A Californian drying out in South Africa

[African Imp]

Yesterdays drive was two short trips to a local engineer to have him turn down a Jabsco sea water pump centering tool for the Perkins 4108 marine diesel.
The pumps drive is taken from one of the timing gears on the front of the engine, that gear is adjustable so the drive to the water pump has to be centered, you will wreck the pump otherwise?

I took a side trip down to the harbour road and tried the car out down there, its going just fine

[The Nun]

It should really to look neat but some fit the side covers over the middle so that they can be removed without bending the metal retaining tags so much, depends how often you intend removing them, mine only came out no more than 4 times in 35 years for maintenance so not really an issue with the tags.
If youre thinking of removing them several times a year it might be better to replace the fixings with half turn fasteners instead like Noddy did?

[The Nun]

You can send anything IMP related for the mag Roy, Grahame will be very pleased to receive anything, adverts, old IMP photos, tips, advice etc and indeed some of your mechanical restoration pictures, not all members do have access via computer so would never have seen anything youve done on the forum, just send small items to Grahame and he will no doubt pick out anything he thinks suitable, without being repetitive, and use it with your permission of course?

[African Imp]

I have recently been advised that the Imp Club now has a Facebook page, well after a few sessions viewing it, I have decided that the forum is a whole lot nicer to view a topic on

I really think it should be an Imp Club members thing only though, as an overseas club member I am now billed GBP 36 to pay for a years membership, why should none members get anything for free??

The picture shows my car just before Peter the driver of the road transport truck arrived, note the lack of windows

I had to leave the car there for some three weeks while the interior was completed, I was pleased to demonstrate that the car would and did start first time

[The Nun]

Which boat is that one for then Roy? or is it awaiting a buyer?

[African Imp]

The Perkins 4108 diesel rebuild gave me lots to think about, how and why does such an engine work I was wanting to know?

Its all about high compression and timing, the timing is a big issue on a diesel but then again its the same on a petrol engine really?

My 1966 Jaguar 3.8 ltr S type has a compression of 8 to 1, the Imps use 10 to 1 but this Perkins takes the scales to a massive 22 to one!

The cylinder head is kept in place with eighteen large HT studs and nuts tightened down to sixty pounds, that is one thousand and eighty pounds total, I have never taken my torque wrench up that high? or did I with the Jaguar?

All in all I guess given that a four stroke petrol engine has its own timing issues but also a coil, condenser and spark plug, plus the TDC thing, a diesel engine is just as complicated?

The difference is that once set up right and given clean diesel fuel the Perkins will and does run for decades with no bother.

In a sixteen year period and in the water, my boats Perkins 4108 put on some 1100 running hours and only stopped the once, it ran out of diesel!

[African Imp]

The missing petrol tank vent pipe seemed too short but as it was the cars original pipe It just had to fit.

I sorted it out with a hot air gun, not too hot, just warm enough to allow me to re gain the correct shape , which it was not in when I started, check the picture.

[The Nun]

Do you need planning permission over there or can you build more or less what you want as long as its your land?
Why the need for a watchman? is it a bit dodgy area?

[The Nun]

Armed Officers? do they shoot then ask or like here cant just in case someone might get shot?

[African Imp]

Let there be light and there was!

Saturday, what was needed by way of fixing but without getting too involved?

The panel light on the Smiths ammeter was not working, that seemed like a good idea to fix.

It was a lack of a ground connection as the retaining clamp was not fitted.

Its a fiddly job at best of times, then I dropped my last knurled fastener, it went into the dark and down there on the parcel shelf, I remember another went the same way?

With the gauge removed and with a torch, I could see both items, plus another clamp bracket, I fished them out with a stick and some Blutack stuck on the end

I was able to fully tighten the fasteners with a pair of long nosed pliers.

This was a small item to fix, its still took well over an hour but has me smiling with my success

[African Imp]

Over or under?

I asked this question some time back when I was refitting the speedo cable to the speed indicator in kilometers, there was no response, so I went underneath the cable.
This does not work as it becomes near Impossible to reach the left hand side of the new parcel shelf. This I discovered the last time out when my garage key set vanished under the flexible air pipe and I could not get my hand underneath to be able to use them

Yesterday I pulled the cabin heater air supply flexible pipe out and routed it ' Over' the speedo drive cable, all is well now

I also sucked out all the junk in the parcel shelf, as it was not visible before.

I think that ground wire can be in the same place but positioned a whole lot nicer?

IMG_2327.jpg

[The Nun]

They'll get pinched and move with magnets Roy, do it with the exterior grade double side tape they stick modern car door bump strips on with, once theyve been on for 24 hours they wont come off easily.

You might have to fill the recess in the back of the strips to make them flush so the tape has good purchase, a little of your resin should suffice for this?

