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Ok..I will put my thermals on then!

The first time I went to le Man I was in waiting for a shower to be free and I saw someone leaving what I thought was a shower As I went to jump in bare footed I realized in mid jump that it wasn't a shower I performed a mid air manoeuvre that the Red Arrows would have be proud of . I learnt a valuable lesson that Day...!

Ladies and Gents, Further to taking on the role of AO for Bristol and Bath I have made a little progress with a Facebook Page set up and we had a first meeting in Nov but life got in the way of a December meet up. WSCC Bristol And Bath area or @BristolBathAreaWSCC The next Westfield World (WW) article is due in by 10th Feb, so I would really like to get together before then and get some news in from you members that live and breathe Westfields in this area. If you think I’ve missed anyone off the list, then please forward this on or PM me and I’ll pass on the info. To that end please could I beg of you a paragraph (or more if you can including pictures) telling me what you have been up to over the past 3-6-12 months and what your Winter plans are leading into Spring? How are those minor jobs going or is there a major overhaul/upgrade/rebuild that would be of interest or you might need a hand with? I will then pull this into an article to re-launch Bristol & Bath across WSCC and WW. Further to this could I ask for any dates for the diary of Shows to attend as (Visitor/Exhibitor/Group), Track/Sprint/Hill Climbs we could/should be attending and any ideas for Area days out/runs/trips/overseas jaunts etc that would be good to get together for. In due course I would like to get together with our neighbouring Areas such as Somerset/Dorset, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire/Cotswolds for some joint fun and maybe to ease the burden of organising events and trips? As well as this I think their is mileage in using the KitNet meets to bolster our efforts in the early days. I have taken delivery of the WSCC Bristol and Bath Area Flag/Banner which can be loaned out to give us a presence at events/shows – just shout! Finally, I’d really like to get a meeting in the diary so here goes… Evenings: Tue 22nd Jan Thur 24th Jan Thur 31st Jan Tue 5th Feb Thur 7th Feb Weekends AM or PM: 19th/20th Jan 2nd/3rd Feb I am open to suggestions for a meeting location or we can revert to The Riverside Inn, Saltford, BS31 3EZ. Regards Chris @ArcenPower @SXRORY @JohnWM2 @lloydox @Master O @wackydo @jeff oakley @spm @CrisisWolf @Barry Ashcroft @DaveM123 @Wobblyprop @timessex @matt_c @djm @Ad Eves @Terzo204 @RobP @mikef @David tucker @Mark Hillier @Nic Surry @Karladams14 @Tom (T3OMF) - Cotswolds AO @Julie Hall - AO Representative, Peak District AO

