Looking amazing! Are you sticking with that modified R56 JCW bumper? I really think you should, it looks fantastic!

 

I've been waiting 10 years for someone to try this...looking good
Can't wait to do a Mini version of the R5 Turbo

 

Looks great!

Decided not to use the bumper you worked on? What is the plan for the tail gate?

Good luck with the wires, it may be easier just wiring it from the scratch or replace the whole harness than trying to figure things out once things are bolted up.

 

Yes I will be running the bumper but here in the UK the car has to go through and IVA test which that bumper will not pass because the indicators and sidelights are too low so it has to go to the test with another bumper on...

I made the wiring loom quite a long time and the only change I had to make was putting the main live feed to the front of the car rather than the rear as I had planned to have a rear battery but now I am having it all up the front. Its all quite simple but there isn't a wiring loom out there that will do what this one will Its very custom and took me quite a while to build



Tail gate is a convertible drop down

 

I gotta say this is some project. I am very anxious to see the next step.
This post is a "daily checker." Keep up the good work.

 

^Aren't we all?

 

Those harnesses reminds me of old days..

There are only a handful of things that let you feel down than a car beautifully built then someone forgot to hook up a ground and the electrical does funky, irratic stuff... check every thing, fuses good, no shorts.... then there was a ground wire that you find under the dash somewhere unhooked up which you had to take the dash off to get to after unbolting the roll cage. I remember that day like yesterday..

What did you use to fill the bumper with? Did you mix in any plastic?

I wish I have time and MONEY to do this. I can't wait to see the end of this. Who is doing your interior? Any written plans?

 

You, sir, deserve congratulations. Keep it up. BTW, your steering wheel is on the wrong side. While you have it apart, you should fix that.

 

Haha^^^

 

Believe me if I ever move to the US then I would move it over... However I think I am to stay in the UK for a while yet.

The bumper was originally made of expanding foam and grp.

Wish I had the money to finish it off too! I still need the windows and they are just shy or £1k and then there is all the other little bits I may or may not have

Interior will be a black alcantara finish over most items. I used to do trimming for a part time living so most of the items I will be making. The rear of the car will have a set of orranje rear delete kit (similar to the GP) and I was lucky enough to be in the right place to get a whole load of R53 carpet from end of line factory off cuts and its 3m*3m so when I saw that I brought as much of it as I could get in my tourer

 

So here's a question. Did the car have to be completely rebuilt even down to the wiring harness only because it had caught fire? It seems like a ton of work to shorten the roof height a little.

 

cant believe i hadnt seen this thread as of now ... definetly one to follow

Good luck on the build!

 

Its not just because I cut the roof down or because it caught fire but because of options I wanted and items I did not want. The convertible boot has a very different loom, all the air bag system was removed, Harmon kardon was removed and a normal system added back in. Then there are quite a few extra looms added for gauges and controls. Also lost the writing for the rear window heater and wiper wires including the water supply. Basically a lot came out and some went back in. There are not many parts on this car which have not been modified in some manor. So far there is not one standard part on the exterior of the car or if it is it has been modified in some way

This is not just a roof chop but there is a lot more going on too. Every action has a reaction with this build. It's anything but just a roof chop...

 

Ok, I got it. I thought you were basically just chopping the roof and re-building a burnt out engine. Now it makes sense why the car was stripped basically to the frame.

Amazing work, I would definitely not have the patience to do that wiring.

 

After over 4 years of the car being dead I finally got around to hooking the little feller up to a battery and to my shock the sparks where huge then I realised that the starter motor was connected to the positive and the body on the same connect, glad it was as simple as removing the one wire...



Plugged the laptop in and there was full communication with the ECU, BCU, ABS and the air bag system so it looks like all the modules are alive and working

All the doors are now fitted and aligned correctly

I then also managed to get the rear boot door on too as well as the custom one/gp bumper which I made quite a while ago and had forgotten what it looked like on the car, really pleased with it though

 

Rear end looks great! I love that you have bits and pieces from every 1st gen model built into this.

That white is the final color right? I like white

 

 

BRAVO, Rich!!!!!!

 

Yes this is the finished colour, its called glacier white

 

Any updates?

 

Decided that with the costs of the windows I thought I would give it a go myself to drape form the lexan but in order to do that I needed to make a mould and that is what I did, this mould is only to give it a go and see if I can do the form but this is a wait and see test, if it works then great but if not then its only a small cost to find out. Looks possible...



Started to make the guttering around the roof, fitted the side skirts, fitted one of the seats which did need some modification but its in there now. Got the rear bumper all fitted up with all the convertible bits fitted. Seam to have got little done during the day but its all the little modifications that just consume so much time.

 

Looks sooo good! If I saw it on the road I would half expect that thing to have a hemi v8 in it and growl like an angry lion.

Do you have the suspension lowered at all? That's almost going to be mandatory for this look.

 

I have had quite a few questions regarding bumpers and other stuff.

The r56 / r53 bumper will be going on but due to the fact the car has to go through and IVA test to put it on the road here in the UK the side lights and indicators must be a set height off the ground, the r56 got away with this because the indicators are in the main light cluster and when the bonnet is lifted the lights don't move so there is no problem with a breakdown where hazards are required. So for the test and when I feel like it I am having the aero bumper too and the r56 will go on after the test

Also been asked a lot about lowering the car, the car is on adjustable coil over shock so it will be dropped however again for the IVA test the car needs enough clearance, if it scrapes the floor on any of the tests it is not classed road legal also the height from the ground to items becomes an issues as exhaust pipe tips need to be a set height off the floor as does the reverse light and other bits.

All in all the car will be done to pass the test then modified after but it is all setup to change once tested

Wish I could put a V8 in it but in the UK there is no way I could afford to run it,I run a 2.5 V6 at the moment which costs a fortune to run. Petrol is about £1.40 at the moment thats $2.11 for a UK litre so to fill my daily driver is £91.0 or $137.15 and that does about 300 miles... However I would like to think that the engine with the ax1200 twin screw blower in will sound awesome

 

Good news!

The car finally came home at the start of the weekend, really pleased to see it back and have been able to spend a lot more time on it and will be able to do some work on it through the week.



With the car home, I have been able to get everything I need installed in the engine bay and now that is ready for the engine to go in. I just need some strong lads to help me get it out the shed...



Going to try and do a little bit every day but I think its only going to take me a few weeks to put it all together if I take my time and torque everything up as required.

 

Cool. Cant wait to see it finished.