Blue

Now it's a turbo R53

2019-01-24T20:59:00.000+00:00

Lot of time spent in the garage working on the turbo conversion and it's in and running - even tuned.

After having installed the new manifold, turbo, exhaust and all the cooling I then had to obtain a new bumper bar for the front and cut out an area for the front mount charge cooler and oil cooler.

The pipework was tight and fitting was tight but quite easy. All made in one piece from the turbo to the charge cooler and then back to the manifold - Also on the last update I had modified a stock manifold to take a throttle for the turbo but now it is changed to the custom inlet manifold which has given me some more room. The pipes and manifold were all the powder coated to match the wheels and roof. The bumper bar received a nice matt black finish and the coolant header tank which had been cut up got re-coated in red

Turbo all installed prior to going off for the rolling road. Starts and runs well although the first start had a big puddle of oil on the floor because I had not put the oil return into the sump... Didn't take long to spot that!

Next I set about creating a set of GP style skirts using foam and 2 sets of cooper skirts. they have come out really nice and I decided to follow the arch round and I think it looks correct, these can be sourced directly from me on the shop link at the top of the page or through Orranje performance

Not the best photo but there isn't much to do, skirts fitted and I am really pleased with them and the front bumper - still have plans and ideas but they can all wait until the car is on the road

Dyno was done at 1320 and it made great power at 22psi the car made 322whp (370bhp+/-) however there is still a lot less as the boost can be pushed up to 27psi but drive ability is more important for me at the moment and power can come later.

I have realised that I can't drive the car without stalling it either! this is the light weight flywheel, the rpm drops so quickly and I am just not used to it. I do recall hating my last R53 for this very reason

A change of performance

2018-05-04T16:48:00.000+01:00

I took the car off for another tune in the hope that I would be able to close the book on the engine for a while as I have had enough

Here is a photo of the build with the new charge cooler on top and at the front

On the way to the dyno
The supercharged engine made 275whp and was defiantly more derivable, however a few days later I needed to move the car and with a cold engine there was still an idle issue which made me confirm that I have had enough of throwing money at the blower conversion and I was going to go down a simple route of adding a turbo

Car strapped down to the dyno and the main issue being that the IAT would rise to 120 degrees C in less than 10 seconds of hard boost but would drop down as quickly when lifted off so this was the main issue

With the car back I set about removing the blower and all the parts that went with it. As I have decided to put a turbo on and run with it.
I decided that I would use one of my R50s I have laying about for parts so went and grabbed the coolant pump, alternator, hoses and front panel.
The blower was removed, battery taken off and relocated the battery back to the boot as I had relocated it to the engine bay. Further more I also took the crash panel from the cooper as I had cut the last one up to accept the radiator and I wanted this one to take the intercooler cut out

New radiator in place, crash beam and radiator support and fan. I am aware that the cooper front panel is different to the S I plan to trim it down a little in the future

I have been advised that the 2.5" exhaust should be changer out to a 3" so I set about building a new exhaust with a 200 cell cat

I machined a plate up to accept the throttle on the inlet manifold and welded it on to the original manifold

New front mount roughly in place with the new oil cooler. From there the power steering tank and coolant tank were relocated to allow Ronr for the manifold and down pipe

With all the old supercharger equipment removed the car was then ready for the turbo system.
I've decided to go with a side winder style turbo setup commonly used on Honda's and having seen it on a few minis I thought I like what's been done and it's so simple.

Still got a lot of work to do but shouldn't take too long and then once the manifolds done I've still got to do the oil lines and return

RKDE53 kit bumper install

2017-08-01T16:46:00.002+01:00

The bumper is the first part of the kit, it will be followed by a GP style skirt already in the making and then a rear R56 style bumper. All of which I am quite excited about and then on to other kits potentially...

Each bumper I make is tested on a vehicle and is also measured to several key points to make sure this will fit, I hate the bad name people have given to GRP because of poor molding techniques and bad storage or items which have been made in a rush.
Every part I make has time and experience into each item, however with every hand made item you need to check and double check but no modifications are needed with the exception of adding fixing holes, 2 at the bottom to go into the front wheel arches and 2 at the top of the wheel arches, the holes for the main fixings are already in place.

