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The exhaust on my Birkin has the O2 sensor mounted midway between the 2 into 1 merge and the muffler flange. I used the orange sealant on all mating surfaces except the slip joints. I plan on wrapping those shortly. The basic programming in the Typhoon ECU adds a longer pulse width under acceleration and feathers it off after you have reached a steady throttle setting. Hence, if you are running rich enough at cruise, you will always run richer under acceleration. Tom Carlin said to try to run a lambda level of .94/.95. Better a bit rich than lean. Get it running as would like with the closed loop disengaged and then activate it. the closed loop has a range of authority of 20% or so. Don't forget to calibrate the sensor first.

He did ask me to start it but I figured it was just to confirm that everything was in working order. The fellow was polite and professional and got me out of there in less than 30 minutes.

The BAR inspection is primarily a visit to the smog referee. They will review (and make a copy of) all of the paperwork that preceded this visit. The inspector will need to see the Sequence Certificate that you receive from Sacramento. They will issue and install a permanent sticker that denotes your smog exemption. They are also looking, in a general sense, at the totality of the completed project. I imagine that they might raise a question if the fenders were falling off or something on that order. In reality, the referee is a faculty member at an automotive vocational school. The fellow who handled my visit was pleasant and professional. He asked for all of the completed, signed forms as well as the receipt for the engine and had me remove the hood to visually confirm that it was as described. The car never came off the trailer. I was out of there in 30 minutes.

Any Formula Ford guys in the area? Pretty similar.

Had the B&L inspection done at Jeniwil in South Central LA. Nice guys, $70 cash and done in 20 minutes. Went through the BAR today with no problem. I get the tags next Wednesday!

Checkpoint doesn't do the B&L inspection. I've worked through the list on the West Side of LA. Most of them only want a chance to adjust your headlights for $100. I may have found a shop in South Central. I'll post late Thursday on the outcome.

I continue to get the impression that there is a great amount of variability in how this process is handled, at every level. It seems that the Cobra forums have a better handle on where the best agency locations are. As for DMV, either the Thousand Oaks or Torrance offices are the most informed. I have made out well so far with Culver City but only because I was well prepared, patient and quietly persistent. The first visit still took 3 ½ hours. On the other hand, they only calculated my registration based on the price of the Birkin kit, not any of the other components or labor. They also gave me a temporary tag. Go figure.

Thanks for the tip on Check Point. I'll give them a call tomorrow. A careful reading of the various state documents online states that the manufacturers VIN, if attached permanently (mine is stamped on a tab that is welded to the chassis) will suffice. On the other hand, the car must be taken to CHP for a "VIN verification". In actuality, they are checking that the chassis, engine and transmission aren't on any theft database. They also have the right to assign a VIN, at their discretion, and attach it to the chassis. My appointment with them is on Thursday. If I can line up the brake and lamp inspection for later that day, I only have the smog referee (Bureau of Automotive repair left. As a footnote, the T-9 transmission doesn't have a serial number embossed on it. The number was on a brass tag that was attached to one of the bolts holding down the top cover. These are usually discarded in the course of rebuilding according to John Esposito of Quantum Mechanics (Oxford, CT). They are the major supplier of T-9s in the US. John gets his cores 8-10 at a time, strapped to a pallet from a disassembler in the UK. Most arrive without tags. I'll let you know what CHP thinks of that later this week.

Can anyone recommend a "reasonable" B &L inspection shop in West LA? I am scarred enough after dealing with DMV and would like to avoid any unwarranted hassles. The inside is that I am #75 for 2017! TIA

I just installed a low profile cam cover on my 2.3 so I now have a standard (COP) cam cover available. This is perfect if you are converting a 2.0 to COP ignition. The contour of the hood on a Birkin accommodates the 2.0l but the 2.3l needs the (pricey) lower profile cam cover (slightly taller motor). I am including a new cam position sensor as well as the gaskets (currently installed in the cover). Low profile oil filler cap as well. $50 plus shipping.

Thanks. Still getting the hang of (or not) of uploading images.

http://www.usa7s.net/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=12187&stc=1http://www.usa7s.net/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=12188&stc=1 I have a new, unused ITG air filter for sale. It's a JC50-65 purchased from Coastal Fabrication for $128.50 a few months ago. This is the square shouldered model and now that I have mounted the nose, I have a clearance issue. I will need to use the rounded version to avoid cutting the bonnet. Backing plates (blank and pre-drilled) are available separately from Coastal $100 plus shipping. I am in West LA if you want to arrange pickup.

