Don't think for a second that the thought hasn't crossed my mind!
I stay mainly orange tho, but that's another thread!

 

For a real cheapskate mod, over in Tire, Wheels and Brakes I asked about alternate centre caps for my new wheels. The answer was electrical panel punch out covers, $1 each from the home depot. The fronts needed a little modification with a hammer, add a little black paint and you have:

 

Question: What bulbs does the R53 use on the interior? I was considering buying some LEDs from the local Autozone/Advanced Auto Parts, but wasn't sure exactly what the car requires.

 

If anyone is interested I could do a dimensioned drawing....

Dude, if you could, that'd be awesome!!! Nice work my man!

 

While JB Weld is great, I'd also put a stainless bolt and nylock nut on there just in case. With the vibration associated with any vehicle, I'd also want a physical connection, and it'd be worth the $2. Looks FANTASTIC though, nice work!

 

OK guys let me help you out a bit if i may. If you are going to go to the trouble to rip us off at least make it functional The only way it will work is if you close up those gaps . You need to enlarge that plate a bit to cover the front and both ends as well . The photo i have here is not that good but Will give you an idea as to where the errors are . As a side note we are coming out with a fiber glass unit with the proper shape at a considerably less price than the CF piece.

Randy
M7 Tuning

 

Info here: https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-cooper-s.html

 

I don't see anyone in this thread ripping anyone off. Charging $150 bucks for the part?? Oh wait....it's on the M7 sales site!

Seen the economy lately? (or the title of this thread?)

Carbon fiber sure is pretty, but I bet you (M7) could make a nicely affordable one ($50-$60 anodized) out of 6066-T6 for the commoners like myself.

 

How about an official "Cheapskate" club on NAM?

 

I had constructed one myself out of aluminum and then sealed the edges with tape. I did that primarily because I have no cf on my car and really didn't want to add it.

I was not happy with my DYI version and so bought one used because i did not think it was worh $150 for it (no offense intended).

I think a lower cost option would result in more sales. It is a great item.

 

First of all I like this thread . I think DIY projects are part of what make modifying cars such a fun thing. I have done a ton to my own car and it is very rewarding . When i see something like this though , when the size shape and even the name are the same as something we designed, developed and tested it does stand out. Perhaps " ripped off " is too strong a word for you but what else fits this situation ? Put it this way if we had not made one would this " version " exist ?

In any event my original intent was to help you make it at least work if you are going to the trouble to " create " one for yourself. Its not the first time our products have been " replicated " by the end user and I am sure not the last . It is in its own way a form of flattery.

As for the price , yes the CF is pricey, our parts are not for everyone . And again I will say that we are comming out with a less costly version for the more budget conscious.

Randy
M7 Tuning

 

Randy's a good sport.

 

+1

 

Randy - thanks for being a good sport.

The M7 version is truly a work of art and I suggest that anyone who does not want to build one, purchase the M7. It does look great on the car and M7 did do all the testing.

Just for the record, I built mine mainly to create a rigid platform to mount a future oil cooler.

Thanks Randy

 

Thanks for the feedback.

I originally did use a bolt and nut, but there were some clearance issues with the mounting studs. I decided to eliminate the bolt and nut. I countersunk the angle clip and plate. The JB weld filled holes forming a plug weld. It is holding up quite well. I plan on mounting an oil cooler to the plate in the future, we will see how everything holds up.

 

No problem guys . At the end of the day it is all about making your car better even if you do it yourself. I've seen where we have been the " inspiration " for a number of items before but only spoke up here to help improve what I saw as a minor mistake. Hell we even had a former dealer of ours make a direct copy of the air diverter and add it to his product selection which seems to me to be a bit in the cheesy side when compared to a end user working away in his home shop. Enjoy and keep the " thrifty " ideas coming.

Randy
M7 Tuning

 

Hmmmm........wonder if I could make a rear tunnel diffuser out of aluminum foil and cardboard.................. Hey Randy that was for you Hopefully CMS will be the #1 M7 dealer again

 

What did you use to black it out? that looks really nice!!!

 

Well, finally after time thinking about, i just finished my checkered rear mirror for my r53 FROM 2003, after seeing that only was available for cars after july 2004 painted with a first layer of primer, then black shine and finally with adhesive and white paint, im very very happy now and looks awesome, check pics:

 

Great job!

 

I'm working on an LED rear foglight that will also fit cars with the MDM bumper hitch that's not supposed to fit a rear fog... wait for it... will also have step-by-step build instructions... about $40 total cost if you buy the bumper plug from Mini, but about $20 ish if you use parts-bin lying-around stuff like I did!

 

When I bought my Mini ( ' 06 R50) with the facelift front bumper I hated the lower grill and its large criss-cross pattern. So I stopped into the local auto store and got to work.

Purchased a sheet of grill mesh costing $30. Came home and pulled out my handy lil cutter and a pen...



30 minutes later (plus another hour becuase I realized I didn't have any zipties) and I am done!



I had done this as my first mod a couple years ago with silver mesh but I got sick of the silver, now I made a black one.

 

Nice work!

But take a pic a little further back so we can see the whole car, last pic reminds me of a conversation I had once with a "close talker".......had to keep backing up.

 

Here ya go. Sorry for the quality, I took these with my phone. Ill grab some more today with my good camera on the clubMini run.

 

I'm DONE with my LED rear foglight! The cost was about $20-30, the results are good, but it took a while to think through and wire up. The how-to can be found here. It's brighter than brake lights, and almost completely stealth when off. I wired it to my trailer rear taillight wiring, so it can only be "on" when the parking lights are on. It's run off an armored switch in the center console that's impossible to turn on accidentally since rear fogs are OBNOXIOUS AS ANYTHING when it's not seriously foggy... but they're great for backing off tailgaters!

The same technique can be used for other kinds of accent lighting I suppose, or to put a rear fog on the R56 rear grilles...

Looks like this off:


And like this on (my camera takes bad night shots):