advice on upgrades

[grenade]

hey guys im just looking for some advice on what i should do for upgrades but first ill let you know why. i have owned my mini for about 2 months now and i bought it off a guy that did all his own work. i have had the car beakdown and leave me stranded 2 on the last months. so far i replaced both front wheel bearing upper and lower ball joints one side rad hose from water pump to head the throttle keeps sticking, i keep blowing fuses because there to many things on one fuse. the last time it let me down i was doing 130 kph on a 2 lane divided highway when the nut for the right tie bad fell off and the rod popped out so i went from the fast lane across the slow and into the graved with the bad tire then across both lanes agen then back into the graves. so need less to say the car almost killed me lol so i dont trust it anymore. so since the last owner did alot of mods to the car i wanna tear it apart and check/locktite everything before i take it out for a drive.

so now for the upgrades since im gona be taking everithing apart im wondering what i should upgrade? im planing on puting a honda b18 this winter with the ramco frame (if i have the money) so what should i do to the rest of the suspension will i have it apart? from what i can see from some pots coil overs just dont fit and dont work well in the mini so if thats true should i just buy a new set of rubber cones and some good chocks?like spax or something?(i dont know much about car shocks)

oh and im a heavy duty mechanic so im gona be doing all my own work. thnx and sorry for the long post

[steve]

I wouldn't mess with the cones or shocks yet. I would concentrate on making sure the bearings (front and rear wheel, and suspension pivots) are in good order, brakes, and steering rack bushings and rod ends are in top condition. the first mod after that would be adjustable lower arms, Rod end type is best, but poly bush is ok too, and adjustable track rods. Next do the rear, with camber brackets. Get it all aligned, and you will be amazed at the difference in handling(safety). If you want a lower ride height, you can cut a bit off the trumpets, or buy a set of HI-Lows if you want to experiment. Now you can look at your shocks; if you need them, there are lots to choose from. I would not buy new cone springs, unless you are looking for better ride/comfort, if so, think about the after market replacement steel coils spring kits, but if you want the best combination of ride and handling, do like me; use the old worn out rubber cones; they will be squashed from age, have a high progressive rate, and naturally lower the ride height, while the increasing rate will keep the suspension off the bump stops. For fast road and racing, there is nothing better, as far as I am concerned.

[grenade]

nice thnx for the tips! is there a name brand thats better then another? and if i do those upgrades will i be able to keep them when i get your subframe? and can you pm me a price? and do you ship to canada? ill pm you my adress

[steve]

You can keep all but the track rods; ours are stock length. (after market units are shorter to make room for the adapter brackets, that are necessary with the stock frame.) All the rest you can keep, when using the Ramco Conversion. I will email you the price list. We are taking a little vacation, to get ready for Mini Meet West next month, so will not be doing kits again until July.

[grenade]

cool thnx for all the tips