Fuel System - Part 1

The fuel system will be interesting, as I have never connected anything like this before. Also with my history of leaking fluids on this build, this one is particularly dangerous! Easy parts first. I have remounted the fuel tank back in the car with the fuel pump installed. The two mounting straps are bolted in to hold it down. Next will be to get a plug for the fuel pump wiring, an inline filter, a pressure regulator, a smaller charcoal canister, fit the aero filler and all the fuel lines I need to connect it all up.

Front Brake Lines

With the radiator mounted, I was able to connect the new braided front brake lines to the calipers, and then up the mounting brackets behind the radiators. This then connects the braided lines into the hard lines that run back to the master cylinders. I need to check the routing on Steve's car to make sure that where I have fed the cables around the suspension it correct, and it won't rub on any moving parts or get fouled.

Radiator

 

I got the radiator back from being modified during the week. Here is a picture of it face (front) down on the bench. We are looking at the top of the radiator. The mods are required for the Duratec fitting, as the stock radiator is designed for a Zetec, and the water inlet and outlet are opposite. This mean moving the top inlet from the left to the right (you can see where the radiator has been welded up on the opposing side), and moving the bottom outlet from the right to the left. This also allows the outlet to clear the RHD steering rack.

Once unpacked, I could mount the radiator fan on the back of the radiator. This meant reversing the fan direction on the spindle, and bolting through the fins. The bolts are secured on the front with large washers and Nylocs. The wiring needs to point down to drain any condensation. I also needed to bend the bottom outlet a little to clear the body (when the hose is fitted). 

Then I was able to mount the radiator on the front of the car. It is secured with 4 bolts, but more importantly, it is spaced with 4 spacers that keep the radiator off the car. The top bolts also secure a pair of brake cable mounting brackets near the front wishbones which allows the front brake lines to be fitted. From here its a case of now adding the hoses and pipes to connect the radiator to the motor, wiring the fan to the body loom, and adding a thermostat switch for the fan, and the water temperature sender for the dash. The bolts on the fan will be shortened once I am done.

Horn

Not very exciting! As I didn't have the horn from my donor Focus, I purchased a new one from the local Repco store. It mounts nicely up front out of the way in amongst the chassis tubes, and uses an existing bolt from the front brace panel above the steering rack. As the front loom ran past the horn it was an easy job to connect up the wires and make it tidy. Hardest decision on this part was to select either a Low tone or a High tone horn. Went with Low :)

Ignition Immobiliser

One of the great things about building a car like the Birkin, is you join a community of like minded people, who participate in the build process with you by either offering assistance (spilling blood in the workshop), or advice and feedback. A fellow Birkin owner, Maurice sent me some ideas the other night that I was able to incorporate into my build and solve a problem I had yet to confront.
The Passive Anti Theft System (PATS or immobilizer) coil is a black plastic ring that fits around the ignition barrel in the Focus. It is wired back to the dash cluster and ECU, and it reads the immobilizer code in the key and allows the engine to start. The issue here is that I have added an aftermarket ignition which is much smaller than the PATS coil. I had considered mounting it somewhere else under the dash, or behind the centre console, and then just touch to key fob to it as I start the car. The problem with that approach is then I have to have the two keys separate which means I would ultimately lose one. 

Maurice's solution was elegantly simple and very effective. He suggested using a thin aluminum sleeve with a cut through it, fitted over the ignition barrel. The PATS coil is then fitted over the aluminum sleeve which gives a snug interference fit, and allows the PATS coil to sit flush with the ignition barrel. The whole thing is then tightened together using a stainless steel hose clamp. Great solution. Thanks Maurice!

Finishing the Engine

With the drivetrain finished, we could move onto to getting the engine physically finished. This involved putting back on all the parts that were removed while prepping the engine for installation.  Given the tight fit in the engine bay, its important to finish off areas that will be hard to get to later on. This meant installing the supply wiring for the battery, and all of the wiring to the starter motor. I have decided to add a master cut off switch for the electrical system, so have routed two cables from the battery and starter motor up to the scuttle where the master cut off switch will be mounted. We have also prepped the connections for the alternator, and cable tied the rest of the loom into its final location.

