NVP66S

I just noticed the GPS antenna on the scuttle. Is that to feed the speedometer?

I guess I'm in the minority here. I rather like the Miata gauge cluster. But the speedo cable broke and I couldn't see the top 1/3 of the speedo and tach with the smaller steering wheel. So I bought individual VDO gauges and made my own cluster. The speedo doesn't use the cable, it has a GPS sensor. I also made the small carbon fiber subpanel for the mechanical oil pressure gauge and voltmeter.

Inline 4s are inherently rough, as the piston acceleration at TDC is about twice that at BDC. Exactly how bad is a function of rod length / crank throw ratio. This engine looks to me like it is smoother than an I4 but at greater cost and weight. On a motorcycle, the designers have the choice of adding twin balance shafts to an I4, and most new single cylinder bike engines have them. Inline 3s are much better balanced, and need only a single balance shaft to get rid of all the primary imbalances. I have a particular soft spot for the Triumph triples (street triple, speed triple, and rocket 3) I didn't know about Ariel's cylinder cooling problem, but most modern high performance bike engines are water cooled now. Dan

Why does a chicken coop have 2 doors? Because if it had 4 doors it would be a sedan!

That's an excellent deal for a really nice trailer. I recently bought an Aluma tilt bed and with electric brakes and spare tire it was just under $4K. I love the tilt feature though.

I'm in Midland and would be happy to give him a ride, but my Westfield is strictly a street car with a 140 HP Miata drivetrain.

The more you read and observe about this Politics thing, you got to admit that each party is worse than the other. The one that's out always looks the best. That's a Will Rogers quote.

I admire good craftsmanship, and that doubtless is excellent craftsmanship.

Yes, the aerodynamics were stolen from the American design, but the propulsion was completely different. The strap-on boosters for example were pump-fed liquids rather than solids. Both were capable of flying autonomously (and the Soviet version did) except the American Shuttle needed a live pilot to lower the landing gear.

Build diary here: http://www.usa7s.net/vb/showthread.php?9488-Westfield-build-diary&highlight=build+diary+NVP

If you're still looking to buy a year from now, ask again. I may be willing to sell my TX registered Mazda powered Westfield by then.

Take 1: I had an old car with twin sidedraft Solex carbs (kinda like Webers) and it did the same thing. That car had a manual prime lever on the side of the mechanical fuel pump, and a few jabs at that lever always got it running again. I fixed it by making a longer rod that drove the fuel pump off the camshaft. Take 2: A friend of mine made an off-field landing with his Continental engined airplane. This happened soon after takeoff, and that was after a half-hour in August waiting and idling for takeoff clearance. We decided that he had bubbles in the fuel line, as that installation had both mechanical and electric fuel pumps, and good pressure. He looked at the fuel pressure gauge before takeoff and it was good. Here, even though there were 2 pumps in series, there was still very little flow to the idling engine, and bubbles (vapor lock) formed; not enough cool fuel coming from the tank to overpower the heat added from the hot engine. Modern fuel injected cars have solved this problem by putting the pump inside the tank (below it is OK too) and by flowing a continuous loop. So try the advice above: Insulate the line to reduce heat pickup, and if that doesn't work, add a return line to circulate cool fuel. Dan

No but even with my fingers in my ears it was painfully loud.

Now that's a coincidence. About 3 hours ago I was visiting the owner of a top fuel dragster. He started it up inside his shop and I spent the next 15 minutes checking the color of my fingernails.

We had a discussion going about the CanAm being OK in Texas because it has a tandem saddle seat, but the Slingshot was banned because it has side-by-side seats. It seems there is new legislation. Story link here: http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2015/05/27/new-law-legalizes-three-wheel-polaris-slingshot-in-texas/ Grrr, arg. I can't fix the spelling of Texas in the thread title.

Now that's what I call a low glide ratio with a good flare, and winner of the spot landing contest!

