Chrome plated Hillman Imp upgrades

The Imp came out with black painted gear shift and hand brake levers, nothing wrong with this as the car was built to a price which would attract the market looking for a lower priced small car.

Click on the image to enlarge it.

With the advent of the rebuild of a 1971 Hillman Imp and to a high standard, we went posh and had the parts chrome plated, very nice too!

Roy

Sadler 26 rudder epoxy and glassing

This is a time consuming process given doing one side per day with epoxy is the norm, plus we need to work from late morning to avoid air bubbles as the wood expands and air escapes from the timber core.

Cutting back the excess biaxial glass cloth with a sharp Stanley knife works well, as long as the epoxy has not reached its full cure rate.

We use what we sell, epoxy and cure agent at R285 per 1.65kg pack, plus Vat if your in South Africa. This is a slow cure product and you will have a number of hours to apply the epoxy before it will start to thicken as it cures.

Ready for sanding and a second coat of epoxy next.

Roy

Argie 15 Ronstan deck package kit

We have supplied these kits as optional extras for many years, with some upgrades over the normal listing and quality from Ronstan they are nice equipment to fit out your new boat with.

Its a complete package excepting the screws and nuts and bolts which are better bought by the builder as he or she will know whats required better.

Roy

Glassing the Sadler 26 rudder

We have started glassing the Sadler 26 rudder with 410 gram biaxial glass cloth and epoxy.

The sides will be applied and finished over the next few days as we have some warmer days now!

Roy

Andreas builds his Argie 15,continued.

This one is coming to the stage where painting will be next on the job list?

We have the Argie 15 sails here right now and next week will collect the Ronstan deck gear, sending by courier will be at the cost to us plus packing etc.

Nice build of a nice boat!

Roy

Making the Sadler 26 rudder in South Africa

The Sadler 26 needs no introduction as a very capable design, at least two went to the Pacific and at least one went right around the world! This I know as it started and finished  here in Cape Town.

To my surprise not even the class association in the UK had a copy of  the Sadler 26 rudder dimensions, so we had to copy sizes from a locally built Sadler 26, make the templates and then as our CNC man to feed these sizes into his PC.

The blank was shaped as we normally do, then sprayed black for reasons I am sure you will be able to work out.

Shaping started today, more pictures later.

Simple ideas like the black paint can be seen quite clearly in this picture.

Many hand tools add to the use of power tools, finishing with the hand tools is always the best way though.

This rudder is a size which can be shipped with the post office should anyone want one ?

Roy

The water level as used for setting up a leveling a boat in build?

This is as simple and low cost as anyone can wish for, plus added to that it is a really accurate.

This is all it is a nice long length of clear plastic tube thats filled with water, note the stopper bungs in the tube wnds at the top.

Click on the pictures to enlarge the image and see more clearly, the Jack Plane is there as a weight to keep the tubes in place.

The pictures should speak for themselves?

The arrow in white and to the left is one of the water marks on a Proteus 106 sailing cat, the tube to the right

shows an arrow and marks the water  level  in that tube.

By adjusting the tube up or down we can get the water level and transfer it even around a corner or in another room, you need two persons to do that!

How easy is this?

Well very easy and if you need to know more get a copy of Sailing magazine (RSA) pages 10 and 12 carry a more detailed instruction on the use of the water level and by Dudley Dix who used our pictures.

Roy

Hout Bay Marina Berth for sale

This is a very good investment to those who have their own yacht or intend to purchase one in the future.

Marina number 80 will take a larger size yacht, a size 45 feet long will be easy.

To be sold with the maintainance for 2014/15 pre paid, available at short notice.

Price on application:

Hout Bay is one of the top destinations in the Western Cape and less than a half Hours drive from Cape Town City.

Contact me for pricing.

Roy

Mirror Dinghy for sale in Cape Town

After building the CNC kit, a world first by the way, the boat then had to be measured, I am pleased to say
that the build measured in every way.

We can now apply to ISAF for a Plaque and class number and sell this boat on.

http://ckdboats.blogspot.com/2014/04/mirror-dinghy-for-sale-cape-town-south.html

Available now and to the first person who places their firm order.

This is the same boat prior to being fitted with the decks, we can supply part built boats or fully rigged to your choice.

Only to order !

Roy

From the RSA Mirror people today:

Attached please find the measurement certificate for the kit supplied by CKD Boats – everything measures.

We request that CKD Boats be accredited as a Kit Manufacturer of the Mirror Dinghy. Attached is a letter from the International Mirror Class of South Africa (IMCASA) supporting the application.

Disc Brake kits to fit the Hillman Imps

Progress from the original twin leading shoe front brake drum set will see a kit such as on the bench in my picture being fitted.

New gas front shock absorbers are being fitted at the same time. As were the brake kits, the shocks were special IMPorts from England.

New Girling gas shock absorber and supplied by The Imp Clubs spares department.
Part number 70094603A 4PS3

Roy

Disc Brakes for the front of a Hillman Imp?

Why bother you may ask?

Well the old twin shoe type with two cylinders and leading shoes work well enough, then need re adjustment

as the linings wear down, reason enough to change ?

Click on the pictures to enlarge them.

In the case of the Imp Californian and as I happen to have an all new set of front brake linings and cylinders I have chosen to fit them to the front of the car for now.

One thing with this old type brake system is they can be re built in most centers and to an as original specification.

Good news!

Roy

Typhoon hits Mike Storer

Well not Mike personally I assume?

Typhoon update. Our town was a direct hit. No phone electricity. Only a little tap water no mobile internet. A few towns away everything is OK. So won't be too long. No real probs. We have enough of everything and shopping centres 5km away have everything.
So we are and will be OK but comms are down

--
storerboatplans.com

Hillman Californian gives up some secrets

The return of the 1967 Hillman Californian and by its own motive power was a good day for me, the fact that it still drove was a bonus in itself but what would I find wrong with the car?

For sure it had been messed about with, trims damaged or removed, the back bumper was bent and had a split in it but on the good side was a newish water pump and tyres, not sure where they are from, China?

A good power wash with solid clean water soon showed some changes made but why is there a large space at the top of the road spring on the drivers side?

They have fitted a new (?) shock absorber and its about 35mm too long!

Roy

Hillman Imp Californian Coupe in South Africa

This was always a fairly rare car, with production spanning just three years and only 6100 or so made, this car was then exported to Mozambique, I assume as a Rootes Car Co export and not a personal export?
as the speedometer reads in kilometers and not in miles per hour.

Click on the image to enlarge it.

Seen here I am taking advantage of a break in our cold winter weather to air and dry the car out.

The car was sold by me about four and a half years back, it has spent most of that time parked outside near Cape Town, the paint has taken a hammering and the nice silver wide rim wheels were painted as we can see but otherwise the car has survived, sort of.

The engine is the cars original and numbers match, from Richard at the Imp Club in the UK I am told the car came off the Rootes Car Co production line 3rd of February 1967, the Californian was announced in 1966 but only sold from 1967 and this car was one of the first.

Nice to have such a restoration project on my hands again!

Roy

Classic Car maintainance

This subject bares some thought, you buy back a 1967 Hillman Californian Coupe, the carburetors have been messed with the fuel lines are perished but there is a new petrol filter fitted in line to the fuel pump, why?

Looks just like seaweed to me?

Click on the image to enlarge it, there is a wire filter which caps the area otherwise this mess would be straight on down into the Stromberg 125cd carburetor bowls!