The hunt for a kit car, what to get and why?

[Shakeywakey]

Hello all, 

 

new to the forum but I’m active on a lot of others, I have had my fair share of fast cars  and I’m after my new fix and was looking at evo’s (5/6) but Iv always been drawn to the Westfield. 

 

I have a few questions tho if people could clear things up for me. 

- apart from the westy/Caterham, what other models are worth looking at? What makes a westy best than say, a MK Indy?

-What are they like for long journeys? 

-and finally and most important, which is the Engine to go for? I’m after something that’s going to be properly quick. I’m currently building an r32 gtr that should be around 700bhp. But that’s a long long term project so I want something for now. 

Iv seen many with ztecs, a couple with Busa and blade Engines and fc20’s. I’m hoping for a s2000 engined one or a charged bike engine. But they’re few and far between it would seem. Where is the best place to look for them? Pistonheads just seems to be full of toybox cars and in my experience it’s better to buy a modified car off the person that did the mods. 

 

Hopefully Iv not waffled too much, I hope to be a valid member of the forum and hopefully help others. I’m a very competent mechanic, I did my apprenticeship building rx7’s and high power jap cars. 

 

Thanks a lot. 

[Andy (Sycho)]

There one for sale here

Can’t answer your questions on other make as I’ve never owned one, I nearly built a Dax Rush before I decided on Westfield.

As for long journeys I find it perfectly comfortable even with JK seats, I quite often do 200 mile on a track day.

[BugMan]

Have a look at GBS for a 7 like

http://www.greatbritishsportscars.co.uk/

S2000 is a great looking, sounding and performing power plant, but from what i have seen they are becoming harder to get.

BEC powered by big motorbike engines look very fast, but i would suspect that get a bit "revey" on longer runs.

Lots of really good people who can advise you on here, best move I ever made was to go along to my local group and speak to them.

Are you planning on building from scratch, or buying a car?

[chriss1455]

Seats are very much a personal choice for the person. I have tillets which i find very comfortable. Jks are also a popular choice with plenty raving about them.

Get down to a local meet where peoples cars will be and ask for a try out of different variety of seats to see which suits you best.

Engone choice again is something that there are many different options, however i will say that a properly set up car can feel and act a lot quicker than one that out does one that has tons of power

[Shakeywakey]

Thanks for the quick replies. 

 

Iv seen the gulf one already, abit too pricey for me I’m affraid, not saying it isn’t worth that tho. 

 

Id prefer a older one for abit less money hopefully. 

 

And seats are a good point, Iv 6’2 and pretty broad so would I have trouble getting in and out?

 

i will have a look in the meet section to see if there is one near me. I live in Cheshire, but I’m based in Norfolk (I’m in the military). 

[Steve (sdh2903)]

To be honest much is in the quality of the build. A well sorted mk Indy or mnr vortx will pee all over a poorly set up westfield and vice versa. The old mk chassis could be a bit hit and miss but now much improved but then the westfield chassis ain't perfect either.

A couple of massive plus points for the westfield.

1. This club/forum

2. Lots of choice for components/upgrades/carbon/roof/half roof/windscreen/aeroscreen  etc available to order easily rather than having to get custom made.

Engine choice is very personal. Try to get out in a couple of variants if possible.

I'm 6ft 4 and 17 stone and fit in a westy, but that was in a car with dropped floors and JK seats. I also fitted easy in an MNR.

[GuitarmanUK]

I have a GBS Zero and I am very happy with it.  They are very similar in the build process except the Zero uses more aluminium panels over the fibreglass on the Westfield. 

Engine wise, the Zero can take most of the 4 pot motors, including the S2000 lump, I have even seen one with a Mazda V6 in it, but not the Rover V8.  There is room to add a supercharger or turbo for more power.

My car is built mainly for the road and touring.  I have done 2 trips to France and 2 trips around Scotland with a trip to Switzerland coming up this June.  I have a tillet fibreglass seat and that has been very comfortable on the long runs. 

 

[andy665]

Welcome

Your questions I suppose raise more questions than definitive answers and I will restrict my response to Westfields as I have no real knowledge of other comparable cars

What I discovered when looking for mine is that there is a Westfield for everyone and if you can't find the exact spec then it only takes time and money to make it in to your ideal spec

I ruled out bike engine cars as I find them quite one dimensional - awesome if you are in the mood but hard work if you're not

I went V8 because for me it offers decent performance, great noise, durability and it can be whatever you want - very quick or a very relaxed docile beast

I find it very relaxing to drive, even with just an aeroscreen its easy to do 300 miles in a day without being worn out

Best thing is to nail down exactly what it is you are looking for in terms of price, performance, usability etc and get out to a few meets / shows

[Shakeywakey]

Thanks again for the replies chaps. 

 

What im hoping to use the car for is weekends, a few road trips and a few track days.

My budget will probably be up to 15k, going off some of the ones that have sold I should be alright getting a decent one at that price  

 

guess I’m just going to have to keep looking and wait for one to come up in the spec I’m after  

Thanks for the info on seating to. 

[Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman]

15k is enough to get a really good Westfield, with a lot of the right boxes ticked. OK, so Mega S2000’s are probably not going to be quite in range yet, nor Sport 250’s, but certainly good examples of Zetec, Duratec, Mazda,  V8 engined cars, etc

[Shakeywakey]

Yeh that’s what I was thinking, is supercharging the ford lump a viable option? Iv seen a few for around 11k with Duratecs and leave me about 4K to upgrade. 

[chriss1455]

I gottold when i changed my engine to a duratec last year that supercharging is a relatively easy option. 

I didnt go into detail as at the time it wasnt something i was interested in but i would say its certainly a viable option

[Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman]

Speak to Luke at Playskool, he’s been involved with a few supercharged Duratec conversions over the years, from fairly simple, needing if I remember right, minimal engine mods, through to the fire breathing monster Rich Kerr competes in the Speed Series with.

[Mole]

Are you based at Marham...there are a few Westys around the area of different ages specs and build stage..

This is my third and always wanted a duratec..after having zetec and before cvh.. but real question is what are you going to do with it..and will the pleasure come from working on it driving it, or a bit of both...

[SXRORY]

Welcome , you on m3 cutters? Thread on there thinking about buying a westy. I posted on that thread.

You mention being a mechanic so you know what you are doing. A lot to be said about it being reliable though. The higher you go the more stress on everything. 

Long journeys are ok I have an aeroscreen so I could be more comfy I know. I need a break after an hour and half as there is nowhere to put my clutch foot. 

I don't tow my car and by the end of track day I really really don't want to drive it back....but you do...and you book again. Lol