yoeddynz

OK... you fellas guessed it. So yeah. I now have my very own little Hillman Imp! A local fella by the name of Rob, who frequents these pages I think more as a reader, came up to me in the supermarket car park a few months ago. He said he'd read that I was after an Imp and offered me his Race Imp at a price I just really couldn't turn down. It does need lots of work as he had stacked it big time in a race a few years back. He pulled it all out straight on a chassis jig and continued to use it however it needs a really good tidy up. At Robs last race event with this car a large bump threw the gear linkage and it got stuck in gear, with possible damage to the box being unknown as yet. He took it home and it has then sat in his shed for a while. After a few ums and ers, a bit of consultation with Hannah I made the decision to sell the 120Y on to Greg in Chch to free up some space, time and money, I agreed to welcome this little Imp into my life. Rob sorted the linkage out so it would roll and he kindly delivered last night... Here it is being unloaded by Hannah and Rob with me excitedly taking some photos. Off the trailer and after Rob left I snapped some more photos. Kevin approves... I just love the look from the back. It has a fiberglass Imp 'sport' replica cover. I'm gonna brace that and add some hinges. Such a sweet shape... The big bonus points that had me are the following. Its registration is on hold, its fully certified for the engine swap and other mods and its honest. Its come with enough spare bits, of which I'll work out what I plan to use and I can hopefully sell on some bits to fund the restoration. The steels fitted to it are my old 13x6 Viva rims Rob bought off me ages ago. Luckily the Certfication plate is an older one which just states the wheel size, not material. This is great because these are well made wheels and I have a full set of stainless Viva hubcaps to fit them.. The previous owner Rob is a top bloke and seems keen on seeing what I make of it. This is also nice. He has bought a Corolla K20 race car and that's his new toy. So everyone is happy! (including Hannah I might add...her first classic she bought was a little Imp) The cage is legal and has its ticket etc (or the car has its motorsport association nz card or what ever its called) but, and I realise some of you might cry at this, I am going to remove the cage. I really cant be dealing with it. All I want is a nice fun road Imp and I'm more concerned that its reliable and peppy) In order to legally drive the car on the road with a full cage I would have to join a local club, join manz, compete in 3 events a year. I'm just not interested in that. Fully caged road cars would become a pita for any daily use IMO. The seats are just spare, not bolted in. It had a full on race spec seat fitted which Rob has kept.. The underside has had a beating but rot wise its pretty solid. There are a few repairs that have aged so I will just have to go through the whole lot and tidy it up. I have also bought another Imp from down in Chch and that will hopefully be heading up this way in a few weeks time. Its pretty solid up top and is complete. I had previously looked at this Imp a while back, having first seen it when we visited the old car playground with a bunch of other oldschoolers after the Hanmeet. I had lined it up to buy for $200 along with whatever other Imp parts I needed. But I later decided it wasn't the time to take on a rusty imp resto. However, now was the time to take it on because its going to be mighty handy. The inside.. Good headlining.. Luckily Will (Cars123, who I must add has been very good at keeping secrets..as has Bart and a few others who have heard about my scheming..) has pulled it out for me... Will has sort of become quite smitten with the idea of an Imp race car so and while he was there he has grabbed another plus will get as many parts as he can... Another one for bits... I'm now planning to swap the whole front ends over instead of trying to fix the bent front end on this. Big job but it will be a better result. I can also swap over the interior too. I'll fit some suitable bucket seats. Not sure on rear seats or not yet. Probably re-do all the wiring because well... I enjoy wiring and Imps dont have fuses as standard.. which just seems dodgy. The engine. Its an A12 from a Datsun 1200... Pretty standard I'm told so I figure around 65-70bhp? It did have twin Weber carbs which he kept. I really wasnt into the idea of them and will either fit a standard Hitachi carb or a Weber 32/36. Luckily it comes with a manifold made for the Weber I'm told. I was originally worried about the extra weight in the back compared to the standard Imp. However I have just learned that the A series engines have alloy heads and these little things are pretty light. Combined with the radiator now being in the front with the battery I reckon the balance wont be too bad. I'll find out. Anyway- what can I compare it to?...my old Viva wagon?.... I'll tidy the exhaust and make a sexy new can. I am a complete novice with these Datsun engines but luckily there's lots of information out there plus I know a man named Bart!.... I'm think I'll probably make a bespoke dash arrangement with a rev counter to suit. I also have a very nice old Momo wooden steering wheel which I might fit... So for now that is all. I have much work on right now. There is a truck cab swap going on and then the Datsun 120y is coming inside for rust work. As soon as that is completed Greg will come up with the Blue imp in tow and take away the Datsun. There is also a 1G powered Corolla DX here which I am doing Cert work on which I really should finish. I can then start working on the Imp proper I might just sneak some time in on it in the evenings...

Update on thread now fellas With photos and everything..

Gee whizz... I think you guys miight have it sussed. Here's one more...

Can you bring your BBQ? Just in case Dylans busy etc

More... I think some yas might be onto me... Damn you old nerdy folk.

Damn you Bart. Ssshhhhhh!

Ok so it looks like the engine make is confirmed. Yep its a Datsun A12 engine. Now what car is it in?... Some more pics for car nerds....

Here's another snippet. I'm off to bed to dream of screaming engines and very nifty handling indeed.......

Have a stab here ( at the type of car..not me)

Ooooooooohhhhhhhh. I have just had a new project delivered. What could it be? Discuss here... Now a few of you here already know the answer. Don't be a silly sausage and spoil the fun. Let the others play guessy games. I have tried to take some shots that only cars nerds might recognise. Lets start with this...

Can you please weigh it. I want photos

You have a look in your little black book and get back to us all here at the camp.

We could all get our purchasing fix by buying stuff for you? It would be just like xmas...sort of. You get some presents of which you wont know what they are until you arrive home. But you have to pay for them. We get the thrill of sorting through random car parts and guessing what you might like IN FACT! how about this idea.... SECRET SWAPMEET SANTA! Everyone from oldschool who turns up gives $5 to one of the others. They then have to go out and find the most absurd, freaky, weird, funny random thing they think might suit their designated gift receiver. Gifts are handed out at the BBQ afterwards. Hopefully @ThePog will be there with his Ian the bus and a bbq.....

Yeah its a bloody good event to put on and went down well! Scroll down this page here to see what went on ...

I think you two fellas need to meet. Andy- I reckon now is about the time you need a little English car full of character. I look forward to seeing you at lawn bowls!

Cool. Hey also folks of Nelson. If you want please print off some of these. Then you can place one under a wiper of any suitable old classics you spot while out and about- anything you think might fit the bill here

Who in Nelson is coming along to the swap meet then? .. List time @sidewaysickness @Slacker_Sam. @ThePog @footey @Willdat? @Transom @ynot @AttySlungGatty @scooters @Paulluap @2sik25 @nzvohc @JasonO @Gozza @anglia4 @GMH63 @moparmuppet and any one else you think might like to come along, to buy some random stuff you don't really need and have a BBQ (hopefully in the shade of Dylans bus), maybe a beer. Please do put the word out! Discuss here. Also- any ideas on good road trips within our fine locality, nice pubs to go to etc? Put it up here.

Naughty boy.... planting seeds like that....

You guys have all the Fun

^ well at least your Bimmer is a nice classic brown colour. Looks quite lightweight too. I remember the cold afternoons washing down my Rx3 well.... I can almost hear the rust process now. Even worse was the cold day I decided I'd better get some waxoyl into the sills etc to protect it. I had to keep the container in a bucket of hot water so it would flow. Damn it was a messy horrid job. But at least it was then protected. Here's a frosty road covered in salty scum, waiting for a little bit of water to turn it into an old car attacking solution ....

I will soon be entering the OCD zone. I am preparing for an afternoon of much deliberation and careful planning. It wont be perfect and will end up getting changed over time but I have to start somewhere. 'Start what though' you say?... Organising my boot is what, for I have 'compartmentalised' my boot floor area. I have been planning this job for ages and looking forward to it. Since getting the car back on the road the various tools, jack, spares have been rattling about in the back, wedged with towels so they don't slide across side to side when taking corners at great speed (20mph..). Without a false floor in place it meant that the level of the folded down rear seat was higher than the current floor. This is just unsatisfactory and will not do! Hannah had already made a lid for the battery box so that was sorted now. No batteries will be falling out when we do barrel rolls for laughs. So to the floor. Take one sheet of hardwood ply. Mark out. Cut. Trial fit. Mark again. Cut again. Trial fit. Mark some more...cut again...... I ended up with this nice level floor... With little compartments which I can now carefully compile tools, jack and spares and then stow them neatly away into... Hannah has been painting the old floor and we'll put some sound deadening down before the plywood goes back in for good. Then last week storm hit us but I think we came off fairly lightly at our local beach 3 km down the road. There is normally a nice wee beach over to the left of this photo... Not far from crossing the main road in... With the horrid weather that morning Hannah decided to drive rather than ride her treadly. I got a phone call 5 minutes later... "the car has stopped... its just cut out. Now the battery is dead" I drove down in the van with another battery and found her in the Viva with waves lapping at the wheels. It wasn't full tide yet and the waves were coming in quick. Most of the places along the front there got waves into their yards later on. We pushed it up the road, swapped the battery and it started straight away. I suspect one of the big salty puddles Hannah drove through splashed over the dizzy and shorted it out. Then with a couple of minutes to dry off from engine heat it was fine again. Further up the road she had to drive it through a 30 meter section a foot deep of seawater. Poor little car! So when it returned home, storm now past, I spent a good deal of time giving the whole car a good rinsing off... Then wd40 into any areas I deemed they needed it. This all reminded me so much of the days spent in the UK with my Rx3 where I would carefully hose it all down after a winter drive if they had salted the roads. The car would never seem to dry out at all in winter though. I dont miss road salt. Not one bit!

Coil packs new don't cost much either. I just used a secondhand pack from a misti. Take a spare on long journeys if you're worried but really.. anything could can fail on your car if you start stressing about perceived reliability. Proper full efficient engine management for the win.

I was running a pretty safe 40 advance on V6. If it were me I'd remove your dizzy and run a coil pack. You're so close, but not quite there, to having a really efficient setup. I Dont think anyone will cry if they lift your bonnet and cant see an ugly dizzy sitting there. You can always put it all back to factory if you needed. I'm guessing you need something in the hole to drive the oil pump though? Or does the dizzy drive off the oil pump? I know nothing about these engines.

And disconnect the Vac advance line? Weights etc? Or remove the dizzy, blank the hole, run direct ignition for a cleaner setup and one less gap to jump

That's a fun job in this weather....