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There is no simple way of putting this, so i'll say it how it is lol Unfortunately we will be closing our online webstore part of the business soon, possibly the end of this month if not sooner. I knew that when COVID first hit back at the tail end of 2019 that this time would come at some point as it was always an expensive endevour on our part it only just made enough to make it worth while. As you all know the costs of everything have gone up dramatically over the last year or so and therefore as a result it has been getting harder to run the webstore effectivly what with decreasing margins etc. So we have taken the decision to shut down the e-commerce part of the website. The costs of warehousing, the associated software and hardware, manpower, costs of processing, shipping etc has gone up 30% and it's apparent that it's no longer financially viable to continue to run the online webstore with all the support infrastructure that a webstore needs. We have also seen that with the recent cost of living crisis we have seen a downturn of 40% online business from this time last year which is unsustainable. So what does this mean? Well Its not all doom and gloom. The good news is (yes there is good news) that we are not closing Hawke Motorsport, we have our workshop in Romsey, Hampshire and we will still be able to supply you all the equipment that we do now, but it will be a order only basis, i.e you will need to PM, Call or email with your requirements. We will of course update the forum with specials as we do now. There are major benefits to this, for instance we will be able to keep our prices low and be able to offer better deals for the club as we won't have the overheads of a warehouse and other associated costs etc. There is also the fact that we do also have a fully functioning workshop, with in house fabrication, a precision engineering business partner (for those one off special precision parts or part runs), in house bodywork repair with paint booth and in house, ramp, tyre & garage facilities, so if you are in the area we can help you in a more practical way. We will of course remain a sponsor So not great news but not bad news either.

Looking forward to parts shop opening tomorrow.

Parts and technical support open on 1st April according to there press release.

I will be there

@GaryD1971 She had me at 'child free weekend'. The show is a bonus though! 🤣 @Baz456 - Norfolk AOThanks Barry - will do!

No worries Luke. I have seen that show when we had a rare child free weekend funnily enough! It was a brilliant show, I'm sure you will love it!

I am also sorry to hear this but also pleased that you are carrying on. I have found Hawke to be very easy to deal with and have provided fantastic pricing and service when I have dealt with them. Long may this continue. Good luck with the new avenue of business.

I see you've met me... 😄

Hi Luke, sorry you can't make the 25th meet. Please keep an eye out for the date of the next get together. Regards, Barry

February 4th, 2023 Spend: £10.00 So what to do with the gaping big hole left by moving the fuel filler? Fill it up with a 3D printed blank and cover it with a V8 Westfield gel badge. Big thanks to @Steve (sdh2903) who led the way with this and pointed me to someone who can create these gel badges in whatever colour/design you like. February 5th, 2023 Spend: £0.00 I finally used the 3M Perfect It Gelcoat Medium Cutting Compound that I bought after trying out the Fine Compound last year and got rid of the horrible marks left by the spare wheel that used to decorate the rear of the car. February 20th, 2023 Spend: £33.96 Last month I removed the arch protectors and filled the holes left behind, ready to be wrapped. What I didn't realise was that vinyl wrap really needs to be done in warm temperatures (20C or higher) otherwise the vinyl wrap turns brittle and unflexible. So plan B. Bought a couple of cans of FullDip Matte Black and SuperGloss peelable paint and masked off the area to be painted. The idea being that it will last as a temporary cover which can be replaced when the outside temperatures have risen. About 6 coats of black and 4 coats of gloss and the result looks acceptable. It is not as tough as I hoped for, but it will do for a few months. February 25th, 2023 Spend: £43.95 Inspired by a thread on the forums, and armed with some more FullDip, I set about to also give my nosecone the paint treatment. February 26th, 2023 Spend: £11.59 Having rotated the car in the garage, I could finally reach this part of the engine bay and set about removing the superfluous heater... the V8 generates plenty of heat already 🤣 Last month: £ 4476.28 This month: £ 49.50 ----------+ Total: £ 4525.78

