The Independent American Magazine for all Mini Owners
Issue link: http://mc2.epubxp.com/i/33537
O by Peter D. DuPre & Ron Mitchell Ron Mitchell photos by ne of the great things about owning a MINI is that there is a plethora of optional dealer and aftermarket performance products available from which to choose. Adding enhanced drivability, improved handling and wads of extra horsepower is easy… if you have deep pockets. Yep, performance parts don’t come cheap. This means that if you are on a budget, the choices for extra oomph are limited, unless, of course you are handy with tools and love doing your own fabrication. Ron Mitchell, of Candler, NC, is one such person. According to his friends, he has a reputation as an ‘elite’ dumpster diver, likes building things, likes to do things on- the-cheap, and loves having a fun time whilst he is doing it. More than anything else, he likes helping out fellow MINI owners improve performance in their cars with DIY projects that can be made in a few hours time and cost very little indeed. One such project is the “Frugal Cold Air Box” shown on these pages. Ron wanted to hop up his wife’s 2003 Cooper S a little, but as usual, he didn’t want to spend any money. As luck would have it, the former hardware store owner spent almost none. The air filter was purchased at a swap meet in Charlotte, for $8. The rest of the parts used in the project, such as the short length of pvc pipe and hose clamps, came out of the scrap box in his garage or were salvaged from around the area. For example, the sheet metal used in the project came from a dumpster behind a 40 MC2 Magazine www.mc2magazine.com sheet metal company and the rubber seal came out of the trunk of an old Ford and was given to Ron by the junk yard manager. Ron says that if you keep your eyes open when you are out and about, you can usually come up with enough free material to complete most small DIY projects. The tools needed for this project are minimal: A box cutter, tin snips, carpenters square, tape measure, screwdriver, pencil, magic marker, and some miscellaneous hardware. Fabrication time for the Frugal Cold Air Box is also minimal. Once all the materials and tools are assembled, a few hours time on a Saturday is all that is required. Most of that comes from having to make a template out of card stock for the sheet metal. However, you can cut manufacturing time way down by emailing Ron and getting a template from him. He points out that his template is only a general guide, since years and models of MINI may differ slightly, so some engineering may be necessary. However, general trial and error for fitting pieces will generally get the job done with a minimum of hassle. So, does the Frugal Cold Air Box deliver the goods? Ron says that since he’s installed this one, his wife has noticed a difference in performance. Ron’s email address is: ronmitchellwnc@mindspring. com. He charges only a few dollars for his template, to cover his costs, and we think it is a real time saver, plus he’ll give you all kinds of advice that is very helpful. easy diy Cold And Frugal B u i l d y o u r o w n c o l d a i r b o x a n d s a v e b i g b uc k s . I t ’ s e a s y !