Choice of Steel Grade?

[Mark CParticipant @markc]

I reckon Imps where a special test set by the womenfolk to see which of us were suitable husband material – if you could run one as a daily motor you could probably keep a household working!

I had two, a Singer Chamois and then a Sunbeam Stiletto (wish I still had the Stiletto).

Mark

[Ian PParticipant @ianp]

Posted by Oompa Lumpa on 11/03/2015 16:46:19:

Posted by Michael Gilligan on 11/03/2015 16:20:10:

I bought my first torque wrench when I had my Hillman Imp, and needed to tighten the cam-cover nuts accurately, to the specified low torque.

MichaelG.

Gawd, I had almost erased that from memory. Thanks for putting it back to the forefront of my mind. That and the "flexible" linkage connecting the gearstick to the gearbox ensuring I had no reverse gear at the top of the bank in Darlington station when collecting girlfriend from thee station!

The gear linkage was a minor irritation compared with the pneumatically operated throttle mechanism!

Ian P

[Gray62Participant @gray62]

Blimey, we all have more in common than we think. first car was an Imp, bought before I passed my test for £60 and then spent 6 months in my dads garage (much to his discontent) rebuilding the damn thing to make it roadworthy. It started out with the 875cc engine, then when my brothers fell to bits, I nabbed his 998 sport tuned engine, blew its guts when the bottom rad hose let go on the road near British Steel Redcar works where I served most of my apprenticeship.

[Mark CParticipant @markc]

Ah, the 998. Can't have been so many imp owners with that engine, it was standard fit on the Stiletto (it was called the "998 rally" if I remember – had a fairly wild cam, much bigger valves and twin 125 CD Strombergs adding up to an engine that was good for 7000 rpm if you were a gambler).

I didn't know they had a pneumatic throttle on some of them. Mine all had a cable as normal with the choke under the hand brake lever (I think the Stiletto had a choke on the dash but it was a long time ago).

I recall the Stiletto had reclining seats which was a feature of envy for my mates at that age (17+ years of age)….

Mark

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Mark C on 11/03/2015 18:49:22:

I didn't know they had a pneumatic throttle on some of them.

.

Only the very early ones, I think.

MichaelG.

[V8EngParticipant @v8eng]

A lot of Large cars had nice big bench seats, proper stuff!

Plenty of real power as well.

Edited By V8Eng on 11/03/2015 19:13:00

[Mike PooleParticipant @mikepoole82104]

A bench seat usually meant a column change, a bit vague at best.

Mike

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Mark C on 11/03/2015 18:49:22:

… an engine that was good for 7000 rpm if you were a gambler

.

Does anyone remember the Hydroplanes that used Imp engines ?

… Outrageous power output, especially considering that it all started with a little engine that Coventry Climax designed for a Fire Pump.

MichaelG.

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

A long time ago I knew a guy called Terry from Coventry who either rallied Imps or was an engineer on a rally team that used them.

Neil

[V8EngParticipant @v8eng]

Posted by Michael Poole on 11/03/2015 19:13:46:

A bench seat usually meant a column change, a bit vague at best.

Mike

Sometimes two or three speed autos.

 

Edited By V8Eng on 11/03/2015 19:40:58

Edited By V8Eng on 11/03/2015 19:42:42

[Oompa LumpaParticipant @oompalumpa34302]

Posted by Mark C on 11/03/2015 17:57:02:

I reckon Imps where a special test set by the womenfolk to see which of us were suitable husband material – if you could run one as a daily motor you could probably keep a household working!

I had two, a Singer Chamois and then a Sunbeam Stiletto (wish I still had the Stiletto).

Mark

I used to Forest Rally them. Wrote five off one year. Back in the good old days when you could buy a bodyshell AND have it delivered for thirty quid. Took me a little more than a weekend to re-shell one towards the end and that included all the bodywork mods including putting the radiator up front. Desperately cold things in winter though – the heater never worked. I must have been mentally unbalanced at the time now I look back. Probably still am.

graham.

