BirkinBernie

Thanks for the time and effort guys!!

A favorite of mine is the unique Automobile Driving Museum in El Segundo. Instead of static, 100 point restorations, their cars are maintained in running, driving condition. Every Sunday, the take three cars from the collection, and take people for rides. When I was there in 2015, I got a ride in a 1937 Oldsmobile, 1959 Cadillac convertible, and a 1956 Continental Mark II. Though it wasn't so when I was there, I understand they have removed the barriers from around the cars in the museum so you can get up close. If you are in LA make a point to visit - they are just up the road from LAX. Bernie

I had the pleasure of attending LOG in Texas a few years ago and the Birkin and I were heartily welcomed. We REALLY wanted to attend LOG this year but work circumstances made it impossible..... Bernie

One of my favorites - would blow out a match from across the room if the air was fairly still....

There is a product on the market called Evapo-Rust. I bought a 1935 vintage South Bend metal lathe about a year ago, and used the stuff to remove rust from many small parts. An overnight soak left rusted parts looking like new. Great stuff.... http://www.evapo-rust.com/ Bernie

That is an early Birkin. Note that the a-arms are round tubing instead of the "aero" tubing on the later cars. It has one brake master cylinder rather than dual masters with a balance bar. Also note the heater core where we normally see the passenger foot well. So that car was manufactured before Dick Brink took over as importer sometime in 1999 or 2000. There may be other detail differences in the frame and footboxes compared to the more common (in the U.S.) later cars, so it may not be a good indication that the Miata will fit well in a later car. A friend here has a Birkin of the same general vintage that has a Peugeot engine and unknown transmission. It was built in South Africa years back and imported fairly recently. Bottom line, an enterprising soul with sufficient skill and patience could make just about any 4 cylinder fit..... Bernie

Ah - you are talking about a much later IRS car. I have never worked on one of those, so I'm no so sure my comments would be relevant. Brian Anderson had built one Miata gearbox setup before I did my car, so he had shown that it would fit. Other things you will need to solve are: transmission tunnel (mine required some fiberglass work around the area of the shifter, though the shifter position is perfect) a custom driveshaft (used a driveshaft shop in Dallas for mine) likely a custom oil pan and pickup to get clearance (pan provided by Brian for my Zetec and I fab'd up the pickup) Fit of intake and exhaust (Brian modified a factory Birkin header for me as the engine sits a bit forward of the "stock" setup and the factory headers didn't fit). I had to slightly modify the stock plastic intake. There is a frame member on the earlier chassis that runs just below the bell housing area - it had to be made removable in order to get the gearbox in and out. There are probably some adventures I have forgotten about from the build, but it was very entertaining figuring out solutions to the issues that came up. At least until some later clutch related issues came up related to the adaptation of Ford to Mazda. But those are solved now. I'll be very interested in following your build if you head down that road! Bernie

Hi Papak - I built a Birkin from the basic kit in 2000. It is chassis BIY 1877. I used a Zetec and a 1994 Miata transmission. It is indeed a tight fit, but works very well. Brian Anderson (constructor of the Ultralite) designed the engine adapter, and with some development work (well quite bit actually) it has become a nice reliable package. With Brian's guidance I fabricated the engine and transmission mounts. The only real touchy spot is getting clearance for the clutch release arm - there is a chassis member very close by. Not too long after my chassis was manufactured (in early 2000 most likely given that the car was delivered to the states in September of 2000) Birkin redesigned the fiberglass footboxes. They made them larger buy expanding them into the area surrounding the bell housing. I do not think you could get a Miata gearbox far enough into the transmission tunnel in one of the later cars without major surgery to the footboxes. Not impossible, just added work. I asked Dick Brink back in those days why Birkin didn't engineer a car around a Miata engine and gearbox. Seems an obvious solution vs the Brit gearbox and expensive adapter bell housing. He old me that Japan was a major market for Birkin, and the Japanese had no desire for a car with a Japanese engine/gearbox. They wanted something "British". Never mind that the Zetec, IIRC, was manufactured in Mexico.... I think the Miata would be a great package. Research the total height of the engine carefully to make sure you can end up with sufficient ground clearance. If you decide to try it let me know.... Bernie Long Keller, TX

Mark, Your car is listed in the Birkin registry at the Yahoo birkinowners group. It was purchased by Miles East in MA and is listed as a 2003. Miles posted messages to to the list and you can find them in the archive..... https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/birkinowners/info Nice car! Bernie Long Birkin S3

Jim, Get Painless Wiring headlight pigtails: http://www.summitracing.com/parts/prf-80300/overview/ I have had a Painless harness on my Birkin since building it in 2001. I also have 7" Dietz type headlights with halogens. I run them all the time and have never had an issue. Bernie

