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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 gauges wired and ready in short order
I have the AutoMeter Ultra Lite mechanical water temperature and boost pressure gauges. I should have sprung for the electrical (stepper motor) gauges. The issue(s) I have had with the Cravenspeed gauge pod is the pod on my left interferes with the turn signal when trying to indicate right turns. When I have the time, I think I might be able to make some adjustments to eliminate that problem.
Here the gauges are mounted without the spacers to push them further away from the dash trim.
The other issue I have I think is more in the mechanical nature of the gauges as opposed to a problem with the gauge pod. The issue is clearance behind the gauges with the dash trim behind the tachometer. I think if I only had the wiring of the electrical gauges, there would not be clearance concerns, but the hard tubing of the mechanical gauges is MUCH less flexible than 16 or 18 gauge wire.
This shows the clearance issue behind the gauges. This also is before the ~3.4" spacers to push the gauges away from the dash trim and I made that hole in the trim for the wires. It turns out with the pod spacers installed, the hole was unnecessary but this is also before I connected the nylon tubing to this gauge, which exasperated the clearance to the trim, even with the pod spacers.
Thanks for this - it had me realize what a clearance headache this could be once I wire the gauges in, particularly with the same mechanical boost gauge you have. It's not worth triple the cost for electric IMO, plus it's a near-perfect match to the rest of the dash.
My - hopefully - solution here was also spacers but I made them using the mounting bolts. I had some black spacers from who knows where cause I hoard these types of things, and some old bolts that were too long but fit once I cut them shorter and narrowed the heads. Here's the oringinal and new, where I gained a half inch:
I think the solution to your turn signal issue is to mount them higher - is visibility the reason you elected not to? I used blue Loctite when I tightened things up, so hopefully they stay in place and out of the way of controls:
And here's my clearance. The threaded rods are an inch long, so about an inch and half total for the tubing to clear before I'd unfortunately have to drill. I've not taken those rods off the back yet, but will. How did you secure your gauges into the mount?
Last edited by OutlandishnessDue; May 6, 2024 at 05:29 PM.
Some updates on my cylinder head. Going with a port and polished upgrade complements of @MiniManAdam. In a few places you'll see very minor rougher porting that I added (and will soon polish) from 80 grit on a dremel to get tenth of a millimeter precision across them all. All in all the channels are almost exacly a third bigger on the intake side and 16% larger on the exhaust (compared to the JCW which I read is 12% on the exhaust only), which should really open up the flow. Plus I have a ported intake manifold and supercharger + horns to install, and a Newman street cam as well! Here's some photos of the intake, then exhaust. For comparison, most of the outlined parts seen around the ports on my original head has been removed.
My emissions inspection is due next month and I've never rebuilt a head. So I finally broke down and took something out for a rebuild. The machine shop noticed the lifter caps needed replacing which I may have missed, and have those coming for just $5 a piece from Detroit Tuned. All in all, with me wanting this done right - plus this assures everything properly pressure checked and leveled, I'm glad this part is in the hands of an expert.
Last edited by OutlandishnessDue; May 7, 2024 at 01:08 PM.
If the head is going to be at the machine shop, have you considered a valve job? Maybe a larger valve upgrade? And of course, new guides and springs? You're already there- what's a few more $$
haha, part of the problem is I don't really want 8mpg or CELs at inspection time. I am getting the valve work done, having the springs tested, and replacing the guides though. I haven't done any research into oversized valves and their implications here, but the time would be now if I do it. Something like this?
on second thought, I'm waaay over projected budget as it is and there's always that "one next thing". Gonna show some responsibility for a change and pretend you never posted 🙂
I think a new set of larger valves can be had for a couple hundred bucks (mini mania is probably the most expensive mini parts vendor out there. I'm sure there are other vendors with significantly better prices) and then there's the ancillary work to cut and fit them. So you'd be into it for a few hundred bucks, but this really is the time to do it. It's the reason I didn't pull my head- I knew I'd have to go down that rabbit hole (and I didn't do a cam either). But since the head is already at the machine shop, it's prime time. If you've already spent the money to buy ported and polished pieces to help the engine breathe, and a new cam. This is the last piece of the puzzle... With a good tune, I don't think you're going to run into emissions issues. And as for the mpg, I think it only goes down if you keep your foot in it. So far, I've not really noticed any significant decrease in my mpg.
