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Does removing the nose reduce the length much ?


StanS

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Just building a "workshop" at the back of my garage and was working out if I could get the car + Westfield (S8 - which I hope to buy later) in tandem.

Its gone back to the boundary, so as long as possible, but looks tight (more than an interference fit !) hence question !

So if anyone could tell me the length of an S8 without nose I'd be grateful :)

Thanks

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Seights usually have the ducted nose cone, which isn't a quick job to remove unless you modify it, even then it's still a bit fiddly. Also because the ducting sits the rad a bit further forward, you may not save as much as you think.

 

you could fit an ordinary, non ducted nose and simply panel around the rad so that its seals into the nose cone (to stop air flowing around the sides of the radiator). That would mean just three fixings to undo and save a bit more length.

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Thanks for that. It would be in the garage over winter, so removal/replacement would only be twice a year - but good tip about the nose ducting :)

 

Would be good to get a measurement for any length reduction.I'll go and do an accurate measurement of the garage now the base is down.

 

 

 

OK - measured it accurately and my idea of using it as a tandem garage is scrapped. For some reason I thought I'd remembered that the S8 was 11 foot something long. It seems it is 12'2" so too long. I'll draw out a plan to aee if see if its possible to put it at an angle as the workshop is much wider than the garage.

Doh !

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Does it have a spare wheel on the back? Losing that  and mounting the number plate and light on the bodywork will shorten it by the width of the tyre. Various alternatives around for get you home tyre repair and you save weight on the car.

 

Jen

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THanks WellyJen - but having now done what I should have before posting and relying on my memory, its not going to work.

So much for idle thoughts while sat the computer ! :(

Putting it at the best angle still makes it too long, so that's out of the window ..........

unless I extend the front of the garage  ......... 

 

Must get off my a**e and do something useful instead of sitting here thinking stupid thoughts !

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OK, sitting at the computer thinking silly thoughts.

 

Can you not come back from the boundary line a bit and build an "L" shaped extension on the end. Then obtain a set of wheel dollys to turn the car at right angles in the "L".

 

As I said, silly thoughts.

 

 

 

I had the same problem. But with a difference. We moved into our ex-pub in the Peak District. There was an outhouse (attached to next doors back wall!) It had been the ladies toilets (middens) but was now the oil fired boiler and oil tank house. British Gas laid a gas pipe into the village so we got a gas boiler installed in the kitchen and the old oil boiler and tank removed. Opened up the door and fitted an up-and-over. Great, except the car wouldn't go in enough to close the door. Removal of the spare wheel did get the door shut but it was pressing against the spare wheel frame.

 

So, silly thinking came into play. The walls are 1/2 metre thick. So why not take the lower part of the end wall out and replace with thinner concrete blocks. The nose cone would sit nicely in the alcove, Only problem was next doors garden was at a higher level - up to the high window in the end wall.

 

Job done by a builder friend. As he was doing the job I wandered in, as you do, and remarked he should support the upper wall with two acros. No, it'll be alright he started to say as the whole wall collapsed on him. He wasn't hurt and now had to rebuild the whole wall.

 

Did the job for the next 10 years. 

 

I now have a medium sized barn as a garage/workshop. Only problem now is HM seems to find stuff to fill the empty space.

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Had enough of doing something sensible so back on here again !

 

lol at the wall story ! Glad to see I'm not the only one evading jobs and generally wasting time !

 

Wish (in some respects) that I was back at the hotel/restaurant we had back in the 80's with a 30 x 40' barn, but since retiring/downsizing, garage space is difficult, so even with the back wall removed, only leaving 9" each side for a bit of stiffness, its not possible to get a Westy round the corner as the workshop is not deep enough !

This small workshop started as a place for garden tools/mower/2nd freezer, tumble drier, then grew to adding adding workbench and racking from the garage etc and extending the width, and (after I laid the base) thoughts of storing a Westy in tandem ! 

 

Best solution would be to extend the front of the garage a couple of metres then plenty of space !

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I've taken the front wishbones off the front of one of my cars so I can overlap the front ends and get both cars to fit :oops:

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What about one of those "parking lifts" so that you can put one on top of the other - IYSWIM.

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Thanks for the replies especially the lateral thinking ones !  :)

With a standard height garage with flat roof the parking lift would not be possible :(

 

Looks like extending the garage forwards is the way forward if I want to keep it in the dry.

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I've taken the front wishbones off the front of one of my cars so I can overlap the front ends and get both cars to fit :oops:

i thought westfield sports cars stored yours in the off season Mark!!

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i thought westfield sports cars stored yours in the off season Mark!!

:oops: They do :laugh: and still are :oops::d I hope they don't want to give it back, I haven't the room at the moment :oops:

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There's a Caterham specialist in Chesterfield, Transx I think he's called who stores customers race cars. He's got them stacked one on top of the other. Looks weird.

 

Stan, any chance of do it a little drawing of your garage and the surrounded buildings/garden so we can come up with more silly ideas?

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Thanks for all the input guys, but having thought about it, the only realistic way is to extend the front of the garage.

Re storage, - good idea ! I remember that the farmer next doors stores caravans/motor homes in on of his rat infested barns, which could be a possibility if I could get some cover to completely enclose it (underneath as well). I looked there when I was thinking of getting an RV 5 years ago.

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Knock through  a little hole  just high and wide enough so the nose wlll fit into it and push a small "shed" over the hole, job done

 

 

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