Just opening up the discussion on the newly purchased R52 with 89k miles we just picked up for $725 off of copart. We would love to get a group of people we can gain knowledge from, and would follow along with our journey. Also, we are are parting out everything off the vehicle that is not required for it to drive and operate in a track car format, if you need something, reach out.

I am making a youtube series along the journey, plan to video and discuss every step of the way. link below of the playlist.

Thanks, and we are open to any suggestions or pointers as this is our first mini.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...nupvFMtxlCKASd

 

i have some ideas / suggestions for more power in that cooper (had mine for 100k miles, done lots to it).

air intake mod: put in a decent filter of course, but when you take the old one out, cut a big *** hole in the back wall of the airbox and the cowl area behind it and run a chunk of PVC or similar so that the intake sucks air from that area. this is similar to the JCW air box, but for cheap. I could swear by these things as well (https://www.ebay.com/itm/Orange-For-...4AAOSwUYpdZQgu) the car felt like it had a few more HP when i put one on, but the stock setup will suffice if you cant wait for shipping on the silicone tube.

Pulley: the most power for least money, youll want to do a pulley upgrade on the supercharger. the mini computer will automatically adjust for the extra air. You can go "safe" with a 15% reduction, or you can probably push it with a 17%. the max power will be a 19%, but I dont think your injectors will have enough flow to support that. You will need a smaller belt to go with the pulley change btw, be sure the get the "HD" version (heavy duty) for a few extra bucks. If youre going for MAX power, get a 19% pulley (or a 17% and a +2% crank pulley), get 550 cc injectors and do a tune (youll need a dimsport programmer, usually found cheap when they are locked, $175 to unlock them i think) and a good tuner (this guy Jan does most minis).

if youre ditching the AC, you can slap this on its its place; pretty cheap IMO... https://www.waymotorworks.com/a-c-delete-pulley.html

If you do a pulley (highly recommend this), you can go 1 step colder plugs. not sure what that part # is off the top of my head, but this can easily be researched.

Intercooler: you can just get one of those cheapy ebay ones for like $80 and itll for the most part fit; but honestly, I would make a bigger hole in the hood, and build a big *** air scoop to force the air over the IC thats on the car; as the stock scoop and hole are a bit restrictive. Additionally, I would grab a water pump and small tank and run some lines for an IC sprayer that either runs all the time at a slow rate, or put a switch for when you floor it. This will greatly cool the intercooler quickly during high boost, which will def give you more power as well. (i think i got like 8 hp just from doing that when I was dyno tuning my car). additionally, check the Boots on the intercooler, as these tend to crack over time, causing boost leak. Dont bother with those silicone ones, they are a pain in the *** to install. OEM is fine. Lastly, this sounds weird, but i made an intercooler diverter (shoots air "more" onto the IC) out of an AC vent I got at home depot. the big square one fits perfect (forget exact size), and the slats go perfectly between each row on the IC.

Headers: get some of the cheapest ebay ones you can find; itll make the car loud, but def add power if you can lose the resonator and as much of the mufflers as you can. Install these from the TOP of the engine by removing the coolant tank and moving the power steering pump over temporarily. trust me on this. seems backwards, but theres a good chance they just wont fit in because of the actual body of the car if installed from below the engine.

handling: make your own bracing if possible, ie: strut tower brace (be sure to make it removable to service the engine), or get this setup (link below). that lower brace will def add to the handling of the car.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/OMP-UPPER-L...-/172714459468

Rear sway bar: go big if you can (meaning a thick / solid one). its pretty easy to install, and put it on the tightest settings (last hole at the end).

suspension: youll want to check the front strut mounts (on the body) for "mushrooming". the front struts are bolted to this thin *** metal on the body and thats it. after years (or less sometimes) of driving, this metal deforms, causing the struts to go off at a weird angle. google and and youll get a good idea of what I mean. to fix any "mushrooming", jack the car up, unbolt the struts, smash the metal back with a hammer. then install these plates on top of the strut (but under the car). it will keep that sheet metal from deforming again during your race.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Mini-Cooper...wAAOSwG25cCART

check the strut mounts as well. these usually crack with age/ use. also, if you have the money, get some HR sport lowering springs and throw those on while youve got it all apart.

