i owned an R53 back in 2012. Had many cars since then but could not shake off the desire to own another R53. I found this one locally. 97k miles. Rust free, just needed a lot of love.


After a couple of months and a ton of work in the garage, I bring to you…Cosmo! New refinished r90 wheels with polished lips. Splitters all around.

From the sellers ad. Rust free but showed its age mechanically. Suspensions bushings were all ****. Throw out bearing was on its way out. Timing chain was noisy.

Lots of oil leaks


Refreshed control arm bushings and whiteline sway bar

Transmission was dirty from oil. TOB made a lot of noise so I went with w Valeo clutch/flywheel replacement.

Clean,

Dropped the pan and changed the seals.

Found this little piece in the oil pan.


The old MINI.

 

Nice. Looking forward to hearing more about the process.

 

Wow, quite the "getting to know you" story! I'm loving the exterior appearance pics as well as extensive work on the mechanicals.
Hoping you keep this topic alive with details and updates forthcoming, including ongoing driving experiences!

 

nice work i like the new look

 

Congrats! Nice R53 in BRG

 

Looks incredible! Previous owner really took care of it, good find!