Ad: LABOR DAY - Birth of a Billet Intake Manifold - Fab Factory

A4RingedONE8T

Specialist
Nov 1, 2016
82
134
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WWW.FAB-FACTORY.COM

For our upcoming Labor Day, we figured we'd show a bit of the "Labor" involved in making our N54 Billet Intake Manifold, and yes of course offer a deal! (details below)

As our manifolds gain presence in the community, now added to and supporting some of the highest outputting N54 builds and showing true "bolt on" gains, I get more and more inquiries asking why our manifold is so expensive. I thought I would take the time to breakdown the process of machining, fabrication, and assembly for your billet viewing pleasure.

Let's make a manifold:

Mentionables for ONE manifold:
- Roughly 90lbs and over $500.00 of raw billet used
- 537min (9 hours) of CNC on, making chips, AKA "runtime," to make all components
- 43 different operations, positioning billet, setting work offset, and pushing of the go button. Multiple fixture setups and handling of all CNC components through the different operations almost equals machining time
- 18 different billets to precut to size for machining
- Each manifold uses (6) custom bent 1/8" wall thickness, 2" OD runners custom spec'd, mandrel
bent, and shipped from Wisconsin. 100 bend MINIMUM order for these custom made runners.
- 10 hours of fabrication: fitting runners complex angles, welding, and final hand porting
- 3 hours of finishing: clean/prep for plenum sealing, seal the plenum, and final assembly
- Each manifold is then fitted to our test bench, pressurized to 50psi, and held constant for 5 min before final wipe down, polish, and boxing

If these stats aren't enough to make a point in your mind, consider a build lot of just a few, 5, or 10 manifolds? Multiply the figures above, no stress! Did you know each manifold component is held within a 0.003" tolerance of each other? Correlation of the head flange mating surface and the throttle body mating surface is held within a 0.020" tolerance through 4 different mating billet pieces, and we'll toss in the hand fabrication and fit of each runner, and then some welding on the biggest heat dissipator we've ever touched with a TIG torch. Did we mention R&D and design time for each of these different highly customized and specific components?

Our intention for these manifolds was never for mass production and it will always remain that way. Each manifold is personal, I can recall certain components of each manifold and manifolds themselves just by there oddities in toolpath which each has. Each manifold is machined, handled, and put through it's process like its a child of ours. Each manifold is critiqued individually. Each manifold is sold with a story, a hand shake, a start of a relationship (we hope), this isn't just another box on a shelf waiting to be sold and replaced with another. Take a look beyond the pricetag, checkout our process pictures and videos below and I dare you to believe that a different price point is warranted!





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Oh yes, so the $$ Labor Day Deal $$ Life is a deal these days, whether that's for the good or bad of our time, I think we all know the answer to that. Volume always aids price. Currently building 10 manifolds, 4 of which already sold, leaving 6 of this batch looking for a proper home of max boost and extreme use!

Retail Pricing: $2,195.00 + $100 flat ship fee

- SAVINGS $400.00 -

Labor Day Deal: $1,895.00 FREE SHIPPING

** All 6 manifolds MUST sell to carry this pricing, convince your friends, anyone on the fence bring this thread to their attention! Shipping within Con US only. Anyone out of country, I will offer the manifolds for $1,845.00 + shipping costs, or you can supply your own shipping/label **

Anyone interested, please email me directly, [email protected]

Happy Laboring!

-Shawn-
 

135i2

Specialist
Jul 23, 2017
98
97
0
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135i
Shawn, they look porn and go as well as the incredible fit and finish!

Tested here in Oz by martymil on his RB'd 1M. It bloody works!!

The difference in power and drive-ability is to be experienced.

Be firing up my FF manifold up on my ST real soon.

You deserve to sell a ton of these.
 