With the electrical work done we could start refitting the inlet manifold, crank case vent, throttle body and the vacuum hoses and sensors. The inlet manifold (right) is a "very" tight fit between the chassis, starter motor and idler pulley. It also has two dowel pins that need to be lined up in the head to locate the gaskets, and behind it are the water transfer hose that needs to be locked in place, and the crank case vent hose needs to be reconnected and clamped. Luckily I had Steve along to help, and with his double jointed wrists and fingers we were able to reconnect all of this with the minimum of blue language and only a little blood .... Steve's! (obligatory stunt foot in photo near wishbone).

From here we were able to refit the throttle body, and all of the other vacuum, hoses. The engine is now ready for the cooling hoses to be hooked up once the radiator is fitted. That just leave the wiring to be finished, the fuel system to be installed and the exhaust to be fitted before we think about firing it up for the first time.

One Prepared Earlier .....

As promised, I asked my mate Steve if I could put a photo of his Clubman up here to show what the finished product looks like. This is "Little Red". She is a 2005 Birkin S3, one of the first (if not the first) IRS model in Australia. She runs a stock 2 litre Ford Zetec and a Ford Type 9 gearbox. Most importantly, she goes like stink and sounds incredible, especially on overrun in 3rd gear where she crackles and pops like all good sports cars should. This is what I am striving for with my build, and we aren't to far from running together in the National Park on those early morning runs!

Rear Stabilisers

One of the missing parts delivered during the week was the bolts that fitted into the top of the rear wishbone, that connects to the linkage on the rear stabiliser. I had been waiting for the diff to go in before fitting the stabiliser bar anyway so this was no great delay. The stabiliser mounts bolt onto the back of the cockpit wall, then connect to the wishbones via an adjustable linkage (this is visible above the half shaft, just above Steve's shoe which seems to have made it into another shot?).


These weren't overly complicated to fit, however it was good to have Steve's car here as a "template" to check the alignment and final configuration of washers and conical spacers. This means the rear suspension is finished and I can start working on the fuel system.

Differential

With the handbrake pivot in and connected, we were able to finish off the drivetrain. This meant fitting the diff which had been sitting on the bench finished for some time now. The diff is a 4.1 Subaru LSD. We lifted it into position (easier with 2 people), and secured the two rear bolts. There was an issue with the front mount fouling on the chassis, but this was easily remedied by removing a washer from each side on the two rear bolts, which took the diff back slightly. We then had to lift the front of the diff and insert the 4 alloy spacers and bolts to secure the front of the diff to the chassis. 

All in all, not to hard a job, and only a few cuts on the hands and limited swearing. This then allowed the prop shaft to be pulled back against the diff flange to be bolted up. The prop shaft is secured to the diff by 4 high tensile bolts. This meant the engine, clutch and gearbox are now connected to the diff for the first time. So far so good! Next job was to fit the half shafts. This meant disconnecting the rear uprights, and then tapping the half shafts in to the diff until they clip in. It was then just a matter of feeding the drive splines into the hubs, remounting the uprights, and securing the half shafts to the hub with the hub nut. This requires huge torque to secure the hub nut. We were also able to finish off securing all of the upright rose joints including fitting the R clips. Once we had the wheels back on, the drivetrain is complete from engine to rear wheels. The moment of truth! Does the clutch work properly??

