Ging's Thumbprinted Forehead Project.

I Thought it was about time i started a project thread, so hear are the details of how i ended up a mini owner and what i have been doing with it.

After my girl friend learned to drive we decided it was time to get a half decent car, i'd have gone for something big with a big engine, but gf was having none of it she'd been going on about getting a blue mini since she first started learning to drive, so the only option was to get the fastest mini we could insurer and hope all it's airbags work.
a JCW was going to be too much to insure with 24 year old with 0 years on her license but the S was just about within budget.
Couldn't do any really mods for the first year due to insurance, so had a lot of time to sort out all the little things and do a lot of polishing, under the bonnet it's had new leads, plugs coil pack restored, oil, brake fluid, gearbox oil and coolant changed.
this was it when i got it


and after some tidying work


After waiting a year of owning my gf still hasn't written it off (despite it apparently being almost a statistical inevitability even before you've seen her driving it) so i have started with the proper mods.
First up was the JCW airbox that had been kicking around in my garage for months to give it a little more whine and power, it's been deflapped and got a larger air filter cone in it


Next was the exhaust, managed to snap up a used JCW rear section with the tail finishers,


was a bit of a bitch to fit all by myself but got there in the end



to save buying a middle section or having anything made the origonal exhaust was cut to make a straight through centre section



Makes a nice sharp popping sound now without being too loud the rest of the time, already had one complaint from a neighbour, they really would not have liked a Miltek



Next up i needed some new tyres, the ones i had were nearly down to 2mm and it was becoming a bit too lively in the wet.
I'd managed to get a spare set of oem bullet wheels same as what i already had, they were a bit kerbed up so took the opportunity to referb them and paint them white, this would hopefully go with the white mirrors and roof and make it stand out a little but still keep in with the original styling

Put a fair amount of work into painting them in the end, but was very pleased with the out come, there's a few imperfections but not much that'll be noticeable even up close once they've got a bit of brake dust on them


This is how it looks at the moment


So It now has had a 15% pulley done at 1320





I was quite pleased with the power from it
clearly i can't stop there though - but until my next insurance renewal this will be it unfortunately
but i will be looking out for inter-coolers, manifolds and JCW injectors in the hobo classified for the next step in power

still looking out for some subtle styling mods that i might be able to add without making it look modified like GP bits etc