BCBirk

The gentleman who bought my 7 was shocked when he was told that it would cost $4000/year to register / insure in Ontario because "Birkin" doesn't appear on the official 'approved' list of vehicles... I'm sure there's a work-around. Any tips / advice would be very much appreciated. Cheers!

I've encouraged him to join the forum but I don't think he's on just yet. He did own a Caterham at some point so he's not a newb to the 7.

Thanks to everyone who helped get the word out --much appreciated! The Birkin has found a new home in Barrie Ontario. Cheers!

My mediocre attempt at creating a video of the car... Video: https://youtu.be/8bAd0OKIHzc Pictures: https://plus.google.com/photos/108560088279744463624/albums/6131011915975187921?authkey=CL_x3OjBv8WawAE

Hey Everyone, It's been a fun ride but unfortunately it's now time to sell. I won't miss this forum as I intend to continue lurking on it. This is a genuinely interesting, and intelligent group. Details and a link to pics can be found below. I'll put together some video later if I can find the time. Thanks for looking. 2004 Birkin S3 FOR SALE The car was originally assembled and registered in Alberta, Canada in 2004. I purchased it in 2008 with ~3000 miles on the odometer. It's currently at ~18,500 miles (29K Kms), and it is very healthy. I'm reluctantly selling to help fund a new venture. All mandated federal and provincial inspections have been cleared. It is street legal, registered, and fully insured in British Columbia. Asking price: $29000 US or $36000 CDN Motor: - 2.0L Ford Zetec (ZX3) - Mildly ported and shaved head (~10:1 compression) - High-lift cams with upgraded valve springs - Adjustable cam gears - Large 65 mm single throttle body, port-matched to stock intake manifold - Custom cold air intake - Accel injectors - Bosch and Carter fuel pumps with a swirl pot. - Under-drive pulleys - Custom wet sump - Remote oil filter - 4 into 1 header Transmission: - 5 Speed Ford T9 - Fidanza lightweight flywheel - Organic clutch disk - Limited slip differential Total curb weight: ~1290 lbs. (585 Kgs) ECU: SDS EM-3 fully programmable fuel and ignition system (no laptop required). This unit has the upgraded chip to manage the high idle (cold start) valve, and is integrated with an AEM wide-band air/fuel meter. Mappings have been refined and tuned for tractable performance, erring on the side of caution rather than maximum output. Acceleration and HP: 0 - 60 MPH = ~4.5 seconds +/- (depending on available traction and launch skill). It has never been on a proper dyno but has measured 156 WHP using a G-Tech accelerometer. Estimated output: ~180 HP at the crank; currently limited by the stock, long-runner intake manifold. That estimate would equal ~7.2 HP per pound. Brakes: - Front: Outlaw M-16, 4 piston calipers with Hawk HP Plus pads, vented rotors, and Wilwood 2 psi residual pressure valve. - Rear: Audi single piston calipers with stock pads and solid rotors - Front / rear bias control Suspension: - Front: A-arms with adjustable anti-sway bar, and dual adjustable (rebound and damping) AVO coil-over shocks - Rear: 4 parallel links with panhard rod and dual adjustable coil-over AVO shocks. Wheels and tires (DOT approved): Front: Toyo R888 205-50-15 Rear: Toyo R888 225-45-15 Wheels: 15x7 lightweight aluminium with hubcentric rings Peripherals and extras: - Electronic battery cut-off with 2 remotes. - Custom headlights (original chrome 'bug-eye' headlights available) - LED DRL's - LED front turn signals (original units available). - LED tail lights, and high-mounted 3rd brake light (original units available). - Side-view mirrors with integrated LED turn signals (original units available). - Spare tire carrier with spare wheel and tire included but not currently installed. - Cabin heater motor included but not currently installed. - Heated wind-shield - Full soft top - Bikini top - Full doors - Fiberglass boot (trunk) cover (soft cover included) - Custom rear Lexan wind deflector - Drivers side 5-point cam seat-belt harness (original 3 point seat-belts included). - Custom micro-suede seat backs and inserts (gel insert for comfort and a thin foam insert for performance driving included). Drivers seat is adjustable for / aft. - Adjustable pedal box - 12" leather Momo steering wheel - VDO speedo/odometer, oil pressure, water temp, fuel, and amperage gauges. - Glowshift adjustable tachometer gauge (external shift light included but not installed). Original VDO tachometer available. - AEM wideband air/fuel ratio gauge (integrated with ECU). - Fiamm air horns Etc... This 7 has been very well maintained. I've always used Castrol Syntec 5W30, and Napa Gold (wix) filters. Oil changes have been performed each year, prior to storage. Coolant, brake fluid, and diff fluid has been changed every two years. I've used premium gas only, however the conservative mappings would allow for mid-grade fuel, and probably regular on cooler days. This car has never seen snow, very rarely seen rain, and has always been properly winter-prepped and stored in a heated garage. Typically driven May - October; a large part of the mileage has been accumulated from several road trips throughout Western Canada and the US west coast. I welcome, and would be happy to facilitate a professional mechanical inspection. No random 'test pilots' please... The car is located in Maple Ridge, British Columbia. Pictures here Contact: bcbirk@gmail.com (Please include your phone #)

