Minerva: The S54 powered, better than new, E28

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muleskinner
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Re: Minerva: The S54 powered, better than new, daily driver

Post by muleskinner »

///Mmmmmmm.....so tasty, and so close to getting on the road. Looking forward to seeing videos/photos when you consummate it.
jhh925
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Re: Minerva: The S54 powered, better than new, daily driver

Post by jhh925 »

cek wrote: Jun 08, 2020 2:28 AM Image
This is inspiring me to paint the underside of my hood. Getting the details right "underneath" makes such a huge difference.

Fantastic job, really inspiring. Verry jelly.
Kenny Blankenship
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Re: Minerva: The S54 powered, better than new, daily driver

Post by Kenny Blankenship »

Just checking in so I can get more depressed about how un-industrious I am...
Foonfer
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Re: Minerva: The S54 powered, better than new, daily driver

Post by Foonfer »

the photos showing the A/C tie-ins make it seem like the fit of the S54 is VERY tight in the bay. Would you say it is SUPER tight, or just "a bit tighter" than the M20/M30?

this whole thread is just a friggin work of art. I would love to see it in person one day...
cek
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Re: Minerva: The S54 powered, better than new, daily driver

Post by cek »

On the right side (AC side): slightly tight. On the left side: moar tight.
Adam W in MN
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Re: Minerva: The S54 powered, better than new, daily driver

Post by Adam W in MN »

So is it running and driveable? It sure looks close.
cek
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Re: Minerva: The S54 powered, better than new, daily driver

Post by cek »

Adam W in MN wrote: Jun 15, 2020 9:03 AM So is it running and driveable? It sure looks close.
I bring it home Friday (fingers crossed).
Foonfer
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Re: Minerva: The S54 powered, better than new, daily driver

Post by Foonfer »

Paraphrasing Kim Wilde, don't keep us hanging on!
cek
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Re: Minerva: The S54 powered, better than new, daily driver

Post by cek »

Last edited by cek on Jun 21, 2020 12:44 PM, edited 1 time in total.
cek
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Re: Minerva: The S54 powered, better than new, daily driver

Post by cek »

Now listening to this as I type...

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=ki ... &FORM=VIRE

That song was a year late (1986), but still a fitting tribute to Minerva!

I picked the car up at 425 Motorsports Friday afternoon...

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Shit-eating-grins followed as my daughter and I drove her home. The seatbelt receivers we ordered hadn't arrived so the drive was sans-belts, which felt weird. But it didn't take me long to forget about that detail...

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Everything felt right. From accelerating onto the freeway, to cruising at 70mph, to breaking for traffic, to the curve of the offramps. I'm not sure what I expected, but when you put a car together from the ground up, you expect SOMETHING to feel odd. Nothing like that. Just solid and smooth.

Here she is departing home July 7, 2016:

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And here she is back home June 21, 2020:

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I took several drives yesterday after putting Maytag's seatbelt receivers in, including a run to Costco to get Julie some flowers for our anniversary Monday (yes, I parked this car in a Costco parking lot; it is a daily driver after all). I got my first comments from others while filling up with gas :laugh:.

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First impressions:

- The color is a lot, and I love it. The bronze windows are a perfect touch; they add something to the car that just subtly says "care was taken building this thing". Glad I did shadowlike, for sure.
- Sounds fantastic. See video below. I had a hole in firewall that was unplugged so the initial experience had me concerned, but once I fixed that, it meets the daily driver test. Outside, it's just magical.
- Faster than snot. I had forgotten about the Sport mode switch. When turned on it's faster than fast snot. Maybe too much power for the 225s? Super easy to break the rear end loose.

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- The seats are quite comfy. They have optional lumbar pads that can be inserted and I'm not sure they're needed. And, man do they look great. I was worried I did too much houndstooth, with the doorcards, but nope. Perfect.
- I love my steering wheel.

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- Handling feels right. I've only tossed her a little bit so far, but so far so good. Right rear tire rubs a fair amount and the left barely at all. i have some work to do here, but I've known this was going to be a trouble spot.
- Ride height is a little lower than I'd like. The front resonator taps my lift when I drive on.

I've started collecting a healthy punch list. Dan at 425 was reluctant letting me have the car because he knows it's not really done. But I was tired of waiting, and tired of paying them to do work I am more than capable of doing myself. I am now an expert with the checkbook-wrench (achievement unlocked?) and have no desire to improve my skills there any further. So unless it's something I am really not capable of (paint/body work), I'm doing the rest myself. While this list may look scary, I have to say, reading over it actually brings me great joy!

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More pr0n for y'all:

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Vote: Yay? Nay?

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I had a ton of work to do reorganizing the garage so she'd fit with all the extra parts and stuff. It's still not done, but all three cars now fit.

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sail_or_drive
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Re: Minerva: The S54 powered, better than new, daily driver

Post by sail_or_drive »

Congratulations! She's a beauty!
cek
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Re: Minerva: The S54 powered, better than new, daily driver

Post by cek »

sail_or_drive wrote: Jun 21, 2020 5:02 PM Congratulations! She's a beauty!
Thanks!

CJ & I went for long drive this morning on one of my favorite roads this morning. Even with the issues noted, this car is magical. The H&R coilovers are really, really good. We intentionally hit some speedbumps hard, and did a stretch of I-90 that has serious undulations. Solid.

