1st Gen JCW Most liked posts in thread: Refreshing Rufus - 2005 MCS JCW

I spotted a discussion on Facebook yesterday. Someone has removed the button faces from the black version of the R56 multifunction controls and fitted them to the R53 wheel! I'm working on sourcing an R56 wheel now!

 

I just got some photos from my wheel recovery guy!

 

CM Customs
Chico Molemans
https://www.facebook.com/cmcustoms2016/

He's in the Netherlands, so be prepared for a bit of a wait on shipping, but he does have core wheels to use, so he can do the work, ship you your new wheel and then you ship your old one back to him after you make the switch.

 

It's better than being stuck on the side of the road with a car that won't move.

 

Woo! Rufus' repair work is done and he's home! Maybe an hour after posting, above, I got a message from the shop and they were ready for me to come on out to do a pick-up.

The clutch needs a bit of time to break in and I need some time to adjust (it engages at a higher point than it used to).

He gets an oil change, a brake fluid bleed and the VHF radio installed this weekend, then I should be ready to start packing for MOTD.

 

I had a set in my first R53 and didn't have any problems w/ them. They did seem a bit saggy over time, so I kept my eyes open for possible wear points (and I did clearance a spot on the radiator shroud when I did the install, but that point was rubbing on my OEM hoses as well, so I couldn't blame the silicone). The new set seems thicker and stiffer than the younger set (how often does that happen? ) so I'm happy. I'll report back on the install. (note: I always replace the clamps when installing silicone hoses and I take the time to order premium clamps... silicone is prone to pinching if you use the crap clamps from AutoZone (here's where I'm planning on ordering from: https://www.driftmotion.com/product-p/dm3017.htm)

 

And a quick shot of the engine bay detail, almost done! Since I've got some new CR paint on the way for the side scuttle S project, I've got a few other bits off and getting primer, but it's looking pretty good so far! I finally did the deep clean and detail.

 

lol. Note 2 points of the brace are on the floor, one on the door handle and one is floating. No MINIs were harmed in the filming of this episode.

I do love the garage floor. When we bought this house and it had a proper garage, I looked into painting the floor but the snap together tile was faster, easier and more durable given that the guy who had the house for a few years before us had a Corvette that leaked oil everywhere and I knew that epoxy would never stick well. I put down a layer of landscape fabric (prevents clicking when walking on the tiles) and had the floor down in about 3 hours.

 

I picked up a Uniden R7 radar/laser detector a few weeks back... finally got around to fitting the mount on top of my Kuda USA GPS mount and wiring up the hard-wire kit (I discovered that the heated seat fuse is switched power (goes off when the key is removed)... another good place for an add-a-circuit for devices like this).

It's on a magnetic Z-mount for cell phones that I found on Amazon. If the magnet isn't strong enough, I may have to switch over to some sort of velco attachment (I want it to be removable so I can pop it in my wife's car for long road trips). Can't wait to get it out on the road to see how well the magnet holds to the bumps/jolts/twists of an R53.

 

I crawled back up under the car this weekend to look at the tires I rotated to the rear. I decided they are too far gone for comfort (starting to show cords on the inner edge), so 2 new ones are on the way from Tire Rack right now.

Buying tires is no fun when you are replacing 'em with something similar. When you are buying new wheels and tires or doing a substantial tire upgrade, it's kinda fun, but when you are just replacing worn tires for the same ones, just newer, it's like your wallet gets lighter but the car didn't really change that much...

I did go for 1cm wider this time (215/45/17 Bridgestone Potenza Re-71) as I ordered a spare in that size and it seemed to fit just fine everywhere (I had heard of some rubbing issues w/ my wheels and coil-overs). I guess that's something!

 

After much searching yesterday (during a particularly long and boring conference call) I found a race-prep shop that has a Hunter laser alignment rig. I asked about corner-balancing and he asked "Do you have adjustable drop links on a MINI? How much weight do you need in the driver's seat?" which is a fair amount better than the regular response I get in Charlotte when I ask about corner balancing: "Oh yeah... we balance tires all the time."

Rufus gets to spend a day with these guys next week, getting the 2 new tires mounted/balanced and a corner-balance / alignment done. Bonus: The shop is only a mile or two from my house!

https://www.gmpperformance.com/gallery

I also scored a Cobalt rear tower brace on eBay for a decent price. I had one on my first R53 and it seemed to reduce creaking/groaning in the rear when I would dial in some pre-load and was on the track. I don't hold on to any illusions that it really helps handling, but it gives a secure attachment point for my spare tire when I'm off to the Dragon (My usual bungie cord attachment point failed on a group drive last year and I had to pull over and lose the group while I re-secured the spare). Once I've got it in place, I think I'll do some imagining on a hard-mount bracket for the spare, attached to that bar.

One of these things... except mine is metal and not CF:

 

In for a penny, in for a pound. I realized this morning that they were going to have to disassemble the wheel bearings/hubs (the original ones... 15 years old and 88k miles) from the old steering knuckle and remount 'em on the new one. God only knows how much shop time to get those 4 bolts apart on each side. I just called 'em and authorized new bearings/hubs while they are at it. It will cost me some bucks for new parts, but will probably save me some shop labor time trying to get frozen/rusted bolts from the old hubs off and I'll have completely new front suspension given that I replaced everything else 2 years ago.

 

I picked up Rufus from GPM Performance yesterday. The ride home was spectacular and I can't wait to get out for a quick jaunt this weekend. The steering was tight and I might almost say twitchy when compared to how is has been in the recent past. I'm going to have to focus a bit harder when driving around town.

2 new tires mounted (Same Bridgestones as before, but with 215 instead of 205 now I know they fit) and balanced
New steering knuckles up front
New hubs up front
New ABS sensors up front
Corner balance (they got it to 50.5%)
Alignment: I dialed the negative camber down to -1.7 this time. I had told the previous guys to set it to -2.0 and it was at -2.5 when GMP started the work this week, either from loose front suspension due to the pinch-bolt not holding the shock bodies well or due to bad work done the first time (which is possible). Negative 2.5 would explain why my front tires were corded on the inside edge.



Wow! I hadn't taken a hard look at the before/after alignment info. I'm guessing that the shop that I used 2 years ago for the alignment completely screwed the pooch. They lost their alignment tech the week before and he supposedly walked off with some equipment like their corner-balancing scales. I think they outsourced the job to a shop down the street without telling me (and I was intentionally avoiding that shop due to very bad revues online). I didn't have more than 5k miles on the car between the two alignments and I don't remember having any experience / bump / jolt that would have caused this much upset in the settings.