BirkinBernie

In September of 2005 I had to deal with a fire emergency in my Birkin which was parked in the garage at the time. The car was nosed into the garage and the garage door was open. I was leaving for Houston the next day to join the Brits on the USA 2005 Tour. A NiCad pack I had purchased to power an in-car camera had a melt-down and set fire to the contents of the boot and the fiberglass boot itself. I was in the house when a neighbor banged on the front door yelling "FIRE!". After dialing 911 and handing the phone to my wife I ran into the garage and grabbed the extinguisher off the wall. I stood 15 feet back from the Birkin where the fire was burning inches above the full fuel tank. I had to decide between fighting the fire or running like hell. Then I realized that doing nothing meant standing back and watching our home burn down. I emptied the dry powder extinguisher into the fire and knocked down most of it - but the fiberglass boot "tub" was still burning - so I grabbed the hose and was able to put the fire out. The point of all this is that when the sh*t hits the fan, the type of extinguisher you use will be the last thing you consider. You will either use whatever tools are available to you or you will let the professionals deal with it. There ain't a lot of time to worry about the cleanup when the flames are rising. Oh and our neighbors and local friends in the Se7ens community came together to rescue us. Neighbors helped clean up the Birkin and the other two cars that were in the garage. Dick Brink and other Se7ens buddies provided spare parts and in two days I left for Austin where I met the Brits at the end of their first day of the Tour. And, lastly, the dry powder used to put the fire out was hosed down and cleaned up best we could. And the Birkin, now 23 years old, hasn't corroded into nothingness, Mr Chovan's panicked warning notwithstanding. Attached are a couple of pics before the cleanup, and one the night before I left on the trip two days later.....

Hi Redbeard! Actually, we are in Texas Region here, not Lonestar. I ran my first autocross in Florida in 1972. I quit around 1999 having been here in Texas for almost 10 years. I was Texas Region Solo co-chair for a year, and did about every other job from Timing and Scoring chief to Safety Steward. The last class I ran was F-Prepared in a RX-7, and with 4 or 5 guys within tenths (and frequently less) in the class it was great fun. But I finally got burned out on it and called it quits. I've run a couple autocrosses in the Birkin over the years, but never got serious about it. Anyway, here are a couple pics. If you look behind the seats, you will likely find the mounting points for the bar welded to the frame, but covered from the rear compartment by the aluminum skin. You can see that I added a spacer to move the bar a bit farther away from the body to clear the hand brake mechanism. They drilled and tapped holes in the head of the lower coilover mounting bolt for the connecting rod to the axle. HTH!

I have the factory rear bar installed on my Birkin. If you haven't seen one, I can post a couple pics. Of course installing it moved the handling to oversteer - a bit too much oversteer actually. I added a 5mm wheel spacer on each side to widen the track and that balanced the car back to neutral, at least at street speeds. Of course how it affects your car depends on what springs you are using among other things. I find that the car feels more stable and controlled, but I can't really quantify that - I just like it better with the bar. I haven't tried autocross or a track day since I installed it. Damn, that's been a long time. I need to fix that..... Happy Motoring!

I've had American Modern collector car insurance on the Birkin since I built it in 2001. It specifies no commuting, must have a daily driver, must be garaged and 3000 miles/year max. When I went on the USA 2005 tour (4000 miles), they covered the extra miles for a small fee the amount of which I have forgotten. I had one claim in 2005 when a ni-cad pack for a camera set fire to the boot. Their response to the claim was outstanding. I now have 4 cars on that policy, and the total premium is $459/year. They even included my '86 MR2 for a reasonable value. I have no input for track day insurance - never used it. Happy Motoring!

Look up a '72 Pinto 2.0L distributor on Rock Auto, and you will find pictures of a very different distributor compared to your Mallory. Looks like MV8 is on the right track. The second pic is for a Datsun 510 and it looks like your Mallory. HTH!

