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Heres a post from another thread (source for fasteners at bottom)
Only meant to have a good conversation and in with good intent/spirit among fellow enthusiasts.
For recoating ... I recommend paint over powdercoating unless you have a specialist in low-temp powder coating in your area with experience in high-tech alloys. Typical Pow-coat temperatures can 'over age' aluminum and remove the heat treatment often times.
Also... In technical/critical assemblies like these Ti bolts into the aluminum barrels ... I'm liking the Loctite/Permatex Orange high-strength Gel (it IS removable, without heat)... Seals the threads from galvanic corrosion as well if applied correctly. I prefer to use it without primer on chased/clean/degreased/dry threads (with no coating/paint inside threads) ... Using primer does not give enough time to run them all down and follow up with Torque wrench.
The blue thread locker used by BBS should not be confused with the Blue (242) Loctite... The BBS blue is high strength... the 242 is medium strength.
Originally Posted by mountainhorse
I've taken about 3 sets of these apart....
The machine screws are Titanium with mid strength LocTite type product holding them.
Better galvanic corrosion resistance than say plated steel or even A4/316 stainless... and lighter to reduce rotating mass.. though these wheels are pretty heavy to start with
I can see why they say only one time use... but many have done this and reused them.
I had best luck by soaking the rim-split area and the fastener-recess with penetrating oil for multiple days and re-applying each day. Then, using a hand 'hammer-strike" type of impact driver to 'shock' them loose... then I used a normal socket wrench and followed up with a small, low-torque cordless impact gun to get them out...Tedious YES... but ZERO broken fasteners and no stripped holes.... I soaked the screws in a cup of lacquer-thinne for a couple of days... and the thread compound fell off... and gave me a chance to inspect them well... cleaned them up with a nylon bristle wheel in my bench grinder... I don't suggest aggressive cleaning nor using a die on the threads to 'chase the threads' ... I did however chase the threads in the aluminum with a chasing (not cutting) tap.
After that... I used a good magnifier hood to visually inspect the screws... and saw no 'trouble spots'... though often fastener issue can't bee seen by 'eyeballing'
As an alternative.. you could go with a good stainless fastener with a small head like the ARP's which are a super high spec screw... but would also be expensive and weigh a bit more.
The wheels came apart easily... I marked them all so that the same faces went back on the same barrels.
Used a good urethane paint in Aston Martin "Arizona Bronze" color and a really high end clear coat that my buddy sprayed in his booth.
I did the polish lips as that was something that I could DIY... but the next set... I'm looking for a good shop that can machine them... they look the best that way compared to Polished IMO.
I'm not a fan of powdercoating high tech alloys like wheels... as I've seen many instances where the heat treat is changed from temps over 380˚ used in some ovens (AKA, 'over-aging") but many a wheel has been powder coated. Just make sure that the powder coater uses a low temp powder... Isn't doing many cycles or soak times... DEFINATELY NOT 'burning' them clean at high temps to prep them.... AND... Not coating your wheels with a bunch of steel fence posts for the local fabricator in the same batch... and you probably will be OK.
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Originally Posted by mountainhorse
Source for TI wheel screws for the BBS/MINI wheels.
Singles or multiples of 2/4/8/16
Yeah I changed my mind because I because really focused on the idea of clear coating directly over a clean, well prepped raw aluminum. I think it’ll be quite challenging but with the right technique I’m hopeful to achieve a really great result.
Non Meth-Chloride remover... which is most commonly avail today.... is a bit 'weak sauce' for the coating that has been on there for years and baked by the heat of some hard braking downhills I'm sure...
Your local body shop supply should have full Meth-Chlor stripper available that will make short work of that... Temps 80˚ to 90˚F (26-32˚C) makes a big difference from just 10 degrees cooler... paint and coatings just fall right off.
I've seen some people bake-off the finish at 500˚F... but that would absolutely ruin the aluminum structurally.
Non Meth-Chloride remover... which is most commonly avail today.... is a bit 'weak sauce' for the coating that has been on there for years and baked by the heat of some hard braking downhills I'm sure...
Your local body shop supply should have full Meth-Chlor stripper available that will make short work of that... Temps 80˚ to 90˚F (26-32˚C) makes a big difference from just 10 degrees cooler... paint and coatings just fall right off.
I've seen some people bake-off the finish at 500˚F... but that would absolutely ruin the aluminum structurally.
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this is great advice. Everything I found on Amazon was the method chloride free stuff. I was starting to think that maybe the “meth” stuff isn’t approved for use in Canada. It’s been a long time since I was able to hit up my local body shop supplies store but I think I’ll try to make a trip down there tonight.
to prove your theory - look at the weak sauce job this meth chloride free stuff did after a full 24 hours when I rinsed it off this evening.
Thanks for the other posts too. Good to know I can source those bolts if needed. QQ - is that orange thread locker in your message the best stuff for me to use?
Update: Thanks to @mountainhorse I bought this nasty stuff! Look what it did with one coat and 10minutes of dwell time.
public service announcement: If anyone reads this and is planning to do the same, I recommend you wear goggles, a very good breathing mask, as well as a full face shield. Make sure to use extra full sleeve protective rubber gloves and make sure all your skin is covered)
Last edited by jacktown; Apr 17, 2021 at 07:37 PM.
I’m a little distracted after having found another R53 JCW Aero that I couldn’t pass up. As it’s a very low mileage Competition Edition - number 64 of the 64 cars, I’ve decided to go through her and freshen everything with OEM parts (nothing aftermarket) This might derail the pepper white content for a few weeks but shouldn’t take too long as the car is immaculate with only 40,000kms (24,000miles) Competition Editions were a peace offering to Canada for not bringing the market any GPs. Loaded with R98 Ronal web spokes, JCW brakes, suspension and Limited Slip Differential, as well as the carbon gear **** & handbrake, and upgraded steering wheel. This particular one has the Alcantara flavour, along with the anthracite roof liner and Space Cloth interior. It’s so clean - a true time machine. More like Astro Blue metallic!
Nice detour. The CE cars are a very good spec How is this one, now that you’ve got it?
thanks! It’s very nice. It needs a really good polish being a dark coloured car. It doesn’t look like it’s received that treatment in its life. Not a bad thing as all the clearcoat will be there. It’s still wearing its factory rubber - date code week 13 of 2006. Unbelievably the tread looks to be at slightly more than 50% These run flats really are like wooden wheels!
Interior is so clean it looks as though it’s never been sat in.
WHAT!!! no carbon dash.... unbelievable ;-) (Not that it would have come with one). Very nice score! Not to mention 64th car out of 64 WOW.Looks like a home run to me.
Still working on the Competition Edition - from here on dubbed sixty-four. Head looks great New valve cover gasket New serpentine belt and passenger side engine mount I’ll give the intercooler a good clean before it goes back on. Is there anyway to get a new JCW sticker for the intercooler cover without buying a whole new replacement cover? New air filter. Will also be doing the cabin filter. New plugs New brake rotors and degrease, wash and wax of all wheel well components and fender liners Polished the exhaust cans. I have a little more work to do under the car which I’ll cover off this weekend But overall this thing looks amazing from underneath. As close to a time capsule as I’ve seen Soon I’ll get to work on a paint correction but first - the 3M film needs to come off.
Last edited by jacktown; Apr 28, 2021 at 10:39 PM.
Perhaps @ECS Tuning should buy Competition Edition 64/64 with approx. 25,000miles for their collection! As you can see, It's being put back to factory fresh condition ☺️ and I already have another Mini!
Replaced the brake fluid with Motul 5.1.
Replaced the transmission oil with the OEM spec.
Replaced the coolant with the OEM BMW fluid.
Replaced the engine oil with Liquimoly 5w30 Synthetic
I love changing a dirty cabin filter. This one wasn’t too bad given the cars age. Also replaced the thermostat housing gasket which was slightly leaking from age.
As for the JCW sticker on i/c cover, there was a seller who had repops recently and they appeared to be of somewhat good quality,
but may have been a limited run as I notice they're not listed any more.
As for the JCW sticker on i/c cover, there was a seller who had repops recently and they appeared to be of somewhat good quality,
but may have been a limited run as I notice they're not listed any more.
thanks so much for the tip! I’ve reached out! While floating around on eBay.co.uk I purchased a nice JCW brochure too. A little addition to the binder for this car. I’ll report back for anyone who’s interested in the status of the above stickers.
It’s great see the attention to detail you put into your builds and someone is going to end up with one of the best Competition Editions once you’re done with it.
The JCW IC cover decal above looks like the only option out there right now, but the logo is a little off in terms of accuracy. Hopefully you’ll be able to find a clean factory cover or a domed re-pop with the correct logo in the future.
A special little day today. The brochure I bought came in as described with no damage. It’s absolutely gorgeous and I’m so happy to have it. Also, inspired by the amazing R95s pictured within, I had a look at the nearby local classifieds and found a mint set for sale for a relative bargain, advertised just an hour earlier. I wasted no time in calling up and grabbing them - I finally have all my dream OEM mini wheels - R90, R95, R98 and R112.
totally! They are pretty awful at this point. That's what was on the wheels when I bought them #periodcorrect #OEM+ lol. I don't know if I'll run these wheels very much or at all as I'm still working on the R90s. If I do, I'll go get some fresh rubber.
good call! I probably will leave them on for now as I'm not driving it much anyway. I think the Yoko S Drives could be a well-priced, good modern upgrade for these if I decide to pull the trigger.
autom.accessori on Instagram. He was advertising the JCW logo and I asked if he wouldn’t mind also making a few different colour cars for me. He was nice enough to mock up some designs. I ended up buying quite a few different colours and don’t need them all so if anyone wants a white, black or green version I’d be happy to sell them to you. DM me.
