I got the email update too... I can't believe it's been about 2 years since I last saw this thread!

I was totally pondering about an ultra suede/ alcantara headliner yesterday! Gonna paint some interior trim tomorrow!

Really amazing work, though. I'm surprised at how much of the stuff you actually made, including the radiator! I feel like crap now because I tried to remove my trim to paint it and I couldn't even do that! :lol:

Hope it finishes soon!:thumbsup:

Thank you, I believe it to be a born skill as I do it naturally but I guess this also means I do not leave anything alone, most items I own have been modified in some way generally through being board in my spare time or just another crazy idea.

It worked so well, the pillars are the bit that surprised me, took me a day per pillar but they look and feel like they came from the factory.

It is amazing I have gone from wanting an out and out track car to a fully modified road car which had a stock look to it.

Chop Top
 

You go dude!!! :nod:

I like the way you used the R52 style boot.

Very nicely done.

Motor on!

I am speechless, congratulations! It's incredible.
I do not think there is a MINI more spectacular than yours!
In Italy, especially, something like that does not you're ready to find.

Awesome car. Really nice job!

Love to see the project is still moving! Keep up the good stuff!

I have lots of crazy ideas too, but I have neither the know-how nor the patience to actually carry them out like this. It really is amazing to watch this come together.

Amazing work and talent!! Keep the updates going!

To bad the ridemakerz don't make the mini any more you would it love one. They use to have the mini. http://ridemakerz.com/

Nothing much to report on as filling the car with all the fluids and spending many hours measuring everything within the engine bay.
I have again took a step backwards as I was not happy with the alternator mounting system I had previously designed, it worked well but if I ever needed to change the alternator I would have to get it custom machined and I am trying to get everything to a point it will be easy to work on should I need too.

Original;
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1...0/DSC_0477.jpg

New mount which sits the alternator closer to the sump and allows a little more room around the radiator. Also allows a standard alternator
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-m...328_191738.jpg

Guess I am faffing but it needs to be right

You've gone this far, no cutting corners now! :wink:

Being doing lots more welding to finish off the last few parts of the engine, all the vacuum lines and making sure that all the fabrication work is completed. Ordered the last few parts and I hope to have it all together again. Can't be far off from being a car again...

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-s...412_170334.jpg

I want that SC/intercooler... like right now

Did you build teh strut brace? How will you connect?
Still utterly awesome!
:popcorn:

Not really seen the car for a few weeks maybe even a month or so but I have decided to spend a few days on it;

Fitted the vipec, I would say the install was easy when I got around to it but before hand I was quite apprehensive of all the options. After playing I am more confident with the unit. Calibrated the BMW 530 throttle first and now that works when you press the peddle then went through each setting adding each sensor. The largest disappointment was the control of the thermal systems mostly because you can only use the coolant temp to control the fans which for me is a separate oil and power steering pump so I have wired in extra air and oil temp sensors to control the fans although the setup is not how I would like to do it, it will be fine. With help from Scraggles I have scaled the injectors though this is to just get it started and then it will go off to be mapped correctly.

I then installed the innovative wideband, I found a nice hiding place for it inside the battery box. Also I wired it into a standard o2 plug so it all looks quite standard.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-m...502_201331.jpg

I then realised I had a medium to large issue, I was still using a facelift key but pre-facelift electronics, I have the key for the pre-facelift but the lock had failed. I went around to 5 different key cutting places and non would cut a spare ebay flip key I had, this unit was perfect as it could take the older electronics I needed. Anyway I came home and rang even more. decided to get the blade out of the flip key and broke the plastic off the facelift key. I then took a file to the key blank and now it fits perfectly and I have remote central locking :) just need to get the key cleaned, I have copied the profile in CAD and will get one of my machinists to copy it - then I will get another ebay blank. Quite like this key over the older mini key

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-X...506_132636.jpg
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-o...506_132627.jpg

Next this happened
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Q...506_132709.jpg

Spent some time coding in and out modules. Switched all the air bags off as at the moment I have non, I will put the drivers back on when I install it but for now....
I then went on to code the BC1 and changed the ac to a non digital no ac system. I then put the passenger window auto up on and changed the open and lock properties. From then I decided to turn all annoying bings and bongs off but I did put the reverse beep on which as I wont have driven a mini for a while nor a manual will help if I am over zealous for first that and with all the other people who will need to drive the car while testing it will help as I have no numbers on the gear knob.

If anyone is interested here is the coding to turn all the airbags off https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7V...ew?usp=sharing

Tested all the modules and it looks like the handbrake switch may not be working but that looks to be the only thing.

Just waiting for some hoes to turn up and will plumb the coolant system and drive the car out the garage. Then time for a slow controlled joy rid around the garden :lol: or fault finding :cursing:

Also - to the above question, its just an OMP bar with the link undone. I should have made my own but it was £34 so was not worth it

Its been pretty quiet the past few months. How is this project going these days?

Went through all 9pages. Amazing work

Cheers guys, recently I have been busy with a few other things, been building a work shop and a large garage, I'm not a builder so it take me ages :nod: actually with the little time I have from running my business everything takes ages... :lol:

Anyway the car is booked in for tracking and suspension alignment in September and tuning in October.

I tried to get it running myself and didn't do a great job, its idle is quite poor at the moment but it starts and can be driven, just quite difficult as it keeps wanting to stall but then catches it. A good mapper will have it running well in no time.



Also made a custom shift light which uses the standard rev counter, this is just the start up procedure but it will flash at about 7000rpm - I will show this when I can take the car to 7000rpm



Other than that I have been cleaning and cleaning, trying to remove the dust and just doing little jobs to make it a better car

Any new updates? My future dream is all wheel drive in my r53.
Great build btw

This thread is amazing. That car is insane. rkde, You my friend are a master.

Amazing car and work. Just joined the list and got caught up. Can't wait to see it finished.

Absolutely fantastic. Not meaning to insult but to praise, this is what the Paceman could have looked like if Mini had done some proper design work. Well done.

I agree, I love the look and wish that MINI had gone in this direction versus the bloated (my opinion) look it is now.

Hope OP will update... this is an unbelievable build. Love it. Brilliant. A lot of hard work, achieved with near perfection. Please post some good pictures of your finished product. An amazing singularity for sure. Can't get over how perfect your chopped Mini looks. Definitely one for the books, and Magazines.

Cheers!

Totally agree that Mini is drifting well away from it's mininess. Bloat is the car business' curse. They just can't seem get away from that.