Mini Mania Open House and Lawn Party by Jerry (Siddhartha) Bradbury
What can transform a peaceful sylvan lawn in Gold Country into a carnival overnight? The annual Mini Mania Open House and Lawn Party of course! Those who were there got to see first hand all the eye candy, but for those who were not, the Mini's ranged from an electric Moke to a VTEC powered Classic, to Randy Steven's tricked out CVT to Robert Holt’s Purple Haze convertible to three full on Mini race cars: my sprint car, Jacques Andres' enduro car and Eric and Colin Herricks's rally car, and many in between.
Infineon Raceway, April 11, 2008. by Jerry (Siddhartha) Bradbury
My Mini has a new setup for this race. Speed parts from my sponsor Mini Mania have been added by my sponsor Bay Bridge Motors and USTCC sponsor Nitto has provided four brand new NT 01 tires. This will be my first official race with the US Touring Car Championship and I look forward to hitting the grid with more horsepower and quicker lap times.
The new MINI was launched in 2001, to much acclaim. Although bigger than the original Mini, what it lacked in rear legroom, it made up for in unusual styling and a vast array of personalisation elements, much loved by a local estate agent.
The MINI Clubman has the same raft of options but its main benefit is the extra length, which should make rear passengers happier.
She's alive and running well after a few short drives today!
The Motive bleeder worked without incident as did the clutch slave compressor.
The clutch pedal is firmer(getting close to a stock Mini pedal feel), so that's nice because our stock MINI clutch pedals feel very wimpy. Engagement seems normal so far(FX200 clutch kit).
My part throttle sluggishness(from Ultrik camshaft possibly) seems to have vanished. That result must have been from a cleaned/oiled up air filter or that CM light flywheel. Whatever it's gooooood!
The steering feedback feels precise with the powerflex lower control arm bushings. I've not pushed it yet to see what, if anything the steering rack bushing or the front sway bar bushings have done to at limit driving. Another 450 miles for clutch break-in.
Thanks to Jan @ RMW for the CM flywheel and clutch kit. And a final thanks goes out to all the NAM guys for tips/suggustions/encouragement!
Jeremy
The syringe was to suck out a bit of fluid after depressurizing and removing bleeder from master cylinder. You can crack the bleeder cap, with the bleed valve closest to the MC to add air to the MC instead of sucking out fluid after. Midway through the holiday fun.
2004 Liquid Yellow MCS Sport/Chrome Pkg, 15% Alta SC Pulley, Alta Intake, Alta IC Diverter, Ultrik Cam, CM Flywheel/FX200, OBX ATB Diff, JCW Software, 1 Ball Exhaust, JCW Plugs, Powerflex Front Subframe Bushings, Powerflex Motor Mount Inserts, Alta Springs, Alta Lower Control Arms, Rear Seat Deleted, 17 by 7 O.Z. Ultraleggeras, Auto Meter Boost/Vacuum And Oil Pressure Gauges.
That's right Willie_B! Check out the MINI special tool for clutch slave bleeding.......
BTW I can't believe how light the MINI's plastic clutch slave cylinder is compared to a Minis' cast beast!
Jeremy
2004 Liquid Yellow MCS Sport/Chrome Pkg, 15% Alta SC Pulley, Alta Intake, Alta IC Diverter, Ultrik Cam, CM Flywheel/FX200, OBX ATB Diff, JCW Software, 1 Ball Exhaust, JCW Plugs, Powerflex Front Subframe Bushings, Powerflex Motor Mount Inserts, Alta Springs, Alta Lower Control Arms, Rear Seat Deleted, 17 by 7 O.Z. Ultraleggeras, Auto Meter Boost/Vacuum And Oil Pressure Gauges.
Nothing like some garage make a tool at work. Nice yellow rope and the long screw on the tensioner is great. You do learn to make do with what you have when you really want to get-er-done.
Before I drop her on the ground I'm going to take care of my leaky tensioner.
Jeremy
Control arms off. The press is on(control arm bracket)! Control arm bushings pressed in. Sway bar bushings. Stock control arm bushing in foreground. Steering rack bushing in background.
All back together. Spent tensioner. All of the pulleys were oiled up..... . Good thing I've got a new belt and tensioner to go in!
2004 Liquid Yellow MCS Sport/Chrome Pkg, 15% Alta SC Pulley, Alta Intake, Alta IC Diverter, Ultrik Cam, CM Flywheel/FX200, OBX ATB Diff, JCW Software, 1 Ball Exhaust, JCW Plugs, Powerflex Front Subframe Bushings, Powerflex Motor Mount Inserts, Alta Springs, Alta Lower Control Arms, Rear Seat Deleted, 17 by 7 O.Z. Ultraleggeras, Auto Meter Boost/Vacuum And Oil Pressure Gauges.
Boy a new MINI has way more wires, tubes, hoses etc. to get the heck out of the way when changing the flywheel/clutch and modding the tranny with a torque biasing diff...
