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Off Season Training

It’s all well and good building the lightest racecar you can, but it’s a pointless exercise if there’s a pork pie in the drivers seat.

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At the start of December I recognised things weren’t in great shape. Creating 92kg put me 8kg heavier than the start of the 2013 season. More to the point, it’s 13kg / 2 stone heavier than when I started my new job 3 years ago.

Got a kick start in December with a stomach virus decimating me for a few days, now I’ve got past the Christmas and New Years’ bulge we’re back on track.

2014 season opener, driver’s dry weight shall be 76kg…

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I can’t decide whether this was a Monday morning car or a Friday afternoon car.

Monday morning, “I shall make the best damn MINI the world has ever known!”

Friday afternoon, “beers at lunch, 2 hours to quitting time, ain’t care…”

Either way, there’s bloody seam sealer everywhere on this thing! Gallons of it on the seams, heaviest application I’ve ever seen. Plus random dods here and there to make the sound deadening removal even more of a pain in the arse than usual.

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Add in freezing temperatures making ice form inside the airtools and it was a bit of an arduous one.

Whilst I was at that, Gerry got the grinder lit:

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Interesting times stripping Sara down, the obvious dash board and trim changes aside, the facelift introduced quite a few body in white changes.

Additional skins up front for mounting grab handles and sun shade:

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The seat belt mounts are different and there’s an additional random thread on the floor pan on both sides:

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The facelift centre console introduces and additional double skin and threads at the end of the tunnel:

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Construction wise, there’s a lot more seam sealer along the sills on the facelift:

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Anyways, tonight’s antics got the last of the wiring harness out the car. Sound deadening and heat gun time again:

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Sara Time

So, nice 12 hour shift on Sara today, all the interior out and started unclipping the loom. Just the engine bay loom to get removed and it’ll all be out.

Few images showing the stages in the process.

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The workshop at close of play tonight:

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