Building your first Westfield

[Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman]

Which ever way you go, you'll find pretty much all the help, support, advice and general wee taking you'll ever need or want within the club's hallowed halls!

 

Best thing while you're trying to decide is to get along to you're local club meets. There might not be so many Westfields to ogle at this time of the year, but a chat or three and a pint with owners and builders will help you come to a choice.

[OrmusKnight]

how long did it take you to build your car

 

• About 2 years to the day, like others it was something I really wanted to do but had no practical experience. Go slow, read a lot, read again, ask questions etc... Doing it is part of the fun and challenge, if i just wanted a car, I'd have bought second hand and saved a fortune. 

 

did you buy it as a full kit or a module kit

 

• Full kit, I asked for the bodywork not to be included (it was on the works order not too), but it was there at pickup. Would have been much easier to not have the bodywork in the way for that long. I'd try to get the bodywork later if that's practical for you. 

 

was there any unforeseen costs in addition to the kit/module purchase costs

 

• Adding in a ATB diff, was a pain. Should have just bought a ready made one, about £700 for IVA and then all the tools i didn't have say £500 more.

 

how much room did you have or then wish you had to do the build

 

• Most of the build double garage just dedicated to the build. Now a single garage, but do most of the work outside. 

[housebuilder]

Agree with all of the above. If you want to build, build. If you just want the car buy one finished. It was all about the build for me which is why I am ashamed to say I finished mine in October last year having picked the kit up in May but I still haven't sorted the IVA! Got round to taking it in July and it failed on a few bits which took about a fortnight to resolve - booked the retest last week! If you want a low (zero!) mileage car I could let you have one! Would love to build another.

[Rob55]

I think the cost and time to build will vary hugely on your personal goal.  If you are happy building a standard, factory spec car and sticking to the manual, you will spend less money and less time and it should be pretty straight forward.

 

If on the other hand, you wish to build an individual car with a custom spec, both time and cost can quickly spiral.  I picked up my kit in Aug 2012, and would say I am about 40% of the way through the build.  I am looking like I will end up about £5k over budget and about a year longer than I first anticipated.  BUT, I know when it is finished it will be exactly the way I want it and it's something I will be immensely proud of, which for me makes the whole thing worth it in the end.

[NVP66S]

I have a different perspective from most commenters here, as I am just starting my project. I like to build things, starting with kit radios when I was 10 years old. (Heathkit crystal diode radio) I did a restoration of a Mercedes-Benz 190 SL when I was in college as a break from studying all the time. (I traded a VW squareback and $200 for that rusted-out sad condition car in 1973) To me, as many other commenters say, it's about the process, not the ownership. I'm going the Mazda SDV route, and for the money I'm spending on the Westie project, I can buy a nice new MX5. So I agree with the consensus: If what you want is a car, buy a completed car. If what you want is a buiild project and the license to say "I built that", then build it.

 

I paid a premium price of $2300 for the donor, but it was legal and running and I valued the knowledge that there was nothing seriously wrong with a car I could drive home and it has really nice aftermarket wheels that are going on the Westie. Plus I didn't need to rent a trailer or borrow a tow vehicle. My budget for the project is little more than the kit plus the donor plus whatever tools are needed.

[cleowuss]

Hi Damian

 

Mine took 3 years to build.

Bought as a multi donor kit.

Yes The extras were daft things like fastenings and the odd tool. 

Would have loved a double garage but alas I make do with a borrowed single.

 

In the end it will come down to what you want to build and how much and how far you want to take it away from the "standard kit".

 

Mine took 3 years to build as I moved the engine back in the chassis so a new gearbox mounting plate had to be designed, made and modified. Luckily at that time I worked for an engineering company with a boss who had built a car (a robin hood). Having the engine mount plates made bigger, A week with an empty garage is a long time. Also had to save up for the bits I wanted, wheels and front wishbones, that the factory didn't supply.

If you only have a single garage the you have to factor in the weather as most of the work has to be done on the drive. You can work when its freezing but cold driving rain? forget it! Time for research.

 

But at the end if you do build a car, you can stand back and say  "I built that car." And there aren't that many people in this world that can say that.

I could have gone out and bought a car for less than what it cost to build mine but I would have not the satisfaction of building it. I treated the build as a hobby not just as something that had to be done. And I would go and buy another starter kit tomorrow if I had the cash.

 

Hope this helps

 

Richard

[GeordieBarry]

Hi Damien,

 

I am in Aberdeen and have been building mine for about 4 years.

 

I bought an unstarted starter kit locally and have slowly, or should I say very slowly progressed with it. I work for my self so often don't have as much time as I would like to work on it. I work on the principle that if I am in the mood I will work on it, if not I leave it. I take my time to decide how I want to build it, first looking at all the options I can see. I often go back and change something I have already done, but when its finished it will hopefully be the way I want it. This website is great for ideas and assistance.

 

What is the budget? I don't have one. If I did have one I am well over it, but its my pastime and I enjoy it. I see progress from one year to the next so I will get there.

 

I could probably have bought a couple of Westfields for what I have spent, but I wouldn't of had as much enjoyment.

 

I am building mine in a double garage with heat, light and the tools I need. If I haven't got them I buy them, or my wonderfully supportive wife does. that goes for parts aswell.

 

Your welcome to come and have a look.

 

Barry