It only took 30 minutes achieve the results below. Now I just need to strip the clear coat, sand the wheels smooth, and give them a final polish:

BEFORE:







AFTER:

 

Deleted....

 

Looking great. Good progress!!!

 

Thanks

 

Wheel 3 is done.

 

All four wheels have been repaired, reassembled, and reinstalled. I've also painted the calipers.

 

Your R52 is looking fantastic! I wish I had those wheels for my R53 :-:

 

Thanks.

By the way, if you decide to get a set of R98's, there is a rough set in NJ for $250: http://cnj.craigslist.org/pts/5337204473.html

And there's a fairly nice set in Delaware for $320 OBO, so you should be able to pick them up for $225-$250.
Also, that should be a short drive for you: http://delaware.craigslist.org/wto/5377353629.html

 

R98's are nice wheels. Really rare to see them on a Gen 1 MINI. I had them and really liked the looks.

http://www.ecstuning.com/Search/SiteSearch/R98_Web/

 

Thanks for the heads up! I'd love a set but my budget is going towards maintenance items on the R53 for now. Maybe in the spring if I don't go with the Rota RBs in 16".

 

I didn't realize they weren't common on the '07, but I like them and think the car looks much better with them over the 7 spoke wheels I bought as temps.



You're welcome. I believe you're budget is properly prioritized; performance, maintenance, and then bling.

 

deleted,,,

 

Yea, high cost option. Only seen a couple R52's with them.

 

Fantastic job on the wheels!

 

Dude SICK JOB on the car so far... My Build has nothing on yours..

 

Car looks great, excellent job on the wheels. I just purchased a set in need of a little refurb, so you ground them down then jb weld, grind again and strip clear and sand? Also did you have any trouble disassembling the wheels?

 

Some info here for the R98

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-question.html

 

Thanks. A little hard work saved be a few hundred dollars. I hate throwing my money away, unless it's for tools.

Thanks for the kind words.

Thanks. I elevated the wheels on a table, so I had more control of the socket, and to save my back. I then carefully loosened them in a crisscross pattern. Once they were fairly loose, I used my 18V impact to back them out. Saved more time than you'd think.

The best method for milder damage was to use the grinder to level out the rash and call it a day. I used the epoxy to fill in the bad stuff, and sanded it smooth. I wore a dust mask and safety glasses.

Once they were smooth, I took them outside and applied paint stripper to the lip down to the bolt holes. I loosened up the clear coat with a plastic scraper. When you spray off the paint stripper and clear coat, make sure you spray a jet of water into each bolt hole to clean out debris. There will be lots of it from the sanding/grinding.

I flipped the wheels face down so the water would drain from the holes. Once dry, I placed the wheel back on the table and installed the bolts. Make sure you apply the loctite. I started the bolts by hand and used my impact to firm them up. Then I used a torque wrench to finish the job.

Hope that helps. I've seen the BAVmotors videos on youtube, so I'm very certain you didn't need all that detail. However, I mostly posted that for the regular Joe that comes along a couple years from now.

 

We'll, I bought two new tires last week, so that all four match. I also opted for the road hazard warranty on all four, since the fronts were like-new when I bought the car. Rides like a dream now. They saved my bacon the past Sunday, keeping me out of a ditch while I must have seen 10 cars that had wiped out on I-40 on the way to Knoxville, TN. I decided to head back home and pick up the Yaris this weekend instead.
The tires are BFG G-FORCE COMP 2 A/S in 205 /45 R17.

I also installed some Weathertech floor mats (front and rear), new wiper blades, bought a new owners manual to replace the crap that was in the car, and got a used key off ebay that won't program.

Anyway, that's it for now. When I get the energy I'll bleed the brakes and change the tranny fluid. I also need to get the alignment checked, as I'd hate to hurt the new shoes.

Oh, and I hit 88K today:




Happy New Year ladies and gents!

 

Happy new year

Nice, the weathertech mats will save those nice clean floors now.

 

$550 down the drain, as I had the paint work down on Friday. Once the hand brake grip comes in the Mini will be complete. By the way, what's a fair asking price for it (2007 MC S R52) with 88K miles in excellent condition? It's a two owner car with a clean carfax. I'm thinking I'll be lucky to break even, but it's been fun nonetheless.

I was going to wait until spring to sell it, but I think I'll let it go this winter and pick up the lighter turbocharged 2007 hardtop for autocross. I'll be running against my buddies 1K WHP Porsche 993.

 

Looks great. GLWS. I truly enjoyed following your project. Have fun Racing.

 

Below is the listing if anyone is interested. Of course the price is OBO. I'm also interested in trades for a MC S turbo hardtop.

http://cargur.us/6qWgj

 

Here's my CL listing in case anyone is interested: http://nashville.craigslist.org/cto/5406396438.html

 

Warning!! Be aware of a scammer from 863-733-6749 and benchris001@gmail.com. Total scammer!!