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We are going to have a partial lifting of restrictions here tomorrow So we are going ahead with our planned trip that had to be postponed. We will be driving up to Chiang Mai, then doing to Mae Hong son loop. Paul jnr is already in Bangkok, so we will start off with a 120Km taxi ride to his apartment there, and set off on Tuesday morning, after the obligatory One Night in Bangkok https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mae_Hong_Son_Province Jnr and I will be sharing the driving, but it will mostly be me, cos' he is addicted to his phone Tee shirt and camera at the ready

Issue solved, cheque(s) sent - Remember those ?, lol... Thanks all for the swift conclusion. Richard.

With some time from an early finish at work, I managed to grind and sand the join line fairly flat as well as remove most of the compound that spilt under the dam. I didn't clean all of it off, as one bit near a wall pier will be under some shelving and I was getting fed up of not seeing what I was doing in the corner. With the floor now as prepared as I was going to make it, the time had come for the first coat of paint. I ended up using Watco's basic epoxy in light grey. I've used their paint a few years before, but it was Snags that reminded me if the company name. They suggested that a 5L tin would suit 30m2, so I duly ordered a couple. The paint is a water based epoxy, so it has a usable life of 2hours. I didn't want to use the solvent free epoxy,as the pot life of 20-30 mins wouldn't be enough. It was also more expensive and overly shiny, and I wanted a matt floor if possible. It started to go down well, with a heater running to keep the temperature up. As it's my weekend with the boy, he decided to lend a hand and did most of the cutting in for me. He also had a bit of a go with the roller, and did the last bit as we painted ourselves out the door. With his help, the whole floor took 1hr 45mins to do, against a pot life of 2hrs. Overall, I wish we had put the paint on a little thicker to start with as we had loads left over. I reckon i could've covered another 10-15m2 with out any bother! I hope to do the second coat tomorrow, after which time it should have an even colour and then needs 7 days to fully cure. The garage will be usable after 2 days though, at which point I can make a start in getting the storage and workbench sorted. I shall update this again once the second is down and dry.

Just mentioned to the missus that I’ve always had a bit of a thing for Beyoncé. “Whatever floats your boat.” she said. “No,” I said. “That’s buoyancy.”

Price for WSCC members now agreed at a reduced rate of £100 per car/driver. Extra Drivers are £30 Passengers £10 Non members £120 so you can see I have negotiated a good discount for the club Westfields are preferred but any "normal" car is acceptable All bookings should be made direct with Blyton Park Alan Mugglestone alan@blytonpark.co.uk 01427628922 07596297700 This should be great event and opportunity for the Westfields to get together on track

Beauty of a Westie is individuality. From reading this, I reckon you could make the summary that there are no red flags on the car that anyone has spotted so far, but every car is built with certain priorities in mind. As a few others have mentioned, MSA roll bar was a must for me, as even though I haven't had it on track yet, I knew I'd be doing massive mileage, and as such increasing the risk of encountering the occasion where it might be necessary. Don't compare this to "normal" convertibles. As already mentioned, these generally have structural A pillars to protect the driver. The Westie A pillars are just bolted through the fiberglass, so definitely not structural. Dave has prioritised differently, but makes a really valid point. You want your car to be as easy to use as possible. A full cage will obviously offer more physical protection, but if it means you'll only go out in the dry because you can't get weather gear on it, that protection is irrelevant. There's a trade off here with the different available bars, and for me, the right balance was the MSA bar and a half hood but it's important to make the car as useable as possible for you. If it's hassle, you won't use it as much, and won't enjoy it as much. On that point, it's worth paying attention to things like seats, steering wheels, dashboards, storage etc. For me personally again, dash layout was really important. This one appears to be pretty standard there. I went for a custom design, because I wanted to make it easier and more intuitive to use. There are so many more variables with a Westie than a standard car, and wonderfully, almost anything in them can be changed, but you just need to factor in the cost and effort of doing it. If it were me, I'd look at all the bits mentioned in this thread, and compare them to how you plan on using the car. Make a budget for what you think you'd want to change. Then double it, because you'll inevitably catch upgraditis and discover a "better" option when you go to change something. Then you can work out whether it's a car that's well suited for you!

