darrellhuth Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 A few weeks ago I picked up a "pre lit" Westfield 7. I am in the process of sorting out several things to try and get it road worthy again. ( Kent 1600 engine ). The starter that was on the engine would not work. ( stock starter). luckily the car came with a extra new "high torque" starter / solenoid. I installed it and it seems to work fine. Not sure what brand it is but the cable terminal on it is VERY close to the side of the oil pan. Also, I feel the car may be a bit too low in the front. When looking underneath the oil filter and the starter are only a few inches from the ground.....that scares me. I would feel better with a few extra inches of clearance, especially with the roads in my area. any advice would me greatly appreciated ! Darrell / California Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wile E. Coyote Posted September 28, 2011 Share Posted September 28, 2011 Hi Darrell, Congratulations on your purchase - should be a lot of fun in Ca. If you're worried about the proximity of the terminal to the oil pan, and assuming you don't want to look at changing starters, it might be possible to fit something like this (or modify to fit)? Ride height wise, starter will probably be difficult to address but you could change things for the oil filter by using a remote filter - basically moves the filter mount to an alternative location. Very easy job and the parts are all readily available (check out Burton Power if you don't have anyone locally). Quite a lot of these cars do run very low - mine is at ~3", ~2" when 2 up, to lowest point (base of pan). A bit more clearance would sometimes be useful, but I probably wouldn't want to jack the car up too high (so will be solving the problem with a shallower pan) - although this may be the only option if you have the starter as the lowest point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markcoopers Posted September 28, 2011 Share Posted September 28, 2011 shallow sumps /oil pans to you chaps, are a common swap in order to give more ground clearence. The terminals on the starter should never touch the oil pan as the starter moves with the engine, so should not be an issue. However on some high tourge starters you can undo the front cover and essentially swing/twist the starter relative to the mounting face/top cover, so that the terminals and solinoids move to another position relative to the sump. I did this to mine in a Zetec instal as i prefered the terminals on top and not facing down to the road. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hammy Posted September 28, 2011 Share Posted September 28, 2011 You may be able to find a shorter oil filter to solve that problem - there are a wide variety that fit. I ran a X/flow for a few years without any grounding issues in that area, on mine the sump was lower than the filter: Mine: See if you can make a plastic piece bolted to say a sump nut to go between the starter terminal and the engine to form a insulated spacer -something like a strip cut from a wasihng up bottle. kit cars are like this all the time ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darrellhuth Posted September 28, 2011 Author Share Posted September 28, 2011 Thanks guys! Last night I removed the starter and cut a few mm off the terminal stud. Re installed and now I have about 5 mm clearance from the side of the pan...perfect. I did go out and pick up a shorter oil filter too, problem #2 solved! The reason the old one was so low is that the car has a oil cooler up front and it runs into a adapter between the filter and the flange for the I/O connections. I was lucky to pick up quite a few spares with the car, including a new dry sump setup ( Tank, pump, and pan ) ...I may go that route eventually but will sort out other things first. I wear size 11 shoes and need to take them off when I drive it just to feel the difference between the pedals! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wile E. Coyote Posted September 28, 2011 Share Posted September 28, 2011 Worth trying a pair of proper racing boots... they make a world of difference, especially if you have big feet and a narrow pedal box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hammy Posted September 30, 2011 Share Posted September 30, 2011 Worth trying a pair of proper racing boots... they make a world of difference, especially if you have big feet and a narrow pedal box. or some cheap thin trainers 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.