Paul Hurdsfield - Joint Manchester AO Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 Ooops, I hope all goes well with the recuperation and there's no lasting effects As for the Westy thats quite a big hit your taking there, and through no fault of your own, I hope the sale goes well, and if not you've got something to look forward to when you get better Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bow1build Posted May 29, 2014 Author Share Posted May 29, 2014 Not too bothered really it's more the wife that wants jeep to take the place of the westy to save lugging the shopping further . Like you say at least I have a target to reach while recovering from the operation and hopefully get to drive it once again, to be honest there s been 3 years planning this build where I took time picking the right engine/gearbox/ diff parts to really set this apart from anything else out there. I used Spoon Sport Europe with the honda s2000 gearbox so it's brand new and nice n tight and paid a little extra in uprating 1 st and second gear as with the westfield a lot lighter than the S2000 and with an extra 115bhp it seem the right idea. Moving on with the rear diff well I trusted good old flea bay where there was a guy selling a low mileage Sierra cosworth 7 inch diff so I bought it and guess what it was a junker . So I found a site where you can check the ID tag against a huge list and it turned out to be a Sierra cosworth LSD diff from 1988 to 89 .i decided that I would find a UK company to build a custom diff using the 7 inch diff I bought so after 2 months I went with Bara Motorsport and I liked the way he responded to my emails and he wast talked about a fair bit on the lo cost builders forum . We decided to run a 4.1 ratio which matches the same setup as stock honda s2000 and he completely rebuilt the unit and tested it prior to shipping it back and all done within 14 days which I felt was a fast turnaround. I m not 100% but I m pretty sure he also adjusted the platted LSD somehow as to ajust the LSD to suit the lighter kit car . After the gearbox/diff was returned my next move was to commit to an engine , well as I break honda s2000 I had plenty of choice and made sure I picked a black 04 plate facelift model honda s2000 with 28k miles on the clock one owner and a forum member who maintained it to the highest order. After that I then started to collect parts like sports clutch, lightweight flywheel, plasma coils, mocal oil cooler, then asked Radtec if I could have an extra large westfield aluminium radiator as I knew from the supercharged honda s2000 rad very very hot so wanted to make sure that I had the water temps sorted , when I dropped it off with Simon and Russ and mark they noticed straight away that like everything else I had bought that it wasn't a standard rad , think its 70mm thick but same size as the other Radtec off the shelf ones . Anyway just noticed I ve types an essay so my finger is tired and give it a break and have a cuppa made by the wife.......being I'll has its bonuses lol !!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M444TTB Posted May 29, 2014 Share Posted May 29, 2014 That's the sort of history that's great to record and keep with the car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bow1build Posted May 29, 2014 Author Share Posted May 29, 2014 I agree that s one reason why I have a box file with every purchase made and the various spec parts are , as well as 15 sheets of itemised westfield invoices which is a good read and make sme cry everytime lol......like I ve written in a few pages back this car was built to be my ultimate track toy with no corners cut and one reason why it has taken a few years to complete as there is another story to this build which I must share as the guys at westfield know the main reason they built it all. I ordered the megas2000 starter kit around April last year with a collection date around June ish and with the intension of building the kit car with my father as a father/son bonding type of thing . Anyway my father passed away suddenly on Father's Day last year after I found him in the day time at home off ill from work so usual stuff ambulance then ICU for 11 day but heart attach he had was so severe that too much damage was done and well that s that so to be honest again the car should stay in the corner of the garage as a reminder but then sometimes it's also a reminder so thought I would drop a bit more sort of info into my situation which has been well ......it would make a good book as it's just one thing after another oh and 2 weeks ago our house sale fell through after we moved into a new place too !!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M444TTB Posted May 29, 2014 Share Posted May 29, 2014 Great reason to keep and enjoy the car when you can. On an (mostly) unrelated note can you buy new F20C engines from Honda? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bow1build Posted May 29, 2014 Author Share Posted May 29, 2014 Yes , there are a few different companies offering various long block , short block motors, spoon sports uk, honda lings online store, and another firm but expect to pay 6 to 8 k for full engine maybe even more just an example the gearbox I had built the OEM honda parts came to £1250.00 without strip and assemble , test then shipping on to for a six speed standard ish box . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bow1build Posted June 1, 2014 Author Share Posted June 1, 2014 Hi there all, just wondering what Polish can you use to clean the bodywork.are there any do s and don't with cleaning the gel coats as I have all cutting compounds and polish machine so just looking for more info as I don't want my brother to wreck it when he cleans my car for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 It depends(!) when it comes to general cleaning, polish etc, there's not really any single product that gets recommended. (So many Westfields are track orientated and rarely see much more than a bucket of water!) Owners that do like to go a little further on the whole seem to use the Staples like Auto glum SRP etc, or just carry over whatever specific polishes/sealers/waxes they use on the regular tin top. Very few of us machine polish. (And even fewer admit it! ) When it comes to fixing issues with the gel coat, then sanding with wet and dry (if required), followed by (ideally machining with) Farecla G3 cutting compound has been the default for years, typically finishing off with SRP or similar. Lately, a few have been using, with some success, the coarsest 3M cutting compound instead of G3. The biggest pain with G3 is it's just so messy, though I've yet to find anything personally, quite so good at getting the worst marking out. (In theory, it'll remove anything up to the equivalent of about 1200/1500 grit sanding marks). Like I say though, I've heard good reports of the 3M and am keen to try it. Because of the messiness, I tend to hold back the G3 nowadays for use in actual repairs, rather than just cleaning. For more periodic cleaning up/fixing the blemishes of road use, I use the Metz compounds, (I've got the course, medium and final finish) and will use whichever, or whichever combination is appropriate. I normally do it once a year at the start of the season, (pre the big Stoneleigh show), then treat with SRP, then a final coat with the AG HD wax. Really brings the grp up a treat. Once the Metz stuff is used up, I plan on trying the 3M equivalent. GRP really responds well to machine polishing from my experience. You do have to watch the gel coat thickness though, especially if attempting any wet sanding. Where the gel coat is nice and thick - it looks smooth like glass, you can be remarkably aggressive with the sanding, you can go as far as 400 grit, with a little care. However, if you see what's know as "print through" on the surface, (an ever so slightly textured pattern, that looks a bit like cross hatching, with random short lines, this is actually the chopped strand mat showing as peaks and troughs in the gel coat). This can't easily be sanded at all, the gel coat is relatively thin, and though even, there are strands of glass near enough the surface that any attempt to truly flat it will probably expose them. (They look like random tiny white lines, if you break through). Painting is the only solution at that point! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SootySport Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 Autoglym srp works for me as well, easy on the arms and shoulders, gives a good shine for not a lot of effort. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rednop1 Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 I used autoglym for year but after a mate told me to try collinite 915 not cheap but gives a **** hot finish ash Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 Have seen recommendations for Collinite, never tried it though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KugaWestie Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 I like Collinite - 476s is very nice to use Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M444TTB Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 Has anyone used an orbital polisher (like a proper rotary but for dummies!)? My wife has owned a Meguiars one for years (think we bought it from Dommo!) but barely used it. Needs some new pads and product but not sure what to use. My new Westfield body needs a good going over possibly with some sanding on a few scratches. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bow1build Posted June 2, 2014 Author Share Posted June 2, 2014 I have so much cleaning products that I used on the honda s2000 and just wanted to make sure the products are ok to use on gel coats .so it sounds like they can be used , also do you polish the blue ing staining on the exhaust system once a year as I was a little disappointed with the drastic colour change from perfect shiny stainless steel to brown/ blue colour , I think a carbon look box section is in order to retain the perfect look. One bit of news is I m in hospital on the 8th July for Nero surgeon so I m thinking fook it and get some track time in as my back damage is done so got to have one track day before operation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bow1build Posted June 5, 2014 Author Share Posted June 5, 2014 Had a nice 2 hour spin tonight in the lovely sunny evening , I must say the 4.1 ratio is perfect with the standard honda gearbox , water temps where showing 70 degrees and oil pressure was 3 bar while driving and 0.9 at idle so not sure if that's ok, I bought a stack oil temp sensor which I can mount on the roll cage as I have a sensor fitting point on the sandwich oil plate . I must say the power is mind bending and I love the way the the digi dash has a 4 led light shift sequence . Anyway I really enjoyed the spin and want to book pembrey raceway now just to take the car to the limit as it hits 130 in a blink of an eye Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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