Otto" - Toledo Blue/Sandbeige 04-25-2002 530iA Sport (CH98032). Sold 11-10-2017 at 147,743mi.
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  25. #25
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    Quote Originally Posted by JimLev View Post
    You've been busy Thad, looks great.
    Your engine looks new.
    Where'd ya get that intake manifold, I'm liking it. Might have to get one for my ride too.
    Thanks Jim! I agree 100% that this intake manifold would look killer in your hotrod. This is one I got off eBay for a ridiculous price, and the quality appears to be pretty amazing at that price point. The welds look fantastic and everything seems right.

    This one has the shortest runners I could find, and it has a slightly downward cant to the throttle body, which gives me more than ample room under the hood. Of course, the shorter the runners, the more you kill torque production and enhance top end. I don't think I will mind it since I have a topendy cam too, but if you have the hood clearance, you could go with a longer runner, and they have them in black also if that would fit your color scheme. Here are some manifolds like mine:

    https://www.ebay.com/sch/sis.html?_n...72.m2749.l2658

    And some throttle bodies like mine (I ended up cheaper this way than buying them together):

    https://www.ebay.com/sch/sis.html?_n...72.m2749.l2658

    Quote Originally Posted by computiNATEor View Post
    I know nothing about welding, but I've seen that you have to heat up cast iron with a torch to make a long lasting weld.

    23m26s:
    Thanks, that's a cool looking video series! And interesting that the dude prefers 316 stainless filler. Maybe he was welding 304 stainless parts to his cast manifold. I used regular old ER70-S2 filler on this manifold, but I used 309 on the other side. I think maybe the 309 might have seemed like it worked out better? Time will tell.

    As for the supplementary heating, what the guy in the video says is definitely regarded as the "right way" to do stuff (and I love the "gloven"). A lot of people say to stick the part in a bucket of sand to make it cool slowly.

    I've also seen some people use a heat gun pointed into the part to make for a relatively slow cool, which is what I did. If these welds cool too rapidly you hear the "clink, clink" crackly sound of cracks forming from metals shrinking at different rates as they cool off fast. Using the heat gun method, I didn't get any of that.

    What I still don't understand, but may at some point in the future, is the need for pre-heating. There is so much additional heat put into the part when you weld it, it seems to me like the pre-heating is useless. But one thing I know is that my best bet to understand why something is validly the right way to do it is to do it wrong and experience the problem that is caused by doing it wrong. Lol

    On the other hand, some people do absolutely disgusting, globby, chewing gum looking, flux core welds on these things, without any pre-heat or slow cool, and report that they work fine. So I will see...

    - - - Updated - - -

    Jim, after writing that it occurred to me that you are running the throttle by wire, so I guess you can skip the throttle body altogether unless you want a larger throttle by wire one.

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