11Budlite

Welcome Bart, If you want to check out a Birkin in person, I have a 2001 model with low miles that I just recently registered. I'm still having some issues with the driveability (new TB injection Emerald ECU set-up) so I'm not quite ready for any long drives, but I'm getting close. My car is bare aluminum, BRG cycle fenders, with a yellow nose cone. I live in Wolcott, CT which is about a 45 minute drive from the NY border on rt84 if you want to check it out. Once it's running better I'd be more than willing to meet you someplace in between. By the way, one of the reasons I bought a Birkin was I prefer the traditional Lotus 7 look. It's not an exact duplicate and it doesn't have the Caterham's lineage, but it's pretty close. But, I've seen some Stalkers, Ultralites, Locosts, etc, that were beautifully built and FAST, and I like them all!!! Let me know, Bruce

Hi guys, I'm up for Lake George, LRP, Watkins Glen, or whatever for next year. I've been to WG once before and would have no trouble traveling there with the Birkin. :thumbs: Bruce

Dermot - Glad you got your parts ok. Look forward to updates on your project!! "I have to ask...do you think you could have walked into the DMV office with MI title in hand and just done a title transfer?" - We tried that originally JBH, but they said we would still have to pass the safety inspection at the Wethersfield office. Originally we were going to have to pass the emissions test, or apply for a waiver and hope they accept it, but since 7/07 all composite cars are emissions exempt! I hope that last bit of info will encourage more people from CT to get LSIS's!! Thanks for the kind words guys!! Bruce

"blats. u needs blats!" - yea, Jon, I can hardly wait!! Hope to have it running better by this weekend! "That sure is different looking by far!" - I agree Rob. Wasn't quite as proud of it the second time towing to the DMV. I just have this strange feeling that as soon as I get my plates they're going to fall off!!

"Looks like it's missing some offroad rally lights" - I think I could fit about 4 pairs across the top of the bumper, but then I'd have to upgrade the alternator AND jack up the suspension!! Here's some more pics of the bumpers, not very good, but all I have for now: The first one shows the 1" steel tube over the threaded rod I used to replace the upper a-arm bolt. http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1052958649_IMG_1181.JPG The second one shows the profile of the two lower front brackets that I bent out of 1.5" x 3/16" steel stock. They're bolted behind the bumper and to the frame in four locations - two lower nose cone bosses and two bosses that the front of the sump guard bolts to. http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1330687704_1509323613_IMG_1175.jpg This is a picture of the rear bumper. It's mounted in three places - two brackets to the lower spare tire mounts and one bracket to the upper-center spare tire mount. I just put some electrical tape over the spare mount framing, rested the bumper bar on it, and marked out the brackets to be cut, bent, and drilled. http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/705235669_IMG_1187.JPG And here's some detail pics of the brackets. On the rear brackets, I was able to use some old rusty MGB bumper brackets I had laying around. The center mount: http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1253228597_IMG_1195.JPG And the right side lower mount: http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/2052564222_IMG_1197.JPG Hope this helps, and if anyone needs to borrow them or the lighting, let me know. Regards, Bruce

Looks tasty!!!

Just a quick update on my Ct inspection process. Spent the last couple of weeks getting my Birkin ready to go through inspection again. I ended up having to build some bumpers and change out all the lights...there was just no way around it. So, I got some 1.5" x 3" rectangular steel tube, 1" round tube, some threaded rod, and some flat stock and was able to fabricate bumpers that bolted to existing mounts on the Birkin frame. No permanent changes or damage of any kind. I bought some Jeep/truck lights, and some Harley turn signal lenses which I was able to mount to the stock Birkin front housings (also used an extra set I had in the rear) by ovaling the mounting holes a little and spacing them out with 911 oil filter o-rings. I also had to use a narrower spare wheel off my kids old Sentra to fit in the spare tire carrier with the bumper in the way. Here's a couple pics of the car on the trailer before strapping it down and heading to the DMV: http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1904624378_IMG_1180.JPG http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/2137872953_IMG_1176.JPG So we get to the DMV, they check it over and it passes with flying colors!! But, they tell us that the registration dept is closed due to the holiday weekend and we'll have to bring it back next week to get the VIN assigned and attached, and get our plates. So I mention the Michigan title and VIN again, they look it over AGAIN, and decide that the MI VIN is acceptable and all we have to do is bring the paperwork to our local DMV to get our plates!! :hurray: So I'll stop down this week to get the plates and we'll be legal. I still have some tuning to do before I drive it too much, but hopefully with my daughters new laptop (her other was stolen when our house was just broken into - long, ugly story...), we'll get it close and I can start driving this thing!!!!! So, anybody contemplating registering a LSIS in CT let me know, and I'll give you a hand. And anybody with a Birkin (or other brand if it can be modified to fit) that needs some temporary bumpers and DOT/SAE lighting to pass inspection, let me know and you're free to borrow mine. Bruce

