Finishing The Mini Cooper Monster Truck!

Go to xometry.com/gr... and use our code GRINDHARD50 for $50 off your order of $250 or more from today through 9/30! This week we custom fab every part we need to have real suspension and 4X4 FWD on our homemade Mini Cooper Monster truck! This backyard build monster truck is no toy and is finally complete!
Shop Grind Hard here! www.grindhardp...
[e-mail]
PO BOX 2370
Sandpoint ID
83864

[@CRneu]

I love these longer videos. I know the algorithm hates em but they're so much better to watch than the 7-20 minutes videos.

[@GrindHardPlumbingCo]

So happy to hear it we like them to!

[@DetroitMicroSound]

This is pro-level program length. Could be an hour long television program, weekly, if so....95% commercial-free, and all commercials, related products......you guys NEED a Steel-It sponsorship.....Properly coat all that fabrication work.....

[@gregorybowen1678]

@@GrindHardPlumbingColonger video are nice 😊

[@christhut8140]

I wasn't going to comment about your punctuation, but I just couldn't help myself. Its one big run on sentence @@DetroitMicroSound

[@nhisaacson]

I've been watching every episode since the original barbie jeep days (love you guys) - the extra detail of a 30min episode is great, but when they are over an hour long I find myself skipping ahead to get to the good parts

[@AMNEZ1A]

I always enjoy hearing people talk about stuff they know, Josh did a good job explaining the suspension stuff

[@toddincabo]

👍 I agree, a little bit of THC solves a lot of problems!

[@michaelgolding1568]

I thought that's what he said haha amazingly I was rolling up as he said it

[@CJAYTODD]

😶‍🌫️

[@jordanlittleton7650]

glad someone else caught that too! THC is better than TLC

[@honda2363]

👍

[@austinaltemeyer7302]

That's exactly what I was gonna comment😂

[@ryanbean3548]

You guys go hard every episode, but never take those friends that help for granted

[@eltortoise6836]

They are “grind *hard* plumbing”

[@KyleWKDUB]

I love this build more than anything. Been building Jeeps for a long time. Here are some things to look up. L-Shaped Shackles, Slip Yoke Eliminator (a must have), Double Cardan U-Joints (you need them for the angles that you are running). You might consider putting the shackles on the rear of the leafs for for the front so that when you flex the drive shaft shortens rather then lengthens. Hope some of that helps.

[@MrSnowlver]

Have been building jeeps since the 80s and came to say about the same thing. I'm by the rubicon would love to help fix it with ya 😂 That TC looking smahable

[@TheTalon0713]

Glad i read the comments this is about exactly what i was going to recommend as well. Lol.

[@EJ-74]

​@@MrSnowlverCould you translate that last part, I'm not understanding the jeep talk or whatever 😂

[@BWalker-yg9en]

​@@EJ-74shackle reversal. Look it up on KZbin. Seeing it is better than I could explain it. If that's what you're talking about.

[@mtb_prodigy4856]

We need more people out there like Grind Hard, insane homemade creativity and I wish I had that level of skill 🔥💯🇺🇸

[@mattbarrett41]

Never underestimate the power of really good tools, and the time to work on something like this. I’ll bet you could come up with some pretty cool shit too

[@drtschker3072]

Amen

[@gsfriendlytreesmmj1165]

It's absolutely an awesome channel

[@vexxaction3463]

@@mattbarrett41Was going say something similar, just about anybody could do similar work if they were dedicated enough, Mechanic work is also a lot of trial and error to learn and get good at so start small and one day you can custom fab a whole build

[@Very_Grumpy_Cat]

🇺🇲🇺🇸🇺🇲🇺🇸🇺🇲🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇸🇺🇲🇺🇸

[@mrdabeetle1]

You guys should use the fact that it rained to walk around the new shop building and take a look at where the runoff is going and make sure that water doesn't go where it can cause damage to your new shop or the ground around it. I'm so excited to see what you can get into once that shop is up and running.

[@mludd]

Yeah, even if the shop itself can handle the rainwater seeping into the ground come winter there could be some frost heave issues. My solution would be to at least put at gutter along the back edge of the roof and divert all that water somewhere else.

[@InterpretingYou]

​@Olivia-in5pjJesus Christ, stop spamming

[@MetalY2KMusic]

There were SO many excellent moments in the production of this video. I am SO glad you did the full 1 hour + format.. This took me away from the stress of daily life and brought me to Grind Hard Mini Cooper Land. 10/10 Premium

[@CLCIII]

WHAT AN AWESOME CHANNEL! Watching Ethan problem solve, fabricate and build a project is so enjoyable and my OCD truly appreciates his attention to detail and nice little touches. The film work and editing surely adds to the overall experience. I am able, as a Disabled Vet to live out my dreams of fabricating and building things quite vicariously and very satisfyingly. As Always, May God Bless you and yours! 😇

[@PandasFknRule]

Good to see Sam again, he always had a good energy.

