Most liked posts in thread: Isobell, The RatRod Project

So is it just me, or is there another ghost face in this pic?



(Full size pic in the last set I got up)

Look at the rust around the "gas hole", the cap cuts off from the nose up, but I see a guys face... Maybe its just me... Or the car really is haunted!

 

My Box-0-Stuffs from eMINI was waiting for me when I got home!
Parts are in perfect shape, for now...
They even threw in a little swag bag (no not that kind, even though its legal here.) inside was some stickers, pins, tire pressure gauge, a magazine, and the coveted all mighty M/A fridge magnet. Sometimes a company going a little out of their way to add something special goes a long way, so thanks guys, I will be ordering more stuff soon-ish.

Well looks like its out to the garage to check the parts out!

 

Here's some crappy non edited cell pic's of the lower front trim clipped into place...





It needs to look lower...

The mod process has already begun.

 

Yeah, I haven't updated the thread in a couple weeks... My Friday and Saturday nights have been spent out in the garage, until 1-2 AM getting stuff done while its still warm. By the looks of the new donor motor, you wouldnt think it came from a scrapper! Lets just hope it runs just as good.

I pulled it apart as much as I could without cracking open the head gasket, or pulling the rod bolts, and everything seems to be in order to run it, so I dont have any doubt it will make the 3000+ mile round trip to Fontana in April.

I still have some stuff to replace before it goes in but the worst is over! I am aiming for it being under the hood by Halloween...

I'll get a few pics up before the weekend.

 

Ok so here is the scratch that I need to fix... :cryin:



And now I am drilling all the holes in the intake manifold for the sensors and boost taps...
only got the one done tonight, its getting dark too early!





Showing the actual temperature sensor probe, and the cleanly tapped hole...



Sensor in place, yes it is on the bottom of the manifold between the back of the S/C and the water pump... You will never see it when everything is put together!



Lastly, the probe in the hole, right in the path of the intake charge...



That's all I have for now.

 

No Coors boxes here...

 

Parts missing...

Parts MISSING...

Half the intake is MISSING!

Whoever built this thing SUCKS at their job!





They cant even take pic's either! Nice hand shot Dum Dum!

 

Ha ha... Thats not even half an intake... Still missing the plates to mount the Ford air filter (using 1/8 aluminum plate), missing the filter, the lid, and the custom made velocity stack inlet... Plus the back and bottom panels of Lexan still need paint, and a couple mounting brackets also need designed and made...
Then after a few HUNDRED rivets, it will be an intake!

 

I would make them to sell, but the price would be quite high...

Just material cost so far is in the $300 range.

This is one complicated piece to make... Thanks a lot NACA duct in the hood...



Finished (Not polished yet) part...

 

Another small redesign is in order...

Evidently it is too much to ask for K&N to give mounting hole specs with their filter dimensions! Do they think that nobody out there makes their own parts?

Any who, the filter which should have fit my foam board prototype like a glove, just falls straight through the hole!

So now, I need to go back and shrink the hole by 1/4" per side...

Not a big deal, just slightly less filter area for air flow, but the added bonus of having more room for the hardware for the retaining plate...

All in all its a good thing, so glad I haven't cut the 1/8" aluminum mounting plate or retainer yet!

 

Its not that big Savvy, you'll see it in May!

To answer the question though... The air into the box is going to be imported from this thin called "the outside"... Yes this is a tricky feat with MINI's, and yes extensive body work was involved...



That "hole", the one that MINI didn't put there, thats my air supply.

Now on to the progress of the day, well half day, I spent the morning with some of the folks who make up MINI5280...

First up was hacking into the 3/16" plate for the mounting of the filter...





With that panel cut, it was just a bunch of take it apart, put it back together, add a fastener here, put it back together, take it apart, put it back... You get the idea.

After all that, this is how it now sits.









I will be polishing some of the aluminum tomorrow, Tuesday I'm going with R53junkie to check out his possible new car, then back to this piece of the project on Wednesday.

Stay tuned!

 

A couple pics of the club meeting yesterday morning...

 

Teaser...



Yes the Lexan panel is in place!