JeffersonRaley

We were just at the track today testing out a new ECU in the Tipo. It has been great. As much fun as my Lotus 2-Eleven or my buddy's Revolution A1. Nowhere near as fast, but just as much fun. Way more fun that most race cars I've driven. Here are a couple of pics from it at COTA.

It went really well. We had to replace the clutch master cylinder before we loaded it up in the morning. The part was just old and I should have replaced it to begin with. Otherwise the car ran great. That's kind of surprising for its first outing, usually I find some issues. Driving it is just as weird as you'd expect. You are very exposed (like a Seven) and sit very high (unlike a Seven). The bias-ply tires make a ton of noise with very little grip. It is going to take a while to learn how to drive this thing. It's a lot of fun though. I think the lap times will end up being similar to a spec Miata. We have a lot less weight, but also a lot less tire.

In test driving ours the fronts lock up way before the rears. But it for sure isn't going to set any lap records, so I probably won't mess with a bias adjuster. We finished our build tonight. Will be testing on the track tomorrow morning.

Totally agree. I've always been very happy with Raceline products. I'd buy this motor again.

I got the 300hp Raceline engine, so I hoped it would be closer to that rating. I'm using different ECU and header and turned it down by 500 rpm. All that said, I'm happy with the engine and the service I've gotten from Raceline.

Finished getting the new engine dyno tuned tonight. I'm a little disappointed in the final number, but super happy with how it actually drives. It certainly lights up the R888s at pretty high speeds. Seven 2.5L Dyno Run SML.mp4

I am unbelievably fortunate, that's for sure!

The doohickey in the bottom photo with the vacuum line going to it is the fuel pressure regulator. That will be on the return.

Yep - there is a chain in the general section where a few of us are talking about our Tipo 184 builds.

It's absolutely awesome so far. Still need to do some tuning at higher RPMs, but it's huge fun. There just anything else like a Seven.

Our US car was the same, so we ran the brake lines the way they were stock. Will probably switch to a dual master cylinder race setup at some point.

Finally got my Birkin put back together with its new Raceline engine. Here it is with my 2-Eleven. Lightweight Lotuses are the best.

Yeah, our brake pipe layout was different too. I suspect that is due to differing legislation. But since we had to bend the lines anyway, it was an easy adjustment on ours.

Yep. They are monitoring our FB group and also very responsive to email.

100% agree on the self-tapping roofing screws used to secure the panels to the chassis. Those holes should have been drilled and tapped by the factory. And yeah, the short shift kit instructions are garbage. I did the same thing and looked up a YouTube video.

I think it is a good starter kit. Little to no fabrication and the kit goes together really well. Definitely easier than street cars I've converted to race cars. Probably a little harder than old cars that I've restored to mostly stock.

It is going really well. Suspension, brakes and drivetrain are all in the car. This past weekend we started cleaning up the wiring harness, so things will slow down a bit while we sort that. After that we'll install the body panels and be done. Overall the kit is really well designed. There were a few frustrations, but that is to be expected with a kit car. We've been very surprised by the great quality of many components (wheels, knockoffs, frame, body panel finish, etc) There are 10 in the US now. Here is a link to our FB group. https://www.facebook.com/groups/tipo184buildersusa

Making good progress. Probably 3 more months given how often we can work on it.

That was probably me too. The kits were delayed like crazy because of supply chain woes. This is one of the first 10 in the US that were all delivered this month.

My Seven is nearly ready for use again (just needs ECU programming at the end of July), so it is time for a new project. Just in time our Tipo 184 showed up. It is a big fat pig at around 1700 lbs, but it should be tons of fun on the 4" wide bias-ply tires. It uses NB Miata drivetrain and suspension so my guess is it will never break. It's pretty huge, about a foot longer in wheelbase and 4" wider in track than the Miata (but no overhangs). So far I am very impressed with the kit quality and it is going together very easily.

Here is a pic of the header I got from Tom Carlin.

Here is the curve. I'm running a 1.75" diameter header from Tom Carlin. It's a gorgeous header! They used a similar header and ITBs, but not exactly what I have. So I might be a little higher or lower in power. Of course, it'll gain a little as it breaks in too.

FedEx just delivered this new motor from Raceline. 2.5L Duratec. It made 297bhp @7400rpm on the dyno when they tested it. Can't wait to get it in my Birkin.

I bought them from Tom Carlin @ Birkin Direct

I have the same lights on my Birkin and really like them. Much brighter and the integrated turn signals are slick.