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

> mentally unbalanced

Well the imps certainly were!

Neil

[Gordon WParticipant @gordonw]

Don't know how we got onto Imps . As an apprentice I got sent on an "outside job" -installing new foundry equipment in Kilmarnock. This was supply the new factory which was going to make the Imp. That makes me feel very old. Never owned an Imp, but always fancied one. Later I worked with a chap who had helped design the suspension and learned a lot.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Michael Gilligan on 11/03/2015 16:20:10:

Posted by Dusty on 11/03/2015 16:00:10:

Held together firmly is the phrase used, not cramped up with a torque wrench.

.

It always intrigues me when people say this sort of thing ^^^

I bought my first torque wrench when I had my Hillman Imp, and needed to tighten the cam-cover nuts accurately, to the specified low torque.

.

Gordon,

For info. … That's how we got onto Imps.

MichaelG.

[Cornish JackParticipant @cornishjack]

"A bench seat usually meant a column change, a bit vague at best."

No, best was the Renault 16, the mechanism was nigh perfect – no loss of movement and as slick as a floor change. Bought by chance when the intended Austin Maxi failed to materialise – someone up there was looking after me! Best suspension, best handling, super seating and that asymetric wheelbase cleverness … ah, nostalgia!

Rgds

Bill

[DustyParticipant @dusty]

Michael I did not realise what a can of worms I was opening when I refered to a torque wrench, all I intended was to indicate that it need not be tightened to such a severe degree. I know when in a hole stop digging, never liked Imps myself at 6'3" a bit small.

[neville rigg 2Participant @nevillerigg2]

Hi Graham, We used to rally an Imp in Northern Ireland in the late sixties where you could close the roads and have mixed stages, your remark about the forward radiator brought back even more memories, our Imp was an ex-works with twin DCOE's , forward petrol tank complete with brush handle to dip it as no fuel gauge, with the front radiator as well as the rear the only way to bleed the system was to raise the front up about three feet, wish I still had it. Heard about ten years ago it was still being used oin the south of Ireland for auto tests.Oh happy days.

Neville

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Dusty on 12/03/2015 11:25:56:

Michael I did not realise what a can of worms I was opening when I refered to a torque wrench …

.

No problem, Dusty

It's led to an interesting diversion

MichaelG

[Dave HalfordParticipant @davehalford22513]

Posted by Ian Phillips on 11/03/2015 17:57:27:

Posted by Oompa Lumpa on 11/03/2015 16:46:19:

Gawd, I had almost erased that from memory. Thanks for putting it back to the forefront of my mind. That and the "flexible" linkage connecting the gearstick to the gearbox ensuring I had no reverse gear at the top of the bank in Darlington station when collecting girlfriend from thee station!

The gear linkage was a minor irritation compared with the pneumatically operated throttle mechanism!

Ian P

I had a 63 Pimp with pneumatic throttle back in 1970 always worked for me – just don't mention the half shaft dounuts or the head gaskets.

When the heater went cold you needed to add more coolant or buy another head gasket.

Edited By Dave Halford on 12/03/2015 15:32:55

[Les Jones 1Participant @lesjones1]

The Hillman Imp dounuts I used on my Lotus Elan worked OK and were a lot cheaper than buying them from a Lotus dealer.

Les.

[Oompa LumpaParticipant @oompalumpa34302]

Posted by Les Jones 1 on 12/03/2015 15:33:56:

The Hillman Imp dounuts I used on my Lotus Elan worked OK and were a lot cheaper than buying them from a Lotus dealer.

Les.

Well Les, I can tell you – we all (those of us trying to race these things) used to order up the Lotus ones as they were supposed to be "better". How perverse.

They still let go though.

graham.

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

I bet Lotus and Hillman ones came out of the same parts bin. The Esprit has Opel manta suspension (and one rumour is that the de Lorean had too).

Neil

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