What year/month is your Mini? Midlands box can be out, clutch replaced and back in 2 days tops. The Midlands does not have a bearing in the flywheel for the input shaft so aligning the clutch plate requires a special tool or you can make one.
You can do the swap without dropping the subframe, bumper off, radiator/surround stays in place so no need to drop the coolant, remove battery/box. drop the gear box oil, pull out the axles, PS fan, remove the gear box housing bolts. shifter cables off. out she comes. The Midlands weighs 76lbs so you can do it by yourself. oh the Clutch plate bolts are Torx.
No worries , the important year is 2004, June is the Midlands and July onwards the Ford gearbox. With yours being a 2003 you have the Midlands gearbox. congrats! LOL So what I said earlier applies to your Mini. A weekends work, and while you're at change the gear oil but when you do add 2.5 liters instead of 2 liters. Also check the drain plug for large amounts of iron, big bits of steel means the midlands is on the way out. How many miles ?
found this for you. [ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bzOCWOmvgk"]Time Lapse - MINI Cooper Clutch/Transmission removal - 2002-2006 Non-S - Dropcam - YouTube[/ame] They do way more work than me as I never remove the subframe. I can lift the gearbox up and in by hand.
Shopping list: complete clutch, throw out bearing, both axle seals, throw out bearing guide, a little grease for the guide , Redline MTL gear oil , 32mm socket for the axle nuts, breaker bar. metric tool kit. torx male sockets. Check the axle CV boots while your at it.
I love, and I mean love, the Valeo clutch that MiniDave and I put in my Cooper S three years ago.
The Valeo clutch is so much better than the OEM dual-mass flywheel monstrosity that MINI originally fitted, and which I put up with for 10 years of ownership. That OEM clutch, to its credit, never slipped but using it became increasingly worse and worse over the years. Clutch pedal feel grew much stiffer and the damn thing's bite point on pedal travel moved steadily closer to the floor each year. Besides making the car crap to drive with that clutch, the idiotic dual-mass flywheel developed the infamous Chewbacca shriek. It would actually startle nearby pedestrians as I pulled away from stop signs. Frankly, as you can tell by my tone, I was very unhappy with the OEM clutch/flywheel and it tainted my ownership and driving experience with my MINI. I remember coming back from vacation where I had become accustomed to driving a rental Peugeot for a couple of weeks and then climbing into my MINI and being disgusted with how bad the MINI’s clutch felt compared to the clutch in the Peugeot.
My attitude toward my MINI changed three years ago. Immediately after driving out of the garage with my new Valeo flywheel and clutch fitted, I was more than delighted. My MINI was transformed. I remember telling MiniDave at the time that my MINI shifted like a Honda (and I consider that a huge compliment). The clutch feel is perfect - light and progressive, with a wonderful bite point. There is no increased NVH as a result of losing the OEM dual-mass flywheel and going with the Valeo's conventional flywheel. The engine idles just as smoothly, there is no judder, no shaking --- nothing negative. This is the single most important change I've made to my MINI and I love it. I highly recommend the Valeo clutch.
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