Southwind's 7

[southwind25]

Its HERE!!:hurray: :hurray:

Finally..we recieved the 7 this morning at 9:00 am. The carrier was actually a day early.
The first thing that shocked us was the (insert colorful metaphor here) owner, had not put on the Top or even the tonnau!:shocked:.
The car is absoultly filthy inside and out. We figure it went through a dust storm moments before the rainstorm.
needless to say step 1 will be giving her a big bubble bath:thumbs:
As well before she hits the road the list needs addressed and we found a few other items as we looked her over.
BUT SHE"S HERE!!
This car was mostly built for the owner as he was one of those that was probably dangerous with a wrench.
besides the things needing fixed, and the filth she seems like brand new! We will know more when we start cleaning her up.
and we are now official 7 owners!
We will post some further pic's but heres a few to get things started.http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/2133066282_BnY S3 LF.JPGhttp://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1576928086_BnY S3 DSC.JPGhttp://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1498404096_BnY S3 EC Exh.JPG
These pictures are actually the ones we recieved when we bought it so she's gonna claen up nice we think.
She's very "stock" but as time goes on, and budget allows it will become the Southwind 7
More fun details and dozens of questions to come.

[soareyes]

Congratulations!:cheers: :hurray:

Hopefully the coming joys of ownership will help you forget the problems you had getting the car home.
I thought it had orange wheels? :d

[yellowss7]

Congrats! Just make sure to get an airfilter on those intakes first thing!

I too had a horrible experience with the butthead that I ordered my car from.

Enjoy it, there's nothing else like a 7. :) Tom

[southwind25]

The red wheels were our photoshop experiment. it will eventually get some red panasports...but thats way down the list at the moment.
The car came with a pair of new K&N filters. We will put them on before she see's the road.

[scannon]

Now the FUN begins!:7fume:

Congratulations, I'm sure it was well worth the wait.

Skip

[WestTexasS2K]

Congrats, at least you will have a good (interesting) story to go along with your purchase of the car. So you are an official :7head:

[slngsht]

man, some people...
I'm glad the car is in your hands in one piece. Happy day :thumbs:

[BobDrye]

Looks like it was worth the effort!


:7drive:

[11Budlite]

Congrats on getting the deal done!! :cheers:

:7drive:

Bruce

[Davemk1]

Good deal. I love my Birkin and bet you will love yours too.

Dave

[southwind25]

Step #1 done!
had friends over for a bathe the 7 party...and what a diffrence!
She cleaned up real well and now it's time to start on the fix list.
Got the seat fixed in a jiffy now onto other items.
Also ordered some of that "top of the line" polish for her brightwork. Hopefully we will get her to a mirror finish or at least darn nice.
Does anyone in NEohio have a suggestion where i could get the corner weighting done? or perhaps the equipment i can use?
RK

[Kitcat]

I am shocked at how nice it looks-I fully expected a banged-up POS. But, its sooo pretty!

It was nice that the prior owner left the top off allowing the car to come to you-pre-baptised:). (But what a fecking E-jet!!!).

Ownership will seem anti-climatic after the whole purchase drama. I look forward to further reports of progress/discovery. And, more pictures.

[xromad]

Excellent!

:jonautox:

[southwind25]

We just found out the original manufacture date for the kit was 08/1999
anything i should be aware of for that era?
found that the heater wasnt hooked up so thats on the list as well..

[slomove]

The most safety critical item would be to look which version of front ball joints you got. With 1999 I believe you are safe but there was a certain time they were made with weak ball joint bolts. Can you post a close-up picture for the ball joints or measure the bolt diameter?

For such questions I highly recommend the Birkinowners Yahoo group. There are many folks with detail knowledge who don't post here.

Gert

[Mandurath]

Looks like it was worth the trouble you went through!

[BirkinBernie]

Congrats! I remember seeing that car years back and it was a real cutie. I'm sure you will enjoy it.

Do have a look at the lower ball joints. As Gert pointed out, they are potential safety issue. Please do join the Birkin Owner's group at Yahoo - http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/birkinowners/ - if you haven't yet. There is a posting in the "photos" area by Carlos Fenney that shows the replacement of the lower ball joints with spherical joints.

Dick Brink now has new lower arms from Birkin with a spherical joint and a better design. Alternatively, you can send your lower arms to Woody Harris at Motoring Specialists in Vacaville, CA and he can add some reinforcements to the arms and convert them to spherical joints. I did this and am very happy with the result.

The setting of the ride height in the front is critical. The spec is 294 mm between the centers of the front shock eyes. This allows enough travel to prevent frequent bottoming of the suspension which will bend the arms.

Anyhoo, enjoy your Se7en!!!

