2005 R53 Mini Cooper S

Big Pimp

RMS Trader
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14,829
Location
Downpatrick
Drives
like im late
Took a run up to the Castlewellan show yesterday with the R&F Mini Owners, so needed to give the car a good once over since it hadn't really been touched since painting. A quick once over with the DA to get rid of some light surface swirls then a couple of coats of Valentine's Road & Track wax finished off with @Big Pimp hybrid over the top and wheels finished with ultra slick
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@Wild Thing car also given a coat of hybrid before we left yesterday
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Didn't actually manage to get any photos at the show yesterday except when we set up the barbecue.
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Had a new windscreen fitted last week as well as it was something on the to do list due to the stone chips so will coat it with the Hydra Clean I bought yesterday (although hoping I don't have to test it for another few weeks :joy:)
Thanks for calling over yesterday - gutted I didn’t actually get a chance for a walk around.

The minis were definitely well represented though and yours is class looking!

Was one of them (possibly yours) giving a couple of pops and bangs on the way out???
 

Lauren_E

RMS Regular
OP
Lauren_E
Messages
446
Location
Tandragee
Drives
MINI JCW
Small update. Eventually sourced a R53 JCW strut brace for sensible money so changed over the old brace for the JCW one
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Have spent ages looking for a genuine R53 JCW Steering Wheel and since they are NLA at dealers it proved difficult. In the end I gave up and sent my wheel over to Royal Steering Wheels to be padded out and retrimmed in Nappa Leather and Alcantara JCW Style so fitted that as well (excuse the dirty mats)
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Last but not least, going to get the two white stripes fitted on the bonnet on Thursday.
All I've to do now is give it a good clean and give the rear brake calipers a tidy up ready for the Mourne Mini Show in Newcastle on Sunday
 

Wayne D

RMS Regular
Messages
1,852
Location
HB City, Armagh
Drives
Family Wagon
Good work Laureen, steering wheel looks good.
I was planning on getting a second steering wheel for my car to send off to Royal Steering wheels to get retrimmed in alcantara, then replace my current leather wheel.
 

Lauren_E

RMS Regular
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Lauren_E
Messages
446
Location
Tandragee
Drives
MINI JCW
Good work Laureen, steering wheel looks good.
I was planning on getting a second steering wheel for my car to send off to Royal Steering wheels to get retrimmed in alcantara, then replace my current leather wheel.
Thanks Wayne. I done the exact same thing, had a spare wheel to bolt on while my wheel was away
 

AlpineF30

RMS Regular
Messages
4,968
Drives
BMW M3
Looks great!

Royal Steering Wheels done a wheel on my 535d about 6 years ago was a great job. Jack even sent me a temporary wheel when mine was getting done.

It was better quality than what came out of the factory.
 

Lyons

RMS Moderator
Messages
76,926
Location
Texarkana
Drives
X5 / 435D
Good work Laureen, steering wheel looks good.
I was planning on getting a second steering wheel for my car to send off to Royal Steering wheels to get retrimmed in alcantara, then replace my current leather wheel.

@Wayne D they offer an exchange too so you don’t have to be without a wheel. You order whatever you want, they trim it and post it out, you swap it over and post back your original. You pay £150 deposit which is then refunded upon receipt of your wheel. I’ve just done this for the Golf wheel.
 

Wayne D

RMS Regular
Messages
1,852
Location
HB City, Armagh
Drives
Family Wagon
@Wayne D they offer an exchange too so you don’t have to be without a wheel. You order whatever you want, they trim it and post it out, you swap it over and post back your original. You pay £150 deposit which is then refunded upon receipt of your wheel. I’ve just done this for the Golf wheel.

