rzempel

http://www.californiacaterhamclub.com/chat/showthread.php?t=1354

I think Magnus already did that before we arrived. At least that's my excuse. I'm sure my total inability to drive an RC car had nothing to do with how he trounced me.

Here's one north of the border, in Canada, ehh. http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/van/cto/1468663049.html

I found these, while cruising Craigslist rather than working (don't tell my boss): http://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/ctd/1499095096.html http://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/ctd/1492760987.html http://losangeles.craigslist.org/sfv/cto/1497166629.html http://tulsa.craigslist.org/cto/1466872107.html http://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/cto/1481109097.html http://sfbay.craigslist.org/scz/cto/1495638057.html http://losangeles.craigslist.org/lac/cto/1491827871.html The usual disclaimers apply. Randall

Except that it's fall, and in Southern CA the ladies don't wear those shirts against the cool air until the depths of "winter." :-)

I sure hope so, though I'm starting a week-long road-trip to Northern California on Sunday before Gert's blat. I'm hoping the Birkin will be done and it will only be a weather question if I drive it or a car with a fixed top. The motor is fully tuned, and runs great once started. It has a vexing cold start problem, though...when fully cooled, it won't start. I've become convinced that your method for upgrading was the least painless, and perhaps I should have done it that way, too.

I should hope so! :-) The Birkin already made this one (my daily driver) feel fat and lazy. I'm anxious to test the difference with more power, better brakes, and superior suspension.

1964 TR4. I've had it since 1980, though it's now parked at my Dad's house. I had to clear a space for my wife while I work on the Birkin, and it was either the TR4 or my '60 TR3. When I raced motorcycles, I discovered the secret to making a small fortune from racing...start with a big one. ;-)

OK. I didn't take many pictures, since the parts pretty much look like, well, parts. Here's one I snapped with my phone during the wiring phase.

As John D. Rockefeller allegedly said when asked, "How much money is enough?" Just a little more. :-) Right now, it's 178hp at the wheels, and 152 torque. I suspect I'll be happy with that, when the current non-start issue is solved.

For all those considering, thinking about, planning, or starting to upgrade your LSIS, I offer these words of warning.... This past February, I installed Woody's radius rod kit in my Birkin's rear suspension. The improvement was dramatic. So, I started thinking about the reportedly fantastic improvement I could get by installing the wide front end kit. As I began thinking about that, I also started wondering what it would take to get a a little bit more power from my series 2 Zetec--the one with the awkward exhaust cam smog thingy. I knew that the ZX2 motor wasn't easily upgradeable, but I expected I might be able to find a cheap ZX3 motor from which to scavenge the head. So, I poked around on Craig's List a little bit...which turned out to be like being told by a girlfriend, "I'm a little bit pregnant." Immediately, I spotted an ad for a fully built Zetec race motor with all the right bits. The price was ridiculously low, compared to the individual parts: Ford Racing head, Crower Stage III cams, Probe 10.2:1 pistons, Eagle rods, ARP bolts, straightened crank, Fidanza flywheel, Ford Racing manifold, and Ford Racing 72mm throttle body. I convinced myself that I'd never see a deal like that again, and that it would be an easy engine swap to get all the power I'd ever want. So, I made the deal and had the motor shipped from New York to Los Angeles. Once the motor was on the way, I decided to do everything at once--wide track front end, Outlaw brakes, Emerald ECU, Wide-band O2 sensor, lowered driver's floor, better seats, and a bunch of little things to get it sorted. For awhile it was like Christmas every few days as packages arrived, were opened, and carefully stacked around the Birkin. Once all the parts I had ordered, including the motor, were in place, I took a deep breath and started cutting wires and disassembling my car. That was March. I figured that I ought to be done in two or three months...easily before summer driving season. It's now almost November, and I'm not driving my car. What went wrong? First of all, none of the existing sensors were correct for the new motor or the Emerald ECU. So, I spent days combing the local wrecking yards for suitable sensors--what can I say, I'm cheap, I'd rather spend a few hours and a couple of bucks than shell out hundreds for things like MAP and air temp sensors. Having to re-wire the new sensors into the loom gave me the opportunity to completely rewire the car from the fire-wall forward. That was entertaining. Also entertaining, was pulling the motor five times. First, the Fidanza flywheel was about 50 thousandths too big to fit inside the Birkin bellhousing. My "clever" solution to that was to put a carbide straight fluted bit in my router and carve away, using the steel spacer plate as a template. that worked, but I combed aluminum bits out of my hair for days. Next, I had a leak between the engine block and the oil pan. 'What do you mean there's no gasket...does Ford really say lay down a huge thick bead of goo, that can easily squeeze into the oil pan and block oil passageways? Yup, they really do. Finally, the Fidanza clutch didn't work with my Birkin clutch actuating system. There wasn't quite enough throw to completely disengage the clutch, and no more adjustment range. I decided the best way to fix that was to re-design the geometry of the throwout arm. After I did that, I discovered that a previous owner had cut the actuating rod short. If I had seen that first, I could have probably just replaced the arm. As I discovered the hard way, not all of the parts I had fit either inside the cramped engine bay, or with each other. The nice Ford Racing manifold, for example, won't clear the diagonal frame member alongside the motor. Without the Ford manifold, the 72mm throttle body was useless. So, I checked around and found a 65mm body at Central Florida Motorsports. Sure, I could've gone the traditional route and ordered Jenveys, but haven't I already mentioned that I'm cheap? With the engine finally sorted, I installed the wide track front suspension and new brake calipers. That was entertaining. To accommodate the new upper shock mount, one of the existing suspension holes needs to be widened, and there's no template. I wasn't happy to make blind cuts in the skin of my car, but I managed. The new bits went together fairly well, with only a few holes needing re-drilling for alignment. I did find the two upper rear bolts were too short, though. I got the right length bolts, and discovered that I had to disassemble the whole wide track kit to change the bolts. Like I said, entertaining. Next on the list were the seats. After much research, hand wringing, and teeth gnashing, I ordered a set of the new Birkin "racing" seats, sight unseen, from Dick Brink. As it turned out, they are far more comfortable that the vinyl covered plank that passed for seats I originally had. And, the shape of the bottom lent itself well to lowering through the floor. I measured very carefully, and cut holes in both driver and passenger side floors. With the seats on new frames that I welded up, I can now sit in the car without my head sticking far above the roll bar. I riveted some pans up underneath the car to cover the holes, and everything looks great. I even replaced the out-of-date harnesses with spiffy new ones...and, made up some new brackets so they could be mounted correctly. At that point, nearly everything was done. I still have a fuel swirl pot to install, but that can wait. I had chosen the Emerald ECU because it's more user friendly than others. It has, purportedly, such an ease of use that just about anyone can get their car running and tuned fairly well just by driving it. Ha! I actually did get the car running, and was working on tuning. But, I knew the MAP sensor I had chosen wasn't working correctly so I changed it for the right one. Tuning went downhill from there. I couldn't get any repeatable results, and finally I threw in the towel. The car is now at JBA Racing in San Diego for dyno tuning. One of these days, I expect to finally drive my Birkin again. Will somebody, please, hit me if I mention that I'm thinking of upgrading anything in the future...?