Best regards,
Bernie

[Ian7]

Air filter comment certainly valid, but might err on the side of more caution, if car was as dirty as it sounds.
Pull the air horns and look deep in the intake runners, and if dirty, think about pulling the head for a thorough cleaning.
Sounds like a lot of work-for-maybe-nothing, but pales in light of sand-in-the-cylinders.
Enjoy eventually.

[southwind25]

We joined the birkin group.
will look closely at the lower ball joints and try to either post a pic, or try and figure out if they are the bad ones or not.
thanks for everything guys, this all really helps.

[Davemk1]

We joined the birkin group.
will look closely at the lower ball joints and try to either post a pic, or try and figure out if they are the bad ones or not.
thanks for everything guys, this all really helps.


I believe my Birkin was built near that same time. What's your chassis number?



Dave

[southwind25]

ae9b1rk1nw1ab1017.

I found a great workout plan..it's called the 7 polish plan.
i figure after we are done trying to make the aluminum look as nice as the others here, i will have met my new years eve promise of workimg out more this year. dang! even with this top of the line stuff, it's quiet challenge!

[Davemk1]

ae9b1rk1nw1ab1017.

Looks like our cars are cousins..........mine is #1009.

Dave

[southwind25]

just fwiw..heres what we will be doing when not driving the 7.
yes she's ours..http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1538056598_CORSAIR%2031%20GALLERY%2002.jpg

[gjslutz]

Robert & Mary

Great looking 7! If I may ask, any issues with E checks in the Akron area?
I had cocooned mine for the trip to N.C. and back. It now needs cleaned real bad also. What polish are you using? I have never found anything that would last on A/C. If I'm unable to find a good product, it will soon be paint time. #AB1036

[southwind25]

driving legally??
e-check..oh yeah that...well uhh..uhh...we havnt quiet been down that road yet.
(insert rogue biker music theme here)
First we got to get this thing ready for getting an "assembled car" title.
oh boy.:ack:
then if all goes well we are planning on registering it as a collectors car with collectors plates. if we can pull that one off we wont have to do e-check.
if this doesnt all work;.
Ummm well we havnt quiet figured that one out yet. except, we have this set of historical plates we got for the healey sprite and for the moment, that has worked ok.
Yes officer this car was made by Austin of england, cant you tell it's a bug-eye?.

As far as polish...it would be about as easy doing that DC-3!
First i am sanding the aluminum with some 600 wet-dry and soapy water. then using some stuff i have left over from restoring the finish on our boat. It's pretty much a good quality polishing compound. I do this with a orbital buffer until it wont do any better. (or looks like when i started) Then i use some of the stuff Mike R suggested here called "top of the line". It's supposed to be "aircraft " quality and works pretty well. But i can't get that mirror finish he does with it. I even change the buffing pad and have tried a foam one too. I work an area with that a couple times, and wash it off between tries. Next i use Mothers brand metal polish...by hand. (wax on wax off) This pretty much does the trick and gives me that optical hubble telescope mirror finish.
But,,this IS ohio and i will be driving it! So i finish off by using a mothers carnuba wax-cleaner. This dulls the results ever so slightly but i hope protects the work.
Is it worth the effort?...well...i would rather be polishing the car drinking a homebrew than watching football anyways. It's worth it to me.

185 ponies..OH YAY!
:7fume:

[GBOLT]

A beautiful car, and a great story to go with it, what more could you want? I look forward to seeing it in person someday soon.

Glenn.

[SR27.Seth]

Great to finally see that girl on this forum. Make sure you get some proper spacers and holders to re-route those plug wires- I put the zip tie on just to keep them from resting on the headers!

-Seth

[southwind25]

Got the spark plug wires rerouted and properly spaced. Thanks!
have a new rocker assembly on the way too, to replace that broken #1 adj. screw. We want to get this car such that as soon as nice weather returns, it's on the road.
Dave, did you replace your front suspension with the wide track one?
and does anyone know what kind of sealer was originally used in the rear boot-trunk area between the fiberglass moulded insert and structure?
thanks.

[gjslutz]

Weather returns? After a little extra toe-in yesterday @ 22' F I did a little drive. There was just enough dust on the dry road that on the cam in 4th things would get interesting. The heater and roof works, so did a good wash job after the drive.

[slomove]

does anyone know what kind of sealer was originally used in the rear boot-trunk area between the fiberglass moulded insert and structure?
thanks.

Must be some kind of silicone. It is easy to cut with a box cutter knife and I used Permatex Black silicone gasket maker to patch it. It sticks quite well to whatever is left of the old material.