Here's what greeted me coming through the passage door. Can just see the clutch and flywheel bolted up - shiny aluminum and white bits.
Jeremy checking that wires, hoses etc. are all out of the way.
Squeaky clean bell housing ready to lead the way to the engine.
Back end of the tranny after locating and bolting finger tight.
As Jer said, a little jacking, grunting and groaning, then a little crank rotation and bingo it all came together.
Modded power unit has aftermarket cam installed up top...and that is a whole lot easier than changing a cam in the A Series.
Taking out the sub frame allows all the bits to get a good look and clean up too!
Rick/Hunter2
Mini friends! Mini rides!
Restored/modified Mini 1000 with 1380cc power unit,
2.95:1 FD, adj. suspension, S discs/drums, 10x5 Minilites, 165x70
A008s, custom trim and matching custom trailer.
I bolted up the flywheel housing to the trans this morning after laying a bead of permatex black on the trans. My Dad dropped by just as I was finishing that up and then we struggled to mount the gearbox to the motor. After 25+ minutes of tension the dowels lined up with a twist of the crank and that was that! My Dad took a few pics of that adventure so he may post them later.
Here's a few videos I quickly made up this morning while my coffee was brewing.
2004 Liquid Yellow MCS Sport/Chrome Pkg, 15% Alta SC Pulley, Alta Intake, Alta IC Diverter, Ultrik Cam, CM Flywheel/FX200, OBX ATB Diff, JCW Software, 1 Ball Exhaust, JCW Plugs, Powerflex Front Subframe Bushings, Powerflex Motor Mount Inserts, Alta Springs, Alta Lower Control Arms, Rear Seat Deleted, 17 by 7 O.Z. Ultraleggeras, Auto Meter Boost/Vacuum And Oil Pressure Gauges.
Tomorrow I plan on mating the gearbox to the motor. My Dad may help me do that as it was tough enough to lower the gearbox out of the engine bay by myself. It's always nice to have a 3rd or 4th hand and and extra set of eyes.
I torqued up the thread restored diff bolts and torqued-in 10 ft-lb steps-from 30 ft-lbs up to 60 ft-lbs. I'm thinking 70 ft-lbs may be excessive for the short M10 by 1.5 bolts even though they are grade 12.9. ics are below.
Jeremy
There's the 6 speed bell crank shaft at the top. Too bad reverse gear on the left is in constant mesh with 1st gear. What a power soaker. :-( Trans is in neutral now because of detent spring pressure, and ready in the 3rd-4th gear plane because of the giant spring at the left end of the bell crank shaft! New bearings and crown wheel gear cleaned and blown off. Bearings are ready for a warm up in the oven! Diff bearings on OBX without incident! Side shot of course. There's a standard 3.44:1 crown wheel and pinion from a Mini on the left for comparison. haha New diff snugged up for a final torque up!
__________________
2004 Liquid Yellow MCS Sport/Chrome Pkg, 15% Alta SC Pulley, Alta Intake, Alta IC Diverter, Ultrik Cam, CM Flywheel/FX200, OBX ATB Diff, JCW Software, 1 Ball Exhaust, JCW Plugs, Powerflex Front Subframe Bushings, Powerflex Motor Mount Inserts, Alta Springs, Alta Lower Control Arms, Rear Seat Deleted, 17 by 7 O.Z. Ultraleggeras, Auto Meter Boost/Vacuum And Oil Pressure Gauges.
Yeah it should make a difference Andy. The CM flywheel is about 11lbs and 11.5-12lbs with the 8 bolts and plate washer. The stock dual mass flywheel is about 26 pounds without the 8 longer stock bolts!
Yeah there's not too much you can do to bag on things when it's a 99.95% daily driver.....my dad taught me to try to be as smooth as possible. I still find it tough to do that with the drive by wire throttle though. haha
I just baked my new diff bearings for 20 minutes and they slide right down onto the OBX diff! I was ready with a 1/2 drive extension mounted inversely to a 36 mm socket to go to work with a BFH, but there was no need!
Jeremy
2004 Liquid Yellow MCS Sport/Chrome Pkg, 15% Alta SC Pulley, Alta Intake, Alta IC Diverter, Ultrik Cam, CM Flywheel/FX200, OBX ATB Diff, JCW Software, 1 Ball Exhaust, JCW Plugs, Powerflex Front Subframe Bushings, Powerflex Motor Mount Inserts, Alta Springs, Alta Lower Control Arms, Rear Seat Deleted, 17 by 7 O.Z. Ultraleggeras, Auto Meter Boost/Vacuum And Oil Pressure Gauges.
Wow, that flywheel should make a huge difference! have you weighed them to compare? the original "dual mass" flywheel looks like a massive piece of iron!
All the original bits look to be in good condition, nice to see. You obviously don't abuse it too much
Cheers, Andy
No other car makes everyone smile like a Mini does!
