papak

I finally got to the bottom of my problem. The classic problem that arises when converting from incandescents to LEDs is rapid flashing of the commanded bulb. This is caused by insufficient resistance in the selected circuit. This was not my problem. In my case, when the directional was activated, after switching to LEDs, all four lights would flash simultaneously with the selected directional flashing a bit brighter. When I removed the scuttle today, I discovered that the problem was with the manner in which the indicator light was wired. The first step I took was to disconnect the leads from the indicator light. Everything worked perfectly! It turns out that the Birkin wiring harness and wiring diagram has two wires connecting to the indicator, a combined lead from the left directionals and a combined lead from the right side. The amount of current transferred across the indicator light isn't enough to trigger the offside bulb when using incandescents. There seems to be enough resistance in the circuit to prevent offside flashing. The problem only arises when using LEDs due to their much lower draw. There are two ways to resolve the problem, the first is to wire a resistor into the 12v lead to each rear directional LED. The other solution is to wire a pair of diodes into the leads to the indicator light. I found the necessary parts for both of these at www.superbrightleds.com under LED accessories. The resistors have heatsinks on them. The diodes come fabricated into a "Y" lead (Metric Bike Diode Kit MDK-1, $2.99). The resistors were similarly priced. The other factor to consider is the LEDs themselves. There are a lot of inexpensive ones on the market (mainly Chinese) most with inconsistent voltage requirements. The ones to get are the Philips Ultinon bulbs in 1156 and 1157 sizes. The run about $25 each from Pep Boys and others but they are worth it. The are correctly engineered. They use 12v and produce 42 lumens of brightness at 6000k. They come in white, red and amber and are designed to withstand the vibration levels we experience in these cars. They are also internally ballasted so the current draw works with the standard flasher relay. The front directionals on my car are small LED modules with an internal ballast. These came with the car and didn't contribute to the problem. Hope this helps the next guy who runs into this.

I spoke with Tom Carlin and we determined that the common wire for the directional indictator light is the problem. Disconnect that and all is well. The front indicators on the Birkin are already LEDs with their own integral ballasts. The flasher relay is designed for LEDs. It is a three prong relay while the Painless one is four prong.

I have found that the incandescent rear directional bulbs are melting the plastic lense covers on my Birkin. I naturally switched over to LED 1156 bulbs. The directionals operate normally with the incandesants but flash simultaneously (but at the normal rate) with the LEDs. I am using Phillips LEDs which are supposed to be ballasted to work correctly as retrofits. The flasher relay is labeled for LED use (CF14 JL-02, 12v 0.02A-20A). I see that the common problem is a rapid flashing rate with the retrofits, fixed by either installing ballasts or replacing the flasher relay with an LED compatible one. I'm left a bit perplexed. Any suggestions other than replacing the flasher relay?

I’m looking for a pair of Brooklands screens in decent condition, preferably with a mounting bar. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

The three power tools I have used most in the construction of my car are a Makita cordless drill (with extra battery), a 4" cutoff wheel for HF and a Bosch saber saw. I found a old but lightly used drill press on Craigs list locally the has come in very handy. I have found over the years that cordless drills last about the length of time equal to the construction of a house. By then the clutch is slipping a bit and the batteries are not lasting as long. The saber saw is useful for cutting heavier steel metal and light tubing. The better saws have a decent guide wheel behind the blade that improves accuracy and blade longevity. I have used the cutoff wheel to cut stuff too heavy for the saw and to trim excess bolt lengths.

Tom Carlin has installed an Ecoboost in a Birkin. If you are looking for 270hp, this crate motor is very cost effective. As delivered, it puts out 258hp. The ECU that comes with it from Ford is programmable to around 310hp. It's also shorter than the 2.5 and doesn't need a dry sump. Neither do you have to buy forged pistons, rods and crank, all necessary to get a reliable 270 out of it.

Have you considered rebuilding the engine yourself? Success is mainly related to cleanliness and attention to detail. Clearly that was lacking on your previous rebuilds. Doing it yourself allows you a lot of control plus it’s a great opportunity to learn.

Regular electricians use a grease called "No-corrode" when attaching copper wires to aluminum wires. You don't see this much anymore as most building codes impose restrictions on aluminum wiring in homes. It was quite the fad among low-end builders in the late '70's and early '80's given the price difference between copper and aluminum wire. I still have a tube and use it occasionally. It's a greenish grease similar to standard dielectric grease in consistency. When I was building my Birkin, I was advised of the potential for grounding issues. I use an 8 post grounding strip under the scuttle and a 4 post one at the rear of the car, both grounded directly to the battery for all connections. I have had no problems to date.

I have been considering switching over to the Brooklands. I am most concerned about the width at the windscreen mounts. Caterham offers a Brooklands mounting bracket for the SV. If the dimensions were close, I could probably make it work. I may just end up fabricating one myself. I’m just not sure that I can get it uniform and smooth enough across the scuttle.