[African Imp]

Checking inside the cars cabin this morning there is only the fresh smell of new vinyl and leather, the petrol smell is no more

I made my own gasket from some off cut material from the Perkins bottom end gasket set, its very strong, flexible and it requires no sealant either.

The old seal was a paper gasket type, did I make it myself I wonder?

I also cleaned away the paint on the tank opening, bare metal will seal better than the paint I think?

[African Imp]

Standardisation means that I can get the Hillman Imp water pump bearings and also the Aerogen 4 wind charger bearings in Cape Town quite easily.

Not only that but they are interchangable

The used one on the old water pump body came out of the Aerogen 4 body.

[African Imp]

Bit by bit and quite quickly I am removing the black paints, the silver anodised metal looks quite smart really.

[The Nun]

I know some just leave it all shiny.

The trim was available originally with black, white and red infill depending on the IMP model.

Ive even seen black and white check tape used too

[African Imp]

When the car arrived back it was in a safe but sad sight, left out in the elements (i think) for four years, the African sun had taken its toll both inside and out.

The seats were not the original Rootes Car Co, made ones but recovered and at least twenty five years back in time, they were poor copies and had not been well finished.

I used the same seats but supplied Noel with as many pictures of the original Rootes made seats as I could find, plus some very good condition Singer Chamois Sport seats I have.

The panel layouts are not the same but the width of the panels looks to be so, this gave Noel a working sample, I was pleased to have those original seats.

[African Imp]

I am not sure which artisan at the trim shop re covered my Mountney steering wheel but whoever it was spent five or six hours sewing the black nappa leather on and made a realy nice job of it too

I still require some nice pre shaped footwell mats!

[African Imp]

My thoughts on the side trims started to re consider the magnet application, the magnet would need to be very robust?

Trying some small patches of 3mm thick double sided tape I found that due to the shape of the alloy section only a 1/2" wide strip can be of use.

This in effect reduces the sticking surface by say 30% ?

This is starting to look like holes and those plastic clips again?

I have none by the way.

The black fine line tape has yet to be sourced, it will be applied when I manage to find it?

What we can see is a ' Look and See ' idea only.

[African Imp]

This exercise has proven a few ideas will not work?

Press Stick Putty does not hold the trim, Norton double sided tape almost does but the loss of surface area due to the shape of the alloy extrusion reduces the grip, the ends then pop off.

[imp-aus-ter]

We have some 2 sided tape here that is really thick, I will see if I can find the brand name.... it is thick and spongy and sticks like poop to a blanket....

The tape itself is black, but the peel off backing is dark green, I have stuck trim on cars with it before and they have never moved. Because it is thick and squishy, it should form to the back of the trim and get up to about 90% adhesion.

I believe it comes in 10mm and 20mm wide.... I will see what I can find out.

Even tho the trim does look nice... I like your car necked I think it looks awesome without trim... but, whatever floats your boat (pun intended)

The best thing about sticking trim on, is if you ever want to remove it, or replace it, you can spray that citrus smelling 'unsticker' spray above the trim so it runs down onto the tape and after it works on the glue, the trim comes right off

[African Imp]

We have some 2 sided tape here that is really thick, I will see if I can find the brand name.... it is thick and spongy and sticks like poop to a blanket....

The tape itself is black, but the peel off backing is dark green, I have stuck trim on cars with it before and they have never moved. Because it is thick and squishy, it should form to the back of the trim and get up to about 90% adhesion.

I believe it comes in 10mm and 20mm wide.... I will see what I can find out.

Even tho the trim does look nice... I like your car necked I think it looks awesome without trim... but, whatever floats your boat (pun intended)

The best thing about sticking trim on, is if you ever want to remove it, or replace it, you can spray that citrus smelling 'unsticker' spray above the trim so it runs down onto the tape and after it works on the glue, the trim comes right off

Thanks,

The tape I used is a commercial type used for sticking things like number plates on, once its on a flat surface it stays but with a little work I could peel it off cleanly.

It is 3mm thick with white foam core.

A name for what your talking about would be of use as I still do not fancy drilling holes in my nice clean and moisture proof body that I worked so hard on to prepare.

Those alloy trims have since been removed and are back on my shelf, I did at least get to see what the trimmed body will look like with them in place

[African Imp]

I like the car with trims and also without?

Now what?

Let me see what adhesive tapes come to hand, then what solution will they have to remove them should I have the need?

Will that solution damage the paints?

Here the car has no trims, the cartons contain some stuff waiting for a courier, as making space is good idea right now

[African Imp]

Sunday woke to a totally grey sky, rain looked very possible and with the falling glass we can expect it soon? its cleared now and we have a very nice day

I took the car up to the nature walk path which leads down to Sandy Bay on the Cape Town side of the local mountains.

The car is parked at the entrance to a local housing complex.

[African Imp]

I have a suspicion that both water temperature gauge and also the petrol tank level gauge are reading short?

The water temperature takes ages to start to show, the petrol tank reads about a third full, less really but when I removed the sender unit last week to change the tank seal I was surprised to see it was at least three quarter full, if not more?

Check my picture please.

Is the voltage control unit at fault??

[The Nun]

Normally if theres a similar fault over multiple gauges it is the voltage stabiliser?

[imp-aus-ter]

I have to stop into the hardware store and find the name of the glue solvent... I just remember it smells of oranges... but you spray it on stickers or on stuff like the 2 sided tape (along the top of the trim so it gets under the tape) and the trim falls right off with a gentle pull after a few minutes. I did see something like it on ebay http://www.ebay.com.au/sch/i.html?_from ... r&_sacat=0

The stuff I know of wont harm paint at all

[African Imp]

As I was in town this morning I called in at the motor factors I use there, they have not seen a voltage stabliser like mine for some years it seems, so no stock etc.

This one has been cleaned in the bead blasting cabinet, note the very nice solid brass raised cheese head screw and washer, we would not see such quality today I think?

The speedo head is an old one and used to demonstrate where the stabiliser fits

[The Nun]

De icing salt all over the roads then now?

[African Imp]

Some of the smaller items really lift the look of the inside of the car, one such item was to replace the chromed, slightly rusted fixing bolts on the seat belts on the floor.

The fact that they are floor mounts would attract moisture I suppose?

I have re plated metal plates for the webbing side but they need re sewing by machine which means I need to remove the belts and have Noel do that job.

There is a mix of hex head and side flat head bolts, this will be corrected when the bolts that are to be re chromed have been processed

[African Imp]

De icing salt all over the roads then now?

Salting of our roads in South Africa is not something I am aware of?

It may happen on some mountain passes?

Not in the Cape Town area?

[African Imp]

Section N of the WSM141 page 60 shows two types of voltage stablisers, I have one of each here

I have only ever used the one with the male and female terminals, which car or year did the one with only the male terminals fit, was it the early Mk1 Imps ?

[The Nun]

I havent got any pictures of the variant with the pointed ends in use, all my pictures have the rectangular one, my car is a 66 and has the rectangular with the male/female terminals.

[African Imp]

Another voltage stabliser I have yet to find but I did discover some other Imp parts that I had not seen for some years

A picture will be posted in the morning.

Yes, three sets of points and a red top water temperature sender unit!

It may not look like much but all are very hard to find out here, points possibly but the sender unit not at all

[African Imp]

Another check inside the cars cabin and the petrol smell seems to be no more?

I keep a tog bag in the front compartment more to hide it and make space more than anything else, a nice warm jacket and a kids life jacket are inside, right now it pouring down and I may need that jacket soon?

Underneath it are some coastal navigation charts and a nice warm blanket, it all helps to keep the noise level down?

The car is quite silent really, I am aware of no annoying sounds, no rattles but I know the front king pins need doing.

I have those fitted to a set of front uprights with some Colin Valentine disc brakes fitted

[kilty]

I just noticed you have the very rare and unseen CaliforniNan!

[imp-aus-ter]

I just noticed you have the very rare and unseen CaliforniNan!

I am happy just to have a common Hillmanin Impinin....

Roy, with a good thick new gasket under the sender, make sure you have the earth wire from one of the screws to the body. When I got my Tassie devil, the fuel gage was intermittent and the old owner had told me sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't. Sure enough, no earth wire. I noticed it on the way back from Tasmania, I had some spare wire but no '0' terminals, so I just stripped a piece of wire about 75mm long and went from a screw (wrapped/twisted around, then under the sender screw plate between the tank and the gasket). It worked and got me home with the gage working... I now have a wire from the sender mount screw to the rear right tank mount bolt

99% of electrical issues are bad earths or fuses... we don't have fuses so... bad earths.

One issue I had last week with the TD, a few times in the past few months I have gone to start it and the dash lights would go out.... nothing (usually when someone has waited an hour at the car for me to return, to see it run) (or trying to restart at a petrol station) .. what it was, was the bolt/nut on the relay was 1/ not tight and 2/ dirty.... the second nut that held the positive lead from the battery and from the solenoid to the starter were plenty tight, but tight against the other (first) nut.... the bolt itself was loose enough to lose contact.... Now, with the bolt/terminal clean and the first nut tight, then the cable eye on and the second nut tight.... it never misses a beat (touch wood)

[imp-aus-ter]

I have used Microsoft Office Picture Manager to extract some of the cars colour, the image was quite poor to begin with really, so the result is not that great?

