1st Gen JCW Refreshing Rufus - 2005 MCS JCW

Discussion in '1st Generation: 2002–06 R50, R53 & 2004–08 R52' started by agranger, Aug 21, 2017.

  1. Red Bull

    Red Bull Active Member

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    The OZ's look great on Rufus and at 9 lbs lighter the performance gain should really be noticeable.

    I went with ST XTA coilovers and think they're great for the street and occasional track days. I like that they have linear springs, adjustable camber plates, and are engineered (manufactured?) by KW.

    If you get them during a rebate period they should be around $1,200. The rebate just ended a couple of months ago, but ECS currently has them for $1,385 with a $75 ECS gift card.
     
  2. agranger

    agranger MINI of the Month June 2009
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    #102 agranger, Sep 25, 2017
    Last edited: Sep 26, 2017
    I've got an appointment later this week to see a local detailer / tint installer about getting the tint replaced and recommendations on the known paint repairs (rust bubbling and lots of stone chips).

    I also ordered a TarHeel MINIs badge to decorate the lower front grill and went digging to find a Metroplex MINI (Dallas, TX area) badge that used to be a desk decoration, so I can represent my old and new geographic clubs! I love the old-school enamel club badges.

    Oh yeah... I think I found someone who is willing to reproduce my engine bay stickers at a reasonable cost. Woo! When you approach most shops and say "I've got a 20-piece order" they tend to lose interest (or raise the price to a sky-high level). I understand... it just takes a while to find the right person.

    I keep finding other bits I'm collecting... a new 30" breaker bar (1/2" drive) is on the way from Amazon, along with a used set of Haynes/Bentley manuals I found on another forum.
     
  3. agranger

    agranger MINI of the Month June 2009
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    #103 agranger, Sep 27, 2017
    Last edited: Sep 27, 2017
    More vinyl:

    I had a crazy-ass day yesterday and needed to get my mind off of work things, so I put on some tunes and fired up the heat gun! Nothing clears the mind better than blistering your fingers and working out stubborn vinyl wrinkles.

    I got the little radiator splitter wrapped and a JCW badge added because, well, I had it left over from a planned dash mod (it didn't look right inside). The splitter is supposed to help cooling... I'm not 100% sold on that, but it looks nice and wasn't that expensive. :D

    I'm not sure how the vinyl is going to hold up next to the radiator... I'll just have to see. The part was in red, so with some clear coat, it might be nice in red... or I can go black fairly easily as well. That's the nice thing about vinyl... it goes on and off fairly easily.

    [​IMG]

    I also got one of the new mirror caps wrapped... a much better job this time, now that I've had some practice and more experience working with the vinyl.

    [​IMG]

    Tint:

    I found a good detailing place near my house that installs 40% Lumar ceramic tint, pre-cut. I'll be booking time with them soon for that work.

    Paintwork:

    We also went over the car and I showed him the nicks and dings I've seen. I've gotta respray the front bumper (upper and lower piece under the lower grill). I might have him wrap the lower bumper piece in clear film once the paintwork is done and cured (not my ideal... i'm not a huge clear vinyl fan, but that thing is currently COVERED in stone chips... hundreds of 'em... so it might be better than accumulating new chips. Jango was the same way, but the Pepper White paint hid 'em better than Chili Red). I'll also need to have the new side sills shot and probably the bonnet as well, to get rid of some dings and scratches. I've gotta do some testing to see the color on the rear wing comes back to match the body (it is currently a shade lighter) with some polishing or that gets painted as well. Plus the 2 spots of rust repair.

    The detailer gave me the name of a good paint and body shop in Charlotte, so I've gotta get out and talk to them soon..
     
  4. fishmonger

    fishmonger Well-Known Member

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    re tint - I will try the ebay stuff that's sold pre-cut. Worst thing that can happen is that I'll have to replace it soon. $30 bucks and I'll do it myself. 40% is illegal here on front windows, so my thinking is 50% front and 35% back, but low on my priority list. I have three cars to do this on, so I'll get some practice :)

    My gray Mini has some 12 year old Clear Bra on the bumper. Ugly yellowed crap, that I'll be pulling off next time it's in the garage and I have nothing better to do than to break out the heat gun to warm up the place a little. Not sure I'd put more on, but I do like how the headlights have been preserved on that car. Look like new with that stuff peeled off (when I bought it the owner removed hood and headlight clearbra)

