62 replies to this topic

[minidan]

hi there everyone.

I have been a member on the forum for a while now and have read quite alot of your Zcars project topics.
Its been over a year now since my mini failed it MOT and I have always wanted to have a nice mini. Infact ive always wanted a quality mini/a kit car/a fast car. The Zcars R1 mini is perfect for what i want and now some of you have posted videos of what they can do (and looking at Zcars website A LOT) im totally going to build one out of my mini mayfair.

i have had my mini for nearly 10 years now and over time it has been seriously customized. the most impressive thing ive done is to fit a carbon fibre flip front so ive had some experience in modifying things

basically i want to use this topic to post all my progress on the project but before i start doing anything i wanted to get as much info as i can so this goes as smoothly as possible. that means all you guys that have fitted a Zcars kit to tell me everything and anything i need to know. hehe. ive got a pretty good idea that it will cost around £9000-£10000 but the mini will be very basic so i hoping to keep it at the £9000 mark.

should i go and visit Zcars before i do anything? also do they have these kits 'on the shelf' or do i have to order it and then cut up my car while they build it...

anyhoo, i wanted some advice on the procedure of the whole thing.
I want to know if its best to get my mini shell rust free before i cut anything away so as to keep it solid and true or is it ok to cut out the back parts and THEN take it to the body shop, (i have never welded a thing in my life and i want a few panels replaced as well as a respray.

right thats enough for now. hopefully u guys can give me some of your zcars experience lol. cheers everyone.
dan

[koss]

you need a good mini shell, buy a smashed hayabusa or r1 off blue circle or hbc auctions, take your engine and extras and sell the rest of the bike on ebay, also sell any thing you have surplus of the mini on ebay.
then you have your starting point. its a fact that you will have anywhere from 15 to 19 grand when finished its a fact

[minidan]

its a fact that you will have anywhere from 15 to 19 grand when finished its a fact

thanx for the engine info but what do you mean about the 15 -19 grand when im finished?

[koss]

let me explain

400 wheels and tyres
5000 rear kit
1000 front kit
1500 engine
500 donor
lsd,reverse 1000
arches 100
paint 1000
seats 400
harnes 300
wndows 200
sound proofing 200
bulk head 500
harness 250
front brakes 500
doors,front boot 500
air box 200

and the nuts and bolts it all mounts up believe me
not trying to put you off
its real ive just done it
true advice

[minidan]

let me explain

400 wheels and tyres
5000 rear kit
1000 front kit
1500 engine
500 donor
lsd,reverse 1000
arches 100
paint 1000
seats 400
harnes 300
wndows 200
sound proofing 200
bulk head 500
harness 250
front brakes 500
doors,front boot 500
air box 200

and the nuts and bolts it all mounts up believe me
not trying to put you off
its real ive just done it
true advice

cheers for that, i think theres a few things that i wont need:
£500 donor car - will use my mini
£400 wheels and tyres - already have wheels and tyres.
£500 lsd - dont need (is nice though)
£400 seats - already have seats
£300 harnesses - already have FIA 6 point harnesses
£500 bulkhead - could make my own
£500 doors and front boot - can do for a lot less


theres over £3000 saved already

oh by the way i thought the zcars kit included the front 1/2 in the £5000 price...?

[koss]

sorry didnt read your first post properly i thought you were building one from scratch you are looking at 10 to 11 for the build then.

i think the diffs are all lsd now with the kit and are you using your front subframe and converting it to coilovers?

good luck with the build and have a chat with cris, go down for a test ride he will tell you what you are better off
with.

[Alburglar]

No you don't have to have the lsd. And if he's keeping the mini front sub and building his own bulkhead and doing his own wiring etc etc. and keeping the r1 instruments, it is possible to build a 10k car.

[minidan]

yes i will be keeping the front subframe ( repainted of course )

i think im ok building things myself such as the bulkhead but it just depends what Zcars one is like etc...

im pretty sure with enough common sense and help from all the nice people on this site i will be able to keep the costs down

one of the main things i want to know before i start is what the dvla do with minis like this. i know the dvla website has already been posted up but im not really understanding it. I really want to keep my Number plate and not a 'Q' plate. how is this possible??

Edited by minidan, 25 August 2006 - 04:25 PM.

[markrally]

Could have bought a newly built one for £9.5k????

CLICK HERE

HAvnt seen any r1 engined version go for more than 10k
There again i havnt spent anywhere near 18k to build a busa version.

Cheers

Edited by markrally73, 25 August 2006 - 06:21 PM.

[minidan]

hehe yea i was watching that mini on ebay, but i love mucking about with cars and i just love my own mini

[koss]

minidan i think thesa minis fall under the radicaly altered vehicle but as it retains the standard shell and chassis number it keeps the original plate but i will find out on monday ive got a mate at vosa (sva tester)
wish i had of seen that one on ebay my mate has just ordered a turn key one from zcars

[minidan]

will i need to get the mini SVA tested? does this cost much?

[koss]

i dont think you need an sva myself. you dont have to tell anyone, just dvla about engine size. but to be 100%
i will ring vosa sva one tuesday i know one of the testers in newcastle. the test used to be £180 last year thats when i stopped the jap imports, it only applied to vehicles from outside eu and less than 10 year old.

Edited by koss, 26 August 2006 - 10:15 PM.

[minidan]

do you think it would be possible for me to keep my 10" wheels with the zcars kit? i mention it because i was thinking out what brakes to have. ?

[R1mini]

do you think it would be possible for me to keep my 10" wheels with the zcars kit? i mention it because i was thinking out what brakes to have. ?

The rear brakes are Sierra based and need a 13" wheel to clear, I tried an ultralite 12" on R1minimagic car it seemed to hit everywhere, looking at the 13" again seemed to be tight so a 12" doesn't look possible with the standard ZCars kit

You could approach Chris see what he says, as with everything I'm sure it could be done with some extra money

Cheers
David