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1st GearNew members: make an initial post and introduce yourself as you shift from Neutral to First Gear. Current members: meet some of the new members.
Just picked up my first Mini last week, an '04 Cooper S. The poor kid is a little worse for wear and I paid too much for it I'm sure but on the path it was on, it wouldn't be long before it was a parts car and I had to save it. Always liked the Mini but never owned one until now. I'm pretty impressed with it, even though I haven't really driven it yet. It's in the garage for now until I finish prepping it for inspection to get it on the road. I've wound up here as I'll no doubt need some experienced advice on how to fix this or that along the way and look forward to learning and sharing with the group.
Not as handsome in person, much like its owner.
Welcome. Is that a wrap or paint? Never seen that shade of green.
Haha, nobody has. That's someone's take on British Racing Green. It's a very poorly done paint job, full of runs, single stage acrylic instead of urethane. It's a mess, but the wife works at a major dealership with a body shop for which I get discounted rates. One day it'll get new paint.
Congratulations on your decision to enter the MINI Madness. You will likely never get the money out of it that you put into it, however, it will be worth it when you are able to drive it.
The advantage of a bad paint job is that you have no regrets repainting it to be what you want it to be.
That second one is sick! Since the guy went through the trouble of painting door jambs, under hood, etc. I will indeed stick with green. I will however get a proper British racing green metallic in urethane base/clear applied by a professional. The added cost of doing the details probably wouldn't be worth it, but getting the outside done properly would be nice.
Hi and welcome to NAM, Abused R53.
The pic looks like it is not in bad body shape and it is a slick roof model, which I like!
Does it run?
Yeah it runs. Sounds like ***** though. The driver side muffler is gone and for some reason the cat was beaten with a hammer and has 2 holes drilled in it. It has quite the "pop" to it when you rev it up but otherwise just sounds like a horrible leaky old car. The previous owner was too cheap to buy real floormats and wore a hole in the carpet and caused some rust on the floor, not rusted through though thank God and I have sourced a replacement carpet.
Driver seat is toast, as is expected, but passenger seat is from like a 2011? Expansion tank needs to be replaced. Supercharger oil probably never been done. Needs new headlights. Serpentine belt running, but in 2 pieces. Valve cover gasket leaking a bit. Crappy steel wheels. Passenger's window wasn't working but the pimpsmack method fixed it for now. Headlight washers are toast. Front bumper lip is held on with screws. Shifter bushing is shot. Windshield is cracked all over.
but yeah... it runs lol
I've got A LOT of parts in the mail right now on top of the bumper, seats, shifter and cables, PS fan, carpet, and an '06 LSD transmission I picked up last weekend. My transmission seems fine but if it goes I'm swapping for the limited slip. Good thing I have a big garage and a tolerant wife.
Seats in MINIs changed in 2005. They got wider, have less side support and reduced lumbar support. If you are looking to replace those seats, I would opt for a set of sports seats from a 2004 or older car. Our ‘04 (my wife’s car) was bought with the optional Sports seats (the stock seats for the the R53) and she loves the support they give. My ‘07 S had terrible seats.
A frriend has a R53 JCW with a Miltec exhaust. It has great sound, not loud, just deep and good.
How many miles on the car? That would help us to advise what to look for when fixing up the car.
Ooofff! The nightmare is in full swing! I spent some more time wrenching today. Replaced the valve cover gasket as it was weeping down the back side a bit. Found a whole bunch of new problems while I was at it.
Good thing a guy I bought parts from gave me a PS fan because mine is shot. Power steering is leaking somewhere, with oil starting from the reservoir. Ordered a new reservoir and the 2 hoses that run from it. Hopefully that situation ends there because the high pressure hose, rack and pinion, and pump are all expensive parts.
My cat has holes drilled in it as I said before, which I was going to weld, but it also has the famous separation on the downpipe with the scabbiest weld job ever. So whole new manifold and cat assembly ordered, luckily I found a good deal there. Left side axle seal needs to be done, not sure about the right yet. Oh, and I had to order a new belt tensioner today. The spring retainer is broken in mine and the idler wasn't too hot either.
Fun fun fun! Like I said, sucker for punishment lol. I've always had a love/hate relationship with European cars. My last adventure was a Freelander with the 2.5L Jag V-6. At least Mini parts are cheap by comparison.
Yeah it runs. Sounds like ***** though. The driver side muffler is gone and for some reason the cat was beaten with a hammer and has 2 holes drilled in it. It has quite the "pop" to it when you rev it up but otherwise just sounds like a horrible leaky old car. The previous owner was too cheap to buy real floormats and wore a hole in the carpet and caused some rust on the floor, not rusted through though thank God and I have sourced a replacement carpet.
Driver seat is toast, as is expected, but passenger seat is from like a 2011? Expansion tank needs to be replaced. Supercharger oil probably never been done. Needs new headlights. Serpentine belt running, but in 2 pieces. Valve cover gasket leaking a bit. Crappy steel wheels. Passenger's window wasn't working but the pimpsmack method fixed it for now. Headlight washers are toast. Front bumper lip is held on with screws. Shifter bushing is shot. Windshield is cracked all over.
but yeah... it runs lol
I've got A LOT of parts in the mail right now on top of the bumper, seats, shifter and cables, PS fan, carpet, and an '06 LSD transmission I picked up last weekend. My transmission seems fine but if it goes I'm swapping for the limited slip. Good thing I have a big garage and a tolerant wife.
It sounds like the previous owner was too cheap or too dumb to know these cars need regular maintenance! It is sad as it is a common problem in the US of A! I am glad you chose to save it, as these are really meaningful cars! Keep up the good work! You lush for punishment! LOL
The reward will be after you have it back in shape!
Last edited by ItsmeWayne; Nov 25, 2018 at 07:31 PM.
Thought I would share, it's alive and on the road!! I'm using it as a weekly commuter to and from work, (truck driver, shop is out of town, drive to shop, week on the road, drive home) and "mighty mouse" has completed his first round trip successfully. There's still some bugs to work out, but it runs.
Ultimately the repair list to this point:
New seats
New floor carpet + floor mats
valve cover gasket
exhaust manifold
coolant reservoir (now aluminum)
thermostat + housing
plugs, wires, and coil
PS reservoir + in/out hoses
Serpentine belt
Belt tensioner
Both rear coilovers
Horns
ABS sensors x4
Front pads and rotors
Manifold heat shield (fabricated)
Key fob repair
New windshield
Headlights
Taillights
and probably more I'm forgetting
Still needs:
Right side belt tensioner
ABS light still on :-S
Minor leak when refuelling
Spare key
Idler pulley squeaking?
Throttle is a bit temperamental when cold
New cat-back exhaust
Supercharger and timing kit service??
PAINT JOB!
At least I'm driving it and the needs list is shorter than the completed list. This car is too fun! If I wasn't so low to the ground people would see the sh*t eating grin I have when behind the wheel. I'd also like to say, compared to other vehicles I've worked on, I've found this one to be surprisingly less miserable than I would have thought. I've got to hand it to those Germans, this car is surprisingly well thought out! (Or just a happy accident) Again that's relatively speaking.
Make sure to use NGK iridium spark plugs! It makes a difference. BKR6EIX (6418) will work nicely.
Just use the stock coil!
Just work on the important stuff first and do the other stuff when you can.
There is a lot of help here, if you need it! Use the gen 1 area!
I have seen a couple wrapped/painted green MINIs. Here are some if you choose to change it but keep the green:
