i'm new. had my r53 for almost 2 weeks now.

planning on spending my first chunk of change on some mods-
trying to figure out what things everyone has, what i'm a fool not to get, etc.

my list so far, and the reason.

skid plate - welcome to NJ.
strut tower reinforcements - see above.
short shifter - last car was an s2000, want to also change the shift **** to one i already have.
oem style storage tray - where am i supposed to put everything? lol.
under radio/switches storage tray - i have lots of stuff.
radar hardwire - personal preference for cleanliness.
Detroit tuned BPV - i feel that 3000rpm hiccup.

anything else i should consider right off the bat, before wheels/suspension?
i just want to make sure i'm not missing something that everyone is in unspoken agreement about, haha.

 

good list

u need lots and lots of cosmetics im guessin post a pic of your MINI

 

started plasti-spraying everything. beltline is done.
need to do doorhandles, side markers and grill still.
prob gonna redo the gas cap. i forgot to unlock it, and the gas attendant was grabbing at the finger grove area.
want to drop it, but afraid of coilovers. megans rocked my kidneys on my honda. want soft, but low. (good luck, i know)
cant decide on black whatever timeattack wheels, or something fancy.

 

for me the under radio/switches storage tray was the best buy for my interior.....lol

 

that's what i'm looking to hear.

 

Dude, an auto-up circuit should be on the list as well

 

+ 1

While not as simple as the others listed.....

A 15% supercharger pulley. The best bang for your buck mod out there.

 

I'd say camber plates and polyurethane control arm bushings. These will be the first things I'll do if I got a new car in the future, for whatever reason.

 

camber plates come with the suspension setup and wheels.
i'll look into the poly bushing.


any links to auto-up circuits? something plug and play maybe?

the 15% pulley comes after wheels and such.

 

Short sifter. Way/DDM intake. Megan exhaust. Front mud flaps. SS brake lines. Aux. input/ ELD/ my moose

Mark

 

ELD?

 

Elbow Landing Device

Mark

 

ha!

 

1. plast dip all chrome
2. your list
3. Euro parcel tray- if u have lots of stuff it doesnt get better, simply replaces the plastic underneath your steering wheel with a shelf with rubber mat to prevent sliding, no leg room is lost. i dont have it yet but ooooo how i want it.
4. Intake, 15% pulley, dtbpv. maybe a one ball if u dont like stock sound.
I would do these before suspension stuff ull be alot happier with those parts on it, i did get lowering springs but only cuz they were cheap.
5. I swear get those mods and ull be so much happier u didnt do suspension, the thing can already handle. And i like alta for those parts btw.
6. DO THE MODS
7. Mini on friend

 

suspension is being done for the drop. i might do springs, but i need to look at some mini's and see how low they are.

i want to lower is a good amount, but not have is SLAMMING all over the place. it would be terrible to ruin the mini like it was my old del sol. that was on megan street coils and was unbearable.

speed/power stuff comes last. i need to drop some points. my s2k got me in lots of trouble. haha.

can i bake the door handles in the oven to help cure the plasti-dip?



oh, and i just google the Euro parcel tray. AWESOME recommendation.

 

Hmmmm.....I've been a way for a while now...

?Plasti Dip??? whassat?

 

builds a nearly indestructible (sans peeling it off from an edge) rubber layer.

 

cell phone pics. sry.

 

i agree with you there. just installed it and i LOVE IT
Auto DSC off is a MUST...

http://www.gbmini.net/wp/auto-up_windows/

He only has a few left so you have to contact him personally.

 

Plasti dip looks good, how much is the auto up and how much? You can bake it to help cure, let me know about the door handles in a few weeks, i heard that they dont hold up because they are touched so often, and di you take them off to spray them?

 

mine is peeling on the handles but it seems to "cut" at the perfect spot on the inside. it peels off the paint pretty easily, so if you just tape it and miss a little its no biggie. however remove the tape when its still wet or else the dip on the tape will peel up the dip on the handle. I think a heavy layer works better than many light layers, but thats just me...

 

So plasti dip isnt really working on the door handles?

 

It works fine on my car. It just started to peel on the inner part and as it peeled back it "cut" on its own right where it starts to show the top of the handle. So you cant tell unless you get right over the handle and look inside the finger cove area. I didnt peel it off I just let it do its own thing and it stopped right there. this is several months after It was dipped...

 

The mod to the left downtube to make my right leg comfy.

YD

 

That looks amazing! I remember reading about it a while back. Looks OEM. Great Job!