I designed this by sitting in the car with a blank dash, and taping full size cutout pics of the instruments to the dash in different positions till I found a layout I like. I can't see the speedo and tach when they are in front of the steering wheel. The dash is finished in black wrinkle paint. Bernie

Hi Mfast, "BIY 1925" indicates a Birkin built from a very basic kit, rather than a factory assembled rolling chassis. "BIY" stands for "Build It Yourself". I built and own BIY 1877. BIY 1925 was built by a fellow named Bob Micket in 2001. I found this info in the archives of the birkinowners Yahoo group. There are a couple of pics in the "files" area too. BIYs were delivered as a complete frame with the aluminum body panels attached. They had a wiring harness, fuel lines and brake lines installed. Suspension including the rear axle and steering rack were included, and pretty much everything else was al a carte. You could buy packages like instruments and interior, or skip them and source the parts yourself. It was great fun. Anyway, all are welcome at birkinowners: http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/birkinowners/info Bernie

I have size 12 narrow feet, and am able to slip my foot in front of the clutch on my Birkin. Are you aware of how the pedal pads are attached to the arms? You can easily move the pads to multiple positions, both up and down and to the left or right of the pedal arm. In fact, to gain some room, I just removed the clutch pedal pad. If you unbolt the pedal assembly, you can lift it out of the footwell and get easy access to the pedals. The pic of this is Mitch Leben's car, where some extensions were added to get the pedals closer. HTH, Bernie

I take the Birkin to a few car shows every year. My favorite reactions are from kids. More than one has run up to the car yelling "Daddy, daddy look, I could drive this one!". One lad asked if he could sit in it. After sitting for some time, steering wheel in hand, his dad decided it was time to move on. Nothing doing. Dad finally had to lift him out of the car and carry him away, crying and screaming that he wanted to get back in the car! One evening there were several people around the car including one little girl about 8 standing next to the driver's seat. She inspected the cockpit for a few moments, then looked over at her mom and declared in a loud voice "This thing isn't safe!". Bernie

I don't remember Brian ever talking about a bike engine. I believe he used the Saturn engine because of its light weight compared to the cast iron Zetecs that were in common use in other Se7ens at the time. The black car was the only one built with the Saturn motor. As I recall, the second car had an S2000 engine and IRS. I am sure there were not 17 cars built prior to the first Honda powered car. Brian was a one man band a that time - he was doing everything but the machine work - from welding up the frames to laying up the fiberglass bodies all in his 2 car garage. Later on he farmed out some of that work. It was quite a while before 17 cars were completed. If memory serves, the second car was the yellow one in the pics. This was 12 years ago, so don't make me swear to all the details - but I think the above is accurate..... Bernie

That is indeed the very first Ultralite - I guess you could call it the prototype. Brian Anderson built it in the garage of his home in Arlington, TX in 2001 at about the same time I was finishing my Birkin build. Brian helped me with a bunch of stuff on my car, and I visited him several times while he was building the Ultralite. IIRC, it has an RX7 gearbox and rear axle. The Saturn engine has a modified head and made reasonable horsepower. The pic is the partially completed car in Brian's front yard..... Bernie

Bill, Congrats! If the car was built from the basic kit, it will have a 7 character number like mine - "BIYXXXX" (Build It Yourself). If it was built from a rolling chassis, it will have a longer number. The number appears in two places on the chassis. One under one of the front legs of the rollover bar. Another on the left side upper horizontal diagonal frame tube in the engine compartment. One thing you want to check is the front ride height. It appears in the pic in the Craigslist ad that it is set too low - the lower control arms are parallel with the ground. This can result in bent lower control arms. The ride height in front must be set to 294mm between the shock eyes. There is a discussion of this and factory drawings with the specs at the birkinowners yahoo mailing list in the "Files" area: http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/birkinowners/files/ You (and anyone else here) would be most welcome to join that list - lots of Birkin specific expertise available. Regards, Bernie

I tow my Birkin on a Aluma single axle trailer with a 10 foot bed. It weighs under 500 lbs. Seems to be in keeping with the philosophy of the car. :-) It is within the rated towing capacity of my Crown Vic (and my wife's Subaru Outback), tows straight as an arrow and the Vic gets 17 mpg towing on the highway. I can bag and stash four tires in the back seat, and with a few tools and such in the trunk, the Air Lift bags in the rear coils keep the ride height correct. The steel/wood trailers I looked at were running $1500, and would have required a bigger tow vehicle. The Aluma trailer wasn't cheap at $2100 (a few years ago) but light weight has its advantages.... Bernie

Forwarded on behalf of George Hillard: As you may know, we have had a number of issues as we worked to put together a solid event for Sevens this year: availability of people, scheduling conflicts, track availability, and competing events. Rather than try to force it without an adequate number of entrants, we have decided to: -Cancel the September 21-24 event in Texas -Convene the committee in the near future to plan a solid event at a time next year The committee will include representatives from Birkin, Caterham, Stalker, Locost, Lotus, Ultralite, Westfield --all Sevens--and we are planning to convene within the next 2 months. We have several interesting venues and activities in mind. We will announce committee members as soon as it is formed and will keep you informed from the start. We will welcome ideas and suggestions. Dick Brink George Hillard

