NeoBear Posted July 22, 2021 Share Posted July 22, 2021 Hello everyone. I will be receiving my Birkin sometime in the next 2-3 weeks and was curious if anyone had any tips or links to any resources that they thought would be useful? Tom has been great about answering questions and mostly set me up for success, I am going into this fairly green about what to expect so if anyone has advice like " make sure you buy one of these" or "only use this kind of (X)" I would be super thankful. If anyone is curious these are the only things I asked for 2.5L Duratec Please run lines for additional usb plugs Daytime led headlights Drysump oil system Other than that the car will be completely stock. Thanks in advance for any advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
papak Posted July 22, 2021 Share Posted July 22, 2021 If you plan on tracking the car, have Tom install a master cutoff switch and an SCCA approved roll bar. Much easier to deal with during the initial build than later. Tom's advice is "spot on" when it comes to options. Completed my car in early 2017. I am now slowly swapping out suspension hardware for stainless steel nuts and bolts. No salt on the roads in SoCal but there is a lot of sandblasting that takes place in a car that is this close to the ground. With the stone guard installed, you will only have 2" of ground clearance. You acquire a new awareness of potholes, speed bumps and road debris! I have a new stone guard on the way from Tom as I have pounded out the dents on mine too many times. I presume Tom is adding a low profile cam cover. The car was initially designed for the 2 liter. The 2.3 and 2.5 sit an inch or so higher in the chassis and would otherwise deflect the nose cone and bonnet. What differential and LSD have you chosen? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeoBear Posted July 22, 2021 Author Share Posted July 22, 2021 Hello Papak I did ask Tom for a Master cutoff and he told me to not bother? Plan is to do Auto X for the first year to get comfortable with the car and then get back out on track. I don't know what a stone guard is so is that something I should try and option from Tom now? I didn't pick a Diff or a LSD I again deferred to Tom, I basically told him my plans for the car and let him set me up. It looks like I am getting a R180 LSD? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Birkson Posted July 22, 2021 Share Posted July 22, 2021 Hello @NeoBear, I'm about a month ahead of you with my SS3XS build. I also opted for the Subaru R180 LSD, but with a 2.0 w/ stage 2 cams. I think @papak is referring to the aluminum 'skid' plate that goes under the oil pan and it does come standard with the kit. My build is going quicker than I expected. I've already got all suspension installed, brakes working, rear differential and half shafts, fuel tank, etc... My engine is arriving tomorrow! Tom @Tbox56 is fantastic about answering any questions during the build (which is why I haven't posted here since Tom's been able to give me guidance). A few minor things you might want to have on hand, steps, etc.: Metric tap and die set - With such close tolerances between parts, it's easy to get cross-threading on the first thread. I absolutely don't want to mess up any riv-nuts or welded nuts, and the taps have come in handy a few times. Large drill bit set of fractional, A-Z, and numbered (or metric). Cheap Harbor Freight will do fine. Some of the holes I've drilled needed to be fairly precise and it's nice to have the variety. A piece of 1/2" steel bar stock to cut and make a wrench plug for the differential. Once installed, there's only and inch or so of clearance to get the diff plug in/out. Oh, and to install the diff, I had to remove the sway bar and rear housing plate from the diff. I haven't actually used it yet. Be sure to do the parking brakes and rear suspension before the rear diff. You won't have room under the diff to work on the parking brake balancer. And you need all the empty space you can to get the rear suspension in. Many of the electrical connections will need new connectors added. I ordered this one from Amazon: haisstronica 520PCS Marine Grade Heat Shrink Wire Connectors-Electrical Connectors Kit A special tool for reaching the headlight nut that's about 2-3 inches up inside a housing. I bought this one from Amazon: 3/4 inch Fuel Injection Horn Nut Socket Some of the more nerve wracking steps so far; due to the potential for very ugly outcomes were: Enlarging the windscreen wiper holes in the bonnet. Masking and rolling/painting Herculiner truck bed liner on the undersides of the four fenders. Rear upper and lower wishbones. The fronts were easy, start with those. The rears were much more fussy, at least for me. Basically anytime I need to drill, cut, or modify something it really makes me slow down and think it through for a while. Many more but where's the fun in posting too many spoilers! Tom will send pictures and talk you through anything. But if you want to see how mere mortals tackle something, let me know and I can upload some pics. So far, It's been a very satisfying process. Definitely not a lego kit or IKEA build, but I like the extra mystery in figuring out some of the steps. Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
