A Californian drying out in South Africa

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Wed Feb 19, 2020 6:01 am

The Nun wrote: ↑Tue Feb 18, 2020 9:55 pm Oh I see, it's all part of the using it patina then, you should leave it as it is as thats classed as character these days

After the hours and months of paintworks I think I can do without the so called patina, what I need is a rubber sock on the Record vice handle?

oli · Post by **oli** » Wed Feb 19, 2020 6:59 am

Just remember to always leave the vice handle in the horizontal position?

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Wed Feb 19, 2020 7:23 am

The two lower holes are the originals, as the lock was fitted too high I then had to raise the lock keep, the idea works but its a bit of a mess?

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Wed Feb 19, 2020 8:04 am

A close look at the cars original engine cover tells me that the hole for the lock is in the wrong position, which I copied faithfully

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Wed Feb 19, 2020 9:54 am

The car was returned to me with the engine cover lock keep missing, I have to assume that it was shaped to accept where the lock is now?

This forum thread shows me that in October 2016 I was sorting out the same issue, when I made a hardboard template to get the correct lock hight.
To my great surprise I have found the template.

Next I need to fit the cars original engine cover and without the lock, then strip and start the repairs and re positioning of the lock on the copy sport engine cover.

The Nun · Post by **The Nun** » Wed Feb 19, 2020 4:33 pm

Looks like the Toylander is in for a leaking back axle, at least you're up on fixing seals.

The Nun · Post by **The Nun** » Wed Feb 19, 2020 7:12 pm

Don't back up until you hear the bump is a better answer, or if you have to go really close to the bench to be able to shut the doors then hang a tennis ball on a piece of string so it touches the car screen or whatever and swings when it's as close but not bumped the vice?

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Thu Feb 20, 2020 6:05 am

The four year old engine cover lock position template was tested again yesterday and I am pleased to say that it works just fine!

This time I gave it a coat of black paint to clean the thing up a little.

Oddly enough WSM 141 does not give the hight of the hole to cut out, rather it tells you to use the lock backing plate as the template when laid against the inside of the engine cover.

There is an A 4 page of instructions also

The Nun · Post by **The Nun** » Fri Feb 21, 2020 10:33 am

SAPO had 1/2 to touch up their post van

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Sun Mar 01, 2020 7:01 am

How long will a Mild steel four branch exhaust manifold last?

Mine came from Hartwell in Bournemouth about twenty five years back, its seen years and years of use on Jeans Singer Chamois and is now on the Californian.

Seems fine to me but as I have been asked to supply some I will also have a spare made for myself.

The Hartwell price list that I have priced them at 20.00 pounds each circa September 1995, they are more expensive today?

An ex Hartwell employee told me who made the manifolds, which were a Hartwell design.

The Nun · Post by **The Nun** » Sun Mar 01, 2020 2:47 pm

The steel big bore manifolds last about 3 years in daily use before they start to perforate on the bend behind the rear wheel, this is because of the dirt and salt in winter being thrown at it, and considering how much they cost thats rubbish, you're far better having, and they're cheaper, one of Frank's stainless now fit and forget

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Mon Mar 02, 2020 6:00 am

With the engine being to right of center to ease the load on the drive couplers the cooling fan was then offset from the radiator.

I was able to ease that a little yesterday by slacking off the three radiator mount bolts, then sliding the radiator towards the engine.

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Sat Mar 14, 2020 5:53 am

The arrival of Dick in his Series 2 landrover allowed him to view the Imp Californian, he had not sat in an Imp since 1974 he told me, as that was when he had sold his Imp here in the Cape Town area.

The yellow wing of a kids toy car is a Series 2 Toylander.

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Mon Mar 23, 2020 10:03 am

Impressions magazine March 2020 has a really nice story written by Paul Jennings about his Hartwell Group Two Imp Sport recreation.

In it he mentioned a leak from a hose and that the Mikalor clamp required tightening.

This name had me searching the WWW to discover this new type of clamp, I was disapointed to find that it is in fact a standard hose clamp such as Gates or many other companies make.

I then started looking to try and discover other clamps that are neater and do not have the tail that a standard hose clamp has which often cuts your fingers or arm as you reach into the engine bay.

I found a sol called Racing Clamp, has anyone used them?

The Nun · Post by **The Nun** » Tue Mar 24, 2020 10:15 am

Can't find a sectional drawing through that type either, they are still available new so I suppose folk just don't bother repairing them for what they are.

