Marine7 Posted August 3, 2010 Share Posted August 3, 2010 Howdy, I'm wondering if anyone out there has an old pair of clamshell wing supports collecting dust. I'm specifically looking for the supports on the forward end of the clamshell that I believe may be part of the headlight support. A good digital photo of the mounts off the car would also be helpful. I'm trying to install a pair of Cat wings to my Birkin. If I cant locate a pair, I'll try my hand at fabricating something. I'd be quite interested to hear from anyone who has made the switch from cycle fenders to Clamshells Thanks very much Jason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbanker Posted August 4, 2010 Share Posted August 4, 2010 I did on my Stalker V6. I would strongly advise you to try to locate the mounts designed for your particular clams. Mine are from the Caterham where the clams came from. I really like the clams after having run with cycle fenders for nearly 7 years. Jack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twobone Posted August 4, 2010 Share Posted August 4, 2010 I'm thinking of changing to cycles from clam...just curious on the reasons why you are doing the reverse swap? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marine7 Posted August 4, 2010 Author Share Posted August 4, 2010 Jack, Thanks. I havent spent a great deal of time around Caterhams, so I've got very little to go on in terms of how the Clams were originally fitted. However, the guy who had the Clams mounted previously on his car provided me with a couple photos of the bracket. One is of the bracket supporting the fender and the other is post modification. He modified the bracket so that he could retain the headlight portion of the bracket and run cycle fenders. I'm hoping to find a pair of brackets that are still in their original condition and havent been modified. Thanks Jason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marine7 Posted August 4, 2010 Author Share Posted August 4, 2010 second photo wouldnt upload. I'll have to work on it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbanker Posted August 4, 2010 Share Posted August 4, 2010 I'm thinking of changing to cycles from clam...just curious on the reasons why you are doing the reverse swap? Much more comfortable for touring. cuts down on a certain amount of buffeting and cockpit stays much cleaner...fewer pebbles. I have busted several cycle fender mounts and cycle fenders themselves. A lot of unsprung weight hanging out on those front spindles. From a visual point of view I really prefer the appearance. Jack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbanker Posted August 4, 2010 Share Posted August 4, 2010 second photo wouldnt upload. I'll have to work on it... Here are a couple more photos of the clam mounts that might help. I have posted per the forum thread here previously: http://usa7s.com/vb/showthread.php?t=4883 Plus you might want to check the last couple of pages on my Stalker V6 album link at the bottom of my signature. Jack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marine7 Posted August 4, 2010 Author Share Posted August 4, 2010 Jack, I remember that post. Its great that you can spend so much memorable time with your son. I truly look forward to the days when I can do the same with my boy. For now, he just hands me tools and generally runs off with my stuff when he's in the garage. He's only 6 years old, so I'm just happy to have him interested enough to play around the cars. Did you locate and use an actual Caterham bracket? It appears to me that the bracket is an extension of the headlight bracket with a lower brace extending down to near the upper A-arm. Is that pretty close? Kudos on your wire covers. Looks like a fantastic way to run wires. is that -3 AN braided brake hose? I may do something similar but oh the weight penalty! Must be 3 oz on both sides... eeegads! Just keeping it light Jason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbanker Posted August 4, 2010 Share Posted August 4, 2010 Jason, Yes, I was lucky enough to be able to purchase the Caterham clams along with the Caterham front clam mounts from the same source. I purchased them used from one of our USA7s forum members last Fall. Here is another possibility that may help you. There is a company in Kneeland, CA called Curtis Unlimited. They fabricate replacement parts for Se7ens including Caterhams. They sell front wings (clams) for $70 each plus the forward front mounts for $40 each. I personally have not dealt with them but my son has a Se7en nose on order and should be arriving any day via UPS. I have another friend that has a set of clams and front mounts on order as well. Hopefully I will be able to pass along a favorable testimony within a few days once I see the end products. The owners are Bert and Fay Curtis. Their email address is curtisunlimited@aol.com Their phone number is 707 443 8523 and you must call between 3:00 PM until 3:00 AM. I don't believe they stock any products but fabricate as orders come in. Both my son and my friend have talked to Fay and so far indicate that their experience was extremely pleasant. A true Mom and Pop cottage industry. Somehow that really fits in with typical Se7en ownership. Jack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbanker Posted August 4, 2010 Share Posted August 4, 2010 It appears to me that the bracket is an extension of the headlight bracket with a lower brace extending down to near the upper A-arm. Is that pretty close? Jason, I just looked at your post again. The mounting brackets mount on top of the upper frame