R53 Cooper S; project Chav
Discussion
I was supposed to sell my Mini Cooper S after Christmas. I’d only had it ~8 months, I spent ages trying to find the right one and it’s really got under my skin!
So the 7 series shed will be getting sold so the Mini can stay.
As my BMW 2002 project has come to a stand still due to huge delays waiting for pistons and rods (been waiting 12 months!) the Mini has had some attention.
When I got it;
It’s quite a decent spec with; full heated “leather” panoramic roof and LSD (came with the chilli pack on facelift models)
Plans are pretty normal in the r53 world;
17% pulley
Intercooler
Adjustable RCAs
Coilovers
Horrendous chav wheels
Aero grill
Airbox
Exhaust
I bought a Non resonated Milltek exhaust and fitted that. This car isn’t used for long drives so it’s fine. Only becomes annoying after long drives (3+ hours)
https://youtu.be/u9oM3D3D1ME
That was the first start up. It’s quietened down a little since then.
I spotted some horrific orange wheels on a Cooper S and I quite liked them but swore I’d never put them on as it’d look like some sort of chav car.
My 3 year old saw a picture of them and loved them so I had an excuse, besides these cars are supposed to be a bit of fun so I thought what the hell.
I was a bit unsure about them now they were in my living room!
I really like the style so I thought if I don’t like the orange I’ll get them stripped and painted silver.
Found some Mini stickers on eBay and put them on.
Wheels mounted up. Still unsure if I liked them.
After a few weeks of having the wheels fitted they’ve grown on me so think they’ll be staying chavvy for now! All but 1 Mini sticker flew off after the first day though haha.
Bumper modified and aero grills fitted. I seem to like working in the snow.
Coilovers arrived.
I may do the odd track day in the Mini so I wanted something decent but I didn’t want a harsh ride.
These Meister R CRD+ seem to get great reviews and are price very well.
Adjustable top mounts
Remote adjusters for the rears, means you haven’t got to drop them every time you want to adjust the settings.
I loosened the pinch bolts on the front hubs before attempting fitting as they’re known for snapping. The passenger side came out fine but the drivers side snapped.
Had to order a hub from eBay. I then drilled the threads out and replaced the bolt with a nut and bolt (quite a common thing to do, BMW changed to this design on the R56)
Thought I’d face the snowy spells again and see what I could get done.
Old shock and hub off
New shock fitted. I couldn’t save the ABS sensor from my old hub so I’ve ordered a new one hence the arch liner studs missing
The ride height on these is adjusted separately, so you don’t upset the preload on the springs. I coated the threads in a lithium molykote grease.
Rears were given a coat of dinitrol just as an extra bit of protection.
It wasn’t drying in the cold weather (I won’t take it inside as it’s awful stuff to breathe in)
I grabbed the hair dryer off the missus and tried that on them out on the driveway/garage doorway.
As it was freezing I thought I’d warm my hands with it, then I took my hat off and warmed my head up.....
Then someone walked past staring at me, wondering why I was working on my car in the snow and blowing my bald head on the driveway with a hair dryer. Im sure I’ll feature in the weird neighbours thread in here at some point!
I only managed to get the front drivers side fitted.
Only lowered it by 10mm at the moment I’ll see what it’s like once they bed in. I don’t want it “slammed” but a bit lower than standard would be nice.
Plenty of clearance to the spring platforms. Which means I could’ve fitted 215/45s instead of 205/45s. Oh well.
That’s where I’ve got to so far. I know this is t the most exciting thread and won’t be to everybody’s taste but it’s just a bit of fun.
So the 7 series shed will be getting sold so the Mini can stay.
As my BMW 2002 project has come to a stand still due to huge delays waiting for pistons and rods (been waiting 12 months!) the Mini has had some attention.
When I got it;
It’s quite a decent spec with; full heated “leather” panoramic roof and LSD (came with the chilli pack on facelift models)
Plans are pretty normal in the r53 world;
17% pulley
Intercooler
Adjustable RCAs
Coilovers
Horrendous chav wheels
Aero grill
Airbox
Exhaust
I bought a Non resonated Milltek exhaust and fitted that. This car isn’t used for long drives so it’s fine. Only becomes annoying after long drives (3+ hours)
https://youtu.be/u9oM3D3D1ME
That was the first start up. It’s quietened down a little since then.
