A Californian drying out in South Africa

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Sun Oct 26, 2014 2:50 pm

Engine bay is now with paint but this thread will no longer allow me to upload any pictures, I have reached the total allowed it seems, shame as I have so much more to do on this

car

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Tue Oct 28, 2014 6:39 am

Sunday was windless and while hot at a later 32c it was ok to spray paint the engine bay out. Two decent coats of twin pack auto primer gave a finish like silk, or was it four coats, all this was done with about 400ml of paint.

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Tue Oct 28, 2014 6:46 am

We can it seems post pictures once more!

The battery tray became a pet project, could I restore it to appear to be the original?

With the front lip and rear plates remarkably intact I think I did?

The entire bottom of the steel plate had gone, so was the inner wing and as the outer wing has new steel in it that was gone at one time also, pre my starting ownership around 1994

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Tue Oct 28, 2014 6:52 am

With the heat of the day the twin pack 2K paints soon cured and it was safe to mount some of the fittings back into the engine bay, the battery has a thin sheet of neoprene under it and all mounted fittings are coated with Fluid Film ( lanolene) to stop bonding with the paint.

If that transaxle did not require the end plate with the support mounts on, I could pop the engine in right now,this may be at the weekend as I am now working on Robs blue 1971 Imp Deluxe again.

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Tue Oct 28, 2014 2:55 pm

While great progress has been made since the return of the 1971 blue Imp Deluxe, I have managed a job or two each day as time allowed.
Done now is the re wrapping of the wire loom with new black tape, some wire ends will require a splicing in of the correct colour code wire as the ends have become brittle.

Also sorted are two new lengths of 15mm hose to the heater supply from the engine.

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Tue Oct 28, 2014 3:50 pm

Wire works and fitting the various parts onto new paintworks is always a nice event

Note, some of my pictures may show a slight blur? this is due to my now four year old (recomended) Canon G11 digital camera having small scratches on the lens form the constant opening and closing of the auto lens cover. What we see is light refraction when the lens pics up a light source, the camera is fine when the light is behind you.

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Fri Oct 31, 2014 9:26 am

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The new original pattern front and rear screen rubbers and a passenger side opening vent light have just arrived, supplied by Malcolm Anderson (thanks Malcolm) they were very well packed and shipped by TNT at a charge of 90 Pounds, which I think is expensive.

They arrived in South Africa two weeks ago today but TNT could not be bothered to forward them as they admit they are very busy, some other windows came from John in Northern Ireland (again thanks John) and he used UPS which cost 40 pounds for a parcel one kg lighter only, they arrived quickly and the local delivery service was prompt.

Do yourselves a favour, do not use TNT, I was also charged around 45 Pounds to duty,vat and paperwork this end but thats another matter.

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Sat Nov 01, 2014 12:33 pm

After two days of trade wind gales we woke this Saturday morning to no wind at all, plus its a warm day, another perfect Saturday to spray paint the rear of the engine bay and back suspension.Job done it was time to re fit the transaxle, while it was out I drained the oil out, not too bad really and lots of it, a good sign on this early box with the O ring on the selector shaft.

I fitted a spare rear cover which has the O ring in the rear cover, so with this transaxle I now have new seals on the selector shaft twice.

I also changed the drive shaft and input seals while I was about it.

With new genuine Metalastic rear mounts fitted and with decent originals on the drive shafts I should be fine for years now.

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Sat Nov 01, 2014 12:48 pm

This is what I have done when using a local exhaust silencer box, its a nice way to get a range of suitable silencer boxes this way.
The box is just visible and standing up to the right of the red compressor at the back of the picture, (new picture added) I would say its 450mm long and it has two pipes inside it, the exit it staggered so that is a system 900mm long plus the input pipes as well.

engine back in time tomorrow!

That box is now some years old but works super well, I guess a spray coat or two of Hammerite silver paint will do it no harm

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Sun Nov 02, 2014 4:39 pm

Imp Club member Eric was here early, his helping hands moved the Californian motor to the fitting trolley and the rest was easy.

Well it was all in by 2.30pm and I had to re spray the 1966 Singer Chamois Sport radiator as well

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Tue Nov 11, 2014 3:06 pm

Now that Rob Youngs 1971 Hillman Imp Deluxe is now complete and Rob will collect the car tomorrow, I will soon have more time and the space to re start the Imp Californian. The seats are next on my list and I have asked the same motor trimmers that rob used to do the work.

