Birkson

Ask Tom. I got my third brake light from him along with an angle bracket that has a bit of a curve to fit the roll bar. It gets riveted/screwed to the roll bar. Along with the brake light wire, you'll be running the fuel tank vent line up/across/down the roll bar too. I thought it was kinda interesting when he told me; meant to avoid fuel running out of the vent tube case of a rollover.

... and cleco fasteners wherever you need at least two rivets to have perfect alignment. So far, I've put in 6 for the heater, and 2 for the center switch console. I will put in 6 for the rear diffuser trim where the rear fenders meet the chassis, and 2 for the third brake light bracket. Probably 6 or 8 snap rivets for carpet, and also a bunch of snap rivets for the bikini top, tonneau cover, and boot cover. More than I thought after listing them out. I've used a hand tool so far. Might have to check out the electric.

Hello @NeoBear, I'm about a month ahead of you with my SS3XS build. I also opted for the Subaru R180 LSD, but with a 2.0 w/ stage 2 cams. I think @papak is referring to the aluminum 'skid' plate that goes under the oil pan and it does come standard with the kit. My build is going quicker than I expected. I've already got all suspension installed, brakes working, rear differential and half shafts, fuel tank, etc... My engine is arriving tomorrow! Tom @Tbox56 is fantastic about answering any questions during the build (which is why I haven't posted here since Tom's been able to give me guidance). A few minor things you might want to have on hand, steps, etc.: Metric tap and die set - With such close tolerances between parts, it's easy to get cross-threading on the first thread. I absolutely don't want to mess up any riv-nuts or welded nuts, and the taps have come in handy a few times. Large drill bit set of fractional, A-Z, and numbered (or metric). Cheap Harbor Freight will do fine. Some of the holes I've drilled needed to be fairly precise and it's nice to have the variety. A piece of 1/2" steel bar stock to cut and make a wrench plug for the differential. Once installed, there's only and inch or so of clearance to get the diff plug in/out. Oh, and to install the diff, I had to remove the sway bar and rear housing plate from the diff. I haven't actually used it yet. Be sure to do the parking brakes and rear suspension before the rear diff. You won't have room under the diff to work on the parking brake balancer. And you need all the empty space you can to get the rear suspension in. Many of the electrical connections will need new connectors added. I ordered this one from Amazon: haisstronica 520PCS Marine Grade Heat Shrink Wire Connectors-Electrical Connectors Kit A special tool for reaching the headlight nut that's about 2-3 inches up inside a housing. I bought this one from Amazon: 3/4 inch Fuel Injection Horn Nut Socket Some of the more nerve wracking steps so far; due to the potential for very ugly outcomes were: Enlarging the windscreen wiper holes in the bonnet. Masking and rolling/painting Herculiner truck bed liner on the undersides of the four fenders. Rear upper and lower wishbones. The fronts were easy, start with those. The rears were much more fussy, at least for me. Basically anytime I need to drill, cut, or modify something it really makes me slow down and think it through for a while. Many more but where's the fun in posting too many spoilers! Tom will send pictures and talk you through anything. But if you want to see how mere mortals tackle something, let me know and I can upload some pics. So far, It's been a very satisfying process. Definitely not a lego kit or IKEA build, but I like the extra mystery in figuring out some of the steps. Hope this helps.

I chose 6,200 rpm as just an arbitrary value and not redline. I did verify with Tom, and you are correct in that he sets the redline for 7,000 rpm. Here is the same analysis with redline 7,000 rpm, instead of the arbitrary 6,200 rpm. Of course the shift speeds go up, but still the same relative differences. Because I wasn't looking for the fastest 2.0L setup, the race cams were the low hanging fruit for an easy/quick way of boosting HP above stock. However, I didn't want to start chasing higher and higher costs of beefing up the internals which would allow me to increase the redline to 8,000 rpm. If I did that, then my taste for power might not stop and I'd end up with a supercharger or turbo, beefy transmission, etc... whew, glad I dodged that rabbit hole Great discussion, and it's good to know my calcs are at least consistent so I'm going into this with eyes wide open and a deeper understanding of pros/cons for the options I'm choosing. Thanks! -b

