The Phoenix - The GP Roadster Project

Yep, already plan to put a rubber grommet in them.

 

Rear stuff is DONE.

Porn:



Added a hardened washer on each side as a shim between shock and control arm adapter, to get a couple extra mm of clearance between the shock body and the arm.


Cables, lines and sensors all connected. Just need to fill and bleed brakes later.

Also ran meth line from the boot to the front...


Added rubber grommets in the adjuster holes...


Will start on the front this weekend.

 

Today's progress: got started on the front suspension.

Dropped the front subframe. Yeah, lift and tall transmission jack come in handy. Dropped the whole thing intact in less than 10 minutes. 10 bolts + 6 nuts.


Pulled it out and stripped everything off it. Cleaned up and treated some rust.


Pressed out my 100k mile old Powerflex purple bushings and pressed new Powerflex black bushings into the LCA brackets.

Installed new lower control arms (wishbones), the bushings, and Hotchkis sway bar.
Decided I needed new ball joints. Didn't find any locally, so ordered a set. Will be delayed for a few days until they get here.

Pulled off the steering rack to save as a spare. Installed my old steering rack with pump and reservoir still attached. Used new Powerflex purple rack bushing. Installed two new tie rods.


Maneuvered the subframe back into position, raised it, and popped in 10 bolts. Done. That jack is AWESOME.

 

I expect the motor to be in, within the next week or so.

 

Productive day in the engine bay.

From this:


To this:


Installed tons of hole plugs.
Routed front body harness (both sides).
Wired headlights, re-routed cables.
Installed A-panel and bonnet plastic alignment brackets.
Installed DSC / Brake booster / Master Cylinder / Brake lines, connected brake pedal.
Installed complete wiper assembly.
Installed all firewall trim and brackets.
Installed extra heat shielding in tunnel.
Installed PS pump bracket.
Installed motor mount.
Installed fusebox.

I really like the way the underside of the bonnet is looking. Spent some time routing the wiring to make it as hidden as possible. Not running washers. Really clean.


Here's the extra Design Engineering heat shielding I added to the tunnel. Because that area gets pretty darn hot. The coating on the header should hopefully keep things cooler up front, but the cat will be pretty much right under the shifter, at the front of the mid-pipe. Hopefully this will help. I'll be installing the OEM heat shield over this, might need to bend it a bit for fitment.



Getting close to being ready to hang the motor... finish line is in sight, finally!
Still lots to do before it's done, but it's starting to feel real now!

 

Great to see you in a MINI again, old friend.

 

Just played with it for a couple of hours today, between other things.

First... while retrieving my rake to do some yard work, I bumped a box of hardware and it went everywhere. After a few choice words, I picked it all back up, piece by piece. At the bottom of the pile, was this...


This is the unobtainable clip that locks the clutch line on the bottom of the master cylinder. I've been looking for it for over a month, through about 10 boxes of mixed hardware, and haven't been able to find it. Karma, my groovy babies. Recommendation: if you ever take this thing off, stick it back in the master cylinder slot for safekeeping.

Next, I decided, it was time for some really expensive vinyl. Paint has cured over 3 weeks at the recommendation of my painter.



Really completes the GPness.

And a proper paint code sticker. Arrived today from Germany, via eMINIparts.


Painted and installed the cabrio braces that came with the new shell.



A few of you very observant folks may have noticed in some recent photos... the paint on my cage failed. I had noticed it flaking a bit. When I put the painters tape on it, and removed it, it lifted. I blame the self-etching primer, because it lifted all the way down to the steel. Bummer, but I'd rather find out now, than later.

Sooooo.... I've been researching and testing various things to decide on the best path to remediate that. Finally decided to use POR-15 Silver, plus POR-15 Silver Top Coat to make it UV tolerant. Wish I had done that originally, the color turns out to be really close to the Pure Silver. Oh, well. Stripping the existing paint and masking everything off will suck. But the new paint will be MUCH better when done and cured. After checking colors on pints of the POR stuff, I ordered quarts today, to ensure I have plenty. Will probably work on that next week.

 

You won't be the first.... or the last.

My GPness