@ybotcoombes If you are looking for a Westfield as just a road-touring car, rolling over is the least of your worries, unless you are driving well beyond the rules of the road. You're more likely to be hit by another car in what is not more than a 4cyl go-kart, sitting six inches off the tarmac. Those seat hoops you mention in production convertibles are only any good if they are well above the top of the occupants head - don't be fooled by them. But the enjoyment of Westfield sportscar ownership far outweighs the concerns. If you can accept and manage the risk you'll grin from ear to ear, it's all about context. I've been riding bikes for the last 25-30 years, and our Westfield is a huge step up in safety and comfort for the same amount of fun, and you don't need to look like a Power Ranger each time you go out. And then there is the camaraderie and support that comes with the excellent WSCC, one of the best car clubs you'll find.

What a nice post. You'll find your mental list of people is actually a list of mental people, when you get out to play😁 You have a great weekend too!

And this is why so many enthusiastic owners don’t like posting on the forum. I know of an AO even, with similar roll bar and not too different wheels. Just because owners aren’t attending every track day going, or competing at every opportunity does NOT make them non enthusiasts. In fact, if you take a long hard look at many meetings, you’ll find the roll bar thing in particular is rather more popular than the forum would have you believe. (And yes, for anyone taking the car on track, I’d always advise a braced bar, and for competition a cage).

Me too

Dylan song by Brian Ferry !

Hi Richard I've sent you an email with my address to send your membership to...... Thanks Mark

I've evaluated both Honda engines before choosing to go with the VAG 1.8T. The F20 is surely a tried and tested solution, but very pricey. Also the FRM bores mean that if something goes wrong it may end up with needing a new block (and good ones are pretty rare nowadays). The K20 is a very well regarded engine, but not a tested solution on the Seven kit car world. It's not available in RWD configurations, so no plug and play RWD gearboxes exist (but there are a few that can be adapted, like the RX8 box and Type9 like boxes through the RWD motorsport bellhousing). Plus it's tall, and all conversions I've seen so far use dry sumping (and that alone is 3.5k+ pounds). I must admit I'm very curious to see how MK will be able to shoehorn the K20 under one of their cars, if they'll be able to fit it without requiring a lot of money, I bet they'll sell quite a few of them.

Thanks Dave very kind of you to post this elsewhere, and I don't mind how long it takes as long as someone knows about the issue and can help. Richard.

This is one of my favourite trackdays of the year. Such a great atmosphere and a great day out

My second favourite after Bad Obsession is Urchfab, grinder and welding action a plenty. Some instructional videos as well. The Mongrel build is on the same lines as Binky and taking time. https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCqvXGJXKeLCm6zg-JagDdzQ

Totally agree! Oh I don’t know... 😁

Update. The £100 for WSCC members is £100 incl VAT Non members £120 incl VAT Extra drivers £30 Passengers £10 Hope this attracts a lot of people

Woohoo after a month of construction I've finished Apollo 11.

I bl**** love Chiang Mai. Highly recommend heading up towards Doi Suthep if you're allowed up there and have time. Great strawberry juice available all along the roadside, and the air gets cooler and cleaner the higher you go. Have fun and look forward to the pics!

Since buying my car last November, I’ve checked almost every nut, bolt, wires and connectors etc that I can find. This has lead me to realising that I don’t know very much about cars. However, I’m learning, soaking up info everyday. This forum has been invaluable, what an amazing wealth of knowledge there is on here! Almost all my questions have been answered in a timely, and friendly fashion. So to those that have helped, I’d like to say a massive thank you 🙏. I’ve made a mental list of people I will hopefully get to meet and buy a slice of cake for. Roll on Spring and better days. Cheers and have a good weekend. Ian.