I currently run the R888 205/50/15 and 225/45/15 (18-20 psi) with a similar set-up. Overall, the balance is good but I would like a bit more progression when the rear starts to break loose. I'm wondering if a slightly more flexy 225/50/15 might work better with a live axle + LSD. Does anyone have experience with both ratios?

The T-Rex is one nervous little beast. I was a passenger for a memorable and scary ride near Montreal several years ago. While the acceleration was decent, it was a real handful in the fast corners -definitely not confidence inspiring (extra underware is a good idea). The driver admitted that his M3 was quicker thorugh the same turns, and didn't have any of the drama but isn't that what it's all about? I don't see these trikes as having much track cred but they're great at giving a strong perception of performance at relatively low speeds. Having tracktion control in the slingshot should reduce the need for that extra pair of underware...

My 2 pesos... I owned an 02' Boxster S for a few years, and found it to be very refined, and fairly easy to push to the limits on the track but ultimately I just didn't love it. To me, it lacked character so I traded it for a nicely Ruff'd 93' Carrera 2 -almost as quick but far more involving and exciting...

If you're looking for turn-key and have the $$$ available, there's the option to go new... http://super7cars.com/ . They occationally have used 7's available as well. If you're interested in building it; new Caterham and Birkin kits can be legally imported into Canada but the RIV process is a PITA.

Not for the 7 purist...

Bumpers? That must be a mistake. My 04' Birkin was originally registered in AB and it's never had bumpers... I know that in BC, the Birkin and Caterham kits have validation from the Registrar of Imported Vehicles and don't require any significant mods to the standard kit. The inspection and registration sheet had many N/A's in several categories. Could it be that the garage or AT has mis-classified your build?

I had the same issue, and unfortunately my 'farmer weld' only lasted a few days --the metal is very thin and weak. A fairly simple solution is to drill and bend a piece if aluminum flat bar. If you didn't lose the threaded insert, you can shorten some bolts and attache to the wing stay from both sides --gives a nice solid fit. If you've lost the insert, you'll need to drill-out the outside end of the stay. If you're running 205's, you'll need to grind down the inside bolt to get adequate clearance.

I modified a simple plastic container with an aluminum duct to draw air from in front of the rad --standard K&N cone inside. It significantly reduced intake temps in heavy traffic but I don't think it has any notable performance gains at speed.

RE: Thermostat bypass This Westy site has a good tutorial on the zetec cooling system. I plumbed my heater exit to the water pump and it helped stabilized the temp + reduce warm up time. I'd recommend a 180F T-stat if you're planning on tracking it. -P