1st Gen R53 Cooper S My 2005 R53 Daily Driver build thread

Discussion in '1st Generation: 2002–06 R50, R53 & 2004–08 R52' started by fishmonger, Sep 24, 2017.

  1. M1N1

    M1N1 Well-Known Member

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    If you are going to re-thread those holes, use a good tapping fluid (tap magic, etc), and remember to back out your tap 1/2 a turn regularly to break the chips. Don't want to break off your tap in there.
     
  2. Redbeard

    Redbeard JCW: because fast is fun!
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    Nice. That should make things much nicer over the odd hulking thing already on your car.

    That lable needs to be updated. Grand Am was absorbed into IMSA in 2012. I also find the NASCAR cert a bit funny. :)
     
  3. Dave.0

    Dave.0 Helix & RMW Powered
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    Well that’s cheap and sneaky Way for you. Putting his Walmart-Motor-works sticker over the ATI super damper sticker to make it look like it’s his product.

    He is such a dou**bag, that’s why people don’t like him or do business with him anymore. I will never buy anything from him ever again.
     
  4. fishmonger

    fishmonger Well-Known Member

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    well, ATI clearly puts these stickers on for Way, they don't tape over the unit. This is factory stickered, or they have a master of sticker application on staff. Why do they do that, I don't know, nor do I care, but I am not going pay $25 more for a crank seal elsewhere only to get a different sticker on the pulley.

    Meanwhile this fresh update to the Electric Blue - easy swap of OEM summer floor mats to these big water basin WeatherTech custom fit mats. Don't be fooled by their "laser fit" - the passenger side is about 1 inch too short to really fit where it should be, and both sides do not have their anchor holes where (at least in this car) the oem mats where connected via the velcro auger pads. Not sure if I am supposed to punch fresh holes into the carpet. Driver side pad seems rock solid in pace without it and no interference with the pedals as it is. Unless things start moving around on me, I don't think I need to worry about the floor anchors.

    [​IMG]
    Driver side floor mat

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    Passenger side Weathertech

    Ordered a resonated Milltek for the dark silver today at ECS. Great price and free shipping.
     
  5. fishmonger

    fishmonger Well-Known Member

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  6. fishmonger

    fishmonger Well-Known Member

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    ... and I first washed it. That water shedding property of the Gyeon MOHS is just incredible. Never seen anything like that before. Almost too nice to call it the "daily driver"
     
  7. MCS02

    MCS02 Moderator
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    Looks great!
     
  8. Dave.0

    Dave.0 Helix & RMW Powered
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    Great pictures
     
  9. Goldsmithy

    Goldsmithy MINI Alliance Ambassador
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    A warning about Way Motor Works.Last year, at the Dragon, I left a new set of R53 floor mats for him to sell at the used parts tables. Nice of him...wrong. When I went back to get them, they were gone. Way didn't seem to care and wrote me off quickly so I wouldn't complain loudly. Nothing offered, not even an "I'm sorry". The man is not to be trusted.
     
  10. fishmonger

    fishmonger Well-Known Member

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    another one

    [​IMG]
    Soft and fluffy grass at f/1.2

    not sure how used floor mat deals at some Dragon event affect my purchase of a brand new part I can buy at various locations for more dollars.

    He did however once sell me an on-sale Milltek cat-back, only to call me later to tell me he doesn't have any and there are "none in the country anywhere" and I can stay on the waiting list to get one as soon as he gets the next container from the UK. That same day I could have bought the muffler (at higher price) from ECS or ebay, but I didn't buy anything instead. Waited until Black Friday for ECS to have the best price. So you do have a point about that honesty part, or at least you can't trust their website to reflect anything they actually do have in stock or not.

    Still, damper/bolt and seal combo are priced right at Way, shipped same day, no hassles for the second one I bought there. I do always check Detroit Tuned first, but they want a lot more for the same stuff. Ultimately, they are all out of state strangers to me. My only local Mini presence is a stealership that never sold R53s and is completely incompetent at working on these cars. They do have fine coffee in the sales lounge and great color coordinated furniture where the glossy brochures can be studied. Parts are never in stock.
     
  11. agranger

    agranger MINI of the Month June 2009
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    Back when I used Way's table at the Dragon (2006 or 2007, I think) there was a note saying that the swap table was not monitored space (he can't pay someone to sit there and watch it... it was a nice thing he was doing for the community). I'll admit that he could have been nicer about the lost mats (and it would have been better for his business if he had been), but the swap table was a convenient way to clear out some old / unwanted parts. I have found him to be grumpy, but he generally has pretty good pricing and was willing to spend a few minutes with me on the phone to make sure I was making good (or at least informed) choices about my mods.
     
