When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
JCW GarageInterested in John Cooper Works (JCW) parts for your 1st Generation MINI? This is where JCW upgrades and accessories for the Cooper (R50), Cabrio (R52), and Cooper S (R53) MINIs are discussed.
I got one pair of my puddle lights today.....doesn't look all that bad, although the wings are not purple like shown in the eBay listing.....
I'm waiting for the other pair that I have ordered to come in.....when those arrive, will post a picture as well.....the second set has a John Cooper Works badge inside the large circle
Time to get back to work on this car......today was "front caliper rebuild day" before the power goes out from the wind & rain up here
Cleaned up the calipers & pucks, installed the new inner seals, outer dust boots, & installed the pucks into the caliper bore. Now just have to clean up the mounting bridge that is still on the car and install the front calipers & new pads.
Interesting note about the date codes on the main caliper body....one was made on the 278th day of 2005, and the other was made on the 326th day of 2005....quite a difference in time between both calipers......my car was built on 9-13-2006
I have the Ziza full outside and inside LEDs, huge difference. After installing its like i can see my MINI and see inside of it now. The JCW calipers still look in good shape. That was such a rare option back in the day, i remember when they were new.
Well, not really an update, more like a question on this car. I have had the car for over 6 months now up on jack stands in the garage.....I have swapped engines, gutted almost the entire interior chasing electrical issues, replaced rear calipers and rebuilt the front ones.......
Having said and done all of that above,.this is the first time I noticed all of this "cross bracing" under the car.....are these braces factory or aftermarket add-on? Looks like factory Torx bolts to me. Are these specifically for convertible cars? My '04 R53 does not have these (I had to go look under the car to make sure)
Yes the are for support all the R52, R57, and R59's have them. Since the top is not there (hardtop) need additional structural support on the back end of the car.
Yes the are for support all the R52, R57, and R59's have them. Since the top is not there (hardtop) need additional structural support on the back end of the car.
Yea...kinda figured they were factory, due to the Torx bolts and how the bracing was made.....the R52 also has the 2 little braces at each corner of the engine compartment behind the headlights......
On our American cars, we have what's known as "torque boxes" welded under the car where the frame meets the uni-body at the front & rear......kinda crude technology for the 60's & 70's cars......
Yep, just make sure you put them back on and torque them down, the ones on the underside.. I sprayed some grease on mine a little so next time they would not rust in place.
Got the front calipers & pads on, bled the system, pumped up the pedal, and now the front calipers release off the rotors as they should......
Got the inner fender-well plastic panels back on, installed the new JCW badge in the front grille, (I know the badge is the newer style, but it was all I could find. The OE one on the car looks like it went through a sandblaster) installed the front bumper cover and found out I'm missing the lower part of the bumper cover that attaches the cover to the radiator support. It looks like it has the little spoiler air dam on it......I don't remember taking this piece off, I bet the kid that had this car before me either lost it, broke it, or just fergot it or threw it away......so now I'm on the hunt for that piece....I'll place a "wanted" ad in the classifieds for it
I decided I will take the new rear calipers back off and paint them red to match the fronts.......I think it will look better and balance the looks of the car when viewing it from the side
Looks like you are getting ready for a test drive!
Yea, getting close.... I found that missing lower trim piece at Seattle Mini, I really don't want to go all the way up there if I don't have to..... I'll go down to my Mini dealer here close to me and see if they have one, or if they can get it from Seattle Mini......
So I need to get the rear calipers painted, install the front seats, install the missing trim piece while the car is still on jack stands, put the wheels and tires on, and see how it goes for the maiden voyage
I figure maybe about a month or so depending on the weather
Was good chatting with you and looking at your MINI S as well, thanks for stopping by
Update: 1-9-2019
Not much has progressed on the R52.....the weather here has been bad, lots of wind, rain, power outages.....plus my back is giving me issues again.....I'm going in for another set of Cortisone shots on Feb 1st......