After much sole searching over the last few months I have reluctantly decided to put up for sale my Westfield. Simply the only motivation behind the sale is that I don't use it anywhere near enough and with my daughter being 17 months old I want to spend all my spare time with her and my wife which means the car will end up going to waste and I can't have cash tied up in something I don't use enough. I've had this car since November 2017, it's truly a well built car with an engine and gearbox that are superbly matched to give a superb drive and exhilarating performance on road but especially on track days. Since completing its rebuild in June last year I used it once on a run out with a fellow member for 75 miles and drove it to the club track day at Blyton mid July where I did three short sessions on track. This car is a very fast track tool and is fairly well known by members of the Westfield Club. In the right hands it would be blisteringly quick! When I bought the car I wanted to use it on track and I wanted the confidence that it wasn't going to break down on me. I therefore set about rebuilding as much of it as I could afford. The front end was completely stripped and the chassis prepared and repainted. The top elements of the rear end received the same treatment although I have not yet gotten round to doing the lower elements of the rear side. During this time I renewed the wiring for the instruments, replaced the instruments, the engine was rebuilt by its original builder Ash Mason (ARM on this forum) who needs no introduction. Whilst rebuilding the engine we converted to dry sump, upgraded the pulley system, had the injectors cleaned and inspected, new ITB's, new ECU, new alternator, new oil cooler and thermostat, new gauge sensors, new coolant pipework. No expense was spared. The braking system had a new upgraded master cylinder, new HiSpec bigger brake conversion kit on the front and some of the pipes were replaced. The hubs were replaced with refurbished ones. The front top and bottom ball joints are new as are the bushes at the front. The geometry has been set late in 2018. The tyres were replaced and the carbon side wings and cycle arches are new. Theres a new lightweight battery, new kill switch and the engine ECU wiring harness has been tidied up at the same time by Luke at Playskool. After the engine rebuild the car was remapped to ensure all was okay. It had previously had a tweak to make it a better road mannered car and was running 224bhp. The remap saw it making 242bhp and 180lbft although Ric Wood stated that it would benefit from a new ECU as the old one was limiting ability to properly control things. The ECU was sent to DTA for testing who confirmed it wasn't working as expected and a new unit would be beneficial although not essential. I opted for a new S40 unit from DTA and at the same time I decided to go for brand new Jenvey ITBs as I was having trouble with the spindles on the existing ones. Following the new ITBs and ECU I had to have the car remapped. This was undertaken by Ric Wood again on the Friday before Xmas just gone. The car now delivers 265bhp and 193lbft. I have all the original dyno charts from its first build (242bhp) its tweaked map (224bhp) the remap after the rebuild (242bhp) and the final map with the new ECU and ITBs (265bhp). The main reason for the big hike in power is likely that the mapping after the rebuild was done this summer in 34 degree heat whereas the last was done in the winter when it was about 6 degrees. I have a large folder of receipts and paperwork for the car as well as all but one of it's MOT certs. It’s mot runs out June 2019. The receipts and info go back to the original build of the car and include all receipts for several thousand pounds I have spent one rebuilding things over the last year. I am the fourth owner. The car was SVA'd in 2002. Mileage since being built is c. 42K miles although since the rebuild it’s done less than 300 miles. The gearbox was out in 2016 checked over by a specialist and at the same time a Playskool roll cage was added. Below is listed the parts that make this car what it is.... ENGINE 2002 Westfield SEiW 2ltr red top. Fully stripped and refreshed Feb-May 2018 by Ash Mason (ARM on this forum and Vauxhall XE guru). 