Most liked posts in thread: MINI racecar build

this is now my spare chassis and a source of many spare parts. it made more cents to buy a completed car. i'll have the #51 MINI at Sebring next weekend.

beaner

 

Just a few extra parts and wires...





the car will be built to BMWCCA D-Mod specs. This will allow significant changes to the stock configuration. There will be fewer oem parts than aftermarket parts.

I hope you enjoy the process.

Greg

 

I chose not to address the issue. As the stock seatbelts were no longer functional, I removed them. With a 6-pt harness on, I felt comfortable ignoring the warning lights. Others on another forum have successfully integrated the weight sensor to aftermarket seats.

 

i guess that i am due for an update. a major accompllishment was getting the car to a single part number!


a word of warning to those that may attempt this......remove the engine before taking out the fuel tank. when i removed it, the car did a slow roll forward and ended up balanced on the front jackstands and the oil pan! a bit scary, but funny afterwards.

the car looks very similar at first glance, but i have spent a lot of time and effort to get the weight out. other than the upcoming dip/strip, i've gone about as far as i can go. a few brackets remain that i will use when fabricating cf body parts.

fun with the hole saw:



the cutoff wheel is pretty useful too:
before


after


i thought that these looked pretty heavy:


off they came:


guess that they really weren't that heavy, but every ounce counts:


i also removed a lot of useless bracketry and the battery box.




i really don't see where else i can cut weight, but let me know if you see something i missed! i've spent quite a bit of time on weight reduction, as it is the one thing that helps acceleration, handling and braking. nothing else will as much effect on overall vehicle performance.

next up is finishing my rotisserie, so that i can transport the shell to the dipper and the cage builder.

 

carbonized: no cage yet. i need to finish welding my rotisserie so that i can transport the shell to the dipper/stripper, then to the cage builder.

johngo: no engineering studies done. the holes that i made won't have any effect on the chassis once a 10-pt cage is welded in and the shell is seam welded. the result will be much stronger than anything that MINI designed. i have done a lot of research on cage design, but i'm leaving the final design and execution to a professional. i appreciate the feedback.

metalman: yes, the holes need to be dressed, but not of them have any potential to come into contact with any part of my body. the holes in the top will be covered by a new skin on the outside and by part of the cage in the interior. the holes on the dash cannot possibly be reached by my hands when strapped into a driving position. i am moving the seat and pedals rearward.

greg