Westfields... any experts?

I can find plenty of people who would disagree with you ;)

Thing is, s/c on the road is a great idea, plenty of useable torque to push you along in any gear at any speed you care to name but a well done turbo setup will see much better gains.

Not all turbo cars are crap before the boost comes online to deliver a kick in the head, and in such a light car you could get away with a tiny turbo just to give you more pull in the mid range and then you wont have any lag and you'll have great smooth delivery.

The point is moot in such a light car as I think that slapping a turbo on the side of a motor with already 200hp is a sure fire way of asking for death to come knocking when you least expect it.
 
I would say not to bother with the MX5 and go straight for the Westy.

If you are sensible and have your head screwed on you wont have an issue with it being RWD.

Engine wise its best to stick with what the factory fit,in no particular order

CVH
Crossflow
Pinto
XE
Duratec
Zetec
Zetec SE
Blade
Hayabusa
Blackbird

I dont think I have missed out any but might have.As has been said get along to a local meet and have a look at some cars.Most owners will gladly take you out for a spin and give you some advice.
You will probably find that one of them would be willing to view any potential cars you want to look at.

Build quality is paramount ignore the age and dont be afraid of Q plated stuff.

If you are near the Gatwick area you can take a look at my Megabusa if you like.
 
Steve JL said:
I would say not to bother with the MX5 and go straight for the Westy.

If you are sensible and have your head screwed on you wont have an issue with it being RWD.

Engine wise its best to stick with what the factory fit,in no particular order

CVH
Crossflow
Pinto
XE
Duratec
Zetec
Zetec SE
Blade
Hayabusa
Blackbird

I dont think I have missed out any but might have.As has been said get along to a local meet and have a look at some cars.Most owners will gladly take you out for a spin and give you some advice.
You will probably find that one of them would be willing to view any potential cars you want to look at.

Build quality is paramount ignore the age and dont be afraid of Q plated stuff.

If you are near the Gatwick area you can take a look at my Megabusa if you like.
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Thanks for the offer unfortunately I'm in Bristol :( But I do venture down the m4 quite a bit so may take youup on it some day if you don't mind. Having had a good look around the net I think a budget of 6k goes a long way. Is there a big difference in the handling of the narrow and wide bodies and is a live rear axle worth worrying about?
 
My Dad had a 1700 crossflow caterham with di-deon independant suspention. Why do you want a Westfield over the Caterham (which is the original design by Colin Chapman)?
 
Yeah agree with the above post find a Caterham for 6k its not going to happen.

There is a fair difference in handling between a live and independent axled car,the independent cars have a much feel more compliant although a lot of that is down to spring rates.

The main plus with a SEiW is the extra width and length in the cockpit if you are on the larger side.

Heres a picture of my old car sold that this year for 5.5k

IMG_0826.jpg
 
Right here we go then

94 SE live axle
1700 X Flow,twin 40 Dellortos
Megajolt ignition
5 speed gearbox
2.4 turn quick rack
Floor mounted pedal box with bias bar
R500 Caterham seats(grp copies)
RAC roll bar
Quick release Momo wheel

3000 miles from build with history and one previous owner.

Basically I got back what I paid for it two years ago although I did do lots of modifications to it myself.
The Megajolt,roll bar,seats,pedal box,steering wheel and so on.I probably spent more time modifying it than driving it but then I am a perfectionist with my cars.

Thats why I am building a Megabusa now so I can do it to my standards/spec rather than buying used and changing loads to get it how I want.

The new owner flew in from Belfast after only having seen pictures of the car and after 10 minutes of looking round the car gave me the cash there and then. Its back in the UK now as he is over here for the FOS at Goodwood.

To my mind its probably best to buy used at the moment as most owners/builders cherish these sort of cars and dont think about the costs until its time to sell.You can get some cracking cars for not a lot of money at the moment.

As I said previously its all about the build quality and condition rather than getting the newest you can find.Added bonus of Q plates is you dont have to worry about emissions come MOT time either :D
 
Provided that you have not left the car exposed to the sun for extremely long periods of time the gelcoat wont fade.

