Project Cars
Overview
I've owned a couple very unreliable cars, and being young and not having too much pocket money, the only way is to fix them myself. But, it's actually quite satisfying. (And sometimes mind-numbing)
Top Skills Utilized
Patience
2011 Mini Cooper S R56
My first project car was a 2011 Mini Cooper S. 1.6L turbocharged I4 with a 6 speed manual. Bought it used with 120K miles, and for the first six months really no work aside from the occasional oil change. But afterwards, many issues occured…
Upgrades
First, these are the upgrades I installed:
JCW Aero Kit II Bodykit
JCW GP2 Diffuser and Undertray
Quad Hella 500s Light Bar
Custom 3D Printed Door Pulls
Stage II ECU Tune
H&R Coilovers
OZ Ultraleggera Wheels
Cravenspeed Short Shifter
Sony XAV-AX6000 Headunit
Upgraded Intercooler
Subwoofer
Cravenspeed Dipstick
Ultragauge
De-cat
CTS Turbo Air Intake
m7speed Oil Catch Can
NGK 2 Step Colder Spark Plugs
GTT UK Exhaust Tips
Clear Turn Signals
I'll talk about the process of some of the more significant upgrades
Custom Door Pulls
I've always loved nylon door pulls in race cars. They just look fun to pull and gives a more track-oriented feel to the car. There were some existing door pulls for the R56 Mini, but they were all $150+ and I felt I could make it for cheaper. So I designed and built a fully 3D printed door pull aside from the nylon strap and some hardware.
Coilovers Installation
The Mini has independant front and rear suspension, MacPherson up front and multi-link in the rear. The installation for the H&R involved compressing the original springs, and transferring the OEM tophats to the new struts.
This was done over two days in the Oregon State University parking lot. Public Safety came to check in on us and make sure we were okay haha.
Conclusion
Car sounds way better and it's just so cool you can scan something with your phone and build something out of it. Still need to do some more DSP tuning, but that's fun.
I will soon post all files to Printables so people can print their own housings for free.
Thank you for reading.
Other projects
