yoeddynz

As much as I love the sound of a nice V6... I really fancy that baby Porsche flat 6 sound in an Imp I still have several V6 engines kicking about too.. but for future project ideas/paper weights. You have certainly got me curious though.... I wonder if people have used such engines to repower little cars. I think most decent outboards command big money dont they?

Weeeeeeeee... I like all these suggestions. I'll be opening up the old transaxle and swapping the bellhousing over to the new box so whilst there it would be rude not to check out if the diff flips over etc. Otherwise I do have an idea. The flat six actually has a few options, idler gears, sprockets, cogs and toothy things hanging out the back that I can muck about with.

So as some of you might have noticed in another thread I started over in the dark side of the bike section..I have been having sweet dreams about a future Imp project involving a Honda Goldwing Flat six... For that flat six growl ! Create a Imp 911. Hillman 911? Anyway.. I have spent a fair proportion of good sleeping time recently laying awake going through ideas on how and looking through drawings on a workshop manual I downloaded. It had it all worked out this morning. Worked out how to deal with the oil pump drive, create a Flywheel hub, deal with the alternator and water pump issues etc etc. It was looking good. But then a fella goes by the name of Darkspeed on Retrorides, who's been into Imps for a fair while and had once investigated the same engine, quipped in... "I think they might be counterclockers" Yes. Dammit. He is correct. After all those late night/ early morning ponderings I failed to spot which side of the belts the cam belt tensioners were on... So yeah. Back to the drawing board. Which could mean using the stock transmission and cobble together a neat little diff. The output is offset though. But diff could be offset a little and then extend one axle drive outwards, supported to suit. So long as the uni/Cv joints are in line with the stock position it'll be fine. A sequential shift. Hmmm. Plus some later Goldwings have a electric reverse (how much it can deal with I dont know though) Anyway.. this idea is ways off so back to welding. Oh and also...look who came through and stayed the night on their Tour of love to Nats down south. Fun times were had that night! Very chilled. They all took a quite shine to the alluring beauty of an Imp... Hopefully I will see more Imps turn up on Oldschool in the future

You mean aware? Yeah I've seen a few pics of people doing as such and I'll definitely do the same.. It seems worth it for the sake of a few squirts of welding eh

Cheers man. I enjoy doing updates as it seems to act as a way of keeping me motivated

I managed to do a bit more on this in between stripping a Datsun 120Y down and property jobs continuing on from the cyclone mess. So where was I up to? Ahhhhh that's right. The arches... No. Hang on. That's the wrong photo. Not them. This.. So there was some rust I had cut out. Made a little fill in and using Nanas favourite butter knife I was able to keep it lined up for butt welding.. Grind off and move on.. So onto the offside rear corner. It was messy.. This fell out.. And the rest was cut out.. I started a the rebuild with a tricky inner bottom piece connecting the outer guard bottom to the chassis rail. Luckily it looked like this section is a mirror image of the other side. You can see it has many curves, bends and folds, as pointed out by Mr troll... So I copied it using folder, hammers, shrinker, pliers, hands.. Welded in. Instant strength again I then rebuilt the inside and started building the outer skin.. I've finished off the entire rear end but need to get some more photos. There were some rust bubbles around the arch which I cut out in sections in order to not lose the shape. I'll get more photos. I need to cover all the repairs in Epoxy primer before it starts flashing off in surface rust. Then move on to the floor. Yay. Lots of rust. But I have a rough plan on how to tackle it. Feeling happy with it all now its a lot more solid

Still whittling away at the rust. However, for a break from looking at rusty Imps here is a link to an old Rootes Group promotional film made for the launch of the Imp. Some really good factory footage with some great machine shots. Yeah... watching this last night really made me want to sort my Imp (s) out so I can drive the thing! http://movingimage.nls.uk/film/0085

Its certainly the only 99 I have seen in NZ (well.. the south island...)

