The Jaguar 3.8 S type interior

Jaguar made some of the best car interiors ever, was the S type one of the best?

This car was fully restored, the interior was refitted with new leather seats and door panels.

The imported wood rim wheel has a special alloy center boss, the push button is off an E type Jaguar, being the only close match available.

Re lacquered wood rim,its made from African Mahogany.

Simply the best!

Roy

Hillman Imp Californian, 1967 model.

Seen here as found in Pietermaritzburg.

The car was eventually fitted with a full Sport spec motor, plus 13 inch rims and lower profile rims. With a full respray it became a really nice car.

Still on the Imps original 12 inch rims, the car is outside one of Hout Bays older buildings, the historic Kronendal House.

 Janet drives our Californian Imp.

Later and on the new 13 inch rims and wider Pirreli tyres, note how nice the car looks with the new paint job.

Roy

The red Imp lifts a wheel

Its well known that your really only trying when the inside front wheel lifts a bit.

So this export spec left hand driver is having a fair go!
The car is badged as a Sunbeam, so either the US or European market?

Imp rear suspension lay out

Seen here is a restored set of rear Singer Chamois Sport suspensions, the long cross beam has been cut into three sections to allow later rear wheel adjustments to toe in and out.

All parts were bead blasted and repainted to give that better than new finish.

R McBride pictures.

The picture should open to a larger size if you click on it.
Service and parts for Imps are normally available.

Roy

Singer in the garage

We were gifted this car by Alister, not quite in this condition I may add. The car was at the rear of a Hout Bay service station,there the owner was playing with the idea of racing the car at Killarney.

The car had a canvas cover over it for many months, in which time the twin Stromber 125 CD carbs and inlet manifold were stolen. I asked Alister what he wanted to do with the car? He more or less said Its yours, you can take it away.

So started my return back to the world of Hillman Imps, now some eighteen years later I am more involved in these cars than I ever was.

The car is a 1967 Singer Chamois, now with a part Sport engine, it has become a daily driver when the weather is fine.

Roy

The 1953 Morris Oxford

We owned a Morris Oxford for many years, the four cylinder 1470cc side valve engine was not so bad but given the weight of the car, not to mention its load a strong head wind over the Yorkshire moors once saw us struggle to stay at 60 miles per hour.

Ours was the same colour, it was plated OKC475.

Inside was plain and painted finishes.

It had a side column gear shift,rather nice when you got used to it. At the age of sixteen I learned to drive in this type of car.

Eric and Gills white Hillman Imp

The car was eventually sold to Eric one Christmas Day, I then spent the next week preparing the car and Eric has been adding to the car since then.

The car now has Minilite type alloy wheels with 13 inch tyres, a front disc brake conversion, Monte Carlo road springs and Spax adjustable shock absorbers. The engine was to Sport specs anyway but Eric had some new plus 40 thou pistons fitted as well!

Notty and a white Hillman Imp

When Notty came out to Cape Town for a month I loaned him our spare Imp, bought in for scrap,  I soon saw the car was strong in all the right places. Over the next few months I repaired the tin worm holes with our epoxy and today the car still looks great.

A 1967 Mark 2 Hillman Imp

Ford Cortina camping

This time there is a date of sorts in the picture, the Ford Cortina has a licence plate that ends with a letter D, that is a 1966 car and given that its most probably a new car we can date it from some time after that year?

Picture by RH McBride

Another Camping Club site, packed too, we had some wonderfull years with our camping.

Lets go camping

Britain has a club for campers, its now about 90 years old, was that last year?
The so called Camping Club of Great Britain an Ireland has changed a bit but the
idea is still all about getting out and about.

A National FOL (feast of lanterns) is held each year and in a new venue, so the event moves around the country year by year. Where was this I wonder, when was it my guess its about 1963/4 look at all those tents and what are now old cars.

Roy

Here comes the bride

The 1966 S type Jaguar has been a star at many wedding arrivals, the last two were my own daughters and for once I had to sit in the back.

The wedding cars

One good use for these older cars has always been the attraction as wedding cars, the small car takes the bridesmaid and flower girls, the larger one the bride.

Singer Chamois Sport body plate

the Imps came out with a chassis and engine number both the same, the chassis number is normally riveted to the inside of the engine bay and on your left hand side.