I know they have been re done and before I first go the car twenty years back, was the panel layout and panel widths correct, if not please post some pictures of what is correct?

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Wed Nov 12, 2014 6:09 am

Seating wise, how close was the Singer Chamois Sport interior to the Hillman Californian?

There is a difference, the center panels run across the seat in this picture while in the car right now the center panels run vertical or fore and aft.

Which is the correct pattern layout please?

The Nun · Post by **The Nun** » Wed Nov 12, 2014 8:15 am

Singers had the flutes running across the seats and Hillmans were vertical I believe.

The Nun · Post by **The Nun** » Thu Nov 13, 2014 5:40 pm

Which panel? Instrument, door, rear, front? theres lots.

Ah get it, you mean the seat fluting panels sizes and positions.

oli · Post by **oli** » Fri Nov 14, 2014 7:23 am

You will need to check the thickness of the rear of the seat. Earlier seats were thinner, but the Sports were usually thicker than standard cars. Can't remember if the Californians also had the thicker type or not.
In general though, the front facing surface of the back rests should have the same dimensions. Obviously the much later type seats were completely different.

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Sat Nov 15, 2014 12:35 pm

It will now be four months to the day since I got the Californian home after selling is four years back, that was a wrong move but we live and learn?
Considering that I was already restoring the the Imp Deluxe 1971 car, plus I have the 1967 Singer Chamois, the restoration of the Californian was not expected or needed.

Still the car arrived so I fitted it in when I could and have now got to the stage where the car is street legal and has lots of new parts fitted.

Some of those are:

Rebuild of the entire front suspension, new brakes, cylinders, steering rack gaiter,hoses, ball joint ends, all bolts re plated and re used.
Remove petrol tank and fit a refurbished one.
New brake and clutch master cylinders, slave cylinder on the clutch.
Remove the transaxle and fit a another rear plate as both arms on the original one had been snapped off and welded back on.
Fit new and original Metalastic rear mounts, fit new seals on all shafts of the transaxle, input, output and selector.
Fit another clutch system, the car arrived with a Borg and Beck clutch and pressure plate , which did not work well, with the Laycock system and a new trust bearing the clutch is now working perfectly again.

paint out the inside of the petrol tank bay, plus the front of the car.
Refurbish the Lucas head lights and heater fan.

Remove the engine, open it down to the crank and mains to check the bearings, they are still Rootes and standard and look like new, as does the crank journals.
Re set the series 180 sport cylinder head tappets.
Rebuild the engine with a new timing chain.
Fit a re built set of carbs,
Straighten out the sump.
Fit a re built fan and water pump assembly.
Re paint the alloy oil cooler and fit new braided hoses.

Repair the rotten battery tray and inner wing below it.
spray out the engine bay
Attended and repair the wire loom.
fit new hoses.

What else?

The cars original speedometer was sent a 1000 miles north for repair, then a spare instrument pod was stripped and repainted, fitted with a temperature gauge and new transfers the pod will go back into the car after I have repainted the car.
New front and rear original pattern window glass rubbers were imported.

So were some opening vent lights, hard to find but with the aid of club members they were found for me, this included Northern Ireland, Scotland and England where one still is, it will come out a personal luggage with a friend in a month or so.

A change of the lower crank pulley as the one on the car was a mish mash of Imp and some other one, buckled and bent, I fitted an SKF Speedy Sleeve too.
With that was a new fan belt and adjusting bracket.
The dynamo and starter were changed for better items and painted first.
All parts that could fit in the bead blasting cabinet went in to it and were cleaned down to bare metal before being spray painted.
This excluded the cars 13"steel wheel rims, the amount of paint on those was better handled by a full size sand blasting unit, thanks on that one Rob.

The list will continue

New rubber transaxle drive couplers.
New sleeves on the transaxle output spiders.
Changed an after market starter solenoid for one that fits and suits the car better.
Remove and re finish the hand brake control lever.
Remove and re build the gear shift assembly and flexible rod.

Today I started the car and was able to drive it around our back garden in circles

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Sat Nov 15, 2014 1:08 pm

The engine started quite well, a little choke and adjust the throttle scew, a misfire for a short while and then when the engine had warmed up all was well.
Now the turn of the key and the engine is running as it is in this picture.

The bores are still the standard 875cc size, so are the crank bearings, its the original engine block and carries the RCO export letters on the Vin plate

Please note Grahames Rootes Coolant lable, my last one and bought some years back, I have more on order and await the postman to deliver them.

