Well... Howdy!!!! It's been a while!
I had purchased a 2003 R53 in 2016 (build thread) with steady progress until work REALLY got in the way. After acquiring my first brand-spanking-new car (Mk7 Golf) I stupidly parted ways with the Mini when it started showing it's troublesome rust spots. But then my itch for toys got the better of me and proceeded to purchase a Miata. Now that 3.5 years of Miata ownership has run its course and was bored of my Golf, I seized the opportunity to get back into R53 ownership. Much of it was driven by the relative safety and interior space of the Mini as well as the need to still be able to cruise the 7 hours to visit my GF, where we would either do an AutoX if the schedules would allow it or head out for some R&R in the mountains. I was not willing to make my ears bleed at 3800 rpm in a Miata for a quarter of my extended weekend.

Anyways, I still had unfinished business with the previous R53, so I jumped at the opportunity to acquire this 05MCS. It is far from perfect, but is as rust-free as you can get for a high-mileage (212k km) Canadian car. The entire front of the car has been replaced and repainted poorly with a few dents here and there elsewhere on the body, but no visible rust. Lots of the major maintenance items have been taken care of BUT I surmise that a SC PTO is imminent and my mechanical OCD will kick and overhaul everything in the engine bay anyways. I have an intermittent PS issue and a starting issue (lazy, extended cranking despite new battery and starter).

The biggest letdown was the interior. While in good condition overall I didn't mentally register that a double-DIN head unit had been installed (in a space that never had that much room) with a crappy wrap applied to hide it. I uncovered unimaginable carnage. I am now on the lookout for a complete dash and center console trim pieces. The photos speak for themselves.

Some mods are visible but I will evaluate them as I dive deeper into it. I'll get my build goals together tomorrow night with the hopes of getting comfortable with its reliability by the end of March, in time for the first AutoX test and tune dates.


First bath...

Alta CAI and pulley already there

Not the cleanest HU install...

Oh no...

What in tarnation?!?!?!?

Someone actually took a saw and thought "yes, this is a good idea"

 

Like the head lights. Are those r50 lights?

 

Honestly, I have no idea and have not looked at them other than realizing the left one is a misadjusted retina burner.

Massive progress since Friday evening, including general evaluation and a battery tuck.

 

Update on those lights - they are Depo projectors. Still seem like $750ea from various sources. I'm undecided how I will proceed with those.

I'll post more of an update later as I'm currently dealing with a second damaged single mass flywheel conversion kit. Valeo needs to change their packaging - too much freedom to flop around in the box.

 

interesting. Closer pic when you can!

sorry to hear about the shipping issue

 

Yeah it's complete garbage, I had the same issue. One of the clocking pins sheared off

 

Following

 

Well, weather was getting in the way but thankfully I have been waiting for parts as well as the budget for more parts to become available. The 1st pic was a regular occurrence for about 3 weeks. Working under the heater as it drips on you is not pleasant but now that the weather is warmer it's all systems go. Attached are some pics of the battery tuck, fender correction exhaust fab. I am holding off on my clutch purchase until I get around to teaching my GF the 3 pedal dance despite the heavy pedal DMF setup. (Unless I can find a cheap beater Honda or VW for a week before it heads to the scrap heap) I'll get around to a LW flywheel when I feel the need to upgrade the diff to a LSD.

More updates to come shortly, as the engine is being pulled tomorrow. And more parts being ordered... stupid rusty bolts.


One of many snow 'events'

Seat delete

Almost everything exhaust related broke

The cut...

The butcher job

The weld primer prep

Booty tuck

That'll buff out!

It did, with only a hammer and wood block!!!

New center section exhaust. V-band and the rear chambered muffler left to add.

 

I have been too busy to post updates, but most of the busy-ness has been working on the Mini (in some cases to maintain my sanity due to work). These photos date back to late-March when I dove deeper into the project and proceeded to pull the trigger on a bigger build than I had anticipated. I should have anticipated it due to some level of mechanical OCD. In the process, I discovered almost every reason why my cars rarely see the hands of mechanics, or cheap ones that don't like working on Euro cars. Instead of attempting extractions, they left seized screws and compensated by welding ball joints to knuckles.

A known issue when I bought the car was a hot restart issue. Compression was checked before I yanked it out - decent for a 212k km engine. I immediately knew I'd be chasing a fuel or ignition issue when I drained the oil. Smelled of raw fuel. Found the root cause months later when I got around to inspecting the bolt-on engine bits. Otherwise, the engine was leaking from all of the usual places.


The strip begins...


Organized chaos


Every single knuckle, every single time


Seriously?!?!


The greasy mess...


... now in detail.


I can sleep at night with these numbers. Not ideal, but wasn't expecting much for 212k kms.


Smells of fuel... Needed to track this.

 

By the time the weather really warmed up in mid-April, the pulled engine and trans were degreased and washed, as was the engine bay. This led to the opportunity of inspecting the engine's internals. I discovered some not so ideal wear on the cam lobes and some rocker rollers. I then decided to pull a #4 rod cap make sure it wasn't catastrophic on the block side. Some wear on the bearings, but nothing unusual for a 212k km engine. However, thrust play was measured beyond the acceptable range, but under to the max allowable (0.128mm vs 0.130mm). While disappointed, this will allow me to build an engine for the first time (outside of my FSAE days) and build it for ST-class autox while reliable for hard Sunday driving. That being said, building to ST-classes then limits my SC upgrades as well as the SMF clutch upgrade. By now, you probably have realized that mid-April is around the time of most Test-n-Tune events. Yeah. I didn't make it with the Mini, so my DD mk7 Golf received a OE GTI rear ARB to make it better for HS class. As a result, the Mini became a much bigger project. More updates to come!


6sp transmission degreased and pressure washed.


Much less greasy!


Clean topside


Signs of an impending engine build.


It got worse as I delved deeper.


Fudge it... May as well go deeper still.


Not bad.


Not great.


But workable.

 

With the autox season lost for the Mini, I pulled the trigger on deeper cleaning. This then led to subframes and suspension components being removed and sent to be sandblasted and powdercoated. I also uncovered the typical floor rust hidden by the fuel tank. This was wire-wheeled, sandblasted, treated, POR15 coated and covered up with some rattle can paint. While the paint was drying, the fuel filter was changed. Greasy, dirty. Easily the original filter. There will be fewer photos as I was under time constraints to wrap it up (I worked on it after-hours at work). It's pretty much assembly here onwards...


Grimy engine bay...


Much better.


Subframe degreasing revealed more work to be done.


Pulled the trigger... off to powder coating.


With everything at the powder coating. Standard rust for a daily in Canada.


Some light sandblasting to get the crusty rust off.


Dabbed with POR15 to seal it up. More work to come.

 

Looks like u mean business here

good work

 

At this point, I've lost track of time. Time constraints working on the car at work after-hours while balancing personal commitments and my long-distance relationship really put some pressure on the build. Mid-June to mid-Sept I was only able to work on it for 2 weeks. Thankfully, my GF was the best remote cheerleader I could ask for while I regularly did the 7+ hour drive to PA to visit her. I'm only on the hook for manual trans driving lessons once the car is running reliably. I just might have to go looking for (or make) a ring... I mean, she comes out to watch me autocross!!!

I ordered a full set of pre-bent brake lines from LinesToGo.com. The kit replaces the 6 pieces connecting the ABS unit to each wheel (does not replace the feed lines from the master cyl) with stainless lines. With the fuel tank out, the job was a piece of cake. Two well-marked bends for shipping needed unbending and some minor tweaks here and there. Honestly, the best money spent on any of my automotive projects. Once the lines were in, the engine followed soon after.

I had a time-constraint with my powdercoating as my car was sitting in the yard at work. The powdercoating took a week longer than anticipated, but a late night at the shop got the subframes assembled and installed. All new wheel bearings, bushings, rear lateral arms, wheel studs, ball joints, power steering lines/hoses, tie-rods - everything was replaced or refurbished.

My GF also convinced me to keep it a 'street' car. Maybe the humid summers are finally getting to me. I promptly replaced the entire A/C system with a new compressor, condenser, evaporator and lines. Luckily I was able to squeeze the lines in with the engine installed. With the HVAC out, it was time to fix the dash. I found a used dash frame along the route of my 6 week work trip (thankfully a non-international trip) and replaced it upon my return mid-September. I'll follow up with another post with some of the work done since then, including the purchase of a few engine cores and a donor shell.


Received my brake lines from LinesToGo.com - such a time saver. Worth every penny.

Very easy to install the lines. Such a load off my mind.

Back in the hole it goes.

Parts back from powdercoating

All the threads chased... looking much better.

Started dash removal. Found some dubious previous work - side airbag not secured by a previous technician.

Front subframe reassembled

Getting close...

New dash frame installed.

 

Awesome work! Fast too! A lot of what I've done over the past couple of years... Still have to pull the front subframe and recoat. Nice work.

 

Killin it! 👏

 

Thanks! It was definitely fast and furious for a few months, but my wallet suffered for it greatly. Progress on the car itself will be screeching to a halt tomorrow when it is stored for the winter. Snow is in the forecast and our shop at work is closing by the end of the year.

Other projects will resume as space becomes available. These (possibly) include:
- making a mould for a sunroof delete panel
- designing/machining adjustable rear lateral suspension arms
- designing/fabricating tow bar and tire trailer for autocross/track support
- battery surround and trunk floor/storage
- plan engine build
- plan visual makeover for next summer (going for a colour change via wrap but adding some subtle touches)
- rebuild brakes
- de-chrome grille and headlight trim

The last update to catch up on all the work done:
In early October, I purchased a donor car that came with a R53 long block, R53 shortblock and a R50 shortblock, some turbo bits and a 6sp with a broken case (slave cylinder tab). I stripped it and saved the brakes, front knuckles, steering column (for another project I have), power steering pump and the sunroof. Assorted screws were saved for the 'in case I need them' situation and the final dash screws were sourced to replace the missing ones. I have since started to sandblast many parts in order to paint them over the winter and rebuild them to have cores ready for the future. ssoliman, I included a detailed photo of the headlights. They are DEPO that may have been taken apart in order to paint the surround satin black.

Finally, the missing pieces were the wheels. Luckily, I sold the wheels on my previous R53 to my former boss (petrolhead), who purchased a nearly identical R53 JCW only a few months after I bought mine. Why so lucky? I bought them back last Friday, untouched for 3 years except for a moving day. One still had the remnants of the cone I massacred at my grey R53s last autocross. They really defined the look of my grey R53 and at 19lbs each, they are quite light for a 17x7.


Donor car supplied brakes


Finished sandblasting


Headlight detail. Yes the car has a used, silver hood, poorly resprayed. Other paint issues exist, to be sorted Spring 2023.


Last picture before storage. I'll miss it for 4-5 months.

 

Thanks for sharing the adventure.
following, since I'm about to embark on a similar project.
Hopfully will get the chance to meet at a CADL or MCO event.
Cheers,
Fred

 

Back at it, though lately it's been a chore to work on it. My DD mk7 Golf is starting to show it's 6 years with a lousy water pump and a brake overhaul next month. I'm also back to the 'laying on the driveway' days, due to downsizing and eliminating the production facility. Many (former) co-workers and the former boss were petrolheads, so we had set ourselves up with a spot to work on our cars after hours. I still remember the day 5 of us rolled out at 3:30 for Monday night lapping. Sigh.

Ok, done reminiscing.

After replacing some heat shields and installing a used charcoal canister (broke old one), I started a checklist again:
Critical:
- quieter muffler, maybe with a cut-out for giggles (apologizing profusely to my neighbors, it's heckin' loud at startup idle)
- custom battery tray heat shield
- tunnel heat shield custom washers
- battery tie-down adapter
- mount street tires
- install rear anti-roll bar
- spring and damper purchase and install, alignment
- shift **** replacement
- install new throttle pedal bracket
- diagnose rear O2 (P0138) ... apparently
- custom/extended battery ground
- charge AC system (vac tested last week)
- determine cause for 10% error in speedo
- fix pad wear sensor wiring
- determine start hesitation

Non-critical:
- Fix body (strip or sand hood and other parts, deal with the fuel filler area, vinyl wrap in satin black with gloss accents)
- Fix front bumper attachment
- Fix right rear fender trim (fell off and was run over a few times by the time I found it)
- Determine aftermarket radio memory loss
- Blackout trim
- Install new horns
- AGM or Li battery

Wild projects:
- explore a Subie 4-piston upgrade
- brake ducts
- front splitter & rear diffuser
- autox support trailer & hitch

Honestly, I'm a bit bummed that I haven't been able to get this done and get to any of the CADL, MCO or SCCA events, but they have all fallen on weekends with other events (weddings, etc.)

 

End of Summer R53 update? Nothing. The Summer months disappeared by being away on project installation/management 7 of the 9 weeks following my last post.

Ok, not really nothing. A Mishimoto filter was installed to replace the less-reputable brand from the previous owner. I have acquired a few bits and pieces to finally get it rolling straight as well. The interim (cheap) front strut assemblies have been purchased to at least get it re-aligned before the snow flies again. Wouldn't the cheapest Rockauto-supplied strut assemblies be useless in STH-class in autox? Absolutely. Redshift Competition valved BC coilovers are ordered and the build is in-progress. I hope the next few days/weekends will be spent tinkering and cleaning up the rough edges.