Westfield megabusa/megabird/megablade for sub £10k

[y2blade]

westfield megabusa/megabird/megablade for sub £10k


anygood?

owners opinions sought please....any forums?



thanks in advance

[Furyblade_Lee]

Good cars, if modular built then you can guarantee pretty much the quality. VERY fast upto 100mph, 120'ish if an aeroscreen is fitted and not the normal screen. Lots of places you can race / sprint / hillclimb then via the Westfield Club.

[y2blade]

cheers lee

i am currently at the "research" stage

i have registered with the westfield forum

[Goochie]

I'm currently looking at this in order to try and go faster than the MD's £100k F430........ for less than £10k!

In the mean time, you may find this interesting, especially if you turn the sound up.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21Hv4dPd-5c

[y2blade]

Goochie said:

I'm currently looking at this in order to try and go faster than the MD's £100k F430........ for less than £10k!

In the mean time, you may find this interesting, especially if you turn the sound up.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21Hv4dPd-5c

bloodyhellfire!!!!!


i'm currently at the "research" stage ahead of doing something next year so nothing is set in stone, but i did show the fiance some westfield vids on youtube and she is very keen

i WONT be getting rid of my T5 though

PS it took me about 8 months of research and looking for the "right" car before i bought my T5 i dont rush into things

Edited by y2blade on Friday 26th September 14:52

[Furyblade_Lee]

You do not need two bike engines to go faster than an F430 (on track). One engine is usually enough, you just need more talent than the other guy! He has just about every driving aid imaginable on his side, you have just you.... ;-)

[y2blade]

tbh the whole two seater thing is a new concept to me, i mentioned getting one to my otherhalf after seeing a nice looking caterham (i think) parked up while we where out last weekend..she said "oh yeah why not"



since then ive been looking into it and pleasently surprised how much performance per ££££ is available and my experiance with motorike engines as that they are ultra reliable and easy to maintain/work on



i like the look of this
http://www.parvaprestigecars.co.uk/vehicle-details...

Edited by y2blade on Friday 26th September 16:40

[Goochie]

y2blade said:

......... my experiance with motorike engines as that they are ultra reliable and easy to maintain/work on

You have to remember the extra weight that its being asked to pull around and the increase in torque required to do this means that many manufacturers wont' offer any kind of warranty on bike engines or the transmissions that go with them.

I'm still torn between a bike engined car and a car engined car. The opinion of those "in the know" seems to be that bike engines are great for track use but not too friendly around town and on the road in generally unless you hoon it everywhere.

[y2blade]

Goochie said:

y2blade said:

......... my experiance with motorike engines as that they are ultra reliable and easy to maintain/work on

You have to remember the extra weight that its being asked to pull around and the increase in torque required to do this means that many manufacturers wont' offer any kind of warranty on bike engines or the transmissions that go with them.

I'm still torn between a bike engined car and a car engined car. The opinion of those "in the know" seems to be that bike engines are great for track use but not too friendly around town and on the road in generally unless you hoon it everywhere.

yeah i see what you mean, it's very much early days for me i have alot to learn before i make any purchase

thankyou for your advice all info is very much appreciated

i will be keeping my T5 so anything eles i buy will be for hooning about in and yes very interested in trackdays as i've done alot on my fireblade

Edited by y2blade on Friday 26th September 17:31

[rhinochopig]

I've just sold my factory built Westy BEC (Blackbird) and my experience of ownership has been the following:

Negatives

• Lots of build quality issues
• Chassis coating was terrible - lots of rust spots.
• Gearboxes are fragile - I had to have a rebuild after it jumped out of gear.
• Analysis of the old oil revealed a lot of metallic particles (I fitted a mag filter following this and a trickshifter to reduce the strain on the 'box)
• Bodywork is very fragile - not strong enough IMHO as around nearly every bolt hole there was crazing.
• On the v expensive Nitron shocks I had the damping clicker stopped working on them - Nitron were totally unhelpful as they'd moved on to a newer model.
• 1k to 2k miles out of a set of rear tyres (but hell as they only 13" they're cheap and well worth it)
• Getting the engine serviced can be a real nightmare (valve clearances etc) as most bike shops don't have the space to do this.
• The complete tossers in BMWs, EVOs, and Scoobys at TDs that won't let you past on a TDs
• Meeting the noise regs for TDs
• Reverse box was a PITA

Positives

• Otherworldly speed and handling - there is nothing better this side of a £100k
• Sequential 'box was awesome (when working)
• Cheap to run if no major mech failures
• Staggeringly good fun
• Easy to work on

In summary, would I buy another BEC? Not a chance. Am I glad I owned the one I did? Absolutely, everyone should own one once, but be prepared for a lot of Heartache. I doubt there is a more exciting road car on the planet (that I could ever afford). The first time you floor it in first and wind up through the gearbox hitting 10k+ in every gear is an experience like no other.

[Toady1]

Sold mine at the beginning of the year. Is an awesome trackday car, but not so easy to use on the road. I'd have another one! The gbox did go on me, and cost me £800! but since then its been fine so I am to believe. It was a 954cc blade engine in mine, which was as quick in a straight line on the TD's that I did as a porsche gt3! You'll get one (especially a blade) around xmas time for less than 10k. They will brake tho, and if your using it on the road more than track I'd get a car engined one like the vx 2ltr lump, ora tuned 2ltr zetec. Avoid pinto or xflow if I were you, too old.

[Toady1]

oh and log onto www.locostbuilders.co.uk

[Furyblade_Lee]

I find it strange you all mention breaking them and fragile? I have never had a problem with my 893 'blade or injected R1. The latter has done 35 trackdays and 5 tours of Europe. And I do drive like an absolute loon, and let pretty much all my (capable) mates drive it on track. Admittedly it had an engine change 2 years ago (only to go carb to injection) but the AVO dampers are the only things that have worn out after 25,000 miles (apart from a healthy appetite for tyres and (standard) clutch springs). To be honest i would probobly avoid Honda Blackbird engines as they have the downsides of the busa ( expensive dry sumping ect) without the power, or early ZX9's with fragile gearboxes. But considering the hammering they get dished out I would say BEC's are pretty damn strong as a whole. Rusting chassis is a problem common to most kit cars, and it really is unforgivable isnt it? There is no need for it, they do not shot blast the chassis before coating them so it all ends up flaking off. It is one of my BIGGEST gripes with many kit cars.

[y2blade]

thanks for the info guys all noted i'm all ears

[gixermark]

BECs need to be looked after, and driven with mechanical sympathy in terms of gear change etc.. ie slam in down teh gears over revving it and clumsy changes etc will render the box useless quickly.. however when you get teh hand of them there is nothing available for the ££ to compare.

There is quite a bit you can do to the engine to make them stronger and more reliable for use in a car too - gear change wise using cable instead of linkages is much easier on the selectors... and then means you can easily add paddle shift which is very nice to use :-)

Then again I'd be biased as my road registered striker 919cc blade track/race car is for sale !

Mark.

[dern]

I bought a 4.6 v8 westfield for £8500 this time of year a couple of years ago. It was absolutely fine and great on the track agricultural gearbox not withstanding. I didn't use it enough though so sold it it in the early summer and made a few quid.

[rhinochopig]

gixermark said:

BECs need to be looked after, and driven with mechanical sympathy in terms of gear change etc.. ie slam in down teh gears over revving it and clumsy changes etc will render the box useless quickly.. however when you get teh hand of them there is nothing available for the ££ to compare.

There is quite a bit you can do to the engine to make them stronger and more reliable for use in a car too - gear change wise using cable instead of linkages is much easier on the selectors... and then means you can easily add paddle shift which is very nice to use :-)

Then again I'd be biased as my road registered striker 919cc blade track/race car is for sale !

Mark.

I think TBH though however sympathetic you are, a bike 'box was never ever designed to cope with the loads that a car installation places upon it. The mid-engine installations seem to fare better than the F-RWD though.

[DH2]

Furyblade_Lee said:

To be honest i would probobly avoid Honda Blackbird engines as they have the downsides of the busa ( expensive dry sumping ect) without the power

Obviously I would disagree, but it depends what you are trying to achieve.

rhinchopig said:

but be prepared for a lot of heartache

I would disagree with that too! I've done 16k miles in mine, almost all of it on the road, it hasn't missed a beat, and I've not had to do much to it.

Sounds like you are doing your research, just don't believe everything you read on the internet!
Oh and make sure you try before you buy, as a BEC isn't everyones cup of tea.

DH2

[rhinochopig]

DH2 said:

Furyblade_Lee said:

To be honest i would probobly avoid Honda Blackbird engines as they have the downsides of the busa ( expensive dry sumping ect) without the power

Obviously I would disagree, but it depends what you are trying to achieve.

rhinchopig said:

but be prepared for a lot of heartache

I would disagree with that too! I've done 16k miles in mine, almost all of it on the road, it hasn't missed a beat, and I've not had to do much to it.

Sounds like you are doing your research, just don't believe everything you read on the internet!
Oh and make sure you try before you buy, as a BEC isn't everyones cup of tea.

DH2

That may be the case, and that is great, but I've seen more BEC cars go bang than normal engined cars. The forums are full of discussions about failures. The engine and box simple wasn't designed to have the loads placed on it that installing into a car does. Nobody should buy a BEC without understanding that they face a much much higher risk of having to fit new gears or a new engine when compared to something like a Zetec or 4AGE, or Honda plant.

Next time you change your oil on your 'bird, have a look in it for metal particulates, then compare this with amount your road car has - even better fit a filtermag and then all you have to do is cut the filter open. This metal is coming from somewhere, and metal particulates and bearings do not mix well.

[DH2]

rhinochopig said:

That may be the case, and that is great, but I've seen more BEC cars go bang than normal engined cars. The forums are full of discussions about failures. The engine and box simple wasn't designed to have the loads placed on it that installing into a car does. Nobody should buy a BEC without understanding that they face a much much higher risk of having to fit new gears or a new engine when compared to something like a Zetec or 4AGE, or Honda plant.

Yep I would agree with that, it is more likely that it might go pop, or that the gearbox will give up, as they are more highly stressed. But the performance per £ is difficult to beat. My engine/gearbox go pop? I'll pick up a low-miler for £500 and off I go again. This is something you cannot do with a CEC of similar performance.

To provide a little balance to all the BECs going pop, a friends Blackbird engine has just died after 70k miles in the car. He is Scottish hillclimb champion, and this is his road play car which gets driven hard, one of the first ever BEC conversions. It died due to alternator winding failure, which is a common problem at this mileage in the bike also. He has picked up a replacement for £300.

As I said, BECs aren't for everyone, so go for something less stressed and take the performance hit.

rhinochopig said:

Next time you change your oil on your 'bird, have a look in it for metal particulates, then compare this with amount your road car has - even better fit a filtermag and then all you have to do is cut the filter open. This metal is coming from somewhere, and metal particulates and bearings do not mix well.

I can't say I've ever noticed metal particulates in my oil, but I've not looked particularly hard.
But it's a Honda, it'll just keep going, right

DH2

Edited by DH2 on Wednesday 1st October 13:00