The number will look like this:

B79/2/00610/HSO  in this case the car looks to be the series two and was the six hundred and tenth (610) produced of that model ( only 2600 made)

Note: HSO stands for Home Saloon, so for the UK distribution, if your car has an engine or body plate marked as WSO it was an export car.

Click the picture to enlarge.

This is not a chassis number plate, it is the cars trim code plate and reads LNS-033648
it will normally be found riveted to the area right of the petrol filler cap under the bonnet at the front of the car. The carpet is the original from the 1966 Singer Chamois Sport, its a dirty shade of blue but was nice enough when new some forty six (46) years ago.

Roy

A 1966 Singer Chamois Sport found

This was found by way of a friend who saw an advert in the evening Cape Argus newspaper, the car was listed as a Rally Imp, thats a 998cc car and a massive find if it was true?

The car was not far from Cape Town city and in Monte Vista, on seeing the car I knew right away we had discovered a rare Singer Chamois Sport, it was tatty to say the least but quite complete in many respects.

This 875cc engine had not been a runner for some while, it did start when I got it home after feeding it some fuel and spare parts, I then removed the engine and with the help of Viglietti Motors on Roeland Street, did a full engine rebuild. I fitted plus 0.060 thou Heppolite Power Max pistons, the engine is now a 916cc size.

Jean with the cars owner, it took very little time to agree a mutual value, I paid a deposit and collected the car the next day. The car turned out to be a rare 1966 Singer Chamois Sport and was car number 610 of only 2600 of that model to be built.

We later met the original owner, he had bought it at the Earls Court Motor Show in London, this was in 1966, he then  used it on export plates (yellow outline) for nearly a year in the UK, then imported it to Cape Town.

A rare find, the car was Polar White with black interior and blue carpets, there will have been a red stripe down the center of the side stainless body trims.

Paint and trim code being LNS 042727

Roy

Imp 998cc block and pistons assembly

Seen here with an optional solid copper cylinder head gasket, the block is ready to have the series 107 Singer Chamois Sport head fitted.

The head is ready, the tappet shims are set and  the head can be fitted to the short motor now.

The R17 cam may be about 35 years plus old in design, older maybe? its in fine condition and will make good use of the engines increased capacity to 998cc.

Roy

A Hillman Imp rubber doughnut drive joint clamp

Seen here as on Ebay UK right now. I have my own, they are really easy to use and make the job quite easy.
Be sure to re fit a used joint in the same position you removed it!


Are the dimensions in workshop manual 141, I think so?

A clamp designed to compress the Imp doughnut.

These are of great assistance when changing Hillman Imp doughnuts.

Whilst people claim they can change a doughnut with a jubilee clip, or a big screwdriver.

This clamp makes the operation much simpler and is less likely to damage the doughnut.

The clamp is especially good when the competition type of doughnut is being used.

The competition dougnut is shown in the picture.

Every Imp should have one !!!

Please note the competition doughnut shown in the picture is not part of the sale.

It is only for illustration, to show that the clamp is the right size.

Pictures and edited text was lifted from the Ebay UK web site, many thanks.

Roy

Erics Imp

The Imp Club asked for members to supply a specific Imp picture showing the area where we live.
I failed to come up with a decent one but Eric Wells changed all that.

  Note the kite surf wing in the sky, Cape Town at its best! an Eric Wells picture.

For more on The Imp Club check out their web site www.theimpclub.co.uk

Roy

Hillman Imp 998cc piston set

As a special import we can have these here in a ten day period by regular post, less with a courier service such as DHL or UPS, they will normally have them here in four days?

 They are really well made, strong but as light as they can be made, check those thin side walls.

Extra deep valve pockets to take valves larger than  the sport type.

The 998cc pistons are normally brought in with the required steel sleeves, we have a local machine shop who can fit them. How hard can that be (try it)

The 998cc steel sleeve set.

Top class engineering and worth what they cost.

Roy

Impressions, the Imp Clubs magazine.

A award winning magazine, we member receive it monthly world wide.

A 998cc Stiletto at Bikini Beach

Another one of those long lost pictures, the car was a 1968 model, it will have been just a few years old then, not sure how old those girls were but they will be about thirty five years older now I guess!