papak Posted July 23, 2021 Share Posted July 23, 2021 I agree with Birkson on his comments. Over time I have replaced a number of the multi-wire connectors with connectors. Look online for the crimping tool. I found a local source for the connector housings, seals and metal connectors. Definitely run a tap through any threaded fitting. Do the same on the engine but you will need "bottom" taps. these are available from McMaster-Carr (your new best friend). They are also a great source for ss metric nuts and bolts (also try Bolt Depot) As for the headlights, you can use a coupler nut along with an allen head bolt "lock-tited" into the bottom. Then simply cut an allen wrench down to fit. My first differential came with a viscous LSD. I blew that up on the first track day. I ended up getting a rebuilt R180 with an AP Suretrac LSD from a fellow who rebuilds them for Subaru off-road guys. As I recall, we dig welded a nut onto the differential filler plug. Much easier to manipulate in the narrow confines. Definitely go for the VDO GPS driven speedometer. You can then plug the speedometer drive in the transmission tail shaft to eliminate one potential leak down the road. Bulletproof accurate and it doesn't care what size tires you use. When you download the build manual, you soon realize that it about 3 models old. Tom is a wonderfully patient resource. He makes all the difference. Where in California are you located? I'm in LA if you are nearby and want to stop by. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vovchandr Posted July 23, 2021 Share Posted July 23, 2021 I'm not sure how many rivets you'll need to put in during the build but if the number is more than 5 I'd buy an electric rivet tool in a heart beat (Milwakee makes an 18v one). It will pay for itself many times over. Quick. Easy. No kickback. Perfect every time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Birkson Posted July 23, 2021 Share Posted July 23, 2021 ... and cleco fasteners wherever you need at least two rivets to have perfect alignment. So far, I've put in 6 for the heater, and 2 for the center switch console. I will put in 6 for the rear diffuser trim where the rear fenders meet the chassis, and 2 for the third brake light bracket. Probably 6 or 8 snap rivets for carpet, and also a bunch of snap rivets for the bikini top, tonneau cover, and boot cover. More than I thought after listing them out. I've used a hand tool so far. Might have to check out the electric. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeoBear Posted July 23, 2021 Author Share Posted July 23, 2021 (edited) This is exactly the info I’m looking for there is quit a bit of stuff (tools) here that I don’t have so I’ll be off to Harbor freight this weekend. There’s a lot of stuff that I’m gonna be surprised by like hole drilling and god help me anything that requires some kind of cutting. I was trying to source some kind of rolling stands and everything I found was going to be to expensive or months away. Tom suggest just a sawhorses type work bench so I picked these up today does anyone think these won’t work? They are rated for double the weight of the full built car but I’m more concerned about if the chassis will sit properly on a set? Edited July 23, 2021 by NeoBear Grammar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeoBear Posted July 23, 2021 Author Share Posted July 23, 2021 11 minutes ago, Birkson said: ... and cleco fasteners wherever you need at least two rivets to have perfect alignment. So far, I've put in 6 for the heater, and 2 for the center switch console. I will put in 6 for the rear diffuser trim where the rear fenders meet the chassis, and 2 for the third brake light bracket. Probably 6 or 8 snap rivets for carpet, and also a bunch of snap rivets for the bikini top, tonneau cover, and boot cover. More than I thought after listing them out. I've used a hand tool so far. Might have to check out the electric. I am definitely going to pick up some kind of rivet gun thing preferably an electric one as Vovchandr mentioned I have heard if you need to do more then 4 rivet's get an electric one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeoBear Posted July 23, 2021 Author Share Posted July 23, 2021 2 hours ago, papak said: I agree with Birkson on his comments. Over time I have replaced a number of the multi-wire connectors with connectors. Look online for the crimping tool. I found a local source for the connector housings, seals and metal connectors. Definitely run a tap through any threaded fitting. Do the same on the engine but you will need "bottom" taps. these are available from McMaster-Carr (your new best friend). They are also a great source for ss metric nuts and bolts (also try Bolt Depot) As for the headlights, you can use a coupler nut along with an allen head bolt "lock-tited" into the bottom. Then simply cut an allen wrench down to fit. My first differential came with a viscous LSD. I blew that up on the first track day. I ended up getting a rebuilt R180 with an AP Suretrac LSD from a fellow who rebuilds them for Subaru off-road guys. As I recall, we dig welded a nut onto the differential filler plug. Much easier to manipulate in the narrow confines. Definitely go for the VDO GPS driven speedometer. You can then plug the speedometer drive in the transmission tail shaft to eliminate one potential leak down the road. Bulletproof accurate and it doesn't care what size tires you use. When you download the build manual, you soon realize that it about 3 models old. Tom is a wonderfully patient resource. He makes all the difference. Where in California are you located? I'm in LA if you are nearby and want to stop by. Looks like the one Tom picked out for me is a VDO? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wemtd Posted July 23, 2021 Share Posted July 23, 2021 Congrats!! A few late night thoughts: I’m not sure if things have changed much but I didn’t have much riveting to do. 1- you'll probably need to make the modified socket to tighten the headlight with room for the wires. 