NigelO Posted June 20, 2022 Share Posted June 20, 2022 Apologies in advance for the long for sale thread - the first draft was far longer.... I’m not 100% sure I’m doing the right thing here, so advance warning that I might change my mind (as seems to be the way with quite a few Westie sales…). I've really enjoyed owning the car and I've really enjoyed the WSCC community, but now the I've got the car how I want it, I find myself looking for another tinkering project. The previous owner of this car (a friend from another car club) bought it in 2010 and although he used it extensively in his early years, he only managed 90 miles in it in the last three years of his ownership. Every year, he’d tax, MOT and insure it and every year, I’d try to buy it off him. In early 2018 he caved in and sold it to me. Let’s deal with the elephant in the room first – sometime between 2006 and 2010, it was a Cat-D write-off. The front nearside corner of the car was damaged, as was the nosecone. I vaguely recall that it was a minor ‘off’ into a tyre wall on a trackday. I’ve not been able to track down any more history, but the repaired car eventually re-appeared at Toybox which is where previous owner bought it from. I'm guessing that Toybox wouldn't have touched it if there were any questions about the quality of the repair. I don’t know who did the repairs, but the extent of them is quite obvious and can be inspected easily with the bonnet and nosecone removed. The front 30-40cm of the chassis was cut out and replaced and the wishbones and suspension replaced. The car has been through Toybox once and ProComp three times since then and nothing untoward noted. The only remaining sign of the accident is that one branch of the exhaust header has a small dent in it (one of the things I always meant to get round to). I took some advice before buying the car, and the response that sticks in my mind was “the money has been spent in the right places….” Basics It’s a Sierra SDV SEiW, originally registered in 2004 on an E plate from the donor car (see first two photos). Now on my personal plate that will be removed before sale. c. 16,000 miles MOT to October 2022 Engine 2.0 litre Zetec Silvertop – mapped in September 2019 by Troy at Northampton Motorsport – gave about 173bhp, but massively improved the mid-range and throttle response Machining work undertaken by Ferriday Engineering during original 2004 build: Head skimmed & valves recut to three-angle profile Block skimmed Re-bored & new pistons & rings fitted ARP rod bolts fitted Piper 270 fast road cams Cambelt and tensioners changed in early 2019 at c. 11,000 miles Raceline components: Shallow wet sump Water rail & thermostat housing Lightweight flywheel Inlet manifold Coolex 55mm Aluminium radiator (Jul20) Remote oil filter Jenvey 45mm throttle bodies Bosch injectors 90mm trumpets Pipercross 600 air filter (Apr21) Braided stainless steel fuel hoses DTA E48 ECU located on drop-down tray, passenger side Varley Red Top 25 battery (Apr22) with Varley battery bracket Westfield exhaust manifold Westfield carbon 6” silencer (Aug18) Thermal blanket protection around starter motor, plus additional heatshield Transmission Type 9 gearbox Sierra limited slip diff Suspension & Brakes Protech shocks/ Faulkner springs, fitted by Pro Comp Extra-wide track rear (due to Sierra donor vehicle) Bespoke semi-wide track front, built by Pro Comp Caster-adjustable top wishbones, custom-built by Pro Comp (Oct18) Full suspension set up (inc. corner-weighting) by Pro Comp (Oct18) Discs all-round, with vented discs up front Calipers (from donor) fully reconditioned during original 2004 build Goodridge speed-bleeder nipples for one-man bleeding Interior SPA steering wheel on Racetech removable steering wheel boss, with removable 1” spacer FreeWheel 8-channel controller for steering wheel buttons for indicators, sidelights, dipped beam, main beam, hazards, foglamp, horn (May18) Carbon NV carbon transmission tunnel cover Carbon NV Scuttle cover Carbon NV pedal box cover Carbon fibre gear knob (Winter 20/21) Carbon fibre handbrake handle (Winter 20/21) Playskool contoured dashboard with glove recess (12v power point and CTEK charge point in recess) - never seen another one on any Westie Ecliptech Shift-I shift light ETB instruments Savage billet aluminium switches Autowatch 171 key less immobiliser JK Composite seats, with adjustable runner under driver’s side Willans four-point harnesses Black leather gear and handbrake gaiters with yellow stitching Fire extinguisher mounted on chassis in front of passenger seat Exterior Chrome yellow bodywork with extra-wide rear arches - full repaint in Winter 20/21 Carbon fibre nose cone (quick-release – 2 x Dzus fasteners, plus one thumbwheel) Carbon fibre flared bolt-on side panels (painted) (Winter 20/21) Carbon fibre cycle wings (painted) (Winter 20/21) Carbon fibre rear diffuser (Winter 20/21) Carbon fibre boot cover, with remote electric and concealed mechanical release (Winter 20/21) Carbon fibre half-doors Carbon fibre rear arch protectors (ultra-rare in extra-wide) Carbon fibre front indicator pods (Winter 20/21) Carbon fibre effect rear number plate holder (Winter 20/21) Carbon fibre effect rear light housings with round LED light units (Winter 20/21) RAC spec roll bar with high level LED