Memory is the second thing to go...

 

And I forget what the 1st is. I only have this problem on days that end in day. They were in the trunk of my parts car.

I have most evenings this week to get as much done as I can as Sunday, I leave to display at the Farm Progress Show (Tuesday - Thursday). I return late Friday.

Hoping to schedule the alignment for the 1st or 2nd week of September.

 

Got some done tonight. The front bumper and Aero side skirts are on. Now I can fine tune the hood gap and the adjustments to the plastic stoppers and the hood latches. Might finish up the front end before the weekend is here. If I do, I will post a before/after pic of it.

I am going to re-route my backup camera so holding off on the rear bumper for a bit.

 

I also needed to order some clippy clips for the side skirts. I already purchased the big ones for the Aero To body but I am missing some of the small ones that connect the bottom trim to the door sill adapter. I think this size is only used in this location. I have plenty of the size used in the inner fender well with the phillips head screw end.

 

Tearing the covers off the rear hatch. That is no joke a real PITA!



I can now verify, the Sirius XM antenna is indeed under the rear hatch spoiler.

Took my time as not to damage any of the interior plastic pieces, didn't even break a clip.

 

With that level of teardown, you may want to upgrade your reverse camera to a an AHD format camera, such as this one here:

Assuming you haven't already done so. The difference in picture quality is stupefying. Just make sure that the type of monitor you are using is capable of displaying AHD video.

 

Curious, where or how did you mount yours? I am considering one of the license plate type for ease of mounting.

I purchased 3 different units on Amazon. Best two out of 3 I will keep.

 

The license plate-type cameras may block the switch used to unlock and open the hatch. I went for mounting the cameras (I use two, one for reverse and one to keep an eye on my tow hitch) directly into the hatch handle assembly and routing the wire through a hole drilled into the handle and again through the hatch sheet metal, sealed with a grommet and RTV:


Left side camera for reverse, right side for hitch view



AHD (analog high-definition) camera image quality is outstanding, much better than typical HD reverse cameras

 

Thank you! I did order one of the same ones that you have and was considering mounting in the same place. I plan on connecting all 3 and checking the image quality/functionality.

 

Swell - know that whatever you are using to view the camera image should either be specific to AHD or HD signals, or have the ability to switch (internally or manually) between modes.

 

I have the same Android Radio you have/had. Did it require any manual configuration or plug n play?

 

It does require that you set the video input signal format to AHD. In my radio I changed the setting from Automatic to NTSC AHD 1080P_25fps. I fiddled with the different choices until I got the image I wanted.

 

Oops, we don't have the same radio.


Did you change? I thought I saw the same one I have in one of your threads.

I will dig through the settings and see what I can see. All 3 cameras will be arriving today.

 

Can you do me a favor? I forget how the windshield washer hose routes on the hood. Can you take a picture of the underside of your hood and attach it?

 

Disregard the pic. I thought I took a pic of it and I did. I just had to dig farther back on my phone.



Hoping to finish the front end today less all the trim. I still need to buff out the paint.

 

I did, a few months back. What pushed me to do the switch was my awful FM radio reception, and I figured that while I had things apart I might as well throw in a new head unit. Working in the tight confines of a Gen 2 MINI's roof, dash, hatch, and inside the rear fender is not a task I would undertake without trying to fix everything else that needed fixing while I have the interior gutted. Worth the aggravation, in retrospect, this is a nice setup. More on what I discovered regarding why my FM reception was so poor can be found here:

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ml#post4679383

 

I haven't listened to normal radio in ages. I bought a lifetime subscription to Sirius Satellite Radio back in 2008 or 2009.

Couldn't find any settings in the radio for my video input. Going with one of the license plate mount units. When I took my plate off, the bolts were rusted and spun the nut in the plate bracket. Bought some stainless steel nuts and bolts, melted the hex nut into the square nut hole and epoxied it. Gonna sand it smooth next week. I also moved the metal inserts down about an inch so I will have access to the trunk latch release.

I also mounted the heat blanket under the hood. There was one on the Roadster and as much heat as the turbo puts off, can't hurt. I had some aluminum heat shielding glued to it which was 3/4 torn off. Ordered some from Amazon, stuck it on and fastened it to the hood.

I am out for the week, National Farm Machinery Show in Iowa. In Morris, Illinois right now for the night. I hate facing driving around Chicago on a Monday. 5 hour drive this PM, 4 hour drive tomorrow, setup for the show, display Tuesday through Thursday, hopefully sell the 3 tile trailers I brought, drive home Friday. If not, disassemble and load on a trailer, drive home Friday maybe some of Saturday depending on departure time.

 

Unless you have really thin fingers, I think you might be disappointed with this solution, at least that's how I thought of it. I tried one of those cameras, the only way I could get it to work was to move the camera module to the bottom portion of the license plate bracket and then flip the image in software from upside down to right side up. And you're stil going to have to find a decent way to route the wire through the hatch steel, up and around the inside of the hatch, and then fiutz the camera wire though the watertight rubber penetrator and then up through the headliner. Then down through the B-pillar to get to the head unit - it's a direct route from the base of the B-pillar and then across right side of the dash behind the upper glovebox and then directly into the head unit. Tip - getting the wire through the rubber penetrator between the hatch hinges is a lot easier if you liberally spray the inside of the rubber tube with B'laster Dry Lube with Teflon. I love that stuff.

 

Dry Lube is great stuff!

I modified my license plate bracket so it mounts an inch lower. I shouldn't have any issues getting to my release. I will snap a picture when I get home from the Farm Progress Show Saturday.

I setup my display booth yesterday, friggin 93 degrees sunny, no wind. I looked like I took a shower in my clothes. Bet I lost 5 lbs.

 

Dry lube is terrific, though I just learned that B'laster no longer makes the version with Teflon. More here: https://blasterproducts.com/product/dry-lube/

 

Bad thing is, I am running the reverse trigger wire up and through, the camera wires down and through. I haven't taken the headliner down yet. That is waiting for me to get home.

I will say, in my opinion, a backup camera in the R58 Coupe is about an absolutely needed item. You can't see crap out the back. Sides with the mirrors is ok but directly behind you is horrible.

 

It's not necessary to actually drop the headliner, just pull away the weatherstripping above the passenger window. The gap between the edge of the headliner and the window edge gives plenty of room to fish the wire through to the B-pillar and then down into the dash to the space above the glovebox. A fiberglass semi-rigid wire running kit can be of great help here: https://www.harborfreight.com/3-16-i...kit-65326.html

 

Thanks! YouMost likely saved me a couple hours with that.

Tomorrow is the last day of the show. Hopefully sell it all so I don't have to disassemble and load it on the trailer

 

Here is how I modified the license plate bracket.



The bottom holes are the original mounting holes. I drilled two holes 1" above them. The metal inserts are threaded and just pressed hard to "thread" the plastic.

I had to modify it anyhow since my license plate screws were rusted fast. I took the square nuts out, put in stainless steel 1/4 hex nuts, heated them up and pressed them in. I then used plastic epoxy to add some strength.

Being an inch lower, I should be able to hit my release no problem. I really didn't want to put it on the bottom as it blocked my County sticker and my expiration sticker. Not sure if that is legal or not and didn't want to find out the hard way.

BTW, stainless steel bolts now also.

 

DOH!!!! You know that old saying, "Measure twice, cut once", I drilled the holes in the wrong direction so now have to redo the mounting holes. That is what I get for trying to rush it before leaving for the show.