Thanks everybody . We finally got the MINI back so the plan is to start doing some engine bay cleaning to it as well.
I wasn't sure about the cream colored engine bay when you first did it, but now I can see how it's come together and really looks great! All your hard work and money spent is paying off....well done!
Yeah it was on jackstands. Thanks guys. This weekend was a great show at Wuste in Vegas , but it sucked for me. I was driving to Vegas boosting 18 lbs, stereo blasting, AC blowing and the car just shut off. I had power and all the accessories worked, but the car would not crank or even push start. I found a burned wire, fixed it and got on the road again. I got a little further and the same thing happened. I had to get a tow and I was only good for 42 miles so I had to pay for 10 more miles that cost me $100. I got together with my Dub Pound and we found that the main chassis ground was loose. I hooked it up and the car would crank, but it wasn't charging the battery. I decided to let it go until the next day. Saturday I got to work around 1 PM and long story, but I ended up punching a hole in my oil pan removing my alternator to get it tested. I found a new oil pan at the local dealer and that cost me another $283. I tested the alternator and the good news was it was good, but that meant that I didn't know what was wrong with car still. Back at the show I got the alternator back in and borrowed a floor jack and jack stands to get the new pan on which was all finished just before midnight. Sunday after the awards ceremony (Kelli took first in class) I went out to figure out why the car wasn't charging. A guy stepped in with a multimeter and we traced a dead wire to a fused link that I forgot about that I used to extend the wire to move the battery to the back. I asked around and another person actually had the bus fuse that I needed and it was fixed at 2 PM on Sunday afternoon. It really made for a long weekend, but I am so glad it got fixed before I had to head home. I did get to see Andrew (Rally) and Jeff (drabdub) out there and Melissa (Wikedgolf) was hanging out with us like old times. Saturday Andrew (Agro) from Sin City MINIs came brought his classic out and it was a big hit. I worked hard all weekend, but it was still a good time, we got to see some hot cars, and we got to hang out with some great people.
Holy **** that looks AMAZING! You are gonna make all the Honda kids jealous, as well as a couple other auto enthusiasts. The Rocco has been a fave for years, and I wish the Euro market version(Names is the same, design is WAYYYYYYYY Different)would make it over to this side of the world.
Added a couple of little details to the engine. Acorn nuts on the valve cover: and some braided lines:
Not a lot going on right now with the Golf. I was working on the wife's MINI to get it ready for the Big SoCal Euro GTG. I do have a parking brake on the Golf now. In order for the MKIV center column to work it had to be moved over about an inch and a half. that meant that the cables no longer lined up so the bracket had to be moved over. Here is how it was done: The cable bracket was cut off and a new one was fabricated. I wish I could take credit for it, but it was done by Leet Auto Design in Hesperia who also did the engine bay and steering column fabrication. I also had a few bolts and the hood prop chromed: and I got rid of the ugly blue coolant cap: I'll be taking it down to San Diego tomorrow for the Big SoCalEuro GTG so if your in the neighborhood come on by and say hi.
Found a full set of seat covers front and back from a set of these: They are from 20th Anniversary Edition GTI Recaros. I am going to use them to recover the Recaros in the car to tie them in with the interior theme. Also my raggedy Golf got a pic and caption in eurotuner's Wuste coverage: and here's a couple from a local GTG in Riverside:
Got my old Rota's with Hoosiers bored out to fit the Golf and broke out my old track gear: I took it to Adam's Motorsports Park in Riverside last tonight to see how it goes. I made it down there just before 7 so I got into the 8 PM session. The track is small and it was tough to get out of 2nd gear. Pretty much like doing an autocross except that you get to keep going after the lap, but it was fun and a great deal for $20. First two sessions sucked, but I ended it well with a 49.89. You can check out how I compared to the other cars:
Not a whole lot has been happening with the car lately except doing a lot of driving. I have just been adding little details to the bay to clean things up. Haven't finished that yet so no pics, but I did get the OEM grey Recaros recovered. The upholsterer used some black fabric that he had and incorporated the center fabric from a set of OEM 20th Anniversary Edition Recaro covers that I picked up. When I went in to pick them up, my jaw hit the floor. I also added a set of the red logo'd monster mats. Here is my interior goal: and here is how it looks now: Next on the agenda is to get the door panels made. I have one almost done using parts from both cars and a lot of fiberglass.