The car upgrade process has begun
Image by Caraudiocompl from Pixabay
When I was 18 with a fresh driver’s license, my top priority was to upgrade my car – a W124 200D – with a subwoofer. The only thing I cared about was to get maximum bass. I put a 12” closed box and power amp in the trunk and from what I remember, it worked quite well! Thinking back now, I do have some serious doubts regarding sound quality when matching terrible factory speakers from the 1980’s with a (then) modern powerful sub. But that was not important then. Bass was. Two and a half decades later, here I am, designing a car audio system for a W124 again. The circle is closed. But this time however, I intend to do it right.
Nowadays I have a somewhat higher income and time has infinite value, so my first thought was to take the car to a car audio specialist and let them work their magic. But the more I have been reading up on the topic, I cannot help but feeling a strong urge to DIY. The price proposal from the workshop may have had a contributing effect on me too. My principle is always that DIY is only free if your time is worthless. But building a car audio system in a retro car? Honestly, I cannot come up with anything more exciting and interesting than that. The choice has been made. We shall go route DIY.
YouTube is such an amazing tool when we get project ideas like this. There are tons of high-quality video tutorials on how to select the proper speaker upgrades, how to replace speakers and how to install the head unit etc. The W124 is such a popular car – over two million built – that there are entire channels around this car. And the Haynes manual is on the top of my Christmas wish list. Nowadays, I even have a warm garage to reside with my work. Oh boy, this is going to be a ton of fun.
The car has started its restoration process now with a two-day visit to the car detailing workshop for an engine compartment wash and a complete interior cleanup. There were years and years of dirt in there. I also added a fresh viper blade and a glass treatment, because using the viper in any way was outright dangerous before. I think you might have better success in improving visibility by using pepper spray into your eyes instead of viper fluid. Jokes aside, after new tyres, a glass treatment is one of the best upgrades you can do to any car. Period. Once you have tried it there is no going back. It is not just a nice-to-have, it is a security upgrade. In the dark and wet autumn months, having perfect visibility always is worth every penny.
So now the car is fresh and all. Tomorrow we are going to the mechanic for a 2-hour inspection. It recently passed the mandatory yearly inspection and is determined road-worthy. It also got some fresh brake callipers. Let’s see what a professional can discover tomorrow. This is perhaps the most important milestone. I hope he’ll say that it’s good for tens of thousands of kilometres if I take proper care of it – which I will. Right now, my gut feeling is that I will keep this car forever. It is my last chance to drive a real analogue car without breaking the bank. And the most important thing is that I love driving it. It feels like coming home and there are so many nice memories that come back every time I get behind the wheel. The only thing I seriously miss right now is a stereo, at least something I can use to listen to music. The original Becker head unit is still in there, but it is only useful for radio, and I couldn’t be less interested in that even if I tried.
Regardless of what tomorrow holds, the next major upgrade will be new loudspeakers. The old ones are bust. One is gone, and at least one more rattle badly when the volume comes up ever so slightly. I have resorted to bringing a small Bluetooth loudspeaker and placing it on the passenger seat. After that, I have a crush for Blaupunkt´s series of retro head units. They are basically replicas of the old cassette units but with state-of-the-art tech inside. They are perfect for the job. I also have to add some kind of phone holder/clamp in a wise place, but I have a very good idea on that. The car is equipped with the factory executive telephone. Yes, a proper phone handset! Unfortunately, that old cool handset is gone. But on the plus side, that means we have a nicely sized free real estate to install a smartphone clamp and route some USB and power wires with proper outlets.
I have also booked an appointment with the painting firm on Monday. That one is scary though. The car seriously needs it, but I am afraid the cost can be astronomical… Either way, I intend to do what I can to maximize the life of this W124, my old friend.