FWIW, here are the specs for the front shocks on a narrow track Birkin (solid rear axle) from 2001, along with the ride height specifications. These are from Birkin. Looks like the Carrera 7543 fits the specified dimensions nicely. If your Birkin has the wide track front end, I know nothing about those. Incidentally, a problem came up years back with Birkins suffering bent lower control arms. After a lot of research, the issue was people setting the ride height at less than the specified 294mm. The front suspension would bottom out frequently putting a big bending load into the arm. Woody Harris developed a process to straighten and reinforce bent arms, but he is long retired and playing with airplanes last I talked with him.....

I have toyed with the idea of replacing my AVO's. Not sure if the Carreras are still available, but a part number off of yours (if any) would be informative. Thanks!

If memory serves, in 2004 the importers were Woody Harris and Dennis Tobin. I'm pretty sure Woody was using Carrerra shocks on cars he put together. Before them, Dick Brink sold the factory provided Spax shocks, and AVO single adjustables. I have the AVO's. If there is a part number on those Carreras, I sure would like to have it... There was an adapter available to use a rear shock with an upper spherical joint like the bottom. I got mine from Dick Brink in 2000/2001 when I built the car. Its pretty simple - shouldn't be too hard to replicate. HTH!

I spent some time digging through the email archives. I cannot find anything conclusive about either the front or rear rotors from that era. At this point, I believe the best course of action is to talk with Tom Carlin the Birkin dealer in Colorado. I suspect Tom has addressed this issue and can provide reliable info.

I found a parts cross-reference put together by one of the members of the old "Birkinowners" Yahoo group. It lists the rear calipers as "Honda Ballade (Prelude) 130/150 1986". It lists the rear rotors as "Birkin manufactured" but ISTR one of the fellows on the list providing an ID for a rotor he bought at a local parts store. I'll search the archives of the list and see what I can find.

HI Redbeard, My Birkin has the factory supplied VW front calipers, and Honda rears. The only clearance issue I have with the 13" Kodiaks is the rear bleeder fittings. But I ground a little off the top of the bleeders and solved the problem.

Hi all. I built my Birkin from the basic "BIY" kit in 2000/2001 and it has the same axle as Redbeard's. I installed a Quaife in my rear axle when I built the car. Quaife has a specific listing in their catalog for the solid axle Birkin from that era. We were told by the Birkin factory in South Africa that the rear axle was a newly manufactured unit as used in a Toyota Hilux minivan manufactured and sold in South Africa. The only ratios I have ever known of for those rear ends were the two that came in solid axle Birkins. 4.11:1 until early/mid 2000, then 3.89:1. My kit landed in the US in September of 2000, and it has a 3.89. The first two pics below are the original diff carrier that came out of my Birkin, replaced by the Quaife. If you zoom in on the first one you will find the number "68" in the casting. Hmmm. MV8 - where did you get the info that this is a BW axle? The axle housing castings do not have the name Borg-Warner in them, fwiw. Also, the rear cover looks different than one in a pic on that page you linked. The pictured one is deeper. This is fascinating. Incidentally, the Quaife catalog still lists Birkin as "Quaife Borg Warner M68 Axle ATB Differential". It also says "In Stock" which is shocking!: https://shop.quaife.co.uk/shop/atb-differentials/quaife-borg-warner-m68-axle-atb-differential/ Their listing has a link to a "technical spec" drawing. I dug up the old diff center section, and the dimensions and spline count of my old one appear to match the current Quaife drawing. So, maybe we all missed the boat years back - I have never seen the Birkin diff identifed as a Borg Warner - Quaife's catalog in 2000 made no mention of Borg Warner in relation to this diff. In late 2000, before I dropped the big bux on a Quaife, I sent one of these center sections (borrowed from the importer Dick Brink) to Toyota Racing Development in California on the off chance they could identify it and provide a more cost effective LSD. They passed it around to their engineers, and nobody had ever seen one like it. Maybe it being a Borg Warner explains that. FWIW, the Quaife is a fantastic unit. I consider it table stakes on a solid axle Birkin. I drove one with an open diff and it wouldn't put power down at all. And the Quaife install was a breeze - no change to the setup and the gear pattern was perfect. Please share whatever info you dig up! This is of great interest. I just replaced an axle seal on my Birkin - Tom gave me the part number - it's a Timken 472826. I got them at a local bearing shop. Happy Motoring!

