wannawestfield Posted January 3, 2002 Share Posted January 3, 2002 This is my first post on this board - very interesting and informative, from what I can tell. My question is this: can I really build one of these things? I am capable of doing rudimentary work on my Ford Focus (new exhaust, cam gears, intake, header, sport suspension,etc.) and am wondering if I can really tackle this project. I have found an importer to get one to the States (the only licensed Westfield importer in the US) and have also decided that the 2 liter Ford Zetecs we have here would make a great engine to be stuffed under the hood... or the bonnet as you Brits say. Of course, all of this is very preliminary and I am still researching, but I am very interested in this car. By the way, I am 6'2" tall and built like a guy who spends a lot of time drinking beer. Will I even fit in one of these things? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike H Posted January 3, 2002 Share Posted January 3, 2002 If you can do all that, you'll have no problem IMO. BTW I'm 6ft 3in and 15st and fit in my SpeedSport no problem. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steppenwolf Posted January 3, 2002 Share Posted January 3, 2002 You are able to do considerably more with a car than I could when I commenced the build of my SpeedSport so you should have no problems with this project! To find out what is REALLY involved visit my build site:- Steve's Build Site As for your size, providing you get the WIDE body (I think this is the only option avaiable these days anyway), even an excellent beer drinker should fit and the height will be fine too! Good luck and let us know how you get on with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wannawestfield Posted January 3, 2002 Author Share Posted January 3, 2002 Excellent replies. Thank you for the great answers to my questions. But my next question is this - how many pounds per stone? We weigh things in pounds here in the States and I don't know how to make the conversion. Also, do I really need anything besides torque wrenches, open-end wrenches, screwdrivers, sockets, torx bits, etc.? If so, this could spell another obstacle because I have the above, but nothing beyond those. I read in another post that a chain hoist for the motor might also be a good idea... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterg Posted January 3, 2002 Share Posted January 3, 2002 14 pounds to a stone so 15 stones is 210 pounds gosh that's a lot apart from an engine crane/hoist you should be able to build a Westfield using a reasonably comprehensive toolkit such as you describe - still it's always nice to have a reason to buy some new bits for the garage isn't it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steppenwolf Posted January 3, 2002 Share Posted January 3, 2002 You will ideally require a set of stands to build up the chassis on and then just before the engine/gearbox is installed, it would make sense to lower the chassis on to axle stands. The engine/gearbox go in as one so you will need to hire/borrow a hydraulic engine crane for a day (in the UK these can be easily hired) - if it takes longer than this to put the engine in, you and your helpers have drunk too much beer! The majority of the rest of the tools required are standard 'handyman tools' like files, drills etc. but you will also need a pop rivet gun (standard hand type is all I used), circlip pliers and I guess a ball joint splitter would be handy as you are bound to need one in the end! The one other tool that you will only use once (hopefully) is a torque wrench and a 41mm socket to tighten up the rear hub nuts but you could do these up tight enough to carefully drive to a local garage to have this done 'commercially'. US pounds and UK pounds are the same as far as I can tell (your gallons are different though! so :- 1 stone = 14 UK pounds = 14 US pounds Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wannawestfield Posted January 3, 2002 Author Share Posted January 3, 2002 14 pounds to a stone so 15 stones is 210 pounds gosh that's a lot I'm bigger still... Picture one of the guys who plays American football, and then you've got your answer. Or the biggest prop on the rugby pitch. Or Hamish from the movie Braveheart. Now you're more like it. And I'm a school teacher - my size comes in handy when one of our kids gets "rambunctious"... At any rate, thank you all for your kind help. My actual purchase is still at least a couple of years away, so all of this is preliminary research and fact finding. Besides, I still have to save up my pennies... and find a thrashed 2.0 Zetec... and a Ford MT75... and a proper set of alloys... hmm... I've a lot to do, don't I? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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