So I managed to snag a set of H&R performance springs for about 50% off today- sweet deal. This guy in Colorado decided that he would rather have a set of H-Sport Springs instead- to each his own but I'm glad I was able to save some money.

It looks like I'm getting closer to a repair date for the damaged bumper- may have it done by next week- but am still working things out with the body shop and insurance company, so far everyone has been really helpful.

I also realize that this page is getting a little hefty - and shoud be tidied up a bit. For this reason I am messing around with setting up "Archives" of the old posts just incase anybody would like to take a trip down MINIblog lane at any point and relive the magic that is me working on my car-

So if the site looks a little F'ed up for a little bit bare with me- it's a work in progress.

Here is a link to the springs I'm getting- man they are sweet:

H&R Performance Springs

That is all for now...more as the story unfolds
posted by Steve   Tuesday, January 27, 2004

That's what goes through my mind when awaiting imminent contact with another automobile and there is nothing I can do but brace for impact. It is perhaps one of the worst feelings of helplessness - (granted not as helpless as being trapped inside a sinking ship or when people sometimes get pinned between a large object and a wall and the only thing keeping them alive is the thing that hit them)

Anyways- So there I was making great time to work- feeling pretty good because I had really worked the shortcuts and beat the traffic and made some time. Then it happened.

A car- two cars in front of me slammed on it's brakes (large vintage Caddy) and came to a complete stop in the middle of the road- for no apparent reason. The car in front of me was able to stop- so was I (ninja like speed and reflexes)- the car behind me was even able to stop (after some squealing and smoke)- It was the last car that did us in though. A new Audi A-4 came around the corner and just didn't react in time- He hit the car behind me and made a Nissan sandwich. Luckily I didn't hit the car in front of me- So I'm not responsible for any damages.

What really chaps my ass though is that after all the accidents and ruckus was over- the Caddy just lumbered away down the road- never making it apparent why they stopped- or even that they noticed they had just caused a 3 car accident. M'er F'ers!

So after I got finished meeting the nice people who smacked up my MINI I wound up getting to work 20 minutes late and with a bumper that needs some work. The damage as compared to the other cars is minor- the A4 was toast- he hit the Nissan in a nosedive and bypassed his bumper completely so hit with his grill- sending coolant and other vital fluids spewing out in all directions. The Nissan had damage to front and rear. My car has a dinged bumper and a buncha scrapes- and I think the bumper bracket is broken. To the untrained eye it looks like a moderate case of city parking rash.

Here's some pics:






So I called the dealer this morning and got prices for the parts- looks like to replace the whole assembly will cost about between $300 and $400 - not including paint and installation. So it's gonna be pricey. Luckily I have really good insurance- thanks to Kerry (who is really smart and awesome for having me switch to her insurance company)

Oh yeah- luckily nobody was hurt- and at the end of the day this is all just a big pain in the ass. 'Cause what a freakin' bummer- this is not the direction I am trying to go with this car. Remember I'm the guy who doesn't allow eating in the car- scrapes and dents are very much frowned upon.

Dammit!- to be continued
posted by Steve   Wednesday, January 21, 2004

This is what it's all about

Cool MINI Video from accross the pond

Thanks to Mr. Tony Bacon for bringing this awesome demonstration video to my attention.

For those less net-savy in the group- clicking on the link above will begin the download of a ".zip" file (a compressed version of the video). Once the download is complete open the .zip and find the video inside (it's a .wmv file).

This video demonstrates a few important things:

1. Why the new MINI is such a GREAT car (balance)

2. Why I'm so pissed that BMW isn't offering the WORKS conversion for non-S coopers in the states-

3. Why I feel it is worthwhile to enhance, tweak and modify the MINI.
posted by Steve   Wednesday, January 14, 2004

Just when I was starting to wonder if maybe I had gone too far this time and trying to fix what wasn't broken to begin with was perhaps not such a good idea- Vaughn and I finished the install and the MINI was reborn.

Now I'm not going to go so far as to say "phoenix" or anything - because - to be sure the MINI was not really in an ashen state prior to the updates made this weekend- more like it had a case of the flu. The difference that can be felt when driving the car, however, is truly night and day. It's meaner, tighter, and even feels faster- (but that is probably just the re-tuned way the car handles itself on the road)

For those of you who have not been keeping up- doing your MINIblog homework- (first of all- shame on you)- I will briefly recap the past months "exciting" course of events.

The idea was simple- install a B&M short shift kit and MINI Madness adjustable rear sway bar thus increasing the performance of the MINI. The first attempt to achieve this goal not only failed to improve the car- but left in it a worse state than it was previously- and put me in a really bad mood (not exactly what I had in mind)

After a month of holidays and waiting for parts- last weekend was the time to clean up the mess.

