75ZT Community

Whilst trawling tinternet I came across a possible alternative?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-Mini-Coop ... 3aac25df04

Looks incredibly similar, but more importantly no compensator and the cable, plus the equaliser, is the same length as that on the 75/ZT when modified to the correct length. How they can be the same but different is beyond me when you consider model/company ownership overlap?

I have some photo's comparing them but unfortunately they are too big to post, so will need to get them under the limit so people can see.

Gary M.

Hi Gary
looked into this a long while back and the FL 1 ones but you still need the compensator for the rear two cables

Gary's Pic showing both types for comparison., straight swap!! if you can buy one!!

C.

Cheers Chris

Gary M.

ceedy wrote:

Gary's Pic showing both types for comparison., straight swap!! if you can buy one!!

C.

Yes problem is you can not just buy the compensator part, and if you manage to purchase the cable plus compensator you then have the problem of fitting the cable to the existing handbrake mech, which is either console out, or bending back the metal tag which holds the cable into the track under the bend of the ratchet.

I tried for at least three months sometime back to just obtain the compensator part and could not find supplier, I am 100% sure you could not use our original cable, as it is the oblong fixing at front of the compensator, not the same size and shape.

I may purchase an whole one to find out, pics below of what I took this evening Arctic.

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PS most certainly a good prospect and I would be willing to buy compensators/cable in a bulk if I could get hold of them at a cost effective price, but of cause you have the extra work then of replacing the cable from the R75 one, off searching again stints of déjà vu

Have/am trying Steve, but it looks as if BMW will only supply the H/B and equaliser and not the cable, which you can get for a reasonable price, see here:

http://www.bmminiparts.com/PartDetails. ... 5FBDB34A3C

I emailed these people and they confirmed the cable is not available separately.

However looking at this issue MGR surely had a reason to specify such an (overly) complex method of operating the H/B, indeed the fact that at one time it was possible purchase the compensators and that there is an access panel beneath the car, then one infers that they are deemed to be a "serviceable" item. In other words they designed it to stretch, for whatever reason, and be replaced. I've also emailed Rimmer Bros. asking if there is any possibility that the compensators would become available again? Answer was no and although the show a complete H/B mech' including compensator (£120+) they say they can't get these either??? Indeed they sent me a link to the OC showing a certain modified one (I'll let you guess which one???)

As for replacing the lot with a BINI one I think it may be possible and intend to give it a go with the cable I have. I've "practised" on the mech' I have in a vice and if the tang is out of the way it can be done. Indeed I have it on good authority it is possible but fiddly and bloody no doubt. I appreciate in situ it will be a different ball game. However I think it wood be good to find out why MGR specified such a mech'? Do you know anyone with access to RAVE to see what it says in there. Besides it would be good if we could get Xpart to source these things, that way they would be available to a wider audience so to speak. Perhaps Matt at DMGRS could get them?

Gary M.

Hi Gary.
Are you referring to the original R75 compensator ? if so even if they were available they only stretch again, i have replaced the cable several time on the R75 with out removing the console, just lifting the rear part as if fitting the compensator, you have to push back the tag, this then allows you to remove the cable and refit a new one, but it is very fiddly and takes about 45 minutes on top of the job originally fixing the compensator alone.

As I say if I could source the compensator part only I would have no problem purchasing them in bulk, but most R75 have now been modified either with a SSC or a welded one.

ideally it would be best if the cable and the compensator was available, but then you always have to take in to account that on the R75 the compensator needs to be able to swivel ie compensate for each side of the car cables, would the mini one allow this being one unit and not two parts ?

It pivots on the link attached to the cable itself. I've emailed Matt at DMGRS to see if he could get them (no reply yet) as when I enquired about getting one I was asked for the year/reg of the car, got a feeling if we tried to buy a load of them it may spook BMW? Besides I thought it may be good if it was posted as an interchangeable part so people could simply get one if they wanted to go down that route?

PS Think you missed a few 75/ZTs over here in Suffolk, the ones I walk past their H/B's make a very good flag pole rather than a 3xclick one.

Gary M.

Hi Gary.
Quick up date on the R53 compensator in exchange for the R75 one, I purchased the full jobbie it arrived today, and I can agree it looks to be a straight swap, but both compensator and cable must be used.

This makes for a bit of extra work when fitting, I have in the past had to fir a cable due to it being thread bear, and one which snapped, and one that the front nut had locked onto.

The cable can be removed with the little tag bent round, and the front nut remove, the cable is then pulled through, the difficult part is getting the cable back in, sore hand cuts and grazes, take about 45 minutes if all goe's to plan.

As I have one in my possession now I will seek to fit it some time soon maybe at the meet the weekend as always I will back post up with photo's weather it is going to be cost effective or not remains to be seen, cheers Arctic.

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Tag needs to be bent back to remove the cable.
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pull cable through it's aperture
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Cable and equaliser are the same length once removed
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R53 compensator fits the rear cable attachments ball fittings.
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SSC & R53 compensators side by side both would never stretch again in my opinion, but less work involved with the SSC when fitting, as just the compensator is fitted whereas the cable and compensator would have to be fitted if the R53 is fitted.
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But it/the (R53) looks to be an alternative if members so wished to use and go down that road, cost second hand is on average £20.00 from the bay of everything.
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Close up of the R75 SSC/& the R53
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Hopefully I will get chance to fit later this week and report back cheers Arctic
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That's how I see it Steve. I've not had a reply from Matt, too busy with his article in Classic Mag I see!!! I've mailed him again.

All things being equal I'll get mine installed over the weekend, I've got enough washers on the adjuster to sink a battleship; so it needs changing.

It will be interesting to see how other people view this, but at least it looks like another alternative. I'm surprised no-one picked it up before.

