Winning at the Killarney Race Track

The chequered flag fell for me in my 998cc Hillman Imp race car as I passed the finish line on lap twelve,so why did I get the cup for second?

The silver cup on the left is dated 18/03/1972 its inscribed for second place but in fact I won the race,so what happened?

The race was titled an Allcomers Race,meaning it was open to any class of car with four wheels I assume,I was in the Argus Saloon Championship class F car,which was a Hillman Imp with a 998cc Rootes Compettions equiped engine that I had built myself on a Mk1 block from imported parts.

The car would do around 1 minute 47 seconds to complete one lap,the faster cars were a good 20 seconds faster? that was the theory anyway.We had to post a practice time with no Sand Bagging as if we went faster by more than 5% in the actual race we would be placed further back in the final positions.

This was my own cars engine,all parts were imported from the UK and the Rootes Competition Dept,Des O Dell was the manager then? based on a std Mk 1 block,fitted with 998cc steel liners and pistons,the Mk 1 Imp head was developed to take a set of very large valves from a Mini Cooper S,the car was tested on a rolling road just once,it gave an impressive 86hp at the wheels,so a lot of power from a 1 liter engine unit.

The Hillman Imp 998cc based on the early so called curly motor,named such due to the shape of the top edge of the cylinder block.

I did my usual times and started in the first group to be waved off,as the 1000cc class was the smaller class on the day.The race was posted as a 12 lap race and as no one had passed me after 12 laps the guy with the chequered flag jumped up and waved it for me,I can see him now standing on the left of the track from me and the car.

The organisers had other ideas,it seems they got their calculations wrong and waved us all on for another lap,it made little difference as I was still only passed by one car.At the after race party at the WPMC I was called up to recieve my cup,it was for second place only,was I robbed,I believe so,I still got that chequered flag though!

Roy,

(working with Hillman Imps for 47 years now)

The Diesel Ducks like acorns grow

When we offer a kit its not unusual to find the boat outgrows its size before we even start,thats why our extended range can make so much sense,the Dixi Dinghy can easiliy grow to the Argi 15 dinghy and so on.

When an enquiry to the Diesel Duck 38 came in a similar thing happened.

Harry and Vickies Diesel Duck 48 keel,all pictures are from the designers web site,many thanks for their use.

Note the steel beam platforn Harry is working on,having built a similar but smaller boat myself, off a dirt floor,I can assure you Harry has thought this out really well. As moving his boat later with rollers or wheels on the corners of the platform, makes life a lot more simple when moving time arrives.

Recently we were asked to quote on a George Buhler designed Diesel Duck 38 kit set,we built one complete boat about ten years back,so still have all the patterns to the frames.We later found out that the prospective owner has a much larger boat and wishes to down size with the idea of an ocean crossing and possibly doing the Mediterainian Sea then Europes canals?

Our interest is in supply of the basic materials and to make the boats frames,keel,stem and rudder,which are really the heart of this design.

There will be 19 such frames I think, if the scale is similar to the Diesel Duck 38

So our customers Diesel  Duck started to grow on paper,the basic plan was good but to install all the life style gear such as water maker,washing machine,generators and so on just needed more space,we then moved up to the Diesel Duck 44 but have now stopped (i think) at the Diesel Duck 48.

I have been there and done that,this is a boat as a boat should be,we could provide kits to countries who need a fishing boat fleet,places with labour,often very skilled but lacking the materials or methods to build with.

Wow! what an event,all it takes is your desire and the rest just happens.

We can load the parts in a container and ship world wide,George has plans based on the same idea and growing per foot length,so he can suit just about everybodys needs.

Roy

Cape Town
South Africa

 021 790-3859 phone and fax line.

Fitting Hillman Imp supply pipes.

Thats brakes and clutch,plus petrol and also the throttle cable.

In all my years working on Imps I can not remember seeing pictures of what fits where?

Henry is growing fast

He got Henry to land on some kitchen scales nine days back,just 300 grams was his weight,today he landed on the same scales and tipped it at 400 grams,thats a third more body weight in just nine days!

Henry is now a part of the family,he will copy our movements exactly,such as I was busy doing a tally on some timber sizes on a calculater,as soon as I left the key board alone Henry started pecking the same keys,this is one clever bird.

Hillman Imp suspension fitting made real easy

This is a great way to relax and work at the same time,no climbing under a car anymore!

Two Imps,working clean,I do not even get my hands dirty! left click the picture for a larger view.

Front suspensions,I can not bolt this doown untill various service pipes to fuel and brake fluids are in place.

The car is blessed with and all alloy transaxle and engine,fitted at the back of the car there is no weight penalty,the all indipenent suspension was an eye opener on a small car back in May 1963 when the Hillman Imp came out too.

Marine paints are tops on the bottom

I really was not happy with some of the finish work on the Imp body,the cars cills and lower front apron were just not well painted,the undertray was done in a 3M stone chip grey but somehow it was not really what I wanted.

