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Exactly, a late ‘03 build date is a MY ‘04 car and not a facelift. Your car already has threaded holes in the strut towers from the factory. You got those instead of the threaded holes for the cabrio braces.
Also, you are using the instructions for part 710 which is for facelift cars, that’s why it says you need to drill holes. The correct part number for your car should be 723. If you’re not sure which brace you actually have, check with VIP to see how to tell, and what the difference is between the two. You might just need to get the correct bolts to thread into the existing holes, or leave it as you mounted it, but the correct fasteners would be stronger as you said the bolts you used were too thin to fit the threads.
Exactly, a late ‘03 build date is a MY ‘04 car and not a facelift. Your car already has threaded holes in the strut towers from the factory. You got those instead of the threaded holes for the cabrio braces.
Also, you are using the instructions for part 710 which is for facelift cars, that’s why it says you need to drill holes. The correct part number for your car should be 723. If you’re not sure which brace you actually have, check with VIP to see how to tell, and what the difference is between the two. You might just need to get the correct bolts to thread into the existing holes, or leave it as you mounted it, but the correct fasteners would be stronger as you said the bolts you used were too thin to fit the threads.
Looking good man! So I was reading back through your thread trying to figure out what your stock suspension was and I see you have "sport plus" suspension. How exactly do you tell what you have? Specifically, what springs? I'd like to go to coilovers at some point but won't be anytime soon. I actually really like the Bilstein shocks/struts for a dd but the springs could stand to be a little stiffer. Lower would be great but after doing a bunch of research on the stock suspension design I don't think I want to lower it on springs, it doesn't have much travel to begin with.
My two cents: Use the "Tools" tab at the top of this page and use the VIN decoder. Insert your VIN and it will tell you if you have the "Sport Plus" suspension. My MC40 came with the Sport Plus but I had swapped the stock shocks for Bilstein B4s. Overall, Sport Plus is 20% stiffer than a regular S suspension and bottom-line abusive to drive. So abusive that I pulled all struts/springs completely off the car and replaced it with a standard S suspension. It is still stiff but not too uncomfortable. My advice would be to stay away from the Sport Plus setup unless your goal is to lose all your teeth fillings. I did not go with lowered coilovers because I wanted to maintain the stock height since it's a limited-edition vehicle.
My two cents: Use the "Tools" tab at the top of this page and use the VIN decoder. Insert your VIN and it will tell you if you have the "Sport Plus" suspension. My MC40 came with the Sport Plus but I had swapped the stock shocks for Bilstein B4s. Overall, Sport Plus is 20% stiffer than a regular S suspension and bottom-line abusive to drive. So abusive that I pulled all struts/springs completely off the car and replaced it with a standard S suspension. It is still stiff but not too uncomfortable. My advice would be to stay away from the Sport Plus setup unless your goal is to lose all your teeth fillings. I did not go with lowered coilovers because I wanted to maintain the stock height since it's a limited-edition vehicle.
it is a pretty firm ride BUT if your wanting sporty suspension its great ! They sit very good to and don't have a big wheel well gap atleast they don't running 205/55r15s , the thicker wheels really help make up for the suspension BUT again , I like the firmness . Lol I can barely rock my car pushing up on it from the door frame..
once I got all my stock ones out I will be parting with them , ille let them go for like 50$ only and if they don't sell atleast ille have them for if my coilovers were to fail or something .
Looking good man! So I was reading back through your thread trying to figure out what your stock suspension was and I see you have "sport plus" suspension. How exactly do you tell what you have? Specifically, what springs? I'd like to go to coilovers at some point but won't be anytime soon. I actually really like the Bilstein shocks/struts for a dd but the springs could stand to be a little stiffer. Lower would be great but after doing a bunch of research on the stock suspension design I don't think I want to lower it on springs, it doesn't have much travel to begin with.
when I pull mine off would you be interested in the set , id let them go cheap AF becuase of shipping costs but even then fedex isn't bad.
I actually would. I can always put my stock springs back in if it's too harsh. But the stock springs I have now are way too soft. It has excessive body roll and bottoms out constantly. The Bilsteins made a night and day difference but I'd still like a slightly stiffer spring. Do you happen to know if they are stock height (or higher/lower)? If their stiffer with the same height coil I'm thinking it will lift the car, which I don't want. I gotta do some reading I think.