I did get that missing lower trim panel from my local MINI dealer down here in Fife......brand new in the box for $50......they didn't have the attaching hardware screws in stock, so I went to Lowe's and picked up some #8 sheet metal screws to attach the panel to the front bumper cover.....if and when the weather gets a little better, I'll get that lower panel installed and then remove the rear calipers to paint them to match the fronts
Time to get back to work on this car......today was "front caliper rebuild day" before the power goes out from the wind & rain up here
Cleaned up the calipers & pucks, installed the new inner seals, outer dust boots, & installed the pucks into the caliper bore. Now just have to clean up the mounting bridge that is still on the car and install the front calipers & new pads.
Interesting note about the date codes on the main caliper body....one was made on the 278th day of 2005, and the other was made on the 326th day of 2005....quite a difference in time between both calipers......my car was built on 9-13-2006
Bryan
Car is shaping up nicely! I've enjoyed reading the thread and can't wait for the next installment
Any thoughts on how to remove the old decals from the calipers? I have new ones but don't want to just put them over the scraps of the old decals.
Car is shaping up nicely! I've enjoyed reading the thread and can't wait for the next installment
Any thoughts on how to remove the old decals from the calipers? I have new ones but don't want to just put them over the scraps of the old decals.
Thanks....I think I'm on the downhill run now, as long as nothing unexpected comes up.....
When I was cleaning the dirt off the calipers, all I used was a small brass bristle wire brush that I got from Harbor Freight.....I didn't use much pressure to get the dirt off, and I did take some of the decal off of one caliper by accident....if your paint is as good as mine is, you might try the brass brush ......the one I have here is about the size of a tooth brush.....and the bristles are very fine so it should not hurt your paint if you don't press hard.....
Curious, where did you get your decals from? The best ones I found were from overseas, in Germany I think.....I'm not gonna trust the eBay decals.....I would think that the calipers will get hot and the decal will come off after a time.
I'm still gonna paint my rear calipers red, and the company in Germany has decals for the rear also, although red rear calipers are not correct for our cars, I think it will look better
Thanks....I think I'm on the downhill run now, as long as nothing unexpected comes up.....
When I was cleaning the dirt off the calipers, all I used was a small brass bristle wire brush that I got from Harbor Freight.....I didn't use much pressure to get the dirt off, and I did take some of the decal off of one caliper by accident....if your paint is as good as mine is, you might try the brass brush ......the one I have here is about the size of a tooth brush.....and the bristles are very fine so it should not hurt your paint if you don't press hard.....
Curious, where did you get your decals from? The best ones I found were from overseas, in Germany I think.....I'm not gonna trust the eBay decals.....I would think that the calipers will get hot and the decal will come off after a time.
I'm still gonna paint my rear calipers red, and the company in Germany has decals for the rear also, although red rear calipers are not correct for our cars, I think it will look better
Bryan
Thanks for the information!
I got mine from a UK seller on eBay
They are a high heat decal. I may look at several different suppliers before I actually go for it and put them on.
Not much to report except I got my front license plate today......it's not a "real" plate, and I already had the front Euro plate holder, it came on the car when I got it
Took the drivers front seat down to an upholstery shop today to have them repair the stitching in the bottom panel......he gave me an estimate of around $150 to fix this......he said it shouldn't be a problem, the material was still pliable and it was not ripped apart......should get it back tomorrow, or I'll just wait until Monday to pick the seat back up......wanted to get this fixed before I had to re-install the seats back into the car
Installed new cabin air filter, installed the passenger front seat, installed the tow-hook license plate holder, adjusted the drivers side upper camber plate more towards center, and put the wheels & tires back on.......
I also took the second cup holder out of my '04 R53 and installed it in this car.......
I haven't heard from the upholstery shop about the drivers seat.....I told him that I was not in a big hurry.....
Taking a quick look through the house and garage, I think all I have left is to install the drivers seat when it's done, take the car off the jack stands, and venture out for it's maiden voyage.....
This is what the upper camber plate looked like before I centered it.....figured it was close enough for a trial run when I get the car back on the ground
Hi Bryan, It is looking good and you have done a ton of work on it. I hope all goes well and there are no real bugs! I hope the seat comes soon!
Congrats on a very tough job and quality work you have done to it. I think this will be real fun to drive!