Can anyone tell me the width of the scuttle on an SV? I’m trying to determine if it is the same as my wide body Birkin (SS3XS).

My tool is from Massive and measures exactly 38.55mm. It’s the purple one. I believe that the tool kit came with two of them. I kept the one for the Duratec and got rid of the other.

Thanks for the info. I used the same one that I loaned you so Ill have to recheck mine as well. I would just get the appropriate metric bolt and cut it down to the correct dimension. I wasn't aware of the exact measurement.

I sold my BMW Z4 coupe to a fellow from 3 states away. We had a lengthy phone conversation about the car along with emailed photos and determined that it was exactly what he was looking for. He was quite knowledgeable about the car and I was able to answer all of his questions. He flew down a few days later with a cashiers check in hand for the asking price and proceeded to drive it home (a 1000 mi. journey!). Knowledgeable buyer, accurately presented car - no problems. We never discussed any other payment strategy.

We did it all with the correct weight in the seat and fuel quantity considered as well. All the work was done on sliding plates.

According to Tom Carlin, the starting point for the alignment is as follows: The front ride height should be set by adjusting the spring perches so that there is 300mm between the upper and lower mounting bolts (center to center). The rear ride height should be set the same way to result in 5 13/16" between the ground and the bottom of the frame rail jacking point at the front of the rear wheel well. This should result in the rear being being ⅜" higher than the front. Once this has been done, set the front and rear camber to ½-¾ degree negative. Toe in should be 1/32" front and rear. The castor is pretty much determined by the front uprights. Mine measured +9.5 degrees. Shocks set to full soft for the street, firmer at the track. I had a local race shop (Johnson Alignment, Torrance, CA) do mine along with corner balance. I opted for ¾ degree camber and .03" toe-in. My rear ride height ended up ¾" higher than the front. F/R balance was 46.6%/53.4%. While I haven't been to the track with it yet, the handling on the street (and on/off ramps) has been nice and well balanced. I will probably firm up the shocks a bit as the bump stops are ending up pretty high on the shafts after a drive around town. Of course, I'm driving in Los Angeles and the roads here suck. With a car this low, you pay a LOT of attention to the road surface when driving. I have 2" clearance between the surface and the sump guard . I am seriously considering a Raceline dry sump for this reason. Hope this helps.

I’ll dig mine out and post tomorrow.

I needed to replace the rubber fuel filler hose between the filler and the tank neck and found this site "tanksinc.com" They supply fuel tank components for hot rods and others (like us). Part #53C, 2" id x 8" with a 30 degree bend moulded in. Cut it down a little and it fit perfectly! Very reasonable price as I recall.

I just found is place online while looking for a vent check valve. Very reasonable line of filler caps and fittings. I have no affiliation with them. fillernecksupply.com

Rogers usually has some lightly used stuff. Worth a try.

Try jollyrogersmotors.com or britishwiring.com

My granddaughters dream!

Not sure if it would help but on the advice of Tom Carlin, I decided to attend to the ground system with great care. I have a ground strip behind the dash that is connected directly to the battery ground. Everything behind the dash grounds there. I also have one at the rear of the car for the fuel pumps, lights etc. That is also wired directly to the battery. I also have a #4 cable running from the battery ground to the aft bolt on the exhaust manifold. I might have other stuff happen but I DO NOT have any ground issues. I am on my third O2 sensor (???) but other than that, I have had no problems. I used 14g wire for the connections between the ground strips to the battery with all connections crimped, soldered and heat shrinked. Once the individual grounds are screwed to the ground strips, hit the screws with green Loktight. You can then measure the continuity with an ohmmeter from each device to the battery, switch off and switch on. if there is any resistance, at least you will know where to start. You can't rust any grounds to the chassis due to the varying density of welds, brazes and riveted structures. I have restored several old race cars over the years and this strategy has always worked.

John Esposito at Quantum (*(203-463-8299‬) can be quite helpful. He has been rebuilding these boxes for years and usually has a lot of random parts for T-9s.

Once it is elevated, I rest the front on the frame on a 2” steel pipe supported by jack stands on each side. If you remove the front wheels, you can spread the jack stands sufficiently to give you a lot of space under the front of the car. I bolted a plywood panel to a low transmission lift ($79.99 courtesy of HF). This extends far enough back to support the tail shaft of the transmission as well as the sump. Once everything is disconnected, just lower the lift and roll the complete drivetrain out the front. When you replace the rear seal, be sure to apply sealant to all of the rubber sealing surfaces. Also apply sealant around the shifter rod that passes through the front of the T-9. The paper gasket is insufficient to provide a true seal. I had to pull mine to fix this one.

Great idea regarding the 944. I used to race one and probably threw mine away once I converted it to a track car. I would imagine that the jack from a Miata would be small as well.