Gary M.

PS How's the Hippo? Just had the Rear O/S wind mech go ping on me so got another and fitted it last week. Whilst I was at it I dropped the cards off the other doors and greased the runners, they were bone dry so no wonder the snap.

Borg Warner wrote:That's how I see it Steve. I've not had a reply from Matt, too busy with his article in Classic Mag I see!!! I've mailed him again.

All things being equal I'll get mine installed over the weekend, I've got enough washers on the adjuster to sink a battleship; so it needs changing.

It will be interesting to see how other people view this, but at least it looks like another alternative. I'm surprised no-one picked it up before.

Gary M.

PS How's the Hippo? Just had the Rear O/S wind mech go ping on me so got another and fitted it last week. Whilst I was at it I dropped the cards off the other doors and greased the runners, they were bone dry so no wonder the snap.

HI Gary.
Dito I have had my O/S rear one broken, I have had the part for a couple of weeks now keep trying to get round to fitting it, recently fitted front/rear shaft and new VCU two lower arms, front and rear discs & pads, brake cables haven't stopped working on it since I purchased it in October last year.

Arctic wrote:

Borg Warner wrote:That's how I see it Steve. I've not had a reply from Matt, too busy with his article in Classic Mag I see!!! I've mailed him again.

All things being equal I'll get mine installed over the weekend, I've got enough washers on the adjuster to sink a battleship; so it needs changing.

It will be interesting to see how other people view this, but at least it looks like another alternative. I'm surprised no-one picked it up before.

Gary M.

PS How's the Hippo? Just had the Rear O/S wind mech go ping on me so got another and fitted it last week. Whilst I was at it I dropped the cards off the other doors and greased the runners, they were bone dry so no wonder the snap.

HI Gary.
Dito I have had my O/S rear one broken, I have had the part for a couple of weeks now keep trying to get round to fitting it, recently fitted front/rear shaft and new VCU two lower arms, front and rear discs & pads, brake cables haven't stopped working on it since I purchased it in October last year.

What make window mech? If the same as mine, OEM from Rimmers, the connector is different but they give you a proper one to swap, but the wiring colours are different. Not an issue but it's not you would think. Down was up and up was down first time.

Gary M.

Hi Gary.
Bought from the bay so not really taken much notice but it's for a freelander 1, also I acquired three more R53 cables and equalizers today.

Good collection you have there; it's going to work!

Gary M.

Borg Warner wrote:Good collection you have there; it's going to work!

Gary M.

Hi Gary.
No doubt it will work but the problem is that anyone changing to the(R53) as I call it, will have to also obtain the cable and compensator, even second hand you can not get them as stand alone parts, therefore have to purchase the whole lever.

Then there is the task of removing the old cable and fitting the new one before the (R53) will do it job, I was going to fit it to my MGZT but as it is perfect with the SSC in situ I decided not to, so I will be looking for a volunteer either at the meet or someone local I may even ask my son if he wants to try it on his MGZT Arctic.

Hi Gary.
Well I managed to fit a (R53) this evening after going to the nano meet to help set up camp etc, and as I thought a nightmare of a job.

This conversion/modification was carried out with the kind thanks of Simon on his MGZT, which in fact needed the handbrake doing as it had been packed out at the front so it would work but only just, so a prime candidate for the R53.

As with the SSC first remove the two console side screws pics below
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Next as with the handbrake mod remove the two 10mm bolts at the rear of the console so it can be raised up, then remove the front adjuster nut completely as the cable will need to be withdrawn from the handbrake lever.
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With the console raised and the passenger seat positioned so you can just see the little metal tag that holds the cable in it's track on the lever bend pic below
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This tag need to be pushed back so it pointing down thus opening the gap for the cable to be withdrawn from the lever. pic below.
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once you have the tag pushed back withdraw the cable slowly, do not pull to hard, we did this and it got stuck and we ended up in world of pain trying to release after, I got there in the end after much cursing etc.
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An hour and 30 minutes later the exchanged was completed and the hand brake held on three clicks.
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I doubt very much the R75 owner at home would wish to carry this modification out unless he knows his way round these handbrake mods, to be totally honest this is the first and last I will carry out, just not worth the extra work I could have fitted three SSC ones in the time it took to fit the (R53) cost the same monetary wise, but the time is three fold and a total headache, but the modification itself works 100% cheers Arctic.

Hi Steve. Plan is to tackle mine today, depending of things, I'll post my findings up as well. Matt has come back to me and he is seeing if he can source just the cables which is good. Whichever way at least there is another alternative.

Ta Gary M.

Borg Warner wrote:Hi Steve. Plan is to tackle mine today, depending of things, I'll post my findings up as well. Matt has come back to me and he is seeing if he can source just the cables which is good. Whichever way at least there is another alternative.

Ta Gary M.

HI Gary.
When you say he is just going to see if he can source the cable I presume it will have the compensator on the end? following on from above I doubt very much I would be fitting anymore for members, as it is a sheer nightmare maybe you can find a easier way than I did good luck Arctic.

Hi Gary.
How did you get on with the fitting ? if you found the time of cause, showed the R53 to a few at the meet the weekend they liked the unit but were not that overjoyed as to the amount of work involved to fit it, so they have been banished to the bottom of my tool box for now, until maybe I or someone else can find a better quicker way of fitting which I doubt will happen cheers Arctic.

Hi Steve

Wasn't able to do anything this weekend, spent most of it at hospital with my wife as she's having Chemo' therapy following breast cancer earlier this year. The side effects of the Chemo' are causing her some problems so she was admitted Friday night and came home yesterday.

I've got some ideas and when things have calmed down a little more I'll give it a go and post some photo's.

Gary M.

PS Never say never.