Singer Chamois for the Go Imp 50 year

This was December 2nd, 2013 and in the Hout Bay Harbour, the guy holding up the Imp Orange Tee Shirt is the
manager of The Lookout bar behind him.

Recomended for food and drinks and harbour views.

Roy

How to turn a Hillman Imp over to work on it

We use a turning jig to enable work on the underside of the car to be done correctly.

This jig set gives full control for the worker.

The turning is controled with two block & tackles.

Nice to have the right equipment!

Roy

Mk3 Hillman Imp door winders

In the process of a total strip down and rebuild, the 1971 Imp Deluxe has had the doors stripped.

Cleaned with Castrol de greasing fluid they cleaned up really well. The car has done some 90,000 miles and is now around 43 years old but these have worn well, in truth not at all?

 

Cleaned and washed with fresh water they are drying in the South African sun.

 

 

 

This is the spring loaded door catch release spring, its perfect.

Roy
 

Camping with Imps in Wales

I think so and the date was before late October 1968, as that was when I emigrated to Cape Town in South Africa.

Click on the image to enlarge it.

The blue Sunbeam Stiletto was mine, I did 19,000 miles in that car in ten months, that included two
camping holidays to Germany as well.

Note the Singer Chamois and the Ford Corsair, that was a nice car also.

Roy

The original Imp Laycock clutch and pressure plate

Whats so original about this you may ask?

Well the Hillman Imp came out in May of 1963 and its said that it was the first car to use this clutch plate design?

The car that used this design first is said to be the John Cooper F1 car and in 1962!

This is the later Mk2 size, its 6 1/4" in diameter and larger than the first cars.

Now I used to race a 998ccc Mk1 Imp here in Cape Town around 1972, I can not remember fitting a larger clutch?

Its said that the reason the smaller clutch plate was failing is back in the early sixties it was quite common for drivers to use second gear to move off as with cars they had driven before they were three speed and first was very low.

True or false?

Roy

Timing a Rootes competition Hillman Imp R20 camshaft

I have done this task many times, the method is writen down so its just a job of following the
instructions?

Sort of.

This is a brand new and Imported R20 camshaft, we fitted new tappet followers also.

You will need a dial gauge and a method to fasten it in place while the lift on number one tappet is set to 0.113"

Roy

Roys race Imp at Killarney, Cape Town.

I will have posted this before?

Imp 75F in the Argus Saloon Car series, circa 1972?

Worth a second look as its myself driving my 998cc Mk1 Hillman Imp here in Cape Town, South Africa.
I built the engine myself with parts Imported from the then Rootes Competitions Department in Coventry, England..

An Eric Wells picture taken  forty two years ago!

I still have the silver cup for placing second in my class.

Roy

998cc Imp engine for a Wills ringed head

The spares and parts to make the 998cc block from came from one of our suppliers in the UK.

This included the Wills Rings and required paper gasket which you can see in blue.

This engine will now be fitted to the 1971 Imp deluxe we are working on now.

Roy

998cc Imp engine

Built up here but some technical problems were found, we took the engine out and have kept it in stock.

The issue was based on a second hand sport cylinder head and the Wills ring grooves being at different depths, we had taken the head in on the expectation it was sound.

In this case we declined to continue to work with faulty parts.

Roy

Go Imp 50

Say no more!

A 1963 Mk1 Hillman Imp engine rebuild.

This engine is a very early one from some 440,000 made this is engine 1572 made.

Last May and to coincide the the Go Imp 50 event in Coventry, England I decided to rebuild this engine as it is itself now fifty years old.

I had the engine running on the bench May 3rd 2013 to proove what long running these engines can be.

Roy

Hillman Imp engine options

We can stay with the Imps 875cc plus re bores but also take the block out to 998cc.

The engine at the back is an Imp Sport motor with set of Hepolite plus 0.060" Powermax pistons fitted
which is the largest size we can fit to the standard bore.

The engine in front is a late model Mk2 block fitted with 998cc liners and pistons.

All done here in Cape Town, South Africa.

Roy

Moving our Hillman Imps

The car in question is really badged a 1966 Singer Chamois Sport.

This is the safest way to move what we work on, one man loads and unloads, so we dont even touch the car!

Click on any of the pictures for a larger image.

Roy

The Hillman imp turning jig

Seen here its easy to get a full image of what the jig can do.

The Singer is my own daily driver when needed, the car on its side was a customers car and was race prepared, we shipped that car to Scotland.

Other re builds are possible but we are fast running out of Imps!

Roy

Hillman Imp 1971 deluxe rebuild

This is another full restoration and required our special turning jigs.

The only way this work can be done to this standard is when the car is upside down.

The engine bay and front area are done here, the actual full respray is being done by a specialist spray shop.

Roy

Hillman Imp 12"wheel rim disc brake kits

I have not posted on this blog since last year, its not that we have nothing to say rather we are busy and the main blog takes most of my time these days.

This is yet another Hillman Imp disc brake conversion but our first for the Imps standard 12" steel rims.

The disc is too large and needs 20mm taking off it, plus the center hole and stud holes work as well.

The caliper is a re built Ford Fiesta size, the stub axle is an old Imp and spare one.

Roy