Spaceframe Imps

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Roy Sims
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Re: Spaceframe Imps

Post by Roy Sims »

colin rooney wrote:Well in all my years spent around race cars i never knew it was ROPS they say you learn something new every day :D

col
The first time I saw it mentioned as ROPS is in the 2014 Blue book it may have been in 2012 or 2013 as well but I don't have them to hand to check. I have been competing since 1974 and the first time I saw it I thought what's that all about. It's probably to avoid confusion between Roll over bars and anti roll bars.
Roy
steve g
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Re: Spaceframe Imps

Post by steve g »

I only know rops and fops from digger driving and construction machinery roll over protection structure ad falling object protection structure.
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617sqn
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Re: Spaceframe Imps

Post by 617sqn »

I know FOPS and DANDYS from mixing with the wrong crowd. :lol:

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Re: Spaceframe Imps

Post by Teddie2003 »

Roy Sims wrote:Hi, MSA spec for Rops have not changed since 1987 (I think). It was just that certain constructors never built there ROPS to comply with the regs. Jedi were the main culprit, OMS on various cars and even Pilbeam. The ROPS on the Endaf/Knocker Imp was lacking in tube dimensions,bracing and material in some areas.
The regs apply across the board to all disciplines, Hills Sprints Circuits, Rallying etc.
Roy
Hi Roy,

yes that was what I meant by changed. That some cars had to be modified to meet what they should have been built to in the first place.
617sqn wrote:I know FOPS and DANDYS from mixing with the wrong crowd. :lol:

Andy G
but they will say they are the "right crowd"



Steve
Roy Sims
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Re: Spaceframe Imps

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Teddie2003 wrote:
Hi Roy,

yes that was what I meant by changed. That some cars had to be modified to meet what they should have been built to in the first place.
Steve
Hi Steve, That is what I'm doing to the Imp, actually both of them. They were used on circuits for years with ROPS that have never complied with the Blue book.

Roy
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Re: Spaceframe Imps

Post by oneofapair »

IMG_1772.PNG
Period picture of Mike Law car, looks like Oulton Park. Can see where confusion comes from colour wise.
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Roy Sims
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Re: Spaceframe Imps

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Yep, I agree, doors are hinged different and some of the panels are a bit different.
Mike My mate had a photo of Bert Ray adjusting something on a supposedly Ray Imp that looked an awful lot like the Owen car, but that was in plain dark blue.

Roy
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Re: Spaceframe Imps

Post by oneofapair »

I'm pretty certain that only 2 Ray Stiletto's were built, certainly Bob Jarvis's was one. Tony Sinclair at JADE's may know , he i/was Bert Ray's nephew .
The Darrian website certainly has a price list for Bob Jarvis Bodywork ,the tail section being the same shape as Rob Knox's car.
Roy Sims
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Re: Spaceframe Imps

Post by Roy Sims »

The body panels are definitely Jarvis as are mine on the Maroon later orange car, the doors on the Knox/Owen car are like the Davrian ones, the doors on the Maroon/orange car are ali like on the Jedi Imp and are what Tim Duffee calls Jarvis panels.
Regards roy
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Re: Spaceframe Imps

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Hi, I have now had my Imp out on a couple of events. It goes well but needs a bit of work on the handling. It is fine on the twisty/fiddly tracks but on fast corners it is a bit tail endy. I think I know the cure, so we will see.
The power is good with around 200 bhp and 164 ftlb torque before traction was lost on the rollers. I hasten to add that this is not an Imp engine. It is a std Honda Blackbird supercharged and on Methanol.
I will attempt to add before and after photos.
Regards Roy
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617sqn
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Re: Spaceframe Imps

Post by 617sqn »

Nice ! 8)

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Roy Sims
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Re: Spaceframe Imps

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Thanks, It's fun to drive. I have had to make virtually everything as everything was ripped out, suspension wise. But it has been enjoyable. Now to get it sorted and the other one out on track. That's the Endaf Owen/Rob Knox one, that one is virtually ready to go now. I just need to put in some legal windows and sort some front wheels. Oh and somewhere to sit. The engine is running an transmission sorted.
Regards Roy
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les998
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Re: Spaceframe Imps