As part of the test fit I tried the grills in place to be sure they sit OK which they do and there is no need to trim any structure of the car to make the bumper fit. On mine it is different but on all normal cars the bumper fits with no issues.

Happy that the bumper aligns with everything I gave the bumper a quick key with a scotch pad and set about spraying with an etch primer. This was followed by a high build primer, guide coat and then a base and clear. The prep work was simple and easy. Just the way I intended

Once painted I put it on the car so I could admire the work gone in, I had to get the grills in...

There are several ways to attach the grills, one method is to sand the lip on the bumper on the inside until it is thin enough to allow for the grills to push on or the other method which is what I chose, remove the upstand lip all the way around the grill and the light housing so just a flat is left.
Cover the flat edge with a good PU adhesive like tiger seal etc and then push them into the bumper and hold into place for several hours - I turned the bumper over and used a can of paint as the ballast but I could have used tape to pin it but the paint was only hours old.

Bumper installed but I can't close the bonnet because I know the cable has snapped and getting in last time was a horrid experience I do not want to go through again...

A lot of people have asked what I am going to do with the lights? well there are several solutions;

Use the DRL kit in the headlights for side lights and have the indicator in the in the lower globe using the 501 bulb as the indicator and the H8 as the fog
I could use the DRL as the indicator and then keep the fog and side light at the bottom
The option I am going for at the moment is to use an amber LED H8 bulb for the indicator where the fog light was, and I will keep the 501 bulb as another side light as well as the DRL lights but over time this may change??

To make the 501 lights work you will need to add some cables which can be purchased from mini, I got mine from Cotswald mini for just under £10 delivered

61 13 0 006 624 (X 4)
61 13 8 373 332 (X 2)

You will also need to convert the lights for the fog or whatever you will use it for, for this just use a typical H8 connector which can be purchased from ebay or similar

RGB LED headlight cluster installed

2017-07-31T21:56:00.000+01:00

I've gone an installed my LED conversion into the car and I am really pleased with the results;
My plan is to run the lights as white DRL but as I designed the kit I decided to allow for the functionality of any colour, why not...

Videos of the lights on with the LEDs running

The kit I have is running the bluetooth controller and because I have an android headunit I can control the lights from the headunit.
The lights once setup will remember their setting so each time the car is started it will return to the last setting.

The lights are connected to the side lights so I have some control over the lights but I may change this to an ignition point as I also have LED side lights in the bumper

Some photos of the colours

Where can you get the kit? head over to my shop or get in touch with me

RGB LED headlight cluster

2017-05-12T19:19:00.000+01:00

Back in 2007 myself and a friend started to talk about the option of lighting the ring around the outside of the xenon lights, well we knew what we wanted to do but the reality is we just didn't do it.
Years later I wanted to do the conversion on my car but I wanted to do it properly.

I have seen other attempts to glue the LEDs into the surround with mixed success. So I took my headlights apart and laser scanned the globe area back into my CAD system which allowed me to design a holder that fits within the headlight.

I then 3D printed the holder, installed the correct light lenses and RGB LEDs which are IC controlled so can remember the colour and operation saved. This packaged up with a controller and PSU means ultimate control of how the LEDs respond. I have tried a few controllers and I have been using a bluetooth controller which means I can control the light colour from my phone.
I have even tried using a small Arduino nano to control the colours so they could go from white to amber for indicators but when the xenons are on it is difficult to see the amber light

Lights on, number 1 light is on the inside of both the clusters so they move as an opposite to each other

Couple of videos of the lights running

Simple clean design which simply snaps into the headlight housing and then just run the wires back to the controller and power.

Since the first iteration of the design I have made several small changes which has led me to the kit below, if you are interested in the kit I can do it as an assembled option or as an assembly option (For this you will need to solder 6 wires on the small PCB and will need a good small soldering iron)

Should you wish to buy a kit contact me through the site / facebook. I will be adding a shop on this site soon for some of the smaller items I already make so if that is running go for it...