Well I have to say that all the toil and patience has paid off in spades. The MINI is now truly a force to be reckoned with. There is a certain level of comfort to be had at looking at a Porsche in the lane next to you and thinking "I know this guy can cook me off the line- but his ass is grass in the twisty's." The addition of the Madness rear sway bar has truly changed the dynamic of the car- if I thought it handled well before- then now it's just silly -PHYSICS BE DAMNED!

Perhaps I'm getting ahead of myself..... let's discuss the installs

As you may have guessed by reading the previous few entries Vaughn and I are now supreme experts at disassembling and reassembling the MINI's shift assembly (having done so about 6 times now)- so installing the new retainer ring went about as smoothly as it could possibly go- It went so smoothly that it pissed me off when I thought about all the time and expense I wasted by following the directions provided by B&M- in short- their product is second to none but their directions are trash.

Anyways- Once that was done we moved on to the Rear Sway install. This was breaking new ground for both of us- so we proceeded with caution. The directions provided by MINI Madness seemed straightforward enough- but I had learned my lesson with directions so I took them with a grain of salt.

The steps for this install are basically as follows:

• Remove rear wheels


• Detach Sway Bar Links


• Un-Bolt Rear Sway bar


• Remove 4 Sub-frame bolts


• Install New & Improved Rear Sway


• Put it back together

All in all I think there were 14 bolts involved and that's 4 more than you probably need- because just to have some extra working room we also detached the rear struts (from the top). Much to my surprise this install was easy and right on. It went along almost without incident- since there must always be some drama involved in every upgrade here are the highlights:

• We accidentally bolted the sub-frame back into place prematurely - thus pinning the sway bar into the wrong position (we had to take it back apart once to set the bar correctly)


• I managed to torque the head off of one of Vaughn's socket extensions which made a great popping-crack noise (so that was cool)


• We got to try out my new Torque Wrench when putting the car back together- turns out that thing is awesome & thanks to it I'm confident that my rear suspension won't fall out on the highway
  
• Oh and last but not least I managed to - at the very end of the day- drop my car off the Jack and totally destroy the factory jack that is included with the car (Damage to the MINI: NONE ;- Damage to ego: MODERATE)

Yeah dropping the car off the jack was a little embarrassing & scary- but here's how it happened:

I just got a REALLY cool 3 ton hydraulic floor jack for xmas - problem is that its a little to tall to fit under the car. So what I have been doing is lifting the car a little with the factory jack and then continuing with the floor jack. This process is really easy going up- but not so great coming back down. I guess I didn't seat the factory jack properly and when the cars full weight was applied- the jack buckled- and the car fell (only a few inches)- once I realized that the only thing that crunched was the jack I wasn't too upset but did feel a bit stoopid. I guess it may be in my best interest to invest in some ramps. Well live and learn I suppose. I wonder how much a new factory jack will cost?

Wow this is a long entry. Ok- I'll stop writing now and get to the pictures:


That's the stock sway bar prior to upgrade



Here is the Sway bar link, now detached (these should also be upgraded at some point)


Thats me detaching the subframe on the drivers side


Here is the subframe detached (This part really was necessary and made the whole install much easier)


This is a shot of the new sway bar vs. the stock. I dunno if you can see in this picture but not only is the new one WAY thicker than the old one- but I has three holes for various levels of stiffness.


There's Vaughn reattaching the sub-frame on the passenger side.


Oh- in my excitement to get the car out on the road I forgot to take a pic of the new sway bar installed. Here is a pic of the finished product from the MINI Mandess Instructions- (the new sway bar is the red thing behind the wheel)

Hope you enjoyed this installment of MINIblog. For any MINI gearheads that may have specific questions about anything discussed here- feel free to email me whenever.

Next up: most likely H&R springs (though that will depend on funds)

Until then I'll just get used to razor sharp shifts and handling that defies the laws of physics.
posted by Steve   Monday, January 12, 2004

Ok now for those of you who have been anxiously awaiting the conclusion of the B&M Short Shift ordeal- yer just gonna have to wait longer

But for now I can say this:

Upon returning to the office today (following a quite lengthy- and awesome nationwide holiday vacation spree) I found a large cardboard box sitting on my desk. Still being in the holiday spirit I tore into it with reckless abandon- sending cardboard and tape flying this way and that...(as I have become accustomed to doing over the past few weeks of presents, mayhem and gluttony)

What to my wondrous eyes should appear? A brand-new MINI shift assembly COMPLETE!



My surprise came from the fact that they not only shipped me the 1 small piece that I actually needed- but I also apparently bought a new shift lever, gaskets, bushings, cable clips, and housing. AWESOME

So this weekend when I go to install the new retainer ring- should I run into any snags- I have a replacement for every part. So I guess that's something.

That is all for now- Tick tock 'til Sunday.... and this time I'm gonna get that sway bar in too!
posted by Steve   Monday, January 05, 2004