KiwiBirkin

I made a rack for my Birkin, I take the wheel carrier off and then replace it with a mount that I made that bolts to the same holes the rack then sits on 2 pins and bolts to the back panel where the wheel bracket mounts. this means I can then remove it when I have arrived where we are going. http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu326/Hotdognz/bits%20and%20pieces/Rack1.jpg http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu326/Hotdognz/bits%20and%20pieces/Rack2.jpg http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu326/Hotdognz/Tranz%20Alpine/20091029_084340.jpg

Hmmm shame the sound didn't play for you Kitcat but its there as it plays for me. When taking the car to the workshop today I should just roll past 20000kms in 18 months of ownership the last 2 months have been pretty slow on the driving front as the winter in NZ has been a very wet one so far on the weekends and i figure i have lost about 2-3000 kms of driving in those 8 weeks in my Birkin.

Well this is it the car goes in tommorow for the start of the engine upgrade to the Toyota 4AGE motor so its goodby to the Kent motor which has really done well over the 18 months I have owned the car and is still going as strong today just before its gets pulled out tommorow. I plan on updating this thread with pics as we go on with the engine swap. But for now here's a small video I took of the Kent to show people who are keen on buying it when its up for sale in a couple of weeks, its in 720p

What a lovley car Boss and a nice paint job which makes a change from the normal Red or Yellow sevens we see mostly. Enjoy :cheers:

Hey guys thanks for sharing the pics its looked like great fun, its really cool to travel with a large group of sevens I have managed to do it sevral times this year and I cant think of any car i would be in for a club drive. Keep it up as it looked like you guys had agreat time. Cheers Kiwibirkin.

I plan on running the Blacktops 4AGE throttle bodies with a Piper Cross foam filter if I could find a way to mount the KNs that are on the car now to the throttle bodies I would as I like the look of them sticking, but I don't think its possible. Other than cleaning up the engine bay I guess by routing the pipes to the rear what else does the reversing the water mod do. I will endevour to take photos as much as I can and put them up as the engine goes in Curious to know why the engine mounts scare you ???? Cheers Stephen

Well after being offerd a very good Toyota 4AGE/T50 combo for a good price the upgade is on again for Grace I have purchased a Toyota Blacktop 20v engine that has all ready had the sump modded to reduce the overall height of the motor to 580mm and its complete with T50 gearbox, headers out to the 4 to 1 collector with sensor plug, engine mounts to suit a seven, full wireing loom and ECU all ready stripped of the wires not required, its currently sitting in a seven all wired up as a working motor but the project has been given the chop and its being broken down for parts. As I dont have the skills or the gear to do this my self and if i did attempt it it would take me too long and would end up with no car for summer im getting the loca seven builder Mcgregor Motorsports to install the motor into Grace and get it fully working and re certed for the road, I also have to do drive hoops as well becuase of a engine change and its a requirment for cert. So the fun begins im sad to see the kent motor go because its been such a good motor and has been trouble free for the 20000Kms we have done with it since owning Grace and is still running the same compresion today as it was when I had it tested before buying the car, but I want more power and to rebuild the kent to get more power would have been to expensive Anyway here are some pics of the engine and bits and pices in the current car before it heads to Mcgregors for it to be removed. (Im not sure what Toyotas these engines were used in car in the US) http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu326/Hotdognz/4AGE%20Pics/4AGE11.jpg http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu326/Hotdognz/4AGE%20Pics/4AGE14.jpg http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu326/Hotdognz/4AGE%20Pics/4AGE18.jpg http://i660.photobucket.com/albums/uu326/Hotdognz/4AGE%20Pics/4AGE5.jpg

Mike thats a great colour really suits the car its going to look pretty awsome with carbon fenders, did you also paint the back panel or leave it ali ??. Make sure you tak some pics when its finished. :drool:

Great looking car Alaskossie and a car to be really proud off, i hope your journey in your car lives up to your expectations as mine does every time I get in minw after 17 months off ownership.

Hi Darren welcome to USA7s and im sure you will find plenty of help here, anyway good luck with the build when you start it.

Thats right Jon I used the slotted back cover which increased the wind noise as I forgot to take the fully enclosed rear cover, still at least you can hear the engine roar

I managed to finally get to some footage up on Youtube from the track-day at Ruapuna Raceway, Christchurch, NZ, video was taken at on my Go Pro HD at 720p 30fps but due to the basic NZ internet I have cut it down to 480p. camera was mounted on the rear drivers side wheel arch. Video is of a friend of mine in his Mcgregor Mach 7 (lotus 7 replica) running a 2002 MX5 motor with 6 speed box. When you see him spin on the first lap the other 7 coming into the 180 deg sweeper is me and i'm about to spin too you can just see the start of it

My wife still does that after 18 months of ownership I have told her she doesnt need too but thats like :banghead:.