    Don't really like the vinyl stripes on my blue car, but I'm afraid that once removed, the paint below will be darker. I can tell that on my dark gray car in certain lighting situations. I may need new stripes, though, as the stuff on the car is matte white by now, with a lot of yellowing.

    that radiator splitter looks cool, but just like you, I have no idea how that is supposed to help cooling. I just make sure I have fresh foam around the radiator and the fan resistors are modded and working (also on blue car to-do list, done on my other two)
     
  5. agranger

    agranger MINI of the Month June 2009
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    I remember seeing an airflow diagram that had some intuitive, very marketing-ish arrows showing a separation of airflow going through AC condenser and then radiator vs just radiator without air-mixing. I have no idea if that was a real air-flow study (given where I think the source was and my relatively low opinion of that vendor, now, I'd guess it was all marketing hype). Honestly, it cleans up an area that I think is kinda ugly, so I'm a fan.
     
  6. fishmonger

    fishmonger Well-Known Member

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    It cleans up an area I rarely see, only when I move in with ugly tools to mess with something under that hood :) It does look real trick with that carbon though, probably adds 2mph at the very least.

    Looks like one more part to remove to get the car into service mode... I have been reluctant with the purchase of a light bar, even though I have had 4 Hella 500 laying in a box for years waiting for the day to get hooked up. I even bought a bag of pro waterproof connectors so I can easily disconnect them, but I still think anything sticking through the bumper cover means I need to remove all lights before I can get that off. And I do that bumper off ceremony far to often to deal with that light hassle at this point.
     
  7. agranger

    agranger MINI of the Month June 2009
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    Yes... one more part to remove, but it's held on by 2 bolts that you already have to remove to get into service-mode, so really, you just add a 'pull off part and set aside' step.

    I had a pair of the factory driving lights on Jango... they went up and down with the bonnet, so never did any disconnecting. Maybe you need to find a set of factory light brackets and downgrade your ambitions to 2 lights, mounted at the factory location.
     
  8. fishmonger

    fishmonger Well-Known Member

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    4 lights or no lights :D

    Actually, on the gray car I plan to build a custom metal grill like those mega overpriced aftermarket ones that use nothing other than rain gutter cover from Home Depot anyway. Once I have that type of grill, I can put lights behind the lower grill in the bumper. Small rectangular HIDs would just work grand down there. They will have to compete for space with an oil cooler I am also contemplating, but that may just go into the passenger fender that has been cut to vent out, plus a fan in there. Way too trick for me to do right now. When I had the subframe out would have been the time to do that, so until next time that happens, no oil cooler.
     
  9. agranger

    agranger MINI of the Month June 2009
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    I'm lucky. In NC, the law is 35% max, everywhere for passenger cars. My local guy uses 40%, just to be safe. I'll have to look at eBay for the pre-cut stuff... didn't know that they sold it like that now.
     
  10. fishmonger

    fishmonger Well-Known Member

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  11. agranger

    agranger MINI of the Month June 2009
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    My daily trolling of the 'other' national MINI site has paid off. I've got a Hayes/Bentley combo on the way and a new polished-out aluminium coolant expansion tank ($50! a steal!) coming too! I was looking at coolant tanks as I can see some seeping from my current unit (plus it's hella ugly).
     
  12. 00Mini

    00Mini Well-Known Member

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    Nice find !!
     
  13. fishmonger

    fishmonger Well-Known Member

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    I've got my eyes ob a black coolant tank for my gray car, but low priority. Just flushed the cooling system there, so next year maybe. Whenever I pull the radiator again, it'll get replaced. Bought a lame plastic tank for the blue car, but it's the daily driver
     
  14. agranger

    agranger MINI of the Month June 2009
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    #114 agranger, Sep 28, 2017
    Last edited: Sep 28, 2017
    OK... lets start talking about the deep engine service!

    As a reminder... this is an '05 JCW that spent 4-5 years in Canada and then the rest of its life in Austin, TX until moving to North Carolina with me. 12 years old and 83,000 miles or so.

    I want this car to be as reliable as possible (it's a fun car and I want to go to the Dragon and have fun... not be in vendor alley having something fixed) and I'm very open to preventative replacement at this point (especially cheap/easy ones), as I know little of the car's history in terms of maintenance (I've got some basic part replacement receipts... brake cable, header and regular oil changes).