[southwind25]

Ok, How many diffrences can you spot in the pictures from this weekends work?
Since we are stranded looking at salty snowy rods, might as well work on some of the upgrades.http://usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1619882551_MVC-067S.JPGhttp://usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1302758347_IMGP2219.JPG
answer there's 7 in the picture, what you dont see is the new oil filter heat sink-cooler.

[slomove]

Ok, How many diffrences can you spot in the pictures from this weekends work?
Since we are stranded looking at salty snowy rods, might as well work on some of the upgrades.
answer there's 7 in the picture, what you dont see is the new oil filter heat sink-cooler. Licencse plate, tank filler cap, side mirror, no box on the passenger seat, some red thing in the spare wheel hub, drove it inside, oxidation of the bare ali is setting in :willy:

O.K. can I win something?

Gert

[southwind25]

ok you got 4 out of the 7...
new filler cap
mirrors (soon to be changed to0)
some red thing is a dont hit me reflector that fits in what was a missing spare wheel cap.
and license plate with those little LED through bolts.
oxidation? awwww...geee..i spent about 10 hrs on that immediate area polishing too! hmmm..guess i need to do better.
you get a beer from the 1/2 empty case in the background..
OK several more missed items to go..

[MHKflyer52]

New shifter knob, Wheel knock-off center covers, and the grin on your proud face.
So do I get the rest of that half case of beer that Gert gets one bottle of......:d

[Boxologist]

i think i see a LED 3rd brakelight on the roll bar.

[solder_guy]

little LED through bolts.

What are these exactly ??

Rob

[southwind25]

Winners Winners...
Yes Box..thats a 3rd brake light on the roll bar!
little thing about 3" X1/2"x1/2" it works great. Very petite weighs next to nothing, barley noticable till it's on. it's one of those LED lights the custom chopper guys use to light up bike frames.
Good eye MHK, The wheels didnt come with a center cap so i made one up. polished an aluminum disc and put a swept ear knock off on each one. Ok this added a little weight and i wouldnt run them on the track, but they look nice for the street and appropriatly fit the funky quasi-spoke wheels i got with the car.
need a new shifter knob, this one must weigh 5 pounds.
Beers to you all if you visit my shop!:cheers:

Solder, theres several versions of these. but they are used as liscense plate bolts.
I figure it's a small car and anything that helps it be more visible but not look terribly gaudy cant hurt. http://www.usa7s.com/aspnetforum/upload/1380400590_led_bulletlt_ra.jpg

[slomove]

.......need a new shifter knob, this one must weigh 5 pounds..........

This is a must-have....shaves at least 0.0023 sec off your 0-60 time
http://home.earthlink.net/~slomove/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/woodshiftknob.jpg

[southwind25]

this is terrible,,i just couldnt resist...now i am in deep do do...

i bought a ZETEC OFF OF E-BAY.. Mary's gonna kill me.

it's a 1998 remanufactured 2.0, it had 10 minutes left on it, ...but the price was right..only $102.00!!

ok,,,Now what do i do?... it came out of an 98escort,and has the VCT cam.

oh i have so much to learn now...i hope this will work????

ok, it needs some of the accessories, but i figure i already have a set of webers..and maybe i can use my crank trigger..uhhh, maybe not.

voices of experience please come forth!




http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=320264853383&ssPageName=STRK:MEWN:IT&ih=011

[Mike Rohaley]

Hey Robert, I nearly bid against you on this. It would have sucked to get into a bidding war and pay much more only to find I was duking it out with you. I was going to pick it up as an emergency spare but got lazy about the 8 hour round trip to Michigan with nothing to get it home in (trunk of the MX-5 maybe?).

Anyway, congrats. We can get together and go over exactly what you are going to need to complete the conversion. Start checking out Raceline sumps and Caterham bellhousings, or more importantly, alternatives for them (there are some pricey items out there). If you do go to fuel injection with a stock ECU and intake system, you can increase your mileage for all of those thousands of miles you will be putting on (very high 20's versus very low 20's).

[jbanker]

Hey Robert,

You got one heck of a deal..!!! Don't fret over it. I purchased a spare 3.4L motor 2 years ago and it is still sitting in the corner of my garage. It was also on Ebay and I got a terrific deal, so I bought it. Picked it up in Cincinnati, Ohio and managed to be able to visit some old friends in the process.

One of these days I will be jumping for joy that I have it when it comes time to replace my 2.8L whether I break it or just want more HP.

Can't have too many spare parts.

Jack

[gjslutz]

I see you found a fix for low oil press. Great way to go. Now that you have the base, TBI's, Cams, Adjustable cam gears, head work, ECU, Exhaust, light Flyweel & clutch, Raceline watter rail, and softer rubber and you will be set. If you can hide about $10K from Mary you will be all set. I think I need to press off a dark Suit!