[@AccAkut1987]

I'm having a huge brain fart right now, I know I've seen Sam before, but was it on this channel or does he do stuff on another channel? Somehow my brain sayse "he's not part of the Grind Hard boys"

[@SIR_MNBEN]

@@AccAkut1987 I know he was in a few videos helping them get the v12 jaguar running using carburetors

[@FarmerFpv]

​@@AccAkut1987 It used to be only Ethan Sam and Edwin from the start of the channel for about 2 years. Sam left to go do things on his own. He is the OG on the channel. They have a video saying goodbye.

[@EJ-74]

Good to see ole Sam the man back on the channel, 👍🏻 🙏✌🏻

[@justinf.7073]

Might wanna check out the drivers side front leaf spring. After that rock climb it looks like it took a pretty crazy bend on the frame mount side!

[@froelix]

I love your choise of music for the videos, makes me pause my 24/7 spotify and also wanna play my drum kit again almost every time i watch one, keep it like that 👍🏽❤

[@Chopped93VX]

I'm sure y'all already thought of this. But you could clock the axles a bit so that the input shafts are facing up slightly, that would reduce driveshaft angle and u joint binding. True the plates on axles for mounting to the leafs would have to be cut and welded back on. But it would make operation more smooth and reduce the chance of breaking parts.

[@ericlilly5960]

Man I’m loving these 45 minute + videos

[@TheWakes120022]

I got to thinking about the new shop...... I'm super excited to see the next level of premium machinery that gets completed in it, however I'm sad to see the old shop go away. The old shop gave me a sense of real worldness that a fancy huge shop won't give me. The old shop proved to me that it's more about the workers, their skills, and their ability to adapt and overcome that made these videos special to me. Thank you for sharing your skills guys, I am looking forward to the next chapter! Keep grinding!

[@rod1695]

Those u-joint straps were used on jeeps back in the day. Carry some extra straps and bolts, they are notorious for coming loose and breaking.

[@amcustomfab]

When you drove up on that rock from the undercarriage view almost looked like that front leaf spring was about to break

[@brady2758]

Not sure how it didnt

[@shadetreemetalworks]

I like the Grande Cooper a lot. If I may make a suggestion on your fan sensor housing, it should be grounded. Your coolant shouldn't be conducting any current, in fact one of its properties is that it's NOT readily conductive, so that electrolysis is minimized between all of the bi-metallic interfaces in the engine, preventing corrosion. Water needs electrolytes to conduct, and coolant is specifically non-electrolytic (plants hate it). This is also why you should use distilled water in your cooling system.

[@DetroitMicroSound]

15:19 He's a great REGULAR addition! The man knows his stuff. He can fill a consultant, and partial suspension fabrication role, in damn-near every project! I bet he's willing to shake down his own designs too! ....Dang, you guys need a proper WRC level rally stage out there...... I keep thinking GHPC is going to announce you've formed a rally team, and you've bought a couple Ford Fiesta's to get started....... 😎 ...2017 Mk7 driver here.

[@Flacidross]

yeah i like him a lot too

[@DetroitMicroSound]

For real. He should be a regular fixture! A valuable asset.@@Flacidross

[@HueMongussD]

Dependent on the type of axel you have, I've seen guys slightly rotate the the axel to where the dif points upward for better drive shaft alignment. But that's on super lifted trucks with less suspension travel. With that much travel, it might jam up the shaft upon spring compression. You'd have to have more throw in the yoke to ovoid binding. All-in-all... Amazing work on the Monster Mini!!!

[@MrDWardin9]

The ‘Monster Cooper’ will be an absolute hoot to watch on the Rubicon Trail. Nice work!

[@MetalY2KMusic]

I really really appreciate that you guys have good sponsors. Xometry is obviously a reasonable choice for most people and they have obviously very good options available. Unlike that Lord/Ladyship one that got all the YTers years ago, that wound up being a scam. I haven't seen one bad sponsor from you guys in years now, not that it would be your fault if a sponsor was misleading, anyway!!

