A new Hillman Imp made from an old one has a new owner

The car was first licenced on the 1st of January 1973, so we assumed it was a 1971 built car but we had a records search done on the car and found it dated to 1971.

The car is always rebuilt from the floor pan and upwards, seems to be a logical way to start.

The original paint shade has been returned to the engine bay which in this case is in the back of the car.

The front suspension has been dry fitted to test all the correct Rootes Car Co bolts are correct.

The original metal fluid pipes were acid cleaned and electroplated again.

The steering rack was cleaned, all metal parts re plated and with a new output shaft seal set will be good to go again once Shells gear oil has been added.

Roy

Drama on Long Street, Cape Town.

This has just come in from a friend and boat kit customer (cape cutter 19) Ian Allen who is in Picton South Island New Zealand.

http://ckdboats.blogspot.com/2012/04/cape-cutter-19-kit-becomes-tiptoe.html

A true story and Ian was not only there he is in the picture!

The year was 1977 and I note on the banner on the railing that Woody Allen was in town.

Now here is something interesting. In the late 70's I was in Cape Town city centre buying stuff for a boat building project from C D Fox. When I came out there was a very agitated bloke standing on a ledge several floors up shouting that he wanted to jump and a couple of folk in windows nearby were trying to calm him down. The spectacle had drawn a huge crowd and the absolutely sickening thing about it was that a large contingent of that crowd started baying for him to leap into the street below. I spied some coppers with a jump net, but it seemed to be manned by only a few people so I jumped in to help hold and position the trampoline because there seemed to be a lot of confusion as to where the poor guy might land if he sprang and these blokes were standing way too far out into the road I thought. Several other folk came to lend a hand shortly after we had found what we determined to be the right spot and very soon thereafter the man jumped, hit the balustrade on the way down, and landed square in the centre of the jump net. There was a doctor on hand and, what with the high drama of the moment, his hands were shaking and he found it tricky to insert an intravenous drip before the ambulance took him off. I went to Woodstock hospital a couple of days afterwards to see whether I could find out how the guy was and, though I couldn't see him, they said he had pulled through. I don't know what became of him later but I see there is a comment below the photo that says that he topped himself - not sure whether that was true.

   Every so often that incident has come to mind during the ensuing years but I never imagined there was any photographic record of it. The incredible thing is that recently at least three friends sent me a link to this Etienne Du Plessis photographic site which I have been going through, a page or so per day. Well blow me down if I don't get to page 5 and see this picture - and that's me  about fourth from the left on the opposite side of the net, beard, mouth open, and taking aim. Small old world 'ay?

Cheers,

Ian

Ian & Paula Allen ian.allen@xtra.co.nz
The Gables info@thegables.co.nz
Web Site www.thegables.co.nz
Tel / Fax 64 3 5736772

News just in from an ex employee of the shop in the picture!

Ian, Roy,

I was a bit amazed to see that pic too! I worked at CD Fox for a few months in 1981 I think it was, and this event was often spoken about. There was a similar pic – maybe the same one – framed in the shop at that time. CD Fox still exists I think, just around the corner from that site in Long Street – perhaps its Hout Street now – though I haven’t been there for years. I started selling Private Line and Marlow in those days, a whole lot cheaper than Central Boating just up the road. They had cool stuff like parachute cord, nylon webbing, great threads for sail-making, needles and thimbles for splicing etc etc. Next door was Gordon’s Power Tools and the Metropole Hotel, all institutions of those days. Across the road was an Importers Coffee Shop …

Can’t say I miss it though!

Cheers

Justin

Note,, CD Fox have a rather large place in Paarden Eiland now.

Roy

Classic Car restoration in Cape Town

This has been an on going work for some while now, as often happens it started as a hobby then moved
on to doing work to order.

Hillman Imps are the speciality but other cars can be considered.

To do things right, the car is placed on a turning jig, only this way can the cars underside be cleaned and painted properly.

