time to move on

Last summer I had plans to move the Imp bodyshell to my rented barn to start on the bodywork. This isn’t a easy as it sounds because the car was stripped of all components and turned on its side in the lock up garage shown in the 2nd picture below (one with the doors open).

All the running gear was stripped to be powder coated and that involves removing bushes etc so it can’t usually all be bolted straight back on without some new parts. I embarked on refitting it all so I can get the shell rolling again to move from the lock up to the barn and by about October ’09 I had assembled some 2nd hand shockers etc and it was nearly ready to go but the barn is also full of other projects which I have been busy on (Daimler Double Six VDP 1974 and 5 1970’s motorbikes) so I didn’t make the move over the festive period etc. 

Anyway I visited the lock up on Saturday gone, where the car has sat without rusting any further than when I got it, to find water pouring in the roof from the thawing snow because the local kids have ripped all the felt off the roof. I could have killed someone! and it is pointless trying to get the council to repair the roof as all they want to do is take the rent for the garages but not maintain them. The doors are hanging off, the lights don’t work and the roofs leak.

They say ‘every cloud has a silver lining’….well in this case it is that it means I will be moving the Imp now. I cleared some space for it in the barn last night and searched for the original front shocks to get the mounting bolts for the slaves I bought.  At the moment I can only find one but the other will turn up or I can use a metric bolt of similar size.

The original shocks are actually pretty special as they are adjustable armstrong ones from the 60s. You can see the model no. etc on them and I recently bought a CD Rom online with the original Armstrong sales literature for the shocks to compare with mine. They are AT9 models i believe and there is an article in the June 2001 edition of Impressions which gives a list of parts fitted to the Works Rally Imps by the Rootes competition Dept and their part no. was 1208 Armstrong adjustable AT9 front shock absorbers £6 10s. 

Armstrong AT9 adjustable front shocks

I also dug out the original wheels which, at first site, look like Minilites but have a slightly different rim. 

front and back views of Tech Del magnesium alloy wheels (12")

The February 2002 edition of Impressions (the monthly magazine of the Imp Club) shows a period ad for the wheels I have. They were Tech Del magnesium alloy wheels costing between £12 15s 6d and £15 18s depending on rim width. Mine were originally painted gold but I had them powdercoated silver a long time ago and got new tyres fitted. Looking closely at the add I can now see that the tyres in the ad were what was still fitted to mine when I bought the car!

period article (Autocar 16/8/66) featuring Tech Del alloy wheels