Great story! The travails that we survive become memories for generations.

 

And now your MINI smells as good as you do!

 

Brilliant idea with the deodorant!

I lived in Idaho Falls for a little while. To the East were the Teton Mtns, that could be seen from 60 miles away. To the West was volcanic ash desert. When the wind would blow it was a mess. All over. Nothing stayed clean. I feel your pain.

Nicely done with your MINI. FWIW - I recently had our ‘04 detailed by the dealer. They did something with the windshield that removed a lot of the scratches and chips. Not sure what they did, but it appears it can be done.

 

@Eddie07S do you mind saying what the dealer charged? It is almost detailing season here as the salt washes off the roads and into the soil to kill the trees☹️

 

This is what the ‘04, “Blue”, looks like a little more than 6 mo and a winter later after that detail:


Late winter wash and shine

This was from last week after a wash and just a spray detailer. 22 years later and this is the car’s finish. MINI did the job on this car. I was impressed back then and still am.

Keeler was not cheap. Don’t remember exactly. $600-ish? Maybe more? For inside and out. Honestly, when it was done, i just pulled out the “money magic” card and paid the bill. The car is literally my wife’s. I had it done as a present to her for her 20 years of ownership and loving it.

 

Nice present for a nice lady!

 

I have a big project in the future, valve stem seals, but today I decided to do an appearance maintenance item, the cloudy headlights on my R56. Yesterday I picked up a headlight restoration kit from Harbor Freight, it was $8 on sale (with coupon). Spent about two hours on the headlights. They're not perfect, but a lot better than when I started! Looking forward to the night so I can see if it made a difference in output.



Before restoration



After 2 hours

 

Not bad - @skid. Certainly an improvement.
I've refinished several pair of salvage yard finds that at first glance you'd think they'd be impossible to restore.
My recipe of choice (barring off the shelf kits), is baking soda mixed with hydroge peroxide, soft nylon water filter material (if not available - an old course Tshirt and and a chamois cloth for buffing. I've also found 3M rubbing compound #03900 works incredibly well.
I've finished off by buffing the lens with Nu finish but have since used Cerakote ceramic paint sealant.
Despite what others might prefer - I never subscribed to spraying clearcoat over the lenses. Just my opinion.
So far after 2wo years the (20 y/o) headlights only show a slight bit of yellowing bit still remain crystal clear.

 

Completed interior sound insulation. I still have the doors and hatch to complete, hopefully tomorrow.

when I removed interior I found a lot of water on the floor. Took a week to dry it out. I’ve also installed new door seals, I hope this will address the leak Passenger and driver side were wet.

I took it for a spin once I had it down off the jackstands. Noticeable improvement in road noise reduction.

Will confirm any additional gains once doors and hatch lid have been completed.

 

Wow - What an undertaking/crazy amount of work
​​​​​

 

After my previous post; Having been caught up in a severe dust storm while heading down to El Paso the other day, which made a huge mess of my Mini - Yesterday, the forecast mentioned gusty winds again, for the South ABQ valley.
After spending hours cleaning up all that dirt, I certainly didn't need to be told twice. I had no intention of sticking around to go through that again. So I hit the road heading North, 150mi upwards from ABQ to Las Vegas NM.






As I'd reached my destination just a few miles outside Las Vegas NM, even after 2 hours traveling at hwy speeds, my Mini remained almost as clean as when I last detailed it before leaving that morning.
The landscape is absolutely beautiful up here. Mountainous red-rock like Menhirs that majestically rise up from the desert surrounded by vast amounts of evergreen like shrubs and trees...(the kind that minimize wind blown dirt and don't make a mess of droppings in the Fall ).

Today....
Heading back to ABQ at sunnrise this morning, I could barely see the road in front of me due to the intense glare from the sun through the badly sandblasted windshield.
When I arrived back in town, I made a stop into a local Safelite and had my severely pitted and cracked windshield replaced. I was so surprised that they had the windshield, molding, and new 'A' pillar trims for a 1st Gen '04 on hand and could accommodate me right on the spot.
Unfortunately my request for OEM was not readily available sourced from the dealer and would be 3weeks out.


Saying goodbye to my Mini's original factory windshield at the end of it's 21 year old life.


New windshield in place. My Mini sporting the telltale strips of tape. Almost reminiscent of a poor dog subjected to wearing the "cone of shame" after a vet appointment.

Safelite also replaced the 2wo outside 'A' pillars with new in addition to the top weatherstrip molding.
I can't seem to help feeling a bit sentimental having to replace that original factory windshield...after 21 years I never even removed the original stickers that came on the glass when I had bought the car new....and will miss seeing that Mini logo imprinted in the lower left hand corner.


My original 21 y/o factory windshield w/warning stickers in tact.

 

What is it with keeping those stickers? They are still on our ‘04, with a sense of pride in having kept them…

Sad to see your’s go, but amazing they had a new windshield in stock, and you can continue on with your ride.

