1966 Sunbeam Imp MKII

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whitebuffalo
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1966 Sunbeam Imp MKII

Post by whitebuffalo »

Here is my new project. It came from Connecticut and arrived in it's new home here in Lancaster on 7 August. So now it can start to dry out. No rot found, but some crusty surface rust on the rear parcel shelf and rear left quarter behind the left rear wheel. A few dents and dings, but nothing I can't hammer out. Plans are to keep it mostly original and will do Monte springs and upgraded bushes and shocks. Wheels will be 12x5.5 Cosmics. Will keep it white with red interior and will add a dark red stripe to the sides.

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VWNate1
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Re: 1966 Sunbeam Imp MKII

Post by VWNate1 »

Pretty neat , this .

How about some underhood pix and details ? .

TIA ,
-Nate
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whitebuffalo
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Re: 1966 Sunbeam Imp MKII

Post by whitebuffalo »

Here is the motor, aluminium and a whole whopping 875cc of raw power!

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Ok, it does spin at 9,000 rpm with 10:1 CR with the whole engine /trans weighing in at around 180lbs.

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VWNate1
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Re: 1966 Sunbeam Imp MKII

Post by VWNate1 »

Neat ! an OHC I see , does it turn or is stuck ? .
-Nate
Martin Keller
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Re: 1966 Sunbeam Imp MKII

Post by Martin Keller »

Hello whitebuffalo,

A friend of mine (Mark Costello) has a couple IMP's and you might know him.
I think he might even have a bunch of parts also or know where to get them.
Send me a PM and I will give you his contact info if you do not know Mark.

:drive
Martin Keller
Ventura, Ca.
daysineuropa
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Re: 1966 Sunbeam Imp MKII

Post by daysineuropa »

:lol: Mike and I have got an Imp mutual aid scheme going on Martin.

The white car came from the same guy that I bought the race car from.

The three Burbank cars are now at Mike's place. I sold him the red one about a year after he sold me the blue one that is now the bottom of the Stiletto.

We should really just cut up the other two cars for panels, but it seems so final. Maybe in the future when I have time and welding skills.............. :lol:
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Re: 1966 Sunbeam Imp MKII

Post by Martin Keller »

Mark and Mike,
I was not sure the two of you knew each other but in hind site I guess that was and is very unlikely since your both car nuts especially when it comes to British auto's.
You should bring your BRITISH cars to the Santa Paula Airport on Sunday September 7, 2014 as the CCBCC will be displaying some of their cars at the First Sunday Open House at the Airport. The Club will be meeting at the Kmart Park-N-Ride at 8:30am just off the 126 and Peck Rd. so we can go into the airport as a group. We will also be having breakfast at the newly reopened restaurant that is on the airport so if you decide to come plan accordingly. Jack Waschbusch of the CCBCC is the event chair so get in touch with him if you are going to show up so he can have a good head count. Here is his e-mail address jwaschbusch@aol.com
Hope to see you there with one of your cars.

:drive
Martin Keller
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Steve Simmons
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Re: 1966 Sunbeam Imp MKII

Post by Steve Simmons »

Is everyone on the planet going to Santa Paula on that day? Two clubs that I know are going, plus the TC Motoring Guild will be there. I will not be however, since I will be out of town working. :(
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whitebuffalo
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Re: 1966 Sunbeam Imp MKII

Post by whitebuffalo »

Didn't know about the Santa Paula airport event, might go.. Will have to be in my Mini since the Imp is currently in the queue to get worked on.

VWNate, the motor turns, but I have not yet tried to start it. I do have a rebuilt motor to put into it and will get to it once my Mini Traveller is put back together so I have the room in the garage to work.
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Re: 1966 Sunbeam Imp MKII

Post by Martin Keller »

whitebuffalo wrote:Didn't know about the Santa Paula airport event, might go.. Will have to be in my Mini since the Imp is currently in the queue to get worked on.
Mike,
Hope to see you their. Make sure to contact Jack to let him know if your going to attend.

:drive
Martin Keller
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whitebuffalo
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Re: 1966 Sunbeam Imp MKII

Post by whitebuffalo »

Did a little work on the Imp. Removed the fuel tank and surrounding covers .

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Took to cleaning up the area and thankfully all the wiring is in good condition and paint is well preserved.
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Next is to work on removing the front suspension and to restore the A-arms and brakes.

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VWNate1
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Re: 1966 Sunbeam Imp MKII

Post by VWNate1 »

Everything you've shown looks well preserved .