Hi Bruce. Yeah, I've never had an appreciation for pickups. I just don't get the attraction. Maybe if I was a contractor, had to pull a big trailer, or haul hay and horse droppings a pickup would make sense. But I can haul most anything I need to haul on the Birkin's trailer, or rent a truck for a day if I have to. Maybe it goes back to my childhood - in the '60s we pitied people who had to drive pickup trucks. I always marveled at the guys driving back and forth to work in giant 4 wheel drive pickups with big, noisy tires and "OFF ROAD" stickers. Now, these things didn't have a single scratch or speck of dirt. You know that the closest thing this rig ever got to "off road" was when the owner's wife ran over a sprinkler head backing the behemoth out of their suburban driveway. But hey, whatever floats your boat - I'm sure Mister Trucker wouldn't understand the Birkin either.

I can't end my participation on this thread without mentioning my beloved Vickie. A 2005 Crown Victoria, I bought her in 2010 with only 14,000 miles on the clock. It really was a little old lady's car, sold after her passing. From the looks of it, it had never been out in the rain. The last couple of years I worked in the office, she was my daily commuter. I consider it the last of the true American cars - V8, RWD, big and comfortable. It doesn't ride as well as my Cadillacs, but handles much better and uses far less gas! And I fit! At 6' 4", that is saying something. It also tows the Birkin on its aluminum trailer very nicely indeed. Another car that I won't voluntarily part with..... The second pic was taken with the tail end of the two cars aligned.... Happy Motoring!

I don't think the Miata was an influence. The idea for the MR2 grew from a 1976 design concept, with development starting in 1979 and sales starting in 1984. Development of the Miata didn't kick off until around 1982 with sales starting in 1989. I agree with you about the body kit parts that Toyota sold as options. The MR2 was very popular in 1986 and we lived in Fairfax, VA. The local dealers were all plastering the new MR2s with the optional "aero" crap and tagging a few thou on the price on top of it. I thought they looked awful (and were grossly overpriced). I found a dealer in North Carolina who found my car on the boat coming here and I got it in the color I wanted with only a stereo, AC and cruise. And they took my first offer over the phone ($12,600)! A deposit on my credit card and we drove down and picked the car up a few weeks later. Happy Motoring!

And then there is the 1970 Sedan DeVille. I wasn't really looking for another Caddy, but the opportunity to buy this one popped up and I couldn't resist. It was owned and rebuilt by one of the guys in the national Cadillac club recognized as an authority on 1970 Caddys. He had the interior completely redone in leather, had any needed body work attended to, restored the engine compartment and chassis, etc. About all I have done is get the clock and the cruise control rebuilt, and I've updated the AC with a modern compressor. I've seriously considered putting a trailer hitch on it. It would make a wonderful tow vehicle for the Birkin!

Well, off in another direction. When I was a kid, my dad owned a Cadillac when he could afford it, and a Chevy when he couldn't. His 1968 Fleetwood, which he let me use to tow my autocross cars, hooked me on the big land yachts. Before I retired and built my shop, I had nowhere to put one. Now I have two! Here is my '65 Coupe DeVille, purchased in 2019. It came to me with a solid, straight body. But it had lots of needs starting with brake work and a full front suspension rebuild. I've fixed lots of small things, from the electric windows and seat to the gas gauge. It has been great fun. The old girl is a really pleasant car to drive. It rides very smooth, yet handles very well considering it weighs about 5000 lbs. The biggest thing yet to fix is the air conditioning. 1965 was the second year Cadillac offered full climate control, and the system needs some work. It is a fascinating mechanism with lots of vacuum gizmos and no computers. I gave some thought to re-starting my autocross career in the Huge Stock class, but decided against it.....

