NOS Carpet Lining
One of the things I love about working on old Porsches is that you can get almost any part. This is a brand new 10 year old part for a 17 year old car.
Porsche Steering Grinder Fix & New H&R Springs
The steering on the 996 has been a bit creaky lately. Noticeable when backing up or parking, there was a distinct grinding noise coming from the front right strut. Having experienced that before in the MINI, I suspected it would be a strut bearing and was right. Getting it off to replace proved to be a …
Stuck Strut Mount
There are few things in life that can’t be fixed with either duct tape, zip-ties, or WD-40. Add angle grinder to that list. I had to replace a strut bearing on the Porsche. Unlike the MINI where the bearing is in the mount, on the 996 the bearing sits between the mount and the top …
Detroittuned By Pass Valve DIY
If you’ve been around R53 MINIs long enough, you’re probably aware of the “yo-yo” issue in early models. The supercharged MINI engine in first gen models has a valve that allows intake air under partial throttle (vacuum vs boost) conditions to bypass the supercharger as a way to increase fuel efficiency. This bypass valve sits …
CravenSpeed Shift Well Cover DIY
To close out the interior refresh on the trackcar, I installed a CravenSpeed Shift Well Cover this week. Besides protecting the shifter from accidental damage — it just looks cool. If you’ve installed an adjustable short shifter, the biggest advantage is ease of access to the adjustment lock. Installation is very simple and should be completed …
MINI Sparco Steering Wheel & QR Install DIY
This project turned into much more of an adventure than was originally planned. The basic idea was simple enough: Install an aftermarket steering wheel and ditch the airbag on the trackcar. I knew the wheel I wanted because I used to have it on my E30. Just find the right hub; get the spacing right …
CravenSpeed Short Shifter DIY
I finally got around to installing the CravenSpeed Adjustable Short Shifter and Shift Knob in the MINI this weekend. It’s not a hard DIY project if you have a lift so you can drop the exhaust — which I don’t. This post offers some tips if you’re thinking about taking on this project armed only with jack-stands. …
SEMA Show 2016
It’s been about a month since the SEMA show in Las Vegas which started just after Halloween this year. With the US election and Thanksgiving holiday in the rearview mirror, this seemed like a good time to reflect on the state of the aftermarket industry. For those not familiar with it, SEMA is the Specialty Equipment …
Adding OEM Fog Lights to R53 MINI
We recently posted a couple of DIY articles about foglights. One was about using the stock MINI fog light openings as brake duct openings, and the other was about adding Hella fog lights using the Alta Rally Light bar. In this post, we’ll fit a pair of stock MINI fog lights to the bumper of a …
MINI Front Seats Deconstructed
We break down a set of 2004 MINI front seats so you don’t have to. Besides wearing out the covers, the five most common failures, in no particular order are: Seat heaters stop working; tilt-slide doesn’t slide; seat height adjustment spring (gas pressurized spring 52107069970) fails; seat-back adjustment spring fails; and the seat cushion spring (52107129253) or …