[GuyKitch]

Hello hello!

Bought a completely standard 2006 Dark Silver R53 in May 2014.

This is how it looks as of 01/02/2015:

What have I got planned for my R53?

Engine: (last dyno 258bhp at Performance Torque 28/04/2015)

1. Alta 17% Reduction Pulley DONE
1.2. Gates belt
1.3 NGK Colder Spark Plugs
2. GRS Motorsport Intercooler DONE
3. Dave F Cold Air Intake DONE
4. Piper 4-2-1 Long Branch Manifold & Decat DONE
5. Newman PH2 Cam DONE
6. 550cc Bosch Injectors & Custom 1320 Tune DONE
7. Janspeed Cat-back Exhaust DONE
8. Enlarged manifold ports DONE
9. BVH
10. Enlarged inlet and exhaust ports
11. Canton Expansion Tank w/ cap DONE
12. Turbo conversion??

Drivetrain:

1. FX400 Clutch and Lightened Flywheel

Exterior:

1. Rota Torque 17's in Gunmetal Grey DONE
2. Debadged 'CooperS' DONE
3. Orranje rear wiper delete DONE
4. Colour coded headlight surrounds (undecided)
6. Colour coded side scuttles (undecided)
7. JCW Aero Grill DONE
8. Stubby aerial DONE
9. Orranje G-Wing DONE
10. Aero Side Skirts DONE
11. Aero front bumper w/ Orranje Air Ducts sprayed Dark Silver DONE
12. Rear diffuser (undecided)
13. LEAP Bonnet Scoop DONE

Interior:

1. Evo 7 Recaro Seats w/ MINI Runners DONE
2. Rear seat delete
3. JCW Gearknob DONE
4. Short shifter
5. JCW Handbrake
6. Carbon dash
7. JCW mats DONE
8. OMP steering wheel and boss DONE
9. Alacantra roof lining & A pillars
10. Carbon door cards
11. Carbon gear surround
12. Carbon dash

Suspension:

1. AP Coilovers DONE (soon to be something new)
2. Powerflex Front Control Arm Bushes DONE
3. Powerflex lower engine mount bushes DONE
4. RnT Camber-adjustable top mounts
5. Rear control arms

Brakes:

1. R53 JCW Front Brakes DONE
2. Pagid Front Discs (Drilled) DONE
3. Carbotech XP8 Front Pads DONE
4. Goodrige Stainless Steel Brake Lines all round DONE
5. Orranje Brake Ducts DONE
6. ATE Superblue Fluid DONE
7. Pagid rear pads DONE
8. Textar rear discs DONE
9. YellowSpeed BBK 6 pots w/ 330mm discs

This isn't going to be the quickest of projects - I'm not rich! It'll be progressively slow. But hopefully the end result will be a mean road car, regardless of the time-scale.

Please let me know your thoughts - and subscribe!

 

[OllyW]

Hello hello!

gonna fiddle with the colour scheme.

Don't get rid of the colour coded roof!

 

[GuyKitch]

I won't. I'm actually not sure what to do with the colour scheme. Not a fan of the chrominess.. any ideas?

 

[muffinman]

Looks tidy, but stay away from the tcut!

 

[Damo23]

Welcome, good luck with your project.

 

[GuyKitch]

Looks tidy, but stay away from the tcut!

Why?

 

[muffinman]

Its a pretty severe cutting compound that will remove paint, there are a lot of better and safer products to use now

Have a look in the detailing section

 

[LEWIS_P]

Beltline between doors and windows can be blacked out

Everything else that's chrome, colour code IMHO

 

[minsanity]

Or vinyl cap & handles but CC your headlight rings.

 

[GuyKitch]

What about headlight surrounds? I'm thinking make them body color and leave scoop alone. What about make the s spokes black?

 

[OllyW]

I don't know if there's a worse thing to do to an R53 than paint S spokes black.

In all seriousness, it's totally up to you, you need to decide what you like rather than what other people like. Too much black on Dark Silver looks gash, colour coding everything is often too much (I wish I had chrome headlight rings and petrol cap after getting them colour coded so that I could make the belt line chrome again). All chrome can look nice with a nice drop and some decent wheels.

Don't go overboard with blacking out.

 

[GuyKitch]

Think I need a new set of alloys.

 

[Harmonic]

What state are your S Spokes in? You could sell them on totalMini and get a set of TD 1.2s or hairpins and come out close to even.

 

[GuyKitch]

They're absolutely perfect except for one wheel with a few marks.

 

[Harmonic]

They're absolutely perfect except for one wheel with a few marks.

Then I'd say definitely sell them and buy something different rather than painting them black.

 

[GuyKitch]

So I decided to invest in a little tape. Looked online and saw you recommended Halfords. Went there and a chap recommended this stuff:

It's 12mm thick. Fitted nearly perfectly.

Gave the chrome a quick rub over with my MINI polishing cloth. Really nice cloths by the way!

Then started to apply.

This was a little annoying...

Just folded these bits round. Barely noticeable when done.

Big visual improvement.

Thought I'd mess this up but it was nice and easy. Definitely recommend this tape. Very flexible and goes round the corners nicely. Only just over £5 for 8 metres which will do the whole car.

 

[adamhuxley]

No images brah.

 

[GuyKitch]

Apologies. The camera on my S4 is so bloody good they take ages! (and I used a terrible upload site).

Should be fixed now.

 

[adamhuxley]

Yeah see them now mate.

I used black electrical tape to do mine as its a perfect match to the rubber seal.

 

[GuyKitch]

Was thinking of using that but I'd have to cut it down etc. and that's just too much effort for me, lol.

For what it costs I thought I'd give it a go and it's exactly the width of the strip, you just have to be really precise that's all. No residue, sticks many times, flexible. Very good stuff!