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A4RingedONE8T

Specialist
Nov 1, 2016
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Thank you everyone for taking the time to comment, it's much appreciated. Had to step up the game for my next manifold, here's for the ITB S54

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cnuyen

New Member
Oct 10, 2017
5
1
0
Geneva, IL USA
Ride
2009 135i / 2010 M6 SMG
Hello, I have been looking at the Evolution of Speed cast manifold. Since this is the ONLY one I found so far in my searches.

Now you all come along with ART WORK that needs to be on the WALL! Seriously BEAUTIFUL looking piece of work you have R&D'd than built.

Trouble is this, I have a GruppeM Carbon Fiber Ram Air intake that is so beautiful sitting in that engine compartment right now. In fact I have had the misfortune of being "Sold" an AFE Magnum Plastic air intake with filters that bolts to all the stock manifold, fittings and TB etc... ER Comp FMIC with a FULL Kit which included the ER charge pipe two meth bungs and HKS BOV to REAL WORLD, no recirculation BS. I also have a Mishimoto catch can all plumbed in as well.

I have to sell this AFE plastic thing I was sold because I was sold $550.00 (by Modbargains) they said that they could no longer get those GruppeM beauties and could not for the last few years. This was last summer.

I wanted to long and now they won't take the damned thing back its never been mounted or anything just opened the box to look at the disappointing thing:(

Then I saw talk of this new cast unit that could have three levels of matched injectors for Port injection and got really excited.

Now ... I am really EXCITED after finding this by luck and share happenstance on the blogs (sorry can't remember which one. I think VVT was doing a review on it on his N54 car.

Since I intended to run Twin Turbos on my N54 because it's a TT engine! I figured I would use VVT GC turbos. I have his Silicone inlets & Outlets already. the car is all stock except the things I have mentioned and the ER FE WB kit, and the ER Comp Dual Oil Coolers, with BMS Oil temp Open flow oil temp modification. Yeah I need a Thermostat to get oil temps up faster, will be addressing this soon. However I am getting GREAT IAT's over 60 Mph on 80 85 degree days. I'm only 3-10 degrees over Ambient. And Oil is NEVER over 210 degrees running Motiul 4-40 V300. I'm not using any special water wetter, Evans coolant etc... All stock. Coolant is not above 210 degrees either! My goals for the first step were to reduce all that heat those engine produce under the hood! I do believe my choices so far have indeed taken this issue and tossed it out the window!

I have a pretty good start of a build sheet going on so far when I started this project last summer in April of 2016. What took so damned long was ER and Modbargains shipping me the ER FE WB kit on time and then I had damaged side skirts which took another 4 months to get in. I finally picked up the car with everything mounted and Dyno Tuned last summer 2016 August Sept?? Then was instantly throwing CEL codes. Bought Coils, Plugs and new OE BMW injectors index 12 from FCP for a steal ($875.00) for 6 if memory serves me right. I did the coils, still had the CEL's Did plugs CEL stopped but I moved it down to a Stage 2+ 93 OCT. MHD tune and no more CEL's. Like a fool I sent the injectors back now they went up in price. If it wasn't for bad luck I wouldn't have no luck at all! :(

Yeah I know I talk a lot, my car is my only friend and she don't talk back! :((

Finally had them throw on my Custom dyno tune back on, runs like a beast! 435 RWHP / 440R RWTQ.

No I have to get the body kit to fit more OE, less band aided and patched! I have a good Body shop that does custom stuff 1.5 miles from my house. I also have to have them fit my Siebon Quade Vented, M3 Bump Hood with Aero latches and Lava Sheet to help protect the hood from heat. I have a CSF (SIC) Radiator as well. Beautiful workmanship on that radiator! Performance Gearing, out of Tucson, AZ AKA Jim's Gearing he built me a true 8 disk Salisbury, REM polished, LSD with BMW MS R&P (also REM'd) with 150 Lbs side preloaded gears and 100% acceleration lock up, 60% Deceleration Lock up. I have shut off all the freaking "BMW Nannies" and have to find a way to disable traction control completely, because it causes the rear brakes ACTIVATE, thus making the car get "squirrely" with a heavy foot! Have you all experienced this????