Its been an intention for a while but there's so many other things I want to build before hand. I'd love some rollers too. And an English wheel while I'm there. Plus a mechanical planisher. But actually id rather be building other stuff instead of rust repairs. It's fun but pretty nasty dirty work. But pays the bills right now.

Wow. What a score. I hope I'm not the only one here who thinks this... Please don't paint that! It looks so sweet. I'd happily chuff/chugg about in that all day long winding up the rozz. "Yes sir..its fully legal! " Gonna follow this one with interest

Oh yeah totally know what you mean. An old car resto is a proper job if it aint got a few hedgehogs on the back of the repairs. I sometimes end up laughing so hard in my helmet as I chase a hole in the thin stuff. It almost becomes a challenge... "fuck you little hole... I'm going to defeat you! You ain't getting away on me.. I am not going to just do the right thing and chop this area out. I'm just gonna keep zapping away..! "

Yeah its tricky alright eh. But a grinder will be our our best friend The newer invertor type mig welder I bought a few years ago works much sweeter for 'zapping' too. I try to concentrate the zap onto the thicker steel and then do a little push towards the thin original steel as I release the trigger..if you can picture what I mean.

I sneaked a little bit more time on this last night (well I didn't really sneak out to the shed.. I just worked till late) I have taken a few extra photos this time to show how I went about what is a fairly awkward bit to fabricate. So here's the corner to repair... Measured up to work out a size of steel needed. Add a bit extra because with the slight compound curve the shrinker will tease the steel and it'll end up smaller in other areas too... (hard to explain what I mean.. but yeah.. just cut a bit larger than you need) I rolled my little folder out and in several small bends curved the edge up. The bend downwards of this corner has a 5mm or so radius... but not all the way round as it actually blends back in to the guard. Then into the shrinker.. Then compare to original section. Its not a simple curve and has to be carefully manipulated by hand to get just right. Cut, try, cut, try, cut.. until it just fits in neatly. Because its nice new thick steel and the area its getting welded into is good steel I don't mind a tiny gap. As I weld it the weld will sink in between rather than sitting out too far. Plenty of heat in short zaps. Meld it into one.. weld on, grind off, weld on, grind off....ahhhh grasshopper. Then the little finishing off bit underneath. A slight compound curve in itself but can be just bent to fit by hand... Then fused in place.. ready for grinding (the boring bit..) I have now started on the other side rear corner. Much worse inside as the battery box area was rotten. I'm not going to bother trying to make it all original like in there because there wont be a battery there. But maybe I'll make a handy space out of it. Maybe a box or something to take spare engine oil, some basic tools etc. I'll see. For now I just need to make it solid again

Needs more modgies/slotmags/turbos/insert most classic cheviot mags and less jap style wheels.

That 2LT would be handy for making our van into even more of a 'head on' death trap than it already is!

Ldt28 imp? Wow With tow bar.

Yeah I know the stuff you're on about. This stuff is foam based... and of most excellent absorbancy one must add. Also noted when I cut the guard open.. lots of Slaters hiding in there. Sadly.. many if not most of them met their doom when I sliced the panel off. All cooked by the hot sparks from the grinder. Yum.