As for the budget, who are we kidding? You knew what it was going to turn into just roughly based on my numbers. I warned you going into it. It's not cheap, but I have peace of mind knowing it's all been touched by me and done right. And I've also had to pull and reinstall the engine 3 times so far and it's easier each time so there's that...
If this all runs an extra $600 for example, that's $50 a month for a year. I presume you'd likely keep the car for another year and frankly what you will spend on this entire project is still cheaper than a new car or a decent used car so it's something else to consider. And if you sold the car, I suspect the work done to it would be worth more to a potential buyer as long as you keep receipts and document. And since you're doing your own labor, it still comes out cheaper than it would for someone who paid a shop to do everything for them. It's a win-win.
On the other hand, you can always pretend I never posted. Either way, I will be watching and rooting for you in your endeavors to get this R53 back on the road with a little more oomph than it ever had. Best of luck to you.
yeah, I've been on the fence on more spending as I'm a weak man with this stuff - but it's now or never. I posted here to get insight from the wider group, with need to make a decision ASAP with my emissions test due. Thanks for the idea, we'll see where things land!
Last edited by OutlandishnessDue; May 7, 2024 at 06:40 PM.
I think the solution to your turn signal issue is to mount them higher - is visibility the reason you elected not to? I used blue Loctite when I tightened things up, so hopefully they stay in place and out of the way of controls:
And here's my clearance. The threaded rods are an inch long, so about an inch and half total for the tubing to clear before I'd unfortunately have to drill. I've not taken those rods off the back yet, but will. How did you secure your gauges into the mount?
I think I tried to angle my pods as high as they would go and there was clearance issues with the bracket. Maybe that was prior to my installing the spacers? I will have to revisit that when I get a chance.
I wrapped a single band of electrical tape around each gauge and slid them into their pods. It seems pretty secure.
And...
FWIW, I'm with @Boostmaster for going all in on your head while it's off and bare. I really don't think more air flow through your engine will negatively affect emissions compliance if you have all your emissions equipment (oxygen sensors and catalytic converter) and a well tuned engine.
Took them forever to get to it, but the head looks great and the new cam is installed. I need to match the gaskets to the enlarged ports, then back on the block. From there, it's reinstall everything that can go on the motor before installation, then finally back on the vehicle. SO ready to get back on the road. Hope to share some real progress later this week!
Looking good! Just a quick suggestion- something I ran into after having to remove the engine 3 times due to the clutch issues... Do yourself a favor and install some nice studs (maybe stainless) for the header. The last time we installed the engine it was such a PITA to deal with. Something so simple took quite a bit of time. It's on out "to do" list.
Also, have you already contacted Adrian for a tune? I reached out to him via FB and we were able to preemptively load the software onto the laptop so that the later tune would go that much faster. He told me the cables I'd need and when I had them ordered I reached out again and he loaded the software remotely and then a few weeks later when I was ready we set up a time to connect and he did the tune. Just thinking ahead...
I ordered these: (used Windows 10). Not sure on the XP, Adrian can give you more info...
MPPS V13.02 Cable, OBD2 MPPS V13.02 ECU Chip Remap Tuning Flash USB Interface Programmer Diagnostics Cable, Only Support 32-bit Windows XP SP2, MPPS Cable, Car Diagnostic Tool Cable OBD USB Interface
Block deck throughly prepped and cleaned (WD40 and scotch bright pads are amazing) and the cylinder walls and pistons look fine:
Head reinstalled on the car with new seals and gaskets and an aluminium thermostat housing. Thanks again to the magic of a Bentley manual + Mod Mini videos in making things easy:
Ported and rebuilt supercharger ready to install! 15% larger on the lnlet side. A cleaned up and smoothed before and after on the outlet is picture as well (same done to the corresponding downtube from intercooler to the intake manifold):
And ported intake. This I just installed! Both inlet and outlet size on this is increased by roughly 10%. This (along with a machined gasket) matches the enlarged ports on the head:
Expecting some big gains with all this increased flow. But now I'm concerned the bottle neck is my boost tube and throttle body. I may look into that but at the same time, I'm SOOO ready to get this car going.
