12k in mods now..... and now the hard stuff starts to rear its head

1) buying ferodo brake pads for my wilwoods, but the backing plate doesnt have a ridge... apparently the 12.16 kit uses the new dynapro caliper... and that they dont make a pad for it yet... so it needs to be grinded so it can be made to fit (told by the boys at raceshopper) this i might leave to my mechanic now because i dont want to mess it up....

2) new m7 grille... oem grille was a real pain... it DID NOT want to come out at all, of all the tabs that was holding the oem grille on... 2 remains in tact after the massacure...... needless to say ill need a new grille when i sell the car

3) m7 ram air scoop forced me to grind the fiberglass grs diverter bigger... now part of it is broken... easy fix using 1/2 inch washer that gradationally reduced in size till the top nut can be fitted.... i might treadlock it when i have time....

when i started modding... none of these issues came out............ perhaps the more mods, the more problems.....

comments?

 

it is always a compromise when you change the original specs of your vehicle.

 

I agree.

Part of the reason I am here is because I took a DIY turbo miata a bit too far. (after I took a chevelle a bit too far a long time ago). Sold the miata aas a down on the MINI, just sold the chevelle as well.

The miata with a turbo was a fast car, but it was easy to break transmissions. The miata is supposed to be fun, changing transmissions is not. Watching gauges all the time is not fun either....

I plan on adding a handful of proven mods to the MINI: Intake (on), Exhaust (in garage, saturday install), Pulley (by the summer), Rims, SSK, maybe a rear sway and that is about it.

I already spent a lot of money to engineer out the care free fun feeling a miata has by searching for the last drop of power, handling etc. Designed a car that was well beyond my driving skill level. (well, that wasn't really hard to do!

My plan with MINI will be to lightly enhance, not completely change. Spent to much time trying to keep that miata on the road - not fun!

YMMV - and good luck with it! I do know what it feels like when all of it comes together and is working right as well, it is magic.

 

When your flat out broke and in dept.

 

Have a goal in mind, and work towards it. When you're there, stop. Otherwise the car becomes a money pit.

Also, the farther you push the envelope (especially with power), the more other gremlins you scare up! Right now I'm fighting ignition retard. Wouldn't have been an issue if I'd just driven a stock S. (or at least not as much of one).

Being the groundbreaker takes patience and money. If it's all been figured out before, it's much easier.

But then what's the fun in just leaving things alone! Gets boring fast. But going too far, and you end up learning Fishbulb's lesson with his Miata. The car becomes less fun, you drive it less, and you enjoy it less. And there's no fun in that......

It's never easy, is it?

Matt

 

The World is Not Enough, when it comes to the MINI.

 

nuff said

 

For some of us that was just purchasing the MINI!

 

You asked originally "When is too much mods?" Then started discussing the problems with some modifications.

IMO, the answer is very simple ... It's kind of like when discover "your in love" ... You will know when its time to move on.

What do I mean? ... You will know when its time to move on?

• You might still get a thrill out of the car, but you already have "eyes" for another
• You read about a new "gee whiz" part and instead of trying to figure out when to buy it, you decide to save the money as a down payment on what your mind is telling you to move on to.
• You used to read every post on EVERY part and now look and see 100 posts on some little part and just read the first post ... and move on.
• You still like to "take her out to blow the gunk out of the engine" but while doing so ... are thinking about ... what your mind has told you to move on to.
• You no longer get up at 2 AM to make google eyes at your baby cause your now dreaming of that new baby.

You get the drift ....

 

Depends on what "Stage" you are in ...

1. Good Looking Mods ... Wheels, stripes, sound, tint, interior and exterior bits, iPod

2. Go Fast Mods ... Pulley, Intake, CatBack, ECU, Sway Bars, tires

3. Go Faster + Competing Mods ... Big Brake Kit, Larger TB, Injectors, Cam, Head, Header, Intake Runners, Other ECUs, expensive seats, harnesses, Larger IC, camber plates, control arms, race wheels, tires, alignments with corner balancing, roll cage, HPDEs, Hotels, trailers, etc

4. Broke

 

hahaha i think im turning towards stage 3.5! im broke every few weeks because of a new mod.... i still love driving the car but eyeing the next car...

 

I actually made a list for myself a couple years ago. Started with stage .5 (look good mods...won't void warranty) and went through intakes, pulley's, heads, TB's, etc. I find it's really helpful to get a nice list of what to get and what order to get them in. I'll probably be stopping after the pulley, intake, (maybe exhaust) phase. I want close to JCW streetable power. Now if I can only make some money and start getting the good stuff.

 

See ... I told ya so ... You got "eyes" on another ... Sounds like its time to move on ...

(I didn't want that list to sound like a male/female relationship but that is exactly the right analogy ... You just "know" when its time to move on to the next best thing)

 

I absolutely couldn't agree more. The MINIs (both Cooper and S; just more so for the S) in my mind, are the definition of fun (- a street legal gokart????). If you want to improve on the fun factor, great; just don't lose sight of what you originally set out to do (for me it was to have fun). I have been down the money pit route with my C5 Corvette; frankly, my MCSa is more fun than the C5. (The C5 will run away and hide from the MCSa; but the MCSa is just more fun to drive - and I can enjoy the MCSa without being tethered to a gas station that sells 100 octane unleaded.)

 

When the intent is more fun, and you end up buying more frustration, then you have too many mods. This may lead to looking for other cars, but I think there are many who believe that this part or that part will make a big difference and everything will be great. And instead, you get a flat spot driving on the freeway, or you snap a belt, or your gas milage blows, or the suspension is too firm for the street.......

Then the fun factor goes wayyyyyyy down. But it's really hard to go back to when it was more fun, but less edgy, as in your mind, you've already anticipated the car chareter with all the benefits of the mod that didn't work out.

Matt

 

All that you are saying is true.... Which is why my MCSa is more fun than my C5. And also why I have held off taking the plunge on mods to the MCSa so far.

 

It's a 65 with a modern EFI motor in it. I'd had some problems with the gauges. Fixed the voltage regulator for the dash (actually, made a solid state one to replace the old piece of crap design). And then tried to start it. Cranked, but no fire in the hole! Garage smells of gas, so the fuel injection is working. I got depressed and came in here to post....

The frustration is a friend of mine did the motor swap, and he lives on the east coast now. Can you say trouble shooting an undocumented custom wiring harness? I've got to do it, and know I can, but I just dread the work...

GRRRRRRR! I can sure tell you, right at this moment, I wish it still had the 298 and 4-barrel!

(But when it's back on the road, I'll be a very happy camper!)

And it's cold in the garage, and it's windy, and the garage door won't go down (couldn't put it down if I wanted to! 3 feet of Mustang hood are sticking out!).

Crap......

Matt

 

Fun factor again....

 

and this is the first time it's been down in over 8 years since the modification, the car is a freakin gas! 65 convertable styling, modern EFI drivability. The EFI conversion gave it more power, easier starting, better gas milage, and overall better drivability! And having a 5 speed with the V-8? Can we say a bit less than 1800 RPM on the freeway!

So I can't really complain. The car has been changed over for over 12 years. The only mod I think I'd undo is the roll-bar (needed it for track work). But since the suspension is set up for the street, it leans a bunch in turns.

But I gotta say, it was a blast at Sears Point!

But it's easier to make the Mini into a fun track car. Putting the roll-bar in the Mustang means it's only for two people, can't even get a car seat for my daughter in the back anymore. Without the roll bar, the whole family could do road trips in it...

So one major down in over 10 years isn't too bad.

Matt

 

No it isn't (too bad). But right now it is a big time downer. What are you going to do about this evening? (There is supposed to be a nice rain storm (with cold temps changing rain to snow/sleet at altitudes greater than 1,000 feet).

 

i gotta say while im starting to eye my next car, its all from a logical stand point.... while the car gets a bit too noisy for me on the highway, the seat (for me) is unconfortable on long journeys, suspension rides too hard on pothole ridden streets of toronto, it scrapes just about anything on the road... but when it autoxes or tracks... all of those little problems are instantly forgotten..... i just love it, and if i only got more money the MCS would be my track car and i'd pick up a used 05 cooper for street use...

 

Makes a lot of sense and I think most of us start with some kind of plan. The problem is that MODding is the journey and not the end point. I started with a plan and implemented it. I had so much fun and liked the results so much that I NEEDED to do more.

 

Ive done the mod till you run out of money thing before. This time, I decided to setout a specific set of goals, and so far, ive followed it exclusively

http://www.bugs78.ca/truck/02MiniS/mcs.html

Springs and rear sway goes on this weekend. After that, the only remaining item is the ECU programming. Hopefully that will be done this summer.

After that Im done.

The only other thing I plan on doing is struts. But those will not be done until my stockers die. Im guessing that will need to be done sometime this year. Luckilly i do the work myself, so I dont HAVE to do it with the springs, even though I know I should.

Crazy mods + me will no longer be done to a daily driver.
My aircooled beetle, sure. In a couple years, I also plan on buying a second toy. ( i had a show truck (01' silverado) and I miss it, and want to build another). The list of mods in its blueprint will be a bit longer

 

When your Mini has more miles on a flat bed than it's odometer and spends more time in the mechanics garage than your garage You know who you are

 

Maybe when you can no longer string a sentence together because you've spent "too much" dollars.