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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.
Started to install the factory style air box that I got the other day.....had to take the drivers side air horn off, along with the throttle body to put the "T" fitting back in the by-pass valve vacuum line.
I'm going to need to find the large oval gasket that goes between the cowl and the top portion of the air box....might have to end up making one out of some foam if I can find any. I also "de-flapped" the lower round air inlet while I was in there
Some pics below of progress....if anyone knows where I can pick up the OE style oval gasket, let me know
Some pics below of progress....if anyone knows where I can pick up the OE style oval gasket, let me know
Out Motoring has it listed on their website. I ordered one from them on Thursday, but today I received an email from them telling me that there are no more left in North America, and that they're having it shipped in from Germany, which will take extra time.
I glued the old gasket back in place as best as I could and reassembled everything back up, as it sounds like it might be a while before the replacement arrives.
OK, thanks for the info ......I might have to resort to plan B if this gasket is not available .....I just need to make one if I can out of something like foam or a large sponge...
If I remember correctly, it was just black/grey foam weatherstripping about 1/4 - 3/8 inch wide by 3/8 -1/2 inch tall. It was regular, not dense, and the only thing special was it was a die-cut continuous oval.
If the gasket is NLA or big $$$ you could just the cut foam so it overlaps/interlocks at the seam to eliminate the gap due to not being die-cut.
The OE gasket is $30+ from Out Motoring... now they are coming from Germany... I think I can probably just make one for my car .... I'm going to attempt it at least.
I have a plan... whether it works or not, we'll see
I just remembered that I have not updated this thread about the $75 air box I bought
I could not find the correct seal for the box to cowl....so I made my own out of a sponge and glued it on the snout of the air box...it's not pretty, but it worked
Now I need to rig up a little LED light and run a couple small speaker wires out to the air box valve and see it it's being told by the computer to open at higher RPM
glad to hear that the DIY approach worked for you!
For those who come across this in the future and are considering the gasket set, it is part number 13720396433 and comes with both that oval gasket and a gasket for the rectangular section.
Received my Euro taillights for the car last week. Note the amber lens on the top for turn signals.
Was a little disappointed with them, these are quite hazed over. I polished the outside of the lenses, didn't do much good, I think the hazing is on the inside.... other than buying new lights, I don't see any way to get rid of the dullness. I have LEDs in both rear light sockets, they are pretty bright, except for the reverse lights
I remember seeing big gaps around the bulb holders and circuit board of the lights on my original lenses. When they started looking slightly cloudy and I figured it was either because dust and contaminants were getting in from the openings, or because of off gassing from the heat of the bulbs and the plastic housing.
If my euro lights start to do this I’ll cut the lens off, wipe the backside down, and glue them back together. If that doesn’t work, hopefully my brand new backup set will still be clear.
I haven’t looked at the lights closely so the only way I’ve seen to access the insides of the lenses is to cut them off with a dremel all the way around the perimeter. The lenses aren’t attached the same way as the headlights and you can’t just heat them up to soften the seal. I’m hoping there’s a way to remove part of the housing or circuit board to access the back of the lens with some cloth attached to a stick or screwdriver.
Here’s a video on removing the lenses to joey mod the lights.
The circuit board removes easily, but it doesn't give any access to the inside of the clear lense on the outside of the tail light. The colored part of the tail light is in the way
I watched the video...good stuff....I'm wondering if I could just leave the clear outside lens off?
Guess I need to invest in a dremel kit
Bryan
I'm glad he shared it too. I've been wanting to do this, to black out my chrome in my taillights, but after watching it, I might like the idea of just polishing the chrome off and leaving it red even better.
Let me know if you want to borrow my Dremel (kinda surprised you don't have one in that giant shop!).
Let me know if you want to borrow my Dremel (kinda surprised you don't have one in that giant shop!).
I used to have one...it was a very old kit....every time I turned it on, the bearings in the dremel would really squeal very loud....I just ended up throwing it away....
I need to do something with these tail lights....I will probably de-chrome the lenses as well
De-chroming does look good, and it’s surprising the chrome just wipes off like that. I would probably use the same sealant as the headlights so you can just use heat to remove them in case they haze up again.
I’m also trying to make a recessed seal between the lens and body to keep water from wicking into the seam and rusting the panel. Hopefully the water isn’t getting into the seam from the back somehow.
Seeing a previous post with a spider between the clear lens and red lens, I don’t think you could run the red lens only without water getting into the car.
Seeing a previous post with a spider between the clear lens and red lens, I don’t think you could run the red lens only without water getting into the car.
I wondered about that myself....but the main water seal is back by the circuit board attached to the back of the housing....goes all the way around....there is no seal up by the clear lens....
The rear seal seals the car and taillight, and the clear lens seals the housing. The red portion is open at the reverse light which will let water and dirt in. You can see an opening at the top of the reverse light just after 9:20 in the video. If you seal the reverse light, maybe with something like a round piece of acrylic glued in with watch crystal cement, they might be weather tight without the clear lens.
Your idea of running them without the clear lens sounds interesting and would give the taillights a cool 3D look. If you do open up the lights and decide to re-assemble them, take some pics of them mounted without the lens so we can see how it looks. It might become really popular and become known as the Bryan mod.
Sorry for no updates lately....my health issues have been real bad as of late, but i have been taking the R52 out when the weather has been nice enough to drive.
I haven't left the site...just haven't had much to say.
Sorry for no updates lately....my health issues have been real bad as of late, but i have been taking the R52 out when the weather has been nice enough to drive.
I haven't left the site...just haven't had much to say.
Bryan
Might want to keep the top up so you don't get your interior full of ash. 😳
Sorry to hear your health has been slowing you down. Let me know if you need a hand.
Not much has transpired on the Mini from Hell....it's tucked away in the garage for the season. As most here know, if you have read the thread about this car, the car never ran when I got it, and after going through the first step of getting the engine to fire off, I had excessive valve lash noise and metal shavings in the oil pools in the top of the head. So again, I have never got to drive the car after I got the engine running. I found another JCW engine and pulled the entire drivetrain to swap engines. Reinstalled drivetrain, fixed everything else that didn't work, and finally got to drive the car one year after purchase.
Turns out that the 6spd trans has a 4th gear clash when shifting either direction. I asked our local trans shop about fixing it if I pull it out and bring it to him. He said I was better off finding a good used transmission
So that's what I have just done. I have a good '06 six speed trans, with LSD, being shipped to me here in Washington from Allmag auto parts in Florida. I won't be doing this trans swap until it gets warmer
Sounds about right. Buying a used "English" car always a hit or miss situation and owning one a love/hate relationship. Fortunately for the brand, there are guys and gals like us willing to put up with the headache and heartaches of ownership.
From what I've read you've done a fine job figuring everything out. With every issue which has cropped up eventually solved/repaired by me just brings me with a closer understanding of the car and appreciation for a job well done. After having worked on my 03' for the initial few years, making a few DIY's including the first fuel filter change with photos, I ended up being recruited by an area MINI dealer, worked there for 7 yrs and cultivating and forging many relationships which continue today.
It will be a long winter if we are in lock down. Do what I do with a job like this. Form a mental picture of doing the job step by step creating a parts list along the way and any new tools ( ) you will need and start filling a box / tool bench now. Then break up those parts into engine bay location to be sure they get used up. After having done the job many times over and over in your head, it should help with the breakdown and re-assembly when time comes.
Nice looking R52 by the way ~ And Allmag gets an A++ from me...Their description of part conditions has always been spot on for me....another resource for used parts is Way Motor Works.
Last edited by Eurothrasher; Dec 3, 2020 at 06:03 AM.
The little R52 got a present from Allmag yesterday....need to get an engine holding bar to hold the back of the engine up & stable, plus a few other items, trans fluid, rear main seal, and maybe a Valeo single flywheel clutch kit.
Also going to go with a 17% pulley on the supercharger as well
Bryan (need to wait until the weather warms up...might be springtime)
) you will need and start filling a box / tool bench now. Then break up those parts into engine bay location to be sure they get used up. After having done the job many times over and over in your head, it should help with the breakdown and re-assembly when time comes.
