A new South African Imp

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Mon Jun 23, 2014 2:22 pm

Well a new looking South African Imp, the car is of course the 1971 Hillman Imp Deluxe, now repainted in Fords Aquarius Metalic Blue.

It will come on a low bed to my place tommorrow.

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Mon Jun 23, 2014 2:25 pm

Painted inside and out,it needs a wash leather clean up before we accept it.

The Nun · Post by **The Nun** » Mon Jun 23, 2014 6:18 pm

Excellent, superb job

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Tue Jun 24, 2014 4:04 pm

Back in the work space after many months, which was ok as I damaged my achillies heel tendon and was in no condition to walk, never mind work

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Tue Jun 24, 2014 4:06 pm

Using this special tow truck, which is fully insured, so even better value when all is added up.

The paint is as close as we could get to the original 1971 Chrysler/ Rootes colour, being the Ford Aquarius Metallic Blue, an easy to find mix as its a current
car paint shade.

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Tue Jun 24, 2014 4:09 pm

This was a great return and just the right weather too.

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Tue Jun 24, 2014 4:11 pm

This is the reverse of the move to the paint and panel shop, an easy and very stress free way to move a car.

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Tue Jun 24, 2014 4:13 pm

The fact we have the car back here means that the refitting of its varied parts can start right away, which it did, as I fitted the correct wheels

Just check the ones fitted for the paint shop works, old Mk1 size but perfect for purpose.

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Tue Jun 24, 2014 4:16 pm

We wanted a top quality job and for sure Robert had to pay the top price but just check the finish!
Yes, that is a Mk2 steel rim on the front, a rare item in South Africa I might add.

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Tue Jun 24, 2014 4:19 pm

The view from above gets even better.

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Tue Jun 24, 2014 4:39 pm

Back on the original Mk2 steel rims and painted with what Robert found was the correct paint shade, the name or code number I do not have

The Nun · Post by **The Nun** » Tue Jun 24, 2014 5:32 pm

The yellow Land Rover, is the next project?

Colin Valentine · Post by **Colin Valentine** » Wed Jun 25, 2014 9:33 am

The repainted shell for Roberts car look excellent, so congratulations.
I've been following this post, via Roy, so I know a lot of work has gone into this.
Also Roy tells me this will be the 3rd South African Imp with a Fiesta Disc Brake Kit.
Roy tells me that the Fiesta Disc Kit has 100% of the market in Hout Bay.
That means all 3 IMPs known in the area !
So let hope Roy finds some more IMPs soon, or he will have to go back to building boats !

Colin Valentine

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Wed Jun 25, 2014 2:08 pm

Disc brakes are on our 1967 Singer Chamois, they have been in use around a year now?

We have the 13" size, the picture of the new set is the 12" version for the 1971 Hillman Imp Deluxe we have just had resprayed Aquarius Metallic Blue.

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Wed Jun 25, 2014 2:16 pm

Our own discs after use of a year or so.

The Nun · Post by **The Nun** » Wed Jun 25, 2014 2:44 pm

Colin Valentine wrote: So let hope Roy finds some more IMPs soon, or he will have to go back to building boats !

Colin Valentine

There are such things as IMP boats, so maybe Roy can do these too under licence?

Colin Valentine · Post by **Colin Valentine** » Wed Jun 25, 2014 2:58 pm

In my teens I did some sailing and quickly came to realise that the brakes on boats are rubbish.
So plenty of scope, but much more of a technical challenge.
I expect that Roy is way ahead of me on this.
Perhaps we could use Fiesta Discs as an anchor !
Better stop her as we are drifting off topic.
Colin

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Wed Jun 25, 2014 3:45 pm

Back on topic!

This car was almost straight but had a small amount of damage here and there, nothing much though and its a sound shell.

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Wed Jun 25, 2014 3:47 pm

Window rubbers,these are from the clubs spares department and a gem to fit.

Sorry about me leaving the door home, as you can see we still get sunshine even in winter and it was 23c yesterday

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Wed Jun 25, 2014 3:50 pm

Perfectly fitting rubbers and sold by the Imp Club are a gem to install!

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Wed Jun 25, 2014 3:53 pm

Door fitting?

The handle will have a thin rubber washer placed under it tomorrow, the door hinge needs a 2mm washer under the hinges as well, all part
of fine tuning I guess.

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Thu Jun 26, 2014 2:26 pm

Today' s image, the car has now been moved to one side to allow a second car to be parked in the workshop.

As we can see some stuff has been fitted, the rear roof to body joint trim and also the rear window rubbers and frame.

Today I was re assembling the 998cc block that should be going back in this car, its the original block from the car.

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Thu Jun 26, 2014 2:29 pm

An original engine block in any RSA found Hillman Imp is a rare thing.

ImpManiac · Post by **ImpManiac** » Fri Jun 27, 2014 5:09 pm

Lovely work! The car looks superb!

IM

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Sat Jun 28, 2014 8:19 am

Interior trims will be as selected this week by Robert, he will depart from the all black and dark original vinyl trim and use a mix of
leather and vinyl, plus a soft fabric infill to the seats.

The sewn sample shows what he has chosen, the door cards and dash roll will be trimmed the same way

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Sat Jun 28, 2014 2:18 pm

Luke likes this car.

With a spare drivers seat in position, our grandson Luke was happy to try the car out, seems he approoves

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Sat Jun 28, 2014 3:56 pm

A new Sport oil cooler element? well it sure looks that way now but just look at what it looked like to start and what it looks like now!
Thanks to Robert, the cars owner who did the work and had the silver solder works done, plus clean the inside tubes and repaint it.

Bravo for a job well done!