265bhp @ 7,676rpm Vauxhall XE engine. I have set rev limit to 7,200rpm as it’s plenty fast enough and will give ultimate reliability at those revs - to change this is simple with a laptop and I can supply one with the car if necessary. The engine is built to take 8,200rpm so a cam swap and remap could release more but would be less reliable obviously if revving higher. 193 lb/ft torque @ 6,262rpm Standard Crank Uprated ACL bearings Steel conrods with ARP L19 bolts Omega High Intruder pistons Standard Valves Titanuim valve caps Piper double valve springs Heavy duty spring seats QED 450 Camshafts Vernier Pulleys (new 2018) Arrow solid lifters Dry sump system (new 2018) DTA S40 ECU (new 2018) DTA wiring and connectors to connect ECU to laptop (new 2018) Jenvey TB’s (new 2018) Ramair filter (new 2018) Bosch 803 injectors (fully cleaned, checked and tested by Blink Motorsport 2018 with print out of results) SBD heavy duty idler kit and cam belt (new 2018) SBD fixed cam belt tensioner (new 2018) ARP heavy duty flywheel bolts (new 2018) All bolts and gaskets renewed 2018 All bearings etc new 2018 Engine stripped and rebuilt replacing anything necessary 2018 External crank trigger wheel to eliminate weakness with internal ones which can break up at revs (new 2018) New crank sensor 2018 New throttle potentiometer and wiring loom 2018 New Denso lightweight alternator 2018 New coolant hoses 2018 New oil and water sensors 2018 New water pump from SBD 2018 All new external bolts for rocker and all ancillaries 2018 Large Setrag oil cooler and thermostat (new 2018) Nylon solid engine mounts (new 2018) EXHAUST Simpson Race Exhaust Re-packable (redone feb 2018 with acoustafil) Bonnet exit GEARBOX BGH Geartech heavy duty type 9 with long 1st, (rebuilt 2016 receipts available) Helix heavy duty organic clutch plate / cover (replaced 2016) FINAL DRIVE Sierra viscous LSD. 3.92 COOLING Radtec Alloy rad .................. July 2014 Blue silicone hoses new 2018 Kenlowe High Boost fan BODY Kingfisher blue bodywork (quite a rare colour) V8 Bonnet Carbon nv carbon fibre cycle wings (new 2018) Carbon nv carbon flared side panels (new 2018) Detachable rear wings Westfield Aeroscreen Removable half doors LED rear lights Full front end strip and rebuild 2018 including clean and re-coating of chassis BRAKES Front. Hi Spec 4 pots with larger discs. Mintex 1144 pads (all new 2018) Rear. Sierra standard calipers. Mintex 1144 pads ...................July 2017 Westfield large bore master cylinder (new 2018) INTERIOR Pre peg Carbon dash Stack Pro instruments with oil pressure, oil temperature and fuel (new 2018). Stack ST700 dash display and performance monitoring system (new 2018). This gives water temperature, battery volts, revs, speed, acceleration/deceleration meters, lap timing and oil pressure warning along with programmable shift lights. It's a neat bit of kit. GRP shell seats with removable pads Alpha leather steering wheel SPA quick release boss Carbon cill protectors (mickmade) and carbon scuff protectors to go over the chassis by your feet (both available but not yet fitted) WHEELS / TYRES Caterham Anthracite alloys 6x13 Nankang AR1 trackday tyres (new July 2018). 185/60/13 4 spare Toyo R888 but not much use left in them. SUSPENSION Refurbished the front hubs and wheel bearings 2018 Standard track wishbones Protech Alloy Shockers Front springs 300lb Rear springs 200lb All front bushes new 2018 All front upper and lower ball joints new 2018 STEERING Quick rack 1.9 turns lock to lock GENERAL Longacre rear view mirror (new 2018) New Westfield filler cap 2018 New Varley redtop racing battery 2018 Somewhere in the paperwork the car was once weighed at 582kg so will be there or thereabouts that figure giving around 455bhp/ton. Think I’ve captured most things but likely to have missed something. Ask away if you have any queries. The asking price is £14,500. Pics below and more to follow once I get some better ones over the weekend. Theres a short video of the car being driven by me at Blyton last year. Call or text me on 07875 715293.

