neo Posted February 4, 2002 Share Posted February 4, 2002 This is what im thinking of doing, Get a starter kit at approx £2000,and then buy most of the parts for the rest of the car from the BBS on here and used stuff from the kit car sites over a period of a few months,i reckon going down this route i should be able to build a new bodied car in the colour i want at the price of a second hand car in the private adds,granted some of the parts will have to be new but i reckon about £4000 would be about it,and noing me the way i am, all the used bits will be stripped and painted etc,it will look almost new anyway,or idealy find someone who has lost interest in a part built kit already,anyone done this already or no of any part built kits up for grabs,what would be the score on registration though ie SVA chew on P,S Whats the cheapest you can build a westie from a new kit but used components for the rest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick M Posted February 4, 2002 Share Posted February 4, 2002 Time for the first rule of kit car building to be shared here I fear. Think of a number, and then double it. You cannot build a road legal car for £4,000. And £8,000 would just about see the job done with second hand reconditioned parts. It's difficult, for example, to buy second had wishbones, dampers, cycle wing brackets, headlight brackets, uprights, drive shafts, steering columns, looms, fuel tanks, roll bars, etc. Most of those parts will need to come from Westfield. Sorry, but they don't come that cheap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neo Posted February 4, 2002 Author Share Posted February 4, 2002 Yeah i know what you mean,things do always end up twice the price why should a westie be any different,hearts rule heads always you oviously agree nick, oh well back to the drawing board then Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick M Posted February 4, 2002 Share Posted February 4, 2002 Fraid I speak from bitter (well, not really) experience with this one - my car ended up costing quite a bit more than I initially planned because you start to add in all those little "extras" that make it your car. All of a sudden your £3k over budget and wondering where it all went !! Like I said elsewhere, maybe a decent second hand car would be a good starting point ? And then when you've run it for a while and looked at loads more cars you can make a clear choice about what to put into your own car when you decide to build one yourself. Wish I'd done that with hindsight... Either way, try and find your way along to a local area meeting - if nothing else you'll be converted from a "maybe, but how ?" to a "gotta have one !!!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neo Posted February 5, 2002 Author Share Posted February 5, 2002 Nick i think your right i will attend a meet if theres any up north do any of you get to croft for track days and stuff? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Scarfe Posted February 6, 2002 Share Posted February 6, 2002 any of you get to croft for track days and stuff? The race series is at Croft on 27-28 July. See you there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Stanton Posted February 6, 2002 Share Posted February 6, 2002 And the WSCC Speed Series is at Croft on Easter monday (I think) - dates are in current magazine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neo Posted February 6, 2002 Author Share Posted February 6, 2002 count me in i will be there at any cost watch for me in my M3 evo. cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaun Posted February 6, 2002 Share Posted February 6, 2002 Sounds like we won't be able to miss you in your M3 Evo. What colour is your M3 Evo then? Apparently yellow is the 'in colour'! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neo Posted February 6, 2002 Author Share Posted February 6, 2002 shaun its estoril blue metalic,a coupe, that's unless a obtain a westie before then,hope im welcomed by you guys may ask my mate skippy to come down in his Lotus 340r more like a westie than a evo,what you think evo or 340 r Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaun Posted February 7, 2002 Share Posted February 7, 2002 It doesn't matter what car you drive! hope im welcomed by you guys Most definitely. I won't be coming in my Westy anyway, I'll be bringing the Jeep Cherokee (driving all the way from Reading in Berkshire), wait for it, 2.5litre Turbo Diesel mean machine (only got it for towing the wife's horses - blimey hope she doesn't read this!, so if your worried about anyone being out of place because of the car they drive, it is me. I would swap my Jeep anyday for a M3 Evo, and would certainly want a 340R. Look forward to seeing you whether its the evo or the 340r I assume you are going on Easter Monday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neo Posted February 7, 2002 Author Share Posted February 7, 2002 hope so which venue is it at croft Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Long Posted February 12, 2002 Share Posted February 12, 2002 The easiest way is to build from new as everything is off the shelf and easy to fit together i.e. not 5 years of dirt and rust. However, one very cheap option is to convert an old Westfield. Did not think about this when I did mine but having realised what's involved..... The advantages are: - Very cheap: You can get an old 1400cc x-flow or something similar for £3,500. You are looking for an extra £2,500 to £3,000 absolute maximum to convert it to bike power, probably do it for well under £2k. - Blade engine would fit 100% certain as I have seen this being done (was 95% finished). Also know of a guy who could made the appropriate engine cradle for what I think was about £250 (or less). There is no important difference in the chassis itself, apart from possibly a little bit of better design to make it lighter. - Make money: The car is now worth about £7k to £8K in value as old BEC conversion always seem to fetch this, what ever the age/condition. - The old SE are light cars, plus do not have an independent suspension which, apparently is lighter. Also, due to a lighter car with a blade bikr engine, things like brakes probably ok. - You can get a new shell from Westfield (can't be more than £1,500?) to help out appearance/looks - Do not need to worry about SVA testing. A BIG plus as not only does this mean a lot less hassle on the legality side, but the post '95 blade engines are much more common and less desirable (and thus cheaper for you! - Could almost be sold to wife as an investment or just don't tell her about the conversion bit, but that you are doing some work "to check that the original build is safe/engine overhaul" The bad points are: - The cars often can be a mess, with X number of years of dirt/rust/stone chips/muck etc - Uncertainty of the history and condition of components (just how good is that wiring?) - More hassle for the conversion. Things like the windscreen would have to be replaced (may leave holes?) - Smaller size: Less wide (if that matters, I'm 6ft so it does) - Looks: Will probably have old crap wheels and tyres that you could leave, but....... The alternative is to do what I did and build in a semi-kit basis, that is you buy the parts from Westfield on a as and when basis. This way you can decided what to and when to buy etc. Not the cheapest or simplest option,but you do kinda get best of both worlds. Ric Orange Megablade Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neo Posted February 12, 2002 Author Share Posted February 12, 2002 Long some interesting points there, i think i will start from a new basic kit and work from there,i was going to head down the zetec ford engine route but still undecided as even zetec motors are about £500 quid a pop what sort of loot would a fire blade motor go for about any idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick M Posted February 12, 2002 Share Posted February 12, 2002 Zetecs can be had for much less than that. Around the £250 mark is not uncommon. Just need to search around a bit more. Bike engines now seem to be getting pricey - scrappies have twigged there's a big market for them so the prices have gone up accordingly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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