Knowing Mary, she will likely buy you forced induction for X-Mas. She could also let you drive it a few times when it rains, she will have it the rest of the time.

[southwind25]

[southwind25]

yeah...the hard detailed questions will start flowing soon...

Mike..you wanted to help right?..hehehe..yeah we need to have a few beers over this.
Gary ok,,,i hope your engine compartment is available for some measurements and photos..
thanks guys..i appreciate the help ahead of time.

first the basics...then we will do fun-performance stuff as time progresses..

first big question..variable timing cam....ok, am i stuck with making this system work? or...is there an alternative using the same head? diffrent intake cam and cam wheel/gear/sprocket?
or..do i need to now go scrounge up a escort electrical system to plug into this with the rest of the engine to follow?

Right now (unless the above statement wont allow them) we will be keeping the webers, and either buying or fabbing a manifold and rejetting them as needed (any specs for 40's on a zetec appreciated).. yes i would MUCH rather go with FI...but theres a reason i bought the engine for 100 bucks. FI comes later..

starter motor..use what i have?

i have the typical sierra 5 speed.. do i need to change bell housings?

flywheel?.(.i have no clue what i am getting yet..) looks like theres none. I am thinking this is one item i can go performance with right off.. go with a nice aluminum/steel face deal if it's not more than we can possibly afford.

clutch and throw out bearing setup? and nice pressure plate/clutch but not neccissarily high buck competition.


needs water pump and front accessories (back to ebay we go).

stainless headers to match up to my existing system? birkin part probably?

ignition..can i reuse my crank trigger? (doubtful)...

raceline water rail...whats this all about?

altenator...oh this cant be too hard right?

engine mounts. another birkin part..or...fab my own, the original x-flow wont work i am guessing..

i know i opened the can of worms here.. and the project wont start till the weather turns cold..but Mike your right i need to start looking at scrounging-gathering parts.

and as well, we will have a nice (but low oil PSI) x-flow we can get a few dollars for maybe?

OH..Mary didnt kill me for this!!...but i want to stay above ground during the process as well..
:hurray:

[southwind25]

It's getting to be that time!!
Well, we have been very busy here at the Southwind garage this winter.
No,,sadly not a new engine..the budget wouldnt allow that. But we got our flywheel redone and all new seals and clutch. A bit of spit and polish and she's going back together now!! WOO HOO!! some pics of the latest..

[MHKflyer52]

A bit of spit and polish and she's going back together now!! WOO HOO!!

Looks like a lot of spit and polish......Looks real good.

Wish I had that drive to keep the shine on things that rarely get seen but I guess long cold winters will make you do things like that......snickering out here in the warm sunny climate of Southern California.

PS: Just finished putting the third new engine (1800cc BMC...Ok rebuilt engine) back in my car and it has been running great with no leaks or overheating or bad things. Have just over 300 miles on it now and it seems that it is getting stronger every time I drive it.

[southwind25]

Those fancy LED replacement tailight bulbs, are only about 2/3 as bright as the old filament type! We tried a set of them on the se7en, and they were not so great.


And i am getting scared... the car has yet to have any oil leaks after i replaced the seals. what did i do wrong? it's british, it needs oil leaks..

[Mike Rohaley]

Relax, you are just that good a mechanic. Few of us will ever get there (typing with busted knuckles).

[scannon]

And i am getting scared... the car has yet to have any oil leaks after i replaced the seals. what did i do wrong? it's british, it needs oil leaks..
Might I suggest drilling a very small hole in the drain plug to allow the proper amount of oil to deposit itself on your garage floor?

You could also do the same to the brake fluid reservoir, the transmission & differential drain plugs and the lower radiator hose, just to make it a complete set. :D

[southwind25]

That magic Moment!

[lowflyer]

It's getting to be that time!!
Well, we have been very busy here at the Southwind garage this winter.
No,,sadly not a new engine..the budget wouldnt allow that. But we got our flywheel redone and all new seals and clutch. A bit of spit and polish and she's going back together now!! WOO HOO!! some pics of the latest..

Hey Southwind,

I like your flywheel, but thought you might like to see a "lightweight one".

This is milled from billet steel and weighed 5.5 lbs! I put it into a formula car which ran in B/mod in SCCA Solo events with a Ford Crossflow engine.

It wouldn't work in a "heavy" car like a 7 since there was no stored inertia in the spinning weight of a normal flywheel to help launch the car, but it reved like a motorcycle and pulled off of corners like scalded cat.

[southwind25]

Nice!

