the Clipping point™ ©: project kermit

Showing posts with label project kermit. Show all posts

Monday, March 19, 2012

Project "Kermit": Poot, poot the exhaust...

The one ball mod was fun while it lasted. After swapping out the headers I got from Eurotuner, exhaust note was noticeably louder. I think after a while, the muffler gave way cause it started to sound broken. I did enjoy the loud pops and bangs that came with it. Sounded very racer! *laughs* But it's a trait with the Mini Cooper S, the pops and bangs...

Time to move on to something a little more docile. I went to get a custom made exhaust setup on Saturday. Got some new exhaust tips while I was at it too. The new setup consists of a resonator in the middle, 2.5 inch stainless steel piping, split into two 2 inch pipes that lead to twin small mufflers. Hopefully this will keep the weight down too.

It's very quiet now. Closer to the stock twin mufflers. You only notice something different when you gun it, which is exactly what I am looking for. Blue tips give it that JDM titanium look...

Posted by Leonard Foong 2 comments ¨¨¨¨¨

Project "Kermit": Friggin' key shell...

Remember the last time I replaced the key shell?

Guess what, the friggin' thing fell off yet again!

It keeps happening all the time. I'm sure other mini owners will say the same. Really annoying. I've replaced it with this one without the logo now. This one let's the LED shine through when a button is pressed.

Posted by Leonard Foong 0 comments ¨¨¨¨¨

Project "Kermit": Toss that tow hook...

Okay, so the slightly off red tow hook was starting to bug me and a couple of peeps said they didn't like it either.

What about black instead...

Posted by Leonard Foong 3 comments ¨¨¨¨¨

Project "Kermit": Ignition!

Time for some ignition upgrades! The old coilpack, cables and spark plugs were getting old. It's not uncommon for them to develop some rust as well. Check out my old coilpack. The tips look to be well rusted. You should have seen my spark plugs before they were discarded. Bad shape!

Got a MSD coilpack, Nology cables and some Denso Iridium spark plugs in a range colder than the standard.

Posted by Leonard Foong 3 comments ¨¨¨¨¨

Project "Kermit": front "Frog" lights and wings...

My front fog lights kept blowing out and trapping water in them. So, I got these Projector Fog Lights after reading a thread on the NorthAmericanmotoring.com forums. The thread started seemed to be very pleased with them...

"They are a considerably more solid than I expected, and to my suprise and delight they're mostly metal, and the plastic parts seem to be pretty dense as well (something that the factory fog lights really aren't)"

Two day ago, they arrived, along with the JCW carbon fiber Aero wing.

Posted by Leonard Foong 1 comments ¨¨¨¨¨

Project "Kermit": Diffused!

Kermit's back. The rear diffuser has been painted black. From this...

To this...

Posted by Leonard Foong 2 comments ¨¨¨¨¨

Project "Kermit": Progress so far...

Now that the festive season is finally over, "Kermit" can finally get some work done on it...

Car has been sent back to get the diffuser painted and some other miscellaneous stuff sorted.

I also managed to find this brand new wing/spoiler on ebay. The title says "Alta Performance Mini Cooper R53 Carbon Fiber Roof Spoiler" but upon closer inspection, I believe it's a JCW item! It was being let go for US $399.99 which I think is a steal now that this is a discontinued product.

Posted by Leonard Foong 0 comments ¨¨¨¨¨

Project "Kermit": New rear end...

The new rear bumper has been fitted and painted.... well, sort of. It's a Duell Ag replica bumper with diffuser.

Because it was the festive seasons, and my painters didn't want to be keeping my car in their garage whilst everyone left for a weeks break, 'Kermit' paint job was a little rushed and returned to me for Chinese New Year.

The problem is, it's still incomplete!

The diffuser was accidentally painted Verde Ithaca. It will be painted matte black after the holidays. Bumper fitment is far from perfect. On both sides where the black plastic wheel arch trims meet the rear bumper, the gap and alignment is terrible! I hope the painters can do something about it. Other than that, just little touch-ups and probably a nice polish when everything is sorted. Oh, I need to weld my exhaust tips back too!

Also, I need to get this Alta 2% oversized lightened crank pulley installed...

Posted by Leonard Foong 0 comments ¨¨¨¨¨

Project "Kermit": Fucked from behind...

A couple of days before Christmas last year, I was struck with a series of unfortunate events.

First my Bold 9900 fell into a bowl of soup. It was sent over to Singapore by Brightstar to be repaired, and currently I am still using a temporary one, a Bold 9790 which Jason so kindly lent to me. Thank you Jason, I really hope they can repair and return my 9900 soon...

The next day, a silly disagreement with someone I was seeing regularly, resulted in that person leaving and disappearing, even before I got the chance to talk things out after work. I guess it was inevitable but I wasn't expecting things to end the way it did and prematurely. I was going to do it on my time and terms. Anyhow...

That same night, whilst on my way to catch a movie, it was drizzling. Roads were slippery. The cars in front of me suddenly came to a halt and fortunately, I managed to stop in time, despite 'Kermit' having very small brakes. Unfortunately, the Persona behind me couldn't and didn't avoid me. The result was me getting rear ended...

Thankfully, the person behind has agreed to pay for the repairs. Damage has been contained to just the rear bumper and the fog light. I decided to try a different rear and not go for the same JCW bumper. Shall post some updates after I get that shit sorted out. Till then!

Posted by Leonard Foong 2 comments ¨¨¨¨¨

Project "Kermit": Reversed CAI?!

The folks over at MINI Owners Club Malaysia pointed out that the Pipercross Viper Carbon Induction Kit was not meant for the Cooper S but for the normal Cooper! On top of that, it seems that it has been installed the wrong way! It should have been installed the other way around!

So I was sold something I was lead to believe was meant for my car and got it installed the wrong way?! Would not have expected this coming from Fast Lane Automotive Sdn Bhd. I mean, they're a Mini specialist right? Terrible!

Upon removing the CAI, I noticed it's been dinged up pretty badly. The shiny chrome mouth looks as though it had been mutilated during the improper installation the first time. I'm quite disappointed.

Anyway, a quick clean and swapping around got the CAI fitted the right way.

Since the CAI now takes in air from the back, I found that the little front scoop that diverts air into the air filter box has now become redundant. It was getting in the way so, I just removed it.

Maybe when I have some time, I'll find a more useful way to route the front scoop to the back, since the Pipercross Viper Carbon Induction Kit came with a nice long extra hose.

Posted by Leonard Foong 0 comments ¨¨¨¨¨

Brothers from another Mother - MINI x Lambo Spyder x GT3 RS by Tom Goh

Finally! The shots from that night! Photos shot by Sherman Anion...

See the full post on ZeroToHundred.com!

Enjoy!

Posted by Leonard Foong 1 comments ¨¨¨¨¨

Project "Kermit": Breathe with me...

So, I've gotten somewhat of a Union Jack done on the roof...

This was done by Remus Chang at Motorsport Playground.

Still thinking whether to get the bonnet stripes done or not.

Posted by Leonard Foong 2 comments ¨¨¨¨¨

Project "Kermit": limping, one ball...

So, originally, I was set on lowering the car to give it a more aggressive stance. I had managed to find a good deal of some Hamann lowering springs...

Unfortunately, the front didn't fit! The rear wasn't a problem but the front needed the mounts that should have came with it.
So, for a short time, while I was trying to figure out if it was worth going through the trouble to get it to fit, I was driving around with just the rears that was lowered. This turned out to be a bad, bad idea...

Posted by Leonard Foong 0 comments ¨¨¨¨¨