Brakes: the stock brakes are probably "ok", but if youre going to upgrade them you can get front brakes from a 2007 turbo mini and they should bolt right on (those brakes came with the JCW kits on the R53s). otherwise just replace the pads with some decent ones. also, DO flush your brake fluid with new fluids; youd be amazed what a difference just that will make. get a power bleeder from amazon for sure to do this.

basic checks:

• the crank position sensor O rings tend to go bad, causing oil leaks. this is like a $10 part. it can be a pain to get to, but easy enough to take care of all in all.
• the oil filter housing tends to leak as well, so check that while youre messing around the engine.
• Check the points on the coil pack; one of those points usually gets corroded for whatever reason; new coil packs are cheap enough ($40 or so) or take some sand paper to the point and it should be fine.
• engine mounts: there are 3; the big ugly one on the passenger side; these are bad if you see oil around them, or if the engine mount sits flush. def change that guy. if you want the engine really stiff, add this (https://www.ecstuning.com/b-superpro.../spf2639k~spr/) but be aware, its going to make the entire car vibrate like crazy when you drive. the other one is the driver side and its def prob sagging; not super difficult to get to per say; get a poly one if you can. the last one is under the engine, small bracket looking thing. you can get poly inserts for these as well.
• if youre feeling ambitious, change the fuel filter (located on the pump itself). not expensive, and shouldnt be "too hard", may take an hour to replace.
• try to avoid dumping the radiator fluid; its a super pain in the *** to bleed the system. also, fwiw, the coolant gauge on minis are a "dummy" gauge, itll stay in the middle until it overheats, in which case this will happen quickly. with that, check that small coolant overflow tank, these have a tendency to split with age and cause overheating.
• check the thermostat + housing; these go bad, rust, causing the car to overheat. the plastic housings also crack. for about the same price, you can get a metal one here (https://www.waymotorworks.com/alumin...-cooper-s.html). since youre racing that thing, may as well get a lower thermostat as well and just ignore any check engine lights https://www.waymotorworks.com/180-de...0-r52-r53.html
• check the clutch slave cylinder. these go bad. see if its leaking. if not, try not to mess with it, can be a pain to bleed / change...
• check the crank pulley. use a pry bar and see if it wiggles excessively; if so, you may have to replace it.
• the oil pan plugs have a tendency to strip out the oil pan threads because that pan is cast aluminum. just be careful removing it. oh, and youll need some stupid sized socket for the oil filter cover; i think its like a 36mm.

Tools: youre going to need a lot of Torx wrenches, and basically whatever size socket you have in every kit you buy in the store will almost be useless, as the mini wants to use every size bolt that DOESNT come in a standard kit (kit comes with 15mm, 16mm, 18mm socket, mini uses a 17mm lol). also, that engine mount will need a Torx socket, so pick up one of those sets while youre at it.

youll need a belt tool (https://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Mini-Co...EAAOSwKCZb3AcY) to do anything with the belts on these cars.

I wouldnt change your rims; those are "S lites", the lightest wheels that a mini came with.

if you mess with the seats (remove them) you may get a check engine light for the airbag. youll either have to reset this (i think) or at least unhook the battery before doing so. i "think" the airbags wont deploy if that light is on... im not sure. if you replace the seats, (they have airbags in them btw) you have to jam a 1 watt resistor into a plug (plenty of articles about this online).

def run high octane fuel, and a bottle or 2 of injector cleaner before the race. itll make all the difference. if allowed, throw octane booster in there too, the engine loves that ****.

jacking the car up: the mini has these stupid rubber pads to jack the car up... BE CAREFUL because these tend to slip out of the car (they are just pressed in, its all rubber, its the dumbest thing ever). ive had my car almost fall on me / slip off the jack because of this. you may want to get BMW jack pads to keep it on the jack properly if you dont have a quickjack setup or a lift.

thats all i can think of for now! other than be prepared for some frustration, cursing, and cutting yourself, as working on these cars is NOT easy; its 20lbs of **** stuffed into a 10 lb bag, so whatever you think will take 1 hour, plan on 2 or 3 to do it. stuff a rag under any bolt you take off, because it WILL fall and be lost forever (along with your 10mm sockets).

if you need a video to replace nearly anything, this guy "mod mini" has a TON on youtube, where he goes through step by step. big help.

best of luck! cant wait to see the videos!