[southwind25]

Well my first attempt at the brooklands style didnt go so well. the cowl piece looked awesome till i tried to bend it.. i had welded it up instead of using a single piece of sheet to cut out.
good try,,but it failed.
i need a laser cutter and a slip roller to handle the thickness.. cant get a nice radius with my hands and a pipe..the welds failed which i could have expected
but,,,the winter has just begun, i dont give up so easily..

[Mike Rohaley]

Bob,
I have a roller available to you here at work (in Willoughby). Since you will not have the scuttle to match up to in the shop, you can make a template so you can avoid 8 trips back and forth before you get the shape just right.

[southwind25]

Mike...you have access to a roller i can use? AWESOME!!
That would be great, that was my next stumbling block.
I am getting the single piece of Aluminum this weekend and should have it cut out in a few days afterwards. Actually, making the windsheilds should be easy compared to this main cowl piece.
Thanks Mike!!

[Kitcat]

Once you have the cowl piece made, think about putting something between it and the cowl to cushion it where it touches the cowl. My Caterham Brooklands piece rubbed all the paint off the cowl where it actually touched (about 6" in the middle of the cowl). Didn't notice it until I remounted the regular wind shield last week.

Mike

[Mike Rohaley]

Nice tip from Kitcat Bob. To keep metal to paint contact to a minimum stop by your local craft store and pick up some adhesive-backed foam sheets. They come in 8.5" x 11" sheets in multiple colors (you will most likely use black though) and cost only a buck or so. They are about 1/16" thick and are the best solution I have found to eliminate vibration and rubbing.

[Mike Rohaley]

If you look closely in the attached link you can see how it buffers the bracket against the scuttle tightly so that debris cannot get between them and mutilate the scuttle surface.

http://carphotos.cardomain.com/ride_images/3/650/3861/26624430026_large.jpg

This is the foam sheet material: http://www.joann.com/joann/catalog/productdetail.jsp?pageName=search&flag=true&PRODID=prd51960

[southwind25]

I had planned on putting some kind of foam gasketing sandwiched between. i wasnt going to drill the mounting holes till i did that to make sure i had a good fit as well. But yes thanks for the advice!

Mike..just a quick question, have you noticed a diffrence (besides it just looks awesome) in the fact you dont have that big slab of glass there anymore? no need to explain the occasional rocks and bugs.. wondering more about if the car seems to punch through the air the slightest bit better? feel anything diffrent?

[Mike Rohaley]

My experience is somewhat limited as I have not focused on any A-B comparisons in performance at speed so until I get back to the dragstrip next year I will reserve information until then. It does 'feel' quicker since you are absolutely exposed and the car pretty much disappears around you.

With the standard windscreen I ran 13.94 @ 96.41mph in the 1/4 mile back in October and after comparing times at 1/8 mile (8.88 @ 79.65mph) versus standard cars it is clear that I am hitting an aerodynamic wall after the 1/8th that could be minimized with the removal of the barn door windscreen. Graphing it out showed a solid plateu when I overlayed the times to distance with my friends Nissan 300ZX timeslips. His #'s kept climbing nicely after the 1/8th while my line was showing less gain over time. If I could cut down the .68 drag coefficient down about ten points I would expect to see maybe 3/10ths or so less in the 1/4, but that is only a guess until I can prove it out......are you up for a trip to the strip in spring?

In regards to comfort; Wind management is much better with the Brookland screens because they provide a calm pocket around your head with the wind coming from only one direction versus the multi-directional onslaught of wind buffeting that the standard windscreen provides. The chance of a rock to the face is very real with the screens so protection beyond sunglasses may be in order unless you feel lucky.

[Kitcat]

Robert:

In mildly powered cars like ours, I think the Brooklands makes a big difference in performance. My car is much livelier above 40 mph. I am able to drive a gear higher around town. I was faster at the track and wasn't left for dead on the straights. An added bonus is it dissipates the dreaded cockpit heat much better. And as you point out, it looks cool. I always wear goggles but haven't been hit in the face by road crud after 2-3K miles of this set-up.

The other Mike

[Mike Rohaley]

Out of curiosity, do you have before and after lap times? I would be interested to see if it equates to a 3% or maybe even a 5% improvement. Also, what track was it since a tight track would minimize the gains versus a high speed track (BeaveRun vs. Road America for example).

While on the subject; How much does the wind jostle your helmet around when you run extra-legal speeds with the Brooklands? I get quite a bit with the standard windscreen and no doors when on track (rattles my eyes slightly). When running karts at Mid-Ohio (sit up sprints) it feels as though someone is trying to lift my helmet straight up and off my head once we get to about 100 mph. Does the similar exposure to the aistream have the same effect on you or something else?

[Kitcat]

Mike-sorry, I have no times. I typically don't time myself and only get a number if someone else times me. I was pulling 100 mph at the fastest part of the track w/full windshield, 106 mph w/Brooklands, if that helps. I seemed to get up to speed faster. Ran almost everwhere in 4th, before I was in 3rd, spinning the engine much faster. I was using 4th because I was getting wheelspin out of 3rd (non-LSD car) in many spots and the car seemed just as fast at lower RPM's in 4th. Before there was wheelspin in just one spot. All of this was at Putnam Park race track in Indiana. A1.8 mile fairly tight course.

I didn't notice any wind jostling. I had the passenger screen down, was wearing a full face helmet, belted in real tight w/5 pt harness, Hans and arm restraints, carbon fiber Tilton race seat:all kept me pretty pinned down. I am 5'9' so sit pretty low in the windstream
Mike M

[Mike Rohaley]

Thanks Mike, that is great information. That 6 mph difference is huge and now I am really looking forward to the spring (as if I wasn't before).

[Kitcat]

I added the Brooklands set up because someone on the seven's list guesstimated it was like adding 20 hp. Who knows, but I was immediately hooked:)!-it wld cost quite a bit to add that much hp to my engine. As noted, the car is definitely faster but 20 hp????

It takes 10-15' to swap the regular windshield back in (2 bolts per side, behind a panel held in place with 8 screws). Speed it up and just leave the small panels off.

Mike.

[scannon]

It takes 10-15' to swap the regular windshield back in (2 bolts per side, behind a panel held in place with 8 screws). Speed it up and just leave the small panels off.

Mike.
Caterham USA sells a pair of brackets with captive nuts that make it much easier to R & R the windshield or Brooklands mounting. No more removing the panels and reaching up inside to hold the nut.

It also adds rigidity to the windshield in the event someone leans on it getting in or out of the car. There are pictures of them in this thread. http://www.usa7s.com/vb/showpost.php?p=35485&postcount=18

They were relatively cheap.

[southwind25]

Mike..
i have the scuttle-cowl piece cut out and template cut out.. i need to collect on your offer now

Yes i saw these brackets at our christmas party (thanks mike) i am going to look into this option as well. good idea really..

a trip to the strip?... sounds like a potential lotus CALL event!!
Sure why not?...i have never been on a 1/4 mile drag before, never even as a spectator. do i bring the bleach for those rocks i am running on?

[Mike Rohaley]

I am available whenever. After shop hours, generally after 4:00 on weekdays, after noon on Saturday and any time Sunday would work best though.

The drag strip was actually very fun , much more than I thought it would be due to the plethora of information provided after your runs on the timeslip. Granted, with bikes doing 8 second runs and some cars in the 10's we would never be big dogs in this enviroment but the fish-out-of-water element gives us a pass to just have some fun with it. I got 9 runs in and left early the one and only time I went, the best 12 bucks I spent that evening for sure.

And yes, I like the idea of getting the club together for grudge racing night (I will mention it to Rod next time we talk.....giving you proper credit of course).

[southwind25]

Mike...are you free this saturday 01-02? lets get this cowl piece bent?

[Mike Rohaley]

This Saturday would work just fine, what time (you name it)?

[southwind25]

Mike, will give you a call.. 10:00 or so thinking mid morning if that would work for you.
i got the left side frame welded up last night.

[Mike Rohaley]

Sounds good. The frame looks great too!

[southwind25]

Project continuing...
Thanks to Mike R for letting me use his metal roller!! That REALLY helped put the basic curves in the windscreen scuttle/cowl mount. We were able to further tweak it nicely into place using an old tool called the English Knee (lol) . We made this a bit diffrent from the caterham setup. Since we will be taken off and on for extended trips/vs local blats we dont have to fiddle with the wiper arm posts. We made the windscreens fit the cowl/scuttle angle diffrently as well. all in good fun! it's getting there..gotta figure out what to do for mirrors. wish we could find slightly smaller bullet mirrors than the traditional.

[MHKflyer52]

Looks good Robert.....I would bet if you made a couple of those you could sell them as they look that nice and simple to convert from the stock windshield to Brooklands without major modifications to the car.
Nice Job.

[Mike Rohaley]

It looks like you nailed it Bob and it looks great so far. I noticed you have since welded in a tab for a rear-view mirror, be sure to post your progress (I wouldn't want to wait till May to see the final product).

[southwind25]

Yup! i needed to weld the tab to hold the mirror and go through the cowl as well for security, yet be easy to access. Actually..i am having a difficult finding a center mirror that i either like..or can afford (pick one). so i am thinking about making one. i dont quiet like those hot rod or british flat ones..not very aerodynamic ((he-he like it matters)) and the carbon fiber center ones are not in the spirit of my budget. i am going back to the old bullet side mirrors so i am thinking maybe sorta making up a center one to sorta match...sorta.