Last edited by OutlandishnessDue; May 29, 2024 at 02:44 PM.
If you've not done so, I would recommend studs for the header. I skipped this and it was a royal PITA once the header was installed and I needed to remove the engine again - yeah I could have unbolted it to make it easier but I had finally gotten it to seal well and didn't want to mess that up. The studs aren't too expensive and will save you time.
Also, if you've not done so already- consider installing the engine harness while it's out of the car. It's much easier and faster when you can move around the engine. There's only a few bits that will need the engine to be installed first- like the starter wire and the PS wiring.
Thanks and good call on that wiring harness. I wasn't sure which way to go, so I'll take your advice and put in on the block BEFORE installing the motor. With luck, I'll have it back on the car this weekend!
Hope it all goes smoothly. Just take your time and check and recheck connections and that all the bolts have been tightened. There's a bunch of pieces in this so it's just a little extra insurance.
Main reason this is taking so long is I keep getting distracted with "well, I'm already here..."
In this case, the stock throttle body amidst all the porting stared bothering me, but mixed reviews and headaches on this board with something larger. Instead, I ported and polished the factory one smoothing a ridge off but not touching the area around where the butterfly closes. It looks nice and I followed tutorials, but the darn thing slipped out of my bench vise and dropped on the floor. Here's hoping I didn't break anything and there's an improvement, even minimal, on throttle response, and that I did things correctly!
Last edited by OutlandishnessDue; May 31, 2024 at 06:58 AM.
If you've not done so, I would recommend studs for the header. I skipped this and it was a royal PITA once the header was installed and I needed to remove the engine again - yeah I could have unbolted it to make it easier but I had finally gotten it to seal well and didn't want to mess that up. The studs aren't too expensive and will save you time.
Also, if you've not done so already- consider installing the engine harness while it's out of the car. It's much easier and faster when you can move around the engine. There's only a few bits that will need the engine to be installed first- like the starter wire and the PS wiring.
I will have my engine out soon. Are you suggesting that I replace the harness while I am down there? My cooper is almost 20 years old I am concerned about old brittle plastic plugs.
Yes, I looked at that but it appears the real bottleneck is the boost intake tube that follows the TB - the only larger aftermarket part for that is almost $500! Also, spoke to a friend who shared his perspective that a larger throttle body mod kinda sucks unless you're talking 300HP, 20lb boost territory. He had a bad time with his b/ it caused too much pressure drop and a lack of intake velocity.
I don't believe you need a new wiring harness at all, I have no breakage removing the clips. If you run into a problem, don't force it. Instead research carefully how they come off - for instance, several have plastic tabs you must slide out of the way to remove. I recall the plugs to the ECU needing some internet advice as well.
Lots more progress today. Almost done with the readying the block to go back in the car, and went ahead and finished the exhaust in preparation.
For those interested in my DYI take at a high flow cat, see here. Still TBD on any CEI suprises, but I'm unsure how this would trigger a code. When paired with the larger X-Force header, it's now a near-perfect match, but I did flare the end of the header pipe slightly to eliminate any edge. I had to reshape the gasket with all the extra clearance - you can see how huge the difference is below - and covered things with Orange RTV exhaust gasket maker to (hopefully) ensure the narrowed gasket maintains a hold. I've had a lot of success with this stuff in the past.
Also, I had the second bung welded onto the header for the wideband A/F gauge. @ghostwrench h
ere's where I landed. Just below the upstream 02 sensor was the only place in my set up that was close to the block as possible and provided clearance to remove and install:
Well, coffee break is over, and time to get back on it!
Last edited by OutlandishnessDue; Jun 1, 2024 at 07:46 PM.
So far, I've not really noticed any significant decrease in my mpg.