We popped the gear lever in to second and made sure we had everything binding, then Steve pushed the clutch in. If the clutch is actuating properly, I should now be able to spin the prop shaft and diff independently from the engine. But it didn't spin!!!!. With a sinking feeling of having to remove the engine and gearbox again to correct the clutch we stood silently. It then hit me that maybe the clutch plate had frozen between the pressure plate and flywheel, as it had been sitting in that state for some while. So again Steve depressed the clutch and I rocked the prop shaft back and forward. After a bit of grab, it spun freely!!! The clutch appears to work and is correctly adjusted. This means we have everything now connected and working from the motor back to the rear wheels. A huge step forward and a very satisfying job in only 3 hours.

Once again, this job could not have been achieved without the assistance of Steve (see foot to the left) who added the extra muscle and brain power to get this task finished relatively painlessly (he got cut hands today). I will ask him nicely tomorrow if I can post a photo of his Birkin up here so people can see what a real one looks like (finished!). 

Slowly but surely, the collection of parts on the floor in boxes, on the shelves and in the cupboards and drawers around the garage is finding its way on to the car, as we edge closer to engineering and rego.

Ignition

As the original Focus ignition won't be used (just the PATS reader), I needed to find, buy and fit an ignition barrel and steering lock. After lots of questions to other Clubbie drivers I was pointed to Repco to get a replacement Nissan barrel. The actual part is a NIC301 from Nice Products. It has a 33mm housing which fits perfectly onto the Birkin steering column and the steering lock works a treat (perfect for ADRs). I had to remove the tacho and one of the indicator lights to fit it. The best part is the wiring loom connector fits it perfectly with no mods required. I have not decided yet whether I will fit the PATS reader on the barrel, or hide it somewhere else behind the dash. This picture is taken from the side under the dash (the scuttle is still off at the moment until the wiring is completed and the car starts).

Handbrake

My missing parts arrived today!. Thanks to Brenton at Meridian Motorsport for maintaining the pressure on Birkin to deliver, and for putting up with my constant email requests for updates. 

The handbrake pivot should be one of the first parts fitted in the build, as it is the key to most of the back end going together. Once this pivot is fitted, the diff can go in as well as the half shafts, the rear brake lines and the fuel tank. A lot hinges around this one bit of metal! Before I fitted it, I drilled out the clevis holes another 0.5mm and shortened the split pins (thanks Mark!). I greased the pivot bush, and then used an M8 bolt and nyloc to secure it (not to tight as it needs to pivot). Its then a simple task to fit each of the cable eyes into its corner and secure with a clevis pin and split pin. A few more minutes of adjustment to the cable housing length, and the pull adjuster on the handle and it was clamping the wheels. Now hopefully I can finish the back end of the car.

Braided Hoses

I have taken delivery of all new braided stainless steel hydraulic hoses to replace the standard rubber ones. These will replace the clutch slave cylinder hose plus the 4 outboard brake hoses. They are made using BrakeQuip equipment and are clear PVC covered with the correct ADR markings. The photo to the right shows a comparison of the old black rubber hose and the new ones. I had always intended on replacing them at some point, just not this early. Professional inspection of the blown factory clutch hose showed that it had barely been crimped with only about half a millimetre of bite on the end of the rubber hose. I feel much more comfortable with all new hoses on the car.

So I have refitted the new clutch hose to the CSC, reattached the gearbox to the engine, and put the engine back into the engine bay (without installing it). I have attached the clutch line to the master cylinder, and bled it. I got a good clean stream of fluid after only 4 cycles. Better yet, the pedal has a nice feel, and I can see the CSC inside the bell housing actuating the pressure plate from the moment the clutch pedal is engaged. I will let it sit overnight to make sure there are no leaks from the CSC (where fluid comes out the bottom of the bell housing). Assuming no problems appear overnight I can properly reinstall the motor, hopefully for the last time.


Many thanks to Greg at Redback Motorsport of Kirrawee for sorting the new hoses. Its brilliant to have such a great motorsport shop so close to home, with people so knowledgeable and keen to help! 