I actually would. I can always put my stock springs back in if it's too harsh. But the stock springs I have now are way too soft. It has excessive body roll and bottoms out constantly. The Bilsteins made a night and day difference but I'd still like a slightly stiffer spring. Do you happen to know if they are stock height (or higher/lower)? If their stiffer with the same height coil I'm thinking it will lift the car, which I don't want. I gotta do some reading I think.
I can send pics pm me and ille give you my cell number and can send pics then.
Omfg..DISASTER !!!!
THE BRAKES TOOK 13 total hours broken between 2 days. 1st I had a lug nut seize on even though I've only ever tightened then my self carefully. I broke 3 lug removal sockets AND my breaker bar my impact had NO effect either on it.. I finally got it off with a 6ft extension LOLOLOL. But that took some time running to n from the store. Then I get it all back together AND THE FRONT TIRES don't turn once bolted down tight. I found that with new pads the calipers rubbed the rims so thank God I bought the rims when my pads were low or I'd have passed on them ( I love them btw) so I spent like 2x hours just grinding away material until I finally had the same amount of clearance as I did when the pads were low which was only like 2mm but its enough..uuuuggghhhhhh.i also used the Cclamp to hold the rotor still so I could remove the rotor retaining screw, I attached a pic. I figure a good little trick for someone who's doing it alone like I did. i gotta do my ss lines next BUT I have a question, do I remove the rubber line and slide the ss end through the gap it leaves behind then into that square housing thing ??? It's in the 1st pic, all 4x are the same way. I never did ss lines noneless replaced those soft lines on a vehicle ever so I wanna make sure..
I test drove it after I broke in the pads and OMG OMG OMG !!!!!! WHAT A DIFFERENCE!!!!! I know my other ones were older but geez , what a upgrade ! Not only do they bite much much better with much less pedal pressure they resist and dissipate heat SO well , I'm very pleased with them. Not only do they perform FAR better they look awesome since they were coated so where ever the pad doesn't contact they will not rust like normal rotors. I love coated rotors becusse they just stay looking nice..
For your brake lines, you will need to remove the nut circled in red. This connects the hard line to the flexible hose portion. BE CAREFUL NOT TO LET THE HARD LINE TWIST!!!! I usually use PB Blaster (or your favorite penetrating oil) on those brake lines before I try to take them apart. With the hard line removed the soft line can be removed from that bracket (yellow circle). It will probably either have a nut on each side or a "U" shaped retention clip that just pops out. If you plan to keep your old brake hoses than just work quickly when you actually break the lines open so your brake fluid reservoir doesn't empty. Some vehicles require the abs module to be activated to bleed the system if air gets in there. That usually requires a vehicle specific scan tool at a dealership. Its easier and cheaper to just make sure fluid stays in the reservoir. A trick to keep the brake fluid from draining out is to use vice grips on the flexible hose and remove the caliper. NEVER DO THIS TO BRAKE LINES YOU PLAN TO REUSE! Let me say that again for anyone who may read this, NEVER CLAMP BRAKE LINES YOU PLAN TO REUSE!!! Doing so can damage the inner wall of the brake hose and cause a blockage in the line. If that happens, when you push your brakes, they wont work. If you plan to throw out your old lines putting a clamp on there will allow you to remove your caliper and attach your SS lines to it ahead of time.
Something else I'll mention for holding a rotor on if you don't have the factory screw is put a wheel bolt in with a big nut or stack of washers. Or if you have a stud conversion just use a lug nut. C-clamp works too never seen that before.
My rear brakes finally came yesterday and I plan to put them in this weekend. IDK how soon your trying to get to the SS lines but I can get some better pictures of how those lines come apart when I do mine if you'd like.