* Self assembly soldering with RF remote controller
* Assembled with RF remote controller
* Self assembly soldering with BT controller and mobile phone app
* Assembled with BT controller and mobile phone app
See store if you would like to buy a unit

> All kits come with all the wire required to wire into the car and a small guide

Piersburg coolant pump

2017-05-08T09:34:00.000+01:00

When looking at electric water pumps what direction do you take?
Davies craig, EMP, take the market for the majority but both have stigma of reliability issues, I can't confirm any whispers as I have not had any issues with either. Now with more start stop and hybrid vehicles on the road there are more electric pumps released from the factory.
Factory pumps seam to offer more and feel a lot more robust and I got quite excited to give a BMW piersburg pump a run

Why would you run an electric coolant pump?
Well for me it gives me ultimate control over the coolant system, normally if a mechanical pump is fitted it can only run as quick as the engine goes however with electric I can have the pump at maximum speed while the engine is at idle or if the temperature is low I can choose to run the pump speed slow to help raise the temperature.
Another feature is power loss at the crank which would be seen from the mechanical pump however don't be fooled I still need to power this pump but releasing the pump from the belt may see a little more power but I am not convinced you would see it.

The water pump is a CWA200 from a BMW 118 and has the following specification;
* Pump duty point Q=7000 l/h / H=0,45 bar
* Ambient temperature -40°C ... +140°C
* Coolant temperature -40°C ... +128°C
* Voltage supply min. 10 V max. 18 V
* Power consumption P1 200 W
* nominal Current 16 A
* Quiescent current 6000 h
* Interface PWM
* Enclosure IP 67

If you wish to control using the vipec use the GP PWM and you will need to setup a control duty cycle too to give a good control. Using the Vipec I have had to add extra wires to the unit to control a relay and have an aux pwm for the water pump

The PWM frequency is 45Hz to 1100Hz

PWM operation is relatively typical
* 1~7% = Uncontrollable default to max speed
* 7~13% = 0 speed motor stopped
* 13~85% = 13% Minimum speed, 85 is maximum speed linear clime in rpm
* 85~99% = maximum speed

There is a tolerance of 1% so ideally a minimum speed would be 15% and maximum is fine at 85%, if you wish to stop the pump pick something like 10% to be far enough away from uncontrollable and minimum speed.

If you wish to only run the pump at maximum the you can run at 100% PWM which is technically just 12vDC

Running the pump at 100rpm makes filling the coolant system super easy as the header tank becomes a vacuum so as long as you can fill it fast enough you will be fine else it will suck air through once primed. The pump at 100% can just about open the thermostat which is less than ideal however you would not normally be running 100% unless you need to up the cooling and hence the thermostat would be open. (it only just opens as you can hear it fluttering)

Pin 1 Positive 12v
Pin 2 PWM signal
Pin 3 Not required
Pin 4 round

Wires, make sure you use the correct wires, I would suggest that the pump could reach a maximum of 15amps from my testing so make room for up to 30amps and add a fuse to the system. The PWM cable can be small 0.5mm^2 would be fine

For the connector I popped to BMW and ordered the correct connector and pins which made life much easier

If you wish to test or run the pump then connect positive to pins 1, 2 and ground to 4 and the pump will take a couple of seconds and will come to life.
Clearly if you wish to control the pump then you will want to use a PWM controller, I am using the Vipec and I have setup rules to control the pump based on rpm vs engine coolant temperature however I have several over riding conditions which will allow the pump to go to full speed this includes a small switch which allows me to bleed or fill the coolant system without the engine being on.

As for mounting the pump I do not have a lot of room and I took the AC delete pulley and removed all the idle bearing and bits not required until I was left with basically a mounting plate, I then made a strap bracket to fit the shape of the pump. I added anti vibration rubber round the pump and clamped it into place. It is worth noting that I cut off all the factory mounting lugs as they don't really fit for me. There are a couple of different versions of pump which would probably mount using the factory mounts.

Don't forget on the mini the coolant bypass hose is the small 20mm hose, I added a T piece at the bottom of the radiator to allow for circulation while the thermostat is closed.

Further engine work

2017-05-06T21:39:00.002+01:00

Further to having a new inlet manifold for the super charger made I decided that I would review the work I had already done and undo some of the items I am not happy with and use this chance to get everything the way I want it.

As I had the inlet I decided to draw up the blower outlet and an adaptor for the bypass valve to fit the 2.5" pipe work. All this was CNC machined out of aluminium.

