Hillman Imps - Tell me more

[Pulse]

Hmmm, now I quite like the look of these. Coming from a modern car, what should I be aware of? This one looks tidy, and I wouldn't mind making an offer on it...

http://pistonheads.com/sales/1580730.htm

[Gaspode]

The Californian was the fastback version of the standard Imp, so naff-all rear headroom. Coventry Climax engine, very nice. Total rustbuckets bodywise, so check carefully. Cooling is marginal IIRC. I always fancied one when I was younger, If this one s clean and together then it could make a very nice classic.

[perdu]

Gaspode said:

The Californian was the fastback version of the standard Imp, so naff-all rear headroom. Coventry Climax engine, very nice. Total rustbuckets bodywise, so check carefully. Cooling is marginal IIRC. I always fancied one when I was younger, If this one s clean and together then it could make a very nice classic.

I had loads of Imps

but the cooling was worsererer than marginal

The tossbag that designed the system arranged the fan on the waterpump so that it drew air in from the dead air area at the back of the engine cover and tried feebly to push it down hill towards the onrushing air pushing in from under the car into the radiator collection space

I wouldn't describe the method as a roaring success

I did become very adept at removing warped and twisted cylinder heads at frequent intervals...

And to drive they are bloody marvellous

Way under-rated with real springy suspenders when the mini was bouncing about on rubber s'pensions

To cure the cooling system I see that modern Impists use Mr Kenlowes marvellous devices, wish I'd bloody thought of that

Suck air out and the whole thing becomes a sensible choice

did I mention I love 'em

[dmulally]

Even the gt engine struggles up a hill so you have to change gear often. Its a sloppy shift too as in a beetle. Great car though and great to zip around in. The diff ratio is 4.7 or something so its gives a great 0-60 but thats about its max speed too sadly.

Possible to fit a bike engine but the imp engine is fun. I put my rad in the front and ran two pipes to the engine. Never got warm even in summer.

Im trying to give away a rolling shell at the moment but having nil luck. Im in oz tho.

[shirt]

my dad's first car was an imp, bought brand new in lilac with optional radial tyres, heater & wing mirrors! we saw the exact same car in leeds a few years ago. I've long since fancied one as a homage.

question - does the climax engine bear any relation those used by cooper? like the idea of a firepump powered f1 car!

[NiceCupOfTea]

Great cars - rust is their biggest enemy though. My dad had an Imp Sport back in the day (same engine as the Stiletto in the standard Imp body).

I've come close to buying one in the past. Be aware that it will be a "hands on" ownership experience

"onomatopoiea" on here is your man.

Have a look at The Imp Club web site.

[mybrainhurts]

There's a lady near me who uses one as a daily driver. It's on original paint and immaculate.

[hidetheelephants]

shirt said:

my dad's first car was an imp, bought brand new in lilac with optional radial tyres, heater & wing mirrors! we saw the exact same car in leeds a few years ago. I've long since fancied one as a homage.

question - does the climax engine bear any relation those used by cooper? like the idea of a firepump powered f1 car!

Yes in the sense of being a straight crib of the design(OHC all-alloy), no in the sense of interchangable parts(I think).

[b2hbm]

Yep, that does look a very tidy car and I'd say it's the right sort of money, although I'd guess it's been fairly well modified from standard - is that a front air intake grille ?

Anyway, we had one and until I got the "improving" bug, it was reliable and great fun to drive. Remember they were launched to go head to head against the Mini, and having had both I'd say they succeeded. When you compare with a 60s mini the Imps felt much more of a solid car, better brakes, gearchange and engine. They felt more practical to me and as I prefer RWD I even liked the handling.

The radiator being at the rear wasn't a problem until I put a bigger engine with hotter cams in, and then it did overheat and blow a few headgaskets. In the end I gave up and went back to an Imp Sport engine, which still revved like no tomorrow and coupled with alloy rims and lower suspension it was still a classy little car.

In fact writing about it makes me fancy one all over again.....

[CDP]

dmulally said:

Its a sloppy shift too as in a beetle.

You must have had worn linkages. My brother had two imps; both had superb accurate gearchanges. Shame the 'box failed.

Make sure the doughnuts are fresh and tasty too. Stale doughnuts have a nasty habit of braking up and can cause other damage.

Rust is an issue but it's a 40 year old car and significantly better than a mini in that regard.

The cooling system has to be better than new or you will have issues. Probably the smoothest four cylinder engine I've ever driven.

[peterperkins]

I drove imps for years and worked my way through the range, in the end I had a heavily modified (engine) road going 998cc car in the end based on one of the original 998 rallye homolgation specials they produced for rallying eligibility.

With a Reg Patten 998c full race engine, Ge3 385 lift cam, twin 40 dellortos, janspeed race exhaust etc etc it made over 100bhp and was very quick with a fantastic sound reving to over 9000rpm.

