PES 989J... "The Pest" ....Knockhill prep

colimp66 · Post by **colimp66** » Sat Nov 05, 2011 2:28 pm

Hoping to try & get back into it this week if I'm lucky.
If I have the energy & inclination.

Tryign to sort out a new website for my business so thats taking priority at the moment.

Cheers
Col.

ImpManiac · Post by **ImpManiac** » Sun Nov 06, 2011 12:00 am

It'd be great to see your car progress again, Colin.

IM

colimp66 · Post by **colimp66** » Sun Nov 20, 2011 9:17 pm

Hello, I'm still here.

Not a huge amount done since I last reported on The Pest but I did have an hour on it the other night & welded in the panels I knocked up for the radiator box. No photos I'm afraid but will get some posted asap.
Some tidying of the welds & some primer will have it looking good.

Cheers
Col.

sammy the sturgeon · Post by **sammy the sturgeon** » Mon Nov 21, 2011 12:56 am

Yeah, good your back at it - I have june just about bu**er all on GLAd this week.
Looking forward to the piccys

colimp66 · Post by **colimp66** » Wed Jan 04, 2012 11:53 am

Well thats Christams & New Year over with, hope everyone had a good one?/
I have managed to have a bit of time on The Pest.. finished of the front wing at last & got it back on the spit so I can continue the task of repairing the floor, inner arch, outer arch, lower rear wing & the rear of the floor where the suspension crossmember bolts to... Seems all way too familiar that..??? ?

probably a lot more besdies that little lot...

Once the wing was welded & buffed down I got it on the spit.. & was greeted with this...

Pretty much the same kind of state the lhs was in when I flipped that on its side. I think I can remember how to sort it out..

Cheers.
Col.

Lotus-e-Clan · Post by **Lotus-e-Clan** » Wed Jan 04, 2012 12:23 pm

I'm really in awe of you guys who restore steel body work.

Makes me feel really guilty that I prematurely scrapped HUE 135D (Polar White Deluxe) in 1976 and then BDU 501K (red and yellow Stiletto) in 1979....which made way for my first "rust-less" Clan Crusader FCV 273L (written off 2011 by the last owner in Ireland

).

Both of my steel Imp variants were sound compared to the stuff you chaps restore.

kilty · Post by **kilty** » Wed Jan 04, 2012 5:52 pm

Good to see you back at it Col, all the best for this year!

colimp66 · Post by **colimp66** » Thu Jan 05, 2012 10:12 am

Cheers Drew, hope you had a good one & all the best for the New year .

L-e-C.. shame on you scrapping those Imps ..

To be honest it's a surprise my one wasn't scrapped some time ago.. I know I have had the urge more than once..

I'll keep battling on with it now.. I am envious of all that rust free fibreglass of a Clan..

Home from work last night & fired into the garage & cut out a bit of the floor & battered a fresh piece of metal into shape to replace it. Theres a few more of these to be shaped thats for sure but this is the first for now, more tonight I suspect.

Cheers.
Col.

colimp66 · Post by **colimp66** » Thu Jan 05, 2012 7:31 pm

Thanks Chris & keith,

I dont want to rush it Chris but I want it done for 2013. I've hardly been rushing this past year thats for sure.

It won't be anywhere near as good as yours. Aslong as it's solid, clean looking & a reasonably quick Imp I'll be happy.
Good luck with yours Keith. Any questions fire away, only too happy to help where I can & there is plenty of very knowledgeable Impers on here more qualified than I am to help you out aswell.

Cheers
Col.

ImpManiac · Post by **ImpManiac** » Thu Jan 05, 2012 11:41 pm

One or two may have mentioned it, Colin

but it is great to see you are back on the case with the Pest.

IM

colimp66 · Post by **colimp66** » Sun Jan 08, 2012 10:53 am

Thanks Paul,
any encouragement from yourselve or anyone else is always helpful in keeping up the momentum to finish the welding marathon that The Pest is.