:thumbs:

Are the suspension bushings the same as other cars or special and hard to get ? .
-Nate
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whitebuffalo
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Re: 1966 Sunbeam Imp MKII

Post by whitebuffalo »

Not hard to get, but I believe they are specific to the car. The Imp club in the UK has a vast spares scheme and many aftermarket companies make items for these cars. I have poly bushes ready to fit once I extricate the A-arms from the car which is a little more involved than just a few bolts.
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VWNate1
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Re: 1966 Sunbeam Imp MKII

Post by VWNate1 »

If you think this is difficult , offer to help your buddy do the front end of a Metropolitan some time ~ it's not only physically daunting but dangerous to boot .

I eagerly await further details on the works as you go along .
-Nate
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whitebuffalo
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Re: 1966 Sunbeam Imp MKII

Post by whitebuffalo »

So found a few bits for my car. Thanks to an Imp club member I was able to find a twin HS4 intake/exhaust and a Mini club member helped me to source a nice set of MGB twin HS4s so now I need a higher specification motor for my Imp , but will be fun once finished.

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VWNate1
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Re: 1966 Sunbeam Imp MKII

Post by VWNate1 »

Zoom ~ ZOOM ! .

What other engine are you thinking of ? .
-Nate
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whitebuffalo
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Re: 1966 Sunbeam Imp MKII

Post by whitebuffalo »

I currently have a stock 875cc motor, but to utilize the intake/exhaust set up I will need a "Sport" specification with a higher lift cam and better flowing head. These Imp motors have 10:1 CR from stock so not much more to do on a compression ratio, but a better flowing head and a higher lift cam will get it to breathe more.
There are a few displacements that are available like the stock 875cc or a stock 930cc set up that came from a Sunbeam-Talbot car that has to be modified to tilt at the 45 degrees required to fit into the back of an Imp. The next displacements available are 998cc and 1040cc or stroked to 1140cc, but that takes a bit more modification to the blocks to take new liners. The safer displacement is the 998 that gives good power/torque without too many tertiary problems. I plan on sticking with the more stock sizes like the 875 or 930 if I can find what I need without having to bring motors in from the UK. Mark (daysineuropa) has a few options for me and I only need to go as far as Fillmore.
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whitebuffalo
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Re: 1966 Sunbeam Imp MKII

Post by whitebuffalo »

Soi, now that my Min Traveller is up and running , I can focus on the Imp. Took her in to AAA to get the paperwork done to get a title on her. Next is to work on getting her running.
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Re: 1966 Sunbeam Imp MKII

Post by Steve Simmons »

You're a glutton for punishment sir. Good on you. :)
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VWNate1
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Ural Solo Motos , old Honda 90 CC Tiddlers
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Re: 1966 Sunbeam Imp MKII

Post by VWNate1 »

Looks nice , I can hardly wait to hear the next step .
-Nate
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whitebuffalo
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Re: 1966 Sunbeam Imp MKII

Post by whitebuffalo »

Started to disassemble the rear suspension to replace the old brake shoes and bushes.

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Old asbestos brake shoes look like new, but are glazed over and a little rusty.

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Drive couplings, still good? Ok, no way would I reuse them.
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New shoes, clean springs and new wheel cylinder and brake lines.

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Next step is to pull the old power unit and to detail the engine bay.
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VWNate1
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Ural Solo Motos , old Honda 90 CC Tiddlers
Location: Sunny So. Cal. , land of fruits , nuts & flakes

Re: 1966 Sunbeam Imp MKII

Post by VWNate1 »

WTH ? vanishing posts again :x

Those new shoes are wrong , too short linings , yes it makes a HUGE different in stopping power and effort to have primary & secondary shoes on a dual leading shoe design .

Don't you ever wonder why I never run out of brakes on my Met ? .
-Nate
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whitebuffalo
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Re: 1966 Sunbeam Imp MKII

Post by whitebuffalo »

These are the rears, the front ones are dual leading set ups and will stop the car really easily as I have read.

Here is the engine coming out
Image

Now to work on the engine bay to make it look better and get it ready to have the new motor go in.
Image

Old motor is scabby looking, but only had 23,000 miles on it. Will be a canidate for a rebuild at some point in the future.
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VWNate1
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Ural Solo Motos , old Honda 90 CC Tiddlers
Location: Sunny So. Cal. , land of fruits , nuts & flakes

Re: 1966 Sunbeam Imp MKII

Post by VWNate1 »

As the engine turns it's prolly a good candidate for a light overhaul.....

The brakes in the back are dual leading shoe too and if you have short linings in either end , your braking will suffer .

This car looks amazingly clean , I wonder why they stopped driving it long ago ? .
-Nate
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Re: 1966 Sunbeam Imp MKII

Post by malcolmr18zoy »

With an R 23 cam, and a re-worked head, those engines will rev to 10,000 revs safely.
Malcolm
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