alexander72 Posted May 30, 2013 Share Posted May 30, 2013 cant wait to see the XI Wuv... i might be your first customer :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
User0083 Posted May 30, 2013 Share Posted May 30, 2013 I'd love a BEC XI... A stupidly quick one, perfect "Q-Car" (or sleeper car for Scott and friends). If not BEC, Honda Vtec... Maybe not as much as S2000, but still out an out fast. Cruising around having fun and enjoying the drive. Nice line of traffic up my bum... BOOM! Foot down and gone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WINGNUT Posted May 30, 2013 Author Share Posted May 30, 2013 I'd love a BEC XI... A stupidly quick one, perfect "Q-Car" (or sleeper car for Scott and friends). If not BEC, Honda Vtec... Maybe not as much as S2000, but still out an out fast. Cruising around having fun and enjoying the drive. Nice line of traffic up my bum... BOOM! Foot down and gone! and gone into another Kerb! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cleggy the Spyder Man Posted May 30, 2013 Share Posted May 30, 2013 cleggy just reading about your hearing , is it not worth you swapping your silencer to the other side , I did it a few years ago for a customer it was quite a easy and neat swap , we fitted flared sides to get rid of the exhause hole and just extended the exhaust under the car and out the other side , you could not tell externally at all and ground clearance was hardly compromised if at all Yes has been discussed (actually routing out the back rather than opp side) - will stick my head under the car tonight a see if there is a potential route to take it the other side Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman Posted May 30, 2013 Share Posted May 30, 2013 Big engined XI variants have been done - the factory used to do one with an XE engine in it. Trouble is it isn't just the bonnet height that's a problem. (WF did a bulged bonnet to clear the taller 16V engine). The whole design of the car was based around a certain drivetrain size, and a certain performance level. So the bodywork itself limits the size of wheels you can use. Go to high on power and without hacking the bodywork apart you'll easily end up with a hedge seeking missile if you're not careful! It's all quite fixable of course, it just doesn't necessarily look like an XI by the time you've finished. Even on classic A series power, they tend to be quite driftable cars, though I believe from what owners have told me, beautifully balanced with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman Posted May 30, 2013 Share Posted May 30, 2013 I know a few owners of seven types that have done the twin silencer route quite effectively - side mounted silencer, then leading back through the wheel arch, under the car to a rear box mounted side to side. How's your induction side? I find mines loud enough to drown out the silencer at times. Subjectively, it also seems a much higher pitch, more hammering type of note - always feels like it would be doing more damage when I've not got my ear plugs in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XTR2Turbo Posted May 30, 2013 Share Posted May 30, 2013 When i decided to go ahead and by my Westie i looked all over the place, spoke to god knows how many people selling theres plus dealers too! One chap off here was selling one i enquired about and he was selling to buy a Lotus!!!!! He said to me that the usual progression is to move to a Lotus then most arrive back at a Westie! Is this the norm? I only ask as Cleggy is looking at a possible change looking at a post i just read! I think there are lot's of factors. For some it is a cheap performance car that they have when they are young. Some enjoy building, others it is a track car etc From my observation I think the main reason people move on is that as they get older the balance of cost and performance vs compromise can change - especially if the other half has much of a say. Also there is much more choice in 2 seater sports cars than there was 20 years ago when I had my first Westfield. So where as a 25 year old single man the Westy was everything you wanted, it may not be when you are 35 with a wife and two kids but it may be again when you are 45 and fancy a few trackdays. If you have space and cash then just keep in the garage and buy a second toy and the best of both worlds. Extreme performance and perhaps more usable all weather performance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman Posted May 30, 2013 Share Posted May 30, 2013 At least one nail hit squarely on the head there David! (The older I get, the more cars I realise I need ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WINGNUT Posted May 30, 2013 Author Share Posted May 30, 2013 I remember when my dad built his first westfield many years ago! It was an affordable hobby, these days from what i can see when enquiring at a build quite frankly for the amount of use due to weather the price out ways the whole thing for me! Hope nobody takes offence to this but it appears to be a rich mans world now hence why i bought one done! I had to sell my car and motorbike to get my dream Car and even then its not the spec i ideally wanted but im more than happy with it! Like you say XTR2Turbo if you have the funds get another toy, for some (me) its not possible! The wife is amazingly supportive and says get whatever you want but i dont think she realises you have to pay for it! bless her! For example Cleggy possibly looking for an addition to his rather fruity duratec collection! And the best one i saw was at Stoneleigh this year! Me and my dad wondered off to the