Holy Grail Labs - M30B35 Intake Manifold Bracket

Buy, sell, or trade parts.
Post Reply
cek
Posts: 9206
Joined: Mar 18, 2013 6:25 PM
Location: Durango
Contact:

Holy Grail Labs - M30B35 Intake Manifold Bracket

Post by cek »

New production coming soon! Subscribe to this thread to be notified when they are available.

The M30B34 intake manifold is supported by two struts that bolt to the valve cover and a small bracket between the block and the bottom of the manifold.

The M30B35 does not have those ugly struts above and is instead supported by a beefy aluminum bracket connected to the engine mount.

The shape of the E28 engine mount prevents the aluminum M30B35 bracket from fitting.

Here's what a B35 looks like:
Image

This pic shows the M30B34 bracket, along with the correct motor mount. The B34 bracket will not be as strong; on the B34 there are additional supports holding the manifold in place at the top of the manifold.
Image

This is the problem: The motor mount is in the way of the M30B35 bracket:
Image

This bracket needs to be about 23mm ‘shorter’ so that the nut for the engine mount can secure it above the mount (top right hole).
Image

Other's have butchered both the engine mount bracket and the intake bracket to make this work. I'm not into butchering such things.

I also know the intake manifold is not likely to break on it's own. However, I am not ok with not having it supported. I figure some idiot some day may attempt to leverage the engine with the mainfold...which is probably why BMW designed it so heftily (sp?).

Planned design (may change as I refine the design):

Image

Image
Last edited by cek on Nov 23, 2022 8:57 AM, edited 30 times in total.
athayer187
Posts: 1621
Joined: May 10, 2006 11:27 AM
Location: Cheshire, CT

Re: Need Fabricated: Bracket for B35 Intake Mainfold

Post by athayer187 »

I'm no help other than to offer to buy a second if someone is putting in the time and effort!
Bimmerguy2002
Posts: 11920
Joined: Oct 03, 2007 3:04 PM
Location: Lodi, California

Re: Need Fabricated: Bracket for B35 Intake Mainfold

Post by Bimmerguy2002 »

mill the head 23mm, it will give higher compression, duh.
cek
Posts: 9206
Joined: Mar 18, 2013 6:25 PM
Location: Durango
Contact:

Re: Need Fabricated: Bracket for B35 Intake Mainfold

Post by cek »

Bimmerguy2002 wrote:mill the head 23mm, it will give higher compression, duh.
Scotch just came out my nose.
cek
Posts: 9206
Joined: Mar 18, 2013 6:25 PM
Location: Durango
Contact:

Re: Need Fabricated: Bracket for B35 Intake Mainfold

Post by cek »

Ok, this is cool.

Thanks to @M635CSi I have discovered http://www.emachineshop.com

Within about an hour in their CAD software I have it basically done:

Image

I have to verify one measurement. Single piece made of steel will be $137 with shipping.

Out of 5052 aluminum $132.

I know nothing about materials, so I'm going to do some more digging.

But with a quantity of 10 they are about $20 each...
Brian D
Posts: 324
Joined: Feb 12, 2006 12:00 PM

Re: Need Fabricated: Bracket for B35 Intake Mainfold

Post by Brian D »

cek wrote: But with a quantity of 10 they are about $20 each...
Make that happen and I'd be in for one.
az533
Posts: 241
Joined: Aug 24, 2012 5:55 PM
Location: Eddington, Maine
Contact:

Re: Need Fabricated: Bracket for B35 Intake Mainfold

Post by az533 »

Count me in for 1.
cek
Posts: 9206
Joined: Mar 18, 2013 6:25 PM
Location: Durango
Contact:

Re: Need Fabricated: Bracket for B35 Intake Mainfold

Post by cek »

Image

Using 1/8" steel and powder coated the price per goes up to $30.

While using the CAD app I discovered that my geometry wasn't quite right. I need to mock it in cardboard and test fit it before pulling the trigger, but I'm 99% sure I'm going this route to get it done.

Maybe I'll be able to quit my real job.
cek
Posts: 9206
Joined: Mar 18, 2013 6:25 PM
Location: Durango
Contact:

Re: Need Fabricated: Bracket for B35 Intake Mainfold

Post by cek »

Cardboard mock-up. Just a few tweaks needed!

Image
TheGraye28
Posts: 549
Joined: Apr 16, 2006 6:31 PM
Location: Goshen, NY 10924

Re: Need Fabricated: Bracket for B35 Intake Mainfold

Post by TheGraye28 »

List?