With the parts in my hands I set about making them all fit with the new charge cooler and pipework

I then sent all the parts out for powder coating just to keep it all looking as I want it

With the parts back I set about connecting everything back to the engine, I would like to say this was simple but I like to make my life difficult and there can be no other reason for all this faffing

I decided to relocate the mechanical coolant pump with a BMW piersburg electric pump. The pump is PWM controlled which is fine as I have a spare output on the Vipec. I made a mount so the pump goes where the AC mechanical pump used to fit and feeds the RH side of the engine as a cooper coolant pump would normally go.
The pump is very efficient and allows me to control it in different situations.

Here is the pump operation table

I am not sure why the table is reversed in the Vipec or I got it wrong but it all works. During tests I set the PWM table against the TPS so when I put my foot down the pump would kick in. It primes very quickly if you can get the coolant in the bottle fast enough.

The table I went with, you can see I decided to run my coolant temp vs engine speed but there are other variables running on the vipec which can over ride the PWM settings should something go wrong.

You can see the coolant pump in the picture below, it uses a pump clamp which is welded on a AC delete bracket

Lastly I made a new radiator as the last radiator was an ebay special and didn't quite offer enough cooling as it was to get it up and running to help me fault find

Guess who's back, back again...

2016-08-25T20:41:00.001+01:00

I've been lazy with the blog and not updated for quite some time - so the car has come home again and I have been doing a little bit of work on it.

Lets start with the roof paint, its been done and its great - just perfect. Finished in BMW sparkling grey which in the sun looks stunning

With the car home and me thinking this would be the last time the car was going to a body shop for a while I decided to sort the engine running issue I was seeing and decided to strip the car back down. I wanted to do a lot of little jobs and also clean the dust off everything and change any mock up parts to real parts.

The original roof liner I had made by sticking 2 liners together was OK but over the year or so its been together it is slightly showing the joins so I wanted to do this properly.
To do this I decided to cover the original roof liner in duct tape and then make a GRP & carbon splash off the liner, I was unsure how this would go but I was willing to give it a go.

Lay up of GRP and carbon being done

All set and ready for trimming, pulled off the original liner

trimmed and ready for sanding

Inside left as you see it because it needs no attention

Trimmed foam and black roof lining material and in the car, feels and looks great

I then decided to open the gauges and clock to change the LEDs to red, this was easy and just need SMD LEDs to be soldered in place of the amber LEDs

With that done, I started fitting a tablet but only started, and then I got excited and put on my new steering wheel and boss

Then a little on the engine bay, there is still a lot to do there but the first thing I decided to do was paint the rocker cover, yes this will get dirty quickly if I ever drive the car. I do want the engine bay to look good though so there will be much more lovely items going on and more painting as I have time

OK, keeping the theme of the engine going I know the cut and carve castings I made for trials on the blower need to be changed so I decided to draw up the blower inlet and get it made;

Original bodge up to trial the engine before going for costly parts, allowed me to work out the fit anf function of the parts

Inlet drawn up in CAD. Colours used to show finish requirements but the technical drawing did the geometric and tolerance dimensions

Part arrived all CnC machined and lovely

Next will be the machined outlet and maybe if I can be bothered to draw it a custom inlet manifold...

Long overdue update

2016-03-04T22:10:00.000+00:00

Over the past few months since the last update, well what feels like half a year the car has been off for tuning, sadly whilst being tuned the copper head gasket let go meaning I had to do get it home and change the gasket ~ it was leaking on cylinder 4 and in all honesty not sealing very well on any other cylinder either

I changed back to a multi layer gasket as would have been fitted as standard which looks to have fixed the issue.

Having a project car over such a long time has already made me see things I would like to change... it is difficult to keep the car to the original idea as I have new thoughts and styles.

The car did have the roof skin in raw aluminium, this needed to be sorted so I arranged to take the car to the body shop in October and that is where it still is. The guys were really busy and could not fit me in but they have been working on it in the background. This included them sourcing a new booth over the Christmas holidays. Finally it is ready for paint, it looks so clean and the job has been done so well.

I will have it back in a week and I am excited as I have built a new garage while it has been away and now I will have lots of space to work on it. Maybe try and finish it...

That is all at the moment, I have been doing a lot more mods but I need the car back to install them, then take photos and update this blog

Electronics and coding

2015-05-06T13:33:00.002+01:00

All, this should be the most boring update...

While the time has been passing by and I have been doing all else but working on the car I decided to put a few days aside to do something.

Vipec ECU fitted and all the engine items configured to work as they should (it is great fun playing with the peddle and throttle...)
All sensors have now been fitted
Been through all the BMW modules and switched on all the features I want and tunred everything off I did not need
Coded out all the air bags but I will re-code when the drivers bag goes back in.
Cleared out all the modules memory so if they error out then I can see what is going on as there was lists of issues before
Built a flip key module out of an ebay key and the original. Apparently no key cutter will cut an ebay key :( I phoned very many... However original key filed down fits perfectly and cost a lot less.
Innovative LC2 fitted and calibrated original o2 sensors removed and the post cat blanked off as the wideband is sufficient. Very pleased with the install as I used factory plugs and hid all the electronics so you can't tell it is hiding away

Have some photos;

flip key with oem blade

coding

innovative installed next to battery in the box

vipec installed

Rear seat delete

2015-01-14T22:02:00.001+00:00

Rear delete kit required...

Got some 6mm ply wood as it was the lightest I could find and I am partly past caring for weight so much at this moment. So I made a paper template, cut 3 sections of ply wood

I then used some aluminium brackets bent at 135 degrees to sort the front section and then some hinges in the middle, the sections were then trimmed in carpet

The back was then trimmed in black ultra suede to cover the inside plywood. I then coloured the staples in after the photo

I then installed the cover, was a pain to get it past the roll cage but after a few attempts I found how to install it but it was tight. Even the lid only opens till it hits the roll cage, not bother as I am not sure I will use the storage for much anyway

Now I need to make a boot carpet as the one I have is a little tatty having spent loads of time in the garage and being 13 years old. Then time to finish the pillars and time for a big clean inside, drivers seat and steering wheel - probably loads more too

More interior

2015-01-04T21:20:00.002+00:00

With the roof liner all in sections the time came to bond it all together and fibreglass the rear to keep it all fixed together, the liner has been left in 2 sections which will be connected in the car when the unit is trimmed. The reason its in 2 sections else I would not be able to fit the liner about the roll cage

Rear panels have both been cut about the roll cage and trimmed in carpet also a tray from the R56 GP has been fitted and over the next few weeks I will make a cover.

Interior now looking so much more complete, things feel like they are really moving now

headlining layout

2014-12-31T21:39:00.002+00:00

Having taken two headlining and cut them up to fit the cars larger roof skin I started to place them in the car, at the moment they are just taped into place but as they are made of GRP they will be fibre glassed together when I next have time

The front section went in really well and actually did not need any tape as the fit was quite tight. All the panels fit flush although without them being fixed they do move about a little

The A pillar covers were cut down to the new height, then plastic welded back together which went really well, ready for a sand and then they will be re-trimmed

The rear section was made of quire a few different sections, I can imagine that this will not be much fun bonding it all together but will be worth it.

Once bonded together I will re-trim in a ultra suede to finish.

Interior

2014-12-29T21:51:00.000+00:00

Recently I have been working on the interior, there is still a lot to do on the inside

Rear interior panels, cut about the roll cage, this was a tricky job. Once cut the panels they were covered in carpet to match the rear and make them more durable than the painted finish they had

Because the roof is lower it is wider and longer so I had to take a couple of roof liners and cut them to suite. First I set about marking the first out.

The sections all cut got fitted into the car which meant I was able to measure all the gaps. I now need to go away and get the sections sorted, this will be a task for another day

Gaiters all made, been a while since I last made a set but I actually enjoyed it this time

Interior coming together, a lot of the parts will need a good wash as they are quite dusty

That dam roof

2014-09-28T21:18:00.000+01:00

The sun arrived here in the UK but without any joy. Again the roof popped like it had last time. I couldn't take it any more, the idea behind the composite roof was to keep things light and simple but I could not deal with the odd effect the sun had on the roof.