brake light Modified standard boot box, to fit RAC spec bar (Winter 20/21) Dominator 4” headlights with LED sidelight bulbs (quite bright – can be used as DRLs) Westfield aero screen with dark smoked upper 15” Pro Race 1.2 Team Dynamics alloys (plus a spare) Toyo R1-R tyres – 195/50-15 McGard locking wheel nuts Spare wheel carrier, rear mounted, with spare 15” Pro Race Team Dynamics alloy Luggage rack for RAC spec bar The bodywork was a bit shabby when I bought the car, but not bad enough to make me do anything about it, right up until ‘the nosecone incident’…. I bought a bare carbon nosecone from Toybox and took it to my friendly bodyshop, along with a sample of bodywork. They painted it and when I fitted it, it didn’t match. So, it went back and they re-painted it and the match was perfect – I was chuffed. Then the car rolled into the garage door and cracked the nosecone, so I had it repaired and repainted and it didn’t match. In a fit of spending, I then took the body off and sent it all for paint, so it’s as good as it’s ever going to be for an 18 year old car. The body-off respray meant I had a winter project on my hands and in typical fashion, I went completely overboard…. I eventually finished in August 2021, having done many, many things I hadn’t originally intended to do. A good example is the boot box. The previous owner had simply “cut-n-shut” the standard boot box to clear the RAC rollbar diagonals. I ended up butchering a brand new boot box with blended in plastic tubes to do the job properly. The previous boot lid was secured with four Dzus fasteners, which did the job adequately, but offended my mild OCD, so I build a custom lid with concealed hinges and a remote-control electric release (with mechanical backup) so that there are no visible fixings on the rear deck. I also went a bit overboard with the very wonderful Mark at Carbon NV, and fitted LOADS of his stuff – cycle wings, flared side panels, diffuser, transmission tunnel, scuttle panel, pedal box cover. The carbon fetish also extended to the handbrake handle and gearknob and I even made my own rear view mirror support bracket from leftover carbon bits. The rear diffuser is quick-release, secured with an aluminium plate along its leading edge and Aerocatches at the rear, using custom-built mounts that slot into the spare wheel mounting points. This is useful, as it occasionally grounds out when one-up, so it's good to remove it when two-up. 10 seconds to remove it and one minute to re-fit it. My quest for 'getting it right' also extended to fixings and fittings – I used close to £200 worth of lightweight aluminium fixings from ProBolt when putting it all back together. There are dozens of other little things I’ve done that I just don’t have space to go into great detail about – stuff like the grilles inside the flared side panels, the LED rear number plate lights incorporated into the mounting bolts, the custom housings for the diffuser Aerocatches, or the engine bay tidy-up with various P-clips to get all the leads and wires neatly routed. For me, this aspect of ownership has been just as enjoyable as the driving! Negative points: Small dent in one of the exhaust headers from the original accident Engine uses a bit of oil when driven very hard – nothing untoward and I just keep it topped up. A hard drive for a full tank (100 miles) might see me top up with a tenth of a litre, maybe a little more. If it’s driven at sane speeds, it doesn’t use any at all. I suspect the valve stem seals may have dried out a bit when the previous owner stopped using it and it's sucking oil past them at very high revs. In my ownership, it has only ever been run on Castrol Edge 10W40. It’s a bit noisy – I'm not sure if it’s just my sensitive hearing from years on bikes, but no screen, plus throttle bodies sucking through a bonnet cut-out means a conversation with a passenger is reduced to sign language after about 50mph. I nearly always wear a helmet and earplugs. The Playskool dash is looking a little bit shabby - I was going to get Carbon NV to make me a carbon version, but Mark is just too busy at the moment The rear arch protectors were a bit chipped (they did their job!) so I had them clear-coated while the body was being painted. The clearcoat has chipped more than the bare carbon did, so it really needs paint protection film on them. In my desire to be a bit different and going for the “clean” look, I up-ended the normal way of securing the rear end of the bonnet and used Aerocatches, with the pin in the bonnet and the Aerocatch in the bodywork. It works just fine and looks amazing, but if I’m honest, fitting the bonnet is a bit of a faff trying to get the pins in the bodywork holes. This is actually a consequence of the flex in the bonnet, not the execution of the idea. Carbon bonnet would fix it… 😉 From everything I’ve read about Cat-D Westies, there seems to be a consensus that if it’s done properly, it’s not a problem, especially as any repairs are normally very obvious (as they are with my car). However, I accept that a Cat-D marker is going to affect resale value, so pricing is a bit difficult. Asking price is £11,995 As I bought it As it looks now Dyno plot from the NMS mapping session - red = 'before', black = 'after' 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Kinder (Bagpuss) - Joint Peak District AO Posted June 20, 2022 Share Posted June 20, 2022 Sorry to see this go. It's a real credit to you. Good luck with the sale. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Hunter - Club Secretary Posted June 20, 2022 Share Posted June 20, 2022 You kept that quiet yesterday! Beautiful car, someone will be getting a fantastic and well sorted car 👍 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie Hall - WSCC AO Representative Posted June 20, 2022 Share Posted June 20, 2022 8 hours ago, NigelO said: I find myself looking for another tinkering project. Oh no, I would not have thought you would ever have put your car up for sale, it was just the look of pride on your face at Quackers when you debuted it after the lockdown mods. Can't you paint the bathroom again or something 😄, the Peak District needs you XXXX 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NigelO Posted July 8, 2022 Author Share Posted July 8, 2022 Hmmm - I knew I wasn't 100% sure I wanted to sell it, but I have someone coming round tomorrow morning to have a look. Ahead of this, I spent this afternoon working from home cleaning the Westfield and it has polished up rather nicely - I'm even less sure now. Perhaps a nice blat into Shopshire and mid-Wales on Sunday will cure me of these unforgivable thoughts.... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie Hall - WSCC AO Representative Posted July 8, 2022 Share Posted July 8, 2022 Have a great day on Sunday, let's hope it cleanses your mind. I can show you where the 'hide' button is if you need to make this advert disappear 😉 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Bosworth Posted July 8, 2022 Share Posted July 8, 2022 Kinda wish I’d hung on buying one now, I would of been keen on this one. 😏 good luck with sale. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NigelO Posted July 10, 2022 Author Share Posted July 10, 2022 Car is now provisionally sold - new buyer collecting next weekend after I've got the new V5 (I've put my personal plate on retention) 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoneWolf Posted July 11, 2022 Share Posted July 11, 2022 Wow this is probably one of the best Westfields I've ever seen, no doubt the first guy who has seen it is buying it 😄 Do you have a build thread or something like that by any chance? I'm interested on how you installed the carbon boot cover and the diffuser. Thanks and good luck with the sale Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Kinder (Bagpuss) - Joint Peak District AO Posted July 11, 2022 Share Posted July 11, 2022 16 hours ago, NigelO said: Car is now provisionally sold - new buyer collecting next weekend after I've got the new V5 (I've put my personal plate on retention) What will you be replacing it with? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NigelO Posted July 11, 2022 Author Share Posted July 11, 2022 1 hour ago, LoneWolf said: Wow this is probably one of the best Westfields I've ever seen, no doubt the first guy who has seen it is buying it 😄 Do you have a build thread or something like that by any chance? I'm interested on how you installed the carbon boot cover and the diffuser. Thanks and good luck with the sale Thanks - yes the old adage of "first to see will buy" has turned out to be true.... No build thread, sorry, but I can take some photos of the boot install and the diffuser fixings before the new owner takes the car Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NigelO Posted July 11, 2022 Author Share Posted July 11, 2022 35 minutes ago, Ian Kinder (Bagpuss) - Joint Peak District AO said: What will you be replacing it with? No idea yet. I'm really smitten with the Aston, so I may try to find a later one with the 4.7 engine ('cos more capacity is always a good thing, right?). A Fiat Panda 4x4 is beckoning for the winter months, as the Aston on Michelin PS4S isn't really an ideal winter car.... I might try a Westie with some creature comforts, as one of the downsides with my current car is that it's a bit compromised (bit too loud, quite buffeting, a bit frantic to drive, zero creature comforts - great when you'e in the mood, but a bit much at times. A SEight with a screen, roof, heater and soft seats is probably as far removed from mine as it's possible to get - it would be interesting to drive one just to experience it 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Kinder (Bagpuss) - Joint Peak District AO Posted July 11, 2022 Share Posted July 11, 2022 I'm sure @AndrewBClarke will run you round to convince you of the V8 comfortable lifestyle he leads! 😉 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndrewBClarke Posted July 11, 2022 Share Posted July 11, 2022 4 hours ago, NigelO said: A SEight with a screen, roof, heater and soft seats is probably as far removed from mine as it's possible to get - it would be interesting to drive one just to experience it Always welcome to have a try 😀 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Kinder (Bagpuss) - Joint Peak District AO Posted July 11, 2022 Share Posted July 11, 2022 6 minutes ago, AndrewBClarke said: Always welcome to have a try 😀 Piece of cake! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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