Like a good dad, I even let CJ drive.

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After a #totwaffle breakfast (look them up), we had our first real wrench session. Knocked this stuff off:

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You may recall way back that I refurbished a wiper motor and then decided to go with an Amazon.com bought Chinese knockoff, just for the heck of it. We'll see about longevity, but after adjusting everything properly, the Chinese unit works great.

The powder coating on the wiper arms, esp the driver's side with the "because race" wing, made installing the cap challenging. But we got er done. Having CJ help me was the best father's day gift ever.
GoNoles
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Re: Minerva: The S54 powered, better than new, daily driver

Post by GoNoles »

Congratulations. Have enjoyed the hell out of this thread. Thanks for taking us along.
cek
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Re: Minerva: The S54 powered, better than new, daily driver

Post by cek »

GoNoles wrote: Jun 21, 2020 9:25 PM Congratulations. Have enjoyed the hell out of this thread. Thanks for taking us along.
Glad you've enjoyed it! It's been a fun adventure doing a ground-up build. I sure learned a lot. I'll definitely be taking a different route on my next total restoration project (hopefully a 1968 Datsun Roadster).

Here's the final as-built data sheet. I'm probably missing a few things, but this is mostly everything:

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vinceg101
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Re: Minerva: The S54 powered, better than new, daily driver

Post by vinceg101 »

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Congratulations, Charlie!
She looks fantastic and can't wait to see it in person.
Dale3783
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Re: Minerva: The S54 powered, better than new, daily driver

Post by Dale3783 »

Congrats. I know how excited I was to finally get my car on the road after paint/euro conversion but this must be another level. Thanks for all the great posts documenting this build. Hope to see it in person some day.
Adam W in MN
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Re: Minerva: The S54 powered, better than new, daily driver

Post by Adam W in MN »

So happy to read this and glad you are happy with the result. I vote no on the rear spoiler.
cek
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Re: Minerva: The S54 powered, better than new, daily driver

Post by cek »

Adam W in MN wrote: Jun 22, 2020 4:22 PM So happy to read this and glad you are happy with the result. I vote no on the rear spoiler.
What if it were body color?
Adam W in MN
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Re: Minerva: The S54 powered, better than new, daily driver

Post by Adam W in MN »

cek wrote: Jun 22, 2020 4:42 PM
Adam W in MN wrote: Jun 22, 2020 4:22 PM So happy to read this and glad you are happy with the result. I vote no on the rear spoiler.
What if it were body color?
Then I'm closer to 50/50.

That video link keeps taking me to Kim Wild "you keep me hanging on". Was it supposed to be a Minerva driving video or a trip down 80's memory lane? :lol:
cek
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Re: Minerva: The S54 powered, better than new, daily driver

Post by cek »

Adam W in MN wrote: Jun 22, 2020 5:03 PM
cek wrote: Jun 22, 2020 4:42 PM
Adam W in MN wrote: Jun 22, 2020 4:22 PM So happy to read this and glad you are happy with the result. I vote no on the rear spoiler.
What if it were body color?
Then I'm closer to 50/50.

That video link keeps taking me to Kim Wild "you keep me hanging on". Was it supposed to be a Minerva driving video or a trip down 80's memory lane? :lol:
I could have posted this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BYKpQ_6GbM

But I was just following @foonfers lead.
athayer187
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Re: Minerva: The S54 powered, better than new, daily driver

Post by athayer187 »

My vote - no spoiler. I like the euro rear end with no other peacocking.

The whole car looks great!
BDKawey
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Re: Minerva: The S54 powered, better than new, daily driver

Post by BDKawey »

2021 calendar can be all pictures of Minerva.

I vote no spoiler. at least not that one.
wkohler
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Re: Minerva: The S54 powered, better than new, daily driver

Post by wkohler »

The lip spoiler would be perfect in the trash or you could affix it to your recycling bin. It screams eBay and muddies up one of the best lines on the car without adding any sort of flair. I think the paint sticker should go there too, with a proper sonderlackierung (490) sticker replacing it, but that’s me. :P

You were more than capable of doing the lions share of the assembly work on this car yourself and I was disappointed you didn’t as I think you wouldn’t have had as many of the challenges since you have more E28 experience than the people you had working on it. Hopefully as you have time to go over the car and adjust things and finish it how you want instead of paying someone else to learn as I’m sure you’d be back in there again anyway.

I am curious what your concerns are with the SQR-46 reboot. I figure there are several limitations with the newer technology in the old form factor but you can’t argue with how it fits the interior aesthetics of the car. Have been considering one of those but radios mostly just fill the hole in the dash for me. I use my earbuds for just about everything.

Also would like to see the car on the Fikses. I think those might actually be the ticket.
foundlostart
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Re: Minerva: The S54 powered, better than new, daily driver

Post by foundlostart »

Just awesome, love it! Great work, great car. Anyone's gotta admire the dedication here. And now I'm gonna feel like an A-hole to say that I would love to see style 66 wheels on it - ready to tear up roads yet still elegant. That power must be fun!
oldskool
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Re: Minerva: The S54 powered, better than new, daily driver

Post by oldskool »

Love it when a plan comes together. Time for "Bring a Trailer"? ahahahahhaahahahaha WELL DONE my frennnn
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