Gherkin

That's exactly the sort of info I was looking for, thanks! Chris

After getting all the "big things" done to get the Birkin on the road I'm now getting into the smaller items that need attention/are bugging me. I have the Sierra IRS rear end and there is a small tear in one CV boot that is slinging grease into the fender/suspension. Can anyone recommend a US supplier that may have this boot available or is my only option a UK supplier? I have no problem buying from the UK, I would just like to be able to do the repair next weekend. Being a noob I'm still gathering info and putting together my parts source directory... Thanks, Chris

OK, so I set out for the local Radio Shack to find a heat sink for my ignition module, a drive of about 8 miles one-way. Can someone tell me why that took close to two hours and put almost 70 miles on the car?? Pass the sunscreen... Chris

Scannon, No intercooler but the car is running a water injection system that comes in at about 4psi to cool the charge. Kitcat, At this point I don't have plans for tracking the car but the occasional autocross is in its future. I did have to install a new Raceline sump, probably should have found out about the mods before engine assembly... The hottest days of summer are on the way so if it's too hot to drive maybe dropping the pan will help pass the time. I haven't weighed the car yet but there really hasn't been any lightness added yet so I'm expecting over 1,300#'s. (that's 1,300 pounds not 1,300 hashtags for the younger readers out there, go'n oldschool) Chris

Thanks for the tip, I have noticed that it does get a bit toasty around the header. Chris

Croc, The supercharger is a Pro-Charger unit "reverse" mounted to the front of the engine. It is a very tight fit but also a very strong and rigid mount. I was told the car was running 10 psi boost and close to 300 HP (I never saw a dyno chart...) with a 2" pulley before the engine failed. I went to a 2 1/4 pulley with the expectation of about 8 psi and at least 250 HP. On the dyno the new pulley was producing 10 psi at 7,000 rpm but that was when the pump and injectors were getting beyond their max. The HP was still climbing past 6,000 rpm but started to fall as the injectors maxed, I am hoping for another 15+ HP with better fuel delivery beyond 6,500. I'm finding that the 6,500 rpm rev limit comes on pretty quickly in lower gears:D. I suspect that the smaller pulley, higher rev limit, and shortcomings of the fuel delivery led to the demise of the last engine. Here are a couple of shots taken during the tear-down. Thanks, Chris

Well I introduced myself a couple of months ago in the "tell us about yourself section" and now have my car on the road. This car has been through a lot before I picked it up from Dick Brink. I'll try to give a brief history... The car was being used by Dick as a sales tool while he was working on selling it. It car was being run at a track event in Arizona when the engine failed in a permanent sort of way:(. Dick hauled the car (I still working on a name) back to his Texas shop for a look-see at the engine. While up on the rack, about 6 feet, the car was knocked off by a van being pulled into the service bay:eek:. I purchased the car as-is taking a bit of a gamble on the condition of the frame. Dick supplied a lot of pictures but was careful to not promise that everything was fine. The car did come with a good donor engine to replace the bad unit still installed. It took me a few weeks to pull the engine/trans and strip the rear of the frame in prep for repairs. I have taken lots of pictures, partially to help in reassembly but also to document the repairs. Once the car was as stripped down as I felt necessary I brought it to a highly respected local race car fabricator for measuring on his surface table and repairs. To my great relief, with the exception of the right rear corner, the frame was still within less then 1/8 inch of being flat and square :hurray:! Even with the great initial measurements he did do a little pulling to get it even closer to perfect. Once I got the chassis back from the fab shop it was on to reassembly with the replacement engine. With my day job getting in the way of this all important task it took almost a month but I finally had the first start on Monday (I feel bad thinking this is a long time knowing some on the forum have spent years on their cars). The build of this car was started a couple of years ago by another forum member that decided to go another route, Dick Brink finished the car and used it himself for a while as mentioned earlier. A few specs for those that will ask... 2010 Birkin chassis Duratec engine ('08 donor car) Stage two cams Supercharged Haltech ECU Water injection Dyno'd on Thursday at 250.0 HP (Dynapack dyno) (The guy that tuned the car set the rev limiter at 6,500 since that is where the injectors hit 100% duty cycle but it was still building power, bigger injectors and fuel pump will soon be installed) T9 Close Ratio Limited slip Carbon fiber nose, fenders, dash, tunnel Lotus Isotope Green paint Oh ya, regarding the name, after my first couple of stints behind the wheel I'm think of naming it "HOLY CR4P!"