Note, the paint on this car is very well done but will be changed for a shade that was original!

The same turning jig was developed for a similar make of car which was a hill climb or race car that was exported to Scotland in the UK.

This is a long process, the bottom ofthe car has been high pressure water cleaned before the application of DTM ( direct to metal ) black paints. Note the two front suspension arms on the left, they have been bead blasted clean of all rust and spray painted with the same coating.

 Click on the picture for a larger image.

The paint is Fords Aquarius Metallic Blue, a very close match to the Chrysler Electric Metallic Blue that the car was originally, we chose the Samcor colour for ease of a re match.

This is the engine bay on the same car, which is a 1971 built Hillman Imp Deluxe, just one licenced owner in all those years.

Small details like re using the cars original coil and having the mount bracket re plated are done always.

The engine bay was sprayed yesterday, two coats of base coat, then two coats of clear twin pack lacquer gloss to seal the base coat off. The rear suspension was test fitted today to check for anything that may need attention.

This car has already found a buyer, it will be trimmed and painted to the buyers high standards by outside
proffesional trimmers and auto painters.

If you want your car restored to this level you may want to try contacting me, only a few per year can be processed.

Roy

Yacht marina berth in Hout Bay for rent or sale

Just on the market, a nice secure large boat marina berth, either for rent or for sale.

For sale by owner, marina number 80, so no agents fees, this marina is in an inside position and one of the larger ones in Hout Bay Harbour.

Walk-on moorings include 220v shore power, good clean fresh water and refuse removal. Security is generally very good, and the marina is always a happy place!
Since the recent extension of the Northern Mole, harbour conditions are again very favourable in all weather conditions, at all mooring locations.

Contact me for the marina sale price, rentals are handled by the HBYC  please phone Alan on 021 790 7095 or 021 790 3110.

Roy

Hout Bay marina taken from the quay side near the main entrance to the harbour looking towards Chapmans Peak Drive.

August 2014, now sold.

Alloy engine block crack testing

Testing may not be the correct word, we knew we had the crack but not to what extent, the idea was to apply a spray on crack fluid system and then see to what extent the crack went?

Click on the picture to enlarge it, the visible crack then was seen to turn to the left and extend lower once the crack fluid was applied.

The cans work together, a pink fluid is sprayed on, left to soak in a while then cured with an application of the second fluid, this really exposed the crack and we could see where to drill the required Stop Hole we wanted to drill then.

 The exposed crack went twice the distance that we could see without the fluid.

This is Martin the Technical Director of Metalock using a spot punch to mark where he will drill a 3mm
diameter stop hole in the block.

 

This special air powered angle drill allowed Martin to access the 998cc Hillman  Imp alloy block far better than I could have done with any power drill I have.

 

 

This is the company you need when metal repair works are required, the name is Metalock Engineering RSA, they are at 21 Marconi Road, Montague Gardens, Cape Town, 7441,
Phone on 021 551 3225.

This is an example the Martin showed me of a very complex repair known as Metal Stitching, it sews the cracked parts back together, remarkable!

My thanks for the service and attention given to my own small project.

Roy

Linwood No More, its a success!

Author and Imp Club member Paul Coulther with his wife Morven came to visit us a few years back, little did we know that not only did he have a new Imp book in mind but a play on the Linwood Imp production as well.

The play started to tour Scotland in October and has done a two month stint, whats next I have now asked Paul.

Roy

Synopsis

"It is the year 2000, almost 20 years since the Chrysler car factory closed, devastating the town of Linwood near Paisley. One of the 9,000 left jobless  - now a homeless alcoholic - awkens to the new millenium and looks back fondly to happier times as a worker in the factory in 1965. He tells his story with warmth and humour and reflects on events that changed his life forever."

The play,  written by Paul Coulter and directed by Liz Carruthers, stars Vincent Freill.