Shhhh, don't tell him that!! He's offered cake!

Took voluntary redundancy and having a career break.

Will only be using this for weekend blasting around, may take on a track but would be a one off (unless I got addicted) would probably be easier if one of you would sell me your sorted car at a massive forum discount

I know I am not even a full member yet ( any news on that admin, regarding payment?), but I have to be quite honest and say this is why I haven't joined in the past . About 10 years ago I did post some pics of my car and got slated for various mods and additions I added ( I can't even recall what they were now so long ago was it !). I decided that perhaps this wasn't the club for me and never posted again. Having said that the OP hasn't bought the car as yet, but if he did I would like to think any negative views were kept to ones self and not posted. I have to say though that for the most part this forum is a much kinder place than it once was. Richard.

Progress. Dash is half cut to fit now, but i am pleased to say the carbon bonnet it on with aerocatch fittings. I need to lift the carbon scuttle a touch to tighten the bonnet down a bit but i am getting there now! Just need OMEX to post me my ECU back!

Cheers guys, shes almost finished just waiting in a rolling road re map

As a lot of us are facing lockdown 2 and some people might be struggling with it, I thought as one of the quietest members of the community that I should write in this post because it feels relevant to me. I often want to reply to threads and be more active but often just lack to confidence to type anything and I feel I want to explain by sharing with you all. Where would I begin to even start, I'm sorry for droning on but maybe me, sitting here typing this may one day help. I hope someone will actually be interested enough to read this and that this part of my life that I'm going to share will help someone else who feels like I do. I got diagnosed with bipolar disorder quite a long time ago 15 years ish now, I actually was assigned an amazing psychiatrist that quickly found me some medication that kept me balanced out and thought that was it. I guess for me all the trouble started when I met someone who changed my world totally. We'd met through work, she'd just come out of another relationship and what both of us didn't know when we did meet was that she'd just fallen pregnant with her ex's child. So I stayed with her I adored her and nothing would take me away from her, I helped her to make her pregnancy as comfortable as possible, helped her raise the little boy and treated him like my own. Things were really difficult but we found a way or I thought we were, my work meant I was in London most days and living in Essex on weekdays and our place was near the Welsh border, 3.5 hours in the car each way. A bit further down the line my mum collapsed one evening, she was rushed to hospital and had suffered a massive hemorrhage type stroke, the doctors put her chance of survival at 10% and scarily her chance of surviving without major disabilities at 3%. A month into this my Girlfriend decided she'd be better off without me and ended our relationship, but she wouldn't fully let me go. Between her and all what was going on with my mum I became exhausted, my average day with work included became a 20 hour day after I'd gone to see mum and I certainly couldn't give my girlfriend the time I needed to. So I moved back in permanently to my parents and nearly exactly 2 years to the day my mum got sick, she came back home!. She made fantastic progress and became one of the 3% of cases that made a good recovery. She still needs a mobility scooter to go any real distances but truly a miracle how well she's done. So after a rough few years I decided to start chasing my dreams in life, I felt I'd given up a lot in life to help my mum so it was time to enjoy life, I ordered the westie to fulfil a childhood dream! One of the dreams of mine was ever since it launched was to go on a specific cruise ship. Independence of the Seas, It was home porting in the UK so I took the bull by the horns and booked my entire family aboard for 2 weeks to explore the med. It was a really special time however all I could think about was having my ex and the little man with me. I was there, lucky enough to live my dream, yet I hated every minute of it because it all felt empty. We then went to Russia on another cruise this time following one of my mums dreams, and once again the huge hole of the pair of them dominated everything. Once again I felt totally empty and alone in a void. As time has gone on, the emptiness stays it never goes, the more empty things feel the less I feel able to talk about things. I can be pretty good at hiding my emotions to most people. I got back in touch with the ex because my boss told me she was in a spot of trouble, she sends me pictures of the not so little man now, I even got to see a video of his school assembly, and I'm so incredibly proud of him but that's overwhelmed by the huge amount of guilt I feel for not being there for him over the years. I wanted to be but she wouldn't let me be there and its difficult because no matter how much I wish I am I'm not his dad. It's broken me to just know he'll never really know me or who I am. Life to me has seemed to evolve into a struggle everyday between two massive forces of wanting the emptiness to stop and ending it and the will to keep on going. So I just try to keep things in balance, even right now the westie just seems like a mistake, it failed its IVA because of emissions and brake balance, just feels like the end of the world. Hopefully I've fixed it to get it through its retest but I don't feel confident in myself at all. Just emptiness and a lack of anything inside. Anyways if anyone has read this thank you for taking the time, I wish I could write more on here and feel more part of the community, most days I don't feel I belong anywhere really and I hope you all understand a bit why I'm so quiet. So if I can ever be a friendly non judgmental ear to anyone then my door will never be closed and I hope everyone is looking after themselves through the new lockdowns as they can be somewhat tough!

