I'm just giddy and I need to share!
 

Well, I took Friday off to work on my MINI. I thought I could do the following tasks in one day.

1. Replace the front and rear brake pads with EBC Green Stuff
2. Paint the brake calipers
3. Install caliper stiffeners
4. Install the H Sport Comp Rear Sway Bar

Of course, I've never really done any one thing like that before but I figured - I'm a pretty smart guy :grin: , I've got all the tools I need, I read several sets of instructions for these tasks off this and other forums so - what the heck!

...ominous music rises to a crescendo....

Well, I started with the rear (figuring that if I screwed up, the front would still be OK). Got all the parts and pieces off and began the brake caliper painting. While I was waiting for the paint to be ready for another coat, I thought I'd just install the sway bar. Well, it turned out the instructions were a little off for MCSCs in that they have 5 bolts and not 4. A few frantic (but useless) phone calls and one (useful) post to NAM and my suspicions were validated - there was indeed 1 extra bolt dead center of the car that needed to be removed from the sub frame (Thanks, Randy from Webb Motorsports).
Short story long :smile: , the sway bar installation took about 5 hours including heavy sweating, mild cursing, imagining disaster scenarios involving tow trucks and being ridiculed by MINI mechanics at the dealership.

Never got to the front of the car, though.

Friends from out of town came to visit and I had just completed sway bar installation but not rebolting all the bolts and rear caliper painting. Spent the next day with my friends and stole a few moments here and there to rebolt the subframe, etc., get the stiffeners in and begin to reassemble the rear caliper.

Today I took the morning to complete the reassembly of the calipers and remount the wheels and post at least one frantic and clearly newbie-ish help post to NAM (Thanks for your reassurance, Matt!)

Moments ago, I completed my test drive with the new rear yellow painted calipers with stiffeners, EBC rear pads and comp sway bar (middle setting) and ---- everything seemed to be OK.

I did a couple of laps in the neighborhood took some sharp turns and it was a BLAST!!! It was like riding on rails! I didn't hear any squeaks or creaks either. :smile: :smile:

Now I just need to find another 3 day block of time to finish the front brakes...:lol:

Thanks for indulging me.

Let me just end by saying

YAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Hey way to go!!!:thumbsup: I noticed you sending up some flares a few days ago:eek2: :grin:, but it's all good.....ya made it!!:thumbsup:

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO to you:thumbsup:
:cool:

Good job.. very rewarding when you work on your own car and it all works out. You appreciate your mods even more... and you know it gets done right!
Kudos to you for the DIY efforts! :thumbsup:

Congrats, Neil!
Posts like yours are helping me to work up the courage to install my new sway bar that's been sitting in the garage for a week now! :lol:

Would love to see a pic of your painted calipers!

Ok my newbish is coming out... what are the caliper stiffeners?

No prob... Check 'em out here:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...liper+bushings

These, in combonation with braided steel brake hoses, make for a really nice, firm brake pedal. Much easier to modulate the brakes, too.
Jim

Oh no! Now I have to buy and install another thing! :smile: I think I'll have to take a sabbatical from work. :lol:

congrats:thumbsup: