R53 Police Auction Project
Discussion
I'd be interested to know what that cost - it looks a bit on the rough side and a pre-facelift car so I'm guessing hundreds rather than thousands. Do you know if it runs, or if there's any other issues mechanically, or is it just at your risk?
I loved my 2005 Cooper S and would have another like a shot so I'm a little jealous of this project!
I loved my 2005 Cooper S and would have another like a shot so I'm a little jealous of this project!
aR53GP said:
Great job so far. How much did you pay? If you don't mind me asking.
I run a GP as a daily but would love a project like this.
It's great as a project.. I've had a few little ones before but haven't gone to as much h detail. Partly because the mini has so many options I thought it would be such a shame to keep it standard while restoring it.I run a GP as a daily but would love a project like this.
AWG said:
Wow they really do leave everything in the car don't they!
Good luck.
I found a bit of a random collection ... Peppa Pig annual, beer bottles, a mug shot of what I think was the owners partner, a few random socks in the boot a couple of screw drivers that have been fashioned to undo interior hex and a couple of quid down the sides of the seat( it's already paying off) Good luck.
jamiebae said:
I'd be interested to know what that cost - it looks a bit on the rough side and a pre-facelift car so I'm guessing hundreds rather than thousands. Do you know if it runs, or if there's any other issues mechanically, or is it just at your risk?
I loved my 2005 Cooper S and would have another like a shot so I'm a little jealous of this project!
Have you looked at one of the auction sites to pick up something like this? I love the pre facelift I'm so happy with the buy. As far as I'm aware the only issues are wishbone related! Up on the ramp in a few weeks to slot in the JCW engine I loved my 2005 Cooper S and would have another like a shot so I'm a little jealous of this project!
-01SQ- said:
Have you looked at one of the auction sites to pick up something like this? I love the pre facelift I'm so happy with the buy. As far as I'm aware the only issues are wishbone related! Up on the ramp in a few weeks to slot in the JCW engine
Never looked at them actually. There's nothing wrong with the pre-facelift car (at least with the Cooper S, the others have a chocolate gearbox from Rover which I'd avoid), I was just using it as a proxy for age. Fingers crossed there are no more nasties lurking - mine had a clutch and flywheel under warranty, them popped the crankshaft oil seal out after about 20 miles necessitating the whole job to be done again but if you're swapping the engine then that's not really a concern.The blocker for a project on my side right now is the fact I live in a top-floor apartment in Switzerland with no garage
jamiebae said:
Never looked at them actually. There's nothing wrong with the pre-facelift car (at least with the Cooper S, the others have a chocolate gearbox from Rover which I'd avoid), I was just using it as a proxy for age. Fingers crossed there are no more nasties lurking - mine had a clutch and flywheel under warranty, them popped the crankshaft oil seal out after about 20 miles necessitating the whole job to be done again but if you're swapping the engine then that's not really a concern.
The blocker for a project on my side right now is the fact I live in a top-floor apartment in Switzerland with no garage
Yeah I've heard about the 5 speed.. definitely not something I'm planning on putting in. Think I'll need that extra gear for the commuting up the m6. The blocker for a project on my side right now is the fact I live in a top-floor apartment in Switzerland with no garage
Yeah I'm looking at clutch and fly wheel options actually, undecided as to the single mass conversion yet so I'll have to do a bit more digging. That oil seal is definitely on the list while the engine is out. Good opportunity to dress the bay bay properly, change the common gaskets and clean the motor. A couple of hours with the dremel should have it back to clean!
Bummer! Are there no garages you can't rent locally?
jamiebae said:
-01SQ- said:
Have you looked at one of the auction sites to pick up something like this? I love the pre facelift I'm so happy with the buy. As far as I'm aware the only issues are wishbone related! Up on the ramp in a few weeks to slot in the JCW engine
Never looked at them actually. There's nothing wrong with the pre-facelift car (at least with the Cooper S, the others have a chocolate gearbox from Rover which I'd avoid), I was just using it as a proxy for age. Fingers crossed there are no more nasties lurking - mine had a clutch and flywheel under warranty, them popped the crankshaft oil seal out after about 20 miles necessitating the whole job to be done again but if you're swapping the engine then that's not really a concern.The blocker for a project on my side right now is the fact I live in a top-floor apartment in Switzerland with no garage
Excellent project, going to follow this with interest.
