Greetings! New R53 owner from the (805) Central Cali Coast
#1
Greetings! New R53 owner from the (805) Central Cali Coast
Hi All!
Picked up a 2005 R53 with just under 160K on it this summer for a sweet deal, and I'm hooked. I just needed a commuter pod with some pep, and boy did I find one. Love this little go kart. Here's what she looked like when I picked her up....
At about 163K the clutch went out, so I had to get a clutch job $$OUCH$$, but glad I did. She's like a whole new ride and the clutch doesn't sound like Chewbacca anymore. New water pump, new thermostat, ts housing while the car was apart.
A few weeks later and wifey got into a slight fender bender with a kids bike. Kid was ok, bike and passenger side headlight / front skirt was not ok. Headlight clear cover cracked, just enough so water got in and fried everything. After some research I found OEM xenon HID headlight replacement was $850???? Wow. Ordered some aftermarket Spyder headlights with xenon package for about $350 for both (Pro-Tuning Lab) Did some very labor intensive plasti-dipping of all the chrome trim, and my murdered out R53 beast is starting to come together. Here's what she looks like now...
Picked up a 2005 R53 with just under 160K on it this summer for a sweet deal, and I'm hooked. I just needed a commuter pod with some pep, and boy did I find one. Love this little go kart. Here's what she looked like when I picked her up....
At about 163K the clutch went out, so I had to get a clutch job $$OUCH$$, but glad I did. She's like a whole new ride and the clutch doesn't sound like Chewbacca anymore. New water pump, new thermostat, ts housing while the car was apart.
A few weeks later and wifey got into a slight fender bender with a kids bike. Kid was ok, bike and passenger side headlight / front skirt was not ok. Headlight clear cover cracked, just enough so water got in and fried everything. After some research I found OEM xenon HID headlight replacement was $850???? Wow. Ordered some aftermarket Spyder headlights with xenon package for about $350 for both (Pro-Tuning Lab) Did some very labor intensive plasti-dipping of all the chrome trim, and my murdered out R53 beast is starting to come together. Here's what she looks like now...
#4
Thanks! My wife wasn't thrilled about the plasti dipped trim, until I told her, & the cool thing about plasti dip is that you can just spend some time and peel it off, let the chrome underneath shine. I can fully restore the car to it's stock Ho-Hum glory in an afternoon. Make it look just like the first picture. (Minus the headlights of course)
#5
Congrats, those spyder head;ligsht are the only Gen1 MINI head lights that have those little side curved LED DRLs.
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Customer Service Hours: 8am-8pm EST|Sales Team Hours: 8am-11pm | SAT 10am-7pm 800.924.5172
#6
Hi and welcome to nam,
The 05 and 06 S models are the most dependable engine years.
I have a 05 R53 and a 06 R53 JCW. The wheels on my 05 are the same as yours. Mine is very fast and handles to match.
I just purchased a 06 R53 JCW, which will now become my daily driver.
Itsme Waynes 05 S
This is my 06 JCW
They both have Chrono package.
I hope you can attend the Mini Mania event on June 24th in Nevada City, Calif.
The 05 and 06 S models are the most dependable engine years.
I have a 05 R53 and a 06 R53 JCW. The wheels on my 05 are the same as yours. Mine is very fast and handles to match.
I just purchased a 06 R53 JCW, which will now become my daily driver.
Itsme Waynes 05 S
This is my 06 JCW
They both have Chrono package.
I hope you can attend the Mini Mania event on June 24th in Nevada City, Calif.
Last edited by ItsmeWayne; 01-19-2017 at 08:20 PM.
#7
Yeah I love those wheels because I rarely ever see them on any other Mini's and they look kind of like the JCW wheels. That 06 JCW you just bought is super clean looking, very nice. What my mini wants to be some day. Yeah I'm not too far from that event in Nevada city, maybe I'll plan a trip with my wife.
What is the "chrono package"?
What is the "chrono package"?
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#8
I had those webspokes on my R56, they are a two piece and have a nice clear coated polished lip. The clear can sometimes flake / chip if they get dinged, but people repaint them. I like the design.
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ent-wheel.html
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ent-wheel.html
__________________
MINI Guru/ MINI Owner Since 2004 | NEW Lifetime Part Replacement | Local Pickup
Milltek | Genuine MINI | Forge Motorsport | NM Engineering | ECS Performance | M7 Speed
Customer Service Hours: 8am-8pm EST|Sales Team Hours: 8am-11pm | SAT 10am-7pm 800.924.5172
MINI Guru/ MINI Owner Since 2004 | NEW Lifetime Part Replacement | Local Pickup
Milltek | Genuine MINI | Forge Motorsport | NM Engineering | ECS Performance | M7 Speed
Customer Service Hours: 8am-8pm EST|Sales Team Hours: 8am-11pm | SAT 10am-7pm 800.924.5172
#9
[QUOTE=murdeR53;4273704]Yeah I love those wheels because I rarely ever see them on any other Mini's and they look kind of like the JCW wheels. That 06 JCW you just bought is super clean looking, very nice. What my mini wants to be some day. Yeah I'm not too far from that event in Nevada city, maybe I'll plan a trip with my wife.
What is the "chrono package"?[
Itsme Wayne's 05 s Chrono package
What is the "chrono package"?[
Itsme Wayne's 05 s Chrono package
#11
#13
yeah the Plasti-Dipped rims are kind of a quick and cheap option at this point. I want to paint them like a gun metal dark color, or a metallic gloss black to match the car. Flat black rims look a little cheap, there needs to be some contrast between rim and tire. even if it's just a pinstripe.
#14
I had those webspokes on my R56, they are a two piece and have a nice clear coated polished lip. The clear can sometimes flake / chip if they get dinged, but people repaint them. I like the design.
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ent-wheel.html
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ent-wheel.html
#16
You could also do the prep work, and then have a body shop spray them. Would have to coordinate with them to find out what kind of prep and primer would be best to use with their paint. Or just have a paint shop do the whole thing.
I may try painting my rims later this Spring or early Summer when we warm up enough to do that kind of thing. My wheels came with some minor curb rash in small spots along the outer edges of a couple of them. Paint would clean that up.