I did the same thing but on the Birkin, the motor mounts were designed for the 2.0l engine. The 2.3l sits about ½" higher in the chassis. The high point of the front part of the cover touches the nose and the riser on the oil filler would have to be shaved off and relocated to the low side at a minimum. Upon looking at it again today, I think I would do better to get the lower profile cam cover from Tom Carlin ($485). The cover offered by Raceline won't accommodate the individual coils. If I go this route, I'll try to modify the old cover as a separate project and post the results.

I have finally resolved my wiring issues and everything works correctly on the Birkin. I installed the scuttle and nose today and realized that the oil filler neck on my Duratec 2.3 protrudes above the hood by nearly half an inch. GRRRR! Has anyone had any success in repositioning the filler neck to the lower side? I presume that the cam cover material is FRP? Can this be successfully epoxied? The alternative is either the cam cover Tom Carlin sells ($485), the Raceline one (similar price plus shipping from the U.K.) or the Caterham one. Are the Mazda covers even on both sides? Has anyone done this mod? TIA

Reloading a fresh base map solved the blown fuse issue. Go figure. Now back to tuning.

15a as required by the ECU manufacturer. I eliminated the alternator as the problem today. I'll delete and reload the base map tomorrow and try again.

I have a Typhoon 2 ECU running a 2.3l Duratec in a new Birkin. We conducted a series of initial tuning runs to improve from the base map and ran into a few problems. It turned out that the cams were off by 8 degrees (my dumb) so I had to halt the tuning process and remove the front cover to resolve this issue. At this point, I coincidently discovered a pinhole leak in a corner weld on the fuel tank. That really brought things to a halt. All of this was resolved last week. When we started to work on the tune again, we ran into a new problem, the current issue. The engine starts and reaches a brief 1000rpm or so and then shuts down due to the ECU fuse blowing. I have been working with Tom Carlin on this as well as Simon at Specialists Components. The current thinking from Simon is that either the alternator is causing the problem when it kicks in or the base map is corrupted, allowing the coil dwell to increase dramatically (apparently this can drive the load up to as much as 31 amps according to Simon). I removed the alternator to have it checked (tested on spec) and discovered that the exhaust gasket wasn't sealing well at he bottom of the #1 exhaust port. I was getting a fuel-rich load of soot and apparently hot gases) blowing onto the diode area of the alternator. I replaced the gasket with a new one, with a thicker, more compressible inner layer and it seems better so far. I have visually checked every wire in the ECU harness as well as the continuity of all that I can access. In the course of the cam adjustment, none of the ECU wiring was modified or touched. This one is really puzzling. We didn't have this issue prior to readjusting the cams. It ran, although lumpy and rough, as long as I kept blipping the throttle but not now. We plan on loading a fresh map on Monday. If that doesn't do it, I am ready to extract the entire ECU harness and ship it back to Tom. He is as perplexed as I am. I won't be able to do much until Monday but am open to any ideas on how to resolve this.

I had no luck with that. I ended up purchasing the Ford tool (205-126). It does an excellent job of holding the pulley, however, it remains a two-man job to loosen and tighten the bolt. This was precipitated by my adjusting the adjustable cam gears and dropping the allen wrench down inside the front cover (Ah shit!). Should you ever have to perform this adjustment, wedge a clean piece of saran wrap or a fresh plastic zip-lock bag beneath the gears to avoid this calamity.

Finally time to paint the Birkin as I get close to completion. I am located near LAX but am will to drive as far as Bakersfield to get a decent shop/price. Just doing the four fenders and the nose, single solid color, no metallic. TIA

I need to remove the front cover with the engine in the car. Please don't ask why. I am looking for the Ford service tool (205-126) or an effective equivalent. The best I'm finding online so far is around $100. Any ideas?

The sensors are a relatively cheap fix. On the other hand, they are just magnets and don't wear out. If the crankshaft sensor is loose, you will need the plastic alignment guide that comes with it to reset it.

I'm good, thanks.

Found out that the nipple is for a vacuum line. It can be capped off with no consequence.

I found a pinhole leak in a welded seam on my rectangular style fuel rail. I have a spare round style with the pulse dampener. Does the nipple on the dampener need to be plugged?

For what it's worth, it's located at the tee fitting for the rear brakes, under the diff.