In this episode of Mighty Car Mods
we start
Do we start it?
We start it.
We start the Mini.
So we are back in Noosa,
It's another deliciously hot day
uh, and as you may have heard
I've had a broken wrist for a couple of weeks
um
which some people have insinuated
was something to do with how amazing, this looks.
um
*clap*
But no I did fap it
oh I mean I cracked it
possibly, when I was working down under there
or maybe falling off a skateboard
I don't know what!
But while I've been away, this absolute legend
has gone ahead and done the final component of what we needed to do
which is the brakes. Tell me about what has happened down there.
We have brakes!
Do they work?
I hope so.
Yeah, we don't actually know, do we?
We haven't driven it yet, so we don't know.
But I have a nice firm brake pedal,
and I have no leaks from any fluid.
It was all brand new lines everywhere,
so all the steel lines were new,
all new braided lines out to the wheels,
obviously new calipers.
And it's a new master cylinder so I needed to make sure it wasn't going to leak.
So I fiddled it all,
Did you have to do anything tricky?
I had to modify a few of the parts to fit around the epicness of the VTEC motor in there.
Uh, but other than that it was all fairly straight forward, but
filled it full of fluid, bled the brakes, they seem to work.
Amazing.
Once we drive it, we'll know for sure!
So we finished up last time of course
with the car not starting cause we had a problem with the coils
but I have brought with me here
I have got four more Subaru coils.
Now there were some comments,
that I probably wasn't going to tell you
of people saying it was interesting the only thing that failed was a Subaru part.
Yeah.
um
Wondered about that.
Let's just uh- let's just leave that there
We've got four new coils, Subaru coils,
that are going to work.
Uh, we think.
So we can put them in today.
Let me just check our list. I want to run through a few things and you can give me a yes or no.
VTEC Mini throttle cable.
Done.
Alternator wiring.
Done.
ECU wiring. We did it.
Wide band. Done.
Cooling system? Done.
We did it.
We fit the fan; we did that last time.
So, what is the plan today?
Uh, we shall fit the coils that you so graciously supplied us
we will fit them, um, we'll plug the laptop back in again,
we'll check our base ignition timing, make sure that I've got the angles correct on that.
And then, it should just start.
Wow!
And then, bonnet on, uh which doesn't look like it's gonna fit
but we'll work that out later.
Uh, grill on,
And then today we can turn the key, start it, and hit the road.
That's the plan.
Amazing. Let's do this!
*clap*
I gotta go get a knob, too.
This commodore,
ha ha ha ha
This commodore's hilarious.
I gotta go to Supercheap Auto and buy a gear knob.
It has no gear knob. It has a gear knob extensioner,
that has been custom made on a lathe to fit on the top
but it was actually just- it was like going and scratching your ankle to change the gear.
So, we have to go and get a gear knob.
And then hopefully today, everything can get put back together,
we can turn the key, and we can drive the Mini for the
Very.
First.
TIME.
It's going to be FREAKING AMAZING.
Gear knobs?
Right down here.
Yeah?
That'll be on the wall where the *indistinct*
Ah yeah, thank you.
[Moog browsing through various knobs]
[This one is too shiny.]
[This one's too round.]
[I'm gonna be sick.]
[Ah yes, there we go.]
I have a gear knob!
So now, it's time to
commodore our way back.
*VROOM*
ha ha ha
To AM Auto and see if we can get this Mini working!
This car just makes it feel like doing burnouts.
Which I'm *not* going to do.
Because I am a *responsible* citizen.
*click*
The gear shift we got from the Australian Civic
the gear stick is very short.
In the Mini, it needed to be a lot longer for-
uh so you can actually reach it when you wanted to change gears instead of reaching down to the floor.
So- You made that-
I made that. -on a hand lathe.
Yeah.
No machines required.
-No. -No computer aided machinery.
No.
It's light, is that aluminium?
It is aluminium.
I thought, rather than take the gear stick back out,
cut it, and weld it,
to modify it, I would just take some aluminium and machine it
and if it's too long, I can cut it off and machine it some more,
and if it's too short we can adjust it with a nut on the bottom to- Amazing.
So literally, that screws onto the existing durdle-
Yep.
-that extends the durdle and then we just put the gear knob on top.
Yup!
We've got the interior and the seats back in the Mini,
and keeping with our sleeper style, it looks exactly the same as factory.
Now once I'm sure the height of the gear knob is okay,
I can paint the extender black, and put it inside the gear boot.
Next up, we got our new set of modified Subaru coils, and these are ready to be installed.
[sick beatz]
With these plugged in, now we can check the timing.
[moar sick beatz]
With the ECU powered up, now we can disable the injectors to check the timing.
Crank it over when you're ready.
Yup.
Spot on.
Spot on?
Spot on.
With everything looking good, this is the moment we've been waiting for.
We can enable the injectors, and turn the key.
This has been like a year of conversations and research,
and it has been weeks and weeks and weeks of work,
and I would just like to acknowledge the man, Mr. Stinton down here.
