We BUILT an Electric Mini Cooper for UNDER $3,000 and its Awesome!

Try shipstation FREE for 60 days when you use offer code RICHREBUILDS. Make sure your business is ready to meet the demands of massive online shopping
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Checkout www.iaai.com to see where I get my cars for cheap. Use code "save50" for half off registration
Go to www.Electrifiedgarage.com for your EV service needs
We finally get the electrified mini-cooper on the road, but it may just be too much beast for us OR others to handle apparently
Please support us on Patreon
/ richrebuilds
E-mail: [e-mail]
Instagram: / richiebkidd
Mailbox:
P.O. Box 1041
Salem, MA 01970

[@normang3668]

6:09 Those ramps seem like they could probably be moved closer together. . . 6:16 Those ramps can definitely be moved closer together. . . 7:10 I don't know how or why that worked.

[@chemxfan]

It's #RichRebuilds, man! One never knows how or why - it just DOES.

[@YvesMarioCordon]

Rich likes the sensationalism.

[@TheRealFobican]

Ramped catapult

[@wobblysauce]

Yep. or use the links so they don't pop out...

[@gsppuffer]

Sketchy as fuck but miraculously worked

[@mianfazlerazik3636]

I thought the project got delayed due the visit you paid to samcracs step mom.

[@Evry1srolemodel]

LMAO

[@dragnet53]

I just want to know what his dad does for a living. That woman was way too hot looking.

[@andrewmeadows2596]

I'd rather Sam's stepmums crack than Sam's.

[@fadilmoosun3272]

Thank you so much for including the harbour freight recall, i had 4 of them and had no idea of the recall, im constantly using them and going under the car. So thank you brother, good things happen to good people, i wish you all the success and happiness, keep up the great work, keep moving it forward

[@dynamicpaintball]

plz dont die

[@dcherron1487]

I love that the "check engine" light is on

[@blackterminal]

All the warning lights are on

[@TheChariotdriver]

You know those ramps will slide over to align better.

[@LuisELopezGarcia]

It's Rich. He often defies common sense.

[@ambruszoltan752]

@@spacexvanityprojectslimite3315 ex-IT guy, I think :)

[@buttaflyski]

It was pretty clear they know they're moveable definitely for comedic effect

[@zilfondel]

@@ambruszoltan752 explains the gratuitous use of memes over mechanical sensibilities

[@ruk2023--]

Anyone who cares about having a back seat in one of these has obviously never tried to get into the back seat of a mini.

[@surferdude4487]

Yes. I did have a ride in the back seat of an original Austin Mini. There isn't much space back there.

[@TheRealFobican]

At least it's well motivated to make some weight reduction on a car like this one. The exterior of this car looks quite modified with the blacked out wheels and headlight inner panels upon the hood.

[@bigfatdynamo246]

One of the most popular Mini mods is called the Rear Seat Delete. It ain't a family sedan.

[@reecedrury4145]

My kids love it in the back of my R53. With full size child seats aswell. Daughter behind me to be fair has to put her legs in an odd position though as my seats are in her lap

[@rubenbraekman4515]

They're not that bad actually I can fit in my buddy's mini one S with not that much problem, just put the front seat kinda between your legs and you're fine, I'm 6ft 2

[@ms36000]

The joke density in these voice-over videos is severely underrated!

[@donellmuniz590]

I know, right? He spits 'em out faster than Eminem spits out brilliant rhymes.

[@raychang8648]

I have really enjoyed this series, Rich. Particularly this video, showcasing all the hard work and thinking that went into it. Good job, guys!

[@waylmaster7487]

Hope you got it registered, we all know what happened last time you took a car out for its "first drive".

[@bcote3491]

Haha

[@KingHarry]

what happened, what did I miss?

[@linsleyboxill6863]

@@KingHarry got a ticketarooski and towed or something lmao, mighta been a goof with the towing part tho

[@SiuLeung]

@@KingHarry Audi RS7, no plates, no registration, and a cop...confiscated.

[@Kalvinjj]

That whole fuckup did get us Leenda tho and a lot of going to prison jokes Still no white dad for his kids it seems

[@AzatOvezov]

Assistant you want: Leenda. Assistant you need: Steven.