News

November 2013 - Linwood No More tour ends on a high

White Stag Theatre Company would like to thank all of the audience members who came to see the showing of Linwood No More on its autumn 2013 Scottish tour. We are glad that you enjoyed the show and thank all of those who sent in thank you letters. Very much appreciated.  The show finished with a site specific double billing at the former car factory in Linwood where the play is partially set. Paisley Arts Centre created a theatre within the former 1960s car showroom and a temporary stage off the bottom of the administration office staircase.  This special venue really added to the occasion and was a great way to finish the tour.

Some of the reviews are printed below:

"..It was fantastic..." Leah Smith

"...great performance last night...." John Craig

"Vincent executed the character brilliantly, would happily go and see it again!" Robert Rice

"This is a fabulous show that captivates you from start to finish...Vincent pulls off a great character..."  Carol Fanning

Fresh greens for a long sailing trip?

Seen on a yacht in Hout Bay, a slice or two fried with fresh fish will probably be fine?

Beats a bag of spring beans anytime!

How strange.

Roy

The truth is that they are about to be transplanted in some persons garden soon.

Mirror dinghy CNC kits

Sunday, 19th January, todays news!

http://ckdboats.blogspot.com/2014/01/mirror-dinghy-kit-supplier-in-southern.html

Some time back I was told of a dinghy exhibition to be held at the Zeekoevlie YC on Sunday 19th of January, 9am to 2pm, the Mirror Dinghy will be one of those on display.

There are none in South Africa as far as I am aware, up to now the kits on sale have all been cut by hand? A recent talk with Mirror people says there may be a chance to start CNC production?

With the Worlds being held here at Theewaters YC in January 2015 can we start production and can we build completed boats?

Note, this class does not allow the sale of plans, you can only buy a kit or a finished boat from a
licenced supplier or builder.

We can supply the kit side and have a top quality boat builder with years of experience ready to start but we need the licence to do so first!

Would that be a great thing!

Enquiries would be a useful start to allow me to judge response and possible orders?

Roy

http://www.mirror.org.za/

This is the South African web site, contact them via their links for Mirror Dinghy news.

The next Mirror Dinghy Worlds info can be seen at the link below.

http://www.mirror.org.za/mirror-events/event/1/n4q4jjn0u80nafden7q0u41ijo

Taken from the Mirror class web site on building your own Mirror.

Written by Martin Egan

Saturday, 28 April 2012 15:44

Mirror 70670 being built using the MCA jig "There is enormous satisfaction to ge gained from building and racing your own boat" - a quote by Guy Wilkins from his book "Mirror Racing". When the Mirror dinghy was designed in the early 60's, the Daily Mirror newspaper wanted a boat that in kit form was simple enough for a teenager to assemble with perfetly commonplace tools. The construction method used on the first prototype which Barry Bucknell, a TV handyman, had built for his son, fitted the bill perfectly. Instead of the traditional method of using softwood battens inside the hull where the plywood panels were joined, Barry used one of the simplest and oldest boat building methods know to man:sewing.  The Vikings used it on their ships. The Polynesians still do. They "stitch" the skin of a hull together - then waterproof all the seams. So Barry borrowed the method used by Ken Littledyke to make KL canoes. The edges of the plywood panels were "stiched" together using copper wire. With the panels held in place in this manner, the joints between them were made permanent using glass fibre tape and resin. This method is now commonly know as "stich and glue" construction and is now widely used for wooden dinghy construction.   A frequently asked question is "Can we build it easily and quickly?" The answer is "yes". Thousands of ordinary people have built a Mirror dinghy from a kit. A group of nine schoolgirls completed the hull at an exhibition in eight hours! Apart from a kit (available from a licenced kit manufacturer), these are the things you need to provide as a minimum. A bit of spare time - about one hundred hours - that's a month of evenings and weekends, should see your boat ready for painting. A bit of spare room - a space about 5m X 3m (15' X 9') is the minimum you require A few simple tools - no sophisticated equipment is necessary but, although you don't need an electric drill, it does save a lot of time. If you are tempted, why not have a look at this short video presentation of the building of Mirror 70670 by Ben Hill? Then browse through the building instructions to get a good idea of what is involved.

