^^ Just checking in for updates. Read somewhere else you dropped the rear subframe. Wheres the pics?

Just messin' with you. Sometimes it's too much of a PITA to stop and takes pics.

Anyway, hope the progress is moving along!!

 

*coming soon. I finished the two coats of POR in that great window of warm weather just prior to the cold front. I couldn't really believe how rusty it was when pulled, as I'd already painted it with rust convertor and undercoating last fall. What I didn't realize, however, was how futile that whole exercersie was - even with what I thought was good prep there was a LOT of rust hiding underneath once I put a wire wheel to it. There's just too much of a limitation to what you can properly treat/access under the car. I'm really happy with what looks and feels like an impermeable finished product though, and will send before/after pics this weekend!

 

Beautiful weather and tons of progress on the build this weekend:

Front subframe treated, and here's the before and after rear subframe - hours of prep but the result looks great. Adjustable control arms and whiteline sway bar installed as well:



And found a guy with a press to get those control arm bushings knocked off the list:





Also caught some spots of underbody rust hidden behind the gas tank. Spot applied POR15 where rust was, then two coats of rubberized undercoating to future proof the rest




And finallly - I was tired of a sloppy shifter, and followed the lead of @MCS4FUN on an adjustable two piece bushing care of CravenSpeed.



All this gets reassembed when I come back from work travel. Feel great to enter the phase where things go back ON the car.

 

Between work travel and spring break, less progress than I'd like but this weekend was good. I also learned my emissions inspection is due in June so there's an official deadline to get this done.

For updates, the rear subframe and exhaust heat shield is back in the car, coilovers adjusted and installed, and the front subframe ready, complete with new inner ball joints, control arms and power flex bushings (OEM replacements on the sway bar). Also replaced the oil pan gasket and started cleaning the engine block for bright silver paint. Here's the rust-free subframe ready to install in short order:And about those Rota Grid/Volk wannabees (see former post)... I gave it a lot of thought and decided to sell. The JDM racer look feels out of place and I love the classy styling as is stands. I learned about Rota RBs on threads here - they're gorgeous and still 8lbs lighter than my factory wheels. Grabbed some 215/45/17 summer rubber to go with them and cant wait to see what they look like installed:
​​​​​That's all I have for now - just wanted to let folks know I'm still in the game.

 

Looking good!

 

Thanks! Now get your ride back on the road!

 

Ha! We have the new Valeo clutch kit installed and the engine and trans are back in the car. We just need to double check everything and top off the trans fluid and we should be good to go. It'll probably be a few more weeks as out weather has been rainy lately. No rush. Either way, we will post up out progress and hopefully no more issues (knock on wood)!!!

 

Looks good! I have a question: with the cravenspeed two piece bushing, the cravenspeed website says that it's not compatible with the r53. What did you have to do to get it to work for you?

 

^^^ I noticed that disclaimer on Cravenspeed's website too, so ordered instead from Way Motor Works. My thinking is that WMW's fitment description statement is correct: i.e., "Will NOT fit 02-03 MINI shifter box that is white with the 3 ribs, you must have the later black shifter box that came on all MINIs 2004+." Although not described as being Cravenspeed product, open the kit image in a new tab and it'll show that within the URL.

Edit: BTW - for anyone planning on doing the kit upgrade, obtain a replacement Viton o-ring (acts as shift lever "bump stop") with details on that outlined in post # 416 of my own topic.

MINI Shift Lever Bushing

 

Thanks for the info! DT says its the cravenspeed kit too, so I'm guessing it's for the R56 shifter box. Will order this as I've got the whole exhaust off the car anyway!

 

^^^ A worthy upgrade and great timing for you! As mentioned in my linked topic (post # 405 and subsequent), another nice aspect of this bushing kit is that once installed, the ability to quickly and easily adjust clamping tension to suit preferences by simply popping-up the shifter boot.

 

Agreed! I can feel the change in the shifting even before it's on my running car - even detached from the tranny it doesn't flop around any longer which took a lot of fun out of a gear change before. I had an extra o-ring on hand that fit and you'll need it for that bump stop - mine was dry rotted away. Also, the WMW one linked fit perfect with my black shifter box '06 Cooper S.

It would be a REAL pain in the *** to do this without already having the exhaust removed - great timing. I had a lot of corrosion on the nuts that hold the heat shield down which made for a good time to remove them. It's also a lot of fun to lift all three plastic clips at once to get that OEM bushing off - while simultanously needing to push it out from the bottom, given the whole we only have two hands to use setback...

 

Excited to try this out and strange that they don't list this as compatible; they could have just said just post 2004 cars! I've literally replaced every other piece of the shifter mechanism to try and get out the slop! Ordered it and paid extra for quick shipping so i can get it on this weekend! Thanks for the help/info and hope you can get your car together quickly! Those exhaust holders are so annoying.