The Cills I sanded and filled,they should have been done I know but so called specialists just failed to do a decent job,at least we can see some results now.The car has sound metal Cills,with me applying liquid epoxy in the right places they are now rust free and will stay that way.

The gloss white is DK type auto paints,its a twin pack and is very hard wearing,shines really well too,thats just two coats you can see.

The suspension sub assemblies can now be fitted,the paints around them are easy to clean and will not stain when oils touch their surfaces,the car is now ready for the next forty four years of use.

Over again

Its nice to work on a car body when access is so easy.

Hout Bays new Mica store

We also have more expert help and assitance in the form of a Midas store that opened just last week,due to me banging on a closed door (they let me in) I became customer number one,or should the read their first customer,anyway I was pleased to be served by the HBYCs own Ian Alexander.Ian is a highly experianced sailor,after I assembled his Tosca 36 he and his wife Sonia took off with the kids and circumnavigated the globe.

Ian is not alone in the new venture and has a partner who is yet again well versed in yachting,both own HBYC marinas so are club members too,Ians partner is Barry Klue,Barrys wife Anne is lending a hand and has a large display of artists paints in the store,find them on the corner of Brighton street and  Victoria Road just opposite the Super Team electrical shop.

Barry will start stocking marine related sealants such as Butyl Rubber and Dow Corning 813 black silicone sealant,he will also be pleased to source what your looking for should it not be in stock.There is a large stock of paints,fastners and tools,check the store out when passing,parking is really easy!

Pictures taken with a Canon Gll and from just in front of Super Teams electrical shop.

Real wood laminate veneers

To compliment our Superform bending plys we have stocked various versions of flexible veneers for almost as long as the bending plys.It was on a Craft paper backer,which pushes the cost up but does see it add value on some jobs.

Mahogany,left click for a larger view.

Ex stock right now,we also carry Teak,American Walnut,Maple,Oak,Beech etc.the sheet size is 2.44mtrs x 1.22 mtrs and just 0.06mm thick.

We have quite a range in stock but only in a natural finish,its a wood on wood construction,both side go length ways,finish is perfect and requires no sanding and its just 0.06mm thick. We can now offer in the next shipment pre finished veneers in both Satin and a High Gloss,all you need to do is apply it.

Roll your own or for model makers,use either two or three layers and glue up thin plywoods,thats just 1.2mm thick with the two layers,or 1.8mm thick with the three layers.we can cut to size and send to you so you can make your own plys up.Using our waterproof cold glue,its then a very decent ply.

Thin ply,make this yourself using either 2 or 3 layers of veneer at a lower cost at a model makers shop.

Either 1.2mm or 1.8mm thick depending on your lay up?

Didi Mini Cruise deck engineering kit,wrapped and packed

This is how we receive each kit from our engineers,the alloy finish on this set is in silver epoxy,we can do black or colours too.

The total weight,even when packed is only 13.5kgs so we are sending it by airfreight to the customer who is now in Spain.

Turning our Imp shell

Not an easy job unless its pre planed and we have an engineer make up a balanced turning rig.

The car shell is a 1967 Hillman Imp,found locally and bought in some years back to save it from whatever foul end it may find.

Boat building epoxy

Really an epoxy for general use,from a Toylander to an Optimist to a Dix 43,we have used the same basic type and grade on all these builds.In stock and with micro balloons,which when mixed with our packs of Fumed Silicas make the perfect filler paste when mixed with our epoxy.

Jaguar 3.8 S type and a learner driver

Still some years to go,our first grandson,now four and a half years old,seen here some while back trying out our Jaguar for size.

The Eureka canoe

We sell plans only and have done so for a very long time,the Eureka Canoe design is one by Mike Storer and as good a looking style of canoe as we can offer,there are others of course.

What a fine looking Canoe,we had no input at all on this build,not even the supply of materials,we sent off the plans and he just did his own thing!

The plans from Mike are remarkably detailed,he asks you to use a nice light ply like Ockume marine to BS1088 grade,in this case the builder looks to have used the much lower priced WBP grade,which has only three veneers per 6mm thick,while our marine ply has five veneers per 6mm thick.The other factor is unseen,weight,this canoe will be about 30% heavier,not recomended but it does save cash.

Roy

Swiss Didi Mini Transat to Spain

This is another Didi Mini Transat we have connections with,this time not the actual boat as a kit but the deck engineering parts,which is the tiller and links,stantions,chain plates,stem fitting,plus the push and pulpits.

Kyrills boat on the road,its a perfect tow truck and a really well made trailer.

This shot shows just how to load a wide boat for transport by road,the Didi Mini has a removable keel structure for just that purpose.

This looks like a ferry terminal that they took a ride on a ship at?

Now in Spain,we will be packing the deck gear order next week and instead of shipping to Switzerland where the order came from,it will now go to Spain where the boat will be.

The Didi Mini Transat coach roof and cockpit,we can supply plans to this boat,or one of our well known CNC cut kits with all materials and epoxies,we ship world wide and have done so for around eight years now.