Pooh woke up that morning, and, for reasons that he didn't entirely understand, couldn't stop the tears from coming. He sat there in bed, his little body shaking, and he cried, and cried, and cried. Amidst his sobs, the phone rang. It was Piglet. "Oh Piglet," said Pooh, between sobs, in response to his friend's gentle enquiry as to how he was doing. "I just feel so Sad. So, so, Sad, almost like I might not ever be happy again. And I know that I shouldn't be feeling like this. I know there are so many people who have it worse off than me, and so I really have no right to be crying, with my lovely house, and my lovely garden, and the lovely woods all around me. But oh, Piglet: I am just SO Sad." Piglet was silent for a while, as Pooh's ragged sobbing filled the space between them. Then, as the sobs turned to gasps, he said, kindly: "You know, it isn't a competition." "What isn't a competition?" asked a confused sounding Pooh. "Sadness. Fear. Grief," said Piglet. "It's a mistake we often make, all of us. To think that, because there are people who are worse off than us, that that somehow invalidates how we are feeling. But that simply isn't true. You have as much right to feel unhappy as the next person; and, Pooh - and this is the really important bit - you also have just as much right to get the help that you need." "Help? What help?" asked Pooh. "I don't need help, Piglet. "Do I?" Pooh and Piglet talked for a long time, and Piglet suggested to Pooh some people that he might be able to call to talk to, because when you are feeling Sad, one of the most important things is not to let all of the Sad become trapped inside you, but instead to make sure that you have someone who can help you, who can talk through with you how the Sad is making you feeling, and some of the things that might be able to be done to support you with that. What's more, Piglet reminded Pooh that this support is there for absolutely everyone, that there isn't a minimum level of Sad that you have to be feeling before you qualify to speak to someone. Finally, Piglet asked Pooh to open his window and look up at the sky, and Pooh did so. "You see that sky?" Piglet asked his friend. "Do you see the blues and the golds and that big fluffy cloud that looks like a sheep eating a carrot?" Pooh looked, and he could indeed see the blues and the golds and the big fluffy cloud that looked like a sheep eating a carrot. "You and I," continued Piglet, "we are both under that same sky. And so, whenever the Sad comes, I want you to look up at that sky, and know that, however far apart we might be physically...we are also, at the same time, together. Perhaps, more together than we have ever been before." "Do you think this will ever end?" asked Pooh in a small voice. "This too shall pass," confirmed Piglet. "And I promise you, one day, you and I shall once again sit together, close enough to touch, sharing a little smackerel of something...under that blue gold sky." We all need a piglet in our lives.

Yes that’s a bit scary in a Westy on the motorway. But not as scary as the time I came off a bike while “filtering” due to a car driver suddenly swerving in to my path (with nowhere to go). I was on the floor and cursing - when my head (with a helmet on) bobbed forwards once, then twice. I got up to realise it was the wheels of an articulated lorry glancing past my head that made it “Bob” forward a little. Just 5-6” further back and I might not be here to tell the tale!