Day of reckoning getting near!

[sandhurst]

Before making the "large step for this man" and owning a Westy, I have posted a couple of general enquiries on this forum and have been pleased with the response and advice given. I should also point out that I sent off my membership application a few days ago.

I went to Westfield's HQ at Kingswinford last Thursday and came away impressed with the set-up and the cars. Despite the roads being wet they let me loose in a red 1800 demonstrator and "fun" it certainly was - my Peugeot 406 needs a heavy foot on the loud pedal but, in the red-un, even a modest 120 bhp made things "interesting". I have owned a Tiger and an NG TF but the whole experience of a modern Westy was a pleasure and I returned home firing on all cylinders.

I am now poised to order a factory built 1800 Sport with one or two additions and, if this is done by the end of the month, a 10% discount will be applied.

I suppose some people must buy "new" and I hope this will not put me in an "unclean" bracket [or worse - put me in the same class as a "car.......van" man.

My reasons for doing this are varied: Importantly, I have the money to indulge myself; I am 67 and have passed the age when I want to self-build [6 months may be a large proportion of my life expectancy!]; I do not want to spend hours tinkering, fettling and upgrading [i have other time consuming hobbies]; I will get the spec I think I want straight away; I will have the comfort [hopefully] of knowing that the car is put together right and that all parts are new; no need for an MOT until I am 70 [how depressing is that] and finally, although there must be terrific, reasonably new, cars around that are fantastic value for money, I would not know one if it drove over me in both directions.

Before ordering I wonder if there are any extras that I should be including on my list? Any suggestions [with reasoning] would be appreciated.

The car will only be used on public roads [never more than 69.99mph of course].

Is there any point in the braced RAC type roll bar?

Does this model have overheating problems and, if so, how could these be dealt with?

I await the usual wise offerings from experienced owners and hope that a prospective "factory built" owner will still be welcome in the fold - I would not want my membership application to be returned "black-balled" or "refused under article *!##$?".

Dave

Thanks to all those that have posted replies to my previous questions.

[adhawkins]

I await the usual wise offerings from experienced owners and hope that a prospective "factory built" owner will still be welcome in the fold - I would not want my membership application to be returned "black-balled" or "refused under article *!##$?".

As to a factory built car, don't worry about it. Some people (me included) just don't want to build. I'm on my second Westfield now. The first was a second-hand factory built car, and my current one was completely rebuilt for competition use (but still gets a lot of road miles put on it).

Andy

[DickieB]

Dave

Excellent news! And welcome to the club! If all you wish to do is "potter" along the roads, then I'm not convinced by an RAC roll bar - you'd probably find more use from a lockable boot box for your slippers and pipe (only joking  ). If you intend to do track days, then yes, an RAC roll bar is a must. But personally, for road use only, I'd rather have a side impact bar than an RAC roll bar. Not that they do a side impact bar!

For pure road use, a lockable bootbox, an immobiliser, and a removable steering wheel will give you the peace of mind when you leave it in a car park as you wonder around the shops, pubs, picnics etc.

Enjoy!

Dickie

[perksy]

Is there any point in the braced RAC type roll bar?

Does this model have overheating problems and, if so, how could these be dealt with?

Get the RAC Bar, The Standard Bar is Just about ok for Pushing the Car into the Garage.

You've Only got one Head...

Zetec's have a Tendency to Over-Cool NOT OverHeat...

Lockable Bootbox is Handy (find mine useful),

But Quite an Expensive option, so it's just a matter of Individual taste...

Welcome to the Club  

[jeff oakley]

Firstly welcome, no one cares if you buy or build so long as you are a Westfield fan. As for your questions, the package you are getting is perfect for your type of driving. Yes there is much discussion on the merits of an RAC bar, which is the safest option, but unless they have changed the design you will be unable to use the weather gear Westfield supply. After the SVA you might want to consider a quick release steering wheel as this will make getting in and out with the hood up much easier. As Dickie said a locking boot lid is a nice touch for a touring type Westfield and perhaps a tonneau cover for those winter days when you are out on your own the heater will keep you warmer with the tonneau at half closed.

What is nice is at an age when most men are looking forward to pipe and slippers, you are planning on enjoying life with a car most would no consider unsuitable. You have my admiration. Do get along to your local meetings an fully enjoy the club.

Jeff

[slippy]

I agree with Jeff good work sir.

Rac Roll bar: I am currently saving for one because they are safer, IMHO look better and it stiffens the car up.

Boot Box: Expensive for what they are but also very hand it depends if you are planning on doing long journeys

Zetec: I am a lowely CVH man so can't offer any opinions on that.

I would invest in side screens at the least and a hood, if you can afford it is always handy due to our spectaculary sh*te climate and you do go for the boot box it will sit out of the way awaiting the inevitable down pours

Ebay always has plenty of Westy Bargains to be had cheaper than factory purchases

[slippy]

Save yourelf a few quid

[adhawkins]

Yes there is much discussion on the merits of an RAC bar, which is the safest option, but unless they have changed the design you will be unable to use the weather gear Westfield supply.

There is now a hood available from the factory to suit the RAC bar.

Andy

[felters]

Dave

I'm near Alton... if you fancy a passenger ride in a 'BEC then just shout. Your car would be most acceptable, Factory built or otherwise... there's a race series for Zetecs and they seem go quite well so I'd regard it as a safe choice.

Talking of safety go for the roll bar... mines got a full cage and you just never know when disaster will strike.

Cheers

Mike

[sandhurst]

I would like to convey my "thanks" to all those forumites who have kindly taken the time and trouble to follow up my queries with really meaningful replies. What did we do before on-line forums existed - it's not as if there are that many specialist car owners per square mile to bump into and, of course, many will have chosen the wrong make  

I have taken on board all the suggestions and have e-mailed Westfield for clarification of "what can go with what" when it comes to RAC type Rollbar, Locking Boot Lid and Tonneau Covers. Interestingly [sounds like bad grammar to me!] I asked Holly Bond about the RAC bars and she felt it was not a necessary option on a car for road use. She enquired as to why I asked the question and I said that I had heard the standard type with it's two fixing bolts tended to fold over - at once, she produced a mechanic who said that they often had "rolled" Westy's in for repair and that the standard rollbar was fine. [if nothing else, this indicates that the cars DO get turned over - "if you can keep your head when all about......." springs to mind].

Yes felters, I would appreciate a trip in your BEC but it might be better if this does not take place until after I am committed - my budget goes up every week and I do not want to get hooked on the performance [will it be an ALTON Towers experience?]. I hardly have any spare time in the next few weeks [serve me right for retiring!] but perhaps we can exchange pm's IDC.

Thanks again chaps,

Dave

[adhawkins]

Interestingly [sounds like bad grammar to me!] I asked Holly Bond about the RAC bars and she felt it was not a necessary option on a car for road use. She enquired as to why I asked the question and I said that I had heard the standard type with it's two fixing bolts tended to fold over - at once, she produced a mechanic who said that they often had "rolled" Westy's in for repair and that the standard rollbar was fine. [if nothing else, this indicates that the cars DO get turned over - "if you can keep your head when all about......." springs to mind].

How tall are you? This is me (about 6'2") in my old car with standard roll bar.

As you can see...not much (read none) clearance above my head as far as the height of the roll bar goes. It's worse when you include the fact that you need to draw a line from the top of the roll bar down to the very front of the car (cos that's what the car would be resting on if it turned over).

Only took me a year or so to get an RAC bar...

It's your head, but you only get one...

Anyway, we're not all roll-bar nazis around here...but it's worth thinking about IMO.

Andy

[sandhurst]

Hi Andy,

What grim determination you are showing in your piccy - I presume someone is saying 4,3,2,1...... [Not sure what your passengers body language indicates!].

Just measured my height [without boots or shoes] and find that I am 68" small [one seems to become shorter and stouter as the years advance]. Do you know if the RAC bar is higher than Westfield's standard model?

There's no doubt that I will go for the RAC version even if it means that I cannot have the locking boot lid. Years ago I slid sideways in an Escort Van into a tree and the roof was squashed down to the top of the seats - for some reason I was not wearing my seat belt [something I always do] and was found by the police unconcious in the footwells - lucky or what?

Dave

[jak]

Yes there is much discussion on the merits of an RAC bar, which is the safest option, but unless they have changed the design you will be unable to use the weather gear Westfield supply.

Yes there is I have got one - not used it yet though.

John

[adhawkins]

Just measured my height [without boots or shoes] and find that I am 68" small [one seems to become shorter and stouter as the years advance]. Do you know if the RAC bar is higher than Westfield's standard model?

The RAC bar is taller than the standard one. Even the RAC bar wasn't tall enough for me with a helmet on, so I had 'hoops' welded on to it to get a bit extra height. You can just about see the two 'hoops' on the roll bar of the yellow car in this photo:

Your best bet is find someone with a similar car to that you're gonna get (seats will play a big part in how high in the car you sit) and try it for yourself. There's bound to be someone who will have a similar car assuming you can get along to a local meet.

Andy

[perksy]

Standard Rollbar  

( Will Delete this if it Causes Any Offense   )