Hello & Westie 1.6CVH SEiW

[unkle]

Morning all, newbie here who hopefully will be getting a westie over the coming months once my house move goes through where I'll have a nice big garage!

I've seen a few westies in my price range, the majority are around 8-10 years old and seem to have a 1.6cvh ford engine. I'm yet to drive one with said engine and wondered if this type of engine is up to the job of a few track days?

Cheers

PS - just posted in the events section as am amazed no events in kent/SE London?!

[Asterix]

LO m8e and welcome...nice to see another one from my original area (born Ramsgate, lived Margate, now, still living before anyone says, in Nottingham).

Any engine is up to trackdays, it depends how much stress you're going to put on it. I.e. you can drive within the cars mechanical limits* on a trackday if you so choose.

*No reference meant to handling limits.

What's your budget?

[unkle]

Thanks for that Asterix,

Budget is about £7k assuming nothing major needs doing/fixing - maybe more if I get a good christmas bonus!

I live SE London but did work in Folkestone for a while and can remember many a good day trip to margate as a kid!

[Asterix]

well, in that case...cough...CVH isn't necessarily the only way.

And, specifically here, your assumption is correct.

[Jenko]

There are a fair fewof us who run CVH engines on this site...

They are absolutly up to most things you can throw at them........

A standard engine on twin 40's should be good for around 110bhp....but  some head work sees 130bhp.

Very easy engine to work on also..Good power, reliable, relatively light.....

When I started trackdays, I foud it was not the 1600cvh that was the limiting factor....the suspension, tyres, and more importantly, my driving skills were the first things that needed sorting.....

Good luck.

[neilwillis]

Welcome to the boardroom unkle.   Best advice when it comes to buying a Westfield is to see what's out there, and make sure it's looked over by someone with a little experience of the marque.

Generally speaking, if it looks tidy, it'll be a reasonable buy.  

It's a good idea to sign up for membership, and go along to the local area meet, meet the local guys, and I am sure one of them will be more than happy to give you a few pointers.

[unkle]

Asterix, looks a nice car for a reasonable wedge, but as I'll be using 99% of the time on the road it's probably a little too race spec/tuned for me.

Ideally i'd like something in fairly standard form (as westies go) to start with that I could tinker around with/upgrade as and when wanted.

Jenko - i'm sure you are spot on re the handling/setup and especially the driver (i.e. me!) I have done track days before in a Lotus elise which surpasses a lot more powerful vehicles due to handling (although not necessarily in my hands!). Good to hear the feedback on the CVH engine though, thanks.

Neil, thats what I was hoping - but no meets near me.........

[CrashBangWallop]

My CVH '98, factory-built Westfield cost me 7K, four years ago. 6,000 miles and two owners. I thought you'd be in Zetec-money territory by now.  Having said that...  throw in a CVH turbo, when you get bored.  Everything lines up (pretty much). Instant 165bhp!  I made that sound easy.  It wasn't!  

[Mikey91]

Hi Unkle and welcome , if its any help my old car (1.6 cvh seiw) is up for sale on ebay ,had it for 2 years and never had any problems with it and its still in good nik, green, twin 45s tan interior, located in Windsor near Heathrow. might suit you if you want it mainly for the road, guys name is Ian

[Mikey91]

By the way Asterix is your car still up for sale?