Hi Bruce! Thanks! That picture was taken during the USA 2005 tour, but I don't remember who took it. The mud on the rear fender makes me think it was taken outside of Moab, UT where I got caught in the rain. My Birkin, which I built in 2001, has a stock Zetec and a Miata gearbox. I didn't figure paint would make it go any faster, so left it bare aluminum. It has been amazingly reliable and fun for many years. It even has the factory fuel injection. The low end torque makes for a very flexible street car, and with slicks it is a very entertaining track day car. I cannot imagine how much trouble I would get into with 250hp..... :-) Happy Motoring!

Thanks for the kind words! I don't think even the authors of the Kama Sutra could work out a way for what you suggest to take place!

Here is our '86 MR2. My wife and I bought this car new in May of '86. The arrival of offspring a couple years later, and some other circumstances caused me to sell it to my best buddy. He had it for about two years, and decided to trade it in. Instead, I bought it back from him and it has been here ever since. It was my daily driver, and it has been enjoying retirement for quite a few years. It is still driven regularly along with my other cars. In the late 1990's I installed TRD springs, suspension bushings and bars, Tokico adjustable shocks and 15x7 wheels now shod with Dunlop Direzza Z3's. The rest of the car is bone stock. The first summer we owned it, we went on a two week road trip from Fairfax, VA to Tampa. After a week with family in Tampa, we headed north and just explored. One day, I took a random right turn in the mountains of North Carolina. And there was a sign - "11 miles 318 turns"! We had never heard of the Tail of the Dragon - and we turned onto it completely at random. Wow! I was having a ball - an autocrosser on the road of his dreams! After a short while, my wife (also an avid autocrosser at the time) said "you need to slow down, I'm getting car sick!". Now, I've seen this girl thrashing a VW Rabbit around corners on three wheels with no issue. We looked at each other with the same thought. That night a visit to the drug store confirmed it - she was pregnant! So, we found out we were going to be parents in Mister Two on the Tail of the Dragon! I rebuilt the AC about a year ago. I would jump in it tomorrow and take it anywhere. I could never sell it though - it would be like selling the faithful family dog.

Here's my 2001 Birkin on 15x7 Enkei RP-O1s from around 2002, 15x7 Panasports, and 7x13f 8x13r Kodiaks....

Before I bought a trailer, I got a deal on a set of Kodiak wheels and Hoosier slicks. Compared to 15x7s and street tires, the Kodiaks and slicks cut 60 lbs off the car - and rotating mass at that. In order to use the 13's I built a rack to carry them on the Birkin. It worked great. Got some really strange looks from people on the highway though....

In the mid-1990's I autocrossed an F-Prepared RX-7 that belonged to a buddy of mine. It had a pro-built motor and the torque output of that thing was just awesome - especially given its size. I've often thought of that as the ultimate Se7en powerplant - with the exception of the exhaust temp and exhaust noise. Both are over the top..... Great video - thanks for sharing. Looks like great fun!

I cracked the center bottom of the nose of my 2000 Birkin at an autocross a few years back. I was fortunate to know an auto body guy who fixed it for me. You might look for a body shop that works on Corvettes. One mistake I made was not taking him the grille along with the nose. The grille still fits - just barely. Could be a bit better if he had worked with it.

My general thought is, if you have room and can afford it, do it. It is a game changer if you work on your own cars. I even use it for waxing the cars so I don't have to bend over. The arms on my two post lock in position once you start to lift, they are not just swinging arms. There is a bar across the top of the lift connected to a switch that stops the lift if the car touches it. As the lift rises, ratcheting locks click off, and you always set the car on the locks after lifting. I have a BendPak XPR-10AXLS two post rated for 10,000 lbs. If the concrete meets the lift manufacturers specifications (the minimum for my lift is 4.25 inches deep, 3000 psi concrete) and you use the approved concrete anchors, j-bolts are not necessary. I chose a two post over a 4 because I use it for working on cars, not storage. I chose the particular lift because it is one of the few I came across that lift high enough for me to get my 6'4" self under the car standing up straight. With a minimum pad height of under 4 inches, it will lift the Birkin or my '65 Cadillac just fine. If storage is your goal, a 4 post might be the best solution - car is on its wheels, and loading is easy - just drive on. It will all boil down to ceiling height and what you plan to use the lift for.