1965 Hillman Imp Project

[whitebuffalo]

Ok, here is my latest project: It is a 1965 Hillman Imp. Wanted one for a good long time and finally found one without having to import one.







The motor I have for it is an 875 that I will eventually bring up to Sport specification.

Suspension will be Monte Carlo springs which are lower than stock and uprated shocks.

I will add discs eventually , but for the time being I will use the drums to get the car sorted first.

Wheels will be 12x5 Cosmic MKII with either Yokohama or Falken rubber

Exterior will be VW Denim blue with black stripes on the sides.

Interior is going to be black , but eventually will change to Oxblood red.

More pictures are here http://s454.photobucket.com/user/whiteb ... t=3&page=1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[VWNate1]

You lucky dog ! .

I can't believe you'd ditch those originakl wheels...

Can I have the rusty hubcaps ? .

Didja get even a scrap of paperwork with it ? it'd be nice to retain those black & yellow plates .

I'm enjoying this weather , drivng my Mighty Met daily again... .

[whitebuffalo]

I got a signed pink from the original owner and a bill of sale from the guy I bought it from. I do intend on retaining the black plates.
You are welcome to the hub caps, I will retain the wheels to roll it around while I restore it. I thankfully have the spare wheel too so I will have a set of five wheels as spare tires

[VWNate1]

Thank you ! .

I sent you a PM too , hang on to those rusty old hubbies , I need them .

[daysineuropa]

Congrats! Dave said the car was in good shape. There are few Imps left in the UK still on their original sills and arches, so restoring California cars is a better option. Just check the membrane sill behind the inner sill. They were never painted.

We are well on our way to getting ten Imps back on the California roads before the 50th anniversary in 2013!

Colin Bedding's car is nearly done, Steve Spears in OC is bringing over his rally Imp and two of mine should be finished later this year.

I am importing a ton of stuff from Malcolm Anderson for the Stiletto rebuild and Rodwell Motorsport for the 998 Hartwell engine for my Fraser Imp replica.

I just got a twin Weber 40 DCOE set-up, so have a twin Stromberg manifold available. It can be modified for SUs.

Valley Head Service in Chatsworth did the rebuild on Colin's engine and are currently rebuilding my Hartwell. They are experienced Coventry Climax engine builders.

I will be inventorying all the stuff I inherited with Ray Bisordi's cars as soon as the Stiletto goes off to Dave's shop for paint. I am not planning on keeping much of the curly edged block/031 head stuff from the Mark 1 cars, so let me know what you need before I hit the recycling yard! If you want to go 998, you will need a straight edge block.

You should also be aware that most of the Mark 2 badged cars are really Mark 1 (curly edge block and high pivot suspension). Wishbones and kingpins are quite different.

Please consider joining the Imp Club and let Alan Peterson, North American coordinator know of your find. We are probably up to fifty known cars in North America now.

Cheers,
Mark

[Steve Simmons]

That looks like a seriously solid project. Congrats!

[whitebuffalo]

Congrats! Dave said the car was in good shape. There are few Imps left in the UK still on their original sills and arches, so restoring California cars is a better option. Just check the membrane sill behind the inner sill. They were never painted.

We are well on our way to getting ten Imps back on the California roads before the 50th anniversary in 2013!

Colin Bedding's car is nearly done, Steve Spears in OC is bringing over his rally Imp and two of mine should be finished later this year.

I am importing a ton of stuff from Malcolm Anderson for the Stiletto rebuild and Rodwell Motorsport for the 998 Hartwell engine for my Fraser Imp replica.

I just got a twin Weber 40 DCOE set-up, so have a twin Stromberg manifold available. It can be modified for SUs.

Valley Head Service in Chatsworth did the rebuild on Colin's engine and are currently rebuilding my Hartwell. They are experienced Coventry Climax engine builders.

I will be inventorying all the stuff I inherited with Ray Bisordi's cars as soon as the Stiletto goes off to Dave's shop for paint. I am not planning on keeping much of the curly edged block/031 head stuff from the Mark 1 cars, so let me know what you need before I hit the recycling yard! If you want to go 998, you will need a straight edge block.

You should also be aware that most of the Mark 2 badged cars are really Mark 1 (curly edge block and high pivot suspension). Wishbones and kingpins are quite different.

Please consider joining the Imp Club and let Alan Peterson, North American coordinator know of your find. We are probably up to fifty known cars in North America now.

Cheers,
Mark

I am toying with the idea of a 998, but if this motor checks out ok then I might just build it with a tuned head, R17 cam , a worked head and a good carb. I like the idea of a small bore set up. The odometer shows 55,000 miles and wonder if the motor has less due to the fact that the car was towed behind a motorhome for a long time. I will have to meet up with the other local Impers and pick your brains.

I know Minis, but the Imp and the Climax are new to me. I am reading everything I can on the different Imp sites and getting the knowledge background.
Definitely the car is solid, especially compared to some of the poor Mini examples I have come across.
What is the URL of the Imp club? Will join for sure.

[VWNate1]

To my PM about the hub caps , I really can use them .

This car is going to be a sweetie when you're finished , please keep on posting the progress made .

[whitebuffalo]

Hadn't done anything to the car in a while.

[whitebuffalo]

I have done a few things to the car. I started to cut out the rotted rear parcel shelf and found minimal solid metal so I cut everything out and fabricated a new panel from 16 gauge steel.

I receive my crate of bits from the UK. So now I have my motor and interior as well as my MKII Cosmic wheels. Picture will be added once I can find where I put that camera.

I have replacement trim pieces that are branded "Hillman" so will rebrand the Imp from a Sunbeam to a Hillman.

Here are a few before and after the panel repair.

Looks like it was on Titanic.


Cut the rusty bits, but only the radiator frame remains:


Cut a piece of 16 gauge steel and am in the process of forming it to the area. Once it fits i will weld it in place then weld the radiator support to the bottom of the panel.


Under the panel

[whitebuffalo]

Did some more work on the Imp. Welded in a panel to clean up the engine bay. Will try to smooth it our the best I can to make it look like it was there from new.


Test fitted the fiberglass Sport engine cover. Will need some sanding to make it open and close smoothly, however, it's fit and finish is quite good from the manufacturer.




I was also playing around with some wheels I got from Mark Costello. These are 8x13 banded steels. For the rear I would need to add a thin spacer to give room for the tire to not rub on the rear suspension. I would also need to roll the fender lip to give more room.



Here is a 6x13 on the front.



And here are the 6x12 Cosmic wheels I bought. I think the rear would need a spacer to make it fill in the wheel well better.




I fit up the front seat to see if I could fit it in a better position. This is placed more towards the center of the car to line up better with the controls. The factory position tends to set you towards the door and your legs are a little awkwardly aiming to the right.

[VWNate1]

Glad to see you're back at it .

Looking good here .

[whitebuffalo]

Glad to see you're back at it .

Looking good here .

Yeah, been spreading my time with two to three cars trying to work a bit on each of them. I do hope to get at least one of them on the road by December.