Depending on how much room you have, a really tiny pipe wrench may just do the trick. I've got one in my toolbox, and I swear I've used it more on bolts than I have on pipes.

 

We just use a little sticky gum to stick the bolt to the end of the T30 torx bit then push the liner down as we screw it in. No need to remove the fender liner. Plus you don't have to crank the screws down super tight, they head will strip pretty easy if you over tighten them.

 

Installed mine today...I took advantage of the nice warm weather and installed the Cabrio Cross Braces. Pretty easy....a few of the torix screws were a pain...but overall very easy.

I left them black...put them on labels and all for a sleeper factory look of sorts!

Suddenly my rattles.....the only ones I had were from my dash.... are in a word GONE!! ....and overall I am impressed.....a set of railroad tracks, a bunch of manhole covers and a few rough stretches of road I drove over are all blessedly silent....and steering seems a bit more precise. Full throttle launches also seem to be more straight (but it is tough to tell since I have snow tires on now).
Placebo....who knows....but now my car is back to 100% rattle free!! Tough to beat that!!
Your mileage may vary, but I'm glad I found this old thread about this on NAM that reminded me that this is something that I wanted to do long ago!!
For only $40 or so and an hours time or less, it is a great mod IMO.

 

Placebo?

Unless i had same dose, i noticed same thing, less rattles!
Well i have a track day, Wintercross at Miller Sports Park Nov 14th
Snow rain dirt gravel, if its on the track we run,

http://www.millermotorsportspark.com...nts/snowcross/

I have done no engine mods since last year, Only suspension
i am curious how the Placebo effect will effect my times since last year

Some how i made the advertising page last year! Top row 4th pic!

 

i got my cabrio braces welded onto my chassy yesterday... didn't notice any difference but aesthetically it looks like it belongs there. only spent $36 in parts and johnny hooked me up big time with the weld job. thanks!

 

Just finished installing these on my 2006 Mini Cooper. Thanks Waylen . Your tips on here worked great as well (sticky gum on problem bolts / bending wheel well liner). I did encounter one problem though and was wondering if any other non cabrio coopers had the same thing. My drivers side lower part of brace top hole was missing. Every other one was present with the black cap. Even if it were present I wouldn't be able to install it without removing the engine / transmission mount since it's right below it in a very tight space. Any other NON S Coopers missing this hole I'm wondering if its installation is crucial. If I ever wanted to put a bolt there can I just use a self tapping bolt or will it need a nut on the end of it? Basically is the sheet metal in that location thick enough for a self tapping bolt? Thanks.

 

Very Ice cold here im Wyoming right now, And with my mean curb into my drive way i have always noticed creaks and pop's but have noticed alot less with the cabrio bars installed,
I saw that some members say they have not seen a difference, i was
curious how many have this mod on a panoramic roof car vs non panoramic roof car, if that is why some us notice or don't notice a difference

 

There should be a grey peice of tape covering that hole on the Driver side you couldn't find. It's easier to get to if you take the mount for the A/C line out of the way.

 

I thought mine was the only one!! I removed the A/C line bolt thinking it was using the bolt hole, and thought....I hope I can make this work!! Then I saw the tape, investigated, and found it was covering the bolt hole.

Using some sticky stuff on the torix bit is a great tip. I also put the torix bit in a socket (i think a 6.5 mm will hold a standard driver bit) with an extension to make reaching some of the bolts easier!! It also did wonders for saving my knuckles too!!

 

That bottom driver's side bolt seems to be a barstid for everyone. I couldn't get more than three turns on it before it bottomed out solid, so I put three washers under the head and used lots of loc-tite on the bolt. It's still tight a couple of years later.

 

Dang! Kinda glad my car did not have the threaded holes Sounds like welding them in was easy compaired to bolting

 

I'm glad I added this mod for the money! Well worth the time!

 

is it worth drilling out? is it a weld stopping bolt?
washers dont feel right

 

Just added our WMW custom powdercoat option to the cabrio braces.

http://www.waymotorworks.com/oem-cab...oss-brace.html

 

Our project car did not have the threaded holes so I used nutserts. Just take the liners out, mock up the struts and mark the hole locations with a Sharpie. Centerpunch and drill a 10mm hole. Then use M6 nutserts. Took me about 45 minutes.

 

Does anyone happen to have close-up shots of the bottom of the driver's side diagonal rod? The reason why I'm asking is because today, I installed the convertible braces, and I couldn't reinstall the bracket that holds the big electrical connector? I, instead, just zip-tied the big connector with the brace. Is that safe?

 

As long as you do not do not perform any advanced maneuvers such as barrel rolls or back flips you should be fine Seriously as long as it is secure and the wires are not stressed there should be no problem .

Randy
M7 Tuning

 

I just installed a set of these cabrio braces on my '06 S this weekend and noticed that the slight noise vibrations from the front end were gone. I always seemed to have some for a few minutes in the morning. Last night I put back on the TSW damper which I had removed a while back because of vibrations and still, all quiet. I'm really happy this this $40 mod. I also have an M7 strut brace.

 

I put these on a couple weeks ago. Piece-a-cake to install. Like most, I guess the thrill of spending money got the best of me once again. Too early to tell if they make a difference...

Must be worth it or they wouldn't make 'em.

 

Great, for the price we think the cabrio braces are a no brainer cheapo mod.

 

Here's a couple shots of the Cabrio Brace install on my '05 MCS...

Although the pictures don't really show it too well, the electrical wires were easily relocated adjacent to the braces. Both braces fit very nicely and were easily installed in the factory mounting holes. They came painted black, but the paint job was substandard... I chose to repaint them black, keeping with the theme of the other suspension components.

 

I'll post pics tomorrow of my newly powdercoated red ones. They've been on for about 3 years now but the red spraycan job had turned dull. Now they're nice and shiny

 

I'm in. Placed an order with WMW. My only expectation is that it will reduce, or better still eliminate the remaining rattles.

The Madness lower strut brace helped significantly, maybe 85%. I am so looking forward to tackling that lower driver side screw......

Hoping that eliminating the rattles will also eliminate whining from spouse about the many Mini rattles. That would be $45 well spent.

 

I immediatly noticed a reduction in rattles when i hit the highway after installing. Definitely worth the price, and yeah driver's side is a bit of ***** to install, but it's definitely doable.

 

bump....
a few folks have been looking for "easy Mods" that are cheap...this is pretty good IMO...change is subtle, but noticeable.