So...

After all this back ground I have given you can you make me a manifold with PI that will hook up to what I have and keep my beautiful GruppeM Carbon Fiber intake? WHILST saving my ER intake pipe and HKS BOV with Meth Bungs? So it all fits under all this?

I have new Suspension coming as well. I got impatient last summer... Felt the need to put SOMETHING other than stock on, so I got STUPID and had ST adjustable (W/camber adjustment) installed. Got soaked again, :( $1,600 + labor. I am turning my own wrenches from now on unless I just cannot handle the job or cannot for the life of me understand it.

Moving to a TCKline or Ohlins, Swift Springs, the M3 / 1M Lower control arm kit, along with Vorshlag camber & caster plates.

I have a set of Apex EC-7 18 X 9.5 front ET 22 & 18 X 9.5 Front ET 58. The ET 22 are to damned big I think BUT I MOUNTED THEM TO SEE IF THEY FIT! I also was told by ER they were running ET 22 18X10 Fronts with 18" X 10" ET 62 Rears. So I told ApEX THIS AS WELL AND THEY ARE NOW SAYING WELL YOU TOLD US THOSE ET's that's what we sent you! SCREWED AGAIN! I probably need Front; ET 35 or ET 43 or whatever the hell the next two up in that particulaR WHEEL Happen to be so I might have a set of Wheels for sale!

I would love to get the 10" wide set up square on this car, but to do this I have to basically spend $1,700 per wheel to get the correct offsets made to order! I am so upside down on this already I cannot afford the wheels I really want and need!


I hope you can help me or I suppose I am stuck with a casting from EOS for a manifold! Would be nice to get rid of the plastic shit. Even though its lighter and maybe even cooler running!
Sincerely,

Carey J. Nuyen
 
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Icewall

Lurker
Nov 3, 2016
18
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NJ
When you step up to a manifold such as this everything needs to be custom made. The charge pipe, the filters, the throttle body wires and fuel tank vent line need to be extended, and you need custom fuel lines.

You should not expect to be able to fit pre fabbed equipment and in case you are wondering, it is worth it.
 

cnuyen

New Member
Oct 10, 2017
5
1
0
Geneva, IL USA
Ride
2009 135i / 2010 M6 SMG
When you step up to a manifold such as this everything needs to be custom made. The charge pipe, the filters, the throttle body wires and fuel tank vent line need to be extended, and you need custom fuel lines.

You should not expect to be able to fit pre fabbed equipment and in case you are wondering, it is worth it.

REPLY:

Well ... I had to at least ask.

I suppose the issue I have is that I did not know how far I was going to go with this and it got to be a MONSTER out of control as a project.

Love the work you're doing and wish it would have been around when I started this whole nighmare I am involved with now.

Believe it or not, I at one point had the money to buy a "Roller Minus" Kirkham Cobra.

I wish I would have remained focused and stuck to the KING of the HILL, ALL HILLS!

Now I have, tiny car, that is just one firment nightmare after another...

I will keep you posted on what I decided to do if anything at all, to further go down this Pot Hole Filled road.

Thanks for you honest, straightforward no BS ANSWER! I appreciate truth more than anything else in this world!

I am indeed an Idiot, I did not plan well, I have caused myself more sleepless nights than I should have, probably pissed off more people than I care to think about at this very moment.

I hope you keep making your dreams come true, and keep making your products! Because I'M PRETTY SURE I'LL NEED ONE OF THEM SOONER THAN LATER!

Sincerely,

Carey J. Nuyen
 

martymil

Major General
Sep 6, 2017
3,331
1,906
0
Down Under
Ride
S65 1m
I fitted one of these to my 1M and its seriously the best manifold ever.

Not only does it give you extra power with supporting mods and when you tune it to suit.
So just as you thought that was it you gain more.

The factory design is very restrictive.

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