After what seems like forever, 30+ wheels considered, pinterest board created just so I could see them all together, I decided on new rims.
They are DxR ST12s, which seems to be a non-brand, and made in China. Seeing as I am want to get new rims almost as often as my brother gets different cars, I’m not to worried about the quality. If they bend, they bend, they were inexpensive and I really like the way they look.
They are bronze now, but will be powder coated black. They weigh about 19lbs each which is on the lighter end of wheels that I was considering.
Blog
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New Wheels DxR racing
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Original State
With all the fun of V2.0 of the MINI, I ran across the original listing when I bought the car (way back on Dec 19, 2007 at 16:15:21 PST) sight unseen on eBay from a pawn shop in Las Vegas! I’ve always wondered if the first owners (from California) had to pawn it after a bad weekend in Vegas.
Anyway, here is what it looked like when I first bought it. When the upgrades are complete I will try and take photos at similar angles to do a comparison! =D -
Wheel Options and Hamann Bumper
All of the parts are now back from paint and distributed across what looks like, most, of Detroit Tuned! Sure hope Chad can put it all back together! The Hamann bumper is back and looking great without the license plate surround nubs. Same thing for the rear bumper now sans backup sensor junk.
Been actively looking for a new set of rims too. The Focal F05’s that are on it now aren’t bad, but I’ve never liked them as much as I should. The best I’ve found, that will fit, so far are between two MSR Rims (MSR 091, and MSR 080) and the KMC Rockstar, all will be powder coated FLAT black, so the colors and hilights don’t really matter.
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Detroit Blue
It’s painted! And WOW. I knew it was going to be cool looking, but its absolutely beautiful.
The way the light reflects on the matte paint is incredible. Chad suggested naming the color, as of now I’m thinking Detroit Blue.The pictures don’t do it justice. Its SO BLUE! =D
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Powder coated engine bits
The engine/engine bay components came back from the powder coater yesterday.
They were intended to be black chrome, my thoughts were something close to the M7 Anniversary Strut Brace, but a bit darker.What came back is much more gun metal colored, and much less chromy than expected. Which I have to admit I like better than what I had requested. All the parts are a nice shiny deep gray, and the way the powder coat went on, they get darker toward the edges, which creates a really cool look. They are actually sort of steampunk looking the way the color blends.
Of course in typical Detroit Tuned fashion, Chad did way more than what I was expecting, which is going to make it that much cooler! Just seeing everything that was a mixed bag of aluminum, chrome, and other metal all matching was awesome. Cannot WAIT to see it all together. The photos don’t really do the part justice.
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Final Paint Prep
Stopped by the body shop [Lafata Auto Body] this morning to confirm the final paint color choice. There are parts of my car all over the shop. Both doors are off, the bumpers are in the corner recovering from their shaving.
I’ve been having dreams about the color, and seeing the book and color options again has confirmed that the color I picked months ago is still the best one. Painting begins tomorrow, the 13th! -
MINI at Paint
Body work has begun in earnest now! The front and rear bumpers have been shaved; backup crap off the rear bumper, and plate surrounds from the front. Filling in dent spots and the like.
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Bumper Fitting
Fitting the Hamann bumper and getting prepped for paint! What what! So excited, just talked to Chad at Detroit Tuned regarding the final paint choices.
And now its off to paint. This is going to be awesome!
Seems like its been forever waiting on that damn bumper. Hmm looks like my image alignments are screwy. Nice job wordpress.
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Hamann bumper is in!
After 3 months of impatiently waiting, the Hamann front bumper has finally arrived at Detroit Tuned!
Start the clock!
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Front end tear down
Looks like Matt and the Detroit Tuned gang have been busy, the front end is torn down and getting cleaned and ready for fresh paint and powder coated goodness. I’m not sure if I’m more excited for the exterior paint, or to see the engine components finally match.