From Russia with love... (so the rebuild begins part II)
 

Hey all, so the mini has been sitting for a while now. I played with some diffusers from another company and while they are excellent quality and fit for a regular mini, I refuse to cut my rear JCW bumper to make them fit.

I modified them and made them almost fit they need some tweaking and then remade with one piece (right now, I have several pieces riveted together.

In the meantime, a member named Roman came on the site and posted pics of a set of diffusers he made. Because he was not a vendor, the thread was removed/closed or discontinued.

Well, I ordered a set from him. It took a few months because apparently we take our post office for granted where we can just run down and drop stuff off... apparently it's not quite that easy in Russia.

With extreme diligence, Roman persevered until they finally showed up this last week.

Unfortunately they were damaged a little but fortunately I know a great bodyshop. :grin:


So, here's some pics...

I received them in this unusual packaging.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...e/IMG_0589.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...e/IMG_0590.jpg

A little damaged...

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...e/IMG_0591.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...e/IMG_0592.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...e/IMG_0593.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...e/IMG_0594.jpg

While I was waiting for the diffusers to arrive, I had ordered a set of these.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...e/IMG_0596.jpg

They arrived on the same day and I immediately installed the panels.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...e/IMG_0597.jpg

As you can see, the stock JCW muffler gets in the way...

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...e/IMG_0600.jpg

I notched it to make it fit, I will close it all up when I know it fits correctly.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...e/IMG_0601.jpg

Though I like the diffusers, I'm not happy with the length. They definitely need to be longer.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...e/IMG_0602.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...e/IMG_0604.jpg

They are made up of some sort of plastic, to be honest, I don't recognize it. I know we can repair it because I've already repaired the damaged ends.

Anyway, I'll post more pics as I go along... and believe it or not, I should be done with the car. Now I can start looking at the new Countrymans.

Mark

Can't wait to see more. Those look great!

I love the length in the last photo. They add a very subtle race car feel to the back end. I think subtlety is something you've been trying to accomplish with this rebuild :lol:.

That's the word I'd use to describe it... subtle. I like that.

The diffuser looks great at the outside of the diffuser (as far as sticking out) but by the time it gets to the inner edge, it's flush with bumper cover so I'll add at least a half inch to the entire length.

Mark

Hi!What are those black panels called?I want a set of them...!
Thanks!

Thanks to Rixter for the part numbers...


Part No's for the panels are:
51 75 2 753 163
51 75 2 753 164

You will also need the brackets:
51 75 2 753 165
51 75 2 753 166

Amazed again OC!! :thumbsup: Are you ever going to say "I'm done!!" :lol:

I'd love to see your car. You ever take it to the car get togeather at Northlake Mall ?????

I honestly think I can say I am this time.


Been there only once... it was different, lots of different cars but a very relaxed atmosphere, no brand snobbery.

Mark

Are you going to trade your JCW for a Countryman, or just add it to your MINI arsenal?

I love the length of the diffusers in the pic you posted. Although, they look like they were shipped in a potato sack. :lol: I'd really like some diffusers but I hate how the m7 ones and the Challenge ones stick out so far.

Where did you order the underbody panels from? I can't find them online anywhere.

No way man, I have no intention of selling my mini... the absolute worst that would happen is it would become a full time track slut.

I ordered the panels from my dealership. Gave them the part numbers and they got them in 2-3 days.

There are also some clips you'll need (which just arrived and I have the part number if you need it)


Mark

:lol:
thanks Mark for your feedback!

Concerning damage - it seems very stransge, but could be worse in that soft pack! But this lesson learn, we know how to transfer diffusers without risk to be damaged...

Regarding length and your cutting, it seems strange, because I wear JCW muffler (it is from JCW power kit on Cooper S and has the same dimensions as Cooper S muffler) and we do not need any cutting. My length you may check here.

The problem is that pic in the link above is a pic of the diffuser from M7... that's not the same diffuser you sent me. In that pic, it shows a thin metal diffuser joined together like M7's kit.

The material you sent me is much thicker.

I have no problem with it, I'll modify it to fit but there is no way it will stick out that far. I maaay be able to get another 1/8" but no more.

Mark

I emailed the dealer, and they gave me the prices this morning. They're a lot cheaper than I thought they would be, will end up being about $150 for the panels and the brackets. I didn't ask about the clips though, can't imagine them costing too much more.

Big question is how much do they weigh? I don't want to add a ton of weight to the car.

Thanks! :thumbsup:

Had to cut the diffusers down the middle to remove about 3" of width.


http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...e/b0fb36f4.jpg


http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...e/0b3997af.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...e/a3d98154.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...e/693beeb1.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...e/fa3fe3ea.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...e/9de24233.jpg

Spent the night fitting everything and made brackets to connect to the flat panels underneath.

Almost all bodywork is done, tomorrow I'll have it in primer and painted and hopefully installed.

I think I'm going to make a panel across the bottom like M7's crossbrace.


Almost there....

Mark

Finished!!!
 

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...e/14d44f42.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...e/9621cf02.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...e/ba8b49da.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...e/76670e46.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...e/410f9453.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...e/39575746.jpg

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y29...e/492f0449.jpg

WOW! :eek:

Those diffusers are perfect, that car is amazing!!!!! :thumbsup:

looks just right! are those diffusers fiberglass?

Thanks bud... much appreciated.


No, they came from a member in Russia and honestly, even with me being in the bodyshop business, I'd be lying if I said I knew what it was. It's some sort of foam/fiberglass/plastic...lol.

It's light as hell but seems pretty strong. Perhaps Ramon will step in and tell us what it is.


Mark

Looks good!:thumbsup:

Mark

Oscar looks fantastic!!! I love how the Russian diffuser maintains the lines of the rear JCW bumper. One of the nicest MINI I've seen :thumbsup:

Ric

Those diffusers look perfect! Very nice indeed :thumbsup:

I don't know how you do it, but you keep making your Mini look more and more badass. Sick diffusers :thumbsup:

Also, do those panels just make the underside of the car smoother?

Thanks guys... I couldn't tell about the underbody panels but hopefully I'll see a difference when I hit the track.


Mark

Are those under panels used in conjunction with some sort of front belly pan? Think I will pick up a set when the taxes come back.

On the weekend, as I was perpetually wasting my life on the Net, I was somehow distracted by one auto article that lead to another than led to something about the Chevy Cruze. They offer a specific 'Eco' model which gets better fuel economy. On the GM site they discuss how the Eco model differs from the regular. 2 particular points were noteworthy:
■A lower front air dam extension, extensive use of underbody panels and a rear spoiler enhance aerodynamics
■A lowered ride height improves aerodynamics

Using the same logic, a lowered MINI, with JCW cow-catcher and underbody panels (and Mark's custom rear spoiler :grin:) should see improved fuel economy. That is unless you use the new 'features' as an excuse to drive faster.

Apparently in Germany they're standard equipment on all MINIs