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Well just to give you a bit of understanding on how I got to this I consider myself a bit of a petrol head, I studied mechanical engineering but have a reasonable understanding of most things I have completed 3 kits to date, first been a Robin Hood with Redtop engine using a manta gearbox on twin 45's, then had a bit of a break from Kits as I tried motorbikes for a bit but found out even though I have a love for bikes they were not for me, (I was too scared worrying all the time about would I get home in one piece) Then I returned buying my first Westfield which had a RS1.8 silvertop this soon was modified but the urge for more power saw that get removed and in went a ST170 with stage 3 head and a megasquirt ( I hear a few growns) ecu with a set of Hayabusa throttle bodies, the gearbox was changed to a straight cut and had a twin plate clutch (nightmare on road) this did not las long. After a good few years with this I was looking again for another project when I came across my current Westfield which had a poorly running engine due to the carb setup, this was ideal for me as I wanted to put an Ecoboost engine in, Ive always been of the opinion a Westfield should be a small engine and these modern engines are truly amazing. So lots of planning research saw me talking with a few members who were on similar paths, so a steep learning curve as there was almost no information out there on the net to help. so some of the decisions were trial and error, I had hoped to get it completed so I could take to Stoneleigh but that was not going to happen due to contracting a really bad cold (worst I have ever had) anyway this project was completed and I took it to the classic at Silverstone. I am still impressed with this car drives great so I intend to keep this. Where we live there are some great classic events so my thoughts went should I buy a classic I looked around and could not find anything which really took me there were some close calls E type, TR5 and 6 but then I saw a C type and fell in love with it everybody I talked too agreed on its beauty, so I was sold, next job was to get my wife to sign up to the project. Oh I could not afford a genuine so Kit manufactures were googled, then the decision should I have a GRP or aluminium body, well this became a no brainer I was not going to pay at least another 30k for an alloy body as lets face it this will always be looked at as a kit, plus the GRPbody is more durable to stone chips etc. So the decision was made Realm Engineering 3 visits to the factory oh this is a real culture shock if you are from the current day thinking of what factories are like, but as I've been around a bit longer it was like going back to my apprentice days. So before I commit to buying I need to find a series3 Jaguar but these are starting to get collector status so finding one a a good price is not easy, so bit of scouring all the usual places I found one that met my criteria (cheap) as it had been partially stripped, so prior to Christmas the deal was done and I would collect in the New Year. My next attention was to look for a gearbox for the kit, I need a W58 supra box I finally found on in Czech Republic a deal was done and it arrived safely in the new year, these are like Hens teeth so bit annoying that I just found another one 10miles from where I live at less money, oh well never mind. So last few weeks I have been slowly stripping the car Daimler XJ6 4.2 for the bits I need. So here is the doner, it looks much better than it is and a image of the future

I did my first course in Hinkley..... the one in Somerset..... and I hadn't been caught speeding..... some local lass had written herself off over one of the weekends and our bosses thought it would be a good idea if we all attended, sooooooo they got the company to come to our site..... First thing on the agenda after signing in was a projected picture of our approach road.... the question was posed by the 'him' of the 'him & her' team... "how would you navigate this corner?" (a moderate left with trees lining the kerbside).... all of the quiet and more retiring of the team stayed as quiet as church mice, so gobby here pipes up with "move slightly over the white (broken) line to increase the viewing angle and drive a straight line if it's clear" lots of nods of approval followed..... 'him' however was not amused..... suggesting that I might invite a prosecution for dangerous driving. That set the tone for a couple of hours of daggers at every opportunity..... In the course of the presentation there was the video from the telly "kill your speed" of the car skidding into a child ( you probably remember it with the voice overdub " if the car had been doing 30 it would have stopped here") anyhoo.... the video was stopped at various points to discuss what we'd been taught, you know the residual speed and the circle of consequence etc etc..... we got to the rather realistic bit of the Dummy (child) bouncing from the bonnet of the car to the road, the head impacting the road really severely...... 'him' looks up and going for maximum dramatic effect he asks "what are the options for this child at this point"...... more silence from my oppo's..... so I gave it very loudly "there's always organ donation"....... A moment or two of silence followed by an eruption of wholly inappropriate laughter from the whole room..... well in short 'him turned purple'..... 'her' bailed out of the room with an obvious damp patch in the crotch area of her jeans ( I believe that some poor ladies of a certain age can have control issues)...... the presentation was ended and I got a monumental rollocking from my boss..... Now here's the killer...... some time later (about 18 months or so) my snooper radar detector went through it's start-up noises telling me all was fine and dandy...... off I toddled to a little known tourist attraction called Stratford Upon Avon...... Through Coughten Hacket..... I was looking at the back of the Gatso and the Snooper at the same time...... no beeps.... nothing.... nada...... FLASH FLASH... followed by the snooper leaving by the drivers window..... I then got the notice of intended persecution 45 mph in a 40, I filled it in and returned it, got the fine and points, when I asked why I couldn't take the course for such a lowly infringement I was informed that I'd already done one...... In Somerset...... Karma's a B1TCH.... Nem......