Forwarded on behalf of George Hillard: The SW Se7ensFest, usually held in the April-May timeframe will be held September 21-24. Here are details, costs, venues, and schedule: Site: MotorSport Ranch, Cresson, Texas Dates: arrive pm Sept 20 and set up Friday, September 21 Track Day 10 cars/drivers Saturday, September 22 Track Day 18 cars/drivers Saturday, September 22 Event Dinner Sunday, September 23 Post-Track Event Monday, September 24 Post-track Event 0800-1200 Hotel: Best Western Cresson Inn 9120 E Highway 377 Cresson, TX 76035 817-396-4480 12 rooms (6 single bed, 6 two bed) have been blocked @ $69.99, $79.09 with tax. Confirmation number for a single is 14308 and for a 2-bed room is 14309. Group: SouthWest Sevens. Costs: Friday Track Day We have ten (10) slots for car/driver $30/session per vehicle 4 x $30 = $120 per vehicle/driver that day Our total cost that day = $1200 Sat Track Day 18 cars on track in our group 6 x 20 minute sessions Our cost = $3400, 30 days in advance 120 sessions @ $32, rounded up. Admin fee for the event: $38 Full registration: $120 for Friday 10 participants $192 for Sat 18 participants $ 38 admin fee Our cost for the Event at the track is $1200 + $3400 = $4600. To pay our bill, we need ten people with cars for Friday, and 18 with cars on Saturday. Note that we can mix and match. Six track sessions is quite a few; on the other hand, we get lots of track time in two days. We have two full registrations as of 7/31. We would appreciate your suggestions for technical sessions; some subjects mentioned so far include use of fiberglas/carbon fiber in making automotive parts, and using fuel with ethanol in our cars. We also welcome (= need) your suggestions for a post-track event or events on Sunday and Monday morning. We have toured the region in the past; we might have our own concours d’elegance. TO REGISTER: SEND THIS FORM AND A CHECK, PAYABLE TO George Hillard FOR $350; THIS WILL ENTITLE YOU TO 4 TRACK SESSIONS ON FRIDAY, SIX TRACK SESSIONS ON SATURDAY, AND A FEW AMENITIES (BOTTLED WATER, ETC) AT THE TRACK. THIS IS NO MARKUP; THIS IS OUR COST. IF WE HAVE TEN PEOPLE ON FRIDAY (OR A FEW MORE) AND 18 FOR SATURDAY, WE ARE GOLDEN. ================================================ NAME:_________________________________________ ADDRESS:______________________________________ ______________________________________ PHONE: _______________________________________ EMAIL: _______________________________________ CAR: __________________________________________ LEVEL OF TRACK EXPERIENCE: BEGINNER INTERMEDIATE EXPERIENCED EXPERIENCE: SCCA RACING/AUTOCROSS NASA HPDE NASA RACING/TT COMPETITION LICENSE? (CIRCLE) SCCA NASA INSTRUCTOR? (CIRCLE) SCCA NASA George Hillard Dick Brink 7 Wisteria Way P. O. Box 120982 Whispering Pines, Arlington, TX 76012 NC 28327-7131 (817) 461-7431 (910)949-5551

I know they are different. But I believe Dick works directly with Panasport, and can get any bolt pattern/offset you might want. He used to sell Caterhams and is very, very familiar with them. Regards, Bernie

I got my 15 in. Panasports from Dick Brink at Texas Motorworks. 817-461-7431. I believe he uses RE11s on the new Birkins too, for what that is worth.... Bernie

The tunnel in my Birkin used to get so hot it would almost burn my leg. So when I had the engine out one time I lined the transmission tunnel and footbox with heavy foil backed foam insulation. I bought it at a local insulation shop so don't have a trade name. The seams are sealed with aluminum tape. Also, make sure that any air leaks around the pedal box and steering shaft are sealed tight. This made a world of difference. Even in the Texas heat the surface of the tunnel remains at a reasonable temp. And sealing out airflow from under the hood made really big difference. Oh, and I had the headers coated too. HTH, Bernie

Duane, If you are planning to use the stock crank position sensor, you have a problem. You have correctly identified the hole, but I can see that the bracket that supports the sensor is not in place. The bad news is that the bracket has to be installed before the flywheel is bolted on. Find the bracket and check it out. I suppose there may be a different version of the bracket that I haven't seen but I know a couple of other builders who have faced this same issue..... Bernie

Duane, here is a pedal extension fabricated by Craig Taylor at one of the Se7ens Festivals a few years back. Enjoy your Birkin! Bernie