I loved the performance and handling wish i still had it now.

So yes they are great cars but do rust especially the inner sills. I also became very adept at changing headgaskets like the other posters. Eventually i used wills rings and a front radiator on the race engine and never had a gasket problem again. You can get special modified doughnuts for non standard engines and i believe most panels etc are available.

http://www.hillmanimpspecialists.com/

http://www.malcolmanderson.co.uk/

The car on PH is nice looking apart from the stupid front spoiler thing!

[Sam_68]

CDP said:

dmulally said:

Its a sloppy shift too as in a beetle.

You must have had worn linkages.... Probably the smoothest four cylinder engine I've ever driven.

The Imp gearshift is superbly accurate when it's in good condition.

And I've owned standard Imps where you literally couldn't tell whether the engine was running when the car was queuing in town traffic, so quiet and smooth were they at idle.

It would be foolish to deny the flaws, but there really is some superb engineering in the drivetrain, in particular.

[Pulse]

Looks like this is one I'll have to wait for until I have a garage to put it in! (Leaving the Z4 outside!)

[Rower]

Nobody has mentioned the frightenly light front end ! Or are large sacks of cement in the front boot now just considerd standard !!


Rower

[NiceCupOfTea]

Rower said:

Nobody has mentioned the frightenly light front end ! Or are large sacks of cement in the front boot now just considerd standard !!


Rower

They were great in the snow - my dad used to ps off to work in his and leave my mum to try and get us to school in the Marina (which *was* complete with paving slabs in boot )

[Sam_68]

Rower said:

Nobody has mentioned the frightenly light front end ! Or are large sacks of cement in the front boot now just considerd standard !!

The 'frighteningly light front end' was mainly a myth/misunderstanding.

The problems was caused not by weight distribution, but by the fact that the car had been raised from its original design ride height by the factory, as a bodge to get it though headlamp height regulations in some markets.

The modern solution is to fit lowered springs and dampers (commonly known as 'Monte Carlos', or just 'Montes' by Imp enthusiasts) and brackets that lower the swing axle pick-ups. These modifications lower the car overall, lower the front roll centre and give take the front wheels from slightly positive to slightly negative camber. They give a huge improvement in handling and stability and, being cheap and simple to implement, are pretty commonly found on any Imp that has had an enthusiastic driver as its owner.

The cars can still be sensitive to cross winds, but this tends only to exhibit itself on motorways at high speed, and very few Imps are driven in that environment much, these days. A front spoiler helps with crosswind satbility, if it bothers you (a Dolly Sprint front spoiler was a popular modification back when they were more readily available).

[CDP]

NiceCupOfTea said:

Rower said:

Nobody has mentioned the frightenly light front end ! Or are large sacks of cement in the front boot now just considerd standard !!


Rower

They were great in the snow - my dad used to ps off to work in his and leave my mum to try and get us to school in the Marina (which *was* complete with paving slabs in boot )

I've had rear a engined Skoda, VW and Fiat. The Imp's no worse in that respect. Just brake a little harder into the corner and get ready in case of roll induced oversteer; the steering's amazingly accurate so you should be able to catch it fairly easily. Just be in the right gear and ready for the throttle.

My brother summed up his Elise as being like a fast Imp with brakes. I agree.

What you don't expect in such a small car is the quiet, supple ride or well weighted steering. When running properly it's one of the best mannered small cars around, even now.

[a8hex]

Pulse said:

what should I be aware of?

Remember to change gear when you hear the valves start to bounce


Great fun, learn a lot from first my brother's and then I had a Husky (estate). You need to take the engine out to do almost anything. But that is really easy. As a teenager I could lift the long engine and gear assembly and usually found this was the easiest way to get one out or back in.
I remember having the engine out of my brother's outside his flat one day when the local panda car came round and suggested that this wasn't the sort of thing we were allowed to do on the road side. They weren't too impressed when we said that it was only minor maintenance. When they came back 20minutes later the car was no longer there and I was just finishing putting the tools away.

If I had somewhere to keep a little run about, I'd seriously consider one. I'm sure all the problems like cooling are easily fixed these days. My Husky cost me less than my push bike at the time and could never go over 30 miles before over heating, but that was rarely a problem living in London back then.

[CDP]

a8hex said:

My Husky cost me less than my push bike at the time and could never go over 30 miles before over heating, but that was rarely a problem living in London back then.

I couldn't do 30 miles on a push bike without overheating either.

For an Imp an oil cooler, modern radiator, electric fan and electronic water pump would probably do the trick. It would also have the advantage of the engine not having to spin that big fan round every time you blip the throttle.

[CDP]

Come to think of it I've got a spare bumper, a couple of wheels, and an inlet manifold with a couple of Strommies kicking about.

PM me with an offer