 

wow thank you for all that info! all of it is super helpful! we will probably start working on the vehicle soon. we are gutting it tomorrow, and already have half the interior sold along with the convertible top.

haha yea I have probably seen half of mod mini's videos on youtube already, that dude is freaking awesome at showing most of whatever we may need to do/work on along the way.

 

The stiffest setting is the hole closest to the bar, furthest from the end.

 

thanks for the correction... been a while since i was in that area on my mini lol

 

This is cool, I have tracked my R52 and great to see them on the track with the top down.

 

Just watched your CoPart and 24HOL Journey Begins vids, both excellent. Really looking forward to watching this and armchair-enjoying the upcoming racing adventure. I've run Lemons as a driving team member running a certain unloved Cold War era Italian car with rust, electrical, and oil pressure issues (but I repeat myself). Only highly-unsolicited advice I can offer is ensuring the basics are covered with respect to endurance / reliability. Forget the undersized pulleys, oversized intercooler, MSD ignition, JCW injectors and go-fast stickers. This is about survival and putting laps on the board in a hooptie while staying out of the paddock, not outrunning beater Mopars on the straightaway or taking the inside track from a rusted out E46 with the subframe duck-taped on.

On that note don't scrimp on parts quality - skip O'Retard's, CRAPA, and AutoBone, try to get good OEM grade stuff because the limits to what the car can stand through stress, heat, oil fatigue and dirt WILL be tested - and probably exceeded - in those 24 hours. Repeatedly.

Would probably pre-emptively replace brakes and clutch (get the Valeo single mass for reliability / endurance, not necessarily for "race quality"). Also replace the factory crank pulley with an ATI; this one will end the race - and possibly the season - early for you. Ditto replace the plastic coolant tank with a metal one (alum after market or fab one of your own). And as proud members of the BMW Step Child Nation, anyone on this board can tell you they leak oil - from everywhere, valve cover to pan gasket. Check the dipstick every time you pit.

Only mods I would suggest is beef up lighting. Our Xenon HIDs and ground lights won't cut it. As you know Lemons doesn't typically light the track well, if at all in some cases; so be ready with good LED or other halogen aux stuff that will light the way. Nothing scarier than taking a hairpin in pitch dark with twenty (other) chuckleheads around you spinning rocks and fishtailing in cars that weren't made for it, like old Impalas, Crown Vics and Lincoln Town Cars. Very high pucker factor, even in the daytime, let alone at night.
Your R52 has a 120A alty our hardtops don't get (only 105A for us low-rent tin roofers...) so you should have adequate power in reserve for it.



Good luck, keep safe, have fun, and post often!

 

there is a mini cooper endurance racer group on facebook, small group but not many do this

https://www.facebook.com/groups/630339107798782/

 

YUP!! just joined it a few days ago, has a group of awesome people on it and have already posted information that has helped our build significantly. anyone considering building an endurance mini, I highly suggest checking out the fb group

 

WOW! i appreciate you watching the videos and and glad you want to follow along the journey and good info to know about the alternator! I actually probably already have enough content for another video, but all the members of the team are planning our first meetup a week from tomorrow (march 18th) and will probably wait until after that meeting to post a new video so I am able to talk with everyone and get their point of view on everything for you guys to see.

Our upgrade list so far consists of grabbing the larger r56s front calipers and rotors (while adding a brake vent to each side) getting a cravenspeed 15% pulley, ATI crank pulley (although we may purchase an SFI crank pulley as it is similar in build but a bit cheaper -- open to thoughts on experience for anyone running an SFI crank pulley--) 22mm rear sway bar and front stress brace to help with rigidity being ours is a convertible. those are the only upgrades we plan to make as we have already sold almost the entire purchase price of the car in parts to others, we will be working from a 0$ balance trying to maximize the small performance in suspension and power for our measly 500$ budget.

however the next thing we plan on doing is getting DOM pipe and building the cage. (check youtube username isaacspoon for videos on that soon for anyone interested) before we do any of the other stuff.

who ever owned the car prior to us buying it took really great care if it. The only leaks we saw the first time we got it up on the lift was a very small oil leak coming from the oil cooler. everything else looked extremely clean and quite frankly none of it looked to have ever had any significant oil leak at any time of its life.