That's hilarious!!

Jeff, Congrats, glad to hear they could work it out for you. That's a tight fit in the garage!! I've only just recently started using my trailer and I've been very happy with it. Very easy to load/unload, simple to secure the car, and it pulled very easily with my Caravan (soon to be replaced with a true tow vehicle with brake controller, I hope). Good luck getting your car fixed, Bruce

Jeff, looks like you really had your car cooking!!! "Always nice to see those Porches going backwards" x2 Bruce

Hi Dermot, It was my pleasure to be able to help you out!! My bonus was being able to spend a Saturday morning talking to a true oldtime Lotus enthusiast who has owned Elans, Europas, an Esprit, 7's, an 18, and even a 25!! He's been playing with Lotus' since the early 70's if I remember correctly, and didn't show any signs of slowing down!! Hope to meet you in person at one of the upcoming regional meets!! :cheers: Bruce PS: I'm sure some of BEC guys can point you in the right direction for your Turbo Hayabusa project.

Thanks for all the info and advice guys!! So I contacted the DMV today about the bumpers, but I'm still waiting to hear what their final say is. In the mean time, I checked out different places on the frame that I could hook up to without welding or permanent mods and I think I can do it if necessary. Maybe I can mount my new DOT approved lights to the bumpers so my Birkin can look like a big-rig!! Bruce PS: Dermot, I left you a message on your voice-mail. And who is this Doug character? If he's handy with a wrench or engine tuning, I can use his help!!!

Sooooo, I've been trying to get my Birkin ready for my state DMV inspection that was scheduled for 1pm today. I had all the final wiring and fuel hook-ups done and was almost ready to fire it up Saturday evening but figured I'd get a fresh start Sunday morning. So Sunday morning, Nancy runs to the store and gets a new gas can and fills it up with 2.5 gallons of premium while I double check all the AN fuel/oil fittings and the coolant hoses one last time. Put in about 2 gallons of fuel in my new Fuel Safe cell, hook up the freshly charged battery, and turn on the ignition key and everything powers up but the fuel pump??? For some reason the ECU is not powering up the fuel pump relay, so I go ahead and jump the fuel pump relay and the fuel pump starts whirring away! I'll worry about the ECU problem later. But wait a second, the pressure is building real slowly and even adjusting the pressure regulator all the way open it's only going up to 15-20psi??? Now WTF!!! So I start checking voltage to the fuel pump, make sure that the feed and return lines are not hooked up backwards, tap on the gauge, tried cranking to see if it would fire and still nothing. So I'm running short on time because I have a family commitment to attend to, so I figure I'll take a break and think about what could be wrong while I'm visiting with family. So back into the garage Sunday night figuring I'd check the pre-fuel pump filter to see if maybe it's plugged up with some debris from the fuel cell but by then I just didn't feel like messing with gas so I left it for Monday after work. So I get home from work and unhook the line to the filter and NOTHING comes out??? Either my pick-up is not oriented properly or those foam blocks hold a lot of fuel!!! So I get a couple more gallons of gas, put it in, turn on the ignition and the fuel pressure builds to over 65psi!! So I adjust the fuel pressure down to 43-45psi, check for any leaks, turn on the key and crank it over and it fires right up!!! :hurray: I'm ashamed to admit that it's been over 5 years since I've heard this thing run, but boy did it sound nice!!!! So, I figure I have a shot at getting it done for my 9/12 inspection. So I spend Monday and Tuesday nights bolting in the trans tunnel, windshield, seats, seat belts, trunk, roll bar, etc. I swapped the steering wheel with the 14" one from my MGB so that would be legal (can barely get in or out!), wrote the gear pattern on the shift knob to be legal, checked fluids, set the ride-height, camber and toe, aligned the headlights, hooked the ECU wiring to the FP relay to the ground connection (didn't read the manual that said pin 20 is switched earth, not power) and wrapped the exposed header and pipe to make that legal. By now it's 1am Wednesday morning and I'm beat!!! So I take a shower, get about 5 hours of sleep and back at it Wednesday morning knowing I still have to cut a hole in my hood for the K&N filters to poke through. Spend almost 2 hours laying out a template to cut a hole in the hood big enough to clear the filters, but not too big that I can't roll the edges if I'm not happy with the look of the plain edge. Put some tape on the hood, mark out the pattern from the template, and cut it out with my jig saw. File and sand the edges, install it on the car, and it doesn't look too bad. Marked out a couple of small adjustments, a little more filing and sanding and back on the car and it looks nice!!! So now it's 11:45, Nancy has just gotten home, but we still have to hook up the trailer and get the Birkin up on the trailer and tied down (something we hadn't done yet). Thankfully we have no problem with the trailer, we grab the paperwork and were on the road by 12:15 with about a 45 minute drive in good conditions ahead of us. The trailer pulls beautifully even with the Minivan, and were doing 65-75 hoping we'll get there on time. We get there with about 2 minutes to spare and before too long I get two of CT's finest looking over my car. They check the lights, wipers, brakes,

