Sunbeam Sport, making progress

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ChrisBenoy
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Sunbeam Sport, making progress

Post by ChrisBenoy »

Well i've been in the Imp club for some time and have always been immersed in Imps to some extent but until fairly recently I hadn't actually owned one, only the Clan. It was about time that I became a 'proper' Imper.

Here it is, such as it is - A 1974 Sunbeam sport shell

The bodywork is being sorted out by those much more able than myself. I've been filling my time preparing parts for it as can be seen in the latter photo, although thats a slightly dated picture, the rear shocks and monte springs have found their way onto my sisters Cali already.
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Re: Finally an Imp owner

Post by ImpManiac »

Coooooool, Chris! :shock: Plans...? :?: Spill the beans!

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Re: Finally an Imp owner

Post by Greetham »

It looks good nice shell ,

your going to love it hope its got a nice engine or plans for one ? 8)
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Re: Finally an Imp owner

Post by ChrisBenoy »

The engine planned for it is an over bored 930 bottom end which is now about 949cc or something similar, I have a sport head and cam to go on this so it should be fairly quick initially if not absolutely rapid.

I was planning to leave the Clan as my relatively fast and commonly used vehicle while keeping the Imp fairly shiny and nice. It will be quite standard by my standards but will have alloy wheels, some RX7 seats and a front radiator with hoses running through the sills.
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Re: Finally an Imp owner

Post by 67cali »

Very nice. I'm sure that I will enjoy reading the progress reports as they come.
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Re: Finally an Imp owner

Post by bazzateer »

4 Headlamp Sport eh? The man has taste! :D
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Re: Finally an Imp owner

Post by ChrisBenoy »

Yeah, I've always been quite picky and I decided it had to be a 4 headlamp saloon, my favourite of all the imp shapes.
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Re: Finally an Imp owner

Post by ibbo »

welcolm to the world of ferrous oxide lol
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Re: Finally an Imp owner

Post by apeximp »

Nice ! :D
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Re: Finally an Imp owner

Post by ChrisBenoy »

I'll be doing what I can to avoid the ferrous oxide through a combination of good under sealing and avoiding taking it out on gritted roads. Nothing is foolproof but i'm hoping not to have to restore it again for quite some time :lol: Will see how it goes. I've probably been a bit pampered by having a fibreglass car that I have all the skills and materials to fix.

I have got a fibreclass bonnet on order for the Sunbeam so at least that bit wont rust.
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Re: Finally an Imp owner

Post by ChrisBenoy »

Moving on a bit :)
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Re: Finally an Imp owner

Post by ImpManiac »

:o Lovely! Stunning colour! Is it an Imp shade? I'll read back and see if you've said. :idea:

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Re: Finally an Imp owner

Post by ChrisBenoy »

Yes, it's Haze Blue metallic. So even a period colour for the car (1974)
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Re: Finally an Imp owner

Post by bazzateer »

Looking good there Chris. No chance of a pot for LNK at National.........again! :lol:
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Re: Finally an Imp owner

Post by Lotus-e-Clan »

Is it going to be original ...or are you putting a BMW KIMP in it?

In any case, go for 12 inch wheels -they are lighter! Clan004
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Re: Finally an Imp owner

Post by ChrisBenoy »

Baz - you've got a national or two of pot hunting yet. I'm a slow worker :lol:

Lotus - The imp will have an imp engine of somewhere between 875 - 1400cc. The clan on the other hand...
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Re: Finally an Imp owner

Post by james »

Excellent, love the plans and it's looking sharp. :D

FWIW - and I'm sure you know this, but take it from me as the owner of a very rusty Imp - you want to stop the rot in the cavities even more than rust from underneath. Oodles of dinitrol cavity wax (the thin one) and stopping the rain leaks (HAH!) will go a long way to helping there. ;)

I'll have to try and make it up to the Herts area meet one month this summer, would be good to catch up.
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Re: Finally an Imp owner

Post by ChrisBenoy »

I was going to go for the cowardly strategy of never taking it out in the rain. However it wouldn't hurt to give it some proper cavity wax. It will be done.

It would be good to see you if you did make a Stevenage AC meet, has been a while, reasonable though given the distance. :)
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Re: Finally an Imp owner

Post by james »

Ahh, but that restricts you to about 4 half-days in the summer. :P

The problem is that it's on a school night - if it were at the weekend...
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Re: Finally an Imp owner

Post by Gaffer »

Lush. :mrgreen: Love the colour, a 4 Headlamp Sport, nice. Got one on my list :lol:

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Re: Sunbeam Sport, making progress

Post by ChrisBenoy »

Car is back with us now ready to be bolted together. Job 1 was fitting some rear lights. Not sure what's next. Pretty much everything.

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Re: Sunbeam Sport, making progress

Post by The Nun »

Theres going to be quite a few nice looking resto's around in the next year or two, good to see the efforts their owners are taking on to preserve them.
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Re: Sunbeam Sport, making progress

Post by Bobbycham »

Looking good with even just the lights (nice colour) But not nice enough to change my mind though :lol: Still to be green
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Re: Sunbeam Sport, making progress

Post by 617sqn »

Nice care, Chris. Well done you :D . I like the somewhere between 875 and 1400 bit particularly :lol:

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Re: Sunbeam Sport, making progress

Post by ganderson888 »

Very nice, Chris

I saw the comments on FB earlier about the order of refitting everything... sigh :evil:
It's your car and you should do it in the order you want!

Comments like that are the reason why I have only posted two photos of my project on there.
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Re: Sunbeam Sport, making progress

Post by 617sqn »

I'm saying nowt ! :roll:

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Re: Sunbeam Sport, making progress

Post by ChrisBenoy »

At the end of the day any time you post something online there is a chance you will get some negativity and some that borders on trolling but usually the response is overwhelmingly positive.

The colour is haze blue metallic and looms even better in person than it does in pictures. I think it would be optimistic but it would be nice to have it at national.

First engine size will be 949cc however there is potentially something a little bigger in the pipeline.
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Re: Sunbeam Sport, making progress

Post by oli »

Just to be picky - they appear to be the wrong rear lights for a '74 car lol.
Nice colour, are you going for the fake walnut interior that would have been original? I have a pair of early Sport rear interior panels that have the plain black vinyl covered wood if you change your mind. (All black would look really good with that body colour).

Keep up the good work, and tell the old man to get that Centaur on the road! lol

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Re: Sunbeam Sport, making progress

Post by The Nun »

oli wrote:Just to be picky - they appear to be the wrong rear lights for a '74 car lol.
Oli
You mean they should be the fall off all plastic cheapo money saving type?
When I did my 75 Sport I thought long and hard about changing them for the original chrome base sort, didnt in the end, but theres no doubt the original do look the best, and of course less nickable and a bit stronger.
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Re: Sunbeam Sport, making progress

Post by ChrisBenoy »

Originally has never been something I'm overly worried about. I'm certainly not going to fit those awful falling off lenses on it. I'm probably going to make my own interior panels for it from some real wood, that seems like it might get a nice result. I'll let you know if I change my mind.

Not sure the centaur is going to be done any time soon, we have a whole lot of projects and that one is some way down the list.
oli wrote:Just to be picky - they appear to be the wrong rear lights for a '74 car lol.
Nice colour, are you going for the fake walnut interior that would have been original? I have a pair of early Sport rear interior panels that have the plain black vinyl covered wood if you change your mind. (All black would look really good with that body colour).

Keep up the good work, and tell the old man to get that Centaur on the road! lol

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Re: Sunbeam Sport, making progress

Post by SimonBenoy »

Just need someone to take over as treasurer and then I will have a bit more time for the restorations!
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