I want to avoid an S versus Cooper battle. I am only talking about the asethetic appeal of the S style gas cap compared to the Cooper style? What do you think ?

edit: This is PPE posting under Yucca's username by accident :impatient

 

Having owned both, while I do like the S cap, I don't like it enough to buy the cap AND pay to have the lining painted to match. If it was just a matter of the cap, then I'd consider it.

 

I CONSIDER it daily. I find myself leaning strongly one way and then the other..........:impatient :impatient :impatient

 

I hated the Cooper cap. both of my cars have S caps on them, my MC had one and my MCS will still have one, i'm not going to "smooth it out" and make it look like every other gascap in the world.

The MCS cap is just very different, and i like it

BTW, you could save on the painting fee by finding someone with an MCS that wants a Cooper gasflap.

Might be kinda hard if you have a VR, SG or Solig Gold, lol

 

Funny, I have a PS MC (for sale) and PS MCS, and I much prefer the MC cap. I would love to switch them out but feel that I lack the tools to do so. Oh well.

 

or Solar Red.

 

how about Purple Haze?

 

nah, nobody drives solar red MINI's.

 

If you want a Cooper fuel door on an S, you can always get a convertible! Here's my chrome one:

 

Can anyone tell what parts are involved in converting the S Style Cap to the standard Cooper Cap? Could this be ordered directly as a MINI service part?

I don't mind that styling but my wife strongly dislikes it. Just don't want a cap to be the tiny detail that puts the kabosh on our pending order.

Thanks-
Randy

 

From the realoem.com site, here is the diagram for the Cooper S:

And here is the diagram for my car, the Convertible S:



Item 5 on the S is called Hinge, Gas cap: Part number 51177077534. Item 15 on the Convertible S is called Hinge, Gas Cap and is part number 51177118520. The flap part (#14) is part number 51177132944 and comes primed. (This is the part I had chromed.) As far as the actual gas cap, the part number is 16116759252 for both (it is on a different drawing, the fuel supply one). I think you would only have to change the hinges and flaps, and remove the painted part labelled 16 in the Cooper S drawing. How hard these parts are to remove, I don't know, but I do think that this has already been done by some people here on NAM.

 

I did the conversion a few weeks ago on my MC. It cost about $125 including having a body shop paint the ring. It took about an hour, though it would've gone more quickly if I had removed the tire and had an extension socket for on eof the bolts. It's not a difficult process. There's a webpage with photo instructions that you can find if you google 'mini copper gas cap conversion'.

 

To tell the truth, I've liked them both at one time or another. In the end, since I have a Cooper cap, I honed in on the advantage/preference that the Cooper cap has a more invisible, streamlined look and just stayed with it. It is after all, regardless of the look one prefers, just a gas cap cover. If I had an MCS I'd be happy w/ the MCS cover, too. My point is that there can be equal cases made for which one looks "better"...I've just come to appreciate the benefits of the one I have.

I tend to consider these things to the degree that I talk myself out of mods that at first impulse seem like absolute "must haves" but under consideration are more a product of my own MINI-mania than any actual aesthetic benefit.

 

I like the MCS cap better also. I just got me the MCS cap assembly and will be doing the conversion soon. I'll be also adding a little something different to it. I'll post pics when I'm done

Here are the part #s you need.

51-17-7-158-196 GAS CAP
07-14-7-125-588 BOLT
51-17-7-077-534 HINGE
51-17-7-076-054 COVER

You can find good deals from one of the vendors here. I got mine at Crevier BMW. Contact Vaheh at vbashikian@crevierbmw.com.

And here's a link I found in doing the retrofit.
http://homepage.mac.com/rv6a/minisgascap.html

and here is a step by step picture instructions from a japanese website. They didn't remove the wheel liners on this one. plus check out the carbon fiber trims... yummy.
http://www.racers.jp/mini/30/index.html

 

Agreed - My wife just isn't a big Chrome fan. I'll have to see if the dislike is worth a estimated $125 to change it.

Thanks to all (Steve_IV anc SonicVI) for the responses, line drawings, and input.
-Randy

 

I dunno how they got that hinge off withut taking the wheel well off and pulling the filler tube in. I tried for half an hour to get it off and I couldn't get it off the tube far enough to rotate it out of the hole.

 

Moss also supplies the necessary parts as a package for $85.95. Is this cost effective compared to ordering the parts from a dealer? How much does painting the trim ring cost?

 

I'd really like it if the Cooper S cap was more like a "real" racing filler cap. The fake cover sort of bothers me.

 

It cost me $40 at a body shop and it matches very well. Apparently the regular Cooper door costs nearly $80 more if you buy it factory pre-painted. I imagine the difference would be similar for the S cap ring, if you can even buy it pre-painted, which I'm not sure if you can.

 

It got me thinking about what it would take to convert a "LaMans style roller gas cap" (a little searching gave me the "real" name).

http://www.aeroform.com/products/mustang.htm



http://www.cobranda.com/GetItemDetai...D=533&DeptID=6


Apparently they are big on AC Cobras, and some Mustangs, as well as Vipers.

Looks like I'm going to have to take a good look at the filler door and see if something like this can be added on. It would most likely would be a point of no return mod since I would have to drill holes to mount it.

 

I swapped with ChocolateAZ his chrome S cap for my Indi Blue MC cap. He wanted less chrome, I wanted more. Worked out perfectly!

And Jackie Cooper MINI in OKC installed if for me when I was in for regular service.

- Angie

 

Is anybody mental enough to have bought this one?
http://new.minimania.com/web/Item/NM.../InvDetail.cfm

 

$715, it better come with 6 months of gas too!

 

Hmm, exhaust and intake, or... gas cap?

Plane ticket to Egypt, or... gas cap?

Digital SLR camera, or... gas cap?

I guess their target customer isn't making those kinds of decisions.

 

I think I'd have to go with the gas cap on that one at the moment.