Oops, forgot to say nice car!!! :thumbs:

"By the way. I bought a a spare engine off E Bay but it is in Connecticut (7 hours each way). Does anybody in the club live near Hartford who could check it out/ pick it up for me. The owner appears genuine and honest but I have the usual concerns about sending a lot of money to a stranger. Of course I will cover any expenses. Thanks guys, Dermot. " Hi Dermot. Sorry I haven't responded sooner, but I've been away this week. I live in Wolcott which is not too far from Hartford and would be willing to try and check out the motor and pick it up if you can give me the details. Let me know here or through a PM if you want. Thanks, Bruce

Nice job Gert! That was some spectacular scenery!! Bruce

Well, I didn't quite get my Birkin done in time, but I was able to make it up for the car show on Sunday. Nancy and I drove up in our '64 MGB and my youngest Lauren and her boyfriend also drove up with us. We parked in the British car corral near the Lotus corral and hoped to run into Al and the rest of the gang, but never saw anyone. We were bummed!! Well, there was a pretty impressive bunch of cars in the show AND the parking lot!! Thought I would share a few. Here's a shot of Nancy and Lauren near Al's car just to prove that we were there (sorry about the finger prints!) http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1242721337_IMG_1017.JPG Here's a few pics of se7ens in the car corral: http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1555000451_IMG_1000.JPG http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1291153100_IMG_1007.JPG http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1238085346_IMG_1002.JPG http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1655877091_IMG_1003.JPG http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1975572565_IMG_1004.JPG Lotus Eleven from the car show http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/323288236_IMG_1079R.jpg Lotus 19 http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1209200097_IMG_0948.JPG Lotus 23 Engine Detail http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/732001879_IMG_1120.JPG Lotus Elite parked in the "Plastic Fantastics" Area http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/97923794_IMG_1098.JPG A couple of nice Aston Martins, the Zagato version is one of my personal favorite coupe designs!! http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/2069500618_IMG_0978.JPG http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1817550514_IMG_1078R.jpg A Lister Jag and a Lister Chevy http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/323639681_IMG_1075.JPG http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1406940263_IMG_1073R.jpg A pretty Maserati Birdcage http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/119289364_IMG_1070R.jpg I believe this is the 1961 LeMans winning Ferrari http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/618307916_IMG_0910R.jpg Another Italian beauty, I believe a Maserati 300S http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1446216372_IMG_0926R.jpg And a little American HP in a British chassis. A pretty original 289 Cobra http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1277374715_IMG_0890R.jpg And one more, a detail shot of a Scarab F1 car http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/580344565_IMG_1133R.jpg I talked to the driver of the Seven and he did win the race on Saturday after what he said was a "great" battle. I had a friend from work who went to the Monday race and he said he remembers him passing a Corvette and he thought he won the race on Monday too!! Bruce

