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1st GearNew members: make an initial post and introduce yourself as you shift from Neutral to First Gear. Current members: meet some of the new members.
Greetings.....I have been a member here for a year now, I suppose I should finally make an introduction post to everyone at NAM (long post, sorry)
Mini #1
I bought my first Mini 2 years ago.....I have always wanted one, and I found an "all silver" 2004 R53 MCS here locally (Tacoma area of Washington State) for $5,500. Car had 135,000 miles on it when I purchased it. The previous owner had just put a clutch in it and the car looked really nice from what I could tell. Engine ran smooth, everything worked, and is loaded with lots of options, even has the trunk mounted 6 disc CD changer (which just died). After I got the car home and started driving it and taking my time going over it, there were items that had to be fixed before I started driving it on a full time basis.......Had to do a supercharger service, replace the radiator & cooling fan resistor, had to put rear lower adjustable control arms on because the kid lowered the car, he also put the wrong size tires on it as well, speedometer is 3MPH off. Car runs strong, and basically is now perfect and ready for the open road.
First thing I did was to take those ugly ski racks off the top of the car, I had to get the "roof nut covers" from Mini to cover the inserts on the roof. (Just a note, those black covers are not very tight when installed, and on a hot day, they will expand and fly off while driving, so I got some of those plastic panel attachment pieces that look like a Christmas Tree, drilled 2 holes in each cover, and inserted the little push-pins to hold the covers on.)
I also got a set of aftermarket tail lights, LED bulbs, and changed the look of the rear end. I wired up the upper lights to act as another brake light for the car. (Also got a smoked third brake light under the spoiler with a "brake light pulser" wired in so it flashes when brakes are applied) I purchased a complete set of smoked clear front and rear side marker arch lenses, but haven't got around to installing them yet. The kid had installed a "cold air intake" which I didn't like.....I found an original air filter housing assembly up here and put that on the car and listed the cold air intake system on Craigslist, sold in a couple days. Took the car to Mini and they still had not replaced the power steering pump under warranty since the car was new, so they changed that out for me at no charge. While I had the supercharger off to service it, I went ahead and put a 15% reduction pulley on it, What a difference, I can get almost 20lbs of boost now. I'm very happy with the car.
Pics of the silver R53 are below.....(I would also like to join the "All Silver Club" here if I could ever find that thread again)
Now on to Mini #2......a couple months ago a picked up an '06 R52 MCS JCW for $1,350.......got the car for that price because it would not start, I figured, "How hard could it be to get it running?? Little did I know what I was getting myself into with this convertible. (You can follow my thread in the First Gen JCW section titled, "Is this a JCW Mini or not?") (another long read about the car) This convertible has been a nightmare for me.....I'm a retired auto mechanic after 45 years in the field, but nothing could have prepared me for the issues & problems that plague this little R52 (You can read all about it in the JCW section..... https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ni-or-not.html )
I wish to thank those people who helped me with the "Mini from Hell" .......over the past few months, you know who you are
Pics of our 2 Mini's are below, plus some pics of our other cars that we have..
This is surely an enthusiasts stable!
Some people drive cars, but some of us live them!
Congrats on your new to you Mini R52! It will be a prize once it is done!
I always liked those fastbacks and tried to get one a few years ago, but could not close the deal. Parts are scarce for them, as they did not sell well when new! Super cool though!
Wayne.....the first Generation Chargers are the hardest and most expensive to restore.....not many parts are reproduced for them......I was lucky enough to finish both of mine when I could still find parts cars to get what I needed from them.......now if someone wants to get a 66 or 67, they are better off paying the $$ for one that is already finished.....