  12. MCS02

    MCS02 Moderator
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    Never dealt with him. The one part I have of his on my car I got from Detroit tuned. With the exception of the OBD reader I just got every thing I get is from a sponsor. He use to sponsor MA but not any more.

    But I don’t want to hijack your thread..

    Your mini looks very nice and you took some great shots of it!:Thumbsup:
     
  13. agranger

    agranger MINI of the Month June 2009
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    Oh yeah... I can't believe I haven't said it already. Beautiful work on the car!
     
  14. fishmonger

    fishmonger Well-Known Member

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    It's close to "done" for this phase, but there's still a lot on the still growing "do next spring" list when the dark silver Mini comes back from hibernation. I will be calling my insurance tomorrow to take two of the three Minis offline for 4 months, so this car is all I have for the coming third of a year and any major surgery will have to wait.

    I'll do the damper because it's here and I have all the stuff to do the job this weekend. After that it's hands off except maybe winter tires should the rubber I just bought turn out to be crap in the white stuff.

    I may also put in a DIY cold air intake if I get it built this winter. Actually pretty likely that I will do that.


    Spring to do list:
    • drop subframe and replace lower control arm bushings, inner/outer ball joints, wheel bearings. Clean and paint any paint damage on subframe and A arms (or replace)
    • Install roof rack (Mini OEM), because it can be removed. Also acquire some bicycle rails and a wind deflector for it. Maybe even a nice basket.
    • Install tint and black out the beltline chrome
    • finally figure out how to remove the passenger seat completely without getting air bag or seat belt pre-tensioner codes. I want that extra space for cross country travel so I can sleep in the car and fit larger items like ski and bicycles inside.
    • replace the heater blower fan - it's kinda noisy compared to the other cars. Most likely worn out over 88k miles of constant fight with the clogged cabin air filter.
    • On the "maybe" list if I get bored or have too much change itching in my pocket is a brake upgrade to either Wilwood or R56 spec. Not sure I need it. The brakes are near new on the car and work well for what I bought it for. I'll probably save the money and buy some nice Sparco Evo seats for dark silver instead.


    And after that there's all the fun stuff we'll be doing to the two other cars. My son has been shopping for all sorts of parts. He also ordered a Milltek for his car, so we'll be installing one (resonated) in my dark silver, and one (non-resonated) in his chili red. Depending on where we can tolerate the extra noise more we may swap the resonator pipe segments between the cars.

    He also just got a box with an analog boost gauge and hookup kit and mount. Heard he's also saving for coilovers, rear ARB and lower control arms, plus a big brake kit to install some time next year. He's away in college and only sees the car when he visits at home, so I may be doing some these installs.
     
  15. agranger

    agranger MINI of the Month June 2009
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    In Wisconsin in the winter, it's just called 'an intake.' The 'cold' part is assumed. :p
     
  16. fishmonger

    fishmonger Well-Known Member

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    I guess then I should call my DIY product the "arctic vortex" intake :biggrin5:

    heard on a weather site that the east coast is gonna get real cold mid December when the big chill jetstream hits them hard again. Usually we don't get that cold when that pattern happens.
     
  17. Dave.0

    Dave.0 Helix & RMW Powered
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    Bring on the cold weather because it means Sping will arrive and we can go to the Dragon.
     
  18. fishmonger

    fishmonger Well-Known Member

    May 13, 2015
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    more pix. I am really starting to like that color. Went to Costco tonight getting some prints made for my annual home-made calendar,. and people asked me if the shiny blue Mini I just parked next to them was new :D

    [​IMG]
    Calendar shot

    [​IMG]
    Orange lights
     
  19. fishmonger

    fishmonger Well-Known Member

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    add timing chain tensioner on to-do list. Heard that chain rattle after restarting the engine at the store. Guess I'll be getting practice with two of these jobs next year.

    got a can of thread cutting fluid from Amazon today. 12.9 grade 80mm M5 bolts got here a few days ago, got good M5 taps as well, so I hope I get enough time this weekend to tackle the damper job and use those bolts to pull the junk yard part off. Must say, for not being a Mini part, the thing actually works quite well. I only feel some odd vibrations around 3200 rpm.
     
  20. agranger

    agranger MINI of the Month June 2009
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    Hopefully I'll beat you to the timing chain tensioner replacement and the 2 timing chain guides as well. I've got all of the parts out in the garage now.
     

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