The Nun · Post by **The Nun** » Tue Mar 24, 2020 1:30 pm

If you've 3 of them why not sacrifice the worst one of the three and cut it open? You aren't likely to need 3 in reserve are you?

oli · Post by **oli** » Tue Mar 24, 2020 10:58 pm

I thought that the welded type of hose clamp that you show IS commonly known as a Mikalor type? (As opposed to a standard worm drive clip).

moose · Post by **moose** » Thu Mar 26, 2020 6:37 pm

This is what most people refer to a mikalor clamp as https://www.rallynuts.com/general-prepa ... lamps.html but they also make pipe clamps that look just like what most people refer to as jubilee clips https://www.jubileeclips.co.uk/ who also make a clamp that looks like a mikalor.

The Nun · Post by **The Nun** » Sun Mar 29, 2020 10:25 am

Only the mesh one shown in the parts book, I think yours is a custom made/locally made one off.
Probably 95% of owners never refit them same as the undershields and stone guards and just get slung on the scrap pile when they are working on the car.
Look under most Imps and only those owned by fanatical owners have all the proper guarding in place, which it should always have in my opinion on a relatively standard car as they keep dirt out aid cooling and give general protection in the engine bay, chucking it you're basically throwing away your car.

The Nun · Post by **The Nun** » Thu Apr 09, 2020 9:39 am

Seems a lot of trouble, why do you need to do a video of driving down the road though?

The Nun · Post by **The Nun** » Sat Apr 11, 2020 5:41 am

How would you do that if your only car was a 2 seater like a SMART car say?

The Nun · Post by **The Nun** » Tue Apr 21, 2020 10:34 am

I think you've mentioned it quite a few times Roy during this thread, maybe it's time to start a new one as this is so long now it would takes ages to go through looking for something you know was there at some point, plus the car must have dried out by now?

Dave ' Linwood ' Lane · Tue Apr 21, 2020 10:05 pm

I think weve been here before

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Mon May 04, 2020 9:03 am

The Nun wrote: ↑Mon May 04, 2020 8:59 am Pull off the handles and fit some black wiring heat shrink sleeve over the rods and refit the handles that how they were done on the upmarket Rootes cars, not painted.

Peter, well done that is exactly what I intend to do later today.
I had no idea that process was a Rootes one on some of their cars?

The Shrink Tube does the job fine on the straights, the corner is a problem, I need a thin soft wall black rubber tube?

The Nun · Post by **The Nun** » Tue May 05, 2020 9:42 am

You got the odd kink at the bend in the sleeve when the factory did it so it's authentic.

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Mon May 11, 2020 7:43 am

As painted, I was careful to make sure that the paint reached inside the cooling vanes and from both side to help stop degrade from air and any stray fluids?

The radiator will now be plastic wrapped and put into storage for when I may require it at some time in the future?

The Nun · Post by **The Nun** » Sat May 30, 2020 7:03 am

I believe it was done to stop cavitation inside the pump at certain revs.

The Nun · Post by **The Nun** » Sat May 30, 2020 11:05 am

If there's play in the race it's had it and if there's water present too shows there's not enough grease to keep it out, stainless bearings are a better idea, wonder if they're harder? Plus a bit of extra grease should make them last longer.

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Mon Jun 01, 2020 10:18 am

The Nun wrote: ↑Mon Jun 01, 2020 10:06 am You could tap that and screw in an extension, some very early pumps were like that.

Yes, I have one of those here and that is what I did with the other one, I used a smaller sized nipple as it was in stock.

Did I read that this reduces the water flow and can increase the temperature in the cabin heater?

This pump body is part number 7010039

oli · Post by **oli** » Wed Jun 03, 2020 7:22 pm

Roy, why didn't you just tap it for an engine sized take-off as per the previous photo? Then it would have been the correct size...

Dave ' Linwood ' Lane · Sun Jun 07, 2020 11:57 am

never seen one that far , even our 76 cars werent that bad

The Nun · Post by **The Nun** » Tue Jun 09, 2020 9:18 am

It's easy to distort a pulley when removing it if the puller isn't pulling the pulley squarely plus the pulley flanges are only pressed steel and distort very easily because the pulleys are often on really tight, so if you're pulling a pulley with a puller that isn't pulling squarely the puller will damage the pulley.

The Nun · Post by **The Nun** » Wed Jun 10, 2020 9:44 am

You can get the bearing with the rubber and metal seals and I also see they do them with acetal races and stainless balls for improved performance, wonder if that type would be any good in a pump?