SWBO has a Cooper S, i drove it back from Madchester along M62 and M1, and had the most gruesoe backache: i did wonder if this was going to be turned into a semi-track day weapon, as stripping the existing interior was getting it part-way there (and gave the opportunity to fit some lightweight seats). However, thats my personal view and doesnt detract one iota fro what promises to be a good read!!
SWBO has a Cooper S, i drove it back from Madchester along M62 and M1, and had the most gruesoe backache: i did wonder if this was going to be turned into a semi-track day weapon, as stripping the existing interior was getting it part-way there (and gave the opportunity to fit some lightweight seats). However, thats my personal view and doesnt detract one iota fro what promises to be a good read!!
rtz62 said:
Excellent project, going to follow this with interest.
SWBO has a Cooper S, i drove it back from Madchester along M62 and M1, and had the most gruesoe backache: i did wonder if this was going to be turned into a semi-track day weapon, as stripping the existing interior was getting it part-way there (and gave the opportunity to fit some lightweight seats). However, thats my personal view and doesnt detract one iota fro what promises to be a good read!!
Thanks rtz62, SWBO has a Cooper S, i drove it back from Madchester along M62 and M1, and had the most gruesoe backache: i did wonder if this was going to be turned into a semi-track day weapon, as stripping the existing interior was getting it part-way there (and gave the opportunity to fit some lightweight seats). However, thats my personal view and doesnt detract one iota fro what promises to be a good read!!
I've done Glasgow to Plymouth in one of these before and it felt like I'd been driving a fraction of the time... Really comfortable! Each to their own I suppose. I wouldn't mind a track project to be honest but I wouldn't want to use the mini base. I've really loved the s2 Elise for years so I've got my eyes on one of those as my next project post mini. A bit heavier on the budget but that would be the dream.
Saturday update,
After another busy week on course I jumped at the chance to spend the day with the car. With my time constraints at the moment the big jobs are on hold so I decided to pull off the door cards
Personally, I think whoever decided to put that awful 'Attacked by a grinder' to finish on the plastic trim needs to reconsider their life choices. To match several other parts of the interior it's going gloss black on the outsides and i plan, along with the dash front, to get the middle parts hydro dipped with carbon fiber effect.
Anyway, looking at the back of the cards it's obvious when they built these they were designed not to be removed
Not something a drill and a bit of gentle persuasion with a hammer and small chisel can't sort....
After obliterating an obscene amount of these little melt rivets the panels release giving me a good glimpse of how well the cars been looked after over the years.
Rather expectedly after removing the arm rest you can see the effect of the sun on the plastic over its 14 years
All that rubbish and gunk in the door can't be doing anyone any good and definitely won't be making the car smell any better so after a good clean the door card comes up quite nicely
Skip forward an hour and alot of elbow grease trying to hack of the production top coat with 120, a pretty prime of 400 and several prime/800 layers, even the dull grey is a massive Improvement
The dash has also come back off... The 3 air vents in the top are going gloss black to match the interior details as are the two side plates that cover the dash bolts
I've also decided to wrap the dash top in alcantara. This and a few more details such as the arm rests in the door cards should look a bit better than the standard vinyl wrap the factory use. I'll be picking up a few different colour samples next week so I'll have a chance to pick the best colour to match the different accents inside.
After a good couple of hours with the sandpaper and primer I eventually run out of 120 so I can't start anymore of the bits but after a solid few hours I'm pleased with the haul
Hopefully next week I'll get a chance to pick up the stuff I need and get the rest of the bits done. I should get a chance to get the engine out next weekend too so stay tuned!
After another busy week on course I jumped at the chance to spend the day with the car. With my time constraints at the moment the big jobs are on hold so I decided to pull off the door cards
Personally, I think whoever decided to put that awful 'Attacked by a grinder' to finish on the plastic trim needs to reconsider their life choices. To match several other parts of the interior it's going gloss black on the outsides and i plan, along with the dash front, to get the middle parts hydro dipped with carbon fiber effect.
Anyway, looking at the back of the cards it's obvious when they built these they were designed not to be removed
Not something a drill and a bit of gentle persuasion with a hammer and small chisel can't sort....
After obliterating an obscene amount of these little melt rivets the panels release giving me a good glimpse of how well the cars been looked after over the years.
Rather expectedly after removing the arm rest you can see the effect of the sun on the plastic over its 14 years
All that rubbish and gunk in the door can't be doing anyone any good and definitely won't be making the car smell any better so after a good clean the door card comes up quite nicely
Skip forward an hour and alot of elbow grease trying to hack of the production top coat with 120, a pretty prime of 400 and several prime/800 layers, even the dull grey is a massive Improvement
The dash has also come back off... The 3 air vents in the top are going gloss black to match the interior details as are the two side plates that cover the dash bolts
I've also decided to wrap the dash top in alcantara. This and a few more details such as the arm rests in the door cards should look a bit better than the standard vinyl wrap the factory use. I'll be picking up a few different colour samples next week so I'll have a chance to pick the best colour to match the different accents inside.
After a good couple of hours with the sandpaper and primer I eventually run out of 120 so I can't start anymore of the bits but after a solid few hours I'm pleased with the haul
Hopefully next week I'll get a chance to pick up the stuff I need and get the rest of the bits done. I should get a chance to get the engine out next weekend too so stay tuned!
-01SQ- said:
M3333 said:
Buy a key from BMW, they aint that expensive.
Hope it runs okay, watching with interest, good luck.
Cheers mate. I've been quoted roughly £180 from BMW for the key + coding.Hope it runs okay, watching with interest, good luck.
You may even be able use your existing barrel/key by swapping the chip from the 'paired key' to your key - this certainly worked in older BMW products (the stuff they put into late Rovers, for example)
This trick works with a lot of cars - people sell 'ECU sets' on eBay which show which bits you need to avoid having to re-code parts (sometimes the sets including more bits than you need but generally you'll need what everyone includes!)
p.s. loads of BMW specialists can code older models too - for a LOT less than BMW charge
405dogvan said:
Replying to this a bit late but if you have the ecu (DME) and immobilizer (EWS) units as well as the ignition barrel+key from the same car, you won't need to do any coding as those units will be coded as a set/will transfer to another car and work.
You may even be able use your existing barrel/key by swapping the chip from the 'paired key' to your key - this certainly worked in older BMW products (the stuff they put into late Rovers, for example)
This trick works with a lot of cars - people sell 'ECU sets' on eBay which show which bits you need to avoid having to re-code parts (sometimes the sets including more bits than you need but generally you'll need what everyone includes!)
p.s. loads of BMW specialists can code older models too - for a LOT less than BMW charge
Thanks for the advice dogvan,You may even be able use your existing barrel/key by swapping the chip from the 'paired key' to your key - this certainly worked in older BMW products (the stuff they put into late Rovers, for example)
This trick works with a lot of cars - people sell 'ECU sets' on eBay which show which bits you need to avoid having to re-code parts (sometimes the sets including more bits than you need but generally you'll need what everyone includes!)
p.s. loads of BMW specialists can code older models too - for a LOT less than BMW charge
I'm enquiring about a new set actually, it might be easier to pick up the ECW, bcm, ignition barrel, locks and key from the car the JCW engine is coming from considering it'll have the ECU and everything coded together already.
-01SQ- said:
405dogvan said:
Replying to this a bit late but if you have the ecu (DME) and immobilizer (EWS) units as well as the ignition barrel+key from the same car, you won't need to do any coding as those units will be coded as a set/will transfer to another car and work.
You may even be able use your existing barrel/key by swapping the chip from the 'paired key' to your key - this certainly worked in older BMW products (the stuff they put into late Rovers, for example)
This trick works with a lot of cars - people sell 'ECU sets' on eBay which show which bits you need to avoid having to re-code parts (sometimes the sets including more bits than you need but generally you'll need what everyone includes!)
p.s. loads of BMW specialists can code older models too - for a LOT less than BMW charge
Thanks for the advice dogvan,You may even be able use your existing barrel/key by swapping the chip from the 'paired key' to your key - this certainly worked in older BMW products (the stuff they put into late Rovers, for example)
This trick works with a lot of cars - people sell 'ECU sets' on eBay which show which bits you need to avoid having to re-code parts (sometimes the sets including more bits than you need but generally you'll need what everyone includes!)
p.s. loads of BMW specialists can code older models too - for a LOT less than BMW charge
I'm enquiring about a new set actually, it might be easier to pick up the ECW, bcm, ignition barrel, locks and key from the car the JCW engine is coming from considering it'll have the ECU and everything coded together already.