Had a little time last night once again at it & welded in a little patch near the rear suspension turret/rear seat floor area. Only noticed last night but for every repair I have already done on the lhs I'm needing to do it on the rhs aswell. A right old pain but at least I know it will be balanced equally with the same amount of welding wire & repair patches on each side.

Anyway here is my wee repair that I stil need to dress up the welds.

Cheers
Col.

colimp66 · Post by **colimp66** » Mon Jan 09, 2012 9:20 pm

Feel like I might be getting somewhere with The Pest now as I've achieved more in a week than I have in the last 6 months.

Cut out more of the floor as it needed to come out so I can measure & make the new panel that is hidden behind the suspension crossmember. Not only that but a wee upstand that joins the floor to the unsderside of the rear seat area.
Then I would be able to hopefully drill out the 3 broken studs for the crossmember that I couldnt get out about 2 years ago.
Once thats all done & primed I may be able to attach the floor panel I made up earlier in the week..
Here's the photos anyhow..
The rotten piece of panel removed then the area cleaned up a touch & measured up..

So I could fit the wee upstand bit to attach the floor to.. Then whilst I was waiting on my battery drill to charge so I can drill out the stud further I bashed up the new panel that hides behind the suspension crossmember.

The new panel still has to have the holes drilled into it & final bashing to make it all fit snug.That will happen once the floor part is welded in... Hopefully this week sometime.

Cheers
Col.

ImpManiac · Post by **ImpManiac** » Tue Jan 10, 2012 12:01 am

^^ That must be the thing; the more you do, the closer you feel to finishing it and the more motivated you must get. Well, I hope so anyway!

Great work, Colin. Really top drawer stuff.

IM

colimp66 · Post by **colimp66** » Thu Jan 12, 2012 9:55 pm

Whilst I am waiting on some UNF nuts & bolts to arrive to allow me to weld in the extra nuts to hold the Sport suspension crossmember I thought I'd cut up the Mk1 Fiesta inner arch & match it upto the Imp outer.
This is the last one to be done & I have doen it the sameway on the other inner arches.
Firstly I line up the Fiesta arch with the Imp outer & see what curve best suits, mark it then cut it, then move the inner arch around again & match up the curves then cut. End up with 5 pieces of Fiesta arch, trim to suit then butt weld them whilst holding it in place with some grips.

There isn't quite enough Fiesta arch to go all the way around but the tail end bits I normally make up myself to suit once I have the main part of the inner welded in. At £20 quid an arch it' s quite a saving over an Imp pat that I would probably have to mess about with anyway.

Cheers
Col.

colimp66 · Post by **colimp66** » Thu Jan 12, 2012 11:06 pm

That sounds about right Scott.
My front arch repair that I have completed is needing a bit of fettling at the bottom where it is supposed to meet the sill.. The part you seam seal to give it the wee bevel.. the outer edge is completely flat instea dof turning in on itself????? That will be cut out & redone...You have to wonder if the folk making them have ever tried fitting them to an Imp or even seen an Imp sometimes

Think I'll be at the next meeting so we can have a good moan..

Cheers
Col.

colimp66 · Post by **colimp66** » Fri Jan 13, 2012 10:25 am

Sounds like my wing repair panel you are fitting there Scott aswell.

At the rear lower part where it meets the sill is one place you dont really want be messing around with as it is an awkward part to replicate & one of the first places to promote the rust worm I would imagine..
I wouldn't like to be paying someone to fit it thats for sure.. .. Ouch!!

Cheers
Col.

colimp66 · Post by **colimp66** » Sun Jan 15, 2012 10:51 pm

Still waiting on my nuts to arrive so I can sort out the rear suspesnion crossmember mounting. So I thought I'd turn my attention & I'm back to the floor & the bit where the seat is bolted to. Now this area was really badly corroded & i was uncertain how good the underneath was where the seat mounts so I thought I'd pop the welds & remove it so I can repair/paint the area & make good the welding to the floor repair panels.
Here is what it looks like underneath your seat... well my seat I should say, wouldnt want all Imps to be looking like this..

The topside & underside once it was removed.

This is the floor how it looks now...

