Right now my car is in what I believe the "cute" category. Yeah it pulls some chicks (my 'lady-friends' like it) but maybe for the wrong reasons Although that is fine, I need it to be in the bling/pimp category The next mods I am doing should bring it there. Gimme 3 weeks!

 

Here's my contribution to the "Dorky cheapskate mod" category (originally posted in the 2nd Gen Interior/Exterior Mods forum)

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...eat-pulls.html

And yes, I sew!

 

Dang I love this post! Another project. When I play hockey I have to put that huge bag in the back and ALWAYS lower the seats and ALWAYS ache after the game. I like it.

Here is the finished scoop...

 

Very nice How did you do it? Paint, vinyl, aesthetic creations?

 

That is the "plasti-dip" everyone is talking about thru this thread. Comes in a tin can or a spray. I used the spray to do everything you see that is black, except the wheels which is Duplicolor Wheel Covering. This pic is a 3rd attempt because the first 2 weren't perfect. That's the real beauty. Pealed off - with some effort.The paint is unscathed underneath....actually preserved. (same with the chrome) $6 or so per can at LHS. I have found that you want a nice thick layer, but not a run or drip. Large collections of this stuff do not dry smoothly. A nice wet, even coat all over yields a smooth yet tacky surface. I love it.

 

Awesome idea for the seat-pulls! I've been considering ordering some but haven't because I knew I could probably make the same for much, much less. Thank you!

 

LOVE the pulls idea! And someone posted there that Tractor Supply has something that would work perfectly for $2 or so? I'll have to check.

 

Use old neckties - tied in a half-windsor!

 

Very classy! haha

 

and... with a little effort... you can find 'em to match your interior, exterior, or sportcoat!

 

OK, so I got tired of everything rattling around in my center console and center armrest while I was driving. Came across these silicone potholders at the dollar store, attacked them with a pair of scissors and tadaaaa, no more rattles! And it just so happens to be a close match to my Mellow Yellow color line interior. I do know that they have them in red as well as blue. They do stay in place pretty well since the silicone has a "grippy' feel to it. Now that I think about it, I'm going to make some for the bottom of my cup holders as well.
Enjoy!

 

kepe the ideas coming

 

I like that potholder idea - fantastic! I wonder if any are available in Space Blue?

 

Here is mine - Orig. post #112

Cut from 1/8'' X 3'' alum. stock.
1. Rough cut to shape.
2. Hand filed and test fitted.
3. Notched and bent to clear A/C.
4. JB welded the angle brackets to ends.
5. Plasti-dip black.

If anyone is interested I could do a dimensioned drawing.

 

I have been working on this for a little while. I wanted to put a racing style shift **** on my Mini, something simular to a Hurst type. This is the prototype:



I can also do classic white/black and black/white. Hey, "S" owners where is your reverse located?

I wonder if there is a market for these.

 

Wow. This is a great thread. Glad I finally wandered through!

Reverse in my 04 MCS is to the left of 1st gear.

 

+1 Between this and the Home Depot garage door thread, i'll be busy the next couple of weeks

 

The only things I have done is replace the chrome grill on my 03 with the black one from the aero kit (about 40 bucks) removed the front US plate holder and ordered a euro tag to go in the space (another 40 bucks). Something needed to fill the slot between those chrome eyebrows.

This seems like a good thread to bring this up: does anyone think there'd be any interest in high quality decals? I'm an artist, and have an idea: I want to revamp the old Impko style decals. The idea came about when I was casting for something to stick in the area for Euro plate badges.
Here's the original Impkos:

I'm thinking of restyling them and focusing on cryptozoology.

 

I went to the local auto shop and bought a 30 cm by 150 cm piece of mesh. Cut it out to the shape of the lower grill and zip tied it in. Total cost was around $40 AUS. However in the next few weeks it is coming off.

 

This is for the wrong generation of MINI, but otherwise fits. Having 2 MINIs you can have trouble telling the keys apart, so I solved that for Tristan with a little heatshrink tubing:



This got a little messy when I discovered I had to cut away anything between the 2 halves, of they wouldn't fit together. Next time I'd put the tubing over both halves together and cut along the separation line.

 

I bought these on Ebay for $10. They install easy, are made of thin brushed aluminum and look awsome.

Seach for:

Item number: 360140581575

 

I bought this on Ebay for $23.00 delivered. It fits in the rear cupholder.

You never know when you may have to put out a fire!

See Item number: 140309134221

 

So, this one is more of a helper than anything else. This passed weekend I decided to change all of my white colorless interior lights with orange bulbs to match the mood lighting. The local auto store has amber led's to replace the W5W bulbs (all of the interior lights are W5W bulbs). So I get to the map lights in the overhead center toggle switch panel to swap out the bulbs and could not even get my fingers close enough to pulling the bulb out. So I brainstorm for a minute or two and came up with a quick solution. I went inside my house and grabbed a ball-point pen with the "grippy" rubber doohickey on it. Removed the rubber grippy and slid it over the W5W bulb. The rubber had some give to it so it flexed around the bulb when I slid it on. A slight tug on the bulb and tadaaaa, the bulb came out no problems. Inserting the replacement was just as easy, slid the bulb in the grippy, slid it in the socket, pinched the grippy towards the head of the bulb and the force of the pinching backed the bulb out.
The unfortunate part is I didn't replace ALL of the W5W bulbs with led's because the puddle lights under the doors as well as the footwell lights have the bulbs sitting sideways instead of the bulbs facing down (most beneficial lighting for the W5W led's) so I just used the orange 194 bulbs which are the same.

The best part is that they do make all kinds of colored bulbs (non-led W5W and 194's) in case you wanted to match your car. I have seen them in green, red, blue and yellow and amber!

Enjoy, hope this helps!

 

My Custom Radar Detector Mount. I hated the little suction cups they come with. Their weak and useless. This mount is from a Griffin iPhone mount for $17. Heavy blade, sand paper, and super glue and I made this bad boy.

 

Saturn: Don't you have the option of changing the interior mood lighting on the R56's? Would you then have to get different LEDs?

I like the idea. I did an LED interior light and instrument panel lighting upgrade on an old VW cabrio a couple years back, they're great.