That radiator is a year older them the 1967 Hillman Californian as it came from my 1966 Singer Chamois Sport which I no longer have, I do have its engine however

oli · Post by **oli** » Sat Nov 15, 2014 5:23 pm

Is it my eyesight, or is the LHS indicator / sidelight assembly on the skew?

The Nun · Post by **The Nun** » Sun Nov 16, 2014 12:09 pm

I think thats how they were all originally fitted, the tech sheet I have was issued as a mod because of customer complaints about the smell of fuel after heavy braking because it was finding its way out of the overflow/breather pipe, by routing the pipe rearwards first before going down to the exit hole was supposed to help rectify the matter.
I could post a copy here but it says file too big so it wont

I can maybe e mail you a copy if I can put my hands on it so you can correct yours?

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Sun Nov 16, 2014 1:38 pm

The Nun wrote:I think thats how they were all originally fitted, the tech sheet I have was issued as a mod because of customer complaints about the smell of fuel after heavy braking because it was finding its way out of the overflow/breather pipe, by routing the pipe rearwards first before going down to the exit hole was supposed to help rectify the matter.
I could post a copy here but it says file too big so it wont

I can maybe e mail you a copy if I can put my hands on it so you can correct yours?

Thanks,

Best I post a picture of my own installation, give me an hour or so!

Not all of the pipe is in the picture but we can see the main idea, that lower hole was in the same placeon Robs 1971 Imp Deluxe.
I assume the pipe should route into the corner, I will use the hot air gun to soften the plastic pipe and tidy things up.

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Sun Nov 16, 2014 3:09 pm

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Todays main task, a larger job than I expected but then the floor was in worse shape ( very much so) than Ithought, I will reset the jig and finish the job given the free time.

The jack was rated at 800 kgs, I broke the ball bearing thrust race so I got more than 800kgs out of it

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Sun Nov 16, 2014 3:16 pm

The car is now a driver and I was again able to drive it around the back garden, sorry, we do not have a lawn mover but we do use Janes Gardening Services when ever the grass (weeds) get too long

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Sun Nov 16, 2014 3:20 pm

Flatter floor and by some margin, it could be left as is but a little tweeking here and there could make it better?

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Sun Nov 16, 2014 3:29 pm

So we now have the front and the back ends re built, the car can be driven and will return to the workshop and inside when next weeks works are out of the way.

How many Californians carry the export RCO Vin plate I wonder?

I am told the the car came off the assembly line date February 3rd 1967, not long to go until its forty eight years old!

oli · Post by **oli** » Mon Nov 17, 2014 7:19 am

The routing of the fuel tank vent pipe is still incorrect. It should run around the inside of the uppermost edge of the slam panel and front wing. It should be attached by two (later cars only one) small metal clips.

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Wed Nov 19, 2014 3:25 pm

Well the Mirror dinghy cutting will go into day four, I am not surprised the dinghy kits cost what they do, its easier building an Imp I think?

The Californian stopped for a photo shoot last weekend, I had been driving around the garden in circles trying out the clutch and brakes etc.

All was well and even though the car looks in a poor way its actually in better shape now than for many years (honest)

That plastic sheeting gives even more shoulder room!

The opening vent light came from Malcolm Anderson, many thanks. John In Northern Ireland also helped out with vent lights, some are here, one is still in the UK
waiting for a friend to bring it out with him next time he flies to Cape Town.

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Thu Nov 20, 2014 8:36 am

Well it now looks like I will be able to restart the process on the Californian by Saturday, if not before?

I have asked Nigel my son in law to locate the two spare Imp cross beams he has in his store, they are not great but are better than the one in the picture, which really needs splitting into the two halves its made of to knock it back into shape

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Sat Nov 22, 2014 9:22 am

Parked on our driveway and with our 1967 Singer Chamois.

The Californian went rather well, it has the full Imp sport cylinder head, carbs and manifolds, brakes and clutch were fine, even the speedo in MPH works well!
I have owned both cars more than twenty years, the Californian was found after the Singer and was with us for about sixteen years, selling it some four years plus was a mistake, I have paid for the sale and in both time and money.

Still the cars front and rear ends are now rebuilt and all I have to do is re paint it, all window glass can now be removed as the car stays inside the garage from now on

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Sun Nov 23, 2014 11:40 am

Looking into the car with no glazing to stop light.