I spotted some horrific orange wheels on a Cooper S and I quite liked them but swore I’d never put them on as it’d look like some sort of chav car.
My 3 year old saw a picture of them and loved them so I had an excuse, besides these cars are supposed to be a bit of fun so I thought what the hell.
I was a bit unsure about them now they were in my living room!
I really like the style so I thought if I don’t like the orange I’ll get them stripped and painted silver.
Found some Mini stickers on eBay and put them on.
Wheels mounted up. Still unsure if I liked them.
After a few weeks of having the wheels fitted they’ve grown on me so think they’ll be staying chavvy for now! All but 1 Mini sticker flew off after the first day though haha.
Bumper modified and aero grills fitted. I seem to like working in the snow.
Coilovers arrived.
I may do the odd track day in the Mini so I wanted something decent but I didn’t want a harsh ride.
These Meister R CRD+ seem to get great reviews and are price very well.
Adjustable top mounts
Remote adjusters for the rears, means you haven’t got to drop them every time you want to adjust the settings.
I loosened the pinch bolts on the front hubs before attempting fitting as they’re known for snapping. The passenger side came out fine but the drivers side snapped.
Had to order a hub from eBay. I then drilled the threads out and replaced the bolt with a nut and bolt (quite a common thing to do, BMW changed to this design on the R56)
Thought I’d face the snowy spells again and see what I could get done.
Old shock and hub off
New shock fitted. I couldn’t save the ABS sensor from my old hub so I’ve ordered a new one hence the arch liner studs missing
The ride height on these is adjusted separately, so you don’t upset the preload on the springs. I coated the threads in a lithium molykote grease.
Rears were given a coat of dinitrol just as an extra bit of protection.
It wasn’t drying in the cold weather (I won’t take it inside as it’s awful stuff to breathe in)
I grabbed the hair dryer off the missus and tried that on them out on the driveway/garage doorway.
As it was freezing I thought I’d warm my hands with it, then I took my hat off and warmed my head up.....
Then someone walked past staring at me, wondering why I was working on my car in the snow and blowing my bald head on the driveway with a hair dryer. Im sure I’ll feature in the weird neighbours thread in here at some point!
I only managed to get the front drivers side fitted.
Only lowered it by 10mm at the moment I’ll see what it’s like once they bed in. I don’t want it “slammed” but a bit lower than standard would be nice.
Plenty of clearance to the spring platforms. Which means I could’ve fitted 215/45s instead of 205/45s. Oh well.
That’s where I’ve got to so far. I know this is t the most exciting thread and won’t be to everybody’s taste but it’s just a bit of fun.
Nice one!
I like the wheels on the grey,
How are you finding the Meister’s? Mine arrived last week for my 05 Cooper S. Having them fitted and setup next month. Did you need to fit adjustable rear control arms? Someone told me if your going low with it then there isn’t enough adjustment with the standard arms.
Nothing beats “that whine”
I like the wheels on the grey,
How are you finding the Meister’s? Mine arrived last week for my 05 Cooper S. Having them fitted and setup next month. Did you need to fit adjustable rear control arms? Someone told me if your going low with it then there isn’t enough adjustment with the standard arms.
Nothing beats “that whine”
Maty said:
Nice one!
I like the wheels on the grey,
How are you finding the Meister’s? Mine arrived last week for my 05 Cooper S. Having them fitted and setup next month. Did you need to fit adjustable rear control arms? Someone told me if your going low with it then there isn’t enough adjustment with the standard arms.
Nothing beats “that whine”
I’ve only fitted the one damper. I ran out of time yesterday. I like the wheels on the grey,
How are you finding the Meister’s? Mine arrived last week for my 05 Cooper S. Having them fitted and setup next month. Did you need to fit adjustable rear control arms? Someone told me if your going low with it then there isn’t enough adjustment with the standard arms.
Nothing beats “that whine”
I got up early today to fit the others and we’ve got loads of snow so not sur I’ll get the chance.
I bought some Silver project RCAs as although you get some rear camber adjustment on Facelift models from what I gather it’s not quite enough.
Thanks for the kind worlds, I was sure PH would slate me for the wheels!
Shappers, seems a lot of people are buying these lately.
