Looks great! I have always said the darker color cars *need* a little chrome to give them some visual "spice" against the dark color.

C ya,
Dutch

 

I spent a little time with a razor boxcutter and some 3M "Window Weld" polyurethane windscreen adhesive, and rebuilt mine tougher and stiffer.



I left a tiny bit of the original rubber inside to locate the center bushing, then packed the polyurethane around it and left it to cure. After it was done, I trimmed up the top a little, and sprayed it with red Niteshades translucent paint. Once it was cured, cleaned up, and ready, I swapped it for the other dead mount I'd got from my mechanic which I'd put in for the interim while rebuilding the original. It takes about a week of sitting in the sun to cure it well enough to mount and drive, and from there, engine bay heat under the bonnet will finish the job....

C ya,
Dutch

 

Glad you approve, Dutch.

 

We have the chemical guys Extreme VRP and its works great for the wheel arches and side rocker , front and rear bumper black plastic trim ( black plastic only ). Wipe on thin with a clean cloth and I found it collects much less dirt then the Meguiars on Gen 1 and Gen 2 MINIs. Also, work great on the tires and it smells a little like coconuts. Has a nice shine. dry to the touch.

http://www.ecstuning.com/Search/SiteSearch/ES2619132/

 

Finally got around to removing my hood stripes this morning. Been debating removing them for the better part of 6 months, but wanted to wait till it was warm enough outside to bother trying it. Lucky (or unlucky, depending on how you look at it) its 97 degrees today. The stripes were factory applied and I bought my car about 2.5 years ago, its garage most of the time, but it does sit outside during the day while I'm at work. I can't see any paint discoloration in person, and they came off pretty easily, all said it took maybe 10 minutes total to remove them. Then another 30 minutes to wax/buff the hood.

 

I added stripes to mine last year. It was fun for a while. But when I took them off this spring I really loved the way it looked without the stripes.(my hood scoop is still black) With the stripes off you really notice the hood bulge. I love the way it looks. Very clean look. And your car is no exception. Maybe just a black scoop now huh?

 

Actually been considering doing that for a while now. May have to start playing around in photoshop again.

 

+1
first MINI had stripes, second no stripes. Hood looks better without.

 

Cool. I'll check it out once I go through this stuff. I did end up trying it on the arches and rocker panels this weekend and it worked well -- so, so much easier to apply than what I've been using -- but I did notice a bit of dust and fluff stuck to it this morning. So yeah, that could end up being an issue.

 

Tikigod.....give me your headlights. Nao.

Awesome looking.

Not today, but soon, I'll be making a couple of minor changes to my stock Clubman S. Have a RE0910 K&N air filter on the way as well as an Alta BOV spring coming.

Should be here first of next week.

 

--

 

Rolled over 46K this morning on my first Manual car and loving every mile of it! 46000 Smiles and counting!

 

Louis-Rene Panhard and Emile Levassor would be proud

 

Saw a new 2014 Cooper on the way to work today. Not to start a political war or offend anyone who has purchased a '14 MINI, but not impressed. Ugly and huge.

 

Coming from the R56 perspective I didn't mind the F56 when I drove by it a couple weeks ago. I was pleasantly surprised. I didn't care for it from the photos. But in person, I thought to myself, 'oh, well thats not too bad really'. All perception and tastes I suppose

 

Also, I replaced my Iridium plugs with Brisk Silvers. Can't say I really notice a difference. But as least I'm keeping the combustion temps down. Running Stage 3. Better safe than sorry.

 

I don't think you'll start a war with that opinion--it appears to be the general consensus around here.

Then again, "the faithful" seem to have always disliked he newest revision of the car. From the Mini folks bashing the 2002 MINI, to the R50 folks dissing the R56, and now...

 

I just finished spray can painting my 2002 r50 in the parking lot of my apartment building. In the worst possible conditions - dust, sometimes windy, still using the car as a daily driver! But I'm really happy with the results, especially never having painted before. But it was way more expensive and time consuming than I anticipated. I used 2 part paint cans (with a catalyst) took 20 cans!

 

True. To each their own.



Agreed Dave. I saw the pictures but wanted to see one in person. I passed on the left and noticed the backend. Looks bigger, wider and blah… It’s missing that “something” that made it a MINI.

By the time I got next to the car, I was looking to see the nose. I think that is where my issue lies. The bonnet. MINIs have short hoods. This new model has a much longer hood that sticks out more, and for me, starts to kill the silhouette of what a MINI should be. We could talk about R50s, R53s, R56s… but I am going back to the general image of what a MINI should be and I think MINI overstepped. They are making the car larger and bigger and heavier. With that, in order to try and regain the “fun factor”, they have to put a 2.0L motor into it. To house the 2.0L motor, you need a larger bay. Seems like the manufacturer is backing into what the MINI should be instead of designing the next generation to look like a MINI and then supplying the necessary powerplants to move them.

So I’ve seen the pics on the net like everyone else and now I have seen the car in person. I will stick with the MINIs that look like MINIs.

 

True, but for some reason the F56 is a more noticeable departure from what's been considered "MINI."

These cars are supposed to be small. I mean, it's so-described in the name!

 

Bit the bullet and did the joy Mod




before



after

 

Finished up my mirror caps. Bought 'em black, 4-5 coats of Duplicolor Chrysler Flash Red (matched most closely with my bike rack), 5 coats clear yesterday; today wet sanded smooth with 2000 grit, Meguiars Ultimate Compound, then Scratch-X for a nice glassy finish.

Now I just have to decide if I actually like them... Pardon my dirt, it needs a bath badly.

 

 

I replaced my cracked Coolant Recovery Tank and flushed and refilled the system with new Dexcool.

 

Why did you you use deathcool?