The Hillman Imp
Discussion
tog said:
My dad apparently had a Rally Imp back in the sixties. I've never seen pictures of it, but it was I believe bought to replace an MGB which his parent thought was too sporty, but a nice sensible Imp placated them. He says it had two massive carburettors, but was a pig to keep in tune. I've never seen any reference to a Rally Imp so don't know anything else about them, but I get the impression from him that it was a standard model. Can anyone shed any light?
IIRC there was an Imp Rallye:http://www.imps4ever.info/family/rallye.html
eldar said:
I had one many years ago. Base model so no heater, unpredictable handling and lots of rust, eventually terminal. The engine was seemingly bulletproof and was one of the few bits of the car that worked properly!
There must have been something wrong with yours then. I thought they were supposed to overheat regularly, all mine certainly did. Before it got to hot it was great though. a8hex said:
There must have been something wrong with yours then. I thought they were supposed to overheat regularly, all mine certainly did. Before it got to hot it was great though.
The guy I bought if from warned me to never let it overheat, keep the radiator unclogged inside and out and check the fan belt often. I didn't bother, though. Then the rust fairy finally consumed the sills and half the floor. I replaced it with a Renault Dauphine which rusted even quicker and catastrophically! The joys of youth and running old bangers on pennies
a8hex said:
There must have been something wrong with yours then. I thought they were supposed to overheat regularly, all mine certainly did. Before it got to hot it was great though.
Do you think they over heated straight off the production line? .............. well they didn't 
furred up radiator tubes and filthy cores was the only cause Sardonicus said:
o you think they over heated straight off the production line? .............. well they didn't furred up radiator tubes and filthy cores was the only cause
And blown head gaskets, and owners that did up the cylinder head bolts without the aid of a torque wrench that caused the blown head gasket. And that water pump ... furred up radiator tubes and filthy cores was the only cause I'm a huge enthusiast and own three Imp engined vehicles, but they weren't without their problems!
onomatopoeia said:
And blown head gaskets, and owners that did up the cylinder head bolts without the aid of a torque wrench that caused the blown head gasket. And that water pump ...
I'm a huge enthusiast and own three Imp engined vehicles, but they weren't without their problems!
Never had problems with HG's I always assumed head gasket failures were down to over-heating and you can imagine the pounding my 1st car received along with my brothers 1st car a 1965 Imp with the sweeping speedo and push bulb windscreen washer pump (its him that convinced me) neither had problems with over-heating but we did blow drive-shaft donuts regular along with almost yearly front king pin replacement even when greased I'm a huge enthusiast and own three Imp engined vehicles, but they weren't without their problems!
mine suffered from valve bounce at 7.5K but with a stock bottom end it never broke even with 70k showing 
ignorance of youth 
Many years ago one of my mates bought one of these, the Bond 875...
... not this actual one, picture stolen from the internet, I don't remember all the details but some bright spark had shoved a breathed on motor in the back. To this day it remains the most dangerous vehicle I've ever travelled in, it went like s
t off a shovel but that was it's only party trick. My mate used to commute from Dartford in Kent to Rosyth dockyard in the bloody thing, he was an apprentice in the RN at the time, and would have to replace the brake linings after practically every trip.
... not this actual one, picture stolen from the internet, I don't remember all the details but some bright spark had shoved a breathed on motor in the back. To this day it remains the most dangerous vehicle I've ever travelled in, it went like s
t off a shovel but that was it's only party trick. My mate used to commute from Dartford in Kent to Rosyth dockyard in the bloody thing, he was an apprentice in the RN at the time, and would have to replace the brake linings after practically every trip. a8hex said:
grumpy52 said:
Pretty little thing at my local car show .
(can I have my anorak now please)
A sport , a Stilleto or an Imp Californian would be nice to tinker with .
I used to drive a Husky at the garage I worked for back in '72 .
My father had a Sunbeam Stiletto in the late 60s, he took it on his first of many European road trips, over the Austrian Alps into Northern Italy. He always tells the tale how he had to stop about four times going over one of the higher passes to let it cool down! Great little cars with bags of character, the wife keeps hankering for an old Fiat 500 but no way would I fit in, maybe I should persuade her into an Imp.
grumpy52 said:
a8hex said:
grumpy52 said:
Pretty little thing at my local car show .
(can I have my anorak now please)
A sport , a Stilleto or an Imp Californian would be nice to tinker with .
I used to drive a Husky at the garage I worked for back in '72 .
There's a lot to be said for a first car where you can pickup the long engine & gearbox assembly. Makes working on them so much easier.
My sister owned an Imp for a while in the mid '70s. I remember it as being much nicer to drive than a Mini. Also, the link to Coventry Climax and the Formula 1 Coopers makes it rather more exotic (all alloy! overhead cam!) than the BMC cars.
That Imp inspired a desire for a Sunbeam Stiletto, but I never progressed beyond looking at a couple.
Wasn't there an "upgrade" involving the later, stronger block from a Chrysler/Talbot Sunbeam (or is my memory playing tricks)?
That Imp inspired a desire for a Sunbeam Stiletto, but I never progressed beyond looking at a couple.
Wasn't there an "upgrade" involving the later, stronger block from a Chrysler/Talbot Sunbeam (or is my memory playing tricks)?
Edited by gareth_r on Thursday 14th May 12:36
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