My missus and I always claimed we hated them as we’re big Classic Mini fans. However I wanted a small fun car and they fit the bill so well.
I’ve never seen her so excited about one of our cars than when she came home and saw this.
We just had to let our guard down and stop being snobs!
Moktabe that looks awesome, do you have a picture of the whole car?
I usually dislike US side markers but they look really good on the MINI.
Update
I woke up to this, as I’m sure most of us did.
Not to be defeated though!
My missus was at work today so I took over the dining table to grease the threads.
Shock removed, it’s seen better days. I could smell the oil leaking out of it before I removed the wheel. I couldn’t see or smell this a few weeks ago when I fitted the wheels
The front turrets suffer from mushrooming on these. Mine didn’t seem to bad but I still gave them a whack with a hammer and block of wood.
I then ran into what I thought was an issue, the recommended preload on for MINIs is 0. The spring height is 170mm, so just wind the perch until is retains the spring but doesn’t load it.
I did this yesterday once the shock was fully fitted.
Today I set it all up before I fitted the shock.
When I double checked the spring height after installing it was at ~163mm....
After chatting with a mate i realised it’s because I had only jacked up one side so the ARB had a load on it. Therefore I had to jack the wishbone a little to get the drop link on.
I’ll have to jack both sides at the same time and readjust (unless anyone else has any ideas/tips)
Onto the rears.
I was freezing at this point so I didn’t take many pictures.
Interior ripped out to drill a hole for the adjuster.
I thought about bailing out and drilling the holes another time, as I hate interior but I’d got this far so carried on.
Daylight!
I’m going to drill the hole bigger and pop a grommet in.
When attempting to remove the rear control arm to fit the adjustable ones I came across another snag.
The weld broke on the anchor nut retainer and the whole thing was spinning.
I jammed a punch in the hole to stop it rotating and tried to undo it but the nut then just slipped in the retainer and span.
Arse.
Plan is to just cut it off with an angle grinder and put a nut and bolt in. However facelifts have provision slight for camber adjustment so I’m unsure if the hole is eccentric. If anyone knows I’m all ears.
I know it’s a good excuse to fit R56 trailing arms but I’ve spent enough lately.
I ran out of time for today so I’ll have to fit the off side rear tomorrow before I start nights and the RCAs will go on when I find out about the holes.
Quick pic of how it looks now (not much different from before!) I’ll wind the rear down a little once it’s settled.
Snapped a few icicles off the bumper when I lowered it.
Apologies for lots or words for not much progress.
Shappers, seems a lot of people are buying these lately.
My missus and I always claimed we hated them as we’re big Classic Mini fans. However I wanted a small fun car and they fit the bill so well.
I’ve never seen her so excited about one of our cars than when she came home and saw this.
We just had to let our guard down and stop being snobs!
Moktabe that looks awesome, do you have a picture of the whole car?
I usually dislike US side markers but they look really good on the MINI.
Update
I woke up to this, as I’m sure most of us did.
Not to be defeated though!
My missus was at work today so I took over the dining table to grease the threads.
Shock removed, it’s seen better days. I could smell the oil leaking out of it before I removed the wheel. I couldn’t see or smell this a few weeks ago when I fitted the wheels
The front turrets suffer from mushrooming on these. Mine didn’t seem to bad but I still gave them a whack with a hammer and block of wood.
I then ran into what I thought was an issue, the recommended preload on for MINIs is 0. The spring height is 170mm, so just wind the perch until is retains the spring but doesn’t load it.
I did this yesterday once the shock was fully fitted.
Today I set it all up before I fitted the shock.
When I double checked the spring height after installing it was at ~163mm....
After chatting with a mate i realised it’s because I had only jacked up one side so the ARB had a load on it. Therefore I had to jack the wishbone a little to get the drop link on.
I’ll have to jack both sides at the same time and readjust (unless anyone else has any ideas/tips)
Onto the rears.
I was freezing at this point so I didn’t take many pictures.
Interior ripped out to drill a hole for the adjuster.
I thought about bailing out and drilling the holes another time, as I hate interior but I’d got this far so carried on.
Daylight!
I’m going to drill the hole bigger and pop a grommet in.
When attempting to remove the rear control arm to fit the adjustable ones I came across another snag.