[Mike Rohaley]

My center mirror is apparently a Spitfire/GT6 part. I was browsing a Victoria British catalog and recognized it (part #9-1816 $26.95 http://www.victoriabritish.com/icatalog/sg/full.aspx?Page=17).

It is one of those flat British jobbies as you say and is surely not aerodynamic but it does fit snugly between the screens and is not an account-breaker like the carbon fiber items (which reduce weight mainly by emptying the wallet).

Also, The fender and door mirrors (on the same page) might be a good cost-effective option at only 10 bucks a piece.

[breezy7]

QUOTE=Mike Rohaley;38081]My center mirror is apparently a Spitfire/GT6 part. I was browsing a Victoria British catalog and recognized it (part #9-1816 $26.95 http://www.victoriabritish.com/icatalog/sg/full.aspx?Page=17).

Mike, can you give me the dimensions of the mirror you are using? How tall it is and the size of the mounting base too please. Do you think it would work with a standard Caterham windshield? I have been looking for a smaller mirror since I replaced the windshield last summer and have not found anything I am happy with. Thanks Mike

[Mike Rohaley]

The mirror itself is exactly 2" tall x 5" wide and stands 3 5/8" from the mounting base. The mounting base is 2 5/16" x 1/2" with 1 5/8" bolt centers. Note that the mirror would only work if scuttle mounted because the mirror surface cannot be rotated far enough if you mounted it to the top of the windscreen frame (not to mention problems with trying to run bolts safely through without hitting glass or fouling the top when fitted).

[southwind25]

Further progress, and we decided to make our own center mirror.
i couldnt find what i wanted, that i could afford so i made it. (gee isnt that what 7's are all about anyways?)
it's 2" X 6" we just have to get the mirror glass cut for it now.

[Mike Rohaley]

I really like the center mirror. Was that sectioned tubing or was it made from sheet? Either way, it looks perfect!

[southwind25]

Was just 2" alum tube. wish i could have found some scrap aero-tubing.. oh well still turned out ok. had to order the side bullet ones today though. need to make windshield wiper post covers too. and i might play around with making some fancier wing nuts..hopefully i can start polishing the assembly by the weekend. Time to get black and dirty!

[11Budlite]

Looks nice Robert!! :cooldude:

[southwind25]

Alrighty, project 1 completed!.. geez polishing big bits of aluminum is such a mess, lol.
Funny the most expensive thing here was those fancy wing nuts.
the whole windscreen including supplies and the 2 bullet mirrors cost me about 175$.

Might have to wear some better sunglasses now though.



now onto painting the wheels..

[Mike Rohaley]

It looks capital BEA....utiful! Very nice workmanship.

Painting the wheels huh? What color? We may not recognize it without the eX-D logos.

[southwind25]

Once again, being a copycat..
i am planning on a charcoal black color.
theres nothing really bad about the existing silver, but i think the brake dust black would be bad azz. especially if i keep the chrome knock offs.

I REALLY want a set of panasport/minlite style.. but humbly just not in the budget.

now dont get me wrong...we are not just making her purdy.. we hope that windscreen cuts the air a bit better at higher speeds. if anything it IS several pounds lighter!

Oh and THANKS Mike.. that day in your shop really helped!

[JohnCh]

Wow, that does look great! The skill level of people on this forum never ceases to amaze me.

-John

[S1Steve]

Robert,
That looks great, looks like Birkin made it in the factory. Very well made.



MADE IN THE USA !!!!!!
Hope you and your lovely wife can make it to Carlisle this year, Steve

[DeanG]

You have as much surface area in the mirrors as in the windscreens. Are you planning on being passed much?

[11Budlite]

Nice job Robert, it looks beautiful!!

[southwind25]

You have as much surface area in the mirrors as in the windscreens. Are you planning on being passed much?

Well thats a good point actually.. i deperatly looked for some smaller "bullet" style mirrors but couldnt find anything. These are the same type that were on my original windshield. I saw the nice small carbon fibre ones but they looked out of place to me. i also looked at possibly some billet style motorcycle ones but again they were all funky shaped. Also played with the idea of converting a bullet shaped side marker into a mirror..

If anyone knows of small bullet mirrors i am VERY open to changing them.

now it can also be said with that little 1600 kent crossflow and rock rubber tires i go so slow anyways i NEED those big mirrors..because i will be getting passed quiet often!

[southwind25]

hey Mike R.

Would buying you and Jen a dinner..be a good trade for some scrap aluminum sheet and perhaps roller-bender time at your shop?