Scratches are easy to get rid of with wet and dry paper and a bit of T-Cut after.Then a good dose of polish.

I know Westfield also can supply the pigment to allow you to touch up chips if needs be.
 
What is insurance like on these? :) Seems ideal to have a cheap to run daily motor and then run one of these on the weekend or track days. I will own one in the future.. Just hope its the non too distant future.
 
I'm not 100% sure tbh, but I got a quote of £850, 26 1 years ncd on a 2001 Caterham 7 with 1.8 K Series, not sure how they compare though.
 
i bought my trailer off a fella with a 450bhp cosworth powered westfield. It had aeroquip and carbon fibre everywhere. I was gobsmacked, most serious looking car I have seen in a while!
 
insurance shouldn't be more than a few hundred pounds through a dedicated kit car insurance. Average on the kit car forums seems to be about £250-£300 depending on age and the car in question.

Although they is probably a slight premium for cateringvans and westfields due to their increased popularity.
 
megatron said:
My Dad had a 1700 crossflow caterham with di-deon independant suspention. Why do you want a Westfield over the Caterham (which is the original design by Colin Chapman)?
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Fortunately Caterham do not build the the original Lotus 7 design, but a significantly improved design. The original chassis design was renown for having very poor torsional strength.
 
get a ride out in a BEC before making any decisions, after a couple of minutes i knew it was for me.
for me the high revs and lots of quick gearchanges is all part of the fun, allthough mine is for a small amount of road use and lots of track use.
 
Steve JL said:
Right here we go then

94 SE live axle
1700 X Flow,twin 40 Dellortos
Megajolt ignition
5 speed gearbox
2.4 turn quick rack
Floor mounted pedal box with bias bar
R500 Caterham seats(grp copies)
RAC roll bar
Quick release Momo wheel

3000 miles from build with history and one previous owner.

Basically I got back what I paid for it two years ago although I did do lots of modifications to it myself.
The Megajolt,roll bar,seats,pedal box,steering wheel and so on.I probably spent more time modifying it than driving it but then I am a perfectionist with my cars.

Thats why I am building a Megabusa now so I can do it to my standards/spec rather than buying used and changing loads to get it how I want.

The new owner flew in from Belfast after only having seen pictures of the car and after 10 minutes of looking round the car gave me the cash there and then. Its back in the UK now as he is over here for the FOS at Goodwood.

To my mind its probably best to buy used at the moment as most owners/builders cherish these sort of cars and dont think about the costs until its time to sell.You can get some cracking cars for not a lot of money at the moment.

As I said previously its all about the build quality and condition rather than getting the newest you can find.Added bonus of Q plates is you dont have to worry about emissions come MOT time either :D
Click to expand...


thats a lot of car and seriously fun for not much cash. I'm looking to buy one which needs some TLC, but the chassis etc is near new.

can't wait......!

How did you find the cross flow....was it enough power? I'm considering a duratec as i've a friend in ford who can get hold of them reasonably cheap
 
To answer the couple of questions above

The crossflow was fine it was supposedly 130bhp but I measured it on the dyno at work and it wasnt near that by a long way.
The thing to remember with these cars is that they weigh bugger all so power to weight ratio's really count.
I did find on trackdays if I was out with other 7 style cars I was down on power but then I usually surprised the "normal" cars.

To change from a crossflow or a pintosaurus you will be looking at about £1500+ to do it so unless you get the new engine very cheaply its a costly swop.As it will probably need a water rail(Duratec,Zetec) bigger carbs,new exhaust etc.Its the small stuff that all adds up so consider putting the cash you would spend into a car with the engine you want.

Insurance was dead cheap for me but then I am an old fart,again bear in mind if it is Q plated they class it as a classic car :D so limited mileage policies will apply.

Oh about weather gear,its ok although its a pain to get in the car with it on and it does let water in.Driving in the rain without a hood is possible but you get water on the inside of the screen.The new car is only having an aeroscreen so that wont be an issue.Best option is some waterproofs from a bike shop.You also really need a heater if you drive in the rain with weather gear as it mists up badly.Although they add weight so I didnt have one.
 
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