Westfield Standard and Dream Specs - and in between!

[jonclancy]

Hi Everyone,

I'm looking for some content to paste into the WIKI, please.

This particular piece concerns build specs. For instance, mine is a completely standard build and this spec is at one end of the spectrum.

Then a mid-spec car.

Then a dream-spec car.

Clearly, a balls-out racer wouldn't be appropriate for road use, so perhaps a race spec category would be useful, too.

You don't need to refer just to your own car, and you have a virtual credit card that is in rude health and itching to get used. Most of this info is already out there (and much in this board). The idea of this piece is to try to gather the info into one place.

Please copy and paste the following format into your reply:


****** Spec

ENGINE


COOLING SYSTEM


FUEL


EXHAUST


IGNITION


CLUTCH


GEARBOX


PROPSHAFT


REAR AXLE


BRAKING SYSTEM


ELECTRICAL SYSTEM


SUSPENSION AND STEERING


BODYWORK AND FITTINGS



Headings in same order as a favourite manual, for uniformity with the WIKI etc.

Ta!

Jon

[alleggerita]

this is my dream spec:

ENGINE
Climax FWB with twin 45 DCOE, stage 3 cam

COOLING SYSTEM
standard, Kenlowe fan with manual override

FUEL
noting special, but with a big Le Mans type filler cap

EXHAUST
borderline on noise

IGNITION
ABC

CLUTCH
AP

GEARBOX
5 speed ZF

PROPSHAFT
nothing special

REAR AXLE
independant, TVR Grantura MKIII type

BRAKING SYSTEM
discs on all 4 corners

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
noting special, 1 hidden GPS 12V outlet
main circuit breaker

SUSPENSION AND STEERING
15" wire wheels in body color
14" red leather Lotus steering wheel

BODYWORK AND FITTINGS
Westfield Racing Green, no Le Mans hump, RHD. Big white roundels
red leather buckets w/ Willans 6 point belts, no iterior trim, so you would be looking at the bare metal
bigger Jaguar instruments instead of MG, on red leather dash

[jonclancy]

An excellent start - thanks!

[jonclancy]

Srandard Spec

ENGINE

1275cc A Series (Type 12) 65bhp
Bore 70.61mm Stroke 81.28mm
CR 8.8:1

COOLING SYSTEM

Pump-assisted, thermal-syphon, pressurised, fan-cooled system

FUEL

Twin 1 1/4" SU HS2 carbs. Electric SU fuel pump.

EXHAUST

WSCkit-supplied stainless unit. 101db @45000rpm

IGNITION

Lucas 23D4 (no vac advance) or 25D4 points distributor.
Champion N9Y plugs gapped to 0.025"
Lucas 11C12 or HA12 coil
Dwell Angle 60+- 3deg

CLUTCH

Single dry plate with diaphragm spring - 6.5". Hydraulically operated. Graphite pad release bearing. DOT3 hydraulic fluid.

GEARBOX

Four speed, helical constant mesh standard box. No synchro on first gear.

Ratios:
Top: 1:1
3rd 1.357:1
2nd 1.916:1
1st 3.200:1
Rev 4.114:1

SAE 20W/50 multigrade oil. 2.25 pints capacity.

PROPSHAFT

Tubular with UJ fore and aft.

REAR AXLE

Live rear axle with 3.9:1 differential.
SAE90EP hypoid gear oil. 1 3/4imp pints capacity.

BRAKING SYSTEM

Hydraulically-operated front discs and rear drums. Mechanically operated handbrake to rear drums.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Negative-earth 12V sytem. Lucas 16ACR alternator.
Lucas M34J, M35G or M35J starter motor.
Lucas 7FJ fusebox.

SUSPENSION AND STEERING

Front wishbone and rear live axle. Single-adjustable dampers.
Rack and pinion steering.

BODYWORK AND FITTINGS

Fibreglass scuttle, doors and front / rear clamshell.
Dzus fasteners.
Shoot-bolt door locks.
Poppy red carpets.
Poppy red vinyl seats, dashboard covering, door cards and tonneau cover.

[xkfeng7]

Seems like Jan's RHD build would be ideal for the street.
I a disagree w him about tire choice, but most of his recommendations have proven to be sage in my 1000miles of W11 ownership.

On several occasions I've had to slam on the brakes to avoid idiot drivers. The brakes were plenty powerful but the HR rated tires (old Sumitomo's HTR's) were terrible and slid at relatively low deccel rates. So, for the street I want the grippiest dry/wet tries I can fit. That means modern ultra high perf WD tires, which are avail in 175/65-15 (front) 185/60-15, and 195/65-15(rear) among other W11 appropriate sizes. And I have and w drive the car in the wet so a high silica compound is important.

I also noted some front end float at speed and would consider more panelling on the bottom and a discrete rubber front air dam.

[Westfield 129]

Looking at all the available tires, I can't see much advantage over using mediocre all season high performance tires (I have not found an "ultra high performance" or DOT race tire in those sizes) designed for much heavier vehicles. I have driven in the rain on the Dunlop racing tires, and they work OK. The vintage racers in the UK use them in anger during rain races all the time, on far more expensive cars than the Westfield. They seem to do fine.