 

Look forward to seeing what you think once installed!

 

Spring cleaning and yard work this beautiful weekend, but also time to play on the Mini. Catback reinstalled, and my R56 front brakes came in the mail so had some fun with the calipers:

Chose to go with a JCW look for the front calipers. Used a dremel to remove the casting lines and polish them up on the front, and did the same for the rears:



Here they are painted - high heat primer, caliper paint, ceramic coating. You can't see the minor remaining pock marks and imperfections when not zoomed in, love the results. I ordered the JCW stickers (I like the newer look better) from the UK:




And 100% completely done with the back half of the car!

 

Even more progress!

 

Make sure you double check and tighten the end links in the rear. Mine ended up a little loose and caused clunking noise that sounded like the exhaust bouncing around.

 

LSD installed, and the transmission is finished and back on the car! Everything looked fresh but with this much work to make it this far, I went all out. Stayed dual mass with a new LUK flywheel, pressure plate, clutch, and bearing. Replaced the input shaft seal for the trans and the real main seal for the motor. Also replaced both crusty, rusted axle seals. With any luck I won't end up like my friend @Boostmaster and have to come back here any time soon!! Some pics:

Before and after differentials. Thanks to the walk through by Mod MINI - my new personal hero - this was a super easy job. Take the old one out, press some bearings, swap the ring gear, and drop in the new one:



Clutch installed - complete with ARP pressure plate bolts that I found on eBay cheaper than OEM. Back on the motor she goes:



A question for folks - how can I check that the clutch isn't binding while the block is still pulled? Beyond this, all the remains are some guages and the motor mods! Then, I expect to reinstall the drivetrain in the next few weeks - SOOO excited.

 

Excellent work!!! Glad to hear about the progress.Only way you can tell everything (clutch-wise) is working is when engine is under load (e.g. running- ask me how I know )

For gauges I added a boost gauge and a oil pressure gauge (check my thread for details - it all works perfectly.) For voltage, I added a cheap amazon USB adapter that plugs in the cigarette lighter port and has a digital LED read out that works great!
I purchased the 3d printed gauge mounting cups off ebay. They fit fine but the install of the screws in the back of the center display are a royal PITA. (you've been warned)

Now, just take your time and check all the electrical, the water lines, oil lines, and all of the bolts for proper torque. You're almost there!!!

Don't forget the tune. Adrian worked wonders for me and it was relatively cheap and easy considering there was no dyno and it took like 20 minutes.

If you get stuck or have any questions please feel free to reach out. I am happy to help if I can.

 

Thanks!! Right now I have a boost and wideband A/F ready to go, with a cravenspeed steering column gauge pod found used on ebay. I've been thinking about oil pressure as well and looking at that console mount but may hold off on buying more real estate for gauges at the moment....

 

It's all good. The reason I went with the oil pressure gauge is the reason I pulled the engine in the first place. I kept having an oil leak I could not find.

When I pulled the engine, I discovered the the oil pressure sender had started to work itself loose and was barely finger tight so just a little more and I would have lost all the oil and possibly the engine. So, I figured, this was some cheap insurance so I could keep an eye out for possible catastrophic failure.

 

Do you have emissions testing in your location? If so, I imagine you will have your stock front O2 in the exhaust bung and then have to weld on another bung for the wideband sensor? If so, please post a picture of that setup.

AIso I will be interested in your opinion of the Cravenspeed steering column gauge pod. I have one that is giving me some issues. I will be curious to see how it goes for you.

 

I do have emissions inspections and will need a second bung welded on. The instructions say to place as close as you can to the head so definitely before the cat and possibly on the header - hope that doesn't affect anything. This is on my list for the next couple of weeks so I'll share a pic once it's done.

The cravenspeed mount seems straightforward, what issues have you faced? Already have it mounted but I'll have those guages wired and ready in short order

 

More progress over the past week - and a quesiton. I've got the crud and oil-soaked mess of a block painted and squeaky clean and am now going beyond any prior experience and deep into the block. The photos below show a before and after on the engine block - loads of brake parts cleaner and gasoline to remove all the grease, and wire wheel and dremel work to remove surface rust. High heat primer and bright silver engine paint make it easy to spot future oil leaks:



Now my question - there internals of the head looked fine but there is a good bit of carbon buildup on the pistons. Is this normal? Should I be concerned about piston rings or anything else deeper into the motor? See below, and thanks!

 

And here we thought this was going to be a mild budget affair.

Personally, I would clean off the tops of the pistons, check for the factory hash marks on the cylinder. If they're there I'd leave it alone. Maybe put a little oil in the cylinders and let it sit so see if it dribbles away quickly. Otherwise, I'd probably leave it alone. BTW, that silver paint looks great!!