craggers Posted February 23, 2004 Share Posted February 23, 2004 Hi - just registered !! Currently I am researching the information regarding on building Westie. How much do it cost to build (total ballmark figure)? Also what is the difference on between SE to SEi (can't see any different!! ) ?? Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adhawkins Posted February 23, 2004 Share Posted February 23, 2004 Welcome aboard Model designations: SE - Original Westfield. Narrow body, 'live axle' rear suspension SEi - As above, independant rear suspension SEW - Wide body, live axle rear suspension SEiW - Wide body, independant rear suspension. I think all kits are now wide bodies. Can't really see any reason to go for a live axle these days, but I'm sure someone would correct me. As to your other questions, it's worth doing a search on here. There's lots of useful information if you're prepared to look. One useful build site is David East's site. Steppenwolf's site is also useful. Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timd Posted February 23, 2004 Share Posted February 23, 2004 Can't really see any reason to go for a live axle these days, but I'm sure someone would correct me. Live axle kits are lighter than independant rears.. and are fine for a track car where weight saving is an issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adhawkins Posted February 23, 2004 Share Posted February 23, 2004 I knew someone would correct me Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craggers Posted February 23, 2004 Author Share Posted February 23, 2004 Cheer mate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craggers Posted February 23, 2004 Author Share Posted February 23, 2004 So live axle is better than independant? that mean SE version is the one I should go for Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adhawkins Posted February 23, 2004 Share Posted February 23, 2004 It depends what you want the car for. I don't think you can get SE and SEi kits any more (all the cars are wide bodied). The choice between live axle and independant will to some extent be governed by what you want to use the car for, and where you want to get the bits from. There's also the relatively new 'SDV' (Single Donor Vehicle) whereby you buy a kit from Westfield, and all the other bits come from (I think) a Sierra... Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craggers Posted February 23, 2004 Author Share Posted February 23, 2004 It depends what you want the car for. I don't think you can get SE and SEi kits any more (all the cars are wide bodied). From what I saw on Westfield's website and it mentioned SE and SEi Mainly use it for road use (will use it on track day) planned to get 2 Vauxhall or Zetec (maybe 1.8 or 2.0) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timd Posted February 23, 2004 Share Posted February 23, 2004 For mainly road use, SEi definitely. Independant rear gives you a better ride on our crappy road surfaces. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adhawkins Posted February 23, 2004 Share Posted February 23, 2004 Can anyone else confirm whether SE and SEi kits are still available? I thought they weren't (but what do I know? ) Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craggers Posted February 23, 2004 Author Share Posted February 23, 2004 Hmm difficult decision !! SE or SEi (if Westfield still sell it !! How much do it cost to build it (total).. My ideal plan is fitting either Zetec or Vauxhall engine in it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timd Posted February 23, 2004 Share Posted February 23, 2004 Can anyone else confirm whether SE and SEi kits are still available? I thought they weren't (but what do I know? ) Andy I think they still supply narrow stuff to owners of narrow cars, but would be surprised if they'd sell you a narrow car from scratch now. Also not entirely sure why anyone would want to buy a narrow car unless they're really small or something! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilwillis Posted February 23, 2004 Share Posted February 23, 2004 I very much doubt that you can still get narrow body kits from the factory. The cost depends on how you wish to go about things. A complete module build - every part from the factory - will cost about £12,500 plus the little extras we all like to add such as tax and insurance etc. I spent about £14,000 on mine, but chose to source a lot of stuff elsewhere. If you want to do things on a budget, then I reckon you could do it all for about £7,000 realistically - sourcing bits from scrappies, and reconditioning them yourself, or going for the SDV option which is all based upon one donor car. I'd say the difference between live axle and independent rear is a foregone conclusion. Will the extra weight of the live axle outweigh (excuse the pun) the fact that independent diffs are easy to come by, and bolt straight in, and then of course give a better ride. I didn't think twice about that aspect. The Zetec is a good engine choice too, though a lot will say the VX is better for more power for your pennies when it comes to race tuning. Another factor is the choice between Type 9 and MT75 gearboxes. The Type 9 can be modified with ratio changes later on, but if you just intend to use the car on the road, the MT75 is just as good, and easier to adapt. I'm sure this will open the usual can of worms, so for all the info you need, do a search, everything has been discussed ad infinitum HTH The most important first step I would suggest is to join the club. Best £25.00 I ever spent Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craggers Posted February 23, 2004 Author Share Posted February 23, 2004 Cheer for the info !! build it on budget of £7,000 look good - Will join the club when I am going to purchase a kit form. If they not selling the narrow body kit, how much is the kit form? still £1995 and £2500 for SE/SEi ? Sorry for so many question, it just I am doing lots of researching about it at the moment Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deller Posted February 23, 2004 Share Posted February 23, 2004 I collected my starter kit on 30 Jan. They do not sell the narrow body any more and the widebody is the standard chassis. They do not distinguish between the narrow and widebody now and call the current offerings SE and SEi, although they are both widebody. All the documentation now refers to either SE or SEi and again they are refering to the widebody. My SEi (W) starter kit cost £3000. I had the chassis and suspension powder coated and chromed front suspension which was extra. If i'd known it at the time I would have had the panels fitted too as it is a pig of a job, especially if you only have a hand riveter. I was fortunate enough to have a compressor so I bought an air riveter which made it a lot easier. Invest in a brake pipe bender too as these are ackward. In addition when I visited the factory I bought shocks and chromed springs. As I am building a road going car these are fine a look good - if you want to use it for a lot of track.racing then it's not a good idea to chrome the springs as the coating alters the springs rate. I have a spare pare of front spax coilovers that I intend to fit for track days etc. I reckon I can build the car for around 10K. I already spent around 5K. The major costs will be throttle bodies, exhaust system and westfield interior such as seats and dash/insruments. Engines and gearboxes are plentiful and cheap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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