This time I commissioned someone to make me a full aluminium roof skin and it's amazing, I am so pleased with how it came out and how much lighter than the GRP roof.

GRP roof off

Aluminium roof ready to go on

Car is roofless again :(

Inside the roof skin in place, showing all the planish and TIG welding

Roof being bonded on and held with duct tape to keep it held while the panel bonding cures

Really pleased with how it all is looking at the moment

Exhaust made

2014-05-05T21:37:00.000+01:00

Finally the chance has come that I had both good weather and time to go out and make an exhaust for the car, OK maybe I am cheating a little as I have already purchased a back box and middle box, however it still needs hangers, pipework and also to be welded together.

The system is a nice easy unit, one middle box, 2 mandrel bends, and a back box, which is to all be stainless and all TIG welded together.

Firstly I made hangers for the back box and hung it, then I cut the mandrels down to size and joined them together, once joined I welded them to a straight section of stainless tubing.

The pipework was then welded to the middle box, I did have some alignment issues at fist but this was all resolved during the tacking stage of the welding.

Really pleased with the outcome of the first full exhaust I have ever made, maybe next time I will also make the boxes...

Finial position as one piece, great amount of movement and rigidity, fits perfectly, just need to wait and see how is sounds.

The answer to the question "What are you doing about the windows?"

2014-04-19T06:55:00.001+01:00

Over the years of this what is now quite a long drawn out slow build as I have little to no tome to work on it I have been asked so many times what about the windows? I have always given the response that it is not an issue, time consuming and expensive yes but not a show stopper

Lets start with the sides, rear, and front sides.
Last post you may have seen that I had the plastic safety glass arrive, this was created from fibre glass templates I had sent them, they are all e46 marked direct from the manufacture which is a legal requirement to go on the road. My thanks here go to plastics4performance who helped by manufacturing to size and delivered as expected.
All I can say is this was so easy, you may ask why I did not cut the glass down? the long and short of it is you can't really cut toughened glass which all the sides and rears always are. If you tried to cut them they would explode in to tiny pieces and the only way about this would be to anneal the glass and then re-toughen it which at home is near impossible.

With the glass to hand this was bonded into the car and it all looks very OEM with the painted black edges and as I went with the 4mm hard coated plastic other than it sounding like plastic when you tap it the performance is the same glass regarding scratching.

With the side glass all in place (fronts are in the door) I will post a picture next time it it out with the windows up. I realised that I needed to cut the front laminated screen down to fit.
I had purchased a few screens which could have been 2 years ago and they had just sat in the garden collecting mud and muck. I took the time to clean them back to a fresh clean finish first.

With the windscreen clean it was time to mark it out, I had to lean over the glass to mark it and put my knee against it which saw the first screen smash... I was gutted, smashed before I started.

OK, so I had smashed the glass but thought this would now be a good piece to trial cutting on, so the tools used to do the job as this is something not very well covered on the net, a oil filled glass cutting tool filled with baby oil or 3in1 with a thin viscosity, sharp Stanley knife, blow torch, and some goggles & gloves. The time taken after marking was no longer the 10 minutes. Only important note is to make sure that the screen is fully supported, I used old rags and bags of shredded paper.

With the glass all marked up the first thing to do was relieve some of the stress on the glass, this was done by removing the two top corners down to the mark we would cut across later. Take the cutting tool and score in across the corner, do the same on the other side of the glass in about the same area, the closer the two lines the more success you will have, take the other end of the cutting tool and there should be a metal cap, tap on the score line from the underside this could be either way around, as you tap you will see the top piece of glass crack along about 30mm then tap the top score line and you will see the bottom score crack - keep doing this till you have worked along the score and it is broken. next you need to remove this section, I used a blow torch to pass up and down over the crack 3 or 4 times without pausing on any area. Too much heat and you will burn the laminate and you will cause bubbles in the glass you want. with the laminate hot have someone hold the glass while you pull the corner (this may be hot) also do not try and bend the laminate and glass else you may chip and crack the glass you wish to keep, once the glass has pulled take your knife and cut the laminate, you are done with the corner so do the other.

With the corners removed the glass was scored along the screen and the same process was followed, the glass seamed to tap and crack better with the middle at its lowest point. I had to pass the blow torch over about 8 times due to the 15 degree C ambient temperature and a slight breeze. Then the glass was separated by pulling the glass from one end, once the knife was in the laminate was pulled and cut.

