11Budlite

"Bruce - '72 is too new for VSCCA but could run with several vintage groups... The newer cars that you see at this event are special invites of the event organizer to help fill out the grid a little." Thanks, that makes sense...

Hi Al, Is it still $500 more for the aluminum deck? Do you know if he'd do a partial deck for less? I'm still interested. Bruce

So I didn't go to the Carlisle show this weekend, but with a little help from some "volunteers" was able to get the engine and tranny installed. My son and I torqueing the bellhousing bolts. http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1080769312_IMG_0030.JPG My daughter, being the smarta$$ that she is, said the engine wasn't clean enough to eat off of, so she decided to help out!! She really is a gearhead and IS NOT afraid to get her hands dirty!! http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/11105271_IMG_0034.JPG Engine and tranny bolted together and ready to go in. BGH "sporting close" 5-speed, Zetec engine stock internally except for ARP rod bolts. http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/2007215794_IMG_0038.JPG The easy way to install the engine and tranny on a Birkin. Still more wet sanding and polishing of the aluminum....my wife has two days off this weekend, guess what she gets to do??? :hurray: http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/426935614_IMG_0051.JPG And they're in!! http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1558070849_IMG_0864.JPG http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1216815925_IMG_0865.JPG Still lots to do, suspension, some more wiring, fabricate some braided fuel lines, Jenvey throttle bodies, cut hole in bonnet for K&N air filters, etc, etc, etc. At least it's getting close!! :hurray: Bruce

Hi Jeff, Thanks for sharing the cool videos and the pics!! Some nice cars out there. I've seen a lot of the VSCCA races up at Lime Rock, but never saw a RWA Midget run (even with the Sprite grill). I've got a 72 Midget myself and didn't know I had a potential VSCCA race car sitting in the garage... Bruce

Wow Al, thanks for the great write-up and the pics!! Some pretty impressive stuff there. That Hartley V8 looks like an awesome piece of engineering. And the Westfield and Lotus Elevens have always been a favorite of mine! Would love to have one of them sitting in my garage WITH the Birkin. I was hinting to my wife that the Lotus Eleven on ebay would make a great 50th birthday present!! Thanks again, Bruce PS: Sorry I missed the show, but I did get the engine and tranny installed this weekend. Will post pics tonight

You should have one of each. Just tell her it's a great investment!!

I'm going to try to post a pic... http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/446478939_56LotusXIOutside0001.jpg

For you Lotus 11 fans: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260118941225&fromMakeTrack=true&ssPageName=VIP:watchlink:top:us Bruce

Hi Scott, Can you get a voltage reading when the car is running? Most will show a little above 14v when running. Did your mechanic perform a load test on your battery? If I remember correctly, you make sure your battery is fully charged, and then you put a specific amperage load on it (by battery capacity), and then read the voltage to tell if your battery is bad or not. And is the starter mounted near the exhaust? Some times heat soak can do a number on the starter's performance. And if you want to tell if there is a load on the battery when the car is shut off, just disconnect the main ground cable and hook up a test light between the battery lug and the cable. If the test light lights, there's a draw that will kill your battery. Then you can disconnect the fuses one at a time to determine which circuit the draw is in. As far as where to mount a cut-off switch, most that I have seen mount in the open triangle in the windshield support on the passenger side (depends on where your battery is mounted). See this link for instructions: http://7faq.com/owbase/ow.asp?HowDoI%2FFitA_BatteryMasterSwitch Hope this helps, Bruce

Thanks Mazda!

I had really hoped to make it to Carlisle this year, but I have a couple "volunteers" willing to help me out this weekend so I'll probably be staying home and putting the engine and tranny in the Birkin. Had looked forward to meeting some of the local USA7 members, and checking out the Deman and Westfield booths, but I REALLY need to start making some progress on this car so I can be driving it this summer. For any of you guys that are going, could you do me a favor, and take and post some pics of ANY interesting se7en or related stuff at Carlisle? It'd be much appreciated!! Thanks, Bruce

Yeah, if it weren't for the 34.5k price tag, I'd love to have one sitting next to my Birkin, MGB, and my wife's MINI. Reminds me of a WW1 fighter plane without the wings! And my Harley buddies would probably let me go cruising with them, too!! Bruce

For all you Morgan 3-wheeler fans out there: http://cycle-car.com/index.htm Bruce

Hi Dave, I know that Paul Shipp, another Birkin owner, had a custom Burns SS muffler made. He documented it on the "yahoo" birkinowners site if you do a search. See his car here: http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/Default.aspx?g=posts&t=255 The Burns website is here: http://66.223.106.208/UltraliteMuffler/ultralitemuffler.html Bruce

WOW!!! You've done yourself and the Se7en community proud!! Congratulations Loren and Kevin!!!

Cool video, thanks for sharing! Your car sounds awesome!!

Tom. Could have sworn I had tried McMaster-Carr before, but I must have missed them. My Birkin has M6 bolts, but they have those too! Thanks, Bruce

Hi Tom, Sorry about the fender. Do you have a source for those plastic bolts in the US? Thanks, Bruce PS: Love the clamshells!!

Any idea on the weight of the aluminum model? Bruce

At least for me, I'm looking at a light weight, single axle trailer with brakes. If I end up getting a dual axle, or enclosed trailer, then I probably would have to go with a bigger SUV or pick-up as a daily driver, and I REALLY don't want to do that. But if I could convince my wife to trade in her Mini Cooper for a tow vehicle, I'd be all set!! Bruce

Hi Tom, Check out this 6-speed gear calculator. Just put in your gear ratio's, tire size, and rear end ratio, and it will do the rest. I used the 5-speed one when I was building my T9 with BGH close ratio gearset. http://www.our-nest.co.uk/Caterham/Files/Various%20Revs%20Calculator_KPH.xls Bruce

Hi Al, I have a ZX1 engine and I think it's the 1.8 water pump because it doesn't have an idler pulley to reverse the rotation. I haven't run my car since I put the water rail on, but I think I'm just going to use a standard overflow tank fed from the 1/4" outlet on the thermostat hsg. Probably not ideal, but I can always change it if it doesn't work properly. Bruce

Hi Al, If it were me, I'd check the coolant for exhaust gases, make sure the radiator cap and thermostat are functioning properly, and if everything's ok leave it as is for now (maybe come up with a better clamping arrangement). If you need more than 202hp come this winter, then change it out then!! As far as the head you have on there now, it looks like they've raised the C/R, upgraded the cams (don't see the lift/duration), but I didn't see anything where they ported the heads. Seems like you have a pretty stout motor for the street/autoX already. If you were planning on doing some track events it might be worth it to upgrade further. Best to check with people who are much more knowledgeable with the Zetec motor than me... I know you were looking into getting a Raceline water rail...I have one on my zetec and it REALLY cleans up the mess at the back of the head. Bruce

"Any way to dump those pics to make a screen background?" I have no idea, maybe someone more computer literate than me could do it... Bruce

Votes and comments for both you guys! Good Luck!! Bruce