What we're seeing here, is the culmination of years and years and years of ability
from his dad who was an absolute Mini guru and shared that with him.
This is so beyond what I would be capable of.
This is not a representation of my abilities; it is a representation of Miles' abilities.
And so we're going to turn the key.
And hopefully it will roar into life in a blissful symphony of VTEC goodness.
Ladies and gentlemen, the Type R Honda VTEC Mini.
*sigh*
We're close.
*turning key*
*engine turns over*
*rev rev rev*
WOOOOO! [insert bass drop here]
It's alive! -Listen to it!
It's purring like a kitten!
It's alive!
It is alive!
It's actually alive!
With the timing checked on the now running motor,
we can put the rest of the car back together, in preparation for our first drive.
Final piece of the puzzle.
The final piece of the puzzle.
I hope the bonnet closes.
It'd be nice.
It would be a nice way of finishing the build, wouldn't it?
It would.
The radiator's the only thing that looks like it could be a little bit iffy.
Yeah, the cap is, uh, very very close.
It feels like only yesterday, and also feels like a year ago,
that we started on this car.
Actually, I guess the first time round it probably was over a year ago.
It was now, yeah.
With the supercharged one, a couple of years ago.
Yup.
*clap*
And it's done.
The Mini now looks totally stock again.
Its tiny frame hiding the monstrous secret
of the B16B Type R engine lurking under the bonnet,
giving it three times its original power.
But now is the real test, to see if it actually drives.
*vroom*
Alright, here we go.
First gear, VTEC Mini.
It works.
Second gear, Honda Mini.
That works.
It works.
Third gear, Honda Mini.
That works.
Three gears work so far.
Three out of five ain't bad.
The brakes are working as well.
Oh good.
If you were wondering.
That's alright then.
It actually works!
It does work!
I'm impressed!
We actually don't have an opportunity to put it on the dyno yet so it's kind of a little
road tune/road test that we're doing at the moment.
And it's pretty bloody amazing!
It's working.
So torquey!
Just put your foot down, and off it goes! It's amazing.
Noice!
Shall I give it a little squeeze, or not?
You can give it a little squeeze if you like.
[big squeeze]
A HA HA
WOW
It's a VTEC Mini everyone.
It goes!
A HA HA HA
*clap*
Oh and I'm,- Oh, fifth as well! -fifth gear!
And we're just cruising.
We are just cruising.
Just gonna hit some country roads here and have a little drive, see how it's feeling.
Wow!
It feels fantastic!
It does feel good.
Mighty Car Mods!
It is Mighty Car Mods; it's the first drive of the Honda Mini here.
What do you think of the Mini?
It's pretty cool.
It's just been finished.
It's smaller in real life.
It is very small in real life, isn't it?
It's got the, uh, Honda engine in there?
The Honda en- this is the first drive.
The Honda engine is in, we're doing a little road tune as we speak.
So, we've got to get back to the workshop, but thanks for stopping to say g'day and drive safe.
Yeah, alright see ya!
See ya mate!
So Miles, there it is.
We've got a type R Mini, with VTEC.
Proof: [big squeeze]
Unicorns!
So there it is! There's a couple of little things to tidy up, but the car works.
It does!
It goes.
It works.
It stops.
It steers.
It does, it just works!
So, I'm happy!
What's amazing is that when you're just driving along like this,
it does not feel any different to driving a Mini.
No.
It just- and the only time you really notice the difference is when you
*VROOM*
HA HA
It's AMAZING
It's just amazing!
It's surprisingly quick.
Like, does that just, does that make you just get Honda crazy?
Actually, let's not go too far.
But does that - But do you get excited by that?
I do! It's good. It feels nice.
The power's nice.
You get the people out there that say that
you start putting different motors in these cars and they completely-
goes away from how they should be, but it feels good to me.
And I think as well, we've retained all of the iconic things that make a Mini a Mini.
And my feeling is that, as technology got better,
if these cars were still being made like this, they would've replaced it with an engine like this by now anyways.
They would have had to.
They would have to get with the times, give people a bit more power, a bit more efficiency
to go head to head with all of the hot hatches.
So I feel like we've just done what evolution would have done anyway.
Yeah, you're right.
100%.
For me, this has been the evolution of the Mini.
A classic car we found in Japan, now powered with a performance JDM engine.
This is my forever car. The car that brings me the most joy.
And like all project cars, it's an ongoing and evolving journey and one that I hope will never truly be finished.
With car builds and conversions this big, things don't always go to plan.
But like The Beatles said, "You do get by with a little help from your friends."
Because this is more than just a story about a car,
it's the story of the people who built it.
And just one of the many stories that are told from driveways, garages, and workshops everyday
from people all over the planet, who are just like us, and people just like you.
People who love their cars.
This story is not over yet, but after so long in planning, and so long in the workshop,
now it's just time to drive.
I had to chop at least one Hyundai Getz.
Hyundai Getz? Cool story bro.
I hope you had fun chopping that because there is no chance you are ever gonna chop this.