[@TheRealFobican]

How is her name even spelled to begin with? Already seen it being Leenda.

[@TheRealFobican]

@fuck google what if you want to clap the cheeks again but can't remember her name?

[@blackfootchata86]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@sillyover4076]

I'm Steven , im for hire in Au

[@OMGWTFLOLSMH]

Leenda.

[@geoffburrill9850]

Great conversion, quite quick for the money. I personally would need twice that range to use it as an everyday but still a really economical project.

[@nikosv8166]

have to say Rich, the ad transitions are pure genius - Greetings from Sydney Australia

[@bandwagon240]

The Husky talking woke up my old Husky and made him talk back. Best video you've ever made.

[@bandwagon240]

@Clams McGee thank you for your room temperature IQ contribution.

[@liam.brewer]

I have a german shepherd but I want a husky they are amazing animals.

[@bandwagon240]

@@liam.brewer quite the opposite end of the spectrum behavior wise, haha. I'd love to get a Husky and a GSD as puppies at the same time.

[@MargaretLeber]

My cat slept through it.

[@Yab0yblue__]

It killed me when those boards on the trailer ramps flipped up 😂😂

[@gundonemushungwa5935]

Ship almost happened🤣🤣

[@coreygrant5974]

classic uncle rich on the design and execution of that trailer situation 😆

[@StarterBeans]

That seemed like a pretty clean conversion. It was nice to see your break down of the different stuffage you put into the project. Pretty nifty! Say, do you think it would be possible to remove the entire drive train and battery system from a Nissan Leaf and install it nearly directly into the likes of a Nissan Rogue? It seems like there are a lot of similarities between the two vehicles.

[@forsakenboydigoy]

Nice build! Legit question, how do you register this to the DMV? I know nothing about registering a project car on DMV

[@internziko]

The smart thing to do would be literally just register it as a normal passenger vehicle. If you he tells the people at the DMV what he's done they will 100% not let him plate it. They'd probably tell him it needs special inspection and it more then likely would not pass and then he's screwed.

[@Btu555]

It's a good question. Most of cars from IAAI would have salvage title so it would need smog certificate to start with and sometimes would need CHP inspection if the vehicle is popular for stolen.

[@dennisg.3364]

⚠️ WARNING: Do not eat while watching Rich drive up the ramps! I almost choked to death. Lol 🤣 great build man

[@Daytheonly]

Are you okay ? 😂😂

[@dennisg.3364]

@@Daytheonly I eventually recovered but my poor wife who was next to me thought it was almost time to cash in my life insurance policy.

[@Spdracer]

@Dennis dont get her to excited

[@cecollins68]

The subtle meme flute playing made it for me 🤣🤣

[@AbbreviatedReviews]

The number of pieces miraculously falling into place to allow that car onto that trailer could spawn a religion.

[@bokiNYC]

😂😂😂

[@Archetypebmx]

Awesome job! That ‘engine’ bay looks tidy!

[@marquisethomas5611]

"What the *FLUTE NOISE* are you two doing" 🤣

[@ShawnTempesta]

"Shooting something for a documentation" LOL

[@TheRealFobican]

Convert it into a shooting brake and you can't get enough of all the shoot.

[@Full_Throttle_no_Brakes]

Well. he is not lying...

[@OMGWTFLOLSMH]

He's a wordsmith.

[@OustandingTv]

Wanted to see her dance

[@AutoAuctionRebuilds]

*That was an epic build!*

[@ethancedrik]

It was

[@deedo2982]

hay randy

[@mrpicky1868]

it wasnt and it will not live ling

[@joshdanial8945]

Yeah

[@MarkMarvin1983]

"I want to see a proper back seat!" This is a completely new Prototype!! And wow that torque!! That's impressive!!

[@AlistairOwensgooglePlus]

Great project. The motor installation looks super tidy!

[@elliot3147]

I pretty sure those ramps could've been moved closer to each other.

[@anon8613]

Exactly lmao comon 🤣👌

[@T.Lspitz]

Yea i was wondering why they didn't it seemed like common sense

[@curmudgeon1933]

@@T.Lspitz Rich Rebuilds/common sense...does not compute.