    Out of scope: Brakes & suspension. Those items are important, but will be done as separate projects with separate discussions at a later point.

    The big items that I'm planning to do myself this winter season:

    1 - Crank pulley and possibly the crank bushing.
    2 - belt tensioner assembly and belt.
    3 - idler pulley (to replace the cheap plastic one I had to put on during my way home)
    4 - Supercharger service & the plethora of seals and gaskets you uncover on your way to getting the supercharger in your hands.
    5 - Water pump (if you are in doing the supercharger oil, why not)
    6 - thermostat and housing (a regular leak point and I can't say that it has ever been done)
    7 - crank sensor o-ring
    8 - coolant flush
    9 - oil / filter change w/ plugs
    10 - air filter clean/change (it might have an aftermarket foam filter in the JCW housing... I remember something about that from conversations w/ the prev owner, but haven't opened the box yet)
    11 - possible oil pan gasket (I need to clean things up and then look for leaks). The tiny oil leak I see is probably from the crank sensor.
    12 - new engine damper
    13 - powerflex lower engine mount fillers.
    14 - timing chain tensioner (a fairly easy replacement and I hear the rattle every now and then)
    15 - I used to have serious issues w/ the clutch slave (I wound up replacing 3 or 4 of 'em). I need to examine mine.
    16 - Transmission fluid change
    17 - Power Steering lines would have been done, but were just replaced

    Two items that are itching my brain...
    A. Clutch - It's probably a factory clutch and it engages VERY low to the floor (If you aren't pressed into the carpet, it won't go into first).
    B. Timing chain - I don't hear many people talk about a preventative timing chain replacement like the old timing belt every 80k miles rule. Does the timing chain ever really need service?

    I've never done a clutch and, while I hate to pay for it, I think it's over my head. I'd love to do it, but I'd want some hands-on guidance and I don't have any greasy friends here in Charlotte. If I decide to have the clutch and flywheel (to me, they both get replaced at the same time as most of the expense is in the labor), should I do that FIRST (before any of the other planned items)?

    Your thoughts?
     
  15. Dave.0

    Dave.0 Helix & RMW Powered
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    The timing chain itself should be fine after you change the tensioner. I would also say you should change the timing change guides since they are plastic. I had mine do by Marzo at Helix around 85k and they were about this break as they were very worn.

    As for your clutch and fly wheels I would stay OEM as they have lasted this long why not just replace with the same since it's a daily driver and not a track car.

    As for plugs wires and coil just stay OEM. They are what I run and have never had a problem and my car is very modded.

    Lots of parts you can order off of Amazon and save lots of money versus going to the dealership parts counter.

    I use this belt tensioner and it's the same as the OEM part at a much lower price. $42.51 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MRXPA9C/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
     
  16. agranger

    agranger MINI of the Month June 2009
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    How hard is it to replace the timing chain guides? Is that something I can do on my garage floor? I've done the supercharger oil service before, but that's about as deep I've gone into the engine.

    Got a link to a how-to or a good thread?

    I think I've got some aftermarket red plug wires on the car now and I got an OEM coil in with the random assortment of parts I was given at purchase... not sure what's on there now (but it's not a red Screamin' Demon... I probably would have noticed that)
     
  17. Dave.0

    Dave.0 Helix & RMW Powered
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  18. Dave.0

    Dave.0 Helix & RMW Powered
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    You need these great custom coilovers. If you contact Colin, owner of Greene Performance, he will build you what you want.

    https://www.greeneperformance.com/collections/mini-oem-performance-parts/products/bc-racing-coilovers-with-swift-springs-and-custom-revalve
     
  19. Dave.0

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    I am not sure how hard it was because I had Marzo do it but it did not take him long and he did it from the top end.
     
  20. agranger

    agranger MINI of the Month June 2009
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    I've found 2 different notes on the guides on other forums (paraphrasing):

    1) If you do it, you have to remove the cam sprocket which requires special tools and you might as well do the chain while you are in there

    2) Chain generally doesn't need to be replaced. Guides can be replaced by pulling the valve cover and the passengers motor mount.

    Oh well... good thing I've got a Bentley/Hayes manual set coming! Looks like I've got my first item to look up! I'm guessing that #2 is correct, given how Dave mentioned how his mechanic did the work for him. I'm going to have that passenger mount off anyway, so I'm hoping it's that simple.
     

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