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Sorry again that I couldn't make it. Update on Evie; We did indeed have a hospital visit and overnighter while she was being pocked by the medical gurus. We now have her back home and she is on triple doses of her normal meds ... which means she could probably take over Santa and deliver everyones presents as she's that hyped up :-) Fingers are crossed she has now thrown whatever caused this and we can get back to normal.

Looks fine. Just remove the "7" grille and you're sorted

Quite right, too.

Some great photos in both the calendar and magazine once again. Mission is to get my car in there next year now its finished and yes Scott, I did look at the calendar before the chairmans ramblings

Hi Just thought I’d introduce myself, I've been lurking for a bit. No Westy yet, but hoping to get one soon. Not many about this time of year though. How have I got here? well I ve always loved cars, Had a 309 gti as my first car. The 205’s ugly sister, but arguably they go better. Then I moved onto a 200sx, which I modified and made it into a bit of a sleeper, 360bhp and similar toques, Bit wild this one. 10 years i had it. My daughter then came along and I had to go sensible.....so I bought an e46 M3 (cough). great car, I don't think I ever loved it though. Far too heavy for track work (expensive), and always worried it would go wrong (it didn't though) It then had to become became a daily for the wife, the mileage was rapidly going up. She was also not impressed by its appetite for v power. Sold it! SOOOO man maths has brought me here! Now going to 2 cars in the house. Room in garage....check! Just bought a Mondeo last month (it’s actually alright! quite like it). Insurance and tax for a Westy and a Mondeo add up to the same cost as the m3, a fraction cheaper in fact. So its all making makes perfect sense to me! (till i spend a fortune on upgrades etc) once I get something will be keen to get involved in drive outs/trackdays etc I’m want one with a bit of poke, not bike engine, its probably a zetec on my budget I think, but open really, One that can do fun on track and be “alright” on the road. cheers Rory

Right, this thread is going nowhere as fast as a Saturn V rocket. It is clear that strong views are held, that arguments on both sides will never sway the opposite sides, and further input is not only pointless but damaging. Believe whatever you like, but like every Internet thread on the subject, it won't get definitively answered here. This thread is therefore being closed, and unless there is a major revelation in the news, any further threads will be locked and hidden.

Dave the mileage seems about right according to the DVLA MOT history, but shows its lack of activity with perished rubber items as advisories and tyres cracking.

Ah, glad you gave us that info about the current owner, as the details and the car don't really match. That doesn't mean it's a bad car, or necessarily dodgy, just that the original sum up of the car by whoever built it has got lost. I would guess it's been sprinted, or possibly raced - it bears all the hall marks, yellow tape on battery neutral cable, extended roll bar, straight cut four speed box, brake bias set up. It's got a non standard dash, less common (for it's age) 8k rev counter, extra warning lights etc. plus a scoop/bulge on the bonnet that seems to do nothing in it's current configuration. It has the look of a competition car that's been partially de-specced and tidied up for selling on at some point. I stress, this doesn't make it a bad car, but as the precise history has got lost with time, nor is it a case of pointing fingers at anyone. It happens a lot, as cars move pass through the hands of less technical owners; it would need careful checking over though, the milage may be genuine, but track miles, or it may have had a new speedo at some point...

Depends - my car has a 'straight cut box' in it, but it turned out to only be the first 3 gears. So cruising in 4th is nice and quiet, yet you get the theatrical whine when you're pressing on - which is great

This is getting really silly now. There is no doubt that men went to the Moon. It was done in an era of fear and suspicion and if you read many of the history books a lot of technology was being rushed to keep in front of those damm Ruskies. In the late 50's and early 60's the US were develpoing a nuclear powered plane as they believed that Russian had one, it never flew but they sunk billions into it and got an engine running. So when Kennedy said what he did it was for many reasons, but the main one was they did not want Russian to be in front in space. The reality is Russia were never really in front after the Saturn 5 rockets were built, the the shuttle. Now with co operation in space with the Russians providing transport to the space station there is no need to go there. Now watch what happens if China get a viable method of getting to planets, you will see funding for NASA get approved pretty sharpish. There are massive social problems in the US and for any president to be giving NASA a blank check is now unthinkable but that is exactly what Kennedy did in the 60's. There are so many other conspiracy theories really worth considering, (who killed Dianna) but this is not one of them. It is in our nature to explore and as technology grows we will travel to other worlds but at the moment it is man who is not up to the task of surviving in good health the length of journey it will need. Mars is definitely going to get men on it hopefully in my life time.

thanks dad i know i could rely on you ....... That's not the price unfortunately, that was the bidding that did not make reserve. It would already be in my the garage if that was the price.

The ride and handling of a Westfield can usually be sorted for not much money but the engine and the type of Westfield are the areas you need to get right when you buy. Do you want one with creature comforts (carpets/upholstered seats/heater/hood/etc) or a track day special (none of the above!). You may not be sure yet so take your time in making up your mind. Some people buy one car and then turn it into another which is often time consuming and expensive!

Agreed - and same thing with live axle. I've recently got a 1.8 Zetec live axle car as my 3rd Westy and 5th kit car, it's a very good bit of kit... The one on eBay looks good value. I bought the first Westy I saw and it turned out to be a very good one, so it can happen. Welcome, and enjoy your new toy

Oh no, surely you can't believe in Concorde?!

Really. I was under the impression that all the major economies were operating with huge deficits. The US alone has a deficit of 500ish billion. Correct. But look at the on board tech. The euro fighter has infinitly more technology on board with an astounding amount of software. It was also designed to operate across several operating platforms with umpteen weaponry systems. It was also built during the health and safety era. Do you honestly think that spacecraft of that era would pass today's h & s rules and rigorous testing programmes? It's like asking why can't we build a 747 as quickly as a lancaster bomber. Your comparing apples with pears.

von Braun was a rocket motor designer, saying he designed the Saturn 5 is pushing it a bit as you don't mention Arthur Rudolph, nor all the other engineers/scientists. I don't think it is corrupt to utilise expertise, belonging to a popular political party of the time has got now't to do wi'ow't, I don't see you making the same statement about Ferdinand Porsche, member of the Nazi Party and suspected of being an SS officer. Please expand on why von Braun as a civilian scientist designing a weapon is a war criminal, yes there were atrocities at the nearby concentration camp, from which Peenemunde drew some of it's low skilled labour, but can von Braun be directly linked to it? I also notice you don't mention von Braun's involvement in US Ballistic Missile design which in some peoples eyes (CND supporters) makes him a criminal but for "our side". Picking and choosing "facts" doesn't really present a balanced discussion, does it?

JW4 Mk3 Imp A car very well known to me as for a time I owned the original prototype and the only Mk3 JW4 to be built. Along with the 650cc motorcycle engined class the 1967 Formula IV season introduced a further class for car engines of up to 875cc. In competition to Vixen's Imp engined VB4 Walker also chose the Hillman Imp engine for the first of his car engined JW4's. To accommodate the Imp engine and inverted gearbox within the JW4's diminutive frame the engine bay had to be lengthened my 2.5 inches. Other changes to the chassis included an adjustable pedal box and master cylinder assembly which removed the unwanted play in the earlier linkage system. The fuel tank was relocated behind the driver seat and the space under the drivers knees was taken by the batter for the Imp's starter motor. This was also the first JW4 to be fitted with a differential which necessitated modifying the rear uprights to relocate the brake drums. Early development with a central mid mounted radiator found this struggled to cool the imp engine so a front mounted radiator was fitted into a modified Mark 3 body. The new nosecone-cockpit surround was again commissioned from Specialist Mouldings with a 'mouth' feeding air to to the radiator but as money problems starting to bedevil the factory they never got paid for their work. This bodywork remains unique as it was not adopted for any of the later cars. Before the Mark 3 imp was ever finished work was halted as the ever enterprising Walker had found an irresistible alternative and new business prospect in Saab.

Walker Special (Winsmore) - Class 4 Kart Time for something a bit different.... Penned towards the end of 1966 as an infill project the Winsmore took Walker back to his roots in Class 4 Karts. Almost unique in its construction compared to its competition the backbone of the Kart was an L72 18 and 24gauge aluminium "torque box" monocoque chassis. Suspension at the front was provided by steel tubular unequal length wishbones with swing axle and radius rods for the rear and the rear axle also features a small lightweight differential unit. Engine mountings provided for either Villiers or Bultaco. Other than the prototype shown on the sales literature I am not aware of any others being built or indeed surviving to this day.

JW4 Mark3 1967 brought changes to the Formula IV regulations with the introduction of a 675cc class for 2-cylinder 4-stroke engines. The 250cc cars were found to be slow in comparison to the fastest Karts so the 675cc class came about in an effort to tempt more Kart racers into the series. To the untrained eye the Mk3 JW4 was visually similar to the Mk2 but with a few subtle design changes. The majority of the changes were made to accommodate the larger capacity engines which involved re profiling and raising the height of the rear engine cover. Suspension was all carried over from the Mark2 and remained unchanged but the chassis design was revisited so as to remove unnecessary weight. Some early developments with a "lightweight" chassis failed to make production after negative press and concerns about chassis rigidity, but even the production Mk3's had much less triangulation and bracing than it's predecessor. The more powerful engines required a stronger drive train. To the rear axle the bearings were held in machined housings as the pressed steel pollard units carried over from Karting had a tendency to distort, but with no differential the hookes joints remained the week link. Trials were carried out with a differential unit from a Berkeley sports car but ultimately it was decided not to adopt this. Walker was keen to promote Formula IV and encourage new manufacturers. He did this by making available for sale to prospective car builders and completion all the JW4's suspension and driveline components. Alex Bottoms Vixen VB1 was one such car to be launched using JW4 parts. The 675cc class was more appreciated by the spectators but the greater power and stickier tyres made for a bigger disparity between the two motorcycle engined F4 classes to the extent that may 250cc Mk2 owners felt obliged to exchange their engines for larger units or return to Karting. The JW4 Mark 3

Cars wanted? There are loads on ebay Terry, from about £20 each. Ha ha, I see from your other ad you're after sprint slicks? .. and there was me thinking you'd seen the light, and wanted to do more than one lap!

Test

Q, My son recommends Armour Fabrications in Irchester http://www.misterwhat.co.uk/company/1656610-armour-fabrications-wellingborough They do steel and aluminium welding / fabrication and he's had some good aluminium work done there Colin