 Picture by R McBride using a Canon FT film camera and a 200mm canon  tele lens.

The car was mine, I had owned a new one in Liverpool, same colour but the standard 875cc engine. The car in the picture was a very different matter, it would hold an MGB going up a hill quite easily. The engine was a works fitted unit and was quite a surprise to me when I changed a head gasket.

Roy

Bob Allan, the Imp spares man

We visited Bob at his home ten years back, he had some parts for us and being quite close to Liverpool where we were staying, it made sense to drop in and meet the guy.

 R McBride photo.

Jean chats to Bob, check inside the garage, thats the Fraser special K9, or Killeen 9, built to race at Le Mans but never made it. Bobs Californian is a 1968 model, it has disc brakes on the front and a 998cc engine in the back.

Jean, Roy and Bob, photo by Janet.

 Bob Allan photos?

Bobs Californian in the winter!

Thats a lot of snow. The letter F on the licence plate denotes the year, this one is 1968.

Roy

Singer Chamois Sport

Seen here at IMP 04 on the Wirrel, Merseyside,this recreation of a Singer Chamois Sport looks really nice and I have a fancy to spray my next rebuild the same paint shade. I have the stainles side trims but not those on the engine cover lid, does anyone have a set for me?

 Picture by R McBride using a Sony Cyber shot digital camera.

The car is 1966 car, this is noted by the letter D on the licence plate.

Roy

Paul Hawkins in the Cape Southeaster Springbok race

Again, we think this is dated 1968, it will be that give a year either way?

Paul Hawkins is racing his Lola T70 at Killarney, just look how close and relaxed
the marshalls are!

 Once again, my thanks to Eric Wells for supplying the picture. Click on it and it should enlarge.

Roy

Dave collects his Triumph TR3

Tom Maben was moving from printing machine restoration to classic cars, he was working on a red TR3 and I knew a guy who may be interested in the car once Tom had worked his magic with it.

I think the Triumph TR3 was Toms very first  restoration sold, it has lead to a sreies of other classic cars, some are very special and were total wrecks when Tom was given them.

The Springbok Series,around 1968

The series started at the Kayalami circuit, then the WPMC at Cape Towns Killarney circuit were asked to host races as well, this in effect off loaded a lot of the cost to ship the cars and drivers over from the UK and Europe.

Photo be Eric Wells

The Lola T70 of Doug Surrurier and Jackie Pretorius.

Seen here at a very dry summers day at Killarney, Cape Town. The series expamnded and soon brought in East London, then also included races in Rhodisia and Mozambique.

A visit from Dick Tomkins

Dick is a well known Imp Club member, he is a body work specialist and was inspecting the stripped shell we used to make the Fraser Imp copy from.

 There are two more Imps in the background, the one on the right is a 1966 Singer Chamois Sport, the other, which has a cover on it being a 1967 Hillman Californian.

Dick told me the shell was so sound that in the UK they would be fighting over it, good shells are few and far between with their salt laden roads each winter?

The same shell being prepared to have a front radiator fitted, note the turning rig,its quite simple but makes life really easy when you need to service the bottom of the car.

The same shell now, its nearly ready to ship to its new owner in Scotland.

www.theimpclub.co.uk

Roy

Southern Comfort

That has nothing to do with thats famous drink, its the rear seats of a 1967 Singer Chamois that was restored down in Cape Town, South Africa. The soft fabiric center panels sure are comfortable.

Not a bad seating for a car designed in the early sixties, the seat folds down flat too, so loads of space which can be accessed through the opening rear window.

Erics Mark 1 Hillman Imp CA112-417

This was the car that saw Eric drive to UCT each day, I think it was the wedding car when he and Gill got married?

Check all those gauges on the dash panel.

An Eric Wells photo.

Sunbeam Sport Oil Cooler

Known also as the Wire Brush oil cooler, it works very well and does the job just fine.

Under the care and management of the spares departments Bob Allan, the oil cooler mounts are about to be remade to the exact pattern Bob has supplied me with. I know they are correct as the mount in this picture was made by hand and fits perfectly. Bob told me he used a spare set of the original mounts, flattened them and made the templates !

Mounts can be sourced from The Imp Club spares department www.theimpclub.co.uk

Roy