Roof chopped BMW mini cooper S

[rkde]

I have been away for a while working hard so I thought its time for a larger than normal update.

My windows have all turned up, they are all marked up with the correct ece 43r marking required to make them road legal, shockingly they cost the same as the car did 4 years ago. However windows can now be fitted and this will make a massive leap forward

Been great having some time on the car again as I have had very little this year. Looks like the exterior is nearly finished now. Got the last few parts at the bodyshop (grills & bumper vents) they should be back in the next few weeks. Need to find my A panel arches, I did buy new items before I moved house and now I do not know where they are
All the guttering has been made ready for the glass which is now ready to install and if I can get some time over the next couple of weeks it will be in then it will be a very different car, still can't help but laugh when standing next to it with it being so short and that is me talking...

So the finial answer to the standard question "what are you going to do about the glass?"

I have been working hard on lots of little parts on the car and I have installed all the other windows now but I needed a windscreen. I purchased a couple of screens probably 2 years ago but I did nothing with it.

Today I looked out at the screens laying out in the garden and they have been out there for quite a while waiting for me to cut and fit them. Cutting the glass was easy and I put my how too on my blog even though it only took about 10 minutes after marking it all out

Firstly I started to mark out the glass where to cut and managed to put my knee through the glass while leaning over, number one smashed before we stared

OK, so with the first smashed we carried out to cut the corners off the glass to relieve the stress, once we had scored the glass and broke it, I took the blow torch to the glass and heated the laminate and cut it with a sharp blade

We decided that this went so well we would try another screen, we did the same, removed the corners and scored the glass on both sides.

The glass was scored and the long length had the same treatment as the corners.
Then it was just placed in the car and its great - it fits and I will be bonding it in over the next few days after I have painted the new top edge

 

[Wallace]

Outstanding work. You need a bigger garage!

 

[rkde]

Cheers, we are build a triple garage with a work shop when we finish decorating

Decorating the bathroom today oh well another day closer to the garages...

 

[Wallace]

It's all good practice for decorating the garage.

 

[Tupers]

Can I ask who did your glass? I need some making for my clubman estate.

 

[Anguz]

lookin good ;-)

 

[rkde]

Plastic safety glass was done by plastics for performance. They did a great job

 

[Coo]

Brilliant, well pleased for you with this.

 

[davenport]

AMAZING work....

 

[jpmillermatic]

You are to be commended, sir!....I have been following this project right along....its almooooosssst there!


JP

 

[rkde]

Cheers guys, its great to see it finally come together after all of this time

 

[Springerdinger]

Looking at your build it would seem that the latest Range Rover copied your idea of choping the roof.
Great work as always.
cheers
Chris

 

[rkde]

Its been a good day with quite a lot achieved, I'd like to thank Mike for his help today;

Fuel filter fitted, Dip stick tube made and fitted, abs sensors fitted, heat shields;

Managed to finally fit the exhaust manifold too which was easier than I remember it being, and then I started to make the exhaust, this went quite well considering I was making the exhaust on the drive and tig welding it in the garage but all went really well.

Mandrel bends welded in place along with the back box

Lastly a shot of the whole exhaust, I still need to weld the flange on for the cat but I did not have it to finish the job off but maybe I can finish it next week

 

[rkde]

I should have done this ages ago but yesterday I decided to make my radiator this week and intercooler next week. First thing I had to do is select the size I need, I do not have much room at the moment so I have gone for a smaller but deeper radiator with better performance than the stock unit. It should do the job but if not I will just make another.

First I cut all the tubes down to the correct length, then cut the aluminium for the header plates. The header plates were interesting to make as I had to program the press to press and punch the dimples.

I then folded up the sides of the header plate to provide some extra strength and rigidity, they looked great. I had tube, headers, and had also cut some side plates so off I went to get some louvred fin, here is the first section coming off

[video=youtube;u_BF1AGbdU4]

As we do not have any jigs for the custom unit I was building I had to hand build the core, this took ages and made me mad as there was so many tubes. However now the unit is ready to go off for a trip through the furnace and I will then make and weld the tanks on.

Next week I will do the intercooler and will show the radiator after it has come off the furnace

 

[Wallace]

I'll look at the video clip tomorrow but the photos made me smile and no doubt about it, you are creating a modern day top notch custom car.

 

[rkde]

Sooner than I had expected the all aluminium roof has been made, I collected the car today and I am so very happy with it. I have the panel bond ready then it will need to have a couple of coats of primer to seal it and paint but I am going to get the car done before it is painted. The roof is so light its crazy. The skin is so smooth and as you would expect from a professional. Glad I had it done as it really makes this car very special now

Was a long drive home as I drove the slow route so not to damage anything. unloading and loading the car on my own has mostly killed me, decided to duct tape the panel to stop the wind getting under the skin

 

[Robotstar5]

Must have missed/forgotten when you decided to go for an Aluminium roof.

 

[rkde]

I didn't post here, too ashamed... The GRP roof went again in the sun, I came to the conclusion there must have been un-mixed resin in there so decided I needed to start again

 

[Shox Dr]

I didn't post here, too ashamed...

Give over, you've nothing to be ashamed about.

 

[the snooper]

I didn't post here, too ashamed... The GRP roof went again in the sun, I came to the conclusion there must have been un-mixed resin in there so decided I needed to start again

the only people that don't get any problems with projects are those that don't do any