Started on the rot removal over the weekend. Its going well. Trying to sneak in time here and there between jobs but did some good hours on Sunday. As usual I am finding it super addictive and very satisfying. I had no idea what I was expecting to find under the outer sill skins so straight into it.. and luckily the drivers side is in really good condition. Just surface rust. Glad to have peeled off the skin though. Gave me a chance to clean it out and paint it. Then a new outer sill - which I have to make in two sections because my folder is only 600mm Also had to make new 'rear sill' or is it lower B pillar ? was clean as under there luckily so again just a new outer needed. The passenger side though.. Oh dear. Bugger. The rot had taken out the bottom half of the heater pipe boxing. The inner sill/floor edge had one small section with rot I had to cut out as well. Nothing for it but to chop it all out and let in some new steel. Before I went any further I had to remove the long heater hoses- one on each side. I can see these being a right mare to re-install. I'm sure there are some secrets you fellow Imp old timers know about. Then new boxing.. New vertical sill piece. Lots of holes for plug welding.. Welding in place. I must say I was happy that the shell was empty and resting on the table neatly along its length. There was enough decent upper sill including decent vertical sections to hold the shape of the doorway With that lot fixed I painted it all in a heavy zinc rich paint and then welded on the new outer. I butt welded the whole lot because I didnt want any little seams that might collect moisture. I'll fill the lot with cavity wax later on (always a fun job..) I then carefully shaped up a new 'LowerB pillar, guard bottom sill end' (what is this bit called...just the sill I guess..) and was about to weld it in place after having treated and painted the inner section. But I was not feeling happy about the look of that inner bit. I just had to delve deeper and I'm glad I did. I knew the floor corner was rotten but I was going to deal with that later. However it made more sense to do the lot in one go. I cut the curved inner sill off and then there was this.. Hmmmm... what's under here ?.... Rebuilt it all.. New inner cover... Then on with that outer..finally. Both sills complete, rot free and strong again They are sort of the most critical of repairs to get right on this car. The rest is just about rot removal and letting in steel with having to use heaps of filler (I dont really enjoy sanding filler so I'd rather get the repair as close as possible and just allow for a skim if any ) I was going to do the floor next but this lot was right there, laughing at me. I had to cut it out and see what gives.. Note the factory carefully installed bags of foam, designed to absorb sound...and moisture... Shaped a new piece to suit. Luckily not as tricky as I was expecting. Given the awkward shape around the corner I'll break these corner repairs down into sections. The wheel arch rot visible will be dealt with afterwards. Drilled a new drain hole for future cavity wax applications and then painted the inner with Por 15.. Ready in place to weld. And that is where I was last night. Its welded in now and I'll continue on around the corner, then do the other side. The battery box is rotten but the battery will be moved up front anyway in order to redistribute the extra 20kg of the Datsun engine. Work will slow down on the Imp for now as I have sold on our family Datsun 120Y 2 door wagon on to a friend from Oldschool. I'll be doing a fair bit of rot removal on that before it gets taken away. That earns me money where as this Imp doesn't. So Datsun wins the time allocation. But I'm sure I'll sneak time in here and there. Plus Hannah can do work on either car to help with progress (when she's not at the beach swimming with her sister who's visiting - pfff....priorities..) I have also eventually come to realise that it might well be a slightly tall order to try and get this Imp on the road for the nationals in 2 weeks time....... So Viva HB wagoning we shall be for that fine event. But hey- I'll continue as is and at least I should have done the vast amount of rot work by then

Just hide them.

My brother had a slightly later 900 16v s. It went very well. Saw a 900 yesterday when I was out honing in viva. They are a very neat looking car. Back to you..

Oh and we owned an early 900 for a while. Great cars to drive. Had trouble sorting out the clutch hydraulics though. Weird arrangement.

Oh swoon. I saw this there but never realised it was a three door. Not until the way back to Nelson did @avengertiger tell me it was three door and apart from the boot floor quite solid. Cool cars. I was very close to buying a mint 99 turbo, complete with aztec mags, when in the UK. Only 800squid and road legal. Along with the fulvia I walked away from not buying it still rates as one of my biggest fails in car purchase life Really happy to see this rescued. Top blokes both of yas for dragging it out. Watching with keen interest

Yeah I know the nsu's. Cool wee cars too.

Wow. Damn there's some paint skills going on! Ive always liked the shape of these. There's a corvoir ute that hooks about Nelson and its so sweet. Then the other day over coffee I was reading about the hillman imp development and how the designer took 'some' styling cues from the corvoir they'd been testing..... Cripes. Damn near ripped off most of the design features. It's like a corvoir that's been shrunk... Just needs a tiny Porsche engine.