I need to start another aluminum project. I need to build myself a set of seats.
if we are going to do this British reliability run.. i MUST do something. My old arse wont take it in that distance in the terrible seats i have. And since Mary can sew some upholstery.

[Mike Rohaley]

Is this what you are thinking of building? Sure, send me some info on what you are looking for. We should be able to accomodate nicely.

[southwind25]

Mike who's seat is that? havnt seen that one.
But yes.. something like that.
I have also been looking at some of the "kirkey" designs.

I dont know how to roll the edges, but a door edge would do fine.
maybe out of .1 thickness? or something close?

I cant afford what i want, and have it fit, so might as well make my own.
Thanks Mike, Will talk to you more about it at the CALL march lotus meeting.

[Mike Rohaley]

That seat can be found at www.vintage31.com.

I don't have the tooling to tightly edge-roll 12ga. so either annealing and hammer forming or welding round stock to the edges will be needed. I have a couple pieces that may make a nice foundation, I will bring them Sunday.

[BMW RACER]

Those Vintage 31 seats look interesting. Does anyone have any experience with them?

[Mike Rohaley]

No, but I bet they are colder than any leather seat on a Cleveland winter morning and will brand you on a hot summer day. The price we pay for style I suppose.......

[southwind25]

Well, ocassionally when we wear our clothes driving, the freeze-burn isnt much of a problem.
sorta dont stick your tongue to a frozen flag pole...

Anyways.... =)

Mary will do her part and sew up some really nice covers/upholstery for whatever shell i can come up with. Maybe even do some custom embroidery into it. nice black with yellow piping would be sharp!
(besides i gotta do something to make mine look diffrenet than yours now!)

[Mike Rohaley]

I was just about to add knock-offs too! If I did that one of us might accidentally jump into the wrong car on the next drive.

Hmmmm......yellow piping? I think I like the sound of it.

[powderbrake]

When looking for seats, check out
http://www.ultrashieldrace.com

Prices are reasonable, lots of widths. I have the Drag seats in my Ultralite

[southwind25]

Thanks!

Just trying to determine, what makes seats comfy and supportive, yet makes the original birkin ones so darn arse numbing... so whatever we come up with is good for longer than a 1/2 hr without hurting.

Sadly "Affordable".. is a slippery statement around our homestead right now.
i just ordered some new headlight$ so we can leagalize this thing.

(besides mary didnt like the little 4" lights so we are going with a 5-3/4" so i can put the appropriate high/low bulbs in them)

[southwind25]

Got the headlight buckets... now do i make new brackets? or keep the old? Do i spend money for the cool headlights? or just get a normal set of sealed beams at autozone? ... do i eat lunch this week?

[Mike Rohaley]

Take some pics of what you have and let the suggestions roll on in. I say fair them into the cycle fenders so they peek around the corners!

[southwind25]

what about this???
ok,,, they are NOTcheap...

but maybe i get a regular pair and can do a little re-fabricating?

if i can find a set with a plastic or metal reflector, i can make a slice in the back, insert a piece of polished stainless thin sheet to seperate the headlight from turn signal, and just put in a little yellow bulb in the bottom part? Hmmmm yeah..

thoughts?

I can just have a nice clean headlight bucket assembly, and not even worry about a seperate turn signal...

[jimrankin]

Start getting your tools out because just like everybody says, the more you look it at the more you will want to change. Got my S2K from someone who did a great job on the basic build but looks like he was getting tired/hurried near the end. Been pulling it apart and putting it back together one section at a time for most of the (California) winter and "making it mine". Part for changes and part for getting it by the CA. legal hoops for a real steel plate.
Looks like from the list of your other cars your used to small cuts from wrenching and big lumps on your forehead from beating it against the walls already so your most of the way there! LOL

[jimrankin]

Wrong thread post!.

[southwind25]

Alrighty...another project done!
these are the new 5-3/4" size headlights.
I fabricated the mounts, the buckets are harley, the lights themselves are a halo with blinker light deal. So this eliminates the extra turn signal and cleans up the installation quiet a bit. A weight saving of .25 LB per light assembly too.

The 7" always seemed to big, so when i replaced them with the 3" that was too small! but the 5-3/4" seem Juuuuust right!

[Mondo]

Nice.. I think my lights are that size. Where'd you get them?

[southwind25]

25th wedding anniversary on South Bass island, Put-In-bay lake erie.
very british weather, but an awesome time!!

[11Budlite]

Congrats on the anniversary and nice photos Robert!

[Hank]

Congrats on 25 years, Robert. I'm diggin' the leather bag on the back. The weather pack and the knockoffs on the wheels make her look mean too.

[7evin]

Good lookin car , good lookin woman,,,,, Lucky Man.. :)

Congrads.

[Lotus Man]

very nice