I'll be removing the rust this week I should think . Then bashing up a new panel before fitting the seat pan back to where it came.

Cheers
Col.

ImpManiac · Post by **ImpManiac** » Mon Jan 16, 2012 10:32 am

Your thoroughness is to be applauded, Colin.

Which panel will you be replacing or repairing? It looks to me as though both the main floor section and the seat mounting plate are covered with surface rust but not badly damaged.

I wonder whether or not there is a better way of mounting the seats in my Chamois than the existing seat pans. Some of the rally guys weld in box section between the sills, picking up on the central tunnel. I might dig up some photos of this and use that technique. EDIT - A bit like you have done in your car. Will you be leaving the box section in place?

IM

colimp66 · Post by **colimp66** » Mon Jan 16, 2012 11:11 am

Thank you Paul & Paul ..

The box section I have welded to the heater channels you see were initially put in to keep the body straight whilst I was cutting the rot out. They will be removed eventually once the floor is complete. I have swithered whether to replace the seat pan with the box section like you say IM ,it is basicaly a rust trap if water ever gets in there again. Box section like the rally guys use would eliminate this from happening & arguably stronger for attaching my seat to.

You have me thinking about removing the other seat pan now.. Mmmmmmmm.....

Cheers
Col.

colimp66 · Post by **colimp66** » Sat Feb 18, 2012 10:15 pm

You need to get back home more often Drew..
You will still get in as we haven't closed the border quite yet & you will only need to use a few choice words for them to know you are local..

Going ok thanks, a bit slow on the Imp once more , mainly due to work but those motorbikes keep distracting once again. Racing season just around the corner you see.. I need some help ......

I have all the panels sitting made up to finish the floor & the area around the suspension crossmember then it will be onto the rear arch etc.. Home straight really..

Have the welding done for Easter........honest .

Cheers
Col

colimp66 · Post by **colimp66** » Mon Feb 20, 2012 9:16 pm

Drew,
I hope to have it done for the 50th certainly.. Definately not this years National unfortunately.

Got some of the panels that have been sitting around for a week or two welded in today. The last piece of the floor is now hanging there with grips ready to be welded in so should have that done tomorrow night possibly..

Here is the two pieces welded in anyway.
The very rear of the floor which is hidden slightly by the suspension crossmember & the piece that sits behind the crossmember itself all shiny & new looking now.

This one is for Ash although think he may have his all welded up by now. The area that is hidden just in front of the rear inner arch & between the upright for the rear seat pan.

Cheers
Col.

colimp66 · Post by **colimp66** » Wed Feb 22, 2012 10:07 pm

Yaba-daba-DOOOoooooooooo!!!!
The Pest no longer resembles Fred Flinstones car tonight I am pleased to say.

I've nearly got a solid Imp now, only have the rear arch & quarter to sort out aswell as the bit I have been dreading below the rear window.
Here is the final bits welded into the floor making it complete..

It still needs tidying & I will need to put in some sort of support for the seats but it has come a long way from this...

Such a long time ago it seems..

Wait!!! It was!!!

Cheers
Col.

sammy the sturgeon · Post by **sammy the sturgeon** » Wed Feb 22, 2012 10:21 pm

Good going Colin.
They are big steps forward, and 'Landmarks' towards getting nearer to the finish.

Its god to have a look back at the old pics and realise how far you have come from where it was, I've been doing that tonight after hitting one of mine.

Your not too far away from having all the welding done, and that is a Huge step, have five minutes and pat yourself on the back.

colimp66 · Post by **colimp66** » Wed Feb 22, 2012 11:52 pm

Paul & IM,

Thank you both. Yeh, pretty chuffed with myself that the floor is finally done. Still quite a few wee bits to sort out all round the car where I have worked but nothing major.
The rear arch will get started next week now I think. I need to order up some more cutting discs & flapwheels this week in preparation for all the cutting that will be required.

IM. Do you have your twirler finished yet?? Any progress on your Imp?

Cheers
Col.

colimp66 · Post by **colimp66** » Thu Feb 23, 2012 2:36 pm

The problem IM with having a tidy garage is that you can't find anything..