For your brake lines, you will need to remove the nut circled in red. This connects the hard line to the flexible hose portion. BE CAREFUL NOT TO LET THE HARD LINE TWIST!!!! I usually use PB Blaster (or your favorite penetrating oil) on those brake lines before I try to take them apart. With the hard line removed the soft line can be removed from that bracket (yellow circle). It will probably either have a nut on each side or a "U" shaped retention clip that just pops out. If you plan to keep your old brake hoses than just work quickly when you actually break the lines open so your brake fluid reservoir doesn't empty. Some vehicles require the abs module to be activated to bleed the system if air gets in there. That usually requires a vehicle specific scan tool at a dealership. Its easier and cheaper to just make sure fluid stays in the reservoir. A trick to keep the brake fluid from draining out is to use vice grips on the flexible hose and remove the caliper. NEVER DO THIS TO BRAKE LINES YOU PLAN TO REUSE! Let me say that again for anyone who may read this, NEVER CLAMP BRAKE LINES YOU PLAN TO REUSE!!! Doing so can damage the inner wall of the brake hose and cause a blockage in the line. If that happens, when you push your brakes, they wont work. If you plan to throw out your old lines putting a clamp on there will allow you to remove your caliper and attach your SS lines to it ahead of time.
Something else I'll mention for holding a rotor on if you don't have the factory screw is put a wheel bolt in with a big nut or stack of washers. Or if you have a stud conversion just use a lug nut. C-clamp works too never seen that before.
My rear brakes finally came yesterday and I plan to put them in this weekend. IDK how soon your trying to get to the SS lines but I can get some better pictures of how those lines come apart when I do mine if you'd like.
So that hard line nut is a reverse style thread ?
I sprayed them with penetrating lube as well as all the bolts I seen that should be coming out for the coilovers..
Last edited by MiniManAdam; Jan 13, 2021 at 10:14 AM.
The hard line nut should have normal threads. It's more like a hollow bolt that threads into the female side of your flexible hose. Let me see if I can Google some pictures and attach them to this thread. The hard line is just a tiny pipe with a flare on the end. The nut slides over the pipe before it's flared and compresses the line into the fitting on the end of the flexible hose. Something has to be able to turn to assemble/disassemble so they use the nut on the hard line for that. The thing you have to be careful with though is that hard line will sometimes rust to the nut so when you try to turn the nut it twists the hard line and ruins it. Then your looking at replacing hard lines.
I suck at explaining things so hopefully that makes sense. And its not difficult at all. The nut sticking to the line is really the biggest headache and it may not even stick. I'm just warning you because I've had quite a few half hour jobs turn into half day jobs. I'm a NY native and former mechanic. Everything up there is rusted to hell within 5 years lol.
So this is basically what your dealing with. You have the line with the line fitting and that screws into the hose. On most cars I've messed with, the flexible line is hooked to the mounting tab with the securing clip. The second picture, although less common in my experience, is an adapter that is held to the bracket with either a nut or a clip. Then the line screws on to one side and the hose to the other.
Last time I tried to post a link the admins held it up for a few days so idk if that will go through but it's a link to Out Motoring that has a broken down diagram of your actual rear brakes so you can see what the hell I'm babbling on about. Sorry for jacking your thread all up man, it's been a long day.
Got the coilovers in , rear adjustable control arms and rear adjustable sway bar end links.. I need to get adjustable end links for the front now too so those will be ordered soon with the camber plates..all went in with no problems at all BUT imo it is a 2 person job.. I just set it at the highest height and 4 clicks from the firmest setting ( has 16 ) . It ACTUALLY sits a tad higher than my stocks did BUT my stocks are old and may have sagged BUT they ARE the sportplus so maybe they just sat lower like that to begin with and these set to stock height of the non sport shocks..
either way I'm happy to get working on the car again and thankfully my cus came over to lend me a hand.. I still have to do my ss brake lines and put in the performance fluid but I will do that when I put on the front end links then send it in for a custom alignment. Thanks for all the help so far guys ,I wouldn't have been able to do half this stuff without your guys guidance.
Looking good man!!! I like the amount of clearance you have between the coil overs and the wheels. I know you run a lot of offset but that is a common problem with coils from what I've read.
Looking good man!!! I like the amount of clearance you have between the coil overs and the wheels. I know you run a lot of offset but that is a common problem with coils from what I've read.
yes, luckily I do. I think even mine i bought had a disclaimer that they may have required rim spacers but I can't confirm that because of my offset and i do run 5mm spacers on et25 rims . I also just realized the rear upper and lower control arms are identical so I'm going to also order another adjustable rear arm for the upper just because they stock arms are so chinsey.
lol I'm just not going to tell my self anymore ( your gonna be done with your build after...) lol becuase I just keep wanting MORE MORE MOOOOORE !
