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Westfield XI progress report #1

Westfield_XI

Jedi Warrior
Offline
Until we get the build site up I will post here with progress reports. Today was a big day: I dropped off the old chassis and bodywork @ UPS in Simi Valley. Now there are no more distractions and I am free to go ahead and jump into the build.

So I did! I started by drilling out the rivets that held the doors and cockpit tub to the chassis. The tub comes out to give me access to spray Lizardskin sound & heatproofing onto the cockpit interior and the back of the tub. Also the firewall, the inside of the pods and behind the muffler. This will help with heat and noise and will also make everything a uniform color and texture. For this reason, after al fiberglasswork is done i will spray the underside of the body too.

The doors have to come off the allow me to change the piano hinges to the type with a removeable hinge pin. This is the easiest way to get removable doors.

I also started riveting .032" 6061 alloy sheet onto the belly of the chassis. I want to fully enclose the underside and build a duct for the radiator air from the nose scoop. This should prevent the well known problem of the trailing edge of the hood lifting at speed due to pressurisation of the engine compartment. I figure to bring the air in at the nose scoop and dump it out just in front of the crank pully.
I might need to reform one of the coolant pipes, perhaps fab another one if necessary, but they are just alloy tube and easy to source.

Next step is to finish the bellypan and scrape all the excess silicone sealant from the chassis. I intend to seal all seams using poly-sulfite aircraft sealant. This is completely oil and fuel resistant as well as waterproof. Then I can mask off to spray the Lizardskin. Once the coating is fully cured I can begin bolting on parts. The plater will be done this Friday so there should be no hold-up there.
 
Nice to hear you're diving right in! Sounds like you've been busy...
 
Have you committed to riveting the underside pan(s)? We did a 300SL Benz by using threaded inserts & screws instead of rivets so-as to allow easy removal if necessary. A bit more time consuming but maybe a convenience sometime later.

Just a thought.
 
It would be clearer to see with a photo, but the panels that get riveted will never need to come off. The one enclosing the engine around the sump area will be removeable. As will be some of the air ducting for access reasons, the same with the driveshaft tunnel. Because this is such a lightweight of a car, all skins are single sheet, giving ready access to both sides for inspection and repair.
 
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Those are neat cars.

I see you have an RGS 1000. Know of any of those for sale?
 
No I don't. I used to be a bike fanatic, but to tell the truth, I haven't ridden in 4 years. Or more.... I am moving part time to Tucson, Arizona to help my Mom And Dad in May and will be taking my Laverda along so I plan to get it back on the road soon. The Ducati/Italian bike dealer there is a Laverda owner and I think he can help me out with any parts I might need. They are great bikes in a mid '80's BMW RT vein. Real mile eaters. Not the most nimble of machines due to the long wheel base, but the howl they make at high rpm will make the hair on the back of your neck rise. I love mine and will NEVER sell it, but they are an aquired taste. Have you ever ridden one? I bought mine without ever riding a Laverda, just because I had read some magazine stories and had lusted for one ever since. Whatever you do, don't buy one of the water-cooled twin models sold in the late '90's, they are just not the same....
 
A small outlet I did business from time to time in the 70's and 80's sold them. They were selling Ducati and Moto Morini too. That dealer got very big and prosperous when the Ducati fad kicked off.

I'm pretty much interested in the 3 cylinder bikes, and the 60 degree ones are my favorite. RGS in particular, but the executive as well.

The bulk and weight of them always kept me from buying when they were available new. They are long and tall, and I was a dyed in the wool Norton Commando rider.

Now I would like to own a Laverda. Probably wouldn't use it much. I just sold off my Royal Enfield 750 Interceptor and BsA twin and bought a couple late 70's UJMs and a CBX. The CBX is at least as bulky as an RGS.

Is there a club?
 
The best Laverda club is the ILOC, google them for contact info. There is a great web forum out of San Francisco area that I used to monitor with lots of helpful members.
 
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