Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman Posted May 28, 2020 Share Posted May 28, 2020 Wow, eight, that’s very good going! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GarethHD Posted May 28, 2020 Share Posted May 28, 2020 and by the way chaps, for what it's worth…..it has to be carbs every time…..never had any problems with cold starting. Had plenty of issues with other things such as ground clearance and a clunky LT77 but….add a custom made underslung exhaust into the original factory back box (no longer available) makes the sound indescribable, bit like one of the big TVR V8s….and just about road legal (honest). I found the side pipes made a Westy sound (and behave) "like a Cobra on speed"……..and on a long journey just getting one bank of the V8 in your right ear was not very comfortable. That's why (Dave) they sound great from 50m away!! My summary thoughts for V8 Animal is you must see the car before buying. if you can, take someone who knows about these things. Inevitably two heads are often better than one. Check all the usual things especially the "oily bits" before you buy, and check again. Look at the MOT advisories: discs may be simple enough, but you really don't want a propshaft failure. Might just be a UJ. There are a few oddities which have previously been picked up here…i.e. it's definitely not the V8 contoured dash and is this a personal sale or a trade sale? I bought a Westfield from a trader only to find the car was owned by his wife???!!! Spent £13k rebuilding everything. So beware! If the sale is a private one and the seller can't give you a detailed provenance then I would be very cautious, unless you know what you are looking for. If you're not familiar with the "oily bits" talk to a V8 specialist. I'm sure there will be several, but from my experience I can wholly recommend talking to Ian at RPI Engineering near Norwich and Ray at V8 Developments near Spalding. By all means mention my name if you wish. I'm sure my fellow club members would be able to come up with a comprehensive check list if you are serious about this purchase, but here's some things you may wish to consider: what car did it originally come out of (my first V8 was registered as re-bodied TVR!) is it correctly registered…..I bought an advertised 3.9 only to find when stripping and rebuilding the engine it was in fact a 4.6 how many previous owners… if there are many ask yourself why if it was registered in the mid 90s and the mileage is rather low, again ask why (it's not unusual for these 'toys' to do limited mileage, but sometimes it reveals it's either been in the garage a lot or it's just un-driveable) if you don't know what the 'Q' plate means, Google it which gearbox, ideally it must be a five speed; LT77 (reverse is across left and up) basic but strong enough certainly for a 3.5, R380 (across left and down) as fitted to the MGB V8s and others is better (although increasingly rare), if it's a Tremec then that's worth £5k in itself which diff? V8s have been fitted with a variety of diff ratios and I'm no expert on these, so ask someone who does! Rovers are notorious for dropping oil: check the oil sump gasket as most repair shops these days use that blasted silicone gasket sealer….bits drop off inside and block the oil pick up…. the Rover V8 is a heavy breather ! I'd like to have a better view of the engine bay to see how it's been done here, you can see the 2" K&N on the breather hose…that's ok, but where does the other go? Usually they will join at a T and then, depending on which carb you have, feed back into the carb/inlet under the air filter…or sometimes an oil catch tank?? carburettor: Weber 500 (now Edelbrock) is best in my opinion, Holley is nice but can be tricky to set up inlet manifold: which one? Edelbrock, etc. Doesn't really matter but should be compatible! Looks like you've got blue Magnecor leads which is good…which distributor? fuel filter and fuel pressure regulator cooling!!…mine ran at a round 89 to 95. electric fan and operating thermostatic switch is essential…run it and note the temperature the fan kicks in ground clearance: the lowest point under the car is most likely to be the bottom of the bell housing, then the sump; check the bell housing front cover is present, behind the clutch slave cylinder; often you find it's been 'lost' over the years. If it's not there have a good look inside ….it's a great dirt trap suspension: check the ride height and shocks are adjustable geometry: this looks like standard track….drive it and see how you get on, you may consider wide track gives you better cornering,…if the steering is wayward, or it suffers bump steer, or just wanders around you must get the geometry done by a specialist. Worth every penny. With the power and torque available under your right foot, you could very easily find yourself in a ditch…as mentioned above you do have to treat these cars with respect…you can't just boot it like your Zetec….for one thing it'll probably wheel spin and slew the back end out brakes: everyone has their favourites, but check which make. If the car is a mid 90s spec they may well be AP Racing on the fronts but branded Westfield. That's good! tyres……..getting the power onto the road: most were 15" and IMO you need at the very least 205's on the rear. I've had Toyo and Yokohama. It's personal. Tyre pressures: with 205s 18psi rear 20 - 22 psi front should give a good starting point and what I used for 'cruising'. Definitely don't over inflate otherwise it will be like driving on ice. …..and consider buying a Haynes manual on the Rover 3.5 V8…..useful reference/help mainly for the engine Hope that helps, good luck! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingster Posted May 28, 2020 Share Posted May 28, 2020 2 hours ago, GarethHD said: you don't know what the 'Q' plate means, Google it But be aware that for kit cars it’s not a bad thing - in fact it can be an advantage come mot time. Whereas a Q plate Ford Focus would be worth way less than one on an ordinary plate - on our cars it’s of little consequence as we always buy on build quality and components. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GarethHD Posted May 28, 2020 Share Posted May 28, 2020 Yes.....no emissions test! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V8 Animal Posted May 30, 2020 Author Share Posted May 30, 2020 I’ve been to see it today! one worry mot ran out 22/5 and seller says 6 month extension I believe incorrect. from 30/5 so would have to be trailered and no test drive available. only done 200 miles since last mot due to sellers health problems difficult with legs. so seems legit. engine fired up with choke sounded ok to me, just gearbox and diff can’t check the rest isn’t really a problem. full rain gear and tonnou and boot box. big file of paperwork too. could get it for 11k cheers paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CraigHew Posted May 30, 2020 Share Posted May 30, 2020 The mot actually expired 22/03 so no extension i doubt... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SXRORY Posted May 30, 2020 Share Posted May 30, 2020 2 hours ago, V8 Animal said: I’ve been to see it today! one worry mot ran out 22/5 and seller says 6 month extension I believe incorrect. from 30/5 so would have to be trailered and no test drive available. only done 200 miles since last mot due to sellers health problems difficult with legs. so seems legit. engine fired up with choke sounded ok to me, just gearbox and diff can’t check the rest isn’t really a problem. full rain gear and tonnou and boot box. big file of paperwork too. could get it for 11k cheers paul I would definitely advise a test drive to make a decision IMO. When I was buying, I drove 2. Both sew live axle. Literally chalk and cheese the pair of them. One being a real work out with a heavy clutch and awkward driving position. The one I bought felt bob on. good luck with search v8 in the for sale section looks nice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V8 Animal Posted May 30, 2020 Author Share Posted May 30, 2020 36 minutes ago, SXRORY said: I would definitely advise a test drive to make a decision IMO. When I was buying, I drove 2. Both sew live axle. Literally chalk and cheese the pair of them. One being a real work out with a heavy clutch and awkward driving position. The one I bought felt bob on. good luck with search v8 in the for sale section looks nice can’t find that section Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndrewBClarke Posted May 30, 2020 Share Posted May 30, 2020 5 minutes ago, V8 Animal said: can’t find that section I think you need to be a full member of this brilliant club to be able to access to all of the club site 😀 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V8 Animal Posted May 30, 2020 Author Share Posted May 30, 2020 I did find it, 3 hours away and won’t be in my budget. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GarethHD Posted May 31, 2020 Share Posted May 31, 2020 Hi Paul I’m glass you’ve seen it. Caveat emptor. I bought a V8 that I wasn’t able to test drive. Done in good faith.. Parts were not as claimed and it was set up so badly with loose adjuster lock nuts It was undriveble which explained why it had only done 750 miles in 7 years and it overheated and.....and.....etc. it cost me upwards of £13k to fix. just saying! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GarethHD Posted May 31, 2020 Share Posted May 31, 2020 Just a thought Paul, could you ask him to get it MOT’d as part of the deal? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Kinder (Bagpuss) - Joint Peak District AO Posted May 31, 2020 Share Posted May 31, 2020 As suggested by others, you really need to drive it! Why not insure it for you to drive to an MOT and then you'll get to drive it and see how it fares at the MOT. I'd be suspicious of someone selling a car with no MOT. If they are serious about the sale they should support the above. If you don't buy the car you could agree up front that they pay the MOT fee given they'll benefit from it having a MOT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V8 Animal Posted June 1, 2020 Author Share Posted June 1, 2020 Can’t paste but there’s a blue V8 on PH that ticks the right boxes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Kinder (Bagpuss) - Joint Peak District AO Posted June 2, 2020 Share Posted June 2, 2020 15 hours ago, V8 Animal said: Can’t paste but there’s a blue V8 on PH that ticks the right boxes This one- https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/westfield/other-models/westfield-seight-3-9lt-efi-v8/10554566 Looks tidy and reads well. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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