As long as we're on the subject of bartender's wisdom: Seven New York City bartenders were asked if they could nail a woman's personality based on what she drinks. Though interviewed separately, they concurred on almost all counts. The results: Drink: Beer Personality: Causal, low-maintenance; down to earth. Your Approach: Challenge her to a game of pool. Drink: Blender Drinks Personality: Flaky, whiny, annoying; a pain in the ass. Your Approach: Avoid her, unless you want to be her cabana boy. Drink: Mixed Drinks Personality: Older, more refined, high maintenance, has very picky taste; knows EXACTLY what she wants. Your Approach: You won't have to approach her. If she's interested, she'll send YOU a drink Drink: Wine (does not include White Zinfandel) Personality: Conservative and classy; sophisticated yet giggles. Your Approach: Tell her you love to travel and spend quiet evenings with friends. Drink: White Zinfandel Personality: Easy; thinks she is classy and sophisticated, actually, she has NO clue. Your Approach: Make her feel smarter than she is...this should be an easy target. Drink: Shots Personality: Likes to hang with frat-boy pals and looking to get totally drunk... and naked. Your Approach: Easiest hit in the joint. You have been blessed. Nothing to do but wait, however, be careful not to make her mad! Drink: Tequila No explanations required - everyone just KNOWS what happens there. THEN, there is the MALE addendum ---- The deal with guys is, as always, very simple and clear cut: Domestic Beer: He's poor and wants to get laid. Imported Beer: He likes good beer and wants to get laid. Wine: He is hoping that the wine will give him a sophisticated image to help him get laid. Whiskey: He doesn't give a damn about anything but getting laid. Tequila: He is thinking he has a chance with the toothless waitress. White Zinfandel: He's gay.

About a year ago, I built a Westfield with a Miata drivetrain. Flyin' Miata in Colorado does the builder support and I have only good things to say about them. If you build a Westfield with an S2000 drivetrain, you will deal directly with the US importer, which is Manik in Texas. I love my car even though I have it torn apart at the moment as I am replacing the Miata instrument cluster with VDO gauges.

I'm still back and forth between So Cal and West Texas. Next year this time, the plan is to be in TX full time. That's a lot better drive to PA and I do plan to take off then.

Nice car!

OK, here's one back at cha... Happy Halloween. A couple was invited to a swanky masked Halloween party. She got a terrible headache and told her husband to go alone. He, being a devoted husband, protested, but she argued and said she was going to take some aspirin and go to bed and there was no need of his good time being spoiled . So, he took his costume and left. After an hour, the wife awakened without pain and decided to go to the party. Her husband did not know what her costume was, so she thought she’d have some fun watching her husband to see how he acted when she was not with him. She joined the party and soon spotted him cavorting around on the dance floor, dancing with every nice chick he could and copping a little feel here and a little kiss there. His wife sidled up to him and, being a rather seductive lady herself, he left his partner high and dry and devoted his time to the new stuff that had just arrived. She let him go as far as he wished; naturally, since he was her husband. Finally, he whispered a little proposition in her ear and she agreed, so off they went to one of the cars and had sex. Just before unmasking at midnight, she slipped away and went home, put the costume away and got into bed, wondering what kind of explanation he would have for his behavior. She was sitting up reading when he came in and asked him what kind of time he had had. He said, "Oh, the same old thing. You know I never have a good time when you're not there." Then, she asked, "Did you dance much?" He replied, "No, not even one dance. When I got there, I met Pete, Bill, and some other guys, so we went into the den and played poker all evening... But, you're not gonna believe what happened to the guy I loaned my costume to..."

Welcome to the club. I have a Westfield SEiW that I built last year. I'm about 100 miles north of you. What engine/drivetrain do you have?

The answer I give that seems to work best (and is honest) is: "It's a replica of a 1962 Lotus" Heck, if neither the State nor the insurance company are interested in what *model* Lotus, then neither is the public.

Westfield kits are available in the US from Manik, and builder support for the version that uses the Miata donor is done by Flyin' Miata. Their web page shows prices, and the base is $14,600 plus the Miata donor. That price includes the $4000. fee for shipping to the US, which hurts. If you're not in the mood for breaking and overhauling the donor, FM sells pallets of the appropriate parts. https://www.flyinmiata.com/westfield/configurator.php It's still a big project, though. Dan

So, is this car left over from the proposal that car tires should be concrete and the roads made of rubber? :hat: