Yup that’s a great fuel pump and myself and a few others have had them installed for a few years now.
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I decided just to pull the trigger and get the fuel pump. I figured, while I was on the site, I might as well order up those pretty coil-overs!
I guess it's time to start thinking about the suspension parts... Your thoughts? Am I missing something? Given the 5-6 years that Rufus spent in Canada, I figured that I'd replace a bunch of the stock suspension components. The alignment will change quite a bit with the coil-overs and I don't want to deal with a siezed part.
Front:
- Greene coil-overs and camber plates
- New factory swaybar was put in a couple of years ago (due to rust, making me consider going this deep with preventative replacements).
- Lower control arm bushings (Powerflex) and brackets
- adjustable end links (probably Way's sealed ball joint units: https://www.waymotorworks.com/wmw-adjustable-swaybar-endlinks.html)
- replace the inner and outer ball joints
- inner and outer tie-rods (plus new boots)
- strut tower brace (probably WMW - I like the anti-mushroom tops and the styling)
Back:
- Greene coil-overs
- New 19mm swaybar (I like the TSW bar w/ Zerk fittings on the bushing mounts)
- adjustable end links (probably Way's sealed ball joint units: https://www.waymotorworks.com/wmw-adjustable-swaybar-endlinks.html)
- lower control arms (have a lightly used set of H-Sport arms in the garage)
- powerflex upper shock bushing
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There is no way you can inject grease between the surfaces of the two parts in the lower control arm bushing. And even if you could, these bushings are so tight that 99% of what you gunk on there will get squeezed off the surface as you insert the control arm into the bushing. A zerk would lube the outside surface of the outside part of the bushing, which does not move within the metal housing. The inner part is a hexagon that slides tightly into the outer, and there is a tiny ridge for lubricant to be retained, I recall. There is no way you can inject grease between the surfaces of the two parts in the lower control arm bushing. And even if you could, these bushings are so tight that 99% of what you gunk on there will get squeezed off the surface as you insert the control arm into the bushing. A zerk would lube the outside surface of the outside part of the bushing, which does not move within the metal housing. The inner part is a hexagon that slides tightly into the outer, and there is a tiny ridge for lubricant to be retained, I recall
However, it all installs at a pretty darn crooked angle and you need some tools to actually get them to slide in (I used some ratcheting tie down straps). I removed one of mine after install to see and what came out was an almost perfectly clean piece of polyurethane. This won't last - it'll squeak in 20k miles, which is why I don't see the point of these bushings any longer. Unless you race the car or autocross it, you'll never feel the difference anyway, and with lowering the suspension, you probably are better off with a new rubber bushing anyway, as the angle the arm rotates in the bushing gets real crooked when lowered, so you are actually more likely to bind up your suspension than helping it do anything better than it would do with good rubber in there that will give a lot more. Firm is fine, if the whole thing is actually at the center of rotation, which on the R53 it never was. That's one thing that was redesigned on the R56. For my daily driver I have a no poly-anything policy.
There is no such thing as a bushing for he top of the BCs - they come with a big old metal top plate you bolt to the car. Just look at any image online. There's nothing there to collapse. It is just one more reason why these things ride as harsh as a race car. There's no "comfort" setting in these coilovers so bushings are the first thing that was removed to cut cost and "increase performance"
![[IMG]](http://i.imgur.com/iIfZb.jpg)
![[IMG]](http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0941/4966/products/T-01-BR-Mini-cooper-bc-coilovers-2_grande.jpg?v=1511553103)
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Very nice pics! Thank you.
You are right... no way to lube the LCA bushings up front. To re-lube, you will have to disassemble. Ugh! At least you won't have to take the bracket off of the car (drop or lower the subframe). I plan on buying a rear swaybar w/ zerk fittings in the brackets. They worked beautifully on Jango. I also tried to use the zerks on the lower control arms (same ones as pictured above), but always had a hard time as they were smaller than my grease gun liked.
Well, I decided to try and catch up today with all of my neglected Rufus work. My mother-in-law is visiting, so she and my wife went to the movies and shopping and I got busy out in the garage.
- Wash
- Claybar
- Medium polish with the PCDA
- Fine Polish with the PCDA
- Glass Polish
- Wash
- Installed the door handle covers (exterior, covered w/ carbon fiber vinyl)
- Applied the chrome beltline black-out tape
- Applied the first coat of Zaino Z5 and left it on to cure overnight
I also got an hour or so of work done on the mother-in-law's car. I promised my wife I'd give it a good cleaning (exterior got run through the local drive-thru wash but I did give the interior a good cleaning at home) and checked all of the tires and fluids.
I'm hoping to get through several coats of Zaino over the next 2 days and then I can call the outside done! Woo!
I'm really digging the blacked-out beltline. Here's a photo of half of one side done, so you can see the effect. More photos to follow when all of the Zaino is layered on and everything is shiny!
![[IMG]](http://focusoa.bizland.com/rufus/refresh77.jpg)
Oh yeah... I figured out why my rear wiper blade was a bit floppy... the arm broke where it attached to the motor shaft. ECS tuning to the rescue. A new arm is coming in a bit. -
The reason the stock BC’s suck and have no comfort setting is the shocks and the coils. They are both too firm.
That is why Colin custom builtds his with better Swift springs and high quality custom valved shocks. The only parts he uses from BC is the housings and mounts. That also why they cost a few hundred more then basic off the shelf BC’s.
Quality cost money......
https://www.greeneperformance.com/collections/mini-oem-performance-parts/products/bc-racing-coilovers-with-swift-springs-and-custom-revalve -
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Man up, do it all at one time. If it doesn’t start we will be here to give you support. No one will make any jokes, well just a few maybe.
Kidding aside, I would do the new belt, tensioner, ideler pulley and crank. Last summer I did a refresh on my R53. I did it all at one time it made fo a lot less work.
Your mini really looks great in the sun light!! -
It will all get done... the question is, do I do it (belt/pulleys/tensioner) combined w/ the engine valve cover gasket, timing chain guide replacement. I did a bit of research this afternoon and it doesn't look like those 2 groups of work are linked, but having everything off of the top of the engine would make a bit more room to see and access other areas. It looks like it's worth it to combine those 2 areas of work... especially if I can get a bit of a jump start on it next weekend and wrap it all up on Monday when I'm off for the day.
This is all just stage 1 of the engine refresh. I'm also doing a supercharger service, fluids swap (oil, coolant, transmission fluid, brake fluid), a bunch of gaskets/o-rings, new coolant tank and fuel pump/filter.... then the suspension and brake work starts!
Thanks for all the support, guys! I appreciate it. -
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