 

I'm not sure if it's a sense of pride having kept everything original to the car or just a sentimental reminder that all those little details were so integral that makes the car whole and special to it's original owner(?)...
As sappy as it may sound; It seems like every (interior) part I replace; a little piece of its (original) soul is lost...
or perhaps - renewed?
But then again - It's just a car. Right?

That being said - I do love the movie "Christine".

 

I don’t know if it is “just a car”, especially when we name them. As for Blue, I remember thinking to myself when we got it if I should remove those stickers. It was, they came with the car, they stay with the car, with the idea of keeping it original. We still have the MINI knickknacks that the car came with. Replacing stuff is another question. I feel as long as it is OEM quality or better (better shocks are an example) then it hasn’t lost any soul. It can be just a part of the “you-if-ication” process. All of which makes these cars special to a lot of people.

 

I agree with you 100%.
And it is my feeling that; it's not "just a car" - It's a MINI !

 

Added a Dinan Hardpipe for intake / “muffler delete”. Nice product for not much $$. A few weeks ago also added NM TUV wheel studs - much nicer to take wheels on and off with studs instead of bolts. Not too hard a job - as usual figuring out how to get the connectors off is both “easy” and a pain when doing it for the first time, especially when working somewhat blind.

 

With 21 years of miles I've put on my Mini driving cross country, traversing some roads in need of serious attention, I'm surprised the hatch lock has lasted this long.
Recently, with each and every hump, bump and defect in the road, my hood/hatch open indicator light would no longer go out. No matter how many times I had to pull over to slam the hatch shut.

Today - I finally had to replace my rear hatch locking mechanism.



I was just ready to pull the trigger for a new hatch lock on the FCPEuro site, but instead decided it might be fun, since it has been months having strolled the salvage yards...



Surprisingly, there were still a few 1st Gens' (what was left of them) sitting at the yard.
However, I was fortunate enough to come upon a pretty clean '08 R56 that hadn't been cannibalized or butchered, (yet), and managed to score a really nice condition hatch locking mechanism from it....


'08 R56 salvage yard rear hatch lock = $12


Installed


Success!

 

$12! A bargain at twice the price! Nicely done, Sir!

 

You bet!
Normally, I always purchase new parts for the important stuff. But man, do I love hanging out at salvage yards. It is amazing how many 1st Gen parts I've scored, in extraordinary condition, for pennies on the dollar.

 

Well done Here2go. Deodorant who would have thought it.

As soon as I graduated High School in South West NM 50 years ago I got the hell out of there and have never looked back. The Spring is worst time of year for sandstorms in that part of country. The mountains are the only place to be if you have to be there, but then again you stand a good chance of burning to death in the forest fires.

 

It's a curse, and I do feel your pain.

 

The salvage yards are addictive for me. I've picked cars since I got my first '64 beetle when I was 14. It's like hiking and hunting for gemstones. Although it can get pricey when I get carried away like these past few weeks. Your car is friggin amazing!

 

My apologies - Not intending to belabor the aftermath from the sand storm I got caught up in last week...

Today we were fortunate enough to experience calmer winds which gave me a chance to clean my CAI box & filter.


Just a couple of days after that sand storm

Yeah. Pretty bad. Considering I make it a habit (when I was in the South East) to clean my air filter every three months and NEVER looked this bad!
Looks like, (here in the South West) I'll be in there A LOT more often.

I only wish I had time to pull the lower Air box to access the top of the transmission and shift weight assembly for a thorough cleaning. Last time I did; I couldn't believe how much dirt had accumulated on there in just a short amount of time!
I'd wager you would be surprised too, should you need or decide remove your Air box as well.


K&N discontinued my current cone filter but I have a new comparable one on order. The above filter is about 2 years old. After washing it with soap & water, even though daylight
shines through it unobstructed - It really is time for a new one.


After washing and wiping out all the dirt from the upper and lower Air box with soap and water, I then finished off by wiping away
any remaining small practicals/residue of dirt with a tack cloth.


By The Way....




' Not just for arm pits anymore...

Arm & Hammer also does a fairly nice job of bringing out the luster of ABS and Polypropylene plastic engine components

Cabin filter tomorrow - after work.

 

I agree. It was just one of those moments of - "what the heck...' couldn't hurt to try"

I hear ya! - I did the same; escaping Minnesota just after 2wo years into college. (I went back to college in LA Cal 10 years later).
As for the SW - I only wear white tennis shoes. Out here?" - Yeah. Right.- Fuggetaboutit. 'Completely trashed within a couple of days.

 

Thanks for the kind words regarding my Mini.
Yeah - I'm with you on the love for salvage yards. I think you scored big time on your recent pick. These 1st Gens don't come along as often as they had in the past few years. Glad you got there when you did. Some knuckleheads go out there and literally get barbaric ripping these classics a part without regard/respect for the car or others who might be in need.
I do miss the gravel covered yards of the South Eastern junk yards. Out here in the SW, there is a 2 mile stretch of salvage yards along just one road. It's incredible to see. BUT - you'll be pulling parts in the dirt... (don't get me started on pulling parts during the frequent sandstorms ).