Mine is like a bomb has gone of in it!! I have very limitied time myself with running my own business & having an 8 year old son that I love spending time with so when I go into the garage when time allows it's either use the time to tidy or get on with the car.. The car wins pretty much all of the time unitl my wife gives me grief about the mess. A token tidy is then done..

. The tidying can wait, theres no deadline for that

Its organised Chaos at the moment in there..
Of course it will need tidied once I get to the paint stage.. That will be a mammoth task that will..

Yeh, the rear arch is next on the list which will tie in with the end of the sill that is still open as can be seen in the photos & of course the rear lower quarter to inner/outer. Ditch the battery tray ,whats left of it as the battery will be going up front.

Make mistakes?? Me??? Erm, of course I do.. Can't tell you about them though..

Cheers
Col.

colimp66 · Post by **colimp66** » Wed Mar 07, 2012 10:20 am

Now that I have a complete floor I have moved to the rear of the car & started the rhs arch. Removing the existing filler (around 4mm thick in places) with my wire attachment in my grinder I filled the air with with dust last night.
The previous poor repair matched what I removed from the lhs rear arch which was what I was expecting really so no surprises when the filler was removed. The repair arch was simply laid over the existing rusty arch then filled ... alot!!!
Here it is..

And with the repair panel removed entirely..

The bottom rear quarter has a similar repair aswell, metal laid over the existing quarter.. I guess it was the easy way to do it back then.. poor all the same..

Cheers
Col.

ImpManiac · Post by **ImpManiac** » Wed Mar 07, 2012 5:51 pm

That's not at all good.

Mind you, it is at least consistent with the rest of the car.

At least it will be done properly now, though.

IM

kilty · Post by **kilty** » Wed Mar 07, 2012 8:11 pm

Good to see you back on it Col, ready for paint by first day of summer? Scottish summer that is!

colimp66 · Post by **colimp66** » Tue Mar 13, 2012 10:08 am

The Scottish summer you speak of Drew.. that will be one sunny day in July would it not??

I am aiming to have it painted this year is all I'm saying.
At it again this weekend with the rear rhs arch, cut out the rot, welded in an end piece to the sill to seal that of & connect it to the inner arch.
My much modified Fiesta inner arch is now sitting sweet welded to the original arch.
Quite a bit of surface rust in the inside of the arch that is hidden by the inner panels. I have rubbed them all down & they will be treated with Kurust or similar before the outer arch is welded in place.

Cheers
Col.

bazzateer · Post by **bazzateer** » Tue Mar 13, 2012 11:10 am

Keep going Colin, you'll soon be on the home stretch!

sammy the sturgeon · Post by **sammy the sturgeon** » Tue Mar 13, 2012 11:16 am

I think we are having a Yorkshire summer right now in the high teens for two days running! I dispensed with the thermals, Did look at my shorts but didn't want to tempt fate!!

Bit by bit its coming - painted this year is a good target to aim for, and once the welding is done it's plain sailing from there

she's looking loads better each time you post
Paul

colimp66 · Post by **colimp66** » Tue Mar 20, 2012 10:10 am

A little bit more done at the weekend & yesterday.
Done a bit more prep work on the inside of the rear inner arch/wing & painted it with some Bilt Hamer rust cure which needs a second coat which will be done tonight befroe a couple of coats of Zinc 182.
Finished of the rear lower part of the inner arch with a section & tidied up the A post I think you call it where it meets the sill.

before & after photos of the A post

I did start the part of the rear wing that is bewteen the arch & doorpost as I need an infil section as the sill end repair is just a tad too short. Unfortunately I got carried away a bit with the welding & it kinda buckled so I have that to redo sometime this week. I came away disgusted & a bit peeved that I let it happen.. Aargh!!

The arch repair itself has all been prepped in readyness for when it is ready to be welded in too..
Cheers
Col.

bazzateer · Post by **bazzateer** » Tue Mar 20, 2012 10:13 am

Good work Colin.

