Most liked posts in thread: What did you do with your MINI today?

I flew back from Philadelphia today, got my MINI out of car prison (airport parking), and get to take it back there tomorrow morning to fly to San Jose.

My rental car in New Jersey was a black Land Rover with black leather seats. Thanks Hertz.

Nice to come home to my white roof -- if only for one night.

CD

 

Said goodbye to my MINI today as we left in my wife’s SUV to go see the one and only Rolling Stones in South Philly tonight.

 

Got home from California tonight. The MINI is really dirty, now. Even in covered parking, the North Texas dust settles on cars. Time for a good wash. Poor car deserves it.

I didn't tell my MINI about the other British cars I spent Tuesday photographing. I didn't want to hurt it's feelings and have it trash a clutch on my drive home. This was the nicest one. Shhhhh! Don't tell my MINI.



CD

 

It doesnt smell like anything. I did change the fuel filter, I may open that up again this weekend and see if I didn't do something right. Getting a fuel pressure guage in the mail today and will mount it and see if the fuel pressure is where it should be too. Maybe losing pressure when it sits too long? Other than that it runs pretty hood still at 241,000 miles

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Long weekend with the MINI5280 group with the MITM (Minis in the Mountains) National MINI event), in Salida Colorado. A number of great rides planned and unplanned, an afternoon brewery drive, 2 brew pubs, 1 distillary, a drive in movie night and parade up in Buena Vista, Colorado. Good to see 120-150 MINIs cruising the high mountain valleys. Local were friendly and welcoming, it is all about the drives and food. Good food. Salida is the end city on the rafting tour on the Arkansas River, if you like rafting, rapids and heat. It was all good. MITM had a nice MINI car show, folks came out from Florida and California and states in the middle, it was good. Gets planned for every two years, MTTS (Mini takes the States) is MITM off year.

My Countryman got cleaned up one time, daily afternoon mountain showers will slow down daily car washing.

 

Wolfgang got his dashcam installed, finally. Wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it may have been to run/hide cables and power. Done and done in about 20min.

 

There is some truth to that. Not me driving like Stig Blomqvist , but any camera footage being used against me in a court of law.

The GTI does not do hand brake turns all that well. The damned stability nanny & traction nanny go nuts when I do that.

Miss my my MINI, it had no DSC & the traction nanny was shut up with an Ian Cull circuit.

 

I took Rufus in for his third state inspection. For the first time he made it through without the need to do a repair first!

 

My MINI, even freshly washed, was no match (once again) for the cars I photographed yesterday. The cheap one was worth five million. But the one below was the prize. 1932 Alfa 8C 2600 (not 2300), owned by a guy I've known for at least fifteen years. For those of you who run classic Minis in rallies and tours, John ran this car in MANY rallies an tours (look at the stickers on the windshields), and it is one of two ever made. The other one sold for fifteen-million at auction a few years ago. Imagine doing the Dragon in a fifteen-million-dollar car.



CD

 

Yearly inspection.
No surprises except some cracking of the
10 year old drive belt.
I have the belt and tool already so will
do that myself soon.
Will take a good look at the crank pulley
when I do the belt as I have that part lying
around as well if necessary.

 

I made a couple of sun shields for the sunroofs on my R56. Those perforated screens may be ideal I cooler climates, but here in Vegas, not so much! Difference is amazing. Easily removed when we’re not “hotter than the hubs of hell” . Easy to make.

 

With the most rundown of houses going for over $1M in the Vancouver BC area, there are quite a few people selling and moving. That means lots of garage sales. I dropped into a garage sale last week and found this. I asked how much, and they just gave it to me. The frame itself is worth more than $50.

There were other prints behind the one on the front too.




Looks like I'm hoarding MINI paraphrenalia. I'm trying not to. But the fact that people are dumping their stuff tells me former MINIacs are also leaving the MINI brand.
Another person emailed me last night and asked if I wanted their back issues collection of MC2 magazines.

 

Sorry Vetsvette, I totally forgot about your modded car. Although I think you are in the minority.

Used to be if one drove a MINI they modded it. As many people leave the MINI realm it seems only the hard core modder's are left. The newcomers with F's don't seem to have the modding bug like folks used to.

Back on topic, I did an underhood preflight check on Babs non-modded MINI.

 

Replaced drive belt and crank pulley (still
working fine but 10 years old and belt was
getting pretty cracked).

 

I didn't know mine was even bad (no lights) until the engine started pissing oil out of the valve cover otw to work one morning. When the shop got it they changed the oil cap thinking it came from there. Then they had to run the car on the lift while holding the brakes so it would hit boost and figure out where the oil was coming from. A bit of a headache but they fixed it (had I known what the problem was, I'da just done it myself)

 

Attended MINI gathering to celebrate 60 years of Minis

 

turned 20k on the CVT replacement...now the r50 has 81k

 

Changed out the shifter. What a pain. Had to drop the exhaust and all that. But I love it though!

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I'm going to get the front control arm bushings replaced, as well as the oil pan gasket and keep the engine oil and power steering fluid tanks filled. There are 3 or 4 other places here in town that may have the code scanner I need to address the EML and SES light problems, but the other stuff will have to wait for now.

 

Couldn't wait until October, wanted to see the new LED's in, so there they are. I dig 'em if for the simple fact they have orange indicators and no chrome.

Seat Covers came in, too. Will give those a test fit tomorrow, but I'm really pleased with the quality. Very well made, nice thick neoprene and I should have gotten covers ages ago.

Installed the Blacked out LED 3rd brake light from Out Motoring, dead as a door-nail. Fortunately, that's a super easy thing to get into.

got a sheet of coming next week so that I can make some lower rear bumper inserts/vents.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/706412047/ccg-plastic-diamond-grill-mesh-sheet?ref=shop_home_active_13&frs=1

Monday, the battery box guard should be here from GTT, UK.

I found these fins, pretty heavy ABS, very rigid, for which I think will work for fabricating a rear diffuser. I have some measurements to do, and fortunately, over the years, many folks have given it a go so I'll try to take the best parts from all of them, and make my own.

hat bin is full of MINI stuff just waiting. Blackout grill is marked and ready to cut so I can get around the driving light mounts.