[@thomaskennison1417]

And clean off the trailer.

[@jdmatt7647]

4:07 check out rich's chrome tabs

[@ozzyg147]

Frs lmao

[@Na-eo1gx]

lol

[@Yesthatsmyfirstname]

Dude never misses a spot for a joke.

[@HamedAdefuwa]

Go back and look at all his tabs in his videos. They're usually much worse than this lol

[@maddensmith9571]

Lol 😂

[@bbarron9958]

When that wood went flying. I seriously lol’d so hard...totally needed that. Thanks. 🤣🤣🤣

[@joemattes8389]

I thought I was going to die watching you load the trailer.

[@PatsGarageOnline]

Oh great, now the Mini Cooper is faster than an i8, now, too 😭😭😭

[@calebbouchard4646]

No

[@farisadam6646]

Nop u wrong

[@MrChicken420]

I8's Are pretty slow so its not hard to beat

[@farisadam6646]

@@MrChicken420 ur dreaming

[@moehashim8442]

@@farisadam6646 do you own an i8?

[@RobertBarnes-bj7fk]

Can we get a side video of Leenda cleaning the shifter? Asking for a friend.....

[@n.gmdiniso2829]

I'm that friend! 🤞🏿

[@chazsteadman5020]

Are you saying that she can really polish that knob?

[@ralphclark]

And the "flute" 😂

[@chrismooneyham5279]

I am the friend, I gots to see that video...

[@ArcticAirUltraPro]

We just watched the Motherboard doc on your work in my Technology course, you are an inspiration!

[@birdplayground3923]

minute 2:11 I have to replay 5 times this little scene . how amazing this electric motor bounce from side to side . I love it!!!

[@datniccah420]

Men of culture . We unite again lol

[@DucNguyen-bd5ir]

So you made a mini cooper that is more reliable that it was originally.

[@sofa-lofa4241]

Not difficult

[@joshdanial8945]

@@sofa-lofa4241 yeah

[@PeresD]

All mini coopers are reliable, that's all the wife drives.

[@Vivi_Sterling]

@@PeresD Until you put in non premium gas, use non performance spark plugs, oil filters, oil, and transmission fluid. the car looks decent but costs way to much to use and maintain for what it is.

[@PeresD]

@@Vivi_Sterling More of an investment.

[@stevewaller6577]

I like how to retained the Mini warning lights out of respect to how it was originally manufactured.

[@bokiNYC]

🤣🤣🤣

[@skylined5534]

I like 'how to retained' too, that's a great channel.

[@RonniePTexan]

The "Christmas Tree Option" comes standard on all Minis, Range Rovers, Maseratis, Jaguars and makes for a colorful interior that you can enjoy while you wait for the tow truck to arrive

[@Godsbest777]

Rich had leenda polish the knob in the car! Lol. No vacuuming....just clean that stick!

[@williamcolvin9100]

The "recall" on the Harbor Freight jack stands you spoke about... ALSO had a "recall" on the replacements!

[@ez2bcute]

The irony.

[@lavapix]

Let's see, 100 mph & I need to go 6 miles to surf, yeah I can sleep in a little longer.

[@austinmurdock1945]

Am I stupid or is this purposefully a no sense comment

[@Tonyk24]

Man what the fuck did you just say

[@DarkMarkison]

I don't understand what this man is saying yet it has 350 likes. Can someone translate it for me?

[@RBRat3]

@@DarkMarkison I gather they're talking about commute time... Lets say he's a law abiding citizen and generalizing city speed limits it would take him 14.4 minutes @25mph to get to his prime surfing location 6 miles away. Now @100mph it would take him 3.6 minutes so that allows him to sleep in a whopping 10.8 minutes providing there's no unaccounted time loss like dolphin polishing :)

[@DarkMarkison]

@@RBRat3 ah, I finally understand

[@uprightape100]

This is your best project since Delores. Which I followed from the beginning.

[@Libertino]

Bro! The Cyberquad project was super dope too!

[@YvesMarioCordon]

I like them all. When I grow up, I will be like Rich.

