Hillman imp + Datsun,then Honda flat 6 ,now Datsun again...

I'm sorry Ken... Moss is now removed.

So where was I ? Well some might remember ages ago, a long, long time ago when I still had a V6 Viva,that mentioned I was going to sell it and if so I wouldn't mind an Imp project.

Well last August hannah and I had gone to the Oldschool Hanmer get together and after the meet we went along to a large collection of classic cars an old boy had been collecting until he died. It was there that I had spotted this wee fella...



After lots of in-decisions, plus getting another two Imps since then, this one ended up on the back of a trailer on Saturday morning and did a little trip north...



Thanks very much to those involved in making this happen. Thanks to Will for collecting it from the yard, along with many other Imp bits (hopefully he might well yet get into an Imp project one day and when this one is finished he'll get a drive so hopefully he'll see what the fuss is about)

Also big thanks to Greg for bringing the Imp up for me. Props to Bart, I think, who spotted one of the strops had broken and saved a potentially nasty incident.

So it arrived and I sat inside it, beer warming my belly and pondered what new mess I had acquired...



Before the guys went on their way back south, Datsun in tow, they helped me push the Imp up to the Imp 'Lichen removal' area...



So it sat as I mixed up some warm water and car shampoo...



As I cleaned it up an old rego label appeared dated 1985-1986...



It looked a fair bit better with all the Lichen removed. Although no all the rust was better evident ....



The inside (great head lining which was one of the reasons I wanted it) was filled with extra interior bits and even included a rats nest too. How lucky.



I quite like the dated 'Jazzergetics-fitness the fun way' sticker....



I moved the car inside and started the empty out. Good score on a red and black set of seats and door cards. Great condition. It looks like someone had previously removed the door cards, made new hardboard backs and were obviously intending to fit them into either this Imp or another. I'm happy that they'll get used :-) I think they'll look really good against the black mx5 front seats I have bought for the car.



Another good score was this fine example of a '90s kettle...



So that evening the Imp sat, all clean and dry, probably wondering what was to become of itself..



I was wondering too. I thought it would be a wise idea to pop it up on the hoist and see what it was like underneath. Turns out its really solid from the front to the back until you get to the rear arches. The outer sills are shot but the inner sills, floor area are great. In fact the outer sills are still intact along the very bottom but would still need replacing. The floors are solid! No rust. The front end is really good too. The worst rust is the entire rear end, from the bottom up to the swage line. The rear seat area is solid but the parcel shelf is even worse than the other one. I have learned from that and if I was to do anything with this shell that will be cut right out first.







So there we have it. Another potential shell to be rescued but for now it will be plundered for anything that I might need to complete the other one. Apart from the pedal box having been nicked by someone its complete. I have already removed the following for IMP ONE..

The gearstick and choke lever/cable. The throttle pedal and cable. The hand brake and cables. I'll be taking the headlining at some point, the dash, heater, gauges, wiring, lights. So it'll end up as a stripped out rolling shell.

I think between the solid rear end and sills of the race car and the really good front end of this a good shell could be made. But I'll wait until I see what Imp one is like to drive before I make any more decisions on what might happen with this one. i might just stash it away in a friends shed for the future. Or maybe flick everything remaining off for someone else to take on as a project. I shall ponder this in the future. Nothing wrong with having a spare Imp up your sleeve

never seen two coloured interior before , must be an export thing , i like it a lot

I can't believe how solid that new one looks! Don't expect the reg was ever put on hold was it?

Does no rego mean it has to be certified? What does that entail normally, it is a pain in the ass or something worse?

Rego is like road tax in Britain. If you have your car untaxed and off the road then, just like in Blighty, you have to have it sorn'd (which here in NZ is called putting the 'Rego on hold')

If you don't put the rego on hold you'll get a letter or email after one year warning you to do so or pay the rego back up to date. After two years without it being on hold the rego lapses and the car can not be re-reg'd without being 're-vinned' and first going through a more stringent WOF (mot) test..much like any new import has to go through when it first gets rego'd in NZ. The re-vin aspect is the car getting a new VIN number.

This test is a tougher thing to pass, depending on how officious your tester is. They can and will be far more picky about any form of rust, brakes, suspension components etc. Seatbelts may often have to be re-new'd or changed to suit newer standards plus depending on the year of your car you may be required to fit a highstop stop light in the rear window.

You'll lose the nice old black and silver plates and get ugly modern white plates (like my Viva wagon has because its been re-vinned at some point after its rego must have been allowed to lapse)

So in a nut shell... its better to keep the rego on hold, or if buying a car to restore make sure its rego is on hold. It can make or break a car sale, especially if the car has quite a bit of rust.

'Plates and tags' is a term used when locating a Vin number and matching set of license plates that are on hold- then using them on your project to make life easier. Illegal...but hey..its just an old car eh.

So I am after a live set of plates and tags for the green Imp now :-)

Hey cool. Welcome to nz (well.. when you get here..)

If you've not already joined I must then insist that you check out oldschool.Co.Nz it's just like here but without the swear filters. All great folk with a fair few expats in the mix.

ahhh yes that thread. No foxgloves yet... they are about october/december start. Building another wood shed today- it'll be the third of five. sooooo much pine about!

Will do an update soon but many other things to do :-) Including coming to the UK in July.

Hm' Racey little Imp photo's you ask



Here you go then this is the Famous Lincoln Imp - it can be found on one of the internal walls of Lincoln Cathedral and was apparently sent by satan but turned into stone by an angel



Lincoln City Football Club also use it has there mascot logo

Unsure if this is where the car derived it's name from or not but there is a bit more UK history for you - not quite sure that is what you were looking for in your request though

Snotgreen ring any bells?
Do ypu still have the Triumph wagon?