Great points about gearing! Thanks for the sample values you guys are using... TLDR: My standard short 1st gear isn't quite as bad as it could be because I have larger wheels and a longer diff gear than both JohnCh or Vovchandr. But yes, I could get even longer (actually the longest of all) by choosing the long 1st gear option (long 2.98 rather than 3.65). I had decided that the money for a long 1st wasn't worth it for me, but maybe I'll regret the decision later ? My taller tires and longer diff gear also make highway cruising rpm a bit lower which I had read some people whish they had for a quieter experience. Interestingly for comparison, at 75 mph Vovchandr 6th gear shows 4,642 rpm and my 5th gear shows 3,186 rpm. Vovchandr's top gear (6th) is a 1:1 and my top gear (5th) is an overdrive 0.82:1. Detail: The following is a bit long and meant for me to document my thought process, it's not meant to prove right/wrong as you guys have much more experience and knowledge about all things se7ven, and I do appreciate the dialog! It's also meant for future readers that are also learning and 'getting up to speed' with gearing When calculating shift points, i.e. how fast the car goes in a specific gear when getting to a specific rpm and needing to shift into the next gear, three factors are used. Transmission gearing (a different ratio for each gear) Rear differential gear (a constant value while driving) Tire/Wheel size (a constant value while driving) short - refers to a large gear ratio, which results in slower speeds at same rpm long (tall) - refers to a small gear ratio, which results in faster speeds at same rpm I ran some scenarios using JohnCh and Vovchandr numbers as well as my own using my own spreadsheet (so hopefully they are accurate). I have slightly different gear options since my Birkin transmission and differential aren't the same as Caterham. My setup: Ford T9 transmission with standard gearing: 3.65 (1st), 1.97 (2nd), 1.37 (3rd), 1.0 (4th), 0.82 (5th) Subaru R180 Limited Slip Differential: Choice of short 3.90 or long 3.54 By the numbers I'm in the middle of possibilities as my overall gearing is made longer by going with 225/45 - 15" wheels and I opted for the longest rear diff gear at 3.54 (as opposed to my other option of 3.90 with the R180 LSD). But I'd be much worse off with Vovchandr's 13" wheels and my other option of a shorter 3.90 rear diff. For comparison sake, I assumed a spirited shift point from 1st to 2nd is 6200 rpm. The results of the different scenarios are: So, if had wheels like Vovchandr and didn't choose any long gearing options, I'd be down at 27.2 mph shift speed. Since I have larger wheels and a longer rear diff gear, my current build is at 32.8 mph shift speed. If I did go with a longer 1st gear option, I'd have the longest overall gearing with a shift speed of 40.2 mph. Maybe incorrectly, but I decided the optional cost for upgrading to a long 1st gear wasn't worth the 6-7 mph change in shift speed. If I'm wrong, then I'll have to live with it for a while until I can upgrade the gearing -b

That's great to hear about the cams. I do love a good build project. Waiting for the kit to come really brings back that excited and impatient kid in me! I'm 6'-2" and just assumed I'd have to remove the seat adjuster and mount directly to the floor. So it will be interesting to see how the new mount achieves both a lowered seat and still keep the seat slider. One of my fears is having to fabricate lowered floors if needed. That's one option missing that I wish Birkin would offer.

Thanks Kitcat, Croc, wemtd: I went street oriented, maybe somewhere around 200hp?: Wide body - SSX3 Engine / Drivetrain Duratec 2.0L Crower 3/4 race cams T9 transmission Subaru R180 LSD (3.54:1) Stainless steel flexible brake lines Some of the upgrades Black Kit - Wheels, windscreen frame, headlights, exhaust... Quick release steering wheel Tall rollover bar (adds about 3" to roll bar height) Curiosity got me looking into the gearing so I plotted up the shift speeds to get a sense for how the gears were spread... It wasn't completely clear what the stock T9 gearing was since it depends on the T9 version, but Tom checked the teeth. Didn't want close gears because I'm not racing and want lower rpms at highway speeds for cruising. And I didn't want the tall first gear because of previous posts saying it can be a nuisance for stop/go type driving. wemtd: I'll wait to see how the sports seats work out. I'm also curious as Tom mentioned the most recent seat mount allows the sports seat to just clear the aluminum pan (i.e. your butt is as low as possible, short of fabricating a lowered floor pan) Most definitely looking forward to the build!

Croc, Thanks for the article! I've been a very long lurker on this forum, in fact I was surprised to see I signed up way back in 2013. It took eight years, but I now have a new Birkin kit being prepped for shipping! You may have seen it in the shop, it's British racing green and this image from Tom was taken just last week. Overall, I can't express enough how much you and others on this forum have helped in making my decision to get a seven. Without the resources found here, I would not have had enough confidence to order a kit. I'm sure there are many others out there like me, silently researching and scouring through as many posts as possible and absorbing all the seven knowledge available. And I'm certain there are many of us with sevens as a direct result of the support found in this forum. Tom Carlin has been absolutely wonderful to deal with, and I heartily agree with many others who have said the same thing in other posts. Many small details have boosted my confidence that I made the right choice. For example, as I received photo updates from Tom, I could see things like - all the screws along the scuttle were 'clocked' in the same direction. Or, some of the standard electrical connectors were swapped out for 'Weather Pack' connectors to prevent future corrosion. Or, the curves of the aluminum bonnet had been massaged into shape to fit the chassis 'just right' when latched closed. Tom seems to take pride in his work, and it shows. I'll be sure to introduce myself on the "So, tell us a little about yourselves" discussion once I start building my kit. My intention is to post some FAQs that I had as a newbie that might help others who come along after me. Thanks again!

Hello all, After following this group for almost a year, My Model T is feeling a little slow in comparison (a lot slower! I max out around 40 mph, a true Captain Slow). Is there anybody in the Phoenix, Arizona area that might be willing to let me sit in their 7? I'm 6'2", 185 lbs and want to get a feel for how I might fit. I'm researching mostly Birkins or Stalkers. I like the Birkin because it seems like a good replica in looks and fit/finish. I like the Stalker because of the "Buy American" aspect, not to mention the V8. I'm probably avoiding the Caterham because of the extra cost premium over the other two. I'm fairly handy with mechanics and look forward to building it myself, rather than pre-built used. I understand the Birkin is less roomy than the Stalker, but I'm more concerned about height. I used to drive around in a Triumph Spitfire and either had to stretch up to look over the top of the windscreen, or slouch to see under it. Seems like most taller folks have had good luck with lowering the seats and/or customizing a taller rollbar (Which I assume would make the all-weather gear useless). Thanks, Brett