Considering a Westfield

[dhutch]

BrokenSkunk said:

Roof.....

Its jolly wet even with a roof, and steams up like no business, but it does keep a huge amount of the wind (chill) off you, as well as the bulk of the spray off the inside of the windscreen.

RAC style roll hoop on mine now prevents the roof, and I too have got seriously cold in the past. A warm shower has been very welcome at times.

[sanguinary]

sebdangerfield said:

Not very well! Probably worse if we're throwing in bike engined cars too as I really do have a soft spot for them.

Thanks to the advice here, I've definitely settled on a wide body and open to engines around 160-200bhp. I've sat in a few at toy box now but nothing has come up yet that's made me go for it.

Christmas has taken over a bit as it's a significant one for us because it's unlikely dad will be here for the next one. I'm also planning to propose early January (not to my dad, he's not my type) so the kit car hunt has taken a back seat until that's done.

I'm hoping in the next few months I'll have a nice update for the thread

I'd suggest you get the car purchased BEFORE the proposal.

[BrokenSkunk]

dhutch said:

Its jolly wet even with a roof, and steams up like no business, but it does keep a huge amount of the wind (chill) off you, as well as the bulk of the spray off the inside of the windscreen.

Windscreen?
Cissy!

I'm jealous really.

[dhutch]

sanguinary said:

I'd suggest you get the car purchased BEFORE the proposal.

Got mine in before meeting her! And a vintage mini digger, plus inherited coal fired steam narrowboat.... ...then she agreed to a vintage 1920's car anyway!

BrokenSkunk said:

Windscreen?
Cissy!

I'm jealous really.

[sociopath]

BrokenSkunk said:

dhutch said:

Its jolly wet even with a roof, and steams up like no business, but it does keep a huge amount of the wind (chill) off you, as well as the bulk of the spray off the inside of the windscreen.

Windscreen?
Cissy!

I'm jealous really.

I've got pals like you, they always look so miserable

[BrokenSkunk]

I resemble that comment!

[JustGREENI]

Other Westfield stories I just remembered.
I saw 2 kids on bikes riding around it, when i had the roof off, i thought they were looking at it…
They were spitting in it.

I parked up and came back to a melted ice cream that somebody had thrown into it.

Feckers.

[sanguinary]

JustGREENI said:

Other Westfield stories I just remembered.
I saw 2 kids on bikes riding around it, when i had the roof off, i thought they were looking at it…
They were spitting in it.

I parked up and came back to a melted ice cream that somebody had thrown into it.

Feckers.

Nice. I had the ice cream treatment on an MR2 some years back.

A mate of mine had a Striker. Whilst heading to anglesey for a track day, I was following in my Land Cruiser and car trailer. He was driving the Striker with no winter gear on the car. The point he overtook the gritter didn’t half make me smile!

[anonymous-user]

sanguinary said:

I'd suggest you get the car purchased BEFORE the proposal.

I like the logic. In fairness though, she’s just as excited as me to bag a fun car, which is a big reason to get her contractually obliged to stick around.

Still not found any BEC Westfields. Hopefully things will start to appear soon. Hopefully get the ring next week so the big question is then. We also go off to Mexico in two weeks so it’ll be mid February before I get chance to look again. Which nicely coincides with my 40th

[Lordbenny]

sebdangerfield said:

I like the logic. In fairness though, she’s just as excited as me to bag a fun car, which is a big reason to get her contractually obliged to stick around.

Still not found any BEC Westfields. Hopefully things will start to appear soon. Hopefully get the ring next week so the big question is then. We also go off to Mexico in two weeks so it’ll be mid February before I get chance to look again. Which nicely coincides with my 40th

I’d think twice before you buy a bike engined Westy unless you plan in doing a lit of track days they really aren’t made for the road.

[anonymous-user]

This was a concern I raised at the start of the thread. I won’t do a huge amount of track days but the compromise still appeals. I guess only a drive in a few will help me decide what works for me.

[Another project car]

dhutch said:

Its jolly wet even with a roof, and steams up like no business, but it does keep a huge amount of the wind (chill) off you, as well as the bulk of the spray off the inside of the windscreen.

RAC style roll hoop on mine now prevents the roof, and I too have got seriously cold in the past. A warm shower has been very welcome at times.

Quick question (don't mean to thread hijack), does getting caught in the rain with a kit car cause issues with the dash electrics?

[renmure]

sebdangerfield said:

This was a concern I raised at the start of the thread. I won’t do a huge amount of track days but the compromise still appeals. I guess only a drive in a few will help me decide what works for me.

I bought a Westfield MegaBlade thinking that the fact it was obviously different would add to the appeal of ownership since it was never going to be a daily driver and no more than a toy mostly to be used on the road. I'd like to think I was ok with a bit of hardcore driving but it quickly became too much of a faff so other than occasionally taking it out the garage for a run for an hour and back home it stayed a bit of a static novelty. In contrast, I got a Caterham R300 a few years later and for me the different engine, windscreen, heater etc just meant I used it far, far more. Maybe I'm a softie.

Edited by renmure on Sunday 9th January 13:04

[dhutch]

Another project car said:

Quick question (don't mean to thread hijack), does getting caught in the rain with a kit car cause issues with the dash electrics?

It shouldn't do.

A lot of cars have very limited electronics to start with, and those with ECUs and or Digidash setups, the individual units are IP rated just like a normal car. It doesn't get aby wetter under the bonnet/scuttle than a tin top and the dash should be waterproof.

My older VDO analogue gauges sometimes get slightly fogged up, but it's never caused issues.

[Pat H]

JustGREENI said:

Fantastic stuff.

Dad and I bought a Westfield Seven (as they were then known), back in 1985.

It was one of the first with a X flow, Marina axle and Spitfire front end. The really early ones were all Midget, just like a Westfield XI.

This was mine.

It was sold to Mike Abbas in 1987 and I'm pretty sure it went to Japan.

[BrokenSkunk]

Lordbenny said:

I’d think twice before you buy a bike engined Westy unless you plan in doing a lit of track days they really aren’t made for the road.

Sigh.

Simply.
Not.
True.

[Lordbenny]

BrokenSkunk said:

Sigh.

Simply.
Not.
True.

It is in my experience! I would suggest going on a long test drive and/or going out with someone and experiencing the ’eccentricities’ and pitfalls of a BEC on British roads before handing over your hard earned cash!

[BrokenSkunk]

Lordbenny said:

It is in my experience! I would suggest going on a long test drive and/or going out with someone and experiencing the ’eccentricities’ and pitfalls of a BEC on British roads before handing over your hard earned cash!

I'd agree that test driving a BEC before writing them off is sensible.
Having owned one for the last 16 years, I'd disagree that a BEC can't be a good road car.

[dhutch]

Yet also:

renmure said:

I bought a Westfield MegaBlade thinking ... I was ok with a bit of hardcore driving[b] but it quickly became too much of a faff /b]so other than occasionally taking it out the garage for a run for an hour and back home it stayed a bit of a static novelty. In contrast, I got a Caterham R300 a few years later and for me the different engine, windscreen, heater etc just meant I used it far, far more. Maybe I'm a softie.

Which ultimately just shows it is all down to person preferences. And the engine isn't the only part, you can have a BEC with screen, soft seats, heaters, roof, or a CEC with areoscreen, cage, and no interior panelling, straight cut Quaife box.

My car is a bit in the middle, stock zetec and type 9 box, windscreen, rac style hoop as a compromise there, but then also grp seats, no roof or heaters, quaife lsd in a live axle. Horses for courses.

If you can test drive one before hand do it, but it doesnt always work that way, and even a test drive cant tell you what you will feel at the end of a long drive or when you've got caught out!

[renmure]

dhutch said:

Which ultimately just shows it is all down to person preferences. And the engine isn't the only part, you can have a BEC with screen, soft seats, heaters, roof, or a CEC with areoscreen, cage, and no interior panelling, straight cut Quaife box.

Of course, I fully get that everything is personal. But if you are going for a BEC Westfield then you’re surely buying in to the less-is-more philosophy so heaters, windscreens, roofs, spare wheels, a boot, perhaps even reverse gears but certainly heavy padded seats are out while everything that keeps you a helmet wearing, lightweight, high-reving skateboard on the road is in.