[@jasoncarr1167]

This man be perving on his assistant

[@jensgronning4436]

He’s smart, he knows it brings extra views when her incredible body is in the thumbnail

[@colchronic]

Wouldn't you?

[@killaproject844]

she is flat relax

[@user-xu7rp3kw3z]

he uses women as props in his videos all the time, you shouldn't be suprised lol

[@MT-pr6qb]

“ 24h Lemons race” yes, seems about right

[@Saintbow]

The car would not pass their rules

[@danhay8933]

Only Citroen's can race at 24hr Lemons

[@antonherres7112]

Isn't it $500 vehicle limit

[@Shawn_the_Protogen]

Phoenix is so cute, I love Huskies. They are so talkative and cute

[@only_thee_ash_c7516]

As much as I can appreciate the Tesla rebuilds and all of the work you put into those, this is sooooo much more satisfying to see. That's a nice ass mini. Great job.

[@john-morton]

Really interesting build series and something I've been thinking of taking on. Would want it a bit tamer though as for just around town and short commute

[@krispyai4229]

Haven't watched this channel for at least a year and it's great to see it going so well.

[@bikingnutcase0]

Mint! Nice work Rich. I'd like to do an EV conversion, but have always been put off by the cost of parts. Thanks for doing such a thorough series on a low budget conversion.

[@666bpm4]

WAIT, wait, wait. Your lord and savior moved to Texas, Joe moved to Texas.....Leenda came to Texas!? Rich......the writing is on the wall.

[@ssaul1193]

plenty of room to do burnouts

[@CHAOS3RDEYE]

Lol that Billy Madison meme is top notch. I still to this day say "that is correct" exactly how Farley says it in that scene 🤣

[@jeremynoir2567]

those specs sounds amazing to me. well done guys. please do more of these projects. great content.

[@someguy6369]

Can't wait for the reveal.

[@IB62846]

Ye

[@SauerkrautNCheese]

You guys getting the mini onto that trailer gave me a near heart attack.

[@ltethan649]

i started crying when the wood went flying

[@dankfacts4640]

@@ltethan649 and when the wood went flying we was out here crying

[@TurboBMRProjectLove]

@@dankfacts4640 no lube

[@themadscientest]

We need a Rich Rebuilds and Hoonigan collab.

[@BoxerTechGarage]

Awesome build. Definitely something I want to do in the future with a Subaru, since Subaru barely has a hybrid and it sucks. Side question: Since its an around town car, what plans, if any, do you have for heat and AC?

[@tysanddon]

Just asking for a friend but when is your assistant gonna come back 😆😆😆

[@quechcoldpressedjuice3935]

lol

[@nadonami9209]

haha

[@carsnob]

Sadly, she's busy makin money

[@tysanddon]

@@carsnob true

[@lancinekeita4823]

She has a KZbin channel

[@williamfenton6562]

Can build and electrical car, can't load a car on a trailer 😅

[@macberry4048]

He has a history of poor equipment

[@farisadam6646]

Well u can’t even load ur own car on that trailer

[@mrkazman]

Hey now, I saw him load it on the trailer!

[@charlesshreeve319]

You need to do a video on the board flip technology you employ on your trailer ramps!

[@garysorensen3288]

I loved this entire series. Rich, you guys are hilarious while doing some really cool schtuff!.

[@cleemungo]

“Take the ice cream off the cone” lmao

[@chrisestill8825]

As someone who got hit in the shoulder with a car battery in an accident, I believe it. I also found the comparison hilarious.

[@cleemungo]

@@chrisestill8825 I’m sorry to hear that, but I’m glad your ok though.

[@yvens711]

Where does he get these one liners? "like building a belt with watches, it's a waist of time" these are the funniest joke of the series

[@kylepreudhomme1704]

I actually look forward to the ad spots. They crack me up almost every time.

[@vandenbroek1]

Great idea for a Mini Cooper. Just wanted to say epic build happy to see people still pushing great ideas 💡 to new heights. Also awesome filming good content i can't wait to see what you and your team do over the years to come.

