Is the Birkin cowl dimensionally the same as Caterham? Looking to buy/ mount JPS Screen. Thx!

[magazineman]

Hey, Folks.  Last Friday a guy (insured) hit the back of my Birkin 7 in the fuel filler area , Shoving it sideways & denting / tearing the aluminum.  Rear skin is ruined + the RR wheel arch is now nearly touching the back of tire.   Yeah, it's a bummer.    I got an estimate from a shop (I have Hagerty) but the shop is not, specifically, a Lotus or Aluminum Fabrication kind of place.  But they do some great hotrod / vintage / custom work. 

 

   My question is:  Do you think that a highly-skilled , but not Seven-Knowledgeable regular body shop to do this kind of repair? It will need a new rear skin fabbed & installed.  Maybe even some rear frame work. 

 

Thanks in advance.  Perry.  

[wemtd]

Re: topic.

Caterham & Birkin scuttles are not the same shape/dimension

[IamScotticus]

Ive seen very good work done by metal fab guys.  Im going to say the work is  possible but the problem might be the insurance agreeing to it.  "Body shops" don't typically work on tubular space frame structures.  The shop that will might either be too expensive or they may not be considered a credible automotive repair shop, like more of a craft shop or artisan.  Vintage aircraft restoration might be too much but worth asking. 

If a shop has a skilled metal man, annealing and shaping will not be anything new to him.  He could pull off the damaged skin, flatten it out, make a template,  cut a new piece, form it and rivet it the same holes, then weld the seams, etc.  That would be the easy part, it goes down hill from there as far as what you will be satisfied with.. We tend to be a perfectionist group.

As for the "arch", not sure what you're referring to.  Any fiberglass repair would most likely be unsatisfactory, only a replacement will do.  Fame work, they better do the same welding techniques.  

Its unrealistic to find a welding shop that can do the body AND set up the rest of the car properly.  That's the difficult thing to explain to an adjuster. 

 

I would be calling all the dealers of seven type cars and asking who does this work and be willing to send the car to them. remove the fuel tank first.  Try Supraformance.  Call TM Technologies info@tinmantech.com  for some recommendations..  Theyre located in N. San Juan.

Some pictures will be helpful. 

Edited May 15, 2022 by IamScotticus

[MV8]

18 hours ago, magazineman said:

Hey, Folks. 

  Do you think that a highly-skilled , but not Seven-Knowledgeable regular body shop to do this kind of repair?

 

No. The hardest part that is not common to any normal job/profession is the rolling of the skin over the top rail rear corners and flame annealing assuming that is the condition of your old skin. A general answer to a post with no images.