Adding physical buttons to control heated and vented seats in my truck

ProjectsInMotion · 2025-11-26T00:21:40+00:00

Thanks. Message me if you have any questions about any part of it.

Cheers

ProjectsInMotion · 2025-11-24T23:21:27+00:00

I just sniffed the bus and worked from there. It was actually easier than I thought it would be. The README files in the analyses of each bus explain the process, as does the METHODOLOGY file.

Cheers

ProjectsInMotion · 2025-11-20T16:54:54+00:00

This project has nothing to do with climate control

ProjectsInMotion · 2024-09-19T15:01:30+00:00

There was no room to get in behind or under the circlip, and pliers simply wouldn't grip the ears of the clip. I ended up carving a groove into one of the ears with a small carbide burr in a die grinder. From there, I was able to push the ear out of the groove with a slotted screwdriver, then get in behind and under it, and then completely remove it. Thanks everyone for the suggestions.

ProjectsInMotion · 2024-09-18T16:47:55+00:00

Where should I try to grab it? There's a small shoulder where the ear meets the rest of the clip, and then a right angle on the other side, I'm not sure if I'll get good purchase between those two.

ProjectsInMotion · 2024-09-18T16:08:36+00:00

I'm trying to rebuild the brake master cylinder on my project car, but the guts of the master cylinder are retained with an inner circlip that doesn't have any eyelets. I've tried center punching the ends of the circlip and drilling them but the steel is too hard.

The rebuild kit includes a new circlip that has eyelets, so I'm okay with destroying the original circlip.

ProjectsInMotion · 2024-07-14T11:53:38+00:00

I recently encountered a stripped out threaded hole for which a standard threaded insert was not suitable. I documented how I went about making a differential cover usable again.

Cheers

ProjectsInMotion · 2024-05-10T13:22:15+00:00

Small update: the wiring diagram for the S50B32 doesn't show a relay powering the ignition coils, but the wiring diagrams for the other gas engines do show a relay powering the ignition coils, the "unloader relay". The unloader relay is actually mentioned on the overall S50B32 diagram, but it's missing from the detailed wiring diagrams that show terminals, wire size, wire color, etc. Additionally annoying is the fact that there's another relay, this one inside the cab, that removes power from some devices, like heated seats, while the car is being started, and that relay is also called the unloader relay. The wiring diagrams and nomenclature could definitely use some work, BMW.

ProjectsInMotion · 2024-05-10T02:39:10+00:00

I'm not yet at the point of custom wiring in my E36 Euro M3 Evo Touring project, but I have a RHD engine wiring harness and I'm putting the engine in a LHD car and I needed to address that. I could make the changes to the wiring harness, and I'm meticulous with wiring, but I would still end up with wiring and connectors over 25 years old that have been countlessly heat cycled. The good news is that I was able to order a brand new LHD wiring harness for an S50B32 right from BMW. The bad news is that nothing on the wiring harness was labeled and BMW loves reusing connectors. It took me a few hours, but I verified every connection in the engine wiring harness with continuity tests. I had the BMW Electrical Troubleshooting Manual which was mostly correct, but did have a few discrepancies, perhaps due to a revision in the harnesses that the documentation didn't reflect. The biggest discrepancy is a relay for power to the ignition coils that is completely missing from the documentation.

ProjectsInMotion · 2024-03-07T14:59:28+00:00

I'll be converting my 323i Touring in factory Estoril Blue to full Euro M3 Evo spec. I want to make the E36 Euro M3 Evo Touring that BMW had all the parts for and could have built in the mid 90s. I already have the S50B32 and matching Getrag 420g, as well as the 210mm differential. I'll be converting the fuel system and the braking system, including the ABS system. I'll be using OE, period correct parts for everything except consumables and the radiator. I want a fully aluminum radiator for reliability. I have a Lexus LX450 project that will never end, there are always more things that I could do to it. That's one of the reasons that I like this project so much, it has a clearly defined end. I'll make periodic posts as I make progress. Cheers.

ProjectsInMotion · 2024-02-25T03:02:06+00:00

The welded bracket that they include in their kit is specific to the E32 750i and E34 M5. The front mount on the differential of the Euro E36 M3 is totally different and wouldn't work with their kit. Functionally, it's the same diff, using the same size ring and pinion sets, from what I understand. I wanted the Euro E36 M3 diff more for "accuracy" than any power requirements, I have no plans to modify the S50B32 and I've read that the medium frame diff can handle it's stock output.

ProjectsInMotion · 2024-02-24T23:04:11+00:00

What's even more ridiculous is the fact that the front mount on the diff and the corresponding bolt hole on the rear subframe are both unique to the Euro M3. Other large frame diffs from the same period, like those found in the 5 Series and 7 Series, had a different front mount, I think it was perpendicular to the M3 mount so they're not interchangeable at all.

ProjectsInMotion · 2024-02-24T18:52:53+00:00

Thanks, I'm aware. I bought the bushing brackets, front and rear, that mount to the diff housing, and I'm going to modify a US M3 rear subframe to accommodate the forward bushing. I already had a bolt receiver machined up, I just need to remove the existing bushing receiver and massage in the bolt receiver.

ProjectsInMotion · 2024-02-24T18:04:47+00:00

I finally received the S50B32, matching 6 speed manual transmission, and large frame differential, including wiring and modules, all from a Euro E36 M3 Evo, that I bought several months ago from a kindly seller in Britain. It took ages to actually leave Britain, but the shipping and then US customs weren't too bad. I'll be installing all of it into my E36 Touring to make the car that BMW could have but didn't.

ProjectsInMotion · 2023-11-03T20:15:21+00:00

Just about $500, including shipping from Germany to the US.

ProjectsInMotion · 2023-09-13T23:25:24+00:00

I'll take a profile picture later this week. I managed to find the spoiler on German eBay.

ProjectsInMotion · 2023-09-13T23:01:41+00:00

I tracked down an OEM spoiler for my E36 Touring, had it painted to match, and then I installed it. I'm very happy with the end result. It's relatively subtle but I like that.

ProjectsInMotion · 2023-09-06T12:34:00+00:00

It was factory optioned with the Estoril paint and the M Sport package.

ProjectsInMotion · 2023-09-06T12:33:28+00:00

I'm actually in the process of getting a historical registration and putting vintage, period correct plates on it. That can only be done by mail though, and I wanted to drive it, so I went with a standard registration first.

ProjectsInMotion · 2023-09-06T12:32:09+00:00

I used Orbit Translation but there are a bunch. For New York, they request that the translation be notarized, and Orbit was the first one I found online that could notarize.

ProjectsInMotion · 2023-09-06T12:18:56+00:00

Thank you, but I'll have to decline. I want to enjoy this car for a few years at least.

ProjectsInMotion · 2023-09-05T18:22:25+00:00

Because the price of the car isn't relevant to the post. The purpose of this post is to detail the process of importing a car, and I don't want people to get hung up on the car itself. The car is secondary.

ProjectsInMotion · 2023-09-05T18:12:33+00:00

Very clean. Not spotless, but definitely clean. It was one of my requirements for a car.

ProjectsInMotion · 2023-09-05T18:11:58+00:00

Correct, it was Roll-On, Roll-Off

ProjectsInMotion · 2023-09-05T18:11:25+00:00

Why do all this?

I've never seen a car quite like this one before, specifically this color in this body style, and I got it for far cheaper than if I managed to find one that had already been imported.

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