Parts for 2004 Birkin S3?

[jkaylegian]

Hi all, 

 

I bought a 2004 Birkin S3 a few months back and was able to secure a moving permit while I fight with the DMV for a title. Of course, the first legal drive ended with an F-150 backing his ball hitch into the nose cone. Damage is minimal but there is a crack and the shop said it should be replaced. Does anyone know if Birkin is still operating in the US or otherwise with a shipping option? At 33k miles there are some other parts I’d love to refresh as well, any advice on part finding would be great. 

 

Pics for attention, loving this car and can’t wait to be legal so I can drive more! 

Edited September 16, 2022 by jkaylegian
Spoke with owner of Birkin and clarified a misunderstanding regarding previous communication. Removing that part of the post

[kayentaskier]

Welcome,

Contact Tom Carlin at tcarlin@colorado.net, the rest of his info is on his web site: https://birkindirect-usa.com/

Good luck,

Jim

[Automoda]

I'm curious to see the damage.  I'm sure its fixable but if you can get a new one on the truck's insurance, get a new one and fix-up and save the old one as a spare.  They'll both need the same paint, after all.

[Vovchandr]

Just now, Automoda said:

I'm curious to see the damage.  I'm sure its fixable but if you can get a new one on the truck's insurance, get a new one and fix-up and save the old one as a spare.  They'll both need the same paint, after all.

 

This. I'd be curious too but seems like this is the best option. 

 

Due to the nature of our cars having a spare has it's advantages. For example on the spare you could run the stripe to the end without lipstick nose surround for a different look and a very quick swap over between the two. You could also add canards to one if you wanted to but again could swap back and forth as desired. 

[wemtd]

Definitely need to watch out for stray lipstick marks 🤡

. yours looks to be the old style nose cone. If Tom doesn’t have one on the shelf I expect you’ll do well with a fiberglass repair. If insurance is involved Maybe it could cover shipping and factory repair/refurbishment in Eagle CO?

[BirkinBernie]

I cracked the center bottom of the nose of my 2000 Birkin at an autocross a few years back.  I was fortunate to know an auto body guy who fixed it for me.  You might look for a body shop that works on Corvettes.  One mistake I made was not taking him the grille along with the nose.  The grille still fits - just barely.  Could be a bit better if he had worked with it.

[Alex-Ks1]

Fiberglass is easy to repair ,  but sanding and grinding can be very dusty and hazardous to your breathing , I have done a lot of fiberglass work on different things , boats as well , and a few vettes ,  You can find a repair kit in most auto part stores , usually it had the glass matt ,hardener and of course the resin all in one can, either quart or gallon size . Getting the paint to match just right is like pulling gold out of a chickens ass with a straw 

[jkaylegian]

Thanks for all the replies, I’ve attached a photo of the damage for those curious.

 

I should have clarified, the shop told me they can repair and repaint the cone but it would be a VERY expensive and sourcing one would give me an extra to hold on to. They gave me some before and after photos of corvettes they’ve done so I don’t doubt they can handle it. I figure I’ll be patient and try to find one before repairing since it’s still entirely drivable. I’ll try to reach out again to Tom but as I mentioned in my initial post, my efforts thus far have been unsuccessful. 
 

That said, It’s a 33k mile car with plenty of other cosmetic imperfections. I plan to track and auto cross it with no intention of selling so there’s a temptation to opt for the pricey repair quote and put that money into new seats, harness, tires, etc. 

[NeoBear]

I would agree with kayentaskier and reach out to Tom Carlin at Birkin Direct. Whenever I have questions I always call Tom and just do whatever he recommends I am a pretty simple guy sorry about the car though buddy.

[jkaylegian]

Sharing an update that Tom reached out to me. I’m hoping he will have the cone, and some other parts that could use a refresh so I will be calling soon and will update when I have a resolution.
 

Also, for transparency’s sake, I updated the original post to omit the reference to unanswered communication attempts to Birkin. Given Tom’s communication here and everyone else’s experiences with him there’s an enough evidence to suggest the fault was on my end. 

[yellowss7]

Having done a few fiberglass repairs over the years. It’s not difficult or too costly.   West marine had a nice fiberglass repair kit that has most of what you need. Minus the sand paper.   Those cracks don’t look to difficult to fix.  The expensive part is the painting.  
 

Give it a try. Nothing to lose. 
 

Tom

[Croc]

19 hours ago, jkaylegian said:

I’m hoping he will have the cone, and some other parts that could use a refresh

 

Having visited Birkin America last year, during my convenient break down, I am confident he has the pieces.  The place was huge with a ton of spares stacked high.  There were a lot of nosecones on the shelves - question is which one as there was more than one style over the years.