Any Westfield owners here?

  • Thread starter Thread starter mk1_salami
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mk1_salami

mk1_salami

I'm going to pick up my new car on Saturday and it'll be my first venture into kit car ownership! It started life as a Zetec Westfield and now has a Holeshot Racing Hayabusa engine and turbo kit making around 340 bhp. I've always wanted a Caterham or Westfield so I'm like a kid at Christmas!

The car has been off the road for a while and has no lights at all, so that's my first job. I also need to sort reverse out, as it currently doesn't have any method of going backwards :D

So any other kit car owners on here?
 
Getting/got rid of the '5?

I don't own one, but I've had a ride in one (just a pinto) and my neighbor has one with a Chevy V8 shoehorned in. Both amazing, the V8 just feels like its trying to kill you all the time.

I think my plan for my little roadster when it inevitably dies of rust issues is use it as a donor for something like a Roadrunner Racing SR2.

Regarding the reverse, my mate has a Z-Cars mini with a hyabusa engine in it. The reverse is a seperate electric motor as far as I know. Sounds like a milk float.
 
Holeshot racing :cool:. Yeah most of the BEC guys use an electric reverse. They're pretty weak, but significanty lighter than messing around with proper gearing and it's enough to tick the "Can reverse under it's own power" box for competition regs.




This is Dad's, not mine.
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Currently running 250BHP out of a 2L NA Zetec. I don't compete it currently, but will probably have a go at some sprints and hillclimbs in it next year time permitting.

I still have to fix it though :p...
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Having owned a 200bhp 7 all I can say is use some caution, it will be mental fast, and swap ends very quickly!

Having said that, they are amazing fun, and every driver should drive one before they die :)

I had the quaiffe reverese box in mine, but the Nova box is well rated and the MNR box is very good for backlash and power loss (lack of it).

Electric solutions are really only any good to pass a track scrutineering test and they kill a motorcycle batter very quickly.

For the amount you may use it, consider whether you actually need one, they are fairly easy to reverse by hand with an unassisted push.

http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p115/Galifrey/Kitcar/IMG_0236.jpg
 
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Are you going to be IVAing it? or is already got a v5?

I've got an r1 powered MK Indy that is awesome fun :)
I'm treating it to a turbo nect year :D

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156bhp 462kg aiming for 240 bhp with the fun snail :)
 
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Some really good looking cars there. I prefer the smaller headlights. What size are they? Also the car already has a v5 and is on a Q plate. Will put some pics up tomorrow.
 
mk1_salami said:
I prefer the smaller headlights. What size are they?
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You can get them anything down to 3.5" IIRC. The two popular ones people go for are "M&P" or "Dominator". Some of them aren't E Marked and don't dip correctly (centre dip), but most people don't care anyways. I'm sure I read something also about there being a minimum size in some competition regs. Have a search over on the WSCC boardroom :).
 
What's the maintenance and care requirements for the bike engined cars? Do they generaly require more love and care than a car engine?
 
Skeeter said:
What's the maintenance and care requirements for the bike engined cars? Do they generaly require more love and care than a car engine?
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Bikes require a completely different mechanical style, higher revs, more clutch use to get optimal performance, and you have to appreciate how the gearbox works for instance. When applying that to a car with a bike engine, you have to take into account the extra weight, lack of flywheel when pulling away and drive them accordingly. A bike gearbox will not shift under load, but it only requires minimal relaxation of drive to release the gears for a shift, hence why they work so well clutchless shifting.

Love and care no, more aggression yes, but on a road, that just makes you look like a hooligan.

:D

EDIT: One thing you do need to pay attention to is nuts and bolts, the rpm and vibration can loosen then very quickly, so regular inspections are a good idea.
 
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Dr Who said:
Bikes require a completely different mechanical style, higher revs, more clutch use to get optimal performance, and you have to appreciate how the gearbox works for instance. When applying that to a car with a bike engine, you have to take into account the extra weight, lack of flywheel when pulling away and drive them accordingly. A bike gearbox will not shift under load, but it only requires minimal relaxation of drive to release the gears for a shift, hence why they work so well clutchless shifting.

Love and care no, more aggression yes, but on a road, that just makes you look like a hooligan.

:D

EDIT: One thing you do need to pay attention to is nuts and bolts, the rpm and vibration can loosen then very quickly, so regular inspections are a good idea.
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Cool. Cheers for that.

I've always wondered what additional stresses would be put on a bike engine when its used to power something much heavier than normal, when compared to something like a Pinto being used to power something considerably lighter than normal.
 
I'd sell a kidney to own one, Having had a taste of driving them they are the one car in my dream garage that I can actually see myself owning.

I'd love to build my own as well, But that's a whole different ball game.

Enjoy you lucky sod :D
 
Eeeeeeee I'm excited. On the ferry just now. 700 bhp per tonne. Time to redefine what I call fast, bahaahahah.
 
Enjoy it! Any 7 is great fun but do take care with that amount of power, especially on the roads. I've resisted increasing the power on my Caterham for the last 5 years, 140hp is enough for the best part of 300hp/tn which is plenty on the road and usually just right on a track. Corners are where it's at ;)
 
So any other kit car owners on here?
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Yup.

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P.S. I wouldn't go for a bike engined car unless it was primarily a track car - they can be a bit tiresome on the road, but I guess how much depends upon your driving style - I'm more of a tourer that red lining it everywhere.

EDIT: I see the above advice it too late! I'm sure you'll enjoy it though :-)
 
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