OK, I was happy with the smashed unit so this process was followed again, this time without putting my knee through it and I am glad to say everything went well and the screen is now placed in the car.

I need to now paint the top of the glass as I have no black edge and can see body work under but once that is done it will be bonded in and the car will be mostly water tight, I say mostly as I have to finish the door and boot seals...

For those that are interested here is a list of tools again

Blow torch
Glass cutting tool with oil, the same used to cut flat glass and used in stained glass workshops
Gloves & glasses
Sharp bladed knife

Tool used

Windows have arrived

2014-02-27T07:33:00.000+00:00

The first big question asked by almost everyone on this project what am I doing about the windows? Alot of people ask will I cut them down; the answer to that is no as I will explain below;

Side and rear glass is always tempered which is classed as safety glass, it is tempered to ensure if broken it breaks into pieces and does not shard which may cut you to piece in an accident. You can think of toughened glass like a sweet, there is a hard coat over the top and a soft inside (its not soft but less than the surface) when the tension on the hard outside is broken then the window shatters therefore if I cut it I would end up with a pile a pieces. I have seen on youtube tempered glass cut with a plasma but as soon as the glass cools it pops so this is no good, you can anneal the glass and then cut it and re toughen the glass but you need all the correct kilns and jigs to do this and it would be very expensive.

The front screen is never toughened or every stone that hit the windscreen would pop it into millions of pieces so in this instance you have 2 pieces of glass non tempered sandwiching a plastic inner which is stuck to the both pieces of glass, the plastic inner provides the flexibility to allow the glass to smash but then holds it all together, this is a safe method and has been used for many years. Many people presume that its toughened. It's not as that would be crazy, just think how when a little stone hits the screen and it shatters into a million pieces, you would not want that so the laminated glass allows the class to chip, crack and shatter but holds it all together.
The front screen can be cut but it is an art to cut both sides and then break it correctly, something I am yet to do.

All windows in cars need to meet a set standard, because I have changed the chassis of this car I need to take the car to the new IVA (BIVA / SVA) test and the windows will be reviewed so I can't put anything in there. Thankfully a call to plastics4performance and some fibreglass templates + money meant that I got all the side and rear windows manufactured all with the correct ece 43r markings. The plastic is a safety plastic and is treated differently so that it meets the IVA book recommendation and has been tested.

Here are a few of the screens, they are blue because I am not removing the plastic protective screen until I fit them.

I have been working hard on the car and not posting recently as I want to really get a move on with the car and I do not think that the saga will be going for very much longer

Front bumper and home

2014-01-16T07:17:00.000+00:00

4 years since I started what has turned out to be quite a bumpy journey, involving body shops conning me and not doing work - work not to the best standard, having to have to stop for a back operation and also move house has all kept this project lagging behind only having a few hours every now and then to play.

Good news the car is now in my garage and I can continue to work on it even if its a little in each evening and I plan to install one part each day and then spend a day on it over the weekends to push the build forward.

I wanted to thank both bodytech solihull and eastcoat customs for all the body shop work which was good and unlike the other body shops did what I wanted without asking for cash and running / doing nothing. (name and shame will come at the end of the build with the full thanks to the good guys out there)

Here is the last photo taken from the body shop, notice the R56 bumper I made on the front and the lovely fit which did need some fettling to fit perfectly as the moulding process had a few little errors. Now its all splendid.

With the car on the way home I decided that I wanted to finish the front headlights, this involved adding super bright LEDs into the xenon cluster which will be used as day time running lights and should help to face lift the cars appearance, also I like the look of this modification

I wanted to thank my normal tow truck gent but I have forgotten his name but I will add it to the thanks list as he always takes cares of my cars when moving them and does a great job in delivering the car safely where it needs to go. This time its home for me;

I will now try and update this blog more with more photos and updates as the work continues...

R56 JCW bumper on the R53 final mods

2013-11-30T06:40:00.000+00:00

With lots of items coming along nicely it is time to start looking at finishing the bumper I made off so that it is perfect. after moulding I had realised the mould had sagged a little so the bumper has opened out a little, this is quite normal for grp construction bumper and hence why no max power body kit would ever fit correctly. Luck for me I have a guy with years of experience sorting this issue out on my side.