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Sat Jun 28, 2014 4:21 pm

Fitting out with engine cover locks and handles, reflectors and Wipac lights (not so nice) still they are the original types but the ones going on this car
will have the black plastic base chromed!

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Sun Jun 29, 2014 4:43 pm

Bonnet seal strip from the Imp Clubs Spares Department.

We can get very close to the size supplied by the club here but not quite the right size, I have used the local rubbers on my 1967 Singer Chamios and I am
fine with the fit but the clubs supply is just that bit better.

Thanks to Bob Allan for finding the right product

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Tue Jul 01, 2014 10:10 am

Todays picture is of a Ford Granada drive coupler, they are not a direct fit but with a thin wall spacer tube to the bolt hole and the faces where the
coupler connects cutting down, they are correct otherwise.

The Fluid Film stops rust on the recycled Rootes Auto bolts and nuts

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Wed Jul 02, 2014 8:08 am

What we started with?

Somtimes its a good idea to reflect on what the car in question was like when we started?

This was a nice sound body, in storage for about 15 years and while new owners were there from time to time the car still has just the one licenced
owner, a Mrs French from the UK and also here, I assume she emigrated to South Africa and did a personal IMPort on the car?

The front bonnet was a spare one with the car, its a really early Mk1 version but very straight and while the rust was lifting what was left of the paint off it back to clean steel, the actual metal was sound, all the Mk1 trim holes were welded closed.

The Nun · Post by **The Nun** » Wed Jul 02, 2014 8:28 am

Doesnt look too bad actually does it, at least no big bashes, it couldnt have gone to Tesco much.

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Wed Jul 02, 2014 4:28 pm

Todays picture:

Not much on the car itself today as I was off to see a friend of many years who has one of the larger motor spares outlets in the cape, he had located some Hillman Imp spares, sealed Payen gasket set and bearings, a rare find here at any time.

I did get to re wrap the 1971 Deluxe Imp wire loom with nice new black tapes

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Thu Jul 03, 2014 11:42 am

Now spray painting with DTM gloss black paints, this dries well and bonds direct to metal with ease, plastics also but thats not what the paint was intended for.

These parts are now required before the heater element and lights can be installed.

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Thu Jul 03, 2014 1:14 pm

This was late last year and day one with a move from Imp club members home, Eric Wells.

Eric lives just around the corner, so the tow home and on my A frame was done in very little time at all.

The Ford 1600i Bantam LDV was packed with parts donated to the project

The date for the picture says 11th November 2013.

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Thu Jul 03, 2014 1:23 pm

Where you may ask is Hout Bay?

Well its at the back of what is named Table Mountain and Cape Town City, South Africa.

We are part of a greater Nature Conservation area and the village is well known as a tourist destination, the working fishing harbour adds to the scene, as do the whales in the period about August to October and later in some years

My thanks to Malcolm a well known yacht broker who took the picture only a few days back. The position he was standing at is known as East Fort, we are on the far side of the back and not far from West Fort, both being named by the English when they ran the place.

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Thu Jul 03, 2014 4:34 pm

The car came with what we think was the original bonnet, also a second and one that looked the worse of the two?

Closer inspection showed that the original one was quite messed about but the spare one while looking rough was quite straight, check the pictures
to see what it looked like!

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Thu Jul 03, 2014 4:41 pm

Front under bonnet area I will work into next week, before picture to be followed by the after picture

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Thu Jul 03, 2014 4:44 pm

This lable was intact but had to be removed, Robert has had it remade.

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Thu Jul 03, 2014 4:45 pm

Hillman or Sunbeam?

The papers say Hillman but the front and rear badges say Sunbeam

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Thu Jul 03, 2014 4:48 pm

Battery tray and area, this over sized battery tray has now been cut down, the lip that was flattened to allow the wrong sized tray to fit has been restored and the entire engine bay repainted.

ImpManiac · Post by **ImpManiac** » Fri Jul 04, 2014 12:37 pm

The car looks lovely, Roy. I love the shade of blue.

It's shaping up really well.

IM

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Wed Jul 16, 2014 4:30 pm

Nice to be at the stage when the new parts start going back on the car

The new front disc brakes from Colin Valentine will be fitted next, then and as the rear brakes are in place already I can then bleed the brake system, as I must
do the brakes and clutch before fitting the petrol tank to check for leaks (silicone)

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Wed Jul 16, 2014 4:31 pm

New can mean recycled of course,the petrol tank being one such item I can think of.

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Sat Jul 19, 2014 7:35 am

Fitting of new lights will always be a highlight of any rebuild?

In this case its to find out will the clubs new headligh lip seal fit and will the large headlamp pass through it when its been riveted in place?

The answer was a very firm YES

Note, at this stage the lights are just a push fit and there are no fittings behind the lens, thats why the nearside light is not straight!

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Sat Jul 19, 2014 8:05 am

Full face and with the rest of the car in the picture we are now starting to see what our new Imp will look like eventually?
Note the black head lamp trim rings, Lucas re chromed rings were fitted later

The Nun · Post by **The Nun** » Sat Jul 19, 2014 11:06 am

African Imp wrote:we are now starting to see what our new Imp will look like eventually?

I think it will look like one definitely

ImpManiac · Post by **ImpManiac** » Sat Jul 19, 2014 7:22 pm

It looks superb, Roy.

IM

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Mon Jul 21, 2014 4:14 pm

Time to start on the window glass and in the doors, not my favorite job and I did a blow by blow write up on how to do it once but it was never published.

For a 1971 car the frames came apart well and the windows rubber seals are re usable!

The glass has now been masked and the black parts will be re sprayed next.

circa 1971 and becoming younger each day!

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Mon Aug 04, 2014 7:11 am

Some new additions are steering rack and a rubber gaiter from the spares dept.