[@byker4lyfe1]

It's really good to see Sam again... why did he leave the channel? I miss his back flips please bring Sam back

[@byker4lyfe1]

@Olivia-in5pj I'm a Christian thank you very much

[@americanix7951]

For better angle. Cut the axel on both side of the pumpkin, rotate the Pumpkin up, but leave the knuckles at the same as original, then reweld and do all of it on the vehicle. Cheers

[@ElijahBradley08]

I do love me a 'Test Dive'

[@totorofan3527]

LMAO FR

[@jakezanders6598]

Considering the amount of weight those tires aren't carrying, you could probably air them down to like 10 psi and be fine. I'm sure they're rated for multiple tons given their size

[@MrSnowlver]

I run the ones on my samurai on my samurai crawler

[@kleinbiker1]

I keep wondering if the people who built this mini-cooper have been watching this series. 😂

[@jesperhagstrom]

Was thinking that too, the original creator get some shade but without them this mega cooper wouldn't exist in the first place

[@Billyjoe978]

@Olivia-in5pjjust stop 🤦🏽‍♂️

[@northidahogurl999]

Me to since they knew nothing about Grind Hard 😊❤❤

[@oliverjd26]

1:03:15 At the table top jump. The mini cooper blends in perfectly with the forest. Add a turbo charger to the engine next, for abit more spunk.

[@scriptsrl]

Who here also dreams of having a garage like them someday?!

[@alienfac32]

i just want A garage.

[@SauceyEntertainmentLLC]

i love this monster of a build i came back 7 months later to watch it come to life again 😁

[@lr7974]

Ethan needs to start another channel called "FAB and DIY rescue" where he comes in and fixes troubled screwed up builds.

[@asssm89]

That wpuld e a hell of m9ney maker. He could tv deal with that.

[@josephsinclair8564]

It's funny to see you working out of the old shop. Especially after seeing the move to the new shop. It's like watching a classic! Lol

[@Mr.Rebel1776]

Great video! Would a rear shackle conversion for the front make it ride better? I know on obs fords it improves the ride quality a good bit when you move the shackle from the front to the rear of the leaf spring.

[@stephennelson7031]

I’m a cnc machinist, I can’t disclose what I do. But if you guys had a 5 axis cnc machine, the endless possibilities. Love the channel waiting to see the R1 scooter take flight 😂

[@kilgorefamily76]

I can relate to getting down in the dirt and crawling under a vehicle with a grinder and welder. I hope that vibe is not lost when you start working in that lovely new (well-deserved) shop.

[@paularmbrust2134]

I normally say go big or go home, but I feel like on this one you could go down to 39-40s on that and it would be a real crawler with the gain of power to the wheels

[@1one3_Racing]

The tyres are way too hard being machine tyres. But yeah in its current form it'll never do Rubicon. I'd say 40s or 42s and remove 3/4 of the leafs

[@Peter-zm6ln]

Time for gears/lockers before they head to rubicon. Get some of low torque back.

[@Kopa_Malphas]

I would agree with the "Most a cooper has flexed" if I hadn't seen a build for a "Trophy truck" mini. This thing is such a dope PoS

[@Jcarney87]

I’m shocked you didn’t use round tubing for that cross member

[@jamesbeemer2477]

Just some advice I recommend limiting straps on your suspension to prevent drive shaft failure. 30 degrees is max angle for u joints. Limit straps keep your suspension from going beyond what there failure point especially when you jump or in a super off camber situation. Nice job can’t wait to see future builds. Love your videos.

[@shivusarode]

Ethan and team never fail to amaze me! dare I say anyone.

[@stevo43068]

So say we all.

[@bisket2003]

Yyyyeeeewwwwwwwww!!!!! It’s Friday and that means new grind hard! I’m here for it. Keep it coming boys. Makes the week better.

[@CLCIII]

A turbocharger/supercharger would most likely take care of the power shortage. Or LS swap it and put lockers front and rear and REALLY take it to the Danger Zone! Possibly a Ebay Motors collaboration?! 🎉

[@Bouwentjes]

Awesome built. Suggestion: front driveshaft double joke it at the transfer case. Rotate front axle so that the pignon is pointing in a direct line towards the front transfer case output shaft. You have to cut and weld the spring pads. Lastly cut of the front axle swivel balls and weld them on again at the correct caster. Did it before, works awesome.

[@phlacoe]

Little bit of THC...

[@sideburnie]

making a chamfer bit out of a step drill. next level of creativity and resourcefulness.

[@dogyerf21]

I remember watching Ethan in LOTR as a kid and now it just blows my mind to see Frodo work on stuff. Life is premium like that.