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Sun Nov 23, 2014 11:42 am

Epoxy soaking of the cleaned out glazing tracks will stop any further rust ever taking place, ever!

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Sun Nov 23, 2014 12:24 pm

Rob wants to fit a flywheel stone cover on his car, I have one in stock which he will copy.

This is not a bad idea and I will then fit one to the Californian myself.

Mail to Rob just now reads below.

I have found the cover, its a CNC cut metal plate in two halves and welded up.

I had another cover but I think it was just a wire mesh plate stamped out and shaped to the same idea and I have no idea where that may be?

You can borrow this one and copy it?

I will fit it then myself on the Californian?

The flexible shaft with the shrink tube on may be one reason your own gear shift and also the Californians is so positive? on my car I also fitted some where
the long shaft goes through the two plastic support bushe's, that took any free play away too.

The Nun · Post by **The Nun** » Sun Nov 23, 2014 4:56 pm

Cars looking nice there

Theres only one flywheel stone guard mentioned in the parts book and thats mesh, I would think the one you show was made by a previous owner hoping to IMProve on the standard design which was rather flimsy?

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Mon Nov 24, 2014 9:15 am

Rob Young needs a lower floor panel dust cover, I have none here so removed the one off the 1967 Singer Chamois and used that as a template for him to make one. While I was at it I made one for the Californian as well, I used 4mm okoume marine ply, when painted it will do the job just fine.

I still have to drill the eight 5/16" holes to take the 1/2" long x 1/4" unf bolts but I have marked them.

The Nun · Post by **The Nun** » Tue Nov 25, 2014 8:52 am

How does your number plate system work there? CA is that your area where you live and does the number move with you, always stays with that car, or does the car get a new number if you move to a different area with it?

Here the number issued normally stays with that car for life no matter where in the country or owner it ends up with, (unless you pay to have on of your own numbers fitted), it makes tracing the cars history easier than if one has lots of different numbers throughout its life I suppose?

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Wed Nov 26, 2014 3:42 pm

Painting will start eventually, right now its sorting out dings and dents.

Not quite right but it will be much better in the morning!

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Wed Nov 26, 2014 3:44 pm

Looking from this angle its fine, excepting the head light needs lifting.

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Thu Nov 27, 2014 2:53 pm

Those who have followed my attempts to repair the 1967 Hillman Californian may remember the mess that was under the body filler on the nearside rear short cill?

Today I took a hammer and chisel, then a mini grinder and removed the very thick filler on the rear cill on the drivers side of the car.
Surprise surprise, I found real steel, not perfect in shape but near enough rust free, for sure that steel will end up part way up the body panel but its secure enough and the body section is dead straight

The jack is pushing the new cill repair up as at the back end its connected to very little on the lower corner.

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Thu Nov 27, 2014 3:01 pm

The main issue is that the lip on the new metal section does not meet up with the lip on the cars floor pan, I have an idea I can bond them together with epoxy filler paste and make them very secure. The clamps will pull the lips closer together if not right up?

The cill looks a right mess but its solid steel so I am a whole lot better off than on the other side of the car where I had to epoxy bond a spare cill taken from a 1966 Singer Chamois Sport, this side becomes easy really. I have a plan to ensure that the cill sticks our the correct distance as it should, pictures in due course

We are sorting the problems out daily and one at a time, I find moving from one problem area to another gives me a bit of a break and I have often worked out the correct repair method when I later re start the given area.

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Fri Nov 28, 2014 10:23 am

Success comes in many forms and can mean many things to different people?
In my case its the fact that a steel rear cill has now been epoxy paste bonded to the lip on the floor pan.

Using some bench type vices I was able to close a half inch gap, the paste will require a full 24 hours to set and gain strength, even then full cure may take a few days but I have that time

I have further used the epoxy paste to cover and water proof the mild steel, even unpainted it will not rust now, the finish will be with normal but quality polyester body filler.

I have now repaired and closed all four cills, two with steel and two with epoxy and biaxial glass woven cloth, you will never know the difference once faired and painted.

I must say its a lot nicer working on the car inside the workshop once more

The Nun · Post by **The Nun** » Fri Nov 28, 2014 1:48 pm

Unfortunately, or some might say fortunately, we arent allowed these days to do a repair in that way here as that area would be classed a structural, although it isnt the actual sill as such as that tucks in behind that outer section, so has to be all solid metal and all welded, the MOT man here would look at it as if the outer section is dodgy then whats behind it will probably be too. The proper repair sections can be got from Uncle Malcolm though so we have no need now to do it in that way and the end result will also look original.