Here is the start point

I really like how this bumper is coming together

Painting many parts

2013-11-20T20:31:00.001+00:00

Just wanted to update to show that actually this is moving forward quite quickly. I am over the moon with how the parts are coming together. I think my painter will kill me next time I see him, I do not think he realised the amount of parts he would be painting

Looking forward to putting all this together...

Back on it

2013-11-17T21:22:00.002+00:00

After taking some time off to have the operation on my back seams to have been very worth while and I am starting to feel like I did a few years back. I am glad to say that while it will be a slow start back on the project I can carry on and since I have had the time off I have been able to get on with the CAD and drawing the final parts I need.

While I have been down and out I decided it was time to have a few items re-done that I was simply not happy with. I am after perfection and I will get there even if this means that some jobs need to get done again.

Here is the mini in the bodyshop having further work done but I am not happy to say "I am happy"

Here is the pulleys for the supercharger, I had 2 made, 1 which is to run on the standard map to get the car started and moved about for the tests and then later I will choose the smaller pulley when the new ECU is installed

This is all for now, I am hoping that next week the car will be close to finished - bodywork wise.

Down and out

2013-08-22T21:01:00.001+01:00

The project has now gone on hold and the car will be tucked away - I will be taking a trip to hospital for an operation on my spine and hence the car will be stored until I have my full health back - this is likely to be at least 6 months

Its home! let the work commence...

2013-06-18T21:41:00.001+01:00

With the car home its time to start spending time on it and trying hard to get it done correctly but I am still not in a rush to get it done.

With the car in the garages, I am able to see the car outside in the sun which I have to say I am really pleased with the way its coming together.

Bonnet up and the trusty block of wood acting as a handbrake - the amount of cars this block of wood has helped with is unreal.

Lots of profile shots of the car in all its glory. Can't wait till all the equipment is on the car and its slammed on the ground. Things to look forward too...

This good looking car needs only some of the brakes but as with everything this can't be standard so the brakes are off a later model mini and not for this shape, they have then been stripped and painted removing the JCW logo and replaced it with the brembo sticker. Again this is all colour coded to match the car. (The brakes are actually brembo callipers

I did not want to use normal steel brake lines so on to some stainless steel braided lines to replace the whole breaking system arrived from Orranje performance and while the camera has not done any favours to the colour they are actually bright red.

Brembo brakes fitted behind the wheels, suddenly a new ROM update on my phone and now again it can take good quality photos. I love the way the brakes look behind the wheels

The new vibra technic engine mount arrived again from Orranje and it even has a colour matching sticker... Looks lovely

Before the engine could go in I needed to finish building it, this called for me to finish my special oil filter idea I had come up with a few years ago. I have taken a magnom filter which offers some of the best in line ferrous filters. If you want to know why then ask

Engine having a gearbox attached, my God I forgot how heavy it was, thanks to Rich for taking over and lifting it on. Need to sort my back out

Just like magic the engine, gearbox and supercharger is in the car, only took about 10 minutes but it did stress me out a little as the crane got stuck before the garage door and I struggled to get the engine passed the door, putting the engine in the car was easy.

I need to get the windows made now so I decided it was time to make the templates for the windows, I could draw them in CAD but the guys who are making the windows just want a simple temple, they say card is fine... I made them out of fibre glass as I think it will aid to give a better shape for me to trim them to the right size.

Until next week this is all I have got done

Coming home

2013-05-15T22:07:00.002+01:00

After spending so much time working at the body shop the time has come to take the car back home so I can spend more time on it and importantly be able to lay my hands on my tools.

Before the car came back I managed to get some of the digital dash wired in and starting up with the key. I still need to run the sensors to the correct position but that is a nice simple job.

Over the weekend I went around all the front components and started to torque them all to the correct level, install the power steering tank and pump. I am really pleased with the finish of the red and black components within the engine bay.

The time has also come that I need to get the windows sorted, I am starting out by making fiber glass windows which will be used as templates, I have only had time to do the one at the moment

Now just some photos showing the current progress