Broken Clutch Hose

After the clutch hose blew out, I have decided to replace all the stock rubber hydraulic hoses on the car with stainless steel braided lines. This means removing the outboard lines to the front and rear brakes, as well as removing the remaining clutch coupling which was still attached to the CSC in the bell housing (which means removing the engine and gearbox ...... again!). This photo (pardon the hand) shows what's left of the hose coupling that was in the bell housing. The hose let go from the top. The new ones are coming from Redback Motorsport at Kirrawee.

At least with new braided hoses on all hydraulic lines I will never be worrying about this sort of problem occurring as I head into a corner deep under brakes!

Engine & Transmission Removal No.4

No I didn't miss one....Engine & Transmission Removal No.3 occurred in the end of the Clutch post. I am starting to lose track of the Removals and Installs, so I thought I would do a quick summary of each one. Maybe someone can learn from these, and avoid having the same issues I have had.


Interesting the first install took about 4 hours. The first removal took 1 hour 18 mins. After that I have been averaging 42 - 45 mins for both although the engine is bare. I expect it to be somewhere up to 3 hours to install or remove once the car is completed.

• Install first time
• Removal number 1 for modification to bell housing for new starter motor
• Install 2nd time
• Removal number 2 to fix sump leak
• Install 3rd time
• Removal 3 for clutch leak and needing to reset the CSC preload
• Install 4th time
• Removal number 4 to retrieve and replace the burst clutch hose from within the bell housing

The last removal was a world record of 1 min and 11 secs and I took a video of it!

Check it out here! (have the sound up a little)

Clutch

I have had so much fun with leaking fluids I thought I would see what other liquid I could put in the car in the state I have it, before I did more work on the engine (in case it needed to come out....again). The hydraulic clutch is an easy enough item to tick off. So I made a temporarily mount for the reservoirs (these can't be permanently mounted until the scuttle goes back on), tightened the lines on the master cylinder and connected the hose from the master cylinder to the Concentric Slave Cylinder in the bell housing). After I did all that, I topped up the reservoir  with DOT4+, put the bleed kit on, and opened the bleeder. After a little bit of pedal pumping, the reservoir level is going down, however there is nothing flowing into the bleed bottle?!?!. A quick glance under the car tells me that the large developing pool of fluid means I have a leak in the CSC. Looking in through the top of the bell housing I can see fluid pouring out the back of the CSC, which is odd given that its a sealed unit. So out comes the engine and gearbox again (3rd time). 

When I pull the CSC out of the bell housing, its evident that I have misunderstood the CSC mounting and the measurements from the thrust bearing to the pressure plate, as I have mounted my spacers between the CSC and the mounting plate, rather than behind the mounting plate. This means there was no backing to the CSC, so once it loaded up against the pressure plate, it popped the back of the CSC off hence the leak under no pressure. To prove this theory, I remounted the CSC directly onto the mounting plate (as seen on the right), remeasured the take up spacing (seems OK), and the put the gearbox back in the engine bay and reconnected the clutch hose. Adding some pressure to this configuration, there were no leaks.....about now I start making a few phone calls to confirm this new knowledge, and its confirmed that this mounting should work. So I reassembled the gearbox onto the engine, and then reinstalled the engine and gearbox (4th time). I reconnected the lines and reservoir, attached the bleed kit. As I start to add pressure and open the bleeder, I get a good stream of bubbles and fluid into my bleed bottle. About 5 more minutes of this and I had reasonable pressure and pedal feel, and no more bubbles. So I detached the bleed kit and jumped in to feel what the clutch pedal felt like. Now here is where its gets a bit grey as I don't know exactly how it should feel. It doesn't seem to have to much feel and I don't get a lot of pressure until its half way through its stroke, and then its not returning the pedal completely. It must have had pressure though as on the 5th stroke of the pedal, the hose coupling blew apart in the bell housing #$%@!!!! 


So I guess what I will do now is just pop the engine and gearbox out again, and fit a braided hose before bleeding the clutch again. I will also need to ensure I have enough adjustment in the CSC spring to get a reasonable take up point.