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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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. …
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 …
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 …
One day you will pull up on the ebrake handle, and one of two things will happen: 1. Nothing. or 2. It goes almost to vertical before it grabs. If #1 happens, you’ve broken both cables. If #2 happens, you’ve only broken one side. In this post, we’ll walk you through the steps to repair …
The black A-Pillar trim on the first Generation MINI is one of the car’s signature design elements. It’s also very fragile and can be challenging to repair if you don’t know how they are attached. So whether you need to remove them to replace the windshield or you want to repair the broken ones you …
If you’re on the fence about using one of those restoration kits or not, then check out these photos. For about $30 and a half hour of your time, you could save several hundred dollars. You may still need to replace them eventually, but you can probably buy yourself a couple of years before incurring …