The weld broke on the anchor nut retainer and the whole thing was spinning.
I jammed a punch in the hole to stop it rotating and tried to undo it but the nut then just slipped in the retainer and span.
Arse.
Plan is to just cut it off with an angle grinder and put a nut and bolt in. However facelifts have provision slight for camber adjustment so I’m unsure if the hole is eccentric. If anyone knows I’m all ears.
I know it’s a good excuse to fit R56 trailing arms but I’ve spent enough lately.
I ran out of time for today so I’ll have to fit the off side rear tomorrow before I start nights and the RCAs will go on when I find out about the holes.
Quick pic of how it looks now (not much different from before!) I’ll wind the rear down a little once it’s settled.
Snapped a few icicles off the bumper when I lowered it.
Apologies for lots or words for not much progress.
Good stuff, very similar to what I've been doing to mine - I was looking at getting the same wheels but just in silver/anthracite!
A relatively easy job and a worthwhile upgrade is fitting the R56 calipers/discs.
They are almost a straight swap, you need to change the brake lines to the R56 ones too.
I need to crack on with mine, I've got a pile of suspension parts (KW Coilovers, Hardrace RCA, 20mm Whitleine ARB, Compbrake adjustable to mounts etc) sitting waiting to be fitted.
I've done a few exterior mods with mine too - don't really want to spend anymore on it now as I wasn't planning on modifying it.
I am on the lookout for buckets and harnesses and a different wheel though haha
A relatively easy job and a worthwhile upgrade is fitting the R56 calipers/discs.
They are almost a straight swap, you need to change the brake lines to the R56 ones too.
I need to crack on with mine, I've got a pile of suspension parts (KW Coilovers, Hardrace RCA, 20mm Whitleine ARB, Compbrake adjustable to mounts etc) sitting waiting to be fitted.
I've done a few exterior mods with mine too - don't really want to spend anymore on it now as I wasn't planning on modifying it.
I am on the lookout for buckets and harnesses and a different wheel though haha
That GP1511 looks great.
Andy; yeah I’ll be doing the r56 brake upgrade at some point. Would be silly not to, as like you say it’s so easy to do.
The brakes one mine feel horrible, I changed the fluid and bled them when I got it but there seems to be a load of dead travel. I’m going to bleed them again and see if I can get it any better.
Liking what you’ve done with yours. I was after a blue one too (either that or the darker blue; I forget the names) but I’d been looking for the right one for ages and this finally came up!
I’ve finished fitting the coilover now.
The RCAs are in too I just used an adjustable to hold the anchor nut.
Hard to spot the new RCA as the dinitrol makes it look old and rusty. However I’d rather it be protected than erode then corrode.
Rear shocks in place again looking abit messy due to grease and dinitrol.
Rear panels are back in. I’ve routed the adjusters so you can access them from the removalbe bulb panels.
Just needs a good wash and the geo done now.
I’ll play with height when everything’s settled.
A quick spin around the block and they seem to ride quite well. They’re set to full soft and the rear bounces lits after speed bumps. I’ll make my way up the settings as i drive it to find where I’m happy.
Andy; yeah I’ll be doing the r56 brake upgrade at some point. Would be silly not to, as like you say it’s so easy to do.
The brakes one mine feel horrible, I changed the fluid and bled them when I got it but there seems to be a load of dead travel. I’m going to bleed them again and see if I can get it any better.
Liking what you’ve done with yours. I was after a blue one too (either that or the darker blue; I forget the names) but I’d been looking for the right one for ages and this finally came up!
I’ve finished fitting the coilover now.
The RCAs are in too I just used an adjustable to hold the anchor nut.
Hard to spot the new RCA as the dinitrol makes it look old and rusty. However I’d rather it be protected than erode then corrode.
Rear shocks in place again looking abit messy due to grease and dinitrol.
Rear panels are back in. I’ve routed the adjusters so you can access them from the removalbe bulb panels.
Just needs a good wash and the geo done now.
I’ll play with height when everything’s settled.
A quick spin around the block and they seem to ride quite well. They’re set to full soft and the rear bounces lits after speed bumps. I’ll make my way up the settings as i drive it to find where I’m happy.
Edited by EddyBee on Monday 19th March 17:17
Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff