Hi there (Kind of a CLK Owner, but not really) :P

[NoahMini]

Hi,

I'm Noah (bring on the Bible/Ark Jokes), I'm 16 and am slowly restoring my 1994 Rover Mini 35 (The very last carburettor mini), My dad owns a slightly tired slightly rough, 2000 CLK 230K In dark metallic blue; with all the options except a few including heated seats and sat nav, for a low engine model its incredibly well specced.

He recently got a replacement car (2005 VW Golf 2.0 FSi) and this is not really used any where near as much, so as a side project I decided that i would slowly rebuild, the CLK back to its former glory.

Its got a few faults; For example it/mum had a fight with a parking garage wall in waitrose; the mercedes won of course but it has some passenger left wing battle scars It hasn't been serviced for 20,000 miles; Its on 109,000 (From 60,000 to 109,000 have all been motorway miles) It was off the road for two years as we could not afford to run it, hence the massive jump in mileage; Its currently rolling on the spare as Dad had a rather impressive blow out; its got what is clearly a gaping hole in the exhaust as it sounds like an AMG (Not a bad thing) the leather steering wheel is so past it its black (NOT A JOKE); the exhaust trim is missing; the matts are as you would expect from a 100 thousand mile twelve year old car, its gearbox every now and again decides it doesn't like changing gear (I know that this is because its got the same A/T Fluid as it did in stuttgart ) The walnut is scratched the leather is aged; the climate control up button doesn't work LOL. The bonnet is bent slightly so the grille doesn't fit properly; the rear bumpers cracked and the arches are beginning to rust.

Some people will probably not like my un-orthadox style of working (I'm building a mini; ****s gonna get fabricated ) The car will be undersealed and waxoiled on the sills (Another mini trait) I was going to do silly things like upgrade to the 5 Speed auto but that would probably be to much hassle and the final drive would probably be too long for the engine.

Anyway enough of my welcome essay; Here's some pictures of the CLK in questiona and a few of Mia the Mini.

Oh and I'm studying a IMI In motor Vehicle maintenance and am currently waiting to hear back on the results of an interview at the enemy BMW Sytner for an apprenticeship.

Noah :bannana:

 

[martyz]

Hi and welcome,and good luck to you for the apprenticeship

 

[NoahMini]

Thanks! I will start a project soon enough, cleaned it out today; will get some more pictures, Its looking like it will be new bonnet, front bumper re-spray- new rear bumper, repair painted and blended other dents repaired, painted and blended and the whole car full paint correction using a D/A and CG products, did I forget to mention I'm a detailing nut? Any quick performance upgrades, its lacking a bit of power? Has anyone had a re-map how has it responded? Any one use spacers, the rear looks like it needs around 10mm and the front probably 5mm, with both ends needing a 35mm drop in height, oh and I like my cars low , notice that on the mini? Lowered Gaz Adjustable shocks with Hi-Lows wound all the way down.

 

[steve333]

Hi,welcome to the forum

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Welcome to MBClub.

Sadly the 230K engine doesn't respond particularly well to a remap, but the good news is as that you can increase the boost by upgrading the supercharged pulley.

Also, IIRC spacers must be hub-centric. Take a look at H&R stuff, and if they have what you want, then try contacting member blackc55 as he's an agent for H&R.

Good luck with apprenticeship - if that one doesn't come off then it's because there's something else waiting for you just around the corner

 

[BEJ]

Well done! Start young and you can't go wrong. Welcome to the forum.

 

[jimmyca69]

Welcome - at 16 i couldnt fart properly let alone do all that.

 

[NoahMini]

LOL.

Thank you for the warm welcome. And just a side note, people think that I'm "Paid for by mummy and daddy' but that would be wrong everything thats been done/doing to the Mini is being done and paid for by myself

 

[Deleted member 65149]

Hi Noah

Welcome to the forum. It's good to have some young blood here, especially someone who wants to do more than just add fancy bits to their cars.

'Your' CLK is a great car but appears to have led something of a hard life. The good news though is that it's a tough old thing and well worth putting in a little effort to get it as you'd like it. Your first, and easiest tasks, should be to give it a full service including ATF and brake fluid replacement. The cosmetics can wait a little while (even right through to the hopefully better weather of next spring?) but unfortunately the dreaded Mercedes rust will make its mark more and more, especially round the wheel arches. If you're going to tackle that 'mum damage' yourself then it'd be worth going beyond that alone and sorting out the inevitable rust on the rest of the arch. But having said that, your pic makes it look not too bad.

I recently sold a CLK 230k of very similar vintage and mileage to yours that I'd had for over 10 years (http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/members/knighterrant-albums-clk230k-sold-after-10-great-years.html). It was still running like a dream, especially after changing the ATF a couple of years ago that totally cured some hesitancy with the gearbox. The lack of power in yours could well be resolved with just a service, but it may also be experiencing some excessive carbon build up, so a treatment with any of the many fairly cheap products available is well worth a try before heading off into the expensive field of remapping, kompressor pulley upgrades or whatever. That engine in standard form is really very good.