rails pretty much right above the upper 'A' arms. I had to fabricate and weld a split tube to capture the mounting brackets. I thought I took a photo of the final mount mod and included it on my Stalker Gallery web page. You have to look at it pretty close. It is identical to what is done on a Caterham. Jack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marine7 Posted August 4, 2010 Author Share Posted August 4, 2010 Jack, Thanks very much for the contact info. I've spoken to some local Caterham guys who I'll meet this weekend at a local Coffee and Cars event. They're going to bring along some old brackets they've cut up and combined with some careful measurements from their cars, I should know if the new re-pro's will work. If all goes well, I'll order a pair from Burt and Fay Curtis next week. I throughly enjoyed your website. Thanks for taking the time to document your build and evolution of the stalker. Its a beautiful car. Love the Brookies... Mine just came in the mail. Now if I could just get my car to the point that it makes engine noises on its own instead of my vroom vroom from the drivers seat! Cheers Jason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbanker Posted August 4, 2010 Share Posted August 4, 2010 Hey Jason, It just occurred to me that you bought the new clams from Graeme Gee. I purchased the crunched ones from Graeme plus the old mounts. I am pretty sure the Caterham mounts will slip right into the split tube mounts that are on your Birkin. Should be a pretty simple retrofit. I bought the damaged clams because I was not sure the Cat clams would even come close to fitting the Stalker with the headers coming out close to the top rails and the longer length of the Stalker compared to the non SV Cat. Fit turned out to be no real problem. My son repaired the damaged clamshell. Now everybody is happy. Love your Birkin..!!! Jack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabbot Posted August 4, 2010 Share Posted August 4, 2010 I have taken a few pictures of the clam shell stays for my Caterham that are currently off the car but I can't seem to work out how to attach to this message, send me pm and I'll attach to a regular email. I currently have cycle wings fitted but might revert to the clam shells at some point. If useful I could also measure and send a schematic with rough (+/- 1/4") dimensions. Stewart file:///D:/temp/clam%20stay%201.jpgfile:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/Colleen/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot.png Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snookwheel Posted August 4, 2010 Share Posted August 4, 2010 Fit turned out to be no real problem. My son repaired the damaged clamshell. Now everybody is happy. Jack Hey Jack! Did I miss the pictures somewhere? Love to see them! Scott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbanker Posted August 5, 2010 Share Posted August 5, 2010 Hey Scott, At near the bottom of this thread plus on the Stalker Gallery site that is referenced after my signature. Several photos on page 5 & 6 on my Gallery photos. Are you and and Mary planning to come to the Stalker Ambush? Would be great to meet you guys. Jack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marine7 Posted August 18, 2010 Author Share Posted August 18, 2010 An update on Caterham Clamshell supports. Luckily a local Caterham owner (well he owns 3 actually) provided me with his old set of clam supports. To my surprise, the fit the Birkin like a glove. The uprights and headlight pinch bolts are in the exact same position on the Birkin and Caterham Series 3. Looks like fitting the Caterham clams to the Birkin will be easier than I thought! Thanks for all the help. I'll post some pics when I've got em fitted... (might be a while, I'm knee deep in Emerald ECU/Throttle body/wideband install) Cheers Jason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
t walgamuth Posted April 25, 2015 Share Posted April 25, 2015 Does anybody have the weight of the cycle fenders and the weight of the clamshells? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnCh Posted April 25, 2015 Share Posted April 25, 2015 When I rebuilt my Westfield I switched from clams to cycle fenders and weighed all the parts necessary for the conversion. The clams setup was double the weight: 16.32 lb. vs. 8.16 lb. The new fiberglass body parts were much lighter than the originals due to production changes over the years, so that may factor into part of the decrease, but doubt it's more than a pound. Although the Caterham weights are likely different, the 7-8 lb weight savings is probably similar. -John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitcat Posted April 26, 2015 Share Posted April 26, 2015 I just weighed my carbon fiber Caterham CSR-style front cycle fenders-each is 1.8 lbs. When added to the 16lb total combined weight of each front wheel/tire, it certainly adds lightness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnCh Posted April 26, 2015 Share Posted April 26, 2015 I'm surprised they're not lighter. The fiberglass cycle wings on my car are barely heavier at 1.9 lb. each. The brackets (also unsprung weight) add another 1.7 lb per side and the remainder of the weight mentioned above is for the headlight brackets, which are separate for the cycle wing setup, but integral with the clamshell brackets -- not sure if the same is true for the Caterham. The nice thing about clamshells is they do save a lot of unsprung weight. -John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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