I do most of my photo cropping, reducing, enlarging etc with 'paint' in windoze

[African Imp]

This earthing was covered early on in 2014, The Nun ( i think) was very helpful at the time and mentioned that one set screw has a copper washer?


In this case both the water temperature and the petrol level are reading short, that would be the voltage stabliser then?

It could be the stabiliser.... or else you have a cold motor and not much petrol?

I think you will have missed this picture which is what started me off on this short reading of gauges.

The tank clearly has a lot of petrol in it but the gauge reads down around a 1/4 tank?

I had an even lower reading water temperature gauge, then I removed the 74c thermostat and fitted an 87c one, the reading increased, so I know things are working there but I expect to see the gauge read higher than it does?

[imp-aus-ter]

Roy... mate....

I was pulling your chain it is an aussies thing... sorry

I think the voltage stabiliser is likely the culprit since both gages are reading low.... do you have another dash laying around you could try another? (dash or stabiliser)

[Bobbycham]

South African tourist board will be up in arms about reaching your picture limit (again).

Your pictures would make me want to visit if l did travel (further than Swindon)

Bob

[African Imp]

Todays opening picture was to have been a re chromed dome headed machine screw, with its large and thick washer complete with a re plated eye tang.

It would fit at the rear of the back seats left and right, being to hold the shoulder strap to the inside of the car.

That picture will have to wait for now, as will the pictures of the two sets of Kangol magnetic belt metal fittings that came with my car.

Were they UK supplied and with the car from new, I have no way of knowing this?

The Kangol magnetics in the car now came from Brian down in New Zealand ( ) they have the same magnetic lap connection and floor tangs but the rear over the shoulder fitting is nicer and in chrome, Brians belts are marked as made under licence in New Zealand, very nice they are too.

I will have the parts re finished in chrome and then transfer the as new parts to the belts in the car at some time in the future.

Pictures will be posted when I am allowed to?

[African Imp]

The Nun sent me a link to the Facebook page for the Imp Club, it worked ok for about two weeks but now its down or I am not allowed to view it?

http://ckdboats.blogspot.co.za/2016/06/ ... nwood.html

I nicked the opening picture but I did post that viewers of my own blog would do well to join the Imp Club

[African Imp]

With page 115 here and some 44,000 views it would be nice to be allowed to post some more pictures to keep the thread content more interesting?

I have just tried again, Sorry, the board attachment quota has been reached.

Same message as yesterday, It would be nice to have a reply from the controller to my PM?

[Lars Hagermark]

I upload to Photobucket and copy from there. Easy enough and never had a problem.

[African Imp]

My own GBP 36 is now due, with a rapidly falling value of the South African currency value this compounds the cost to me on what ever I import or pay for these days

[African Imp]

Seat belt wise I have changed over the cars original Kangol magnetics and for a much nicer set sent to me by Brian down in New Zealand.

His set had better ends as they were mainly chromed, some were not being those on the floor and the carpet, I will upgrade those to a chrome plated finish using the old parts from the original set.

The pictures show those, note the large electoplated buckle and link in round bar, they fitted behind the rear seats and while they were not too visible they were far from nice?

[African Imp]

Using a very sharp blade I was able to cut the sewing thread and release the metal ends.

Only the parts I need will be chrome plated, the others will be marked and kept for some future use?
This includes the belt webbing as the lengths are handy to know.

The set from New Zealand are a tad short, I am on max extension, they fit but I could never move the seat forward.

[imp-aus-ter]

Lars, I have 6 imps, one driving and 3 in process of rebuilding. I am on a pension... $80 buys me alot and usually at the end of the week I choose to not eat and spend the money on imps

I simply cant spare to spend $80 for nothing

Glad you got more pic space Roy...

[African Imp]

Here is one for everyone, which grade of fuel line can we use with modern petrols?

I was having petrol pipes made up for two British Seagull outboard engines I am restoring, the longer one is from a series 102 which will now be sixty years old?

The ends are genuine parts, the thimbles are new

I wanted a rubber pipe that will accept modern fuels, the additives of which can and do eat some plastics away, this one I was informed will accept leaded, unleaded and diesel fuels, so safe for my purpose.

It is marked Fuel/Emission 1/4" (6.4mm) SAE j30r7 50 PSI WP, its made in the USA and probably by Goodyear?

Note, when the brand new Solex was fitted to the new 998cc engine I built for the 1971 Imp deluxe for InfraZA , the car was primed, it started first time, I ran the engine a short while and went inside the house for lunch.

When I came back to the car there was a bad petrol leak. It was the short pipe between the carburetor body and the float chamber, the additives in our petrol had eaten it away in a very short time

The carb was supplied by the clubs spares department, Bob had forgotton to fit the corect VITON fuel transfer pipe, he sent it with the next batch of spares for the same car. I used some fuel pipe made in Italy while the Viton pipe was on the way.