the brown MINI

TSR53 · Post by **TSR53** » Sun Sep 30, 2007 11:39 pm

I need to put my plastic BMW MINI key in my wallet...

brownMINI · Post by **brownMINI** » Tue Oct 09, 2007 7:09 am

You can see a bent front swaybar endlink (sliver hting hanging down near the brake caliper). And I think the tie rod is supposed to be straight, not bent.

Behind the swaybar is a black, square tubing crash structure that used to be much more "normal" looking.

And front lower control arms are not supposed to look like this:

Mr. Bridgestone · Post by **Mr. Bridgestone** » Tue Oct 09, 2007 8:34 am

Looks like they are making good progress though.

Brown Mini will be back on the track before long.

brownMINI · Post by **brownMINI** » Sun Oct 21, 2007 12:07 am

I went down to Greg's today to "help" work on the car. We were hoping to make it roll-able today, but that didn't happen. We thought the CV boot needed to be rebuilt, but once the boot was off it looked like the axle / CV joint might be damaged. Rather than rebuild a suspect CV joint, we spent most of the rest of the day taking the wheel bearing / axle / etc apart so that it could be sent back as a core and a new axle and wheel bearing were ordered.

But, a new control arm is in place and new ball joints are in too. We also removed the battery box (moving it to the back of the car) and the airbox (going with the hot air intake - a filter right off the throttle body). The A/C was also removed. A new water pump was installed, as was a new belt tensioner. I had a new belt, too... but with no A/C, we need a shorter belt.

There's also a new bumper cover sitting in the garage. But, it might be going back... it's a stock Cooper bumper, and if an aero-kit bumper is close in price to the standard bumper, might as well go with the aero kit bumper.

And there's a new big plastic shroud that goes around the radiator waiting to be installed. The bumper support has been replaced. The metal bumper structure has been "massaged" to be close to straight again.

A few more weeks of work, and it might be ready to be driven back home.

TSR53 · Post by **TSR53** » Sun Oct 21, 2007 9:11 am

Great! Looks like the light at the end of the dark fuzzy tunnel isn't that far off. Keep posting photos.

brownMINI · Post by **brownMINI** » Sun Oct 21, 2007 7:58 pm

Some of you may have heard me talk about Greg's MINI project. He took it out for its first powered test run this morning:

http://ghmyc_1m.tripod.com/first_ran.wmv

He has fiberglass door skins and a carbon fiber hood, but they're not mounted for this test.

skivittlerjimb · Post by **skivittlerjimb** » Mon Oct 22, 2007 9:02 am

Great progress, Jason!

I'm telling you, wheel-to-wheel racing may be in the Brown Mini's future!

Of course, some HDPE days' Instructor sessions are a bit like wheel-to-wheel...

So you'll be taking this car to hill climbs next year, I hope? I highly recommend them, well, Philo, at least.

-Jim B.
'92 GVR4 280/1000

sachilles · Post by **sachilles** » Mon Oct 22, 2007 11:26 am

Sounds like good progress.

brownMINI · Post by **brownMINI** » Mon Oct 22, 2007 9:28 pm

The title for the brown MINI was waiting in my mailbox on Saturday. So, it's officially "mine". Now it just needs to move again.

brownMINI · Post by **brownMINI** » Sun Nov 04, 2007 8:42 pm

It's alive!

There's still a lot of work left to be done, but I was able to drive the brown MINI a few miles today.

I'm pretty tired, so a more informative post will have to wait until tomorrow.

Sports Car Club of Vermont

the brown MINI