Post by les998 »

Hi Roy, I’m sure you will get the handling sorted out, once you do they are great fun, I quite liked the tail hanging out on corners, but I like driving like that, not the fastest, way to do it, but more fun lol. I run a Fireblade in my one, but I had the engine mounted just 20mm off the back of the seat, only problem with that was it got rather hot in the car. Hopefully you might get some videos posted of it in action.
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colin rooney
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Re: Spaceframe Imps

Post by colin rooney »

nice looking car roy hope you get it sorted

col
Roy Sims
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Re: Spaceframe Imps

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Hi Les and Coll,
I don't mind the back end coming out when I'm on the power but turn in oversteer on the fast corners is not pleasant. I'm intending to set it up like our Ralt, that takes the fast stuff as fast as I want to go. As I said before the fiddly stuff is ok.
I know how I used to like Imps with conventional suspension to handle but this one is basically a single seater underneath. I'm now waiting for someone to say where is the Imp in that, well it has a genuine Imp gear stick and gear knob. Nothing else. It never was an Imp, no Imps were harmed or damaged while making this.
When I bought this Dermot advertised it as a corpse, so I must have revived it a bit

Roy
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Re: Spaceframe Imps

Post by Teddie2003 »

Hi Roy,

looks great, is this for the hills or sprints in the SW?

Steve
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Re: Spaceframe Imps

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Hi Steve,
Hills and Sprints, Sprints to start off with.

Regards Roy
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Re: Spaceframe Imps

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Handling is now fine starting to feel the car. It doesn't seem to have any nasty traits. 2nd in class to a Radical in in amongst the Single seaters at Castle Hillclimb, Cornwall. Of to Clay Pigeon Kart track for a Sprint this weekend where I have a Radical and a Spire to contend with.

Roy
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wiskid
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Re: Spaceframe Imps

Post by wiskid »

What's happened to all the pictures at the beginning of this thread, they have all disappeared. It was a valuable source of information on how to build a spaceframe and now it seems to have disappeared into icons. Is it this forum or photoshop?

Ian
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617sqn
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Re: Spaceframe Imps

Post by 617sqn »

I think you might mean Photobucket, and yes, it's probably down to them after they chose to charge for their hosting. Didn't ultimately do them any favours. I understand that we will more than likely be getting a new Forum, which is undergoing tests right now. Will make image uploads easier, and possibly as seemless as Facebook.

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Re: Spaceframe Imps

Post by wiskid »

Enjoying all this spaceframe history but really want some on mine. It is the Maguire Imp No 1 and the last owner was Keith Scott, who I think, went to a great deal of trouble tracing its ownership from day one. Unfortunately the mobile number I have been given is now discontinued, can any one help me speak to Keith or have historical information on the car.
It has now been completely refurbished and brought up to the latest MSA standards by Colin Rooney and has its passport and I have done a few sprints with the car but would really like to know it's history.

Regards Ian
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Re: Spaceframe Imps

Post by knocker »

Keith is on this forum I will message him so he can reply. I believe pervious to him was Sue Davis.
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Post by wiskid »

Thanks Knocker, much appreciated.
Ian
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les998
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Re: Spaceframe Imps

Post by les998 »

Wiskid, hi Ian, I have sent you a private message about your Maguire.
Regards Les.
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Re: Spaceframe Imps

Post by wiskid »

Hi Les,
Sorry but the PM has not arrived yet can you please try again or try wiskids@talktalk.net
Thanks
Ian
B19mgk
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Re: Spaceframe Imps

Post by B19mgk »

image.jpeg
Hi I'm looking for info on the car in the picture. The chassis has passed through a few different hands in the last 10 years I now have it and hope to restore it, last owner started cutting bits of spaceframe out to fit a bike engine luckily he kept all the bits! The bits of body I have for the car are not what was on the car to begin with so I'm hoping sombody might know a bit about the car.
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ljohnston1
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Re: Spaceframe Imps

Post by ljohnston1 »

Anyone now the history of this one, Mark Maynard the current owner would like to know
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Allen Brown
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Re: Spaceframe Imps

Post by Allen Brown »

I've just joined the forum having 'lurked' for a while. This is an absolutely fascinating thread.

My interest is the Special Saloon Imps from the 1970s, especially those in Scotland as I'm currently preparing Scottish Hillclimb Championship results for OldRacingCars.com. Many Imps and related spaceframe beasts qualified for the Top 10 runoff in the 1970s. Should I put a list up here to jog some memories?
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colin rooney
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Re: Spaceframe Imps

Post by colin rooney »

Allen Brown please stick pictures up and welcome
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Re: Spaceframe Imps

Post by Allen Brown »

I am just dealing with basic event results here, so no photos unfortunately. Iain Nicholson is probably the man for those.

This is a list of all the Imp-related cars quick enough to qualify for the Top 10 runoffs at Scottish championship hillclimbs during the 1970s:

1970
John Fyda "Hillman Imp" in Special Saloons
Barrogill Angus "Hillman Imp" in Special Saloons

1971
John Fyda "Hillman Imp" in Special Saloons
Brian Coyle "Hillman Imp" in Special Saloons

1972
Barrogill Angus "Shannon Imp" in Special Saloons
John Fyda "Agra Imp" in Special Saloons

1973
Barrogill Angus "Shannon Imp" in Special Saloons
John Fyda "Agra Imp" with ex-F2 BRM engine(!) in Special Saloons
Bill Donald "Hillman Imp" in Special Saloons
Peter Chamberlain "Shannon Imp" in Special Saloons

1974
Barrogill Angus "Shannon Imp" in Special Saloons
Bill Donald "Hillman Imp" in Special Saloons
Ricky Gauld "Hillman Imp" in unknown class

1975
Barrogill Angus "Davrian Imp" in Special Saloons
Peter Chamberlain "Shannon Imp" in unknown class
Jimmy Jack "Hillman Imp" in unknown class
Charlie Munro "Hillman Imp" in unknown class
Bill Donald "Hillman Imp" in unknown class
Ricky Gauld "Shannon Imp" in unknown class

1976
Barrogill Angus "Davrian" in unknown class (no idea what engine)
Laurence Jacobsen "Hillman Imp" in Special Saloons
John Fyda "Hillman Imp" in Special Saloons
George Coghill "Shannon Imp" in unknown class
Ricky Gauld "Sunbeam Stiletto" in Special Saloons

1977
Ricky Gauld "Sunbeam Stiletto" in Special Saloons
Charlie Munro "Hillman Imp" in Special Saloons
George Coghill "Hillman Imp" in Special Saloons
Barrogill Angus "Hillman Imp" in Special Saloons
Jimmy Jack "Hillman Imp" in Special Saloons
Colin Richardson "Hillman Imp" in Special Saloons
Bob Milne "Hillman Imp" in 1.3-litre Special Saloons (this may actually have been a Mini)
Martin Dunn "Hillman Imp" in unknown class
Peter Morrison "Sunbeam Stiletto" in unknown class

1978
Barrogill Angus "Hillman Imp" in unknown class
Ricky Gauld "Hillman Imp" in unknown class
George Coghill "Hillman Imp" in unknown class

1979
Barrogill Angus "Davrian Stiletto" in Special Saloons (with Cosworth BDG engine!)
George Coghill "Hillman Imp" in Special Saloons
Ricky Gauld "Hillman Imp" in Special Saloons
Colin Philip "Hillman Imp" in unknown class
Neil Ross "Hillman Imp" in unknown class

Can anyone help me with these cars? I'm assuming they were 1-litre cars, but I don't know whether they were all Special Saloons or some were running in the road car or Modsports classes. I'm particularly interested to know when they started to be spaceframes and when the Maguire, Rawlson, etc cars appeared.

Were these normal Imp shells at the start of the decade and spaceframes by the end?
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