scotboy15 Posted July 15, 2005 Share Posted July 15, 2005 Hey everyone. I am fairly new to the world of Westfields but have been readying over the board for the past couple of weeks. Living up in Scotland it seems there are very few going around and I don't think the club even has a meet up here. Anyway it makes looking and buying a Westie hard. One has become available though about 2 1/2 hours away and was just wondering people opinions on it. Here are some pictures of it: It is Westfield SEi (whats the difference between the SE and SEi?) Has a X-Flow 1600 engine with fast road cam and twin Dellortos. Adjustable suspension all round. Guy says the electric ignition no longer works as it was always getting wet and stopping working. Is this ok? Come with ehaps of spares (Guy says basically comes with another full X-Flow engine), full weather gear Costs £4650 What do people think? Also what differences does the RAC roll bar make as I have heard about it but not in great detail? Can the weather gear still fit when it's on? Thanks for the help, advice and opinions. Jason *Awaits the "Pay £25 and join the club" comments* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gadrego Posted July 15, 2005 Share Posted July 15, 2005 Don't like the BMW style bodywork much. Is the green one for sale as well? It looks a lot nicer? *serious mode on* SEi means that it has independent rear suspension. Se are live axle. SEi are generally more desirable and probably better on resale. With that in mind, it looks like a pretty reasonable price if the condition is good. Should be able to sort out new ignition for about £200 if you want a garage to do the work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotboy15 Posted July 15, 2005 Author Share Posted July 15, 2005 Cheers for the reply. Ah so thats the differences. Cheers for that. Guy says it has disc brakes all round, is that normal? He says he has also modded it so that it doesn't over-heat in traffic. Is that a good thing (I persume it is). Can anyone answer the rest of my questions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adhawkins Posted July 15, 2005 Share Posted July 15, 2005 The main differences between the RAC roll bar and the standard one are: 1. Strength. The standard bar has been known to collapse if the car does roll 2. Height. The RAC bar is a good few inches higher than the standard one. As a quick eye-opener, take the bonnet off, and sit in the car. Now get someone to tie a piece of string to the roll bar behind your head, and hold the other end against either the front chassis rail or the top of the engine. If your head is above the piece of string (or even just below it), chances are that if you did roll, your head would hit the floor before the bar did. A sobering thought. The factory now sell a weather gear set that fits the RAC bar, and there are also people on here who have had some success in getting the standard weather gear to fit around the taller bar. Do a search (button at the top right) and I'm sure you'll find it. Welcome aboard Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gadrego Posted July 15, 2005 Share Posted July 15, 2005 My SEi has an RAC rollbar and a standard hood. With the frame removed from the hood, it fits over the RAC rollbar. Otherwise, you should be able to get one to fit from the factory but not sure if they do them for narrow bodies anymore or not. Disc brakes all round is common on an SEi, not so common on an SE. It would be worth finding out what cooling mods have been done. Fitting an expansion tank and Polo radiator is a common mod. Obviously, if it doesn't overheat, thats a good thing but it shouldn't overcool either. Temp should sit somewhere between 80 and 90, maybe raising to 100ish in heavy traffic (check the fan cuts in to bring the temp back down). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buzz Billsberry Posted July 15, 2005 Share Posted July 15, 2005 Scotboy15 where in Scotland are u? it would be worth (if reasonably close) putting a posting on and asking if any fellow jock would look at the car with you. The car looks well on the pickys and all your questions seem to have been answered. I would check the rear diff cage(Chassis) i.e. where the diff lives as on older models there's no triangulation in the chassis and there's a possibility of cracking/splitting. Although on a low powered car it should be ok. It does happen and it happened to my red XE the chassis had totally split right at the back of the diff cage. Also check for the general condition of the powder coating on the chassis Have a look to make sure there’s no bends in the wish bones F& R Check drive shafts for play And all the usual things you check when you where buying a sensible road car! Hope you get sorted. If you find any cars in the N/E N/W of Blighty drop me a mail and I'll come and have a look with you I'm based in Leeds the Capital of the Republic of West Yorkshire. Buzz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blatman Posted July 15, 2005 Share Posted July 15, 2005 The factory now sell a weather gear set that fits the RAC bar, and there are also people on here who have had some success in getting the standard weather gear to fit around the taller bar. The piccys look like a narrow car to me, so be careful when making those sorts of statements. Electronic ignition? Lumenition Magnetronic is about 70 quid, and takes less than 30 mins to fit, 'cos it's 2 wires and 1 screw. If some-one asks for 200 quid for a new electronic ignition system, they're taking the p***... He says he has also modded it so that it doesn't over-heat in traffic. Is that a good thing Depends on what the modification is. If he's simply removed the thermostat, then it isn't a good thing. If he's fitted a 74 degree stat and a Polo rad, then that is a good thing. Adjustable suspension all round. Westfields don't come with anything but. It's not a selling point or an added value item. *Awaits the "Pay £25 and join the club" comments* Get him down to £4500 and you'll have enough for membership, electronic ignition repairs and two or three full tanks of fuel for "testing". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adhawkins Posted July 15, 2005 Share Posted July 15, 2005 The factory now sell a weather gear set that fits the RAC bar, and there are also people on here who have had some success in getting the standard weather gear to fit around the taller bar. The piccys look like a narrow car to me, so be careful when making those sorts of statements. Good point. Thanks for correcting me. Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisbin Posted July 15, 2005 Share Posted July 15, 2005 Just one other point is that most buyers tend to look for Westy's with cycle wings. If you are happy with the flared jobby's as fitted then its another bargaining point..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotboy15 Posted July 15, 2005 Author Share Posted July 15, 2005 Wow cheers for all the replies! I live in Aberdeen but the car is based in Elgin (near Inverness). i would have preferred the cycle wings but as this is my first indulgence into the Westie world then I can live with the flared wings. So as it is a narrow version the standard weather gear may not fit over a RAC bar? This is only a concern if/when i actually buy the car. Cheers for the offer Buzz. May take you up on that if I find any other cars for sale in my price range. I cant remember exactly what he sadi about the cooling mod but basically it was something like the air goes around the radiator instead of through it. I could be completely wrong though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotboy15 Posted July 15, 2005 Author Share Posted July 15, 2005 Sorry this is probably a stupid question but what does pre lit mean (obviously pre litigation but what does that mean?) I am starting to have 2nd thoughts about the car above. Not too keen on the colour and would prefer the Cycle arches but would I be able to get as good a deal on any other cars for sale just now? I am only looking to spend about 5.5-6 grand max. I think I am probably worth holding off for the "perfect" one for me as there must be one out there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adhawkins Posted July 15, 2005 Share Posted July 15, 2005 There was litigation threatened between Caterham and Westfield over the original Westfield design (Caterham felt it was too close a copy to the original Lotus 7 that they now owned the rights to). It was (I understand) settled out of court, but led to a re-design (mainly the bodywork ) to satisfy Caterham. I think a lot of the parts will be transferrable between a pre-lit and a standard SE (there was one guy who put a new body onto a pre-lit chassis quite recently). As is his wont, Blatters will be along to correct me again shortly Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blatman Posted July 15, 2005 Share Posted July 15, 2005 So as it is a narrow version the standard weather gear may not fit over a RAC bar? This is only a concern if/when i actually buy the car. The only accurate answer is... it might. It all depends on how tightly fitting the hood is, and wether there is enough flex in the hood to make it stretch over an RAC bar. I am starting to have 2nd thoughts about the car above. Not too keen on the colour and would prefer the Cycle arches but would I be able to get as good a deal on any other cars for sale just now? I am only looking to spend about 5.5-6 grand max. I think you could find a car that is closer to the spec you want for the money you have to spend. Sadly, it won't be in Scotland (unless you're *very* lucky). It's rare for the *right* car to come up next door, so expect to travel the country. For what it's worth, one of your countrymen sold his Westfield to a bloke from Jersey last week, IIRC... so be prepared for some travelling... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darrell O'Neill Posted July 15, 2005 Share Posted July 15, 2005 Hey scotboy, Not much to add to the above comments, but I went through the same thing a while back (there are'nt many local to me here in Cornwall) Just dont buy a car 'cos its close to you, If you dont fall in love at first sight, walk away.... I travelled around the country looking for mine, I also missed out on a few good 'uns 'cos I was wary about travelling. Look at as many as possible, there's some good ones around at the moment. I would add that if your budget is near 5.5-6K that you are possibly in the SEIW band. Saying that the car does look tidy and the price is OK.... Good luck... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markcoopers Posted July 15, 2005 Share Posted July 15, 2005 Any idea of the age of the chassis? I ask as the early SEI's used the live axle's diff (English), but in a Westfield casing with westfield made halfshafts/drifshafts. These can fail and are a right pain in the to fix. The cooling mod sounds no more that a screen on the side of the radiator preventing any air entering the nosecone going around the radiator. Thus improoving air flow through the radiator. It works to a degree. Car looks clean and tidy, which is a good sign of someone who lavishes money on it, but the ignition comment says completely the opposite. Does all the paperwork stack up and are there plenty of recipts with the car? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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