We are living in a fast-moving modern world and as such, paying by cheque has become rather antiquated - as has posting that cheque. With banks closing more and more local branches as well, the club is finding it to be increasingly difficult and time-consuming to deal with the extremely small number of membership cheques it receives. Therefore, as of 1st March 2023, the club will no longer accept cheques for membership payment, and all payments must be done online via the forum. There are pinned threads in the Membership Info Only forum that can help you regarding buying membership online and renewing membership online. If after reading these threads you are struggling to pay for your membership online, please email the Membership Secretary at wsccmembershipsecretary@gmail.com and you will be contacted to provide you with assistance.

You're right. There's Saturday morning too...

Roof hoop drilled out and fitted to the clamps, just need to cut down the threaded rod a bit now. Roof bars cut down to length. I’ve put some foam pipe insulation around them which seems to work well. I’ve added a strap between the roof hoop and the roll bar which allows more tension to be added plus a bit of height. The whole lot seems pretty well tensioned now, almost tempted to go and give it a road test as it is to see how it fares. I must say, I doubted my ability to do this successfully but I reckon it will turn out pretty well now. Just need to master that sewing machine!

I don't have one, but there is every chance I cold pick one up on the way...

Good evening all. I am about to book on to my first track day at Lydden Hill in April as it’s local to me and Iam itching to have a go. Dom in his MK Indy will be joining me. Hopefully a few other kits may also decide to join in too It’s a great little circuit with a cafe and free spectating too, priced at £130 for the day, full details on the Lydden Hill website link below… https://lyddenhill.co.uk/events/car-trackday-21/ Or even like I did a few times last year whilst building up the courage to have a go, just pop along and spectate. A good excuse for a bacon bap and a coffee run out ☀️ 🏎️ 🏁 Ben

Oooo 👍👍 Better get my life sorted!

Take a dog... Nobody expects a dog owner to be a predator! ...I haven't got a dog... 'Dogging isn't walking the hound I discover...

Isn't (or, wasn't) Neptune in the mix as well? Quite close to the moon so it was blocked out by the moons reflection but I think it was there. There's been a great view of Orion over the last few days. Too much light pollution in London to see much detail elsewhere though. If it's clear tonight I might take a trip to a dark, quiet hill not too far away and see what I can see, Aurora Borealis-wise at least. Wandering around in the dark with a pair of binoculars can be a risky undertaking round here

In those pictures I hadn’t actually done anything, just folded the hood up inside to see if it could be made to look roughly as I wanted it to. Mrs Stu is away tonight, so I’ve made some more progress. I’ve cut along the line of the windows to give a basic shape to work with, and also removed the side flaps which Velcro to the top of the doors as I won’t be using full doors. I had bought some, but don’t think I’ll fit in comfortably with them so have ordered some carbon half doors instead. So, this is where I’m at. It will never be a full roof again, that’s for sure! I’ll try it back on the car again before deciding how much more of those side protrusions to remove. Ideally I will use part of the rear window to reproduce the small window in the proper half hood. I also am now thinking I can use the side strips as the cover flaps for the access zips if I do them. They are just about the perfect shape and can be cut to length. I think I will have the roof bars fairly close together to make access easier. That might compromise rigidity a bit but at least I will be able to get in! Apologies if anyone has a funny turn looking at the kitchen floor, it is a bit lively 🤣.

Lovely evening in Dromara

A couple of Oxfordshire Area members went along to the Bicester Scramblers' Ford Assembly yesterday morning. Lue Howard took his Ford Zetec and Type 9 gearbox in his Westfied SEi and Simon Marks his Ford YB turbo and T5 gearbox in it's traditional home! Both cars were admired and we had enjoyable chats with other visitors.

Cheers all, sorry for late reply as went off-grid for chilled weekend in North Devon. …a bit of a recce for a weekend blat later in the year but don’t the wife!