What will be missing with the modern radials is the nice breakaway, and the ultra stable transition to over steer that makes the car so much fun to drive. Don't discount the abilities of vintage race tires until you have tried them. I often test tires for a living, and have found that on these light weight cars, the original type bias ply tires work best. Modern tires don't work well at just 15~17 psi, and if you put more into them, they just get squirrelly. If you are running any more than 18 psi in your old Sumitomos, try dropping the pressure to get some grip. Remember, the car only weighs around 1,250 with driver. Anything over 19 psi is over inflation for such a light weight.

The front end float wont be helped much by paneling beneath the car, but a better set of dampers may be a better bet to get rid of the float. The front end lift can't really be eliminated, as the flat bottom and the lovely arched fenders (they are not called "wings" for nothing) make for substantial lift. I have had mine past 120 (no under car panels on my old LHD chassis), and the main problem was that the bonnet would blow open (well, lift, really) at the back on occasion, stretching the Terry Springs. Float? No, but there was a bit of lift, as was common to all the cars of the era with those voluptuous shapes. These cars are not modern, and have primitive aero. Costin was brilliant with the shape and the under bonnet aero, making sure that the air went where it was supposed to go. But the shape is the shape, and there is a reason that today's racers don't carry the same form today.

Panneling beneath the engine compartment, and re working the inner bonnet aero, as was done on the origional 11 would fix only some of the problem. The air going through the front end has to pass through the radiator, and then out the bottom, while the air can be directed over the suspension arms, then down and out. None if this will fix the front end lift, though. Even a chin spoiler, (definitely not a part of an original 11, nor any aero machine that ran at LeMans in the mid-late 50s) would not help the design much (but a small lip in front of the cooling duct outlet might help generate some low pressure for better air flow through the radiator). I know that this all seems to be counter intuitive, but Costin had it right the first time. Check the original 11 cutaways and work from there.

My early car doesn't have a floor beneath the rear axle, and no paneling beneath the engine. I am adding a new panel to the rear to seal off that area, and eventually, beneath the engine, with revised air flow to match the original 11. My RHD car already has a stand up, custom built radiator to take advantage of an under chassis, cooling exit. I will do the same with my old LHD car when I do the cosmetic restoration next year.

As for dream specifications, you need three things. Around 120 HP, 5 speed CR gearbox, and an LSD, preferably a clutch type such as a TranX. This will ensure a good drive off the corner, and endless throttle steering without the power escaping via inside wheel spin.

Taper front wheel bearings offer huge improvements in steering and braking, and will last forever if properly packed and shimmed.

[jonclancy]

Please feel free to add details under the supplied headings!!

[xkfeng7]

Tires: all "ultra" or "extreme" performance summer tires
Dunlop SP Sport 01 in a 176/65-15 all around
Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec in a 185/60-14 (front/rear)
Yokohama S-Drive in a 185/55/15 ( a tad short, but better than the 185/60-13's on there now).
Toyo Proxes R1R start in a 195/50-15 (maybe too wide for the front?)

Rears: Per Jan's info, if you go with a 5.5" rim (wider than original, so much for vintage authenticity) there are a number of tires such as the Dunlop Z1's that you could fit.

I've not yet decided if I'll follow Jan's creative idea of doing 15x5 front and 15x5.5 rear (centerlaced) or just go 14x5 all around.

[Westfield 129]

My listings on those tires are high performance all season. They all have full tread and work in the rain. I am pretty familiar with the Dunlops and the Yokohamas, especially the S drive, as I have used this fine tire on my Renault R5Turbo. It's good, but it is not Extreme anything. It just happens to be the only thing that fits... The Z1s are good sedan tires, about the same as the Hankooks that I am running on my Mercedes. They are also pretty good, compared to your Sumis. But then just about anything would be better.

The Proxis is an R compound, and can deliver plenty of grip. It might be too wide to steer (as it might rub the body work up front), and if it is over 24", will take out the headlights when cornering with body roll (might have to space the headlight buckets farther forward in the wings). Note that short side walls on the 15" rims will make the car a bit twitchy, and the transition will be sharp and very short. 185/60/13 is not really the best for grip on the W11s chassis, and if mounted in the rear, will give a very quick transition, especially if the tire pressure is too high. Again, these tires are designed for heavier sedans, so tire pressures will be critical.

You can use either center lace or standard 72 spoke lacing in the rear, depending on your tire clearance to the trailing arms. Best backside spacing is around 85~87 mm on a 5.5" rim, but those rims are ""Morgan Racing" type, and cost double. The standard 5.5 rim is 93~97mm, which might make it a tight fit against the trailing arms on the wire wheel axle, which loses half an inch on each side. This is why I ran the center laced wheels. You can run the readily available 72 spoke 5.5" wide rim on the disc wheel axle, using longer wire wheel axles for that purpose, or a bolt on spline hub flange, which is my choice for my LHD car when I make the change to the wires and the standard 72 spoke, 5.5 rim in the rear. With your wire wheel axle, the center laced rims are the easiest solution, and some racers used these back in the late 50s. They look pretty good, too. Backside spacing can be critical, depending on which tires you choose. Make sure that you check the section width, and note the "measuring rim width" when you eyeball the available space and select a back side spacing for your rims.