The dates for the Horsepower at the Hall for 2017 have been released and are listed below, all are Sunday's.The entrance is on Drove Lane, Newark Showground. It opens at 1pm, entrance is £2 per vehicle with separate parking for exhibitor and visitor vehicles. Refreshments are available and toilets are a short walk away from where the cars are on show. No need to book, just turn up, leave when you like. 9th April 7th May 11 June 9 July 20 August 17 September

New kit ordered After completing my Ecoboost westfield project, I decided to look for something a bit different, I will be keeping my Westfield. So my question is would our Westfield members like to follow my build of my Jaguar C type, I thought I would ask first as this is a Westfield forum, if so I will look at making a blog on here Look forward to your responses Chris

Yes I think a thread is easier I will start that and bring you up to date where I am, so please bear with me on that but hopefully I will sort out soon and as cleggy says I do post about it every now and again on Facebook Where do I get the time from, well I'm in the fortunate postion where I was able to take early retirement ( I'm not that old LOL) so now I look for opportunities for myself to enjoy the things I love to do. Plus try to help others where I can hence the C type project his now running.

Best take a welding torch along Julie in case you meet a brass monkey...

Just booked my tickets for this year's Silverstone Classic and also weekend accommodation at the Ramada Kenilworth - roll on July!

Current weather forecast is snow on the tops and 3 degrees all day. I somehow think Trevor Harmer (the head of the NWKCOG) is not a man to cancel, so wrap up warm and get ready for some great photo's. Seriously, if it snows - we no goes, so stay posted. Er, is anyone thinking of going?

10 years ago, I would have taken a speed awareness course... 36 in a 30 in Northampton and my photo was taken. The letter came saying something on the lines of my car had been speeding and if I owned up i would be eligible for a course. I owned up as it was me! but simply got a fine and points though the post. I called the number on the letter and the tardy pubic servant simply said I had not been chosen to go on a course and pay pay up now or go to court...How nice!

renewed my motorhome insurance so that's me in for Feb. I think I was in dec and Jan too as the time of year for renewals

Thanks to lots of friends of friends it looks like I can also keep the Westie on the road. Stay strong and stick with it..!

Thumbs up for A-Plan! Got a very good quote for both cars on one policy. Thanks Kirsty!

I got told I was a trouble maker on mine; after turning up in the Westfield, they asked for a driving license for ID, then the stroppy and very Liberal with a capital L instructor, got upset when it didn't have a photo on, and demanded photo ID. All I had on me with a photo was an MSA Speed License... (The second instructor, who was very good and was actually trying to teach us useful stuff, p******** himself laughing behind her back!)

Me too.

Hello Mick, I'm not too far away from you, more than happy to help shift the car so that the battery can be inspected. Ian

Sorry to hear that Mick, hope you're feeling a bit better now, and that progress will be good... As Craig said, it sort of depends what you have now, if you don't want to have to change battery tray. Many Megablades were fitted with small gel batteries anyway, to save weight on such a light car. So you may already have one - Westfield do/did a few different size battery trays, some for compact lead/acid batteries, like the standard Banner's they've used for a few years, and some for smaller gel batteries, just like the one Craig mentioned. Best to have a look if you can.

What size battery tray do you have, if indeed you have one at all. My tray (Mega S2000) would accomodate a battery up to 187mm x 130. THe previous (Banner) battery was 165 high but I've just last week put an Oddyssey PC625 onto the car which was 170 x 99 x 175 high so there's a bit of room now in my tray. Some reviews and of course, specs here. https://www.tayna.co.uk/ODYSSEY-PC625-Battery-540-Cranking-Amps-Reviews-3106.html I bought mine from Motorworks BMW as they seemed to have the keenest prices. Good luck