Auto Von Bismarck - The Commuter

[ClayW]

Automatic, big bumpers, and an eta; what's not to love?

This is my new 1987 325e automatic. After a low-speed accident totaled our 1991 325i, I bought this 325e from a friend. It belonged to a neighbor of his until he took it on a few years ago with the intention of making it a reliable commuter. He went through a ton of maintenance and successfully drove it for a few years before it sprung an input seal leak and was sidelined until I bought it.

The primary purpose of this car is to be a comfortable and reliable commuter car for the wife. Accordingly, I did the unthinkable; I repaired the automatic transmission and reinstalled it.





New filter and pan seal while I'm at it.



I used an interesting method for reinstalling the transmission without a lift or transmission jack, as seen on Jalopnik.com.





I also tacked a cracked section of the exhaust hanger back together.







Yes, those are terrible welds, but I only had access to an arc welder and no one will see my exhaust.

Next, I tackled the interior. The previous owner installed a relatively nice Alpine unit from circa 2002, but the wife requested Bluetooth connectivity. So, time for some rewiring.





The head unit is a Pioneer DEH-X6700BT. It has Bluetooth connectivity and the display color can be changed to match the interior lights, all for less than $100.

I also installed my digital volt meter.

Crappy night shot:



Washed and waxed, ready for commuting duties.

[efficient]

Looks,like a nice daily

[totheredline]

I'd rock it

[phenryiv1]

In for a (semi-)local.

[rcsoundn1]

Nice. Where did you get the volt meter? Jaywood?

[ClayW]

Nice. Where did you get the volt meter? Jaywood?

Made it myself with a fader switch housing and a cheap, Chinese voltmeter.

[ClayW]

I decided to fix the constant "Brake Lights" light on the check panel. That indicator has cried wolf too many times, so now I'm bypassing it.

So, I removed the check panel relay from the trunk and popped the board out of it.





I soldered this wire in to bypass the coils.



I reinstalled it, then pulled the board out of the third brake light. I soldered a wire to bypass the coil in that one, too.



Of course, the bypassing means that the check panel won't detect a burnt out bulb, but I wouldn't trust it anyway.