I thought the base models were comparable in standard trim Andy, but what you state makes sense! Too bad about your old MINI Cooper S then; my parents will just have to enjoy my Dad's Mini then!
Tonight I'll get the crown wheel gear off the stock diff and fire it onto the OBX. Then I'll have to bake my new diff bearings and try to drop them on my OBX diff.
Here's some pics of today in the shop.
Jeremy
Gearbox/Diff gently removed. Stock Flywheel Stock stuff. Rear main seal in great shape so I'm not replacing it! CM Flywheel: note the Mini 1275cc A+ con rod bearing shell to hold the flywheel. It only worked for the pressure plate tourque up so I used a pry bar for the crank bolts. CM FX200 pressure plate and the clutch disc is all aligned! There's the trans and open differential.
__________________
2004 Liquid Yellow MCS Sport/Chrome Pkg, 15% Alta SC Pulley, Alta Intake, Alta IC Diverter, Ultrik Cam, CM Flywheel/FX200, OBX ATB Diff, JCW Software, 1 Ball Exhaust, JCW Plugs, Powerflex Front Subframe Bushings, Powerflex Motor Mount Inserts, Alta Springs, Alta Lower Control Arms, Rear Seat Deleted, 17 by 7 O.Z. Ultraleggeras, Auto Meter Boost/Vacuum And Oil Pressure Gauges.
Yes, I already returned the 05' when we picked up the new one. They waived my last 3 lease payments, and I had to buy now to be tax exempt when I move to Ontario, and am no longer an "Alberta resident" (3k savings on no pst!)
If Rick looks closer, one reason MINI prices are so much higher (base) in the US, is there is a LOT less features included in the base model, and the packages are different (at least on the S) I built the same car on MINIUSA as I bought, and it was within 3k of what I paid, even though the base price is much higher here. It would still be nice to get them cheaper, but we ARE in a different country, after all even if it does not seem like it sometimes The quality is soooooo much better than the cheaper options out there, I drove a lot of cars before deciding on another MINI. (the BMW 1 series, and Subaru WRX were the other top choices after much evaluation, all expensive! but quality)
No other car makes everyone smile like a Mini does!
I'm glad you're still a MINI driver too Andy! Did you return your 2005 Cooper S yet? If you still have it maybe my parents should talk to you about taking it off your hands.....haha. MINI Canada still has not lowered their pricing-to approximate USA pricing-and as a result, have pretty much priced them out of selling a MINI to my parents.
I managed to lower out the gearbox this morning. The flywheel, clutch disc and pressure plate are all in super shape with 75000 KM on them. I'll post some pics later of todays progress.
Jeremy
2004 Liquid Yellow MCS Sport/Chrome Pkg, 15% Alta SC Pulley, Alta Intake, Alta IC Diverter, Ultrik Cam, CM Flywheel/FX200, OBX ATB Diff, JCW Software, 1 Ball Exhaust, JCW Plugs, Powerflex Front Subframe Bushings, Powerflex Motor Mount Inserts, Alta Springs, Alta Lower Control Arms, Rear Seat Deleted, 17 by 7 O.Z. Ultraleggeras, Auto Meter Boost/Vacuum And Oil Pressure Gauges.
Looks good Jeremy, should be fun with a LSD I think you will like the ATB diff, and you should definitely run one in the Turbo Mini build.
I have not kept a MINI long enough to be out of the warranty period, picked up the 08' S Clubby last week. After the warranty is up, I have plans for it too....
Cheers, Andy
No other car makes everyone smile like a Mini does!
As the title states I'm doing some wrenching on my MINI again(from my NAM thread). If things go ok with this OBX ATB diff in my MINI, my Dad and I will go with a Quaife ATB diff for our turbo build! I'm tired of years of one wheel peel! haha
I'll try to get the gearbox dropped out today before I spend some time with my fiance(cheesie term).
Jeremy
Subframe dropped. Subframe on shop floor(view from driver's side). Subframe slid out from under MINI. There's the cross pin for the stock OPEN DIFF(view from driver's side). Driver's side pot joint/CV looking good! Driver's side knuckle, half shaft, strut etc yanked.
2004 Liquid Yellow MCS Sport/Chrome Pkg, 15% Alta SC Pulley, Alta Intake, Alta IC Diverter, Ultrik Cam, CM Flywheel/FX200, OBX ATB Diff, JCW Software, 1 Ball Exhaust, JCW Plugs, Powerflex Front Subframe Bushings, Powerflex Motor Mount Inserts, Alta Springs, Alta Lower Control Arms, Rear Seat Deleted, 17 by 7 O.Z. Ultraleggeras, Auto Meter Boost/Vacuum And Oil Pressure Gauges.
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Posted: May-11-2008 07:35PM
. 
ics are below.
The quality is soooooo much better than the cheaper options out there, I drove a lot of cars before deciding on another MINI. (the BMW 1 series, and Subaru WRX were the other top choices after much evaluation, all expensive! but quality)
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