e36 rear headrests and rear map lights

["J. Leung" <jleung20@xxxxxxxxx>]

Chris Gaff writes about installing e36 rear headrests are rear map lights:

>I'm sure there are some out there who've thought and maybe tried this
>out. PLEASE help.
>
>Also some background info....
>
>The rear reading light assembly has just 2 wires going to it, a brown
>and red one I think. So...I don't know what to think or how I'd start to
>go about doing this...  :-(

Bubba Chip "Popeye's" E has done this.  Ask him.  eberhart@domain.elided

>Also don't the rear seat headrests bolt onto the metal rear shelf? If
>this is true then installations should be relatively easy. But where is
>the installation? I haven't removed the rear seats and platic shelf to
>find out, but in the truck you can see two small holes surrounded by a
>round metal peice welded to the regular metal unibody. Seems superflous
>when nothing's in those holes (2 pairs on each side of the car). I
>*think* they're the mounting points...but I'm not sure.

I vaguely remember helping Bubba Chip install the headrests on his
car.  If I remember correctly, this was done at night, via flashlight,
in the middle of a Chicago Winter, and it was like 20 degrees that night.
And we were not in an enclosed garage.  In fact, we were parked illegally
in an exposed-to-the-elements garage.  We had to work fast or get 
towed.  (I bet Chip's glad I didn't tell him about that last
part until today.)

Those two holes _ARE_ the mounting points.  Allz ya gotta do make the
holes is your rear deck too to line up with those holes in the steel
shelf.  Install all those plastic clips and whatnot, and BAM, you're done.
don't use a drill at 10,000,000,000 rpm or else you'll twist up all
your fabric on the rear fiberboard deck.

Chip's car had this extra metal plate (from the factory) welded in
below the holes in the metal shelf, so they were a little difficult
to get to from the underneath.  We had to remove his fiberboard
deck to line up and make them holes.  Chip has fold down seats.

My car, on the other hand, since it is a bastard child of the
1992 generation, has no fold down rear seats, and hence, no
extra "fookin'-damn-whats-this-in-my-fookin'-way?" metal plate.
For my car, it would be easier.  Probably don't even have to
remove the rear deck.  Just awl a hole from the bottom
through the existing hole.

Chip, am I missing a step?  Sheeeit, I can't remember.  I just remember
that I couldn't freakin' see _anything_ while I was crawled inside the trunk.
And it was really, really cold.  Really cold.

Basically, it was a one-hot-chocolate-job.
When your freezing, beer ain't the cure.

Bubba Jason
92 332i

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