Back in NZ, my mate and I used to go to alot of weekend motorcycle rallies. One particular one, I didn't go to for some reason but he did, and came back with this story. This was the in the days before porta-loos were common-sight, they had a series of long-drops dotted around the campsite. For those not familiar, a long drop is a wee shed with a wooden seat over a very deep hole/pit and 1000 flies upon lifting the seat - the classy ones have a quarter-moon window cut in the door for light. There was a girl using one when the seat collapsed and she fell in! There was also a portable hot-water shower trailer there which cost ?/5mins - the organisers said for her it was free and she could stay in one for as long as she liked. At the prize-giving that night, she got a special prize for being a good sport about it (probably in the hope she didn't sue them).

Thanks, to be honest the shift lights are set conservatively...so it'd go higher if you wanted.

Some of those things might well be true, but in the UK there is just a 5% reserve on generation capacity at this moment in time according to some sources, so where is that going to suddenly come from if we all up take electric cars? There needs to be a fundamental change in policy to generate much more electric from renewables, wind, wave and solar are unpredictable and cannot be stored easily, but if you look at the Hydro power station near Snowdon, that uses electric through the day to pump water up to the top reservoir to produce it when needed instantly by running turbines in the mountain. That could be a way to convert power that is not needed instantly, to power when needed as an example of how we could use it. At the moment some wind and solar farms are paid to switch off as they cannot use the power at the time they can produce it. Nuclear is a good option but look at that over a life span the costs are insane. On the radio today the BBC reporter was in Las Vegas at the technology show there. He was taken for a ride in an autonomous vehicle and he said we will never get to have total self driving cars in the near future as the task is simply too complicated to be 100% safe. Trucks might come first as there is a shortage of drivers world wide it would appear and for Hub to Hub near to main roads they might make sense, especially if they are more drone like, with a remote operator to shut things down always on hand. For me I have no issue having an electric car if the range and speed of charging is there, which will get better as more mainstream manufacturers have jumped in and are throwing billions at this. Over Christmas I was at a party where there was a guy from BAE systems who is working on AI product development and we got talking about cars. He felt it was years away for cars to be 100% autonomous for two reasons, technology and public acceptance. Planes could take off and land autonomously now assisted by remote pilots, but there are so many possible things to go wrong, hacking just one of them but how many would happily get on a plane if the pilot back up was sat thousands of miles away and his life was not at stake. We are years away from that so I confidently feel I will still be choosing cars for years to come, how we will be allowed to use them a different discussion

Much as I like Chris Harris, he does seem to me to be a bit wooden and the humour rather contrived. Clarkson however is doing what he does best. Stirring it. He knows full well that he can say anything he likes BECAUSE it means people will mention Top Gear and TGT, irrespective of who is presenting. But he has to get what he says noticed so it has to be "controversial". I'll bet he's done more to promote the new series of Top Gear than the Beeb has with that one thing. Don't confuse his "public" persona with anything else and for gawds sake don't take this sort of trolling seriously And I think Paddy and Flintoff will be an absolute unmitigated disaster. It's going to be excruciating, cringe-worthy, car crash (sorry...) TV. Expect Clarkson Hammond and May back on terrestrial TV in short order to save Top Gear, assuming the Beeb actually will want to save it after that. They cancelled it before...

This was my passenger seat. A piece of foam garage floor tile cut to size. It passed MOT in May 2018 without query or concern. It carried many passengers on track days, including me, without issue.

Westfield is at Autosport International 2019 this weekend! Visit us at stand 2530 for more information on the lastest lineup and developments Can't make it along to Autosport? Take advantage of 10% off all parts orders from Thursday - Sunday (23.59) with discount code "AUTOSPORT"

I've had the displeasure of toilets in several Steelworks in China (DON'T Scroll down if you're eating your lunch!) Here's what we called the 'toilet of delight'- nice open plan layout to enable you to talk whilst 'working something out' They're not much better in local bars either: Another site toilet -no running water, yet but doesn't stop the locals playing 'pile-on' Urinals not quite finished yet Temperature was circa -10 degrees C outside, so yes, it's an ice rink ! Why anyone would want to use a loo like this? A former colleague dropped his phone accidentally into one of these and fished it out! He was stupid enough to tell us too! I've always managed to use the western style toilets in the hotel for a number 2 and either had a pee up a emtpy corner somewhere on site or run in to the 'facilities' holding my breath, pee and leave! This local was impressive. Dumping, texting and smoking at the same time and still got his hard hat on! Usually there's no toilet paper, running water or soap! I'd always keep a roll of bog paper, baby wipes and hand sanitser in my laptop rucksack, just in case! If you can't beat them, join them n.b. That putty on the floor, is used to seal around cable ways.

Thats nothing compared to the breakers yard I got my engine from. The latest wife was busting for a pee. She asked where the loo was. Her question was met by a load of blokes raising eyebrows and mumbling about disease and death. She went in, she came out, just as busting and somehow waited another 30 mins to the first services on the M1

I remember years back when my oldest daughter was just a toddler, we were in a small back street tyre place getting a puncture fixed. I then got the tap on the leg from her saying how she needed the toilet. Went into the 'customer' toilet and it looked similar to the one above. I'll not go into the gory details but ended up cradling her while she depth charged the bog as there was no way any contact with the seat was happening! It was a most traumatic experience early on in my amateur career as a dad. One I'll never forget.