[@tonytrumble]

What you need to do to your axles are clock them to lessen the angle of the Ujoint. Just cut off the leaf spring perches and clock rotate the axle so the angle is pretty much non existent. I did that to my 99 suburban that I 1 ton solid axle swapped and did a 24" leafspring lift to. We just clocked the axles and that made the ujoints a lot happier where there was no vibration.

[@HueMongussD]

My Grandpa always told me "The lazy man always works twice". FACTS!!!

[@therealpsychotrader]

My entire week is usually pretty hectic with work, kids and just general life. But luckily I'm an early riser and I wake up Saturday mornings early to peace and quiet and a new Grind Hard video to relax and enjoy. Thanks guys!

[@rico8089]

Another great show. You guys are the best on the internet. I always learn something new from Ethan or one of his experts. I will definitely be using Xometry in the near future, I work for a commercial construction company based out of Maui Hawaii, making it hard to get specialty parts, so this will really be a great asset.

[@theoriginalwallace]

Premium!! The rear drive shaft needs shortened too... the trans & motor are being pushed forwards on suspension compression. That will make it really bouncy out back! Cheers. Leigh in Scotland.

[@intricateinc8566]

*Always look forward to a Grind Hard upload and update* Anyone else feel like the "Mini" Cooper actually looks really good as a monster truck? Looks natural. *PREMIUM*

[@jeffjefferson8137]

edwin is like me helping my dad do stuff on cars. asking questions, helping occasionally, and sometimes coming up with obvious solutions for problems.

[@SIR_MNBEN]

It’s good to see Sam again! One of my favorite videos is the v12 jaguar build..already 4 years ago!

[@maxmckillop6863]

When building drive shafts. I heat up the axle tube red hot , then slide the yoke in. Use two levels and the vice to make sure your clocked right. The heat shrinking centers the yoke. It's a lot safer than the press. Keep up the awesome work.

[@ssgmichaelkrulicsr.2529]

add a small turbo for boost! I love watching you guys and I have to agree with whats being said below, watching these longer videos is "PREMIUM"!!

[@pilotdog68]

Yeah this sucker definitely needs a turbo or a super or something. It struggled with the little sand pile, and you can't carry much speed on most of the Rubicon.

[@pjl1919]

After seeing the rain coming off the new shop,you guys should put gutters then a tank for a catch basin.put a pump in it and use it to spray down your track haha.

[@cjg1482]

What pressure are you running in the tires? I’m guessing that you could run 5psi or less. That would help the ride too.

[@atlantaperimeter]

your use of screen recordings, and showing all the fabrication is super cool, great work guys.

[@UmmmmmmmWhat]

I wish i had the resources or motivation to build the classic mini on a suzuki samurai i always wanted since, well, forever.

[@wilsonlaidlaw]

I suspect, with the softer springing, you may now need either Panhard rods or a side to side Watt's linkages to control axle angulation.

[@dannybrennan31]

I bet 10 years from now youre going to look back on this as one of, if not the last build you had to do out in the rain and youll look back fondly on how you were able to do so much with so little back then

[@PurpleBeardedBison]

Great job y'all! I'd say boomerang shackles on the rear, the same length as the front then remove the same springs as you did the front and you'll have it down to the dual transfer cases and 5.13/5.38 gears or a more powerful engine.

[@intentsmodz]

I've told ya 5 times now, The battery is under the plastic by the passenger wiper. Follow the Big Red cable going into the firewall!!

[@cntrptn_yt]

Sorry to see you working in the rain, but glad to see some epic shots of what you are doing regardless.

[@playanddisplay3636]

One small step for man one Giant leap for MINIS.

[@northidahogurl999]

Yes I love watching every episode ty guys ❤

[@joeym2675]

Good Job! Now you need lockers and gears! Especially gears!!! Get rid of the bogging down of the motor! Cool Ride! Can’t wait to see it on some rocks and trails!!

[@rcoffroad.restore.build1]

Soo good to see the build video posted

[@gregorypina3142]

You need a double cardon joint drive shaft up front to help with angle. It is in backwards and also a high pinion axle would move it up 1 to 2 inches.

[@dormantmenace]

Just buy or make some spring perch shims to correct rear axle drivshafy angle. And get a cv drive shaft made... you can get away with just the shims.. but a cv joint style shaft would be "premium" as you say... if I recall Tom woods will build custom ones. But he's not the only person.... I would of gone with boomerang shaped shackles to reduce hight and still allow proper cycling.. and cut 3 times that much out of bumber...or the obvious shackle reversal

[@toddabbott781]

Yes that thing needs aluminum bead locks, a 4 link suspension and some adjustable coil-overs. You need to do something about that drive shaft angle. It also needs a lower gear or more power.