The Nun · Post by **The Nun** » Thu Jun 11, 2020 10:50 am

Could the thread have had a metric nut put on it at some time altering the form? Some imperial and metric threads are almost the same but not exact but a nut could be forced on?

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Sat Jun 13, 2020 7:47 am

We have Bill Martin living near Cape Town who also had an issue with his Hillman Imps water pump.
Bill opened the pump and was amazed to see no facing surface to take the carbon seal onto ( he is an engineer ) I told him where to buy new carbon seals, which when bought included a white ceramic facing, those I have never seen before.

Bill has his own lathe and set about fitting the ceramic facing to the water pump impeller, pictures are Bills.

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Sat Jun 27, 2020 7:48 am

Moving the lock lower will require cutting and then filling on the GRP/Steel back plate.

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Mon Jul 13, 2020 7:57 am

The idea to make a spin on filter base from the Sunbeam Sports standard filter base has worked

I made two, one was to an order from a local guy who later changed his mind so that spin on filter base is still in stock, it can be used on another Imp engine build?

John Simister · Post by **John Simister** » Wed Jul 15, 2020 2:01 pm

How about this? Might be slightly more than 52mm though. Currently at £9.99. If it doesn't work, it is almost certainly because the fusible link inside has melted, easily fixed.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1970s-Rover- ... SwTc1fDIyQ

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Thu Jul 16, 2020 7:41 am

The wired up clock was left running all night, its still working and the time is correct !

It does have an adjuster hole, not that it will be accessable when installed?

The next issue is to trim down the black face plate, it is about 1/8" too large all round, plus the side extension on the right, how do II trim it and not do any damage?

Will tin snips work I wonder?

Not yet, the face plate is steel, not alloy as I had hoped it would be?

The Nun · Post by **The Nun** » Fri Jul 17, 2020 6:24 pm

You've got plenty of hands on your time there Roy

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Wed Jul 22, 2020 3:46 pm

Some advice, the replacement of clock fingers is not a simple or straight forward as you ( me at least ) may think?

Still I have made progress and after some corrections to the position of the fingers, the clock can be installed soon?

The Nun · Post by **The Nun** » Wed Jul 22, 2020 4:54 pm

Does it work without the hands fouling each other as the hours go round the full circle, you sound as though you aren't sure with your ?????

617sqn · Post by **617sqn** » Tue Aug 04, 2020 4:32 pm

Thats probably coincidence. Ive been caught by this before. Once the pressure is relieved it stops leaking. In fact i have a pump to change locally which was pretty watertight when running, then dripped when the engine was stopped. It looked for all intents and purposes that it was coming from the case gasket. Which was generously coated with that brown sealer whos name escapes me. It wasnt the casing. It IS the pump seals.

Andy G

The Nun · Post by **The Nun** » Wed Aug 05, 2020 7:04 am

Bit of fine valve lapping paste maybe?

The Nun · Post by **The Nun** » Thu Aug 06, 2020 8:21 pm

You could fit it in the drivers side rear pocket, make up a support so it drops in vertically with the face uppermost, handy for the speaker wiring which would be just above it?

Dave ' Linwood ' Lane · Thu Aug 06, 2020 10:02 pm

both mine have the radio in the glove box , modern radios look so wrong in a 50+ year old car

The Nun · Post by **The Nun** » Fri Aug 21, 2020 7:21 am

I think you did say that side the rear wing inner arch had split so maybe the rear end bump it had has moved the body enough to affect the gap so it's now too close, there's not a lot you could do about it if so without resulting to hydraulic ram on the door aperture or cut and adjust and re weld the door frame, you will just have to keep touching it up.?

Dave ' Linwood ' Lane · Sun Aug 23, 2020 8:47 am

Still miles out though isnt it

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Mon Aug 24, 2020 10:39 am

After using the wooden lever, the Stabila level told me what I needed and wanted to know

African Imp · Post by **African Imp** » Fri Sep 18, 2020 11:05 am

The U J's on both sides were new not so long ago, I have now put some more grease into this one and will do the drivers side next.

A road test showed the click click was less and by the time I returned home I could not hear it, or am I hoping that is the case?

I need to do a longer trip, its just started raining again ( the dams here are now full ) so it will not be today.

Later that day and after having greased both U J's which took more grease than I expected, I found that the rain has passed and I was able to take a brisk drive down the harbour road, the noise has gone ( i hope )