[@MADMAX-bf6lj]

Great build I like to dabble in mechanics but this build was the best I have seen so far on youtube ,well done guys well done!!!

[@joet2699]

Legit cracking up at the wood ramp

[@ddd228]

The ramps popped a wheelie and launched the boards off quickly!

[@sharkuel]

The best bit of the whole vid

[@blackmanops3749]

I thought $5k would be a stretch. You knocked this clean out of the park. Excellent job!!

[@lovropirkl2672]

17:33 YESSSSS FINALLY A V8 POWERED TESLA!!!

[@olegil2]

Getting that on the trailer was a prime example of "task failed successfully"

[@mianfazlerazik3636]

With me being in germany. Your video usually starts Premiering around 9 to 11 pm. But today it happend at 12 pm. I am guessing it was due to the visit you paid to sams mom.

[@Jaloman90]

Nah he ain't need no full hour for that

[@andrewmeadows2596]

@@kiddwrld6630 no it's a girl not a bruh.

[@kiddwrld6630]

@@andrewmeadows2596 bruh what

[@briandrmoreau3710]

Visit so good he came 9 hours early 😂

[@JakesOnline]

13:21 I had that "wump" sound in my Spark EV. Had to to replace the motor mounts. Too much torque. 400 lb ft

[@danblackfield8928]

“Too much torque in my chevy spark” is a sentence i never though i’s hear in my life. Man i’m so glad EVs get more and more popular.

[@girthquake1413]

@@danblackfield8928 I look for Spark EVs on the Down low all the time. It amazes me how GM can make something *so good* when they Dont want to at all.

[@hvidmasta]

I'd love to see a collab with rich and like the hacksmith or linus, I feel like there would be a lot of humor pack moments. Love your videos!

[@jeffdoak8444]

After watching your series on the conversion I am now tempted to find a old 4runner and mate the motor to the transfer case still giving me a 2 speed transfer and 4x4 for icy roads which would let you put the battery's under the hood since there would be nothing in the engine bay anymore.

[@RogueNinja501]

@ 8:08 The captions read “music” when Phoenix was singing. That’s the first time captions were accurate!

[@djgainsbond]

Rich you let us down, you missed the " she cleaned your flute" hehe

[@PhilipShufflebotham]

He got it alright.. He just took the comment in his stride so he can keep it family-friendly.

[@TheModManu]

Rich just went full samcrac loading that Mini onto the trailer

[@RomboutVersluijs]

hahahah dude loading that mini on the trailer was just EPIC

[@MisterHughes]

7:10 this is the kind of high quality solution we come to this channel for.

[@jpmuga]

While Linda cleaned the stick shift of the car! 😂😂😂😂

[@donellmuniz590]

What he didn't say, is that she's the one that got it dirty! 😜🤣

[@brandonhuggins1736]

Bro I learned so much from you in this series!!! Awesome stuff right here. Did you ever talk about the project you referenced earlier or was the lemon race it???

[@jeffmac3071]

Rich great smackdown by the guy who told you to go to the racetrack. You should try Mexico, I hear there aren't any speed limits.

[@MrDraquo]

"24 hours of Lemons" 😂😂😂! This guy is hilarious!!!

[@nachojones1]

no, that's a real thing. he's not making it up

[@MrDraquo]

@@nachojones1 Wow 🤦. That's awesome 😄.

[@nathankim7664]

17:05. An electric 1991 Dodge D150 would be pretty freakin' awesome to see!

[@rangefreewords]

Rich revisit this Mini! Love to see a new video of it 2 years later!

[@Andrewlang90]

This would make a great candidate for an all wheel swap and be a drag monster

[@immelting9834]

This build is definitely gonna help, when I do my electric boat conversion. Thanks Rich !

[@slembever]

getting yelled at by the no fun brigade after doing some donuts sure brings back some memories

[@evanasche8882]

I know right? There'll always be a loser that hates other people having fun lol

[@jboscoe]

i guess i am convinced the ev is a good evolution to go with. I have been interested in ev conversions but not smart enough to do it but when you mated the manual transmission to iit i am curious if you select gears before take off.

[@HyrumManuel]

wait, so the manual gearbox still works and you can like go up and down through the gears while driving? COOL!