2-wiring in a CHMSL to the roll bar. 3- 12v marine plug on the console or beneath the dash gets constant use for GPS. 4- i epoxied big heads fasteners to the trailing edge of front fenders to fasten lexan mud flaps (significantly helps with gravel accumulation). 5- I like to raise the engine/gearbox assembly off a dolly into position with a chain hoist: much easier than trying to tip it in from above. 6- AN fittings for all fuel connections. 7- 3m paint protection film on rear arches/front of nose cone. This stuff is amazing!! 8- dykem torque heck would have been handy. 9- a neodymium magnet taped to a long dowel for retrieving dropped bits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeoBear Posted July 23, 2021 Author Share Posted July 23, 2021 5 minutes ago, wemtd said: Congrats!! A few late night thoughts: I’m not sure if things have changed much but I didn’t have much riveting to do. 1- you'll probably need to make the modified socket to tighten the headlight with room for the wires. 2-wiring in a CHMSL to the roll bar. 3- 12v marine plug on the console or beneath the dash gets constant use for GPS. 4- i epoxied big heads fasteners to the trailing edge of front fenders to fasten lexan mud flaps (significantly helps with gravel accumulation). 5- I like to raise the engine/gearbox assembly off a dolly into position with a chain hoist: much easier than trying to tip it in from above. 6- AN fittings for all fuel connections. 7- 3m paint protection film on rear arches/front of nose cone. This stuff is amazing!! 8- dykem torque heck would have been handy. 9- a neodymium magnet taped to a long dowel for retrieving dropped bits. Yes without a doubt the best money I ever spent on last car was 3m front bra. Any recommendations for the chmsl you used? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Birkson Posted July 23, 2021 Share Posted July 23, 2021 Ask Tom. I got my third brake light from him along with an angle bracket that has a bit of a curve to fit the roll bar. It gets riveted/screwed to the roll bar. Along with the brake light wire, you'll be running the fuel tank vent line up/across/down the roll bar too. I thought it was kinda interesting when he told me; meant to avoid fuel running out of the vent tube case of a rollover. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toldfield Posted July 23, 2021 Share Posted July 23, 2021 I have lots of Clecos. They are like clothes hangers, the multiply until you need them. I'm near Pasadena and if you want to use a bunch they are available. tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
papak Posted July 23, 2021 Share Posted July 23, 2021 Clecos are key to doing good rivet work. Also helpful are having two cordless drills, one for the drill bit and one for a larger bit to remove the flashing. Always mark the rivet holes with a tapered punch. The drill bit won’t “walk” on you. Definitely get an electric rivet gun. I’ve worn out 2-3 manual riveters already. I wired in a USB outlet under the dash for the cellphone. Label all of the wires that you can. Only a matter of time before you lose track. Learn to build your own AN hoses. The fittings from Summit Racing are easier to use. Get a pressure test fitting for piece of mind. I’ve never had a hose fail once I tested it. More will come to mind… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeoBear Posted July 23, 2021 Author Share Posted July 23, 2021 3 minutes ago, papak said: Clecos are key to doing good rivet work. Also helpful are having two cordless drills, one for the drill bit and one for a larger bit to remove the flashing. Always mark the rivet holes with a tapered punch. The drill bit won’t “walk” on you. Definitely get an electric rivet gun. I’ve worn out 2-3 manual riveters already. I wired in a USB outlet under the dash for the cellphone. Label all of the wires that you can. Only a matter of time before you lose track. Learn to build your own AN hoses. The fittings from Summit Racing are easier to use. Get a pressure test fitting for piece of mind. I’ve never had a hose fail once I tested it. More will come to mind… I was hopeful ill have room to place something like this under the dash. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
papak Posted July 23, 2021 Share Posted July 23, 2021 You could mount it on the face of the dash or, like I did, fabricate a hinged panel under the dash. Works great and out of site. Where are you located? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeoBear Posted July 23, 2021 Author Share Posted July 23, 2021 I am in Fresno so about 4 hours from LA. my plan is once the car makes it out here to take some very extended and earned vacation! When you have a moment if it is not to much to ask id love a picture of how you mounted your usb ports? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
papak Posted July 23, 2021 Share Posted July 23, 2021 Will do tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wemtd Posted July 23, 2021 Share Posted July 23, 2021 2 - CHMSL: <Custom Dynamics Universal Light Bar 24 LED Light Bar ST6126ARACPT> I drilled two very small holes for the wires & ran them through roll bar to a connector for rollbar removal/exchange. 10 - (see other thread this week) replaced gas filler cap with one from Newton Mfg. <https://www.newton-equipment.com/>, search for mocal in florida for catalog. 11 - [you've likely see this already] have bed-lner/lineX spraywed on underside of wheel arches. it will mitigate cracking from stones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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