Good luck with it all. Keep us informed on how you're getting on with the cars and your apprenticeship.

 

[NoahMini]

Hi Noah

Welcome to the forum. It's good to have some young blood here, especially someone who wants to do more than just add fancy bits to their cars.

'Your' CLK is a great car but appears to have led something of a hard life. The good news though is that it's a tough old thing and well worth putting in a little effort to get it as you'd like it. Your first, and easiest tasks, should be to give it a full service including ATF and brake fluid replacement. The cosmetics can wait a little while (even right through to the hopefully better weather of next spring?) but unfortunately the dreaded Mercedes rust will make its mark more and more, especially round the wheel arches. If you're going to tackle that 'mum damage' yourself then it'd be worth going beyond that alone and sorting out the inevitable rust on the rest of the arch. But having said that, your pic makes it look not too bad.

I recently sold a CLK 230k of very similar vintage and mileage to yours that I'd had for over 10 years (http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/members/knighterrant-albums-clk230k-sold-after-10-great-years.html). It was still running like a dream, especially after changing the ATF a couple of years ago that totally cured some hesitancy with the gearbox. The lack of power in yours could well be resolved with just a service, but it may also be experiencing some excessive carbon build up, so a treatment with any of the many fairly cheap products available is well worth a try before heading off into the expensive field of remapping, kompressor pulley upgrades or whatever. That engine in standard form is really very good.

Good luck with it all. Keep us informed on how you're getting on with the cars and your apprenticeship.

Thanks! Yes the rust has began to set in on the arches, especially the rears and there are a few rust bubble starting where stones have hit the paint. I'm good with rust though, Classic Mini training Rover build quality!

It has led a hard life, but it will come back to its best soon enough, Engine service is being done this week at college, Will drop it in on monday and do the work on Tuesday (I have an essay to do). Some one told me that A/T Fluid is the same as Power Steering fluid is this correct? and the 230K engine runs on 15w/40 right? I honestly can't remember we have so many cars that run on different oil 10w/40 5/30 10/20 (Classic Oil) Luckily i get a halfords trade discount so Filters and Oil are cheap enough. It does have a horrendous problem it pulls to the left quite violently, I need to look over the front suspension, I have a feeling its a bent tie road or a lower control arm, it was curbed quite badly in the snow about 3 weeks before we got it. (3 Years Old)

Its also missing the rear jack point cover on the side skirt, need to find another one, its been bugging me for months! While I'm at it, I'm going to do the cam belt, check the valve clearances (I love doing valve clearances is LOL), any OEM upgrades that can be added? The optional sat nav for these cars is a nice feature but it looks incredibly dated, I also need to find a way of splicing into the hands free phone set up so it can use a iPhone.

 

[Dieselman]

That mini looks pretty sound, but before even thinking about modifying it just get it roadworthy and insured.
mini's rot for England underneath and in the subframes, so start there and work up. Expect proper rot int eh rear subframe, sills and floorpan.

You don't need to modify a mini for handling, they really are Go-kart like as built...terrible ride though.

 

[NoahMini]

That mini looks pretty sound, but before even thinking about modifying it just get it roadworthy and insured.
mini's rot for England underneath and in the subframes, so start there and work up. Expect proper rot int eh rear subframe, sills and floorpan.

You don't need to modify a mini for handling, they really are Go-kart like as built...terrible ride though.

Its all ready started! , Don't worry, My rear subframe is solid...ish , the front floor pans need replacing and the front end needs to go, the outer sills a rough as old guts and the scuttle is on its way out, Modify a mini for handling to an extent, because of the wider wheels and lowered ride height, I've been experimenting with different suspension geometry set ups, currently looking at around 1.5 Degrees of Negative camber on the front wheels, running standard cones and donuts, with uprated gaz shocks and Yoko A038s. (I think can't remember), The ride would be better if I converted to springs (which you can from mini tastic, but you'd loose the go-cart feel! It needs a bit more power, I'd be happy with 60 at the wheels, its running, a Kent 266 or MG metro cam, with a Stage 1 kit, Hif38 carb and a Maniflow manifold onto a 2.5" Side exit Fletcher exhaust, I'm keeping my eye out on ebay for some John Cooper Garages Twin Carbs though :bannana: BecauseImThatCool

 

[Dieselman]

Messing about with spacers and geometry on a mini is a recipe for knackered wheel bearings.

mini's and modified mini's were our staple car...err...some time ago and I can assure you that other than decent rubber, nothing will make any real difference to the handling.

Having said that, once you go past 100 bhp, traction gets interesting.