[@futbolplaya07]

I haven’t laughed this hard in nine months.

[@andrewmeadows2596]

@fuck google no I think it was 10mins before his girl told him she was. He probably been crying since she told him.

[@futbolplaya07]

@@andrewmeadows2596 100%

[@elik031]

I love how uncle rich glosses over the fact that he gets death threats in his email every time he makes a decision. I think this is the fourth time I heard him getting wild emails for a decision he made.

[@thefunshackwars5418]

Why does he get death threats?

[@elik031]

@@thefunshackwars5418 telsa fans i beleive absolutely ridiculous. I also think it's because the decisions he makes are against status quo.

[@blackterminal]

People who make such threats because you do something they don't agree with add no value to the World with their own existance

[@odraciskatube7725]

as a guy who build these mini cooper ones, i must say i'm impressed with the choices and how you did it. we do build mini electric but personally haven't seen them produced in volume. saving a f58 non runner was a good call, i'm guessing this is a older car 2010-2014?

[@dullstaples]

This is an r53 from 2000-2006 I do believe

[@vz6715]

The trailer loading was funny asf

[@senatorchinchilla5389]

"Go to a race track" Oh yeah let's just spend the extra 1000's to put in a roll cage, fire extinguishers and suit, helmet, and pay for track time. Wouldn't wanna wake up the dumpsters!

[@xenonram]

You don't need to install all that stuff to bring your car to the track. Either way, that was a stupid suggestion

[@OmegaF77]

My response would be "point me to the nearest one and I'll go there."

[@statementleaver8095]

I never knew Karen had balls!! Should've replied "Go get some work done"

[@vanderumd11]

Makes sense. Don't do burn outs on other peoples private property

[@Axle-F]

That guy was probably 10 seconds from calling the cops. Best find another test spot.

[@lollypoofy]

2:10 I love how the Editor slow mo-ed/Zoomed in on her "Kicking the motor".. What a legend Linda benefiting Rich's business got me wondering if mine needs assistance on some 1000 IQ shit

[@monkeymang369]

Man i would love to have this.. Ive always been obsessed with power to weight ratio, and light weight cars that reward more output with the same input numbers of heavier cars. Geo metro, Suzuki swift, honda crx, mini cooper, mazda miata, toyota mr2 1st gen all good lightweight options. The thought of less resistance, less heat, less complications is soothing..... Id like to figure out how to DIY the most simple lightweight manual transmission vehicle possible... Geo metro is probably cheap as it gets if i could figure out how to make it RWD and maybe have 1 motor directly connected to each rear wheel so that the motors could be weaker and more controlled than 1 strong motor powering both rear wheels....

[@DragnDon]

Looks like that was a blast to built and see 'done'(relatively speaking of course). I was only disapointed by the 0-60 time. My XC90 T6 Polestar can do it in a hair over 6 and it's 5000lbs. Guess the limiting factor is the motor here and not the weight.

[@theeuda]

The lemons race idea sounds amazing. I can't wait to see that.

[@robertcgage]

You need a clutch. And much stronger springs in the rear.

[@hugomachado2004]

Excelent project, with a small budget... Thanks for sharing how it's made. Thanks for using a Mini R55 with a damaged engine instead of the classic Mini.

[@donaldburkhard7932]

Add some metal to the end so will go up onto top of trailer then drill holes to lock rails down.

[@lazy1126]

Cant wait for the second assistant reveal, sams mom.

[@georgemathieson6097]

This is like Doctor Who - who's going to be the next assistant, what's the next vehicle going to look like... 😂

[@dewaldgrobler2488]

This was an epic build and really affordable. Well done team.

[@joelfuentes5148]

I love what you have done to the mini. Maybe stiffen up the suspension in the rear, or install coilovers all around because it is sagging. For battery safety, an "X" roll cage in the back on top of the batteries?

[@MyJg23]

Tesla owner here rich and I was simply astonished by this. Drove some electricians here in Charleston South Carolina and they put me onto you. I am now subscribed and look forward to connecting and learning more as I am very interested in a rebuild of a SUV and pick up truck into an EV more specifically my Highlander