See also www.ckdboats.com

Hillman Imp disc brake kit

This set arrived today, making it kit number four that has been Imported from the UK to Hout Bay now.

We have the engineering drawing and permission to copy the mount plates but given the ease of placing an order, then waiting for the post to arrive two weeks later, why bother making them yourself?

The  Goodridge hoses are special too, metric one end and imperial the other!

Ford Fiesta calipers, they are early type and for the 12mm thick none ventilated discs.

The new discs are for the Ford KA, so 240mm in diameter, the car we are re building now will retain the 12" steel rims so the discs will be 220mm

Arrived today, they will need a full service before re using.

Used but still fine for the Hillman Imp range, once refurbished by a specialist.

Note, we have a pair of chrome plated Imp disc link plates for sale, suitable for the 13" rims and now
ex stock. The cost is GBP 10 plus postage.


Roy

The first rotary engine?

This came to me yesterday and I have to say its a first for me, rather a frightening thing to have in your engine bay?

This was a mail I sent to yacht designer and sports car restorer Dudley Dix, check out the link!

Ever seen one of these Adams-Farwell  motors, I have not, must be the most dangerous motor yet! The car dates back to 1906.

http://www.youtube.com/embed/Y0XbqHUAI-0?feature=player_detailpage

Roy

 Dudley sent it to a friend named Hunter who has experience with engines.

These comments from a friend of mine are interesting. He commissioned and is building the prototype of the Didi Sport 15 that I added to my blog and website a few days ago. More pertinent, he used to build and maintain racing Lotus Sevens in Australia and has been around cars and machines a long time.

Subject: RE: The rotary engine!

Most of the early French WW1 aircraft engines were rotary, saps a lot of horsepower and can’t make high revs so it was obsolete quickly.

I believe the biggest problem is the gyroscopic effect of the engine mass affecting the dynamics of the handling of the aircraft.

The air intake on this one is in the center and the inlet manifold is made by capping the top two cooling fins on the air-cooled cylinders and heads.

The intake air comes from outside the engine compartment with a short snorkel arrangement.

I love the Smithsonian air and space museum we should go together sometime.



Subject: Re: The rotary engine!

Isn't the aircraft engine a radial engine rather than a rotary engine? This one the casing spins around the crank rather than the crank spinning inside the casing. And somewhere in the video he mentions the carb, which sits on the top. I mainly wondered about the exhaust gasses getting mixed into the intake air.

DD

Subject: RE: The rotary engine!

Very Interesting.

I have not seen one in person but I kinda recall that they intake through the crankcase and are supercharged and fuel injected.

Think aircraft engines and it will make sense, but I’m sure there are more than one variant, not sure of this one’s origin.

Thanks for that.

Hunter.

Some history:

 

Adams-Farwell Rotary Engine Photograph courtesy of the Canada Aviation Museum, Ottawa

EARLY DEVELOPMENTS from The Early Birds Application for Membership Collection of Cheryl Moore, 2-2-05      1903, associated with Emile Berliner in experimental aeronautic work. The Adams Farwell rotating automobile engine, 5 cyl., 50 hp., variable compression, was remodeled and put into the Moore airplane at Washington and flown at Bennings racetrack by Mr. Moore.      Developed new engine with variable compression which came to be known as the Gyro which was manufactured and marketed by the Gyro Engine Co., of Emile Berlinere, betginning about 1911. Models of 7 cyls., variable compression, 50, 80 and 110 hp were made. Paul Peck made duration and altitude records for America with one of these engines in "Miss Columbia."      In 1913 the engine was demonstrated in England in a Wright B flown by George Beatty, a new 7 cyl. 80 hp engine.      During the war Mr. Moore was consulting engineer for the Air Corps and chief inspector of Rhone engine production and continued subsequently with the Air Corps until 1926 when he went with Aeronautics Branch, Dept. of Commerce, as an engine and airplane construction expert. In 1929, he formed the General Airmotors Corp. and produced a new radial fixed engine with variable compression of 125 hp.

