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General MINI TalkShared experiences, motoring minutes, and other general MINI-related discussion that applies to all MINIs, regardless of model, year or trim.
Got hit in the driver's side door right under the mirror in the parking lot, saw it as I approached my car, whom ever was backing out of there spot made to sharp of a turn.
You don’t have to shell out lots of bucks for a decent dash cam. I have them installed in our vehicles just for the unfortunate case such as yours. AliExpress has them for cheap but make sure to get on with some kind of impact detection. Sucks we have to spend money to protect ourselves from crappy a$$ people.
As an aviation geek and an aerospace engineer (by training at least) I had to go with the propeller style once I found out I couldn't put 16" wheels on my build and had to choose a 17" option.
Got hit in the driver's side door right under the mirror in the parking lot, saw it as I approached my car, whom ever was backing out of there spot made to sharp of a turn.
Wow, that sucks!
Just the door and not the front panel in front of the door? That would lucky as bad things go.
Finally a strut/shock tower worth a damn.
I'm not naming brands, but being an Aerospace Engineer (retired after 35+ yrs. ), I know that, for no matter the reason for its existence, a bent tower brace has...VERY little, if any real column strength. Almost useless for what people buy them for.
I really don't understand why bent bars are made in the 21st century. Yes, maybe there are clearance problems in some cars. In that case, the designer "should"...be designing in extra strength that the bend has taken away. OR, mount the bar in a slightly different location.
Anyway, today, I mixed and matched brands of bars and mounting plates. Full top plates (another fallacy), and a straight support bar. Measured, marked, drilled and tapped, and fastened everything together. There are also...NO slotted holes. Another waste. Friction joints...move. These cars are built to much closer tolerances than needing big slots in the aftermarket parts.
And just to ad note/correction to my probably already controversial work. Just because upper strut tower brace mounts are full coverage and use all three shock fasteners, does "not" fully support the tower and keep it from mushrooming. No matter what's been said (I've seen it written here), for the "best" aftermarket strength, a properly thick plate between the shock and tower plate is required...NOT on top.
I've seen it written that these plates will mess with this and that angle, height, and so on. Really...a .125"/.130" plate is going to screw up the front geometry..?
While I don't pretend to know the geometry under the front of the Mini, I do know, that raising the car .130" (about 1/8") cannot...be seen standing next to the car without visual aids. Now, what it may do to the caster and-or camber, that's an easy adjustment..!
So..i figured i would share what i did today...and well the last few weekends....
today i did the VGS mod thing. Will see how that goes. Last weekend did the SC oil(thanks Way. The only place i could find the full kit at a good price)/water pump, alternator and coolant flush/fill. Week before that the crankpully decided to _______ the bed, so put on the cravenspeed 0% reduction pully. Aaaaaand a few washes and wax/polish(it rained the next day..figures). This weekend....???
Loaded it up and drove to Boulder, Colorado from Syracuse, NY, with the final destination Tucson, AZ in a weeks time.
Replaced the brakes on all 4 corners with new slotted and crossed drilled rotors, stock rears but R56 upfront with stainless steel hoses. Had the calipers powder coated to match the car.
Started on the rear brakes a couple of weeks ago, but ran out of time. Took car to have brakes bled, but got informed that the hard lines were rusted through! I ordered the parts before I left Syracuse and had them shipped to Boulder so that it would be ready and waiting for me when I got there. Once in Boulder, lifted the car on to jack stands and started in the lines! Holy S@@@, where they bad! Replaced the lines and installed the new SS hoses and completed the front R56 swap. Bled system, no leaks and stops like a champ!
Drove MC40 #81 today, shake down after the major rebuild still have some things to do (like getting the AC blowing cold) but having fun Go Karting around...
Installed a Dinian Elite from ECST on my 2017 MC S convertible yesterday. An easy job once one figures out how the BMW connectors come apart and you get the key fobs far enough away. Included zip ties made it easy to get a neat and clean look. Baby started right up. Had to reset date/time. No other issues. Test drive brought a big smile to my face. :-)
Took the aero bumpers to the same shop for the paint job, now since the bumpers are bear bone I have to hunt for all the fixings before I swap them up.looking for a pkg deal to complete these bumpers.
Ben
Took the aero bumpers to the same shop for the paint job, now since the bumpers are bear bone I have to hunt for all the fixings before I swap them up.looking for a pkg deal to complete these bumpers.
Ben
Can I ask what they are charging you for painting? I’d like to at least get the front aero bumper for my Clubman.
sourced a lightly used jcw rear section locally.
he also had a cravenspeed dipstick and some new intercooler boots for half the price as new so I can confidently add my 380cc without worrying over my old boots.
this took a couple hours to install but it’s finally in