I finished my car earlier this week with the first start on Monday. Drove it straight to a local tuning shop for a dyno tune and final check so my first real drive was home from the shop yesterday evening. I stopped to top off the gas and it took me 20 minutes for 4 gallons of gas, and Q&A... it's been on the road less time than that! And I thought my '59 FIAT 600 was a conversation starter...

Welcome to the addiction that is Jeep ownership! I am new to Birkin ownership but I have been a Jeep owner for over 18 years and the mods never end. I have a 1962 CJ-6 but the body and frame are the only original items left (although both have been modified). My mother in law is originally from Brisbane but has been in the US for 55 years. I have traveled to the area several times and very much enjoy both the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast. My wife and daughter are traveling to Australia in June as her High School graduation present from her grandmother. They will be spending about a week in Coolangatta. All the best, Chris

Found mine; '65 Chevy Nova 2 door with the slant 6. Bought it from my Great Aunt for $100. My friends in High School jokingly called it "the grocery getter", unless they needed a ride! Brings back memories, some good...

Thanks for the list of points to check Kitcat. I was promised that the oil pan was the latest unit for the Duratec with the starvation issues resolved. The pan has a small crack that I will have welded so the installation will be done by me and I will watch for proper seal compression. I'll look at the shifter boot/seal while I have the trans out.

Thanks guys. The car is Lotus "Isotope Green", the pickle like appearance spawned my screen name. My wife's first reaction was "Wow, I hope they come in other colors!" but once I explained what the car was all about and that it will have the performance to pull off the color she warmed to it. My last big project car was an '02 Subaru WRX so I have done the turbo thing, I'm looking forward to working with an SC to see the differences. At 6'2 230lbs I may be at the limit of the room the stock seats will give me. After a few months I will have a better idea if I need more room/support/comfort and want to change the seat(s). I will be pulling the engine and trans as well as removing the damaged rear body panel, boot liner, interior side panels, fenders, etc to allow as much access as possible to inspect the frame. I will have touched, and inspected, just about every part of the car by the time it's back on the road. Chris

Fixed

OK, my story starts as many do here... I have wanted a Seven since I was 15 and the time came to start seriously looking at owning one a few months ago. I'm a dedicated (certifiable to some) car guy and I like real driver's cars and something out of the norm. The two toys currently in my garage include a '62 Jeep CJ-6 rock crawler (the frame and most of the body are from '62, everything else is replaced/upgraded) and a '59 FIAT 600 Abarth clone. I love working on them as much as driving them. I also have the privilege of working in the Automotive Aftermarket. So now for my newest addition; in my searches I of course came across Texas Motor Works and Dick Brink. The rolling chassis on his site were in my price range and I didn't mind doing the work to build a car. After we spoke a few times Dick mentioned a car he had that was, at one time, way out of my range; lots of carbon, LSD, close ratio, Duratec, and... wait for it, Supercharged. There is a long story to it but I was able to fit the final price into my budget. The car needs an engine, I have one, and some frame work, I have a race car builder/fabricator near by with a surface table to make sure the frame is flat and square. So I took the plunge and got a lot more car than I was originally looking for and I will still have less time into it than a roller. Attached are a couple of shots of the car ready to load on the trailer. The car was picked up today, I should have it on Tuesday (no sleep for me for the next few days, Santa's on the way!). The car had Brooklands screens but I have opted for a full windscreen (strapped to the roll bar for transport) so I can use a bikini top on hot summer days. Dick kept the wheels he had on the car so the Gold ones are just for transport, I have new ones on the way. The journey begins... All the best, Chris