Yes. We've tried every permutation we can think of. Once it starts, it runs great and is fully mapped. Hot starts aren't a problem. And, we aren't having to reload the maps, it's the configuration file that does the trick--most times. This afternoon, even reloading the config file didn't help.

The map appears to be still in memory, with the set values. We've been emailing Dave at Emerald, he seems to think we just have a problem with initial injector pules (though, we've gone from zero to huge values with no change). Leoni responded to our last emil, saying Dave had gone for the weekend, and didn't refer us to Karl. So I suspect Karl is gone, too.

It's new.

I'm tuning my performance built 2.0l Zetec, with Emerald K3 ECU, and have run into a problem that I can't figure out. When it's warm, it starts, idles, and runs great. But, when it's cold it will not start unless I reload the configuration file and re-calibrate the throttle sensor. That, to me, makes no sense whatsoever, so I must be missing something simple. Does anyone have an idea what's going on? Randall

Looks like road stripe yellow to me. That might just be this cheap monitor, though. Otherwise, it reminds me of the old Santa Fe railroad yellow.

Ouch! Until I read of your pain, I thought I had a miserable day on Saturday. But, all I did was suddenly lower my car off the jack, catching my right hand between the upper shock eye and mounting pad. That made me a bit cross-eyed while I fumbled to get the jack back into position to lift the car up so I could have my hand back. I only have a bit of bruising, but you'll probably have an interesting scar with a story to tell....

How about a small version of the seven logo as a key fob?

I believe that the Birkin steering shaft is from a Volkswagen (17mm, 40 spline). I think that a hub from a pre-1989 VW will fit.

http://videos.streetfire.net/video/Top-Gear-Caterham-R500-Vs_204079.htm

Here's one that seems to be sticking. http://videos.streetfire.net/video/Top-Gear-Caterham-R500-Vs_204079.htm

Thanks for the warm welcome, guys. It's reassuring to know I'm not the craziest guy around. Driving a 7 wrapped up like a damp mummy doesn't sound fun at all.... But, the trip from Portland to San Antonio sounds fun. Good Luck, and have fun, Jack--let us know how it goes. I like the idea of heated motorcycle clothing--I'm sure my wife would love it. I just need to wire in a power outlet. I'll see if I can get to Branson and/or Birmingham, but I'm not overly optimistic right now. I'll be happy to contribute to a newsletter. Just let me know what to do. I'm comfortable with tinkering...I own a few old Triumph cars, also. You may be familiar with their huge tinkering reputation. And, in the distant past, I built my own race motorcycle (google XL/TZ for the story, if you're curious). I think I'm either blessed or cursed with the tinker gene. Besides removing the nitrous system from my Birkin, I've already re-routed the coolant hoses (no water rail on my car), replaced the thermostat, installed a coolant recovery system, repaired the non-operating radiator fan, replaced the front brake rotors, made a cocobolo shift knob, replaced the lower switch panel with a shop-built panel, and put new light wheels on her. And the list keeps growing. :-) Randall

Sounds interesting. There's some really beautiful high country above Isabella...though, I'd expect highway 99 to be closed in February. I don't know about the other roads. Count me in (tentatively). Randall PS. For a winter break, how about a Winter Solstice drive? The WS is Sunday Dec 21, this year. Weather permitting, we could meet for a drive along the coast....

I have just answered my own question, and posted a photo and account of my trip in the "member rides" section. Randall

For those dying to see...here's my Birkin in Utah, on the trip to its new home. http://www.usa7s.net/ASPNETFORUM/upload/2072353394_Birkin in utah.JPG