The MINI stayed home today. Me and my wing-poodle finally got a little time with decent weather for a drive in the best Ferrari ever -- one somebody else paid for. I enjoyed the drive, while he was looking for bitches (that's PC, since he is, after all, a dog, and that's the appropriate term for a female dog). CD
Dankeschön. Princeton MINI closed back in September, unfortunately. In the meantime, I had to do some soul searching, and ended up landing at the local Mazda store. The Miata was a necessary move, and the R53 is going to a very particular local MINI enthusiast. Everyone wins.
Turned my work laptop in at 9 this AM and was told it'd be 8 hours to swap the hard drive and remove McAffe. So, I came home and finished the car! She's all waxed. F'n finally. I still may put another coat of some, final wax I guess? The more I get into this detailing world the more I learn how little I was actually doing to maintain the paint on my car. Here's the wax I just ordered to finish this project, so far I'm a fan of the Chemical Guys products I've used- https://www.amazon.com/Chemical-Guys-WAC_201_16-Butter-Wet/dp/B00FALVU8A/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1523400431&sr=8-3&keywords=chemical+guys+butter+wet+wax
The MINI didn't go anywhere. But, there is a place in Dallas called the "Addison Toll Tunnel," that is where every motorhead goes to listen to their new exhaust mod. I had to take the Ferrari for service today, and the Addison Toll Tunnel was only about five miles out of the way. I would have pissed off some people approaching the tunnel at 30 MPH, if they didn't know what I was going to do. It's pretty much SOP. They knew exactly what I was going to do. There is nothing quite like the sound of a V8 Ferrari blasting through a tunnel. If I could make my MINI sound like that, I'd easily part with a thousand bucks. Oh, it was a Ferrari Spyder, and the roof was down. I did it again on the way home. I think I might have scared a driver coming the opposite direction. I hope not, it wasn't my intention. CD
I'll be visiting Wayland today to pick up some blackout tail lights. Finally.... He's got a good deal on this set- https://www.waymotorworks.com/blackout-tail-side-light-and-trim-set-r56-r57-r58-r59.html
Aired up the Cooper's tires...wow...minus 4#! Car runs like it's not wallowing anymore. Damned winter's cold......
Swapped out the tail lights, wish I got these sooner. The Cooper S badge was the real reason I never pulled the trigger, but it's gone now so why not.
I took it all apart yesterday to cut and fit the fatter pins into the bracket. It's much more sturdy now, they 1/2" pins are just small enough to squeeze into the factory rubber grommets. It's a simple mounting solution but an effective one that you can make at home with a Dremel or a jig saw. Cotter pins didn't change. The heat shield tape does nothing, I just wanted a layer of something between the plate and the intake, notice it's just pieces of scraps.