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Sat Nov 29, 2014 10:32 am

While Rob Youngs 1971 Hillman Deluxe had a fine body shell my 1967 Hillman Californian was less so, in fact it was a mess and having been working on the body now for a week, I can see that another week will still be required.

Still, progress is being made and daily I can see a major move forward and today has been no different

The offside rear cill was there but not fastened to the floor pan, it is now!

Building the bonded metal cill up was a process of a number of applications of polyester filler, what to do with the recess profile was the challenge.

The pictures show how I taped a length of 316 stainless steel to the cars body, the same tape was wrapped around the stainless to stop the filler bonding.
once the filler was applied I used a heavy weight to hold the stainless flat against the cars body. As the stainless strip was too short I had to do the job in two stages.

As we can see the idea worked and sanding to the required profile shape is next

Which I did in stages, the correct shape was seen on the other side which was still in steel, this is really body filler but with rust free steel underneath the filler I can accept this

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Mon Dec 01, 2014 2:57 pm

The idea was of course to remove just the paint on the louvre vent blades, then I saw the amount of sanding I would need to smooth out all the paints, so of course all the paint had to come off then, nice clean steel you will note

Of course once I was started I stripped bare the seen painted panels inside the rear of the car and can see that the inside of the door frames are best stripped totally clean of all paints rather than sanding, a different day for me but quite a good one

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Tue Dec 02, 2014 5:25 am

Paint stripper stuff, this really did the job for me and I will consider total removal of paint before sanding more often in the future now.
note how I was able to remove the contact adhesive and paints from the painted areas in the back of the car.

The cleaned rear louvre panel just need sanding and primer now, I would say about 0.025" thickness of paints was removed?

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Tue Dec 02, 2014 9:40 am

Day two of the paint stripper process:

Not easy work and you need decent protective gear, I am using elbow length rubber gloves, a face mask over my reading glasses and have a damp sponge ready to wipe any stray stripper off myself should it happen and it does

The result and after a few hours is pleasing, this helps when the metal under the many paint layers is sound, in my case it is.
What I am doing is to get back to the original steel profile and not cover layers and layers of old paints, I would spend far more time sanding and filling anyway.

After the stripping I found that the best way to clean the steel surface is with a new Scotchbrite type scrubbing pad.

The Nun · Post by **The Nun** » Tue Dec 02, 2014 9:51 am

One problem I found with paint striper, scotchbrite and sand paper is you have no finger prints left at the end and your finger print recognition sign in on the laptop doesnt work.

Looking good, should go a bit faster too without all that paint on it.

The Nun · Post by **The Nun** » Wed Dec 03, 2014 5:42 pm

That will be down to the tank float mechanism?
Take it out of the tank and move the float by hand and see if you get the limits on the gauge then, dont forget to make sure its earthed??
Pull the wire off the tank float then earth it, you should get it reading full on the gauge, proves the gauge and wiring to it from the tanks working properly and nothings corroded or sticking with the gauge itself?

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Thu Dec 04, 2014 7:23 am

The Nun, thanks on the dead short test which I will try just now but looking at my photo and from yesterday I do see an increase in the amount of petrol in the tank, check the picture against that which I posted first

As I only added 5 ltrs more I guess thats enough movement?

we make progress daily it seems.

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Thu Dec 04, 2014 8:27 am

IMG_2695.jpg

Having just done the connect to earth test on the fuel sender unit I see that the gauge shows nothing until I start the engine and get some revs going, at which time the red light on the dash lights up and the fuel gauge then starts to move but not before.

With the key turned to position 1 on the dash shows no lights at all.

The maximum shown on the fuel gauge still only reached half way, I can try another sender unit but I guess this will not help as the gauge should be reading maximum when grounded?

The Nun · Post by **The Nun** » Thu Dec 04, 2014 8:41 am

Looks like there could be something not quite right about the wiring behind the dash then too?
Its another job for you to do.

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Thu Dec 04, 2014 12:27 pm

Rear seat sizes and pictures, as taken from the back of my 1966 Singer Chamois Sport, they will serve as sample dimensions for the Californian, we will just change the direction of the center infills.

Note, the center lines are seam welded and not sewn, they are 3/32" wide and are very neat.

This is the fold down back rest panel, not the seat base as is written on my sketch.

I will be doing the seat back and front seats in a later posting.