The modules for your MINI look suspiciously similar to the ones I swapped in a Rover 75 last week (those cars overlap by a few years). In the Rover, the immob. unit is secured behind a metal plate with Torx Plus Tamperproof screws (5 points) which are b
dS to remove - no idea on the MINI tho...
Got that Friday feeling!
So after what felt like the longest few weeks of my life I managed to get back to base and collect all the bits I'd ordered. The post office here had turned into a bit of a garage but I've managed to pick up a few odds and sods.
I got an absolute bargain of a new wing after the previous owner had kindly smashed it up. No scratches, a bit mucky but nothing a good polish won't sort.
Talking of which, albeit a bit presumptive I ordered in plenty of clay to restore the paint to its former glory. I absolutely hate car washes, they totally ruin the paint! Even the hand washes seem to destroy the layers of wax that'll build up.
Just to give you an idea, several years ago I restored an old Clio. It was 14 years old at the time and had been nailed by the swirl mark monster and i managed to restore it to this standard.
To match the red interior I also picked up a few 501 Red LEDs for the foot wells. The glove box and boot are different bulbs and i haven't looked at replacing those yet but they're definitely on the list. My crappy tablet camera wouldn't pick them up when it got dark so I'll have to get a better camera and post them installed.
I'd also ordered some hycote paint and top coat in the hope that I'd be able to start bringing some of the interior to life so needless to say I was surprised when these turned up Instead...
I can't say I've got much use for a granny grabber let alone a standby incase the original were to be lost or otherwise employed. The marketing team at Kinzo however seem to think differently..
Thankfully the seller has sent a return label and the original order on priority delivery. Standby for paint pictures this week!
Given that frankly I've decided to change half the original factory scheme and my inability to paint plastic with a magnet arm extension I decided to muster the weekends haul
It may seem pedantic to some, but I figured a bit of cleaning on the new washer tank was worth 5 minutes
Much better!
Again, some of the interior plastics have been really neglected over the years and the grime build up is totally unacceptable.
Nothing a good scrub won't get off
Without uploading hundreds of pictures of sanded plastic that's my lot for Friday. Thankfully I'll have all weekend to crack on so hopefully I'll have a few more photos to share with you over the next few days
So after what felt like the longest few weeks of my life I managed to get back to base and collect all the bits I'd ordered. The post office here had turned into a bit of a garage but I've managed to pick up a few odds and sods.
I got an absolute bargain of a new wing after the previous owner had kindly smashed it up. No scratches, a bit mucky but nothing a good polish won't sort.
Talking of which, albeit a bit presumptive I ordered in plenty of clay to restore the paint to its former glory. I absolutely hate car washes, they totally ruin the paint! Even the hand washes seem to destroy the layers of wax that'll build up.
Just to give you an idea, several years ago I restored an old Clio. It was 14 years old at the time and had been nailed by the swirl mark monster and i managed to restore it to this standard.
To match the red interior I also picked up a few 501 Red LEDs for the foot wells. The glove box and boot are different bulbs and i haven't looked at replacing those yet but they're definitely on the list. My crappy tablet camera wouldn't pick them up when it got dark so I'll have to get a better camera and post them installed.
I'd also ordered some hycote paint and top coat in the hope that I'd be able to start bringing some of the interior to life so needless to say I was surprised when these turned up Instead...
I can't say I've got much use for a granny grabber let alone a standby incase the original were to be lost or otherwise employed. The marketing team at Kinzo however seem to think differently..
Thankfully the seller has sent a return label and the original order on priority delivery. Standby for paint pictures this week!
Given that frankly I've decided to change half the original factory scheme and my inability to paint plastic with a magnet arm extension I decided to muster the weekends haul
It may seem pedantic to some, but I figured a bit of cleaning on the new washer tank was worth 5 minutes
Much better!
Again, some of the interior plastics have been really neglected over the years and the grime build up is totally unacceptable.
Nothing a good scrub won't get off
Without uploading hundreds of pictures of sanded plastic that's my lot for Friday. Thankfully I'll have all weekend to crack on so hopefully I'll have a few more photos to share with you over the next few days
howardhughes said:
Good luck with build. If this anything to go by, my beloved MINI has just seen 240,000miles - same gearbox, and still pulls very well. On another note, the shape/looks has definitely stood the test of time too.
Look forward in seeing more photos.
Thanks Howard, which model have you got? That's some good goingLook forward in seeing more photos.
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