Cheers for all the info guys i managed to find a Zetec to T9 bell housing in the UK (pretty common there) however my upgarde is on hold for a while as the wife just got made redundant and needs to get another job to fund my upgrade :smash:

The worst part about it all was I was going to put my GOPRO HD camera on and video the rides but at the last moment I didnt because of a time factor :banghead: would have looked great on one of those home video shows

Talking with some of the local guys who drive sevens we were chatting about taking people out in our cars and the experiences they have this is probley the worst one/funnest one I have had. As the driver of a Seven car I love taking people who have never been for a drive in this sort of car out in Grace for a blat the expressions on their faces start off with hmmm not too sure about this I can see the road and maybe touch it, which then develops into the biggest grin you can even imagine as we blat along and take some fast corners . On Christmas day my wifes neice (Chelsea) and boyfriend came out for Christmas dinner along with the rest of the family and they hadnt been in the car yet the boyfriend was a nice lad who was into fast fours and words of "man thats fat" and "awsum" came out of his mouth when he saw ther car so of we went for a quick blat around the normal circuit I take guest for a drive, anyway after a couple of lets say interesting corners he became very quite but the grin was still there at the end and he reckoned it was better than driffting. Anyway now the niece wanted a go as a passenger she is 21 a great looking girl, legs up to her armpits and didnt really have much on except a skimpy summer dress as it was a warm 28 degsC that day, so off we go again with her screaming most of the way around the 5km loop that was untill we hit the blackbird at speed down one of the straights this bird flew right in front of me low and wedged its self in amongst my LH tyre and brake caliper and started to come apart all ove the poor neice sitting in the passengers side, first thing i know is there is this might scream (F@^K) while were doing 100kph + and I look left to see her face full of blood and guts and feathers from this bird strike and her spitting feathers out just as fast as they are going back in (it was the funniest thing I have ever seen in my car) as i slowed down for some reason the rest of the blackbird released and hit the neice fair square in her chest and slid down inside her top by the time I stopped. Now I wasnt going to retrive the blackbird at the side of the road so asked here if she was ok while still spitting feathers out and decided it was best to get her back home fast to clean up. On arrival home some of the family were waiting for us as we had taken a bit longer than normal the look on their faces when we turned up was priceless Chelsea was coverd in blood and feathers and was still plucking bits of blackbird from down her top while she was still screaming get this F%@king thing off me as loud as she could when we pulled into the drive, my wife gave me the evil eye while her two brothers were screaming with laughter upon seeing thier poor neice in such a mess (no photos were allowed bugger). Since then she has never been for a ride in the car again but here boyfriend cant get enough of it and is even trying to sell his WRX boy racer car to fund one.

Looks great any chance you know the colour as it looks fantastic.

Hi Oyagi what web sites are you using to find the Birkins in Japan as i wouldnt mind looking for one to import into NZ.

Great pics glad to see your enjoying your car Kiwibirkin

Hi does any one know if a Blacktop Zetec can bolt straight up to a T9 gearbox & bellhousing at all ?? Also anyone with a Birkin and a Zetec motor do you know if it uses the standard sump on your car or has it had to be cut shorter or dry sumped, im thinking of repowering my Birkin (1600 crossflow) and im starting to gather some information on engine options. What sort of HP does a Zetec give you at the rear wheels in standard form on carbs and what size carbs do they run. Cheers Kiwibirkin.

Hey Steve the first picture says it all about being a Seven owner I have a stupid grin like that on my face every time I get in the car. Its great to be part of this gang and its so world wide too. Have fun.

Hey Gert that sounds like a plan and cars too lets keep it in mind. What area do you live in. This is my house here http://maps.google.co.nz/maps?client=firefox-a&channel=s&hl=en&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Kaiapoi,+Canterbury&ll=-43.374617,172.66628&spn=0.000649,0.003484&z=19&layer=c&cbll=-43.374617,172.666279&panoid=p0CW5XhCrhaAl3pZDBDRfA&cbp=11,115.02,,0,5 Right in the middle of the South Island plenty to see and do.

Cheers Russ I will get one scaled up in Autocad and get a price if it proves to expensive then i can send you the autocad file and you can get one cut in the US from a local fab shop with a laser cutter. Regards Stephen

Hi that is a very nice offer thanks Mike I have sent a PM Cheers Stephen

Hey Russ I can get a one off done in smaller dimensions but it would cost more if your interested post the size (height) and ill scale it up and get a price for you. BTW Jerry it looks great on your grill and a good way to attach it. If anyone is interested in one I have 2 left over from the last run takes about 4-5 days to get to the USA from NZ after payment via Paypal. Size is 195mm wide x 185mm deep US $65 + postage