[@landrelarose745]

Wow, those are excellent shackles.

[@stevebaker5642]

All that's left now is to toss the leaf springs away & throw 4-links front & rear, add lockers & you're away! Look out Rubicon, here comes Grind Hard!!

[@austinconklin08]

I think a stellar addition to the merch list and to compliment the Premium merch would be some 'Swindely' bits 👌🏽

[@jonaathansimons7938]

Recommend 1-2 psi in tires, a 4:1 kit in the transfercase, and maybe a cheap set of lunchbox lockers!

[@robmanueb.]

A premium Grind Hard episode featuring another Premium Grind Hard project.

[@GemCityRCOutlaws]

i could be wrong but i think some more driveline bracing is in order, maybe some kinda anti wrap bar for that front axle. she MOVES moves when you bumped that rock and when its under a good load! definitely could use like 30-50 more hp XD can NOT wait to see this baby rip the rubi!

[@forgottenbattles10]

Hey Evan try beveling the insides and outsides of the tabs before you bend them. I have found it helps with the breakage from bending.

[@kleinbiker1]

Tom Woods driveshaft can make a custom front driveshaft with a double cardon in like one day and overnight it. They are up in Utah and did this for me when I blew up the front driveshaft in my 80 series on my way from Ohio to CO. It saved my trip and the price was pretty reasonable.

[@Dannyfilms1808]

You guys are such a huge inspiration to all of us. The long videos are sooo premium

[@JamesDKyrts]

Rad job!! Need proper bigger leafs for the back. That lift-block, not only begs to fly off its place, also limits the potential of the rear axle geometry. Even on leafs. Also, put back the "bottom" short and thick leaf. It really does not add a lot of stiffness, but will increase the lifespan of the other leafs by much. Especially jumping all over the place.

[@althejazzman]

I'm so relieved to see that you have a sponsor that relates to your content.

[@xtremelimits640]

So what's more fun the mini Cooper or the 6X6? Do you guys have any more plans for the jet boat? I would like to see you guys get together with the guys from Cars & Cameras. I think that would be a cool video. What's next as far as builds go or should I say projects? Have a great week and or weekend. Looking forward to the next video.

[@HighSchoolDropout96]

was watching for 20 mins and wondering why it was still going didnt notice at first its over an hour long nice episode

[@brentheltsley7187]

Pull a couple leaves out of the rear too! Sucker will float like a caddy! Lol That driver front main leaf took a nasty bend though. I see that being the breaking spot. Normal rigs will break there or just under the perch. Careful doods :)

[@CJLeTeff]

56:10 I was just thinking the same thing that Ethan said! Always loved the sound of the hydraulic fluid releasing, it’s like a big sigh of contentment. 😂😂😂😂

[@brickcity9mm896]

And that's what she said 😂

[@schweglerd]

No matter how long they last, those joints go into the hall of fame.

[@JMC9837]

Looking at the angle of the t case and the front axle you need a cv at the t case end of that drive line to alleviate vibration and binding

[@jesterclown86]

Must say with the longer video kinda like watching a movie especially with the camera work and editing. Solid 👍👍 great video.

[@toddhansen5072]

L shaped shackles will keep you from having to notch as much…as for the springs, if the front isn’t bottoming out too easily, leave it soft and remove leaves from the rear…

[@john_barnett]

Ethan: No water collecting in this battery tray with these holes! Also Ethan: Upside down acorn nut lol

[@j.wright5918]

With those leafs you don’t need shocks just dampeners. Sucks on the street but better off. That’s what we always did on old axle flip wheelers

[@davidestright4439]

The only thing missing is a hemi. Something it needs power. The grind hard way!!!! Love the hour vid.

[@GhostRyderFPV]

I play the same symphony when I Countersink, too.

[@Billyjoe978]

Loved watching them work through the math with the leaf springs. Really cool 😮‍💨✌🏼

[@chansebrown1175]

Been out for 2 minutes I've already watched it 20 times Keep up the amazing content

[@MaldonadoMoto]

Bros got it on 20x speed

[@PkwyDrive13]

The math doesn't add up here.... 🤔

[@clifsant9266]

Over an hour of GHP what a Friday. Got off work at noon and long show for watching. Love it

[@jeremywolfe5483]

Those shock mounts on the leaf spring top plate got me like 🫣🥴

[@1leggeddog]

So sick! But you know what this thing really needs? 4 wheel steering. That would really set it apart and be able to turn on a dime and be incredibly nimble