Wow!! Beautiful country and the weather just adds to the adventure! Continue to keep us updated and enjoy the rest of the trip!!! Bruce

"I still want to build one of these." That's cool Bob, what is it? Thanks, Bruce

Welcome and nice looking ride!! Here's a little general info on the engine from Caterham USA's site. I'm assuming it's close to what you have in your car: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Seven America Zetec Supersport package includes; custom aluminum bellhousing, engine mounts, cast aluminum sump with baffle and windage tray, kit-ready engine wiring harness, one-piece throttle body fuel injection manifold, fully PC programmable Pectel direct fire ignition/F.I. control unit with mounting hardware, high performance street cams with fully adjustable vernier pulley set, spun aluminum air trumpets, ITG half-round high-performance air filter, annular clutch slave cylinder & release bearing with hardware, 9" clutch, 9.5 lb aluminum flywheel, front and rear O2 sensors, alternator, starter, water pump, coolant tubes & hoses, all necessary sensors, and mounting hardware. Prices listed below are for fully assembled "kit-ready" packages, and include all necessary fittings and hardware for installation into a Caterham Seven kit. Displacement: 1988cc # of Cylinders: 4 in-line Bore: 84.80mm Stroke: 88.00mm Compression ratio: 10.5:1 Valves: 16 Camshaft: DOHC, performance billet camshafts Ignition: Fully PC Programmable Direct Fire Firing Order: 1-3-4-2 Fuel: Premium Unleaded 92 Octane Fuel System: Throttle Body Fuel Injection Maximum RPM: 7,500rpm Maximum power: 202bhp @ 6,800rpm Maximum torque: 165lbs/ft @ 5,000rpm Prices: Ford 2.0l Zetec Supersport with Ford Sierra 5-speed transmission: $11,950.00 Ford 2.0l Zetec Supersport with long-first gear Ford Sierra 5-speed transmission: $12,550.00 Ford 2.0l Zetec Supersport with Caterham close ratio 6-speed transmission: $13,950.00 Pricing above assumes use of used Ford ZX3 engine assembly

My wife Nancy said "good job Gert"!!! :hurray: Bruce

:iagree: I've had guys at work look at my car and ask "What'd something like that go for, 8-10 grand???" Bruce PS: Congratulations!!!

Holy crap!!! I've done a fair amount of mountain biking in my day, but never like that!! Any idea where that trail is? Bruce

Hope you don't mind, but I resized them... Bruce [Edit by Slngsht]:Bruce, thanks... I moved your resized images to the original post... catching up on housekeeping work

Hi Mike, I don't completely understand the set-up you have. On my Zetec, there's an oil seperator on the left side of the block, that on the production cars has a PCV valve that gets routed to the induction system. What's normally done if you're going to use a catch tank is to remove the pcv valve and plumb it to a catch tank that looks like this: http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/801845685_untitled.bmp The hose goes into the fitting on the upper right. Then it's just a matter of checking for oil in the tank and draining it through the petcock in the bottom. High RPM use on track probably requires you to check it after every session, or every trackday at the least. The filter on the top just keeps crap from backflowing into the oil system. The Zetec also has a fitting on the right rear of the cam cover. Some people cap it off, and some people vent it to the catch tank or put one of those little K&N filters on it. I think where you have the hose going into the air cleaner now would have to be capped off. Where does the hose on the air cleaner hook up to on the engine? Is it the valve cover, the oil cap, on the side of the block? I'm not familiar with the Kent motor but that would probably be where you have to vent from. As far as what type of hose to use, I would think that any oil-resistant hose should work. As far as size, I think the bigger the better. Maybe one of the crossflow guys will be along to explain their set-up a little better.. Bruce PS: You don't have to use one of those fancy catch tanks. Anything that holds fluid and can be drained will work!