u/SAVIOR_OMEGA

I didn't see a single other E24 this year. Frankly there weren't many old BMWs at all which is a shame.

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Just a word of caution to hopefully save someone some time down the road. This job sucks to do once let alone twice like I had to.

Somehow, some wire ended up wrapped around my guibo+output shaft and ruined the output shaft seal. I wanted to take the car on a trip and needed one same-day so instead of ordering ahead through FCP Euro for a replacement seal, I found this one at Auto Zone. While it's the correct dimensions, it's going to result in your transmission still leaking fluid. Please stick to the OEM-designed seal, which is all black.

A year and a half ago, I bought this car as a non-runner. Dead battery, didn't crank, covered in plasti-dip, and all sorts of funky electrical issues. This week she passed smog and is now fully street legal in California of all places. All it takes is hard work and following instructions.

Don't skimp on replacing the clips that hold the radiator to the core support. I also used a couple zip ties as additional security. Nobody stocks these radiators anymore so you'll be waiting several days for one if yours ever goes.

Today I confirmed that the $200 4-pin relay on older BMWs like my 1982 E24 can be replaced by a $6 relay for a Jeep. I just rearranged the pins correctly from the L shaped plug and plugged them into the relay to confirm they worked, then re-pinned them to a 4/5 pin standard relay plug.

Sure beats paying $200 for an OEM replacement. Just a little bit of work and you've saved yourself a ton of money.