papak

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

Not sure which fuel rail you are using but the one with the round cross-section has a round pulse dampener brazed to it. Ford eliminated it on the one with the rectangular cross-section. I have heard that it doesn't make much difference but maybe your experience suggests otherwise. I am inclined to agree with the fuel pump probability. Are you running a swirl pot in the fuel system?

When I compare the new Ford Focus starter to the Ranger starter, The differences are a little different than I suspected. First of all, the motor itself is physically smaller, maybe by 15-20%. The gear diameter and throw are the same but the shaft that it rides on vs the mounting face makes it offset, such that it rides closer to the flywheel teeth. From the smaller motor, I presume that it will produce less torque but that wasn't an issue in spinning the motor. From what I see on Rock Auto, the Focus starter is also less expensive. $70 vs $115 for a new "oem" unit. I only had to make one adjustment to optimize the fit. There are two long retaining screws that run the length of the outside of the motor, holding the assembly together lengthwise. The forward mounting boss needed a bit of grinding in order to avoid touching the side of the block. Only needed to remove 0.05" or so.

Figured it out this morning. The "throw" of the starter gear is correct but the diameter of the gear is too small. It seems that the Exedy flywheel is for the Ford Focus version of the Duratec 2.3 and that flywheel diameter is slightly smaller than the 2.3 in the Ranger. The new starter is on the way.

Yes. The starter spins fine. When I get it off tomorrow, I'll double check that it spins in the correct direction. Good thought.

As I get ready to start the motor for the first time (Duratec 2.3l), I wanted to crank it with the starter (plugs out, ECU, coolant and fuel pumps disabled). Starter spins great but no flywheel engagement! This is a new stock Ford starter and an Exedy ZF502 flywheel. I'm a little tied up this weekend but plan on pulling th starter on Tuesday to check the bendix spring. AAARRRGH!!! What am I missing? Has anybody else had an issues with either the starter or Exedy flywheel in this manner? TIA

Thanks. I have the hood in the garage attic right now while I complete all of the detail work in the engine compartment. From what I can see, I might have a bit more to "finess" at the corners than you.

No idea really. I'll take a look at mine tomorrow and let you know what I find.

On the 2.3, the knock sensor fits with a 10mm bolt (?) to a threaded boss below the induction system and just above the crankcase vent housing between #2 and #3. I have a stock sensor that I can send you as the Typhoon ECU that I am using doesn't utilize it.

Beautiful job. I'm building one in LA. How did you get the hood to fit so well?

I have a set of injectors that I had reconditioned last year at RC Engineering (Torrance, CA) in anticipation of using them in my Duratec 2.3l. As it turns out, the Typhoon ECU wiring harness connectors dictate that I use a different series injector. As can be seen from the attached report from RC, these injectors are now in perfect condition. Yours for the cost of the reconditioning, $100 plus shipping.

You could go to a GPS driven speedometer. VDO offers several faces and sizes.

In constructing my Birkin, I anticipated that problem and had a trapezoidal aluminum tank (approximately 1.5 liters) welded up by my local Welder. It sits above the differential and immediately behind the rear cockpit bulkhead.I looked at a number of them on eBay, etc but wanted to retain the ability to utilize the fiberglass boot insert and didn't want to mount something up front or outboard of the fuel tank. I use a Facet low pressure pump to fill the surge tank and that, in turn, gravity feeds a Walbro 392 that pushes the fuel up to the fuel rail. The return from the fuel rail runs through a stock (?) Ford pressure regulator with the return dumping into the surge tank. Any overflow from the surge tank returns to the main tank. The engine goes in this week so I should know how well it works in a week or two. I did have to buy a number of -6 fittings but I found a good deal on blemished -6 SS hose. I pressure checked each section after assembly and am keeping my fingers crossed that everything is sealed up well. If I can resize my photos correctly, I will post a couple of shots.

When I last spoke with John, several months ago, he said that his wife was having health issues. Hope it's nothing too serious.

I used to fly the skydiving club on Sunday mornings at Ft. Stewart, GA back in 1970. Looks like they were going for a 7 man formation of some sort (star?). We used a UH-1 with the doors off. We dropped them from 13,500' so they could get the 60 second freewill. Much safer to form up on the skid before letting go. Being in a chopper, the pilots never had chutes. With a light fuel load, we could get 8-10 guys in the back. Truthfully, I was never much interested in jumping out of airplanes.

I'm looking for a sheetmetal shop that can accurately punch 48-50mm holes in an aluminum air filter backing plate. I am also looking for a shop that can do clean mandrel bends and beads on 1 ¼" od annealed aluminum tubing. I need a couple of tight 90s. Near West LA would be helpful. TIA

Looking for a source for 48mm diameter by 40mm high trumpets for a set of Jenvey tbs. I have a set of 90mm ones to sell or trade.

Try John Esposito at Quantum Mechanics in Oxford, CT [(203) 463-8299]. They overhaul T-9s and probably have spares lying around.

Tapping the blue plug is a last resort. It would result in a cooler temp than within the pressurized flow. I'd like to find an appropriate port elsewhere on the engine, if such a thing exists. Relocating the pressure sender makes sense as the motor mounts are fairly stiff. It makes sense to minimize the prospect of a vibration induced failure. Someone else suggested reverting to the stock Ford oil filter mount. Apparently, that one works fine with the Birkin chassis.

Prior to installing the Duratec drivetrain in the Birkin this week, I decided to add an oil temp gauge and sender. I have a Raceline oil filter adapter on the engine. It has an outlet (⅜" NPT) just above the filter on the top of the housing. There isn't enough space to add a temp sensor there due to the starter clearance. I currently have the oil temp sensor mounted on the side of the adapter just aft of the filter. Are there any other locations on the head or block that would work for either the temp or pressure sensor? TIA

What were you most recently current on? I am a recently retired corporate pilot in LA. If you were willing to relocate, it might be easier to find something but it seems like the Texas market for pilots is really taking a hit due to oil prices. PM me and I may be able to provide a lead or two.

Has anyone found any good deals on "COP" coils? Are there any advantages to one brand over the other or are they pretty generic? There seems to be a wide range of pricing online.

Just installed a Braille B-129 in the Birkin. Do any of you have a tasteful and effective solution for shielding the positive terminal? I can always tape it but that looks like crap, no matter how neat you are. TIA

I'm not quite as bad off as the first picture but would like to end up like the second. That is definitely NOT going to happen with the factory harness. One more call to Carlin tomorrow. Beautiful work!

I am pulling my hair out trying to get the wiring harness in my Birkin connected to everything. I didn't care for the plastic rocker switches and swapped them out for Lucas toggle switches (a more classic look as well). Basically, there is no master wiring diagram. Everything is broken out by component. The color coding follows a strategy that I have yet to figure out. Additionally, there are a number of circuits that I am not using (heater, seat belt warning, etc.). Poor Tom Carlin. I must have made a hundred calls to him for clarifications. He has been wonderfully patient but I am seriously considering replacing the entire harness with one from Painless Performance. I have wallowed around for a couple of months trying to get everything to work. I need to move on. Anyone have any experience with Painless?