Caterham stand for a nosey to find a spanking new CSR290 in white fitted with a Cosworth powered unit! On the rear of the vehicle was a build manual, which started with a brief introduction into the build and him saying "i decided i wanted to build a caterham, however the CSR isnt available in kit form! After many a phone call with Caterham i persuaded them to let me buy one in kit as long as i signed a disclaimer!" This straight away says to me money man and lots of it, hence the next page in the build: Page 1: Caterham van dropping kit off having driven up private drive and through gates! Page 2: Caterham kit now in garage (2 storey garage) Page 3: Caterham kit from different angle, another vehicle seen in background-Blue lamborghini gallardo Page 4: Caterham kit from different angle, Lambo not just a gallardo but the spyder version Page 5 : Caterham kit from different angle, Lambo seen even better now just as the smug t##t drops his Bentley continental Gt in shot! Hence to say the build got shut and we walked away! lol! Along with IVA/SVA it killed alot of the building fun and hiked prices through the roof, stopping the lower income people being able to do it! Still i hear you and see your points of view, and i do agree with the use of them at age ranges think you smacked that nail right on the head! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
User0083 Posted May 30, 2013 Share Posted May 30, 2013 and gone into another Kerb! My wife's said "Hitting that kerb's the best thing that's happened to you in that car!!! Now I can use it to stop you using it in Birmingham! The car's now going to be in one piece for when we move out of this ******* **** ****!!!" Had to hide what she said due to people here that live local and like it here... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
james_swimmer Posted May 30, 2013 Share Posted May 30, 2013 Totally agree, I'm 27 the Westy is my only car, I cycle to work in all weather and use the car for evenings and weekends. Even when driven slowly I love the feel of the car, the fact that any small adjustment on the throttle or steering actually does something, why would I want to spend my journeys in a car which I get no enjoyment out of? Going back to your previous posts Dave I asked about sealing the bottom edge of the doors, I have now done this by using an impact adhesive to glue a 'jumbo' seal to the door, I also have almost ground touching mud flaps on the front cycle arches/wings. This solves the problem of water spraying up off the rear arch, even at 70mph in heavy rain. The only leaks I have at the moment are spray from the bottom corners of the screen (solved with rags) and drips onto my left leg at mid shin, which I am yet to investigate and seal. Somehow I can fit a surfboard in with the roof on, and with the roof off can easily strap my bike to the roll bar using the spare wheel bracket for wheels and a bit of pipe lagging over the roll bar for protection. The next thing I'll be looking at are heater mods, I will need to be able to blow in cool/ambient air on those hot wet summers days. Have you got any pics of your setup Dave? The only things that I'm restricted from doing in the Westy are going over big speedbumps and parallel parking, as don't want to get the nose crunched when a chelsea tractor that can't see it in the mirrors parks up. M older brother and my mum both have Elises, but it's just not the same, even with the roof off you're pretty well cocooned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WINGNUT Posted May 30, 2013 Author Share Posted May 30, 2013 James that dripping mid shin id say is through wiper spindles as thats where mine was from! Glad too see there is more than one skint member Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman Posted May 30, 2013 Share Posted May 30, 2013 No pictures of the heater install yet. I embarrassed to say, still finishing it off, (Stoneleigh etc got in the way). I'm just on the last steps now though; am part way through building the mould for the air box that will sit around the blower unit under the bonnet. Essentially, a grp box that mounts on the scuttle, over the top of the blower. It has an opening at the top, edged with rubber seal, this then seals against the bonnet. I've already cut out the bonnet "vent" moulding in the bonnet nearest the windscreen. I then pressed a section of extruded black powder coated aluminium mesh to fit in the opening. The system has already been working well as is, despite the fact that the blower can currently suck ambient engine bay air. Once the air box is in place, it will draw properly fresh air in through the bonnet vent. I've been taking pictures as I go, so will do a thread once I'm done. In the mean time, a quick shot of the mould in a very early stage! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
User0083 Posted May 30, 2013 Share Posted May 30, 2013 James, You're spot on. I love the way you feel like part of the car. Everything you do relates to the car and you get feedback from everything. My dripping mid shin was from the windscreen wash pipe. They, like all the rubber hoses in my car, just needed replacing due to previous owner doing 1300 miles in 7 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
User0083 Posted May 30, 2013 Share Posted May 30, 2013 Dave, Your heater mod caught my eye and imagination... Only issue I can see is effects rain water would have coming in? I sealed up my rear vents on my V8 bonnet due to rain water coming in on battery and fuses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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