Scooper Posted November 6, 2002 Share Posted November 6, 2002 I'm new to Westfields, love their shape, performance and relative simplicity so i'm looking to buy one in the new year. I'm looking for something easy to maintain and tinker with, I've limited technical knowledge but want to learn and something that will give me the option to improve it's performance. I would be looking for something mechanically sound with no damage and all of this on a budget of around £5k. the car will be a second car used fo weekend and evening blasts, plus hopefully the odd track day. First of all am I in dream land, or this budget realistic? Any help would be gratefully received. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham.J Posted November 6, 2002 Share Posted November 6, 2002 It's entirely possible on that budget. I have just (september) bought a 1989 Westfield SE 1600 X/F for £4,500 which I am making race worthy for when I take and pass my driving test next year. It is in immaculate condition, all i've had to do to it is: -New seat (I was too tall to fit in) -New inlet manifold That's it! Hope you find one, have fun!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blatman Posted November 6, 2002 Share Posted November 6, 2002 Read this. With a 5K budget, expect to be doing a fair bit of tinkering, and some tidying, of the narrow bodied crossflow car you are likely to end up with. If your budget for repairs and servicing is likely to be similarly constrained, you'll need to be quite handy with a socket set too. If at all possible, my advice would be to try and find some more money. An extra 2 or 3 grand spent now will see you in a nice wide bodied, Zetec or Vx engined car that will need much less looking after. Edit: Or I'm talking complete rubbish as usual..............especially after seeing Graham's posting above........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham.J Posted November 6, 2002 Share Posted November 6, 2002 If I had the option I would have bought a widebody but I'm 16 and have very little money! I'm happy with me SE though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blatman Posted November 6, 2002 Share Posted November 6, 2002 And a jolly nice car it looks too. Couple of things for Scooper to consider, and I'll stand to be corrected by Graham...... No windscreen..........not cheap to buy new, so adds costs. If Scooper doesn't want a windscreen, then it doesn't matter. BUT, an aeroscreen will make a huge difference to the driving experience than having nothing at all, and you'll want something, trust me, so add 1 to 200 quid, unless you can make your own.......... Did you get any weather equipment, like doors, a tonneau cover or full roof? If not, there's another few hundred quid right there too, so whilst 4.5K is a good place to start, especially if you are going to convert it into a race car, if Scooper wants a road car, with road car practicalities (like being able to keep the cockpit dry when it's parked outside his mates houses) then he'll need a bit more gear than you appear to have. It all needs to be carefully considered....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooper Posted November 6, 2002 Author Share Posted November 6, 2002 Thanks for the info, I'm not to concerned on the mechanical front, my Dad's an engineer and built a kit car before so he can help and show me the ropes and I have some experience with old escorts and cortina's. It is more the info about screens, covers and additional things that's really useful. The other thing I need to consider is size, unfortunately I'm not the nice slim bloke I was before. (35, a bit overweight and 5' 10''. Will a narrow body be to much of a struggle? Or will I need to diet??? Also, is there anyone around Bournemouth way that would be prepared to meet up and show me their cars to get a better idea? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham.J Posted November 6, 2002 Share Posted November 6, 2002 Well, that was the most recent picture I have, it looked like this when i bought it..... It did come with all the weather equipment (roof, doors etc) but I can't use it as i'm too tall and my head sticks above the roof and would go through the material. i'm making it race worthy and a friend is making an aeroscreen for me hence the lack of a windscreen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