Wanted, Ford Fiesta brake calipers

One pair required now, used and service worthy accepted.

The caliper needed is the type that fits the none ventilated disc, so early Ford Fiesta, was that
around 1988/9

The discs we can buy locally and will be the 12mm thick x 220mm diameter to suit the 12" standard steel Imp rims which are the later Mk2 ones with a 4.5" width.

Cash waiting if you can supply!

Roy

Now sourced and again from Durban but a new supplier this time.
We may accept another pair as a stock item if you can supply?

Hillman Imp body shell turning rig

The car turns out to be a Hillman Imp which was made in Scotland in 1971 but later sold new as a 1973 car on 01/01/1073.

Sounds simple but first the cars width and height needed to be understood.

This is the second Imp we have used the same jig on, the other car was the sprint car we shipped to Scotland in 2012.

This way up the car can really be serviced  and painted correctly underneath, its just so much easier this way up!

The car was originally painted in the rather nice lighter shade of Chrysler metallic blue you can see on the bulkhead, the car will be returned to its natural paint shade again, Rootes code # 145.

We are now into week three of the strip down and clean, all suspension parts were bead blasted and spray painted with DTM gloss black, the underside of the car and wheel arches have been given the same treatment.

Day three of cleaning the engine bay, first the sprayed on tar had to be removed by hand, this far just the cleaning has taken four applications of Castrols engine cleaner, the entitre engine bay will be spray painted back to its original metallic blue.

Roy

Hillman Imp refurbished suspension parts

They can also fit the other brands of Rootes Car Co Imp based cars, Commer, Sunbeam and Singer come to mind.

The painting with DTM gloss black (four coats) was the easy part, just bead blasting the parts took the better part of a week, then I need to mention that some suspension bolts had to be either cut free with a disc or drilled out!

Easy, not this time.

 

Note, a higher standard of finish results from paint application from a high volume low pressure spray gun, the bottom of the car was finished that way at the same time. Paints used so far are 3 ltrs.

Roy
 

Hillman Imp (sunbeam) Road Springs, direct to metal painting

The locally made DTM paint sure saves a whole load of time, its a primer and top coat all in one.
Loose rust and of course any dirt or oils are removed, then you apply with a foam roller or spray gun.

A factory standard finish is easy to achieve, in this case they are standard length and as they had a white stripe on the cars originals I will apply the same to these also.

Roy

CCOTY display setting up

News from Terence Tracey yesterday by phone was that the Jolon Imp was judged to be  given the award for 5th place.

Thinking positively this still got the Imp onto the center stage and in the Go Imp 50 year, what a wonderful acheivement!  Well done toall those involved and a special pat on the back for Geoff and Terence who drove through the Hell Road to Coventry.

This was at the NEC in Birmingham yesterday (friday 15th november 2013)

The event will be the last car display of the year and for all involved one of the most exciting, this time there is a prize, to be named Classic Car of the Year!

I suspect that only one of the five cars on display managed to drive through nineteen countries across three continents, do 14,000 kilometres and in 29 days to be considered to be worthy of making the stand for the last five to be chosen?

The Imp is a winner either way, it made the Go Imp 50 event with just six hours left on the clock, this is just a bonus!

TT wrote on his blog yesterday:

While the Imp Club Chairman Graham Anderson and James Spencer were traversing England with my JoLon Imp on a trailer taking it to form part of the Classic Car Of The Year stand where on Saturday it will be handed its FINAL JUDGEMENT

http://jolonimp.wordpress.com/

The award will be announced at 10.30am on Saturday, so for those in South Africa 12.30pm our time. The results be be posted very soon after and on this blog.

The JoLon Imp is now for sale by the way.

Roy