Seat belts were no problem at all. I'm waiting on the center bracket for the back seat. Should be here soon (hopefully!!).

I would have got for the English leather if I could have found a set. I had them in my previous 2004 JCW (which was all electric blue too) and they were wonderful. But I couldn't find a set anywhere.

 

Your spine will probably thank you for choosing those seats. I would imagine the English leather same as my current comfort level in the leatherette, but with very limited seat time, I’m all about looks more than comfort. I’ll probably regret that...doh!

 

And yesterday's little piece of work: NEW STEERING WHEEL!!!!

Custom wrapped leather / perforated leather steering wheel, with red stitching, from Dallas Custom Steering Wheels and facelift airbag from Adrian at Willmek Auto Parts:

http://www.dallassteeringwheel.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Willmek-Min...5741925490737/

To say I'm delighted at how this has all turned out would be an understatement!!

 

And a short little video showing the new steering wheel, with the Championship Red Lounge Leather.

I also have a new headliner in the car and the dent on the rear hatch has been repaired (thanks Ryan Snyder).

https://ryanpdr.com/

 

Inspiring work ... I really like that you kept the original Non- ‘aero’ bodywork ... the wheel came out nice!!

it has that Stock+ look which I find well balanced with the design intents of Stephenson.

What did Mod-Mini do you your car?

 

Thanks!! I tend to try and keep my Mini's looking pretty stock (which is why I always stick with the S-Lites!!). I don't 'hate' the aero kit but I'm definitely not a fan of the front and rear aero bumpers. But give me a set of aero side skirts and I'll stick them straight on!

Kurt did mainly suspension work (bigger rear sway bar, front suspension bushings, etc.), installed JCW brakes (with Akebono ceramic pads on all 4 corners), new plugs (colder range), new leads, deflapped the JCW airbox, changed all the filters and all the fluids. He also swapped out the coolant tank for me, did WMW's 17% supercharger pulley kit .. and a Helix short shift kit. And the DME goes off to Way today to get his Quicktune installed.

 

Finally got around to installing the rear Championship Red Lounge Leather seats this morning. Huge pain in the butt (and I've done many seat swaps in many cars). I wouldn't do it again, but they do look awesome!! The car badly needs a wash. Its pretty clean .. but to me it looks filthy!

 

I should have followed up on this: the DME went off to Way and the software on it was so old that Way didn't even have a base file to install / work from. So I had to pull the EWS and send it and a key off to Way for him to update everything. Finally had everything back from Atlanta about 3 weeks later. And the car runs amazingly well now. The jump in performance makes me think that the car may never have had the actual JCW ECU software installed by the dealer.

This is the lowest mile R53 I've ever owned, and everything about it is so tight and strong. And the engine is so powerful that sometimes I pull away in 3rd (by mistake) and it doesn't even hesitate. It's an absolute pleasure to drive. I've had it on a couple of 300 mile trips already (Seattle to Bellingham, return day-trips, twice) and it runs like a trooper!

 

And a video of the car now that the rear seats are in:

 

OK, so I'm nearing the end of my modifications and maintenance on my JCW, so I thought it was time for a few photos. Its washed and detailed, just before it turns 19 years old next weekend!

So far, I have done the following:

EXTERIOR

Refurbished all 4 wheels
New Goodyear Eagle Sport All-Season tires
New center caps on each wheel
12mm spacers on each wheel
New front JCW badge
Roof and mirror caps resprayed in Electric Blue
Dent in rear hatch repaired (PDR)
New OEM tail lights
New stubby antenna (S2000)

INTERIOR

New OEM floor mats
New OEM trunk mat
New OEM shift ****
Recovered and refinished the headliner
R56 Championship Red Lounge Leather seats, front and rear
Custom 3-spoke steering wheel (leather / perforated leather) and corresponding airbag

MECHANICALS

WMW Front Strut Brace
WMW Rear Sway Bar (Thicker)
WMW 17% pulley
WMW Quicktune
Helix Short Shift kit

MAINTENANCE

Oil change
Brake fluid change
Coolant change
New coolant tank
New spark plugs (one stage colder)
New plug leads
New air filter for the JCW airbox
New front wipers
New OEM JCW front brake calipers
New brake rotors all round (OEM JCW)
New brake pads all round (Akebono ceramic)
New front brake lines (stainless)
Alignment (done first by Seattle Mini, who did a terrible job, so redone by Firestone)
Powerflex Suspension Bushings

And what I have left to do (or get done):

Full stage 1 paint correction
Ceramic coating
OEM rally light kit
New exterior a-pillar trim
Koni Special Active Shocks
. . and sort out a few rattles from the front of the dash!!

All new parts were purchased from Way Motor Works, ECS Tuning or Pelican Parts, and all of the work that I didn't want to do myself was done by ModMini (mechanicals), John Prentice (headliner), Midnight Garage (paint), Ryan Snider (PDR), and P1 Smart Repairs (wheel refurb).

And here are a few photos of it as it sits now, at just under 22k (no warning lights, no stored codes .. absolutely nothing wrong with it):

 

$6k later and you got a gem, another $2-3k and you’ll achieve perfection. Very nice work, probably the most flawless 02 I’ve seen. EB never looked so good.

 

Thanks! I'm delighted with it. I continue to be amazed at what good quality the paint is. Although my 2004 JCW, which was all EB from the factory, also had damn good looking paint, even when it had over 100k on the clock.

 

I should also add, I've had a number of members on here PM me to see if I'd sell it. I won't. Its definitely not for sale. I've given the same response to the BaT dealers that have reached out to me. I do however appreciate the PM's, especially from those that tell me how great it looks!

 

Dang fine whip mister !! Your attention to the details makes the difference in this one.
The non-Aero and the S-Lites are handsome for sure. (great design integration by the original designer).

What is a BAT dealer??

Love the work... also... any other pics of the rear seat install.... I'm tackling this in a month or so.... any help or reference points would be much appreciated.

Cheers !
Motor on !!

 

There are a few dealers out there that love to source cars from private sellers, hold them for a couple of months, and then list them for sale on Bring a Trailer. First generation Mini sale prices seem to have rocketed skyward over there in the last 6 to 9 months.

 

Had planned on getting the car ceramic coated sometime later in the summer, but it turns out this weekend was the weekend.

Full paint correction and a ceramic coating with Cquartz UK.

 

And a video of the car before I took it out into the rain!!

 

I've always liked Electric Blue on the R53s, especially with a white roof. This is the first one I've seen with a color-matched roof, and I'm surprised by how much I like it. It looks great!

 

Thank you! This is actually my second EB / EB R53, the first was a 2004 JCW. The only colors I put ahead of this when I was searching for this one was CR / CR and BRG / BRG.

 

Those seats look sick with that EB!

 

Thanks! They actually turned out better than I expected .. and yes, they actually look really good against the EB

 

Are they true black...or more "panther" like the originals leatherette ?



.

 

Sorry, it appears that I never responded to this - they are definitely a truer black than the original panther black seats.

The only recent update I've got is a new set of aero skirts installed. Stay tuned for some photos of those additions!

 

I was always on the fence about the aero kits for the first generation. I don't particularly like the rear bumper .. and you can't have a front aero bumper without a rear aero bumper .. but I have slowly but surely become a fan of the aero skirts.

So, I sourced a set from Dustin Akers at ALLMAG and dropped them and the car off with Ivan at Midnight Garage to have them painted and fitted. When Dustin sent me the skirts he was also good enough to put together a kit of all the clips and parts that were needed for the install. Everything went really smooth!

Car now has 23,500 miles on it.

Photos below!!

 

This is such a nice R53, and just keeps getting better