studbuckle Posted November 6, 2002 Share Posted November 6, 2002 I bought my car in April when the prices were a little higher and paid 5700 for it. It's a 1990 SE with 1700 x-flow. I got all the weather repelling bits and the bodywork is very straight for its age. Mechanically it's strong but I have had to spanner it a few times when its broken. However nothing is ever very complex on an x-flow Westfield and with help from here and from the guys at my local group i've managed to do everything myself with very little cost. The key is having the enthusiasm and the intelligence to ask if you're unsure. Obviously if you have a bit more to spend then great but early in the new year, 5K should get you a simple to work on fairly reliable nice looking westy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blatman Posted November 6, 2002 Share Posted November 6, 2002 The other thing I need to consider is size, unfortunately I'm not the nice slim bloke I was before. (35, a bit overweight and 5' 10''. Will a narrow body be to much of a struggle? Or will I need to diet??? I'm 5'11", and 13 and a half stone .........narrow bodied car is no problem for me......... Graham. Blimey, some big changes from when you got it. Well done..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterg Posted November 6, 2002 Share Posted November 6, 2002 Word of warning Graham.J You MUST replace the rollbar with a taller 'braced' version if you intend to race it as your head (in a helmet) must be at least 2-3 inches below a line drawn from the rollbar to the next solid area going forward - this is normally the chassis in front of the engine. Your head clearly sticks out above the rollbar and would be taken off in a rollover accident and they do happen....do a search of old threads on the forums if you want the evidence! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
furtive Posted November 6, 2002 Share Posted November 6, 2002 -New seat (I was too tall to fit in) Graham.J What sort of seat are you sitting in? Is it a c******m Tillet or something similar? Oh, and for the record, I bought a 1990 SEi X-flow last October for £3900. It has needed some minor tinkering and floor fixing, but other than that has been fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steppenwolf Posted November 6, 2002 Share Posted November 6, 2002 My son bought a 1994 SEiW (i.e. independent rear suspension with wide body) with a rebuilt Ford 1600 CVH engine. There was no weather gear or carpets but the car had done only 900 miles since being completed and a quarter of that was the trip to the local MOT centre each year!! The cost was £4,500 and represented a fantastic purchase although Simon has got the upgrade bug (we all do! and has spent about £1500 on it in upgrades including carpets, additional instruments (rev counter and oil pressure gauge), fast road cam, twin Weber 40's and a full rolling road tune. As you can see, your budget is achievable. Simon's £4500 Car Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
will maskell Posted November 6, 2002 Share Posted November 6, 2002 liked the last pic on simons site. also it must be nice to own a garage the size of most peoples houses will Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham.J Posted November 6, 2002 Share Posted November 6, 2002 Blatchat - Cheers, I'm only able to do little bits at the moment as I have M.E. (what a joy that is), I'm going to be fitting cycle wings and an aeroscreen as well as a smaller steering wheel. Peterg - I realised that I was a lanky boy (6ft 2 or 3 can't remember) and needed a taller rollbar, Hopefully Paul from Plays-kool is making me a custom one with plenty of cross bracings (when I finally sell my Land Rover). Better to be safe than sorry, it can only happen once.... Furtive - C******M TILLET Behave, not at £250 a piece, cor! I'm sitting in a Plays Kool GRP seat £80 for the seat and £2.20 for bolts and washers to fit it. BARGAIN! Graham Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samcooke Posted November 6, 2002 Share Posted November 6, 2002 Cor, Simon done well - that's a shiny wee beastie. I'm in the sub £4k club too, but, as Blatman says, dearly wish I'd loaded the credit card as well as raiding the piggy bank. £7 - £8k at purchase time will buy you soooo much more than £2 - £3k of upgrades (and you will want them). Having said that, if you like a fiddle and aren't completely obese (I'm 5'9 and 14 stone and fit fine) a crossflowed SE is plenty fun for not much dosh. There is, of course, more of a chance of buying yourself a whole lot of trouble at this money so try and get some advice when you spot a potential purchase. Me? I paid under £4k for mine and have spent about £600 since on seats, wings, twin 40s and a rev limiter. It's an 89 live axle with a 1700 crossflow and will show a standard elise a clean pair of heels round the twistier circuits, even on nasty old yoko a539s. I dare say the bigger GJOBs amongst us would cower at the mucky engine bay and tatty carpet but it depends on your priorities. Best four and a bit grand I've spent. Beg steal or borrow to get you up to £7k. But if you can't, a £5k car is still worth having. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.