Cheers @Lyons I must look into that. (y)
 

Lauren_E

RMS Regular
OP
Lauren_E
Messages
446
Location
Tandragee
Drives
MINI JCW
So here we are again... Engine out :sob:
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Since the first head cracked last year, I took the shortcut and threw another head back on. When the engine was broke down last time the bores on the block didn't look brilliant but I built it up anyway and thought I'd take a chance.
Needless to say the car started burning oil, then it got progressively worse that I was burning a litre every 50-60 miles with a lovely oil trail up the boot.
I took my original engine and pulled it all down. This time I was going to do it right from top to bottom. Head was off and stripped down, skimmed, pressure tested, new valve stem oil seals fitted and valves ground and seated and finally a new Newman PH2 cam fitted.
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The engine block was inspected then honed and exterior painted in black to tidy it up. The pistons were cleaned, new piston rings fitted and big end bearing shells fitted as well.
Started to build the block up on the bench so excuse the fact it is upside down
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Have fitted all new genuine seals from Prentice so there will be no oil leaks hopefully. I'm just waiting on the competition head gasket coming on Monday then the head will be fitted with a new timing chain kit, then all I will have to do is swap over the ancillaries and drop it into the car
While the supercharger was off I took the time to strip it down and check everything was OK. Thankfully all was perfect and the teflon blades were like new
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Hopefully Monday/Tuesday will see the car finished so I can build up the miles to run the engine in. Cannot wait to drive the car again without having a blue smoke trail behind me :joy:
 

Daz500

RMS Regular
Messages
3,134
Location
Carnmoney
Drives
Various Rovers &
Maybe it was done before but where you not tempted to get the bottom end balanced whilst it was all apart?
 

Lauren_E

RMS Regular
OP
Lauren_E
Messages
446
Location
Tandragee
Drives
MINI JCW
Maybe it was done before but where you not tempted to get the bottom end balanced whilst it was all apart?
No not really, the engine was driving perfect before being taken out only the fact it needed a timing chain and the Newman cam. If you go to start balancing the bottom end where do you stop? :joy: At the end of the day it is my daily driver.
 

Lauren_E

RMS Regular
OP
Lauren_E
Messages
446
Location
Tandragee
Drives
MINI JCW
Nightmare, is the head cracking a common issue with them?
Cracks around the spark plugs are fairly common, but it would only be a hairline crack. My head made sure it did it right :joy: and just went bang under power. Those sort of cracks are few and far between
 

Lauren_E

RMS Regular
OP
Lauren_E
Messages
446
Location
Tandragee
Drives
MINI JCW
Something I've wanted to fit for ages but could never find the genuine ones for sale in half decent condition, so when @Wild Thing was selling his I snapped them up. The R56 Cooper S Brake upgrade was fantastic but I just really wanted the JCW 4 Pot Brembos
Callipers were in excellent condition to start with, just needed to touch up some small stone chips. Coated them in Gtechniq C5 and left to cure before fitting
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I also bought a set of R112 Alloys as the R95 Ronals do not fit over the brakes without a 15mm spacer which I wasn't too fussed on.
Plan was to leave all parts for a few months to allow me to get the new wheels refurbed and new tyres on as they have awful ditch finders at the minute, I had also thought of getting the Brembos painted Porsche Speed Yellow.
As I'm impatient and had a free ramp yesterday I decide to swap over wheels and fit the Brembos as they were :joy:
I swapped the freshly refurbed wheels with Yoko AD08R off my R56 JCW as it won't be moving until the summer anyway
Washed them yesterday and coated in C5 today left curing in the spare room
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Brembos have been fitted, just need some braking action now to clean up the paint from tidying up the disc barrels
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Will get the wheels fitted tomorrow when they have had a chance to cure

Car is booked in with @big_pete in a couple of weeks for a ceramic coating so can't wait to get that done! Really there isn't much more left to do only enjoy it now
 

Lauren_E

RMS Regular
OP
Lauren_E
Messages
446
Location
Tandragee
Drives
MINI JCW
Haha, I really didn't want to take them off but they just wouldn't fit :sob:
 

Carson

RMS Regular
Messages
7,815
Location
......
Drives
R53 JCW/A4 B8.5
Awesome upgrade. I was tempted when I seen these for sale but have opted for the R56 CS calipers.
 
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