I got my exterior done with spoiler and body accents ( still plan on having the body redone) , interior is all setup , engine is built , suspension is almost all done and then the last thing I will be upgrading will be the trans. I still plan on an lsd and I will upgrade my clutch and flywheel at that time then too..
yes, luckily I do. I think even mine i bought had a disclaimer that they may have required rim spacers but I can't confirm that because of my offset and i do run 5mm spacers on et25 rims . I also just realized the rear upper and lower control arms are identical so I'm going to also order another adjustable rear arm for the upper just because they stock arms are so chinsey.
lol I'm just not going to tell my self anymore ( your gonna be done with your build after...) lol becuase I just keep wanting MORE MORE MOOOOORE !
I got my exterior done with spoiler and body accents ( still plan on having the body redone) , interior is all setup , engine is built , suspension is almost all done and then the last thing I will be upgrading will be the trans. I still plan on an lsd and I will upgrade my clutch and flywheel at that time then too..
When all that is done you can move onto carbon fiber body panels! ha ha. I was on Sneed4Speed the other day and quickly realized I could drop $20k and not be done. These cars are like tiny little holes in the ground that can hold ridiculously large amounts of money...
When all that is done you can move onto carbon fiber body panels! ha ha. I was on Sneed4Speed the other day and quickly realized I could drop $20k and not be done. These cars are like tiny little holes in the ground that can hold ridiculously large amounts of money...
haha I'm going to..I'm wrapping my fenders and roof and getting that ebay vented carbon fiber hood AND the carbon fiber hatch .. those are the last 2x things I plan on buying for the car, lol I was hoping to get that stimulous check and put it towards one or the other ..or my redo of the body.i want every tiny ding taken out and respray battleship grey and then my carbon body panels with my already carbon fiber pieces I got . I will wrap my lower skirt flares and my top spoiler too..
this is a lifetime keeper car for me so idc what I put into it, also befor it comes out again I will be insuring the car for a set value. What should I even value it at you think ? My dad asked me other day i was over if I had to go buy this car and kinda got me thinking , lol I kinda have alot into this car with parts alone I'm just curious if others now perceive it as having more value over a stock one.. I feel the condition i got my car in too with all it had done was a good deal to begin with. Just curious how other feel about it. Also tell me your opinions on it so far , like OR hate.
I for one love what your doing with the car. I've never been a fan of "me too" cars. Like when someone asks what kind of car you have and you tell them, then they say "oh I have that car too!" (maybe that's why I'm over the mustang??)
I wouldn't consider any MINI a "me too" car anyway and then to take one and personalize it without making it look like the speed-racer shelf at the local AutoZone fell over on it is cool IMHO. As far as value go's I wouldn't know. My son has a 1977 Plymouth Arrow GT. I think the insurance company has is valued at $1500 or something ridiculous like that. I have been offered $6000 by a collector and turned it down. Its an extremely rare car, probably dam near irreplaceable but how do you put a dollar amount on that? As far as a stock R53 is concerned that wouldn't be hard. But when you start adding up just the parts you have on it that amount go's up drastically from a replacement cost perspective. Then if you try to add in the countless hours of your own time spent and what those hours are worth?? Yeah man I wouldn't know ha ha.
FINALLY found someone to do body work for affordable price , I planned on a new TV soon as I been eyeing a certain model for awhile. Well, I found someone who will completely redo the body on my mini and make it like new again AND my color of choice for my entertainment setup i will be replacing.. I've already always wanted the entire car either carbon and carbon fiber wrapped ( look like all carbon fiber body panels then) , battleship grey OR a chameleon colorflip candy paint . Only issue is the last options very expensive for the paint alone and takes skill..MY LUCK the guy LOOOVES doing them to show off his work and he said he would LOVE to be able to do my car as he loves it he said.
hes going to take out every knick and ding and then my color of choice which idk , the last 2x of my options are pretty much a coin flip.. the candypaint Is more just a me thing and I know that battleship grey would be the more popular choice and more neutral color buuuuuuuuut cmon , does
ANYTHING about my car say neutral and low profile ??? Lol
tell me ur guys vote.. nardo or chameleon????
Last edited by MiniManAdam; Jan 22, 2021 at 08:17 AM.
never seen that before.
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