BTW that's the B post. The doors hinge on the A posts.

sammy the sturgeon · Post by **sammy the sturgeon** » Tue Mar 20, 2012 8:09 pm

Spot on Colin,
Every bit counts.
And don't get disheartened about that little panel buckeling - one panel out of how many you have put on????

(and if its buckled take a hammer to it and exact revenge- when its on the floor mind!)

Keep going
Paul

colimp66 · Post by **colimp66** » Tue Mar 20, 2012 9:24 pm

Thanks Paul (both) for the encouragement with that panel.
I will be cutting it back out & putting it right.... slowly this time..maybe take a leaf out of your book & go for a cuppa once I have tacked in place..

And if that doesn't work the BIG hammer will come out to play..

In my defence you are right , it is the only panel that has buckled out of the many that has been done..

Cheers
Col.

sammy the sturgeon · Post by **sammy the sturgeon** » Tue Mar 20, 2012 10:02 pm

Cuppa's are good, and if the world sat down with a nice cup of tea we could solve all it's problems

colimp66 · Post by **colimp66** » Tue May 08, 2012 9:57 am

Been a few weeks since I last reported on progress with The Pest but after visiting Imp Eccosse on the Sunday & chatting with a few fellow Impers & being inspired I have got stuck back into it.

Before finishing of the outer rear arch I was thinking that any repairs that I have to do to the rear window & top of the inner wing which will involve rust removal, grinding etc may well end up at the bottom of the newly fitted arch & rear quarter. With no way or a very difficult job of removing any debris I thought best to repair this area before finishing the arch.
First of I finished the inner panel to the rear quarter, made up of two parts to make it easier to form.

The top of the rear inner wing that has the rain channel for the engine cover is rotten(surprise) & this is the part where all the rust & crud would fall from into the newly finished arch if I welded it al up before repairing this area. Here it is..

I have the repair sections for this area made up & need to fine fettle them to fit before welding up then it is onto the rear window area..

which will be a challenge.

Cheers
Col.

sammy the sturgeon · Post by **sammy the sturgeon** » Thu May 10, 2012 10:53 pm

Good to see some progress Col keep going- not much left now!!

colimp66 · Post by **colimp66** » Sun May 13, 2012 1:17 pm

Thanks Paul, Paul & Drew, all encouragement appreciated...

Bit more done today & the one repair I haven't been looking forward to be doing since I bought the car... almost 3 years ago now.. Jings!! Time flies when your having fun eh??

Well after a bit of thought on how best to start to repair this area I drilled out the spot welds on the rain channel for the engine cover area first. Then split it open with a sharp chisel between the two/three panels then cut down the sides to remove the rusty old panel revealing more rust.. No surprises there then.. business as usual I think

This area will require further trimmimg, cleaning, painting before the outer skin is replaced.
Here is how it looked before the surgery

Once removed it kind of resembles Tetleys finest on the lower panel still attached where the water has collected over the years....

This area will be removed & replaced with nice fresh metal & reinforced at the same time as I have an Impspeed rear engine mount I want to use & thinking I can reinforce this from within the double panel area before the good outer is refitted.

Cheers
Col.

chris d · Post by **chris d** » Sun May 13, 2012 1:25 pm

star man colin
exellent work
future winner just for the welding
keep going
chris d

colimp66 · Post by **colimp66** » Mon May 14, 2012 9:00 pm

Thanks Chris, I'll have won when I can drive down the road under its own steam, thats all I'm aiming to win ..

Cheers Drew & Paul once again. I'm blushing..

Well today I continued with the task of repairing the rear window area & putting a bit of strength into it as I go. Up at B&Q to get the angle, forgetting to measure how much I needed before leaving the house...

Doh!! A call to the missus sorted that out & I bought a bit a wee bit longer just in case..

First though I tidied up the repair panel a bit, removed all the rust, welded up some holes & the lock hole as I'm wanting to fit a one piece window in place of the original. With me owning a van I can't see me needing an opening rear window in the Imp.