1. athayer187
2. az533
3. BrianD
4. TheGraye28
5. Sleeper21
Last edited by TheGraye28 on Jun 24, 2014 4:13 PM, edited 2 times in total.
wkohler
Posts: 50921
Joined: Oct 05, 2006 11:04 PM
Location: Phönix, Arizona, USA
Contact:

Re: Need Fabricated: Bracket for B35 Intake Mainfold

Post by wkohler »

That looks like corrugated cardboard so it should be plenty sufficient if the corrugations were going up/down.
Bimmerguy2002
Posts: 11920
Joined: Oct 03, 2007 3:04 PM
Location: Lodi, California

Re: Need Fabricated: Bracket for B35 Intake Mainfold

Post by Bimmerguy2002 »

cek wrote:
Bimmerguy2002 wrote:mill the head 23mm, it will give higher compression, duh.
Scotch just came out my nose.
its like you dont even want 178:1 compression man....
Sleeper21
Posts: 538
Joined: Nov 22, 2008 11:52 AM
Location: Winter Park, Fl

Re: Need Fabricated: Bracket for B35 Intake Mainfold

Post by Sleeper21 »

TheGraye28 wrote:List?

1. athayer187
2. az533
3. BrianD
4. TheGraye28

I'll take one, let me know payment info- thanks Scott
TheGraye28
Posts: 549
Joined: Apr 16, 2006 6:31 PM
Location: Goshen, NY 10924

Re: Need Fabricated: Bracket for B35 Intake Mainfold

Post by TheGraye28 »

Updated
Ron535i
Posts: 124
Joined: Feb 12, 2006 12:00 PM
Location: In the O.C. of SoCal

Re: Taking Orders: Bracket for B35 Intake Mainfold

Post by Ron535i »

I'm in for one...

1. athayer187
2. az533
3. BrianD
4. TheGraye28
5. Sleeper21
6. Ron535i
cek
Posts: 9206
Joined: Mar 18, 2013 6:25 PM
Location: Durango
Contact:

Re: Taking Orders: Bracket for B35 Intake Mainfold

Post by cek »

I have changed this thread from a "Wanted" ad to a "I'm actually going to do this and jump on board if you want" thread.

To be clear: I do not know the final price per bracket yet. Until I finalize the design (I have some tweaking to do to be 100% sure it will fit...it would really suck for it not to) I won't know the upper bound. It's probably close to $30 (+ shipping). If we get significantly more than 10 people interested the price will head South. The economics of this are such that it probably only makes sense to do this once.

Thanks for all the encouragement so far. This should be fun.
tsobrado
Posts: 63
Joined: May 17, 2014 3:45 PM
Location: United States

Re: Taking Orders: Bracket for B35 Intake Mainfold

Post by tsobrado »

I will jump in as well. One for tsobrado.

CEK, I remember your FJ40 from another forum. That was a nice FJ but your current project awesome. I have learned a lot from you.
fries_man
Posts: 218
Joined: Jul 06, 2007 6:06 AM
Location: Ventura California

Re: Taking Orders: Bracket for B35 Intake Mainfold

Post by fries_man »

In for one. :D
cek
Posts: 9206
Joined: Mar 18, 2013 6:25 PM
Location: Durango
Contact:

Re: Taking Orders: Bracket for B35 Intake Mainfold

Post by cek »

tsobrado wrote:I will jump in as well. One for tsobrado.

CEK, I remember your FJ40 from another forum. That was a nice FJ but your current project awesome.
Thanks!
I have learned a lot from you.
That's a scary thought. :laugh:
PDX5
Posts: 528
Joined: Feb 12, 2006 12:00 PM
Location: Portland, Oregon - Washington DC

Re: Taking Orders: Bracket for B35 Intake Mainfold

Post by PDX5 »

I'm in for one bracket. :up:
cek
Posts: 9206
Joined: Mar 18, 2013 6:25 PM
Location: Durango
Contact:

Re: Taking Orders: Bracket for B35 Intake Mainfold

Post by cek »

PDX5 wrote:I'm in for one bracket. :up:
And the price just started going down. Cool.
cek
Posts: 9206
Joined: Mar 18, 2013 6:25 PM
Location: Durango
Contact:

Re: Taking Orders: Bracket for B35 Intake Mainfold

Post by cek »

Question: Would people prefer these powder coated or plain metal?

The # of colors available from emachineshop is limited and the Aluminum that I used on all my other parts is not one of them. It is hard to tell what their gloss gray or gloss black actually looks like, so there's some risk. The per-piece cost goes down sans-powder coat, but buyers would be responsible for final finishing.

I *could* get them zinc/cadium plated after the fact; the place I used (arrowplating.com) is very reasonable. Something to consider.

Let me know your opinion.
athayer187
Posts: 1621
Joined: May 10, 2006 11:27 AM
Location: Cheshire, CT

Re: Taking Orders: Bracket for B35 Intake Mainfold

Post by athayer187 »

I'm in for any version.
Brian D
Posts: 324
Joined: Feb 12, 2006 12:00 PM

Re: Taking Orders: Bracket for B35 Intake Mainfold

Post by Brian D »

No to powdercoat, Zinc/cad or bare is my preference.
cek
Posts: 9206
Joined: Mar 18, 2013 6:25 PM
Location: Durango
Contact:

Re: Taking Orders: Bracket for B35 Intake Manifold

Post by cek »

1/8" steel is pretty beefy. This bracket will be super strong, I believe.

FWIW, the current steel I have selected is "1008/1018/Commercial Quality, Cold rolled".

Here's a design that is actually slightly less expensive (apparently because the removed material makes the bend easier).

Image

Thoughts?
Post Reply