I better add that the rust removal was from the inside of this panel &the red paint will be coming off before welding to the car. The bonus with this repair panel is that unlike the old one that came of it this one has the rear window drain slots/angles whatever you want to call them.
Is that from a later Imp??

A wee bit of a trim on the angle & I trial fitted it to see how it will look & figure out how it will match upto the rest of the panel. This rests on the inner wing & will be spot welded from beneath to the back panel.
.

Needs some shaping so the new panel that I have still to form will tie into the inside of the window frame. Thats for later on this week or next weekend.
Cheers
Col.

ImpManiac · Post by **ImpManiac** » Tue May 15, 2012 11:42 pm

So that's what it looks like inside that box section!

Awesome!

IM

ImpManiac · Post by **ImpManiac** » Tue May 15, 2012 11:50 pm

Anyone got a photo of the drain slots?

IM

ImpManiac · Post by **ImpManiac** » Wed May 16, 2012 11:32 pm

Drew, thank you for the description.

I still need a photo though to be able to see exactly where the grooves run. Otherwise I will not be confident to take a hammer to my car to add them.

Anyone? If not, I might have a search around.

IM

colimp66 · Post by **colimp66** » Thu May 17, 2012 9:30 am

Hi Paul,

Here is a photo of the rear window drainage dimples.. Best I can do as its not an easy one to photograph.

Hope the measurements give you an idea of how they look..

Cheers
Col.

kilty · Post by **kilty** » Thu May 17, 2012 10:20 am

I'm in Callander for a couple more days Colin and I just mentioned to the mrs that it would be cool to get in touch with you for a bit of Imp banter and get a look at the pest close up? I just got a funny look and that was enough

So I'll have to wait til you've got it finished and on the road.

colimp66 · Post by **colimp66** » Thu May 17, 2012 10:31 am

Thats nice of you Drew.. funny how woman can give you that look & you know excatly what she's wanting to say but doesn't.

You get the message LOUD & clear though....

Be next year then when hopefully it wil be finished.

Enjoy Callander. I am about 13/4 hour from there.

Cheers
Col.

colimp66 · Post by **colimp66** » Thu May 17, 2012 11:22 pm

Hi Lesley,
Thank you, its been a long restoration and I still have a long way to go I feel. Hoping to get there for the 50th though.

Your Imp has certainly come on in a short time & you are doing a grand job. Maybe time to invest in a welder though to get those problem areas sorted out, you will soon pick it up with practice on scrap pieces of metal. I have gotten better the further round i go on my Imp.

. Good luck with your Imp.

Cheers
Col.

colimp66 · Post by **colimp66** » Mon May 21, 2012 10:40 am

You are welcome Paul.. now get on with your own Imp!!!!

Not a lot to show for Sundays efforts in the garage due to the Le Man MotoGP being on Eurosport & Rossi ending up in a seasons best of 2nd place.

Jubilation in our house wiht a result like that, been a long time coming & a great race..

Anyway what I did manage to get done on The Pest was alot of trimming of the "new"(read rot free) rear window panel & trial fitting several times before carrying on with the rest of the inner skin & new metal that I need to replace.

The new inner skin I have to fit in two pieces due to not having enough metal in the one length. That in itself which I have shown took a bit of trimming & trial fitting before finally welding in too. The opposite side is similar as there was a bit of rot in the corner aswell. Hoping to get this area all welded up today then coated in some paint before the fitting of the outer panel.

Cheers
Col.

Post by **Cally** » Mon May 21, 2012 11:33 am

My old Sport project had been stood under a leaking section of its garage roof before I bought it and was locally rusty in this area especially the window frame itself.

I still have a NOS full inner panel from roof level inc inner parts of Vent louvres,to below window, that I bought and had acquired a section from a scrap Imp for the whole of the box section below the back window where you made your fabricated panels

What surprised me was that after I sold the Project to a pal who wanted it, I tried quite a few times to sell the NOS Rootes panel and the ' Recovered sections' so that someone